INFP Villains?

[OrangeAppled]

JivinJeffJones, anyone?


Where there is capability for great good, there is capability for great evil, right? Maybe...?


Modern film and literature is obsessed with the romantic hero, the antihero, etc. Basically, most heroes must be flawed to be appealing. This is why INFP types are usually the "unlikely heroes" and not villains (and let's remember who is writing a lot of this stuff ).

According to my brother, the talented Mr. Ripley is and INFP...

I haven't read the books, but based on the movie, this is possible. I'd have to think more about it to type him though.

 

[Ginkgo]

Norman Bates from the movie Psycho? (His ego, not his alter ego).

 

[Tamske]

JivinJeffJones, anyone?
Basically, most heroes must be flawed to be appealing. This is why INFP types are usually the "unlikely heroes" and not villains (and let's remember who is writing a lot of this stuff ).

I agree with the flawed thing. A perfect character is boring. But "flawed" does not mean introvert or anything. You can make a character of every type with flaws. That goes for both heroes and villains.

 

[Kra]

I've heard some INFPs say that you go from good to evil extremes occasionally. I could see an INFP villian, just as well as I could see an INTJ hero (even if he/she would be the brooding, dark kind of hero )

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it (I'm too lazy to read past pages I guess), but the whole allure of the Sith was temptation by emotional extremes.

 

[Danse_Macabre]

I think INFP's would make good villains seeing that they know where to hit people where it hurts, even if they don't every really do it, similar to how they spend all their time studying people and how they act thus they know how to induce delicious moral dilemmas with even the most self assured "good guys"

Also, INFP's tend to get all nihilistic/existential when they're down or dysfunctional which leads to "burn the world" which seems to be far more dangerous than your average power hungry villain.


I'm basing this on the period in my life that I was down and dysfunctional and wanted to burn things. But I had a puppy at the time, and everyone knows it's impossible to be truly evil when one is in the company of a baby animal

However I also think that INFP villains would be the kind to realise what they'd done and then try to undo the damage. And fail.

 

[JivinJeffJones]

I think INFP's would make good villains seeing that they know where to hit people where it hurts, even if they don't every really do it, similar to how they spend all their time studying people and how they act thus they know how to induce delicious moral dilemmas with even the most self assured "good guys"

Also, INFP's tend to get all nihilistic/existential when they're down or dysfunctional which leads to "burn the world" which seems to be far more dangerous than your average power hungry villain.

This is why I think the Joker (TDK) is a dark-side NFP. Not sure about INFP or ENFP. The "you complete me" line suggests extrovert, but I think INFPs can be prone to electing an Enemy who symbolizes (or is idealized into) all they hate. Take Ahab and Moby Dick, for instance.

People keep saying he's an ENTP, but I think that's just because he's smart, funny and nasty. Values are what drives him though. Precisely how he came to be how he is we're not told.

The only real problem I have with this typing is the quite spectacular use of Ni he apparently shows. He's always at least one step ahead of everyone. This tension between his obvious foresight/planning and his self-description ("Do I really look like a guy with a plan? I'm like a dog chasing cars -- I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it.") and avowed aim to show everyone how futile their attempts to control their lives are makes him a difficult character to type. But if people are fine with a planning joker being an ENTP then I don't see why they should have a problem with him being an XNFP.

 

[Danse_Macabre]

^It's very strange you say that, I completely agree that he's xNFP and I was thinking about that as I posted.

To me, he's the ultimate example of someone who had very strong principles and beliefs, but was let down once too often and gave up fighting for them and began to hate them. Very NFP-esque.

 

[wildcat]

I really really really believe Iago from Othello is INFP.

I have nothing to justify this.

Prejudice.
So sad. Especially because some of your posts make sense.
You made an error about the person in the office. You misjudged the type.
Now you make a general rule of your error.

Miscalculation is an injury.
To make it a general rule is an insult.

Evil does not type.

 

[Tamske]

Evil does not type.

Indeed. Reminds me of my former religion teacher. He introduced us to a typology consisting of three dichotomies: Emotional vs non-Emotional; Active vs non-Active and Primary vs Secundary. EAS was 'passionate' and nEnAS would be 'amorphous'. He said that there were good and bad examples of every type; only he discussed mostly 'passionates'...
Really, who wants to be 'amorphous'?
Even if you only use the letters, who wants to be non-Active?

That's why I prefer MBTI. ENTJ does not sound like a better or worse character than ISFP.

Maybe this would be an interesting exercise: try to find both good and evil characters of every type...

 

[Moiety]

For the last time : Skywalker is an ENFP. If you've seen one under stress it's very easy to imagine his Te taking over and consuming him.

^It's very strange you say that, I completely agree that he's xNFP and I was thinking about that as I posted.

To me, he's the ultimate example of someone who had very strong principles and beliefs, but was let down once too often and gave up fighting for them and began to hate them. Very NFP-esque.

