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Holly Golightly - Three or Seven? and her MBTI type?

what's holly golightly's enneagram type?


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    14

Chloe

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What enneagram type is Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's?

She was given as good example of Three in S.Maitri's book... but I saw her listed on all other places as Seven!!! First when I watched the movie I thought of her as Seven, when I read she is Three, it made sense and it was good example how 3 can look like 7. 3 plans and is enthusiastic about many things because it will make her look good, how she imagined the "successful" person is. Holly Golightly wanted money and social status, what's unclear did she wanted that so she can look good (3), or merely for enjoying all benefits that social status+money gives (7)?
was she running from pain (7) or was she running from herself (3)? Here I'd put on 3 because she said "she's not old Holly (or whatever her name was), she's not that girl" - which indicates she wanted to change her identity (3).

Other interesting thing in this movie to me is that her MBTI type isnt very obvious [she could be NFP but i think it wasnt clear]. It makes sense in movies where characters are not developed, but she has many characteristics enough to be "typical 3" or "typical 7". This kind of confirms theory about MBTI - Enneagram relation where Enneagram is defense system and in unhealthy people E-type characteristics are more aparent than MBTI, and more person healthy is she acts more like her MBTI type and E-type only "colours" her personality.
Of course this is just a movie so not perfect for analyisis.
 

Chloe

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DAMN. I dont know how this thread ended in NF idylic. I meant to put it in Enneagram forum. Can moderators please put it there? thanks! :)
 

HollyGolightly

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I think Holly Golightly is most likely Type 3. And she comes across as ENFP (I'm not sure of her type, been a while since I watched the film). My sister is ENFP and Type 3 and she often reminds me of Holly :) But I have only watched the film, I haven't read the book by Truman Capote (although I plan to).
 

ragashree

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^ Awww... I was hoping you were going to say she was a type 1 INFJ! :devil:
 

musicnerd93

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I read on one of the INFP profile pages that she was INFP...or maybe I'm confusign it with ENFP...Agh...But, I haven't seen "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or read the book...so I can't really help you. lol.
 

Ratsimoan

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I read on one of the INFP profile pages that she was INFP...or maybe I'm confusign it with ENFP...Agh...But, I haven't seen "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or read the book...so I can't really help you. lol.

she definitely, an E not I.
 

Kasper

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DAMN. I dont know how this thread ended in NF idylic. I meant to put it in Enneagram forum. Can moderators please put it there? thanks! :)

I would, except it belongs in pop culture and types. So moved.

Also, if people want to bring something to madmin attention, use the report button or PM one of us :)
 

neptunesnet

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Capote's Holly was modeled after ESFP Marilyn Monroe, but in the film she came off more as an NFP because Audrey Hepburn is INFP. Either way, I think Holly Golightly is a 3 (specifically 3w4 sx). 3's understand, and often analyze, appearances and deceit in themselves and thus can detect it easily in others. They are also heart types: compassionate, gentle, and optimistic. I see Holly as more feeling-oriented than thinking in both the book and film.
 

Boo

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Hmm... If it comes to tritype 3 and 7 are definitely apart of it.
I always had a 7 vibe coming from her because she reminds me of a bird that doesn't want to be caged. It looks like she's hungry for all life has to offer her because she's scared of something--I'm not sure if that's pain or who she really was so it's tough to say :| The way she navigates a party could be 3 or 7; she's charming enough but also looks like she gets a kick out of everything she does.
 

Boo

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And oh my gosh! She was based on Marilyn Monroe? :') I actually could see that... I remember I thought Marilyn would suit Holly better than Audrey would because they were so similar; I agree that Marilyn would have made Holly more like an ESFP while Audrey gave her an ENFP personality--which I prefer ;)
 

Southern Kross

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And oh my gosh! She was based on Marilyn Monroe? :') I actually could see that... I remember I thought Marilyn would suit Holly better than Audrey would because they were so similar; I agree that Marilyn would have made Holly more like an ESFP while Audrey gave her an ENFP personality--which I prefer ;)
Yeah, Truman Capote wrote the book with Marilyn Monroe in mind and wanted her to play the part in the film adaption. However, I think Audrey was 100x more interesting in the part than Marilyn Monroe would have been. Its a great example of the benefits of casting against type.

I said 7 but the arguments for 3 make some sense. She does live behind a facade and lacks a strong sense of identity but 3s are more purposeful in their pursuit of success. I think Holly is less interested in success and more in the freedom to enjoy the pleasures of life. Its not high achievement she pursues but the benefits that come from it - success is just a means to an end for her. I think she has the spontaneous, fun loving, scattered, optimistic nature of a 7 - she's not serious and focused enough to be a 3.

I'm still inclined to say ENFP 7w6 so/sx. Here's a good 7w6 description that really seems to fit Holly:

7w6s are less grounded and more visibly anxious. They are more manic. They are much more prone to bipolar personality disorder. They are mercurial and endearing. They tend to be more amiable and friendly. They are natural peter pan types who never grow up. They are the more childlike side of seven. They are more creative and fantastical. They are more excited about life and never stop dreaming. They have an attitude of wide-eyed wonderment towards the world. They are prone to blurring the distinction between fantasy and reality. They are much more "pie in the sky" thinkers. They believe in "potential" and that is a big theme in their lives. They believe in potential in others and pockets of potential in the world. They believe the "holy grail" is out there somewhere and it's just a matter of finding it. They are more likely to chase their own tail. They lack the pragmatism and realism of their seven-wing-eight siblings.

