The Light Triad vs. Dark Triad of Personality

New research contrasts two very different profiles of human nature

 

I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” – Anne Frank

What’s one less person on the face of the earth, anyway?” – Ted Bundy

 

Why are dark triad people so seductive? Why do they get all the research attention? I asked my colleague David Yaden in his office. Immediately his ears pricked up, and he asked me to send him papers on the dark triad, remarking that he hadn’t heard of the dark triad but that it sounded fascinating (thus proving my point).

When I went back to my office, I emailed some papers to David and my colleague Elizabeth Hyde. In a quick email response, David simply wrote back, “light triad”? Now my ears pricked up. Was there such a thing? Had it been studied?

The dark triad has already been well-studied. First discovered by Delroy Paulhus and Kevin Williams in 2002, the dark triad of personality consists of narcissism (entitled self-importance), Machiavellianism (strategic exploitation and deceit) and psychopathy (callousness and cynicism). While these three traits had traditionally been studied mostly among clinical populations (e.g., criminals), Paulhus and Williams showed that each of these traits are clearly on a continuum—we are all at least a little bit narcissistic, Machiavellian and psychopathic.

Credit: Laura Harris Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Since their initial paper, research on the topic has increased quite a bit each year, with two-thirds of the publications of the dark triad appearing in 2014 and 2015 alone. While each of the members of the dark triad has unique features and correlates, there is enough overlap among these “socially aversive” traits that Paulhus has argued that they “should be studied in concert.” Indeed, there does appear to be a “dark core” to personality.

While research on dark personalities has certainly contributed to our understanding of the darker side of human nature, and how each of us differs in the extent to which we consistently exhibit dark patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors in our daily lives, what about the light side of human nature?

Everyday Saints

Socially aversive people certainly exist, but what about everyday saints? I’m not talking about the person who publicly does a lot of giving, and receives many public accolades and awards for all of their giving (and who constantly gives to others in order to achieve personal success). I’m talking about the person who, just by their being, shines their light in every direction. The person who isn’t constantly strategic about their giving, but who emits unconditional love naturally and spontaneously because that’s just who they are.

So this is what we set out to find out. Through many email exchanges and personal meetings, David, Elizabeth and I looked at existing tests of the dark triad and brainstormed a variety of items relating to the conceptual opposite characteristics of each member of the dark triad, but we created items that weren’t simply the reverse of the dark triad items. Our initial pool of items related to forgiveness, trust, honesty, caring, acceptance, seeing the best in people and getting intrinsic enjoyment from making connections with others instead of using people as a means to an end.

To our surprise (we hadn’t expected there to necessarily be three factors), three distinct factors emerged from our studies, