ISFJ: Robert Fischer, “Inception”

The Protector, The Cultivator, The Steward

Robert Fischer is us. He is the Audience, the one for whom the fantasy is created. The success or failure of a movie depends on whether or not we accept and buy into it. So too, for the Inception team, their mission counts for nothing if the subject doesn’t respond to the dreamworld the way they intend.

Notice that every single character on the team is a Thinker type, while Fischer is a Feeler type. The others are going about their work by analyzing and conceptualizing human emotion and how to manipulate it. Fischer simply feels, authentically and in the moment.

Dominant Function: Introverted Sensing (Si), “Relive the Experience”

Robert Fischer lives in his father’s shadow and sees no way out of it. He intends to carry on his father’s business and legacy, even though Maurice Fischer doesn’t seem to care about him. He has intense, personal memories of his father’s rejection that define the way he interacts with the world and thinks about himself.

A toast to his father just before he falls asleep is enough to get him thinking deeply about the subject as he slips into the dreamworld.

Most of what we get to see of Fischer is him being glum and moody, but he shows a smartly cautious, pragmatic side once the Inception team launches their plot. He offers his wallet to his kidnappers—practically, his life is more important than his money, and the wallet itself is expensive enough to be a nice prize for an eager criminal. It’s also revealed that he put himself through extraction-defense training, prepping his subconscious for possible attack.

Basically, although his Si-dom has been damaged by his father’s treatment, it also protects him by giving him the knowledge he needs to deal with dangerous situations. Si can kind of look like Ni that way, except that Si is more grounded in experience—this has happened before, and will likely happen again, so I will prepare for it—and Ni (Introverted Intuition) is more theoretical and future-oriented—this will likely happen given the way things are going, so I’ll prepare for that.

ISTJ: Arthur, “Inception”

ISTJ, the Inspector, the Sentinel, the Trustee

If Dom Cobb is the director, then Arthur is the Assistant Director, or maybe the Line Producer. If you’ve ever been on a real movie set, you might be surprised to see that it’s less often the Director who’s barking orders than it is the A.D. They’re the one carrying the clipboard with the day’s schedule on it, making sure everyone is exactly where they need to be when they need to be there, relaying the director’s orders to the rest of the crew, and tapping their watches when things go overtime (the Line Producer also worries about the schedule, because they’re keeping track of the budget).

Basically, the director is the big visionary, and the Assistant Director brings the vision to reality. Without Arthur, most of Cobb’s schemes would probably stall out in the early planning stages. Arthur brings the dependability, practicality, and straight-forwardness of the ISTJ to the ever-changing dreamworld.

Dominant Function: Introverted Sensing (Si), “Relive the Experience”

Arthur grounds Cobb’s recklessness and tends to the details of his crazy plans. He’s skeptical of the Inception plan because “that worked so good [last time]!” Practical and cautious, he likes to have all the necessary information he needs before taking action. His thoroughness has served him well, making him seasoned and experienced, so that he goes about his work with practiced professionalism. When he misses the information about Robert Fischer having extraction defense training, he takes it as a personal failure to do his job.

Auxiliary Function: Extraverted Thinking (Te), “Organize the Experience”

As the Point Man, Arthur executes and implements Cobb’s ideas. He dislikes mistakes and oversights, and chews out their first Architect when he gets the carpet wrong. Later, he reams Dom for not telling them they could all die for real on the Inception job. When Cobb is away, Arthur takes Ariadne under wing and explains more of the practical rules of dream-sharing in order to prepare her for the job.

ISTJ: Sarek, “Star Trek: The Original Series”

ISTJ, the Inspector, the Sentinel, the Trustee

portrayed by Mark Lenard

Season 2, Episode 15, “Journey to Babel”; ST:TNG Season 3, Episode 23, “Sarek”, and Season 5, Episode 7, “Unification I”; Star Trek III-VI

Most Vulcans portrayed in Star Trek are ISTJs. The combination of sensible tradition (Si-dom) and fact-based decision-making (Te-aux) naturally orients them to this personality type. The characters of Spock and Sarek set the bar in The Original Series, and very few have matched it.

Dominant Function: Introverted Sensing (Si), “Relive the Experience”

Sarek believes in the tradition and millennia-old philosophies of Vulcan culture, and raised his half-Vulcan son Spock to follow them. Although Spock considers himself a devoted Vulcan, his choice to join Starfleet rather than the Vulcan Science Academy created a rift between the two men. Sarek cannot seem to forgive or forget Spock’s choice, and they don’t speak to each other for 18 years.

As Mark Lenard said in an interview:

“Sarek, like many people of strength and societal importance, believes in the superiority of the Vulcan way [….] And the fact that Sarek’s son, whom he nurtured and taught, the one who expresses the best that is the Vulcan society, should go off and share all this knowledge with others hurt him deeply, I think.”*

Sarek also meditates frequently. While Si is usually talked about as the “memory and tradition” function, it’s actually more about recalling and being aware of inner sensations—these can include memories, knowledge, and also bodily sensations. An Si-user understands these things the more they process them, folding them into their growing knowledge of the world around them, whereas an Se-user grasps onto physical experience immediately and responds in the moment. Sarek considers his meditation time personal and sacred, and when he’s unable to achieve it later in life due to his illness, he becomes confused and unbalanced, and loses his direction.

ISTJ: Sister Mary Lazarus, “Sister Act”

ISTJ, the Inspector, the Sentinel, the Trustee

You’re never too old to learn something new, they always say. They also say, however, that the older you get, the more set in your ways you become. Who do “they” think they are, anyway?

The promising thing about MBTI is that it expects that we’ll grow. The cognitive function stack is organized so that we work our way down as we mature. We start off with our strong dominant function, and as we journey through life, we gradually learn to use to use the rest of our cognitive abilities to become more balanced, healthy, and effective.

For an INFP like me (or Sister Mary Robert), that can be learning to find practical ways to execute my ideas by harnessing my inferior Te—to plan a move across the country, to speak up for what I believe in, or you know, to keep up with a blog. For an ISTJ like Sister Mary Lazarus, it can be connecting with her inferior Ne, which opens her up to novel and daring ways of accomplishing traditional goals, gains her a new friend, and brightens up her life in her later years.

So for some of us, maturity looks like responsibility, and for some of us, it looks like playfulness.

Dominant Function: Introverted Sensing (Si), “Relive the Experience”

Sister Mary Lazarus respects tradition and history. She’s been a nun through “four popes now,” she proudly announces to Mary Clarence. She’s not impressed with these progressive, “newfangled convents,” and misses her old convent in Vancouver, where they lived barefoot in the woods with no running water. “Now those were nuns!”

She’s suspicious of Mary Clarence’s presence in the choir. “Out with the old,” she concludes, worried that Reverend Mother is trying to get rid of her. Mary Clarence, however, appeals to her sense of duty and discipline as a nun to help train the sisters.

Auxiliary Function: Extraverted Thinking (Te), “Organize the Experience”

Sister Mary Lazarus takes great satisfaction in her work. She leads the choir when we first meet her, though it’s more out of a sense of duty than ambition. They’re pretty terrible, but she doesn’t push them beyond their previously established rehearsal routine.

However, once she sees what they’re capable of, she takes the lead as Mary Clarence’s right-hand nun, drilling the sisters till they’re perfect. She’s out there in the thick of it when the sisters reach out to the neighborhood, helping fix cars and build a playground. When it’s announced that the Pope will be visiting to hear their choir, Mary Lazarus proclaims joyfully, “We’ve got to get busy!”

ISTJ: King Seti, “The Prince of Egypt”

ISTJ, The Inspector, The Sentinel, The Trustee

I like to profile as many of the characters from a movie or series as I can. Problem is, once you get past the leads, the material gets a little sketchier. I tried really hard to flesh out characters like Uncle Henry and Auntie Em, but it took a lot of speculation to fill in the evidence for all their functions.

So, moving forward, I’ll do mini-profiles for supporting characters. Nailing down the top two functions should be enough to prove the type for most cases, anyway. For King Seti, I’m going to include all his functions, just because it’s a good chance to talk about Feeling versus Thinking; but this will still be short.

Dominant Function: Si/Introverted Sensing, “Relive the Experience”

Seti’s biggest concern is his legacy. “One weak link can break the chain of a mighty dynasty!” he declares to his reckless son Rameses. He values the dignity and strength of the kings that have come before him, and he desires his sons to live up to that standard. Though Rameses will later show a great capacity for ambition, Seti’s  focus is more on maintaining the kingdom than on expanding it.

The filmmakers show us this visually by framing Seti’s profile alongside the statues of his predecessors. For Seti, those giant sculptures aren’t just there to show off Egypt’s glory, but to remember the great kings of the past whom he desires to emulate. It’s this greatness and history that Seti wished to preserve when he ordered the extermination of the Hebrew children.

Auxiliary Function: Te/Extraverted Thinking, “Organize the Experience”

When Moses learns what Seti did, Seti almost shrugs it off. He explains very matter-of-factly, “The Hebrews grew too numerous.” They were a threat to the continued existence of the kingdom of Egypt, and so Seti took what to him was a sensible action to keep them under control. The effective orchestration of such a large scale act of genocide makes Seti a chilling figure.

It’s also through his Extraverted Thinking that Seti imparts the values of the past to his sons. One track of the movie’s score is titled, “The Reprimand,” so named because it plays under the scene where Seti…well, reprimands Rameses and Moses. An entire musical piece underscores the power that Seti’s authority has when he wields it to keep his kingdom, and his sons, in line.

ISFJ: Aaron, “The Prince of Egypt”

ISFJ, The Protector, The Cultivator, The Steward

Let’s talk about stereotypes. One of the major complaints against MBTI is that it’s just a bunch of stereotypes that define people by four measly letters. And that’s kinda true, to an extent.

Any number of “What would each type do in X situation?” posts out there typically rely on the stereotypical behaviors of each type to fulfill their meme. People click the “like” button and respond, “That’s so me!” and the stereotype is carried on.

However, a healthy, well-developed person of any type can look like anything they choose. The stereotypes exist because it’s easy to make predictions based on simple, exaggerated examples of the functions. Someone who has balanced access to all their functions will defy those exaggerations and stereotypes. An ENTJ with feeling? Yes! An organized ISFP? Absolutely! You can be anything you want to be, and your MBTI type is just a tool to help you get there.

If you match the stereotype, you’ve got some work to do.

Poor Aaron matches the stereotype of the ISFJ. He’s fearful of the future, appeasing to his oppressors, and set in his familiar ways, even though those ways mean a life of slavery. As the story of The Prince of Egypt unfolds, however, Aaron finds his faith—in his brother, his God, and in the future—and grows into a warm, supportive, and courageous Protector.

Dominant Function: (Si) Introverted Sensing, “Relive the Experience”

Introverted Sensing seeks to compare its present circumstances to those it’s known before. Unfortunately, all Aaron’s ever known is his life as a slave. When Moses comes along promising deliverance, he doesn’t quite know what to do with that.

Aaron tries to keep the boat from rocking. Slavery may not be the best life, but it’s all the Hebrews have got. Both times that Miriam makes a scene—when she excitedly introduces herself to Moses, and when she speaks out against an old man getting whipped—Aaron holds her back. He feels a deep need to preserve things the way they are, to keep them safe and normal. Circumstances might not get better, but at least they won’t get worse.

Except that they do. Rameses increases the Hebrews’ workload in response to Moses’ demand for freedom, and Aaron gets angry. He scolds Moses for his actions, recounting all the times that God has not shown up for them all these years. He wants Moses to understand what their life is like, and shows great envy and bitterness at the good life Moses had growing up.

ISTJ: Billina, “Return to Oz”

The Inspector

She’s not warm and fuzzy like Toto, but Billina the hen plays a similar role as he did, acting as Dorothy’s tie back to her home in Kansas. She also enjoys the distinction of being able to talk (one wonders what held Toto back). And although Billina doesn’t end up returning with Dorothy, her running commentary provides a sensible outsider’s perspective on the weird and wonderful land of Oz.

Dominant Function – Introverted Sensing/Si, “What Was”

Billina’s not terribly impressed with Oz. The first glimpse she gets of it is the Deadly Desert, which would creep anyone out. After seeing the wrecked Yellow Brick Road and the petrified Emerald City, she doesn’t understand Dorothy’s enthusiasm for the place.

“Why don’t we just fly back to Kansas?” she sighs, after they escape on the flying Gump. She wants to return home, but not for the sentimental reasons that Dorothy had in the first movie. It’s just safer and more predictable there. For instance, there’s not an entire race of evil Nomes in Kansas who want to destroy her just for being a chicken.

However, by the end of the movie, Billina decides to stay in Oz. As a talking animal, she now has free agency to live her own life. And of course, no one’s going to stew her up for supper if she can’t lay an egg. It’s her best and most sensible option.

ISFJ: Jack Pumpkinhead, “Return to Oz”

The Protector

Brian Henson, son of the famous Jim, got his first big puppeteering gig as Jack Pumpkinhead. Not to be confused with another lanky Halloween-inspired Jack, he’s that strange combination of a sweet nature mixed with what could be seen as a scary face, staying true to the charming weirdness that is this version of Oz. And though he’s a young creature, discovered much like the Scarecrow having not had much life experience yet, Jack proves to be a pretty healthy, developed personality.

Dominant Function – Introverted Sensing/Si, “What Was”

Jack doesn’t have much of a past to draw from—he’s only been alive a few years at most, and he’s spent those years locked away alone in a castle tower—but he’s completely devoted to his Mom, the girl who constructed him. His greatest wish is to find her, and when he first meets Dorothy, he perks up with hope that she’s the one. His Mom’s identity and fate turns out to be one of the story’s key mysteries.

Jack also has a highly detailed memory, on display when he recounts the story of how he came to life. He recalls that when Princess Mombi trapped him in the tower, she was wearing Head #22, and must not have worn it since, because she’s forgotten about him. His knowledge of the Powder of Life comes in handy when Dorothy needs to figure out a way to escape, and he remembers all about the Ruby Key and what Dorothy will need to do to get at it. He’s also sensibly concerned with making sure that his head hasn’t spoiled, and asks Dorothy to check it for him.

Like many Si-doms, once Jack finds himself part of a group, he connects with them as his own people and acts to preserve and protect them. When the group makes it to the Nome King’s Mountain, Billina hides away in Jack’s head. It’s never addressed directly in the dialogue, but it seems that Jack and the others all wordlessly agree to keep Billina safe, since the King has a thing against chickens.

As one does.

Auxiliary Function – Extraverted Feeling/Fe, “What We Need”

Jack attaches himself to Dorothy right away. He knows instinctively that she can be trusted. He follows her dutifully and depends on her for approval. “May I call you Mom, even if it isn’t so?” he begs of her. She nods yes, and he gasps with happiness.

Later, when Jack is about to take his turn in the Nome King’s guessing game to save the Scarecrow, he grows sad. But he isn’t sad for himself. He understands that if he gets turned into an ornament, he won’t be missing much. It’s Dorothy he’s worried about, because as a being who is actually alive, she’ll miss getting to eat and sleep, “and other such activities.” Jack’s feelings are directed toward his travelling companions and their needs, not so much his own.