How I met your Mother

[murkrow]

his begrudging acceptance of the position of univeristy professor is also pretty INFP, lol.


I just don't see the N.

ISFP?

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

his begrudging acceptance of the position of univeristy professor is also pretty INFP, lol.


I just don't see the N.

ISFP?

Well, possibly. But where I got his N from is mainly how INFPs are idealistic dreamers and perfectionists. He wants to settle down in a perfect family and find his one true love. He's also rather creative (works as an architect) and sometimes clueless of what's going on around him. His overthinking of situations is something you don't often see in an SP, but often in Ns, and when he teaches he tries to think of ways to get his class to like him and really get interested. On another note, his excessive dating I see as less of an E indicator and more demonstration of his endless search for the perfect woman.

 

[AceofSpades]

With tv fictional characters it can be hard to type. Especially with introverts because most characters on tv are usually written to be more active and outgoing than real life introverts. J preferences can be hard to type as well unless it is written in for the character. However I think we can speculate on the features given to them by the writers.

The easiest ones for me to type would be Marshal and Barney, the rest I'm not as sure of. Starting from the top.

Marshal - ENFP in fact I would type him as ENFP in real life as well.

Barney - ESTP, his fantasmical ideas can often lean him over to an N preference but I would def say he's ESTP the majority of the time. Vary rarly does he show strong Fe tho occaisnal Fi.

Lily - I would say definitly a feeler(Fe?) and at times similar to Marshal with a similar adventerous and sporadic spirit tho more manipulative. She's creative but also caring(teacher) and often confronts Marshal on things he does not see at first. I would go for ISF/NJ.

Ted - Sure does have major NF dreamer tendancies(idealist) and quotes poetry. He's also willing to go along with many of his friends shenanigans(Pushover P trait). INFP could be fair.

Robin is hard. She seems way more T than F. She likes watching sports, shoot guns and does not come off very N. ISTP?

 

[Idioteque]

Barney's definatly some kind of ENxJ, just take a look at how extremly elaborate the tricks in his "Playbook" are. Also seems to be suffering from OCD or something, his obsession with suits come to mind..

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

Barney's definatly some kind of ENxJ, just take a look at how extremly elaborate the tricks in his "Playbook" are. Also seems to be suffering from OCD or something, his obsession with suits come to mind..

Barney aint no J. EXTP. Haven't you been reading our discussions?

 

[Usehername]

Barney aint no J. EXTP. Haven't you been reading our discussions?

He is too an ENxJ. He always talks about the playbook/goals/rules, keeps track of data, and organizes his woman conquests into categories.

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

He is too an ENxJ. He always talks about the playbook/goals/rules, keeps track of data, and organizes his woman conquests into categories.

Yeah, but his goals are just things to boast about. He doesn't do them for any practical purpose. Just to have fun and to show how awesome he is to everyone, because he's a showman. He has that EXTP drive to BE THE BEST! His goal of sleeping with 200 women was brought out not as some sensible goal, but to show someone up. They're not like J goals where the intent is to improve, progress, make a contribution etc. His idea of himself in the future is exactly how he is now, just with a higher tally to boast about. His organization is just to help serve him in this and aided by Ti. He's often incredibly spontaneous. Like when he decided to go lick the liberty bell. And when he is told he can't do something, he almost compulsively has to prove he can. And T is definite. I don't know how you can even fathom F. He has no respect for any emotions but pride.

 

[Usehername]

Yeah, but his goals are just things to boast about. He doesn't do them for any practical purpose. Just to have fun and to show how awesome he is to everyone, because he's a showman. He has that EXTP drive to BE THE BEST! His goal of sleeping with 200 women was brought out not as some sensible goal, but to show someone up. They're not like J goals where the intent is to improve, progress, make a contribution etc. His idea of himself in the future is exactly how he is now, just with a higher tally to boast about. His organization is just to help serve him in this and aided by Ti. He's often incredibly spontaneous. Like when he decided to go lick the liberty bell. And when he is told he can't do something, he almost compulsively has to prove he can. And T is definite. I don't know how you can even fathom F. He has no respect for any emotions but pride.

Going off of the very backstory that Barney tells us in that pivotal episode, he narrates his motivation to live his life the way he does because he kept being burned in both his personal life with girls and his professional life with jobs by being too much of an idealist. He tells us explicitly that he couldn't take it anymore because it hurt too much, so he resigned himself to changing his approach so he could move past the heartbreak.

Note too that absolutely everything Barney does is centralized around people. There's not a single thing that captivates his interest if it doesn't involve connecting with someone, even the liberty bell required Ted to come along and look at how distressed Barney was when he didn't want to. Barney does nothing that isn't anchored in actively experiencing people. Unlike Ted with his architecture interests, Lilly with her painting . . . Barney is pure ENFJ.

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

Women are people, but Barney does not see them as people. He sees them as sex machines. And who would want to lick the liberty bell by themselves. They would have nobody to back up their claim, which is something Barney needs to feed his ego.

