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Bjork's type

proteanmix

Plumage and Moult
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Apr 23, 2007
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Typing people based only on the dominant and secondary functions leads to false conclusions. Tertiary and last functions can be very strong in people's personality. This is an important consideration if one cares to reach a reasoned conclusions about analyzing anyone's personality.

This is very true, which is why I lean towards being ENFJ rather than ESFJ because I strongly feel the effects Se and Ti in my life, not Ne and Ti.

And I don't "feel" like Bjork is an ENFJ either, I see Ni and Fi in her lyrics. I don't feel the mirror connection that EFJs have with IFPs and I feel the understanding NFJs have with each other within her lyrics. I'm going with INFJ w/ developed Fi.

Question: Does she write her own lyrics?
 

Littlelostnf

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I'm curious what effects those precise qualities have on typing her? To what extent are those qualities being assumed to fit easily in with INFJ? I would have to suggest they have no particular relationship at all.

Whatever Bjork's type, I see strong use of (not in any particular order) Se, Fi, Fe, Ni, and possibly Ne. i would venture to suggest her type is one in which Ti/Te is the last function. She doesn't exhibit or speak to logic, analysis, or structured thinking. Her presentation seems to be a strong mixture of Feeling, iNtuition, and Sensing. She is clearly either a Sensor with highly developed iNtuition or an iNtuitor with highly developed Sensing. These two qualities run in such close tandem in the presentation of her work, the best way to determine which is dominant is to compare earlier and later work. According to personality theory we tend to develop our strongest functions first. Was her early work presenting with less Sensory or less iNtuitive qualities? Which has become noticeably more refined? Which quality has developed into her later life. This close interplay of the two is why i think she is likely a Feeling dominant. Those personalities have S and N as the next two functions with T as the last. This seems so strongly consistent with her presentation. That is why i just can't quite buy the INFJ line hook and sinker.

If you notice that even me as an INFJ naturally applies a noticeable degree of analysis and logic to this discussion whereas the feeling dominant iNtuitives are more comfortable responding based solely on instinct and personal impression. I see Bjork as much more closely aligned with this second group. This is what people miss when they make assumptions about INFJs - we look ALOT like INTJs. We are as close to them as INFPs are to ISFPs. If a person looks absolutely nothing like an INTJ in their thought processes, the chances of them being an INFJ are lessened.

Typing people based only on the dominant and secondary functions leads to false conclusions. Tertiary and last functions can be very strong in people's personality. This is an important consideration if one cares to reach a reasoned conclusions about analyzing anyone's personality.

On a curious note: how many INFJs here find that they naturally resonate with Bjork as an inner ideal? She is interesting, but kinda alien to me personally. How do others feel? Also, how many feeling dominates readily identify with her expression?


There are many points I agree with in the above post. For instance I agree that ONE of the best way to determine the dominant in this case would be to compare her earlier and later work and that personality theory states that we tend to develop our strongest functions first. However, what many people fail to take into account is the major part that nurture has to play in the forming of a persons personality especially in an instance where a person may travel along the border of the processes.

If we take into account that in Bjork's case she was raised by very unconventional hippie parents on a commune we might be able to account for her developing (early) Se (which I see in her work and her public persona). In the output (songs/lyrics/public persona) one may not see signs of T but in her process of making her music she most definately shows (IMO) signs of Ti. The fact that she will collaborate with people and indeed is fasinated with people (mostly from a distance) is that Fe and I see Ni and Se in her lyrics. Now as to what order that comes I don't know it's only my opinion. If I were to look simply at her public persona and not take into consideration the other parts I've been able to read about I would also say an Introverted Artisan.

I know an INFJ who leans more on his Fe partly due to his upbrining. He does not resemble an INTJ. Both of his parents are Feeling dominate and he learned and must have felt comfortable developing that as he was in an environment that nurtured it. My very INTJ cousin (who I'm comparing my INFJ friend with) is being raised by an INTP father (Dr. of Physics and a computer scientist) and an ISTJ mother (math/computer scientist and artist)...as a younger child he was very comfortable with his second and third processes and only now that he's older is he really showing signs of developing his primary processs. It was always there but in his environment the other two process were the nurtured ones. His mother even asks me frequently what I think because she sees that many times we view things in a similar fashion.

