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How can Jimmy Carter "Mr Detail" be INFJ?

artie

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Aug 25, 2007
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infj
According to the famous "Famous People by Myers-Briggs Type" Jimmy Carter is INFJ. But he seems to have such a bizarre memory for mountains of detail, I though that was more an S rather than N quality.
(I'm not really interested in Jimmy Cater, just MB (about time I took a course actually)):D .

Perhaps my memory of his performances are faulty.
 

cafe

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There are many who consider him an ISFJ.
 

developer

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INTJ
Why should INFJs be unable to remember details ? This would be the same simplification as saying that sensors cannot be creative.

From the interviews I have seen and read with him, I would type Jimmy Carter as an NF: The interest in spirituality, the diplomatic abilities, the idealism, plus the whole personal attidude. I am not sure about I and J, but probably it is also correct.
 

ygolo

My termites win
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Why should INFJs be unable to remember details ? This would be the same simplification as saying that sensors cannot be creative.

From the interviews I have seen and read with him, I would type Jimmy Carter as an NF: The interest in spirituality, the diplomatic abilities, the idealism, plus the whole personal attitude. I am not sure about I and J, but probably it is also correct.

Carter does seem like a stereo typical Idealist in temperament.

I think people with hight intelligence may be harder to type in pure S vs. N manner, since they are likely to have both well developed. But temperament can do the selection much more easily, I think.

Again, I am just basing this off my limited experience. I have to say that the Understanding Yourself and Others series was a big help for me to understand personality typing (though I am still rather skeptical).
 

Totenkindly

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Why should INFJs be unable to remember details ? This would be the same simplification as saying that sensors cannot be creative.

Sigh.

Any type can "remember details."
Any type can "be creative."

Where the difference lies in how the details are used or in how the creativity is evoked. And different types will have different priorities. Look at their priorities, what sort of information they focus on, and how they use that information to make decisions all helps pinpoint type.
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
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Why should INFJs be unable to remember details ?
If someone could answer this question, they would likely save my life right now. :doh:

Externally i can look detail oriented because i write a lot down and organize things. This is because my brain will not do this independently. There are certain types of details, especially those that do not fit a coherent pattern, that drive me nearly to tears.
 

developer

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INTJ
If someone could answer this question, they would likely save my life right now. :doh:

Toonia, I can tell you this: a family member of mine is an INFJ and she also always complains about not remembering details. But the truth is, that she remembers everything that is important to her in extreme detail - she just does not care so much about administrative stuff etc.

So, I am sure you are super at everything that matters to you! ;)
 

Athenian200

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I'm probably an INFJ, and I tend to remember and focus on a lot of details. But those details mostly regard abstract ideas, and I'm not as good at remembering sensory details, unless they stand out significantly or are emotionally charged.
 

artie

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infj
Thanks for those useful comments.
I probably should have said "remembers details of facts " , that may have confused the discussion a little.

I do understand all types can be creative or remember facts. (or be rude).:rofl1:

One thing I've noticed when I replay videos of interviews is that my memories of the interviews have been subtly warped by my understanding of what happened. Facial expressions a little different, tone of voice a little different. In human interaction such tiny differences can indicate profound differences in meaning, sometimes the opposite meaning if tone is ironic.

I've always assumed it was the same for everyone, all perception is creative, but maybe there are types that recall stuff more photographically.
 

Totenkindly

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he seems textbook isfj to me

Yikes, necro threads abound.

...But yeah.

he might have actually done better and won a second term if he was INFJ, he would have realized how things were going and changed things up, but instead he kept doing the same-old and dutifully went down with the ship.
 

Avocado

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I'm probably an INFJ, and I tend to remember and focus on a lot of details. But those details mostly regard abstract ideas, and I'm not as good at remembering sensory details, unless they stand out significantly or are emotionally charged.
Same.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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There's already a thread devoted to his enneagram but I'll revive this one as I'd like to argue against INFJ as well.

Carter was known for being a policy wonk who was obsessively devoted to details more than he was noted as being a big vision President. Compare him to Clinton (ENFP?), who liked to use metaphorical language like "build a bridge to the 21st century." If you watch interviews, he's very good at remembering details of events that happened decades ago, but not so much focused on the aura, mood, implication of events that happened. Take for instance his supposed UFO sighting in 1969. If you listen to any interview where it's mentioned, his focus is still on the details and what he saw far more than it is on what it meant, what it could've meant, etc. He just knows he say an unidentified flying object, but he isn't as concerned with all of could-be's of what he saw. All of this suggests a preference for sensation.



He was also extremely process-oriented, almost more focused on the means than he was the ends. If it functioned well, that was just as important as what the function of any given process or bureau yielded, and some suggest it was even more important to him than end results. I believe this suggests someone with a Judging temperament over a Perceiving temperament. So now we've narrowed him to xSxJ.

Huge humanitarian, very concerned with the suffering and well-being of others. It visibly moves him, almost as if he feels a bit of others' suffering. Sometimes he can come across as a bit fake in this area, but that could be due to years of being a politician. It could also be due to Fe sometimes appearing less genuine than Fi, even if it isn't necessarily less genuine. So we're at xSFJ now.

Somewhat reserved and slightly less exuberant than I would expect to see in an ESFJ, so I think ISFJ is a good match. A decent President elected at the wrong time, when people really wanted an ESxP cowboy or an ENFx visionary type to boost national morale.