ENFJs are the benevolent 'pedagogues' of humanity. They have tremendous charisma by which many are drawn into their nurturant tutelage and/or grand schemes. Many ENFJs have tremendous power to manipulate others with their phenomenal interpersonal skills and unique salesmanship. But it's usually not meant as manipulation -- ENFJs generally believe in their dreams, and see themselves as helpers and enablers, which they usually are.

ENFJs are global learners. They see the big picture. The ENFJs focus is expansive. Some can juggle an amazing number of responsibilities or projects simultaneously. Many ENFJs have tremendous entrepreneurial ability.

ENFJs are, by definition, Js, with whom we associate organization and decisiveness. But they don't resemble the SJs or even the NTJs in organization of the environment nor occasional recalcitrance. ENFJs are organized in the arena of interpersonal affairs. Their offices may or may not be cluttered, but their conclusions (reached through feelings) about people and motives are drawn much more quickly and are more resilient than those of their NFP counterparts.

ENFJs know and appreciate people. Like most NFs, (and Feelers in general), they are apt to neglect themselves and their own needs for the needs of others. They have thinner psychological boundaries than most, and are at risk for being hurt or even abused by less sensitive people. ENFJs often take on more of the burdens of others than they can bear.
TRADEMARK: "The first shall be last"
This refers to the open-door policy of ENFJs. One ENFJ colleague always welcomes me into his office regardless of his own circumstances. If another person comes to the door, he allows them to interrupt our conversation with their need. While discussing that need, the phone rings and he stops to answer it. Others drop in with a 'quick question.' I finally get up, go to my office and use the call waiting feature on the telephone. When he hangs up, I have his undivided attention!

Functional Analysis:
Extraverted Feeling
Extraverted Feeling rules the ENFJ's psyche. In the sway of this rational function, these folks are predisposed to closure in matters pertaining to people, and especially on behalf of their beloved. As extraverts, their contacts are wide ranging. Face-to-face relationships are intense, personable and warm, though they may be so infrequently achieved that intimate friendships are rare.
Introverted iNtuition
Like their INFJ cousins, ENFJs are blessed through introverted intuition with clarity of perception in the inner, unconscious world. Dominant Feeling prefers to find the silver lining in even the most beggarly perceptions of those in their expanding circle of friends and, of course, in themselves. In less balanced individuals, such mitigation of the unseemly eventually undermines the ENFJ's integrity and frequently their good name. In healthier individuals, deft use of this awareness of the inner needs and desires of others enables this astute type to win friends, influence people, and avoid compromising entanglements. Not sure what most of this paragraph means.

The dynamic nature of their intuition moves ENFJs from one project to another with the assurance that the next one will be perfect, or much more nearly so than the last. ENFJs are continually looking for newer and better solutions to benefit their extensive family, staff, or organization.
Extraverted Sensing
Sensing is extraverted. ENFJs can manage details, particularly those necessary to implement the prevailing vision. These data have, however, a magical flexible quality. Something to be bought can be had for a song; the same something is invaluable when it's time to sell. (We are not certain, but we suspect that such is the influence of the primary function.) This wavering of sensory perception is made possible by the weaker and less mature status with which the tertiary is endowed.
Introverted Thinking
Introverted Thinking is least apparent and most enigmatic in this type. In fact, it often appears only when summoned by Feeling. At times only in jest, but in earnest if need be, Thinking entertains as logical only those conclusions which support Feeling's values. Other scenarios can be shown invalid or at best significantly inferior. Such "Thinking in the service of Feeling" has the appearance of logic, but somehow it never quite adds up.

Introverted Thinking is frequently the focus of the spiritual quest of ENFJs. David's lengthiest psalm, 119, pays it homage. "Law," "precept," "commandment," "statute:" these essences of inner thinking are the mysteries of Deity for which this great Feeler's soul searched.

I think the reason ENFJ seems right to you and fits some of his traits is because it contains the same functions as ESTP. But the ESTP profile fits far better, as you can see where I posted it on an earlier page and crossed out the things that didn't fit well with Barney's personality.

 

[Idioteque]

I seriously doubt an ExTP would be so elaborate in his planning or so obsessed with his set of rules (Bro code).

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

I seriously doubt an ExTP would be so elaborate in his planning or so obsessed with his set of rules (Bro code).

EXTP is a famed prankster and conman type. Elaborate schemes are what they do. They get off on thrill. Also, because Barney's exploits often involve people, he has a knack for manipulation and on-spot improvisation, which is rather EP.

I don't know about the bro-code, but he never really seems to bring it up much unless it serves him.

 

[AceofSpades]

These are fictional people and are not going to perfectly fit into one type of temperament!!!! But what traits do they show most of the time?