I don't think that we can boil everything down to, if they don't "look" just like me then they can't be me. They could be a different version of you. I do understand about someone just naturally resonating with you. I have had a few of my friends who I just "knew" were :hug: our friendships have a certain depth that goes beyond being explained seeing as we all come from such different backgrounds..I attribute that to our being NF's. I think Bjork's music resonates with me like that...I feel her music in a different way then I feel another favorite of mine Joni Mitchell's music. I love her music just as much but I "feel" it differently..with a different part of myself.

I'm sure I just rambled here and gave the above poster perfect fodder for showing how we Feeling dominate types get our point across but hey...

I am...in the end....

feeling dominate. :)

btw thanks to everyone for your input. I had to write a paper typing a celebrity and Bjork's who I chose since she is so interesting and to me a bit of a mystery....hmmm maybe that's why I typed her as an INFJ :D
 

Littlelostnf

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645
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ENFJ
This is very true, which is why I lean towards being ENFJ rather than ESFJ because I strongly feel the effects Se and Ti in my life, not Ne and Ti.

And I don't "feel" like Bjork is an ENFJ either, I see Ni and Fi in her lyrics. I don't feel the mirror connection that EFJs have with IFPs and I feel the understanding NFJs have with each other within her lyrics. I'm going with INFJ w/ developed Fi.

Question: Does she write her own lyrics?


Yes the majority of her lyrics are her own with a few collaborations. On her lastest album she uses a poem by Fyodor Tyutchev. She may have on all her albums perhaps a handful of songs written by someone other than herself.
 

Littlelostnf

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Just came back from her concert...
I TOTALLY forgot to ask her if she knew
her type. :)

ps concert was AMAZING!
 

Hotherym

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Dec 7, 2007
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83
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INFU
Ugh, this is going to look weird as a first post, but I found this thread searching Google and I felt obligated to make my own response.

I also beg and plead that no one kick my head in for resurrecting this; I did check the date and I'm aware of the offense. Hopefully I won't disappoint with the actual content.

First off, I'm a long-standing Björk...well, I wouldn't say 'fan,' since that would imply fanaticism, which I just don't do. I've respected her music and style since the tender age of 14, when my mom bought Post for us at Christmas, since we both liked it. I didn't actually purchase another album by her until my 20s. So there's my history with that.

About seven years ago a friend got to meet her briefly as well, which I heard all about after the fact. That's what little personal insight I had previously, though I wasn't incredibly interested at the time. Now I wish I had been.

About five years back I started to notice that songs by her really struck a chord with me, not just musically (she and I do have similar tastes, though) but lyrically. Never before had I related to an artist through lyrics. In fact I usually stray from lyrical music and focus especially on instrumental elements. Some of my favourites being Autechre, Plaid, Amon Tobin, etc. I could go on but I'll spare everyone.

Point is, that got my interest, so I started listening to more. Whether I actually liked the music or style on first listen, it was often startling, like hearing someone sing poetically about things that had happened to me, or existed in my mind that I never shared. Sure, sure, I know many people will find meaning in lyrics, but this was different to the point where many who knew me well at all noticed it right off.

I still ignored it until recently, when a discussion with a friend worked me up and got my curiosity piqued. I decided to dig a bit deeper, looking at interviews, re-watching Dancer in the Dark (which I loved to death on the first watching but can only do once every five or so years), and listened to even more of her stuff. I was blown away.

Oh, there are obvious differences between her and I, but I could almost point them out. Mostly it's the fact that she and I had fairly drastically different upbringings, and she's gotten some pretty damn lucky breaks. However, in light of that I'm actually astounded by our similarities.

I don't go around proudly proclaiming that she and I are similar, by the way, because she exhibits one aspect that I actually try to hide about myself: childishness. It seems to be some shameless thing she does that I don't do, but when I see her in interviews it really does look like part of her external 'act,' and something she's learned, rather than a part of her deeper personality. If that makes sense. Even still, it actually creeps me out a bit to see much of myself in someone like that -- like her.

