"A Beautiful Mind" and John Nash

[MerkW]

Out of curiosity, what do you think the MBTI type of mathematician John F. Nash Jr. would be, based purely off the movie? How would this compare with the real John Nash? In other words, what do you think his type is, and do you think his MBTI type as portrayed in the movie is different from that in real life? As usual, I have a strong idea about the answer to this, yet I am interested to hear some other peoples' responses. Also, what are your reasons for your choice? I will attempt to play devil's advocate.

P.S. Also, if you are in the mood, try typing the other main characters in the movie. If you are really in the mood, try deciding John Nash's enneagram, Oldham, and/or Socionics type.

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

He's an NT of some sort. I can't say for sure which type, because I haven't seen the movie since it first came out.

 

[MerkW]

NT, I think, is pretty clear, as you said. Similarly, I think introversion is quite clear. Questions that now remain are, which of the two is he, what is the reason for it, and do you think it correlates with the MBTI type of the real John Nash?

 

[Night]

I think it is difficult to assign accurate type when the subject suffers from a neurological condition that impairs judgment. As such, we would be evaluating Nash's condition above his inherent tendencies.

Throwing this logic aside, if I were to assign type, I would say that he's probably an extraordinarily-developed INTP. Game Theory requires a substantial amount of concentration and hypothesis. His Ti would need to constantly update his acumen with positive information, while justifying a discard of previous info.

Success depends on empirical wit.

 

[wildcat]

NT, I think, is pretty clear, as you said. Similarly, I think introversion is quite clear. Questions that now remain are, which of the two is he, what is the reason for it, and do you think it correlates with the MBTI type of the real John Nash?

I have not seen the movie.
John was a pure INTP.
The motive of an INTJ is by the study to achieve something outside of the study.
He did not have an exterior motive. His was a love for mathematics and its beauty.

 

[Splittet]

I was thinking INTP as well. I loved the movie, but I generally love movies about genius, like for example Amadeus.

 

[Gabe]

INTJ.
-the way he goes nuts just seems so DomNi. And didn't say any sign of Fe or Ne. If you want to see a DomNe go nuts, watch Shine.
-the way the archetypes of his imaginary friends were set up: his "mentor" (that imaginary boss) was an extraverted thinking type, the roomate was an extraverted sensing type (animus), the child had to represent Fi in some way.

 

[Sandy]

I just rented that movie from the library today... great acting there. I haven't seen it since it first came out.

I dunno... it's a toss up between INTP or INTJ. I'll watch it again tonight to make my final determination.

 

[MerkW]

INTJ.
-the way he goes nuts just seems so DomNi. And didn't say any sign of Fe or Ne. If you want to see a DomNe go nuts, watch Shine.
-the way the archetypes of his imaginary friends were set up: his "mentor" (that imaginary boss) was an extraverted thinking type, the roomate was an extraverted sensing type (animus), the child had to represent Fi in some way.

The only problem with this, is that in the movie, he doesn't seem very J. Like one might expect of a P, he doesn't go to classes, he throws his desk out the window and laughs about it, he walks through the library without shoes or socks on shouting "I have respect for beer!!!", he is constantly late, etc. He also doesn't really show much Te.

 

[The Ü™]

Ah, the movie about my mind.

Anyway, I think John Nash is an INTJ. He has dominant Ni written all over him.

 

[MerkW]

Ah, the movie about my mind.

Anyway, I think John Nash is an INTJ. He has dominant Ni written all over him.

Yes, the real John Nash, anyhow. But do you think this is conveyed accurately in the film?

 

[The Ü™]

Yes, the real John Nash, anyhow. But do you think this is conveyed accurately in the film?

Schizophrenia leads its patients to be disorganized. And from what I've read, John Nash in A Beautiful Mind was a reasonably accurate portrayal.

While he was an absent-minded professor type, he didn't really display INTP absent-mindedness -- Nash (in the movie) was much more focused and obsessive. An INTP mind tends to be more floaty, so to speak.

 

[princessleia1982]

He's an INTJ because he is awkward in love situations and kept getting smacked. He must have married an ENFP too because she was such a feeler and very charming and didn't mind his awkwardness at the picnic when he came right out and said that he wanted her sexually. Nash also worked very hard at his love relationship with his wife and stopped taking the medicine so she wouldn't have to suffer sexually and INTJ's are notorious for working hard at relationships....so much so that intuition about needs and wants is so successful that it almost replaces the need for feeling. Oh and he was self confident to the point of appearing arrogant. INTJ for sure!

 

[VagrantFarce]

I'd go with INTJ, but only because it seems every dramatisation of split-personality seems to occur to Ni characters.

 

[INTP]

Id say intp with high Ti and disturbed Ne. This kind of disturbed Ne + dominant Ti might look like Ni, so it makes him look like intj.

Enyway, its a great movie, one of the few ones i really like.

 

[krunchtime]

INTP from his biography. He likes to think, day dream, learn by bouncing ideas off people, adopts very little structure when it comes to learning, learns things halfway, then attempt to synthesize ideas. He was known for being bold, brash, approaching Einstein to discuss his ideas. He does act like an emotionally immature INTP, to the point of being narcississtic and uncaring of the people around him.

These marked INTP traits failed to come across strongly in the movie, which romanticized his relationships and focused on his mind/ ideas/ genuis/ illness. The movie was more of a fairytale of a genuis's battle with schizophrenia, rather than any true reflection of Nash's personality. He was portrayed as disorganized, but not particularly reclusive, full of original ideas - which can qualify him for INTP, ENTP or INTJ.

 

[BlueScreen]

I think he's an INTJ in the film. I see a creative strategist with freakish mind and pattern recognition skills who is engaging but distracted. He gets the whole relationship and emotional side, but he's always off chasing a dream of seeing or creating a perfect theory. I know a few professors who remind me of him at university. I know they aren't ENTP or INTP, but not sure what they are.

For real life one: Photos of him and his biographical details remind me of INTJs I know also. Especially the reading and absorbing lots from a young age. Some I know are like encyclopaedias.

Could only find two photos of a young Nash.