Now, INFJs, sure they are perfectly capable of remembering details. Carter was certainly a good diplomat, and that too could suggest NF, but that doesn't exclude other types from being good diplomats. SFJs can have their own unique flair for diplomacy. And I still wouldn't rate his diplomacy as his greatest talent. He was an administrative wonk with a heart, by most accounts of people who worked with him. I have a hard time seeing an INFJ being quite as obsessed with the minutia of every little piece of policy. I think they'd be more likely to have a broader vision and delegate the details of implementation and process to their staff. Jefferson, who was likely either an INTP or an INFJ, is a good contrast to Carter's style. He seemed to get overwhelmed and annoyed by being involved in too many minor details of policy implementation. He'd rather focus on coming up with a grand vision like Manifest Destiny or a big idea like a transcontinental expedition whilst leaving the particulars of implementation to others. Carter did occasionally "preach," for instance the infamous "Confidence of Crisis" speech where he proceeded to lecture and chastise Americans, but I don't see this as being uniquely NF as much as I see it as an unfortunate exhibition of Fe in full assault. It's not compelling evidence for an NFJ, in my opinion, though it is something an NFJ could be capable of doing in the right circumstances. It exudes Fe:


I really have a difficult time seeing NFP or NFJ for Carter. This could be a classic SFJ-NF mixup, right, [MENTION=10082]Starry[/MENTION] ?
 

Starry

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There's already a thread devoted to his enneagram but I'll revive this one as I'd like to argue against INFJ as well.

Carter was known for being a policy wonk who was obsessively devoted to details more than he was noted as being a big vision President. Compare him to Clinton (ENFP?), who liked to use metaphorical language like "build a bridge to the 21st century." If you watch interviews, he's very good at remembering details of events that happened decades ago, but not so much focused on the aura, mood, implication of events that happened. Take for instance his supposed UFO sighting in 1969. If you listen to any interview where it's mentioned, his focus is still on the details and what he saw far more than it is on what it meant, what it could've meant, etc. He just knows he say an unidentified flying object, but he isn't as concerned with all of could-be's of what he saw. All of this suggests a preference for sensation.



He was also extremely process-oriented, almost more focused on the means than he was the ends. If it functioned well, that was just as important as what the function of any given process or bureau yielded, and some suggest it was even more important to him than end results. I believe this suggests someone with a Judging temperament over a Perceiving temperament. So now we've narrowed him to xSxJ.

Huge humanitarian, very concerned with the suffering and well-being of others. It visibly moves him, almost as if he feels a bit of others' suffering. Sometimes he can come across as a bit fake in this area, but that could be due to years of being a politician. It could also be due to Fe sometimes appearing less genuine than Fi, even if it isn't necessarily less genuine. So we're at xSFJ now.

Somewhat reserved and slightly less exuberant than I would expect to see in an ESFJ, so I think ISFJ is a good match. A decent President elected at the wrong time, when people really wanted an ESxP cowboy or an ENFx visionary type to boost national morale.


Now, INFJs, sure they are perfectly capable of remembering details. Carter was certainly a good diplomat, and that too could suggest NF, but that doesn't exclude other types from being good diplomats. SFJs can have their own unique flair for diplomacy. And I still wouldn't rate his diplomacy as his greatest talent. He was an administrative wonk with a heart, by most accounts of people who worked with him. I have a hard time seeing an INFJ being quite as obsessed with the minutia of every little piece of policy. I think they'd be more likely to have a broader vision and delegate the details of implementation and process to their staff. Jefferson, who was likely either an INTP or an INFJ, is a good contrast to Carter's style. He seemed to get overwhelmed and annoyed by being involved in too many minor details of policy implementation. He'd rather focus on coming up with a grand vision like Manifest Destiny or a big idea like a transcontinental expedition whilst leaving the particulars of implementation to others. Carter did occasionally "preach," for instance the infamous "Confidence of Crisis" speech where he proceeded to lecture and chastise Americans, but I don't see this as being uniquely NF as much as I see it as an unfortunate exhibition of Fe in full assault. It's not compelling evidence for an NFJ, in my opinion, though it is something an NFJ could be capable of doing in the right circumstances. It exudes Fe:


I really have a difficult time seeing NFP or NFJ for Carter. This could be a classic SFJ-NF mixup, right, [MENTION=10082]Starry[/MENTION] ?


Dude...this was awesome and a thoroughly enjoyable read. I'm also reminded in these moments that my dad was and perhaps still is a Carter fan although beyond his conservationalist views I'm not sure why. I'm just saying it might not have been his politics...sometimes he just likes someone's manner which may be the case (I might ask him and report back.)

ISFJ all the way
 

Doctor Cringelord

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I do think there was an element of noticeable Ti in that video I linked before. Note how he is telling some hard truths, and it's stuff people weren't necessarily wanting to hear either. You can see this more in xNTPs than you can in xSFJs, but it's still apparent in Carter. Not to say other types aren't honest, but Carter prided himself on being honest with the public, even if it hurt his career as a politician.
 

Ashtart

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sp/sx
ENTP could be the case, but I'm not sure about an INTP telling hard truths as this type tends to avoid conflicts as well. The fact that he is telling hard truths may not seem INFJ at first glance but if they are for the greater good, I don't know why it wouldn't be associated with INFJ. Anyway, I see him as more of an E type than an I.
 

jgalt

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Sep 3, 2007
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INTJ
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5w4
I don't see him as some kind of social justice warrior. He's more of an ISFJ servant. Going around building houses for the poor. He's not that outspoken. He's kind of timid. I don't see INFJs as timid about expressing anger at something. Jimmy Carter tiptoes.
 
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