One quirk about her that is pretty much me, and at least a few others I know with my type, to the core is what many of you already brought up -- the incident in Bangkok. I've been there. And when I say I've been there, I don't mean Bankok. If anyone dares mess with my family, that's how I react. Anything mild or girly, sweet and warm about me gets thrown right out the window. Even her fighting technique (she DOES use the microphone, doesn't she?) is a good representation of all the moves I'd make in the exact situation. But what really cinched it for me was her struggling to get back at the reporter. HELL YEAH. I'm sort of shocked she didn't have a go at the bodyguards.

I have only fairly recently found out what my personality type is. At first I didn't take a test, I just knew because I met someone else like me, was stunned, and found out their type. After reading about it and comparing it to the other 15, there was no doubt. I took the test -- several online, too, just to check consistency -- and it comes up the same every time, and very strongly, so I feel confident in knowing myself.

So, personal research on Björk, knowing myself very well, pitting both of us against others with my personality type, and she just seems very classically _what her type is_ to me.

Firstly, she's definitely introverted. But like me, she's pretty good at acting extraverted. For instance, I can be pretty loud, outspoken, and fearless socially, and I love to perform. I'd bet my left hand that she's strongly introverted, however. She's definitely also intuitive -- very. I know that sounds like a brash claim, but everything I see points toward that. Feeling, yeah; I don't think we need to go over that.

So we've gotten to INF, which almost everyone guessed (except the possibility of her being ISF). But, her and I really seem to share the same sort of analytical mind in at least some ways; hers being a bit more 'outward' than 'inward,' seemingly leaving her mind more an almost purposefully cluttered place, whereas I like to keep tabs on all the goings-on in mine. But her no-bullsh*t independent and organized attitude are really, really similar to me.

So what am I?

Hardcore, 100% concentrate, certified and certifiable....


....wait for it....


INFJ.

Make of it what you will and take it with a grain of salt, of course. That's what I say she is. You know, for what it's worth (entertainment value!). I think that may be a 'soft' J, something I also go through now and again (I suspect due to learned behaviours sitting atop my 'basal self') but still a J.

Great discussion, though. It was really interesting to read.


P.S. The 'love sneaking up on you' thing...oh my god, yes. I never wanted a relationship, then...whoops, too late. Maybe it's an introvert thing.
 

Littlelostnf

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Apr 23, 2007
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Hotherym welcome :hi: and thanks for that post. I wrote this whole long post thanking you for yours and I have NO idea what happened to it. I too think Bjork is an INFJ. I'm an ENFJ but I feel very much the way you do about her. I think her E is forced or learned behavior (onstage) and the need to be onstage is more about an easy way to express herself. Yeah!!! someone who agrees with the INFJ assessment and expresses it like me. :D

Also someone who resurrected this extremely interesting thread :D
 

Llewellyn

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Oct 30, 2008
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I couldn't get the Charlie Rose to download, but really enjoyed the second link. She is definitely a fascinating person.

I see what you mean about the introversion. Her body language is intensely inward and somewhat avoidant. She seems as quintessentially P as anyone could possibly be. She describes the process of her life as chaotic, as love 'sneaking up from behind', etc. I still have to say that her dominant function seems like Fi to me. Fi is very passionate. Just how she thinks and her manner does actually draw the listener in to her private world. So far I really couldn't say between INFP and ISFP. You might be curious to know that my sister is an INFP and my mother most likely an ISFP, so I have some intimate feel for both. I just don't accept the stereotype of S's not being inventive or insightful. I find ISFP to be one of the richest personality types. Her comment about her worst fear being boredom, and of not having the 'courage' to take some action could support that type. Ni is also the tertiary function for ISFP, and there is definitely that element in her work, although INFJ would still surprise me. However, i have seen people far more distant from the INFJ descriptions claim that type, so never say never. My INFP sister's emotional world is very personal, private, and she expresses deeply in her visual art. Maybe I could send you a private link to some of her video clips. My sister has very similar body language to Bjork, but has some notable differences in her thinking as well. You could well be right about the NF-ness. Fwiw, if i had to throw in a guess at the moment it would be INFP, but it's hard to dismiss ISFP entirely. What do you think?

I want to support the opinion of IXFP.

I had been thinking myself some ISF type. You know, ISFP in the end I think is even more mysterious and colourful than INFP. To be convincing, in the interview you can see her using Fi dominantly very clearly. It's what she calls analytic at one point (Not only Ti is analytic). ISFPs can be very judgemental about things (as it concerns the quality of things). If I have to choose I still go for INFP, cause her mode of speaking is not entirely different from my INFP friend's. But my final guess is IXFP. She is really sweet, maybe more than an INFP can be, as far as I know. Sweet but with danger inside (this word maybe being an INTP predisposal).

She sure is fascinating.

PS: she's even over the top (Fi) analytical in how she describes how she visits Iceland to restore. I love it.
 

phoenix13

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ESFP for sure!!! "Big time sensuality," lyrics about touch, taste, etc., her fascination with sounds... she reaks Se! However, her later music is full of introverted feeling... very intense and private. She's Se dom, Fi auxiliary. That's my conviction.
 

Splittet

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Fairly certain she is IFP, and I would guess she is INFP.
 

the state i am in

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i see infj, i watched the charlie rose interview and i'm like, this is a female thom yorke! i get Fe explosions, not Fi implosions. we get so overcharged, sometimes. also way more Ni leaps than Ne, it doesn't have the same subjective reality/coherency or purport to, it's more about encoding thoughts than feelings one fragment at a time, scanning thru the possible connections for impact rather than subjective personal historical relationship and letting the thoughts be felt by big language and intensity of articulation on the outside working their way inward.
 

MrRandom

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Having been a fan of Björk for ages, I've always kind of "known" her to be an INFJ. With that I mean I haven't put any rational thought into it, it's just my first instinct. I'm not sure if she really is, but that's how I know her.
 

OrangeAppled

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I think she is ISFP. I just don't see any turmoil expressed over the world in her lyrics. INFPs seem to lament the world a lot more, as it is so far from their ideal. I just don't see that much idealism coming from her. Think of The Cure & The Jesus & Mary Chain - their lyrics are very INFP, and there's so much more discussion of how the things should be, but how they are not that way.

I also think many INFPs come off as more ornery in their public persona. ISFPs seem more gentle & sweet, like Bjork.

INFJs seem like old souls to me also, whereas IxFP seem stuck in childhood. Bjork definitely seems more childlike. ISFPs do use Ni, even if tertiary. They don't seem like typical sensors.
 

Llewellyn

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ISFPs seem more gentle & sweet, like Bjork.

INFJs seem like old souls to me also, whereas IxFP seem stuck in childhood. Bjork definitely seems more childlike. ISFPs do use Ni, even if tertiary. They don't seem like typical sensors.

Yeah, now you say so, both INXP seem to want to or either do stay like children. I guess an INTP would too, by the way...

Although INFP stays a real possibility (in how she can act/pose/dress), on the terrain of ISFP vs INFJ, which in the case of Tori Amos probably falls towards INFJ, for Björk it falls to ISFP.

And the extraverted part may well be seen in view of Iceland's reported tendency towards extraversion as a difference from other Scandinavian countries (except maybe Denmark). It's a country of fled Norwegians (next to an admixture of Celts), and a young country, not unlike the United States (I mean, in this regard).
 
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Yeah, strange, I still see Amos as an istj.

When I listen to Bjork speak, she skips around, not very logical at all. Sounds very passionate. I say infp. Charlie Rose probably just intimidated the hell out of her.
 

Orangey

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First of all, Tori Amos seems ENFP to me. And you are off your rocker if you think she's ISTJ.

I think she is ISFP. I just don't see any turmoil expressed over the world in her lyrics. INFPs seem to lament the world a lot more, as it is so far from their ideal. I just don't see that much idealism coming from her. Think of The Cure & The Jesus & Mary Chain - their lyrics are very INFP, and there's so much more discussion of how the things should be, but how they are not that way.

I also think many INFPs come off as more ornery in their public persona. ISFPs seem more gentle & sweet, like Bjork.

By this reasoning, Kate Bush (someone who I consider to be an almost indisputable INFP) is ISFP.

I would consider ISFP for Bjork, but it wouldn't be for any of the reasons you listed. It would instead be because of her extreme aesthetic focus (ever seen that interview of her about her home?) With her it seems like it's more the aesthetic first, words/concept second. And she seems less verbal.
 
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