7w6s feel more of a need to "check in" with others. Their six wing gives them a need to establish "solidarity" with people they care about. They care about how they are seen. The dense party animal stereotype offends them more. They don't like to be taken for granted as someone who is happy all the time and doesn't have problems. They want to be seen as someone who has depth of personality. They want to be seen as someone who is also "human" and can relate to how you are feeling. Their six wing causes them to be awed and apalled. They have more highs and lows. They have a good-natured sense of humor and are more natural entertainers. They tend to be funny more than they are characters.

7w6s tend to fear getting "trapped" in a rut as opposed to stuck in a rut. Their six wing makes them more likely to feel defeatism and despair. They admit to themselves the rut has "got" them in some way. They can see the walls closing in and becoming more trapped if they don't do something.
Source
 

Chloe

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She is exactly chasing success - an image of successful woman, the one who got married and is rich and
"accomplished" in traditional sense. She has a vision; IMAGE, of what is the "right" and happy way to be and chases it. 7s dont have image that they follow, they follow happy excining plans without "ending result"... but Holly is chasing a goal, she is goal oriented... I think 3. And Maitri gave her as best example of a 3

Movie would suck if Marilyn played Holly.
 

Southern Kross

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She is exactly chasing success - an image of successful woman, the one who got married and is rich and
"accomplished" in traditional sense. She has a vision; IMAGE, of what is the "right" and happy way to be and chases it. 7s dont have image that they follow, they follow happy excining plans without "ending result"... but Holly is chasing a goal, she is goal oriented... I think 3. And Maitri gave her as best example of a 3

Movie would suck if Marilyn played Holly.
I don't know, she never seems very committed to that goal. She does the bare minimum to get by, then hightails it out of there. It seems she's more interested in a chasing a fantasy than a goal. :shrug:
 

Chloe

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well its hard cos she is fictional and she could actually be a lucky mix between 7 and 3 :D

if we only could ask her questions :D

now i will get all depressed that i will never meet her :D

like i always did with her, holden caufield, and many others :D
 

Southern Kross

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well its hard cos she is fictional and she could actually be a lucky mix between 7 and 3 :D

if we only could ask her questions :D

now i will get all depressed that i will never meet her :D

like i always did with her, holden caufield, and many others :D
Oh you get disappointed in characters not being real too :D

Perhaps the novella would have more insights. I haven't read it myself, how about you? Even then, I've heard the film version has cleaned up some aspects of the character, and Audrey Hepburn supposedly changed quite a bit about the Holly in order to better relate to her. She made her more in denial about it all, more haphazard and innocent, than conscious of and calculated in what she was doing.
 

Chloe

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nah i havent read the book. Maybe i should... for fun not for enneagram :D though i dont like to read much, cant focus.

i didnt perceive Holly as innocent at all - just very good at acting. "a real fake" like that guy in movie called her. very 3-is - believing your role.
 

Southern Kross

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i didnt perceive Holly as innocent at all - just very good at acting. "a real fake" like that guy in movie called her. very 3-is - believing your role.
Yeah, I mean in a self-delusional manner - she tells herself that she is.
 

Boo

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One thing is for sure: Holly was definitely running away from something. It could either be her shameful past life she tried to hard to destroy or pain of some sort. When Paul told her he loved her she acted as if she was "in that same situation before," or she at least anticipated such a proclamation, even dreading it. Maybe Holly is afraid of love itself because she doesn't want to be tied down, she wants to keep going with life. I'm not sure what her motivations are behind this but she was escaping a part of herself or her past.
 

Xoforevercali

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It's shocking to me that anyone thinks Holly is either a 7 or 3, because in my eyes she's very clearly a 4w3, also known as "The Aristocrat." Keep in mind that not all 4s are introverts. 4s can certainly be outgoing and bubbly, especially if they have some 7 as a secondary type. Holly lives in a fantasy, often so consumed by her emotions and longing for a life she doesn't have, that she can't even get out of bed. She's also seen largely by fans as a sort of mysterious, sexual trophy, which is also very common of 4s. 4w3's mimic 3s in the sense that they're desperate for some kind of success and status which will validate their worth, something they don't truly believe that they have. However, 4w3's don't have the stability to be able to maintain the work ethic of a 3, and so they often self-sabotage or crash and burn. This is why there is some controversy over her being a 3. She's definitely not. Threes suppress or remain out of touch with their emotions, in order to achieve their goals. But 4s are so overwhelmed by their crippling emotions that they often struggle to actualize those goals. Threes do not lie in bed all day and keep their homes in a disaster state. She wants the glamour of success, but resorts to being a call girl in order to get that, knowing she doesn't have the stability to have a more traditional job. She makes just enough money to blow all of it at tiffany's, and then repeats the cycle all over again. There's no way that her primary personality type is a 7 either, because 7s would rather not be bothered by dwelling on emotions, they would much rather move on to the next thing. They have too many things to do and too little time. Sevens can certainly be reckless and impulsive— but so can 4s. The difference is that 7s do it out of a positive, insatiable zest for life. 4s do it out of desperation, as if life is slipping through their fingers. However, i think it's possible that Holly may have 7 as her secondary personality type. This is what allows her to have a large network of acquaintances, as well as an extroverted personality, despite being such a sensitive person. Even in her relationships however, she often lets people in just close enough so that they think they know her, but then pushes them away before they can see her true self. She feels shame about who she is and consequently, comes up with all kinds of fairytales as a way of escaping that shame. In the end she doesn't really have anyone, or at least feels that way. And so she decides to marry someone she's not really in love with, because she can finally be rescued from her fragile emotional and financial instability.
 
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