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Holden Caulfield

What Personality Type is Holden Caulfield?

  • INFJ

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  • ENFP

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  • ENFJ

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  • INTJ

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  • ENTJ

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  • ISFJ

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  • ESFP

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  • ESFJ

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  • ISTJ

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  • ESTJ

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  • 1w9

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  • 9w1

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  • Total voters
    13

Cygnus

New member
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
Messages
1,594
Holden Caulfield

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So Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) most often gets typed IEE, ESI, and LSI. I'd agree with ESI and IEE. But as far as Enneagram, he most often gets typed 6w5. I'm convinced he's a 4 because the thing he seems to hate most about the world is "fakeness" and "phoniness."

I just can't see an E6 going to such strenuous lengths to defend their "authenticity" the way Holden does. I can only imagine them blending in and adapting perfectly, subtly logicking away all their inner problems--exactly the opposite of how Holden behaves.

He also shows "no concern for his future." The 6's fatal flaw is too much concern for his future, more an issue of indecision, analysis paralysis, than indifference.
Holden stays where he is forever and doesn't do anything to change it, more willing to die than to act.

Additionally, there's his interactions with others. I recall that Sexual Enneagram 4s are the only other type that can scare an Enneagram 8 into submission. Now a 6, when threatened, will still stand its ground a lot longer than many other types, only to fall to defeat under the 8 ultimately. Holden's tendencies to get involved in fights and lose does seem to line up with the 6......but if you recall his scrape with Stradlater in the beginning of the book, it's not a question of security. The fight begins when Holden calls Stradlater a moron because he considers Stradlater's relationship with Jane Gallagher to be too loveless and unsubstantial. Again, this is a situation where Holden overvalued authenticity ag the cost of his own well-being. Wouldn't a 6, when threatened, back down to protect hid security in a situation where there's no vital interest involved?



TL;DR I think Holden Caulfield is a 4 and not 6.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

chickpea

perfect person
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
5,729
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
you're probably right, even though I don't want to admit it because I found him totally annoying.
 

Forever

Permabanned
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
8,551
MBTI Type
NiFi
Enneagram
3w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Happy New Year's! [MENTION=20944]Cygnus[/MENTION] [MENTION=7991]chickpea[/MENTION] and [MENTION=15392]Cellmold[/MENTION] !
The three of you the CCC. Dang.

Not to ruin this thread but Holden Caulfield is fictional.
 

CitizenErased

Clean Slate
Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Messages
552
Holden Caulfield

You Must Be Registered To Vote


So Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) most often gets typed IEE, ESI, and LSI. I'd agree with ESI and IEE. But as far as Enneagram, he most often gets typed 6w5. I'm convinced he's a 4 because the thing he seems to hate most about the world is "fakeness" and "phoniness."

I just can't see an E6 going to such strenuous lengths to defend their "authenticity" the way Holden does. I can only imagine them blending in and adapting perfectly, subtly logicking away all their inner problems--exactly the opposite of how Holden behaves.

He also shows "no concern for his future." The 6's fatal flaw is too much concern for his future, more an issue of indecision, analysis paralysis, than indifference.
Holden stays where he is forever and doesn't do anything to change it, more willing to die than to act.

Additionally, there's his interactions with others. I recall that Sexual Enneagram 4s are the only other type that can scare an Enneagram 8 into submission. Now a 6, when threatened, will still stand its ground a lot longer than many other types, only to fall to defeat under the 8 ultimately. Holden's tendencies to get involved in fights and lose does seem to line up with the 6......but if you recall his scrape with Stradlater in the beginning of the book, it's not a question of security. The fight begins when Holden calls Stradlater a moron because he considers Stradlater's relationship with Jane Gallagher to be too loveless and unsubstantial. Again, this is a situation where Holden overvalued authenticity ag the cost of his own well-being. Wouldn't a 6, when threatened, back down to protect hid security in a situation where there's no vital interest involved?



TL;DR I think Holden Caulfield is a 4 and not 6.

I agree that he's a 4 and not a 6. He doesn't even think what's "safer", he just goes with his gut, and, as you said, despises fakeness, which is part of why he prefers kids to adults.

About MBTI, when I read the book years ago, I found Holdem to be pretty similar to me in lots of aspects (even hating everything). I still doubt between INTP and INFP, but he doesn't resemble the INFPs I know, so I went with INTP. He doesn't mind being different, his mimd gets stuck in random useless stuff like where the ducks go in winter, has no filter whatsoever.. and the part that seems more T than F is when he's at that hotel looking out of the window, at couples or people doing their things. Not only he found their activities anecdotical and rather unsurprising, he also rationalizes and philosophizes about what he sees and adds his conclusions to his speech, always coming back to "self-conversations" to merge them with his current situation. And he uses metaphors. That screams INTP to me. What do you think?
 

Doctor Cringelord

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
20,567
MBTI Type
I
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I always enjoyed the part with the hooker. Forgive me if I mix up the details, as it's been 20 years since I read this. ...When the pimp beats him up and later he's imagining himself as a character in a detective movie.

I think he's an INTP as well. I related to him a lot, but then every teenager that read it probably related to him.

I never understood the hype over the book that leads it to get banned. Does it still get banned by schools? It's really quite tame, although I can see how people might have overreacted in the age of McCarthy's America.
 

Doctor Cringelord

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
20,567
MBTI Type
I
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I also love the part about him pestering his Christian friend about whether Jesus might have made an exception for Judas. It reminds me of little debates I used to have with my religious friends in high school.
 

Blackout

Permabanned
Joined
Aug 16, 2015
Messages
1,356
MBTI Type
infp
Enneagram
4w3
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Obviously an INFJ/INTP


Only they would be so self righteous and flippantly indulgent.
 

meowington

Parody Parrot
Joined
May 22, 2008
Messages
1,264
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
6w7
Obviously an INFJ/INTP


Only they would be so self righteous and flippantly indulgent.

Yeah possibly. I thought a very whiny INFP. But you're right he's too self righteous for INFP I suppose.

I have a hard time understanding why that book in particular is considered such a classic. Not that I entirely disliked it but so often it is credited as the best novel in American literature. WTF ?
 

Blackout

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1,356
MBTI Type
infp
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4w3
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sx/so
Yeah possibly. I thought a very whiny INFP. But you're right he's too self righteous for INFP I suppose.

I have a hard time understanding why that book in particular is considered such a classic. Not that I entirely disliked it but so often it is credited as the best novel in American literature. WTF ?

I know, right?


I just cannot believe some peoples.
 

soremfinger

New member
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
69
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
He was too damn idealistic...he got institutionalized. Yet, he had an inquisitive side. INFP 5w4
 
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