ENFJ is an idealist. True Barney likes to get people involved but's it's usually for his own selfish gain. He's a sensory nut! And I agree. Women are just pure objects for him. Ted and Lily are constantly disappointed with Barney's constant lack of feeling in the things he says. Barney is rarely ever afraid of rejection when hitting on women as to where a J type personality is usually more calculating and careful.

 

[Usehername]

Women are people, but Barney does not see them as people. He sees them as sex machines. And who would want to lick the liberty bell by themselves. They would have nobody to back up their claim, which is something Barney needs to feed his ego.



I think the reason ENFJ seems right to you and fits some of his traits is because it contains the same functions as ESTP. But the ESTP profile fits far better, as you can see where I posted it on an earlier page and crossed out the things that didn't fit well with Barney's personality.

The reason ENFJ seems right to me is because of the pivotal backstory. Your typing has to ignore what he himself expressly claims to be the motive behind his behaviour.

 

[AceofSpades]

The reason ENFJ seems right to me is because of the pivotal backstory. Your typing has to ignore what he himself expressly claims to be the motive behind his behaviour.

So your saying the backstory is more important in typing Barney than the person he is portrayed as? In the end it really does not matter much unless criteria for typing fictional persons is agreed upon anyway. Many characters show temperment ambiguity for the sake of keeping a show entertaining.

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

The reason ENFJ seems right to me is because of the pivotal backstory. Your typing has to ignore what he himself expressly claims to be the motive behind his behaviour.

People are able to change type over time. In his backstory (which I remember faintly) he seemed at least some kind of NF, but he had, I guess you could say, an epiphany, and his entire perspective on the world changed. They really weren't the same person afterwards at all, and this is always a dodgy area in typing fictional characters, but here it actually sort of works because all he had to do was rearrange his first 4 functions.

 

[Aleksei]

Holmes, comparing people to profiles is a bad way to type. MBTI profiles are based on outward behavior expected of a given function set (which may not be accurate), and are usually based on the first two functions alone.

Barney is usually typed ENTJ, which makes sense given his sheer meticulousness, but the problem with that (as well as ESTP) is his original hippiefag idealism. ExTx's don't behave like that. They just fucking don't.

 

[Usehername]

Holmes, comparing people to profiles is a bad way to type. MBTI profiles are based on outward behavior expected of a given function set (which may not be accurate), and are usually based on the first two functions alone.

Barney is usually typed ENTJ, which makes sense given his sheer meticulousness, but the problem with that (as well as ESTP) is his original hippiefag idealism. ExTx's don't behave like that. They just fucking don't.

1. There's no need for the derogating term.

2. The best way to type someone is to get their own perspective of their identity rather than having an outsider do it, and that would make Barney describe himself as an ENFJ without using the terminology.

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

Holmes, comparing people to profiles is a bad way to type. MBTI profiles are based on outward behavior expected of a given function set (which may not be accurate), and are usually based on the first two functions alone.

Barney is usually typed ENTJ, which makes sense given his sheer meticulousness, but the problem with that (as well as ESTP) is his original hippiefag idealism. ExTx's don't behave like that. They just fucking don't.

Fair enough (though stereotypes like 'hippiefag idealist' are probably less reliable), but I think the functions actually fit well for ESTP. Like I said, his background really isn't so important as how he acts in the show, because you can see that he's totally different to his old self in almost every concievable way. He was kind and loving, idealistic about the world and everything, and now he is selfish and wants to have sex with women, do fun things and feed his ego. His world is ruled by extraverted sensing, thrill rides and experiences in the here and now. Barney is always moving on to the next thing. There is never enough. His exploits are to get him what he wants, to give him enjoyment and recognition. His Ti can help him plan how to do these things and gives him that hatred of emotion and sentimentality. His Fe is how he relates to people and understands them. Because His thinking and sensing are higher, he does not feel much for people, except on rare occasions, like with Robin, and to a certain degree, his friendship with Ted, but he uses his feeling to manipulate people to his will to get what he wants. His Ni, while not coming out that much, is used to help support his plans and schemes by devising ideas and methods with which to achieve his sensory goals.

So all in all, I think the functions fit well, and while possibly not the most accurate method, the profile fits brilliantly as well, as opposed to the ENFJ profile. The profiles are actually based on their functional order and how this leads them to interact with the world. The ENFJs feeling is too high and their sensing too low.

 

[Mr. Sherlock Holmes]

2. The best way to type someone is to get their own perspective of their identity rather than having an outsider do it, and that would make Barney describe himself as an ENFJ without using the terminology.

What? Your argument is that if you asked him, Barney would TELL US he is ENFJ? He's a fictional character, so obviously he can't, and the idea that he would is just speculation and no more solid than us guessing his type.

 

[Usehername]

What? Your argument is that if you asked him, Barney would TELL US he is ENFJ? He's a fictional character, so obviously he can't, and the idea that he would is just speculation and no more solid than us guessing his type.

Past tense. He told us his inner life and motives that explain his behaviour.