I could see an NFP going nihilist after some sort of trauma and acquiring that new set of principles/beliefs as he/she tried to make sense out of the situation.

 

[Danse_Macabre]

I could see an NFP going nihilist after some sort of trauma and acquiring that new set of principles/beliefs as he/she tried to make sense out of the situation.

Exactly. That happened to me, and I was absolutely dysfunctional and quite horrible for a few years. I couldn't understand the situation I was in because it conflicted with, and offended my principles. So I tried to disown them which just left me very nihilistic and hateful.

During that time, my prime objective was to show everyone how meaningless and worthless life was. I really believed it to be true and was jealous of, if not furious with all the people who had things to believe in. I think that's really reflected in NFP "Villains"

Needless to say, I regained them and am now as much of a diehard idealist as I ever was. Strange, really.

 

[JivinJeffJones]

I think INFPs are probably the type most prone to genuine nihilism (as distinct from mere selfishness), since we're probably the type least constrained by mores and the opinions of those around us. Thus when we lose our way with our core values we can really lose our way. I think this probably leads more often to serious addictions and suicide than villainy though.

 

[Laurie]

I think this probably leads more often to serious addictions and suicide than villainy though.

Yeah that's where the villain part breaks down. Being a villain is obviously forcing your anger outside of yourself.

 

[princessleia1982]

I thought of one! INFP's would be the bad guy because they are lazy and make slaves out of people...you could make up a story about a pharaoh that had the ethical perfection of a demonic cult and also makes the slaves build pyramids. HAHAHA!

 

[wildcat]

Indeed. Reminds me of my former religion teacher. He introduced us to a typology consisting of three dichotomies: Emotional vs non-Emotional; Active vs non-Active and Primary vs Secundary. EAS was 'passionate' and nEnAS would be 'amorphous'. He said that there were good and bad examples of every type; only he discussed mostly 'passionates'...
Really, who wants to be 'amorphous'?
Even if you only use the letters, who wants to be non-Active?

That's why I prefer MBTI. ENTJ does not sound like a better or worse character than ISFP.

Maybe this would be an interesting exercise: try to find both good and evil characters of every type...

Yes, I know the typology in question. Passionate is ESFJ or ENFJ: Active, Emotive and Secundary.

Amorphous is INTP or ISTP: The exact opposite of Passionate: Non-Active, Non-Emotive and Primary. As you can see, I am Amorphous. I morph not. I am devoid of a form.
I structure not. Do I want to be Amorphous? Yes. Do I want to waste my life in endless Passion? No.

You are Active, Non-Emotive and Primary. In the other words, you are a Sanguine. Your exact opposite is Non-Active, Emotive and Secundary: The Sentimental: INFJ or ISFJ.

Then there is the Phlegmatic. She is Active, Non-Emotive and Secundary: The ESTJ or the ENTJ. Very common in the army. In the high echelons of course. Unfortunately, also common type among the university professors. Her exact opposite is Non-Active, Emotive and Primary: the Nervous: The INFP or the ISFP. The Poet or the Artist. Edgar Allan, Vincent Van.

Exercise makes perfect. Your religion teacher in vain despised the Amorphous. Because he was the Passionate, the opposite. A typical priest. The evil character of the type makes bombs. Because the Passion is there, although ill directed.

One variable: Two types. Two variables: Four types. Three variables: Eight types. Four variables: Sixteen types.

Oh. I forgot The Choleric and her opposite, the Apathetic.
Choleric: Active, Emotive, Primary. ENFP or ESFP.
Apathetic: Non-Active, Non-Emotive, Secundary. ISTJ or INTJ.

 

[Sol_]

I can't think of any INFP villains off the top of my head.

Russian tsar Nikolay II, he is villain... a little. Actor-INFP Kevin Spacey who played a villain in "Seven", some other bad guys and girls played by INFPs.
The problem is, INFPs prefer to do non-good things secretively, with somebody else's hands (inspiring some ESTP, for example), while keeping themselves somewhere in a shadow. In most cases INFPs look cute and smily, but in the same time they can hold a club after thier back.

 

[Wonkavision]

Here's a clip from The Omen.

The evil clown at 0:46 is definitely INFP.

YouTube - The Omen Death Scene

 

[Wonkavision]

Actually, Anakin was an ENFP, and then when he turned evil he type shadowed and became an ISTJ. That intrigues me.

This actually makes a shitload of sense.

 

[mrconfusion87]

Wouldn't Sadako of the "Ringu" series fit in here too!?

Quite Introverted but when she warms up to someone, she really does!

Intuitive - needs no explanations...

Feeling - She strikes me as such hence her ability at extreme anger towards human society in general.

Perceptive - needs no explanation...

Wonder if this makes any sense to you?!

 

[Sniffles]

Does Barney count as INFP? He's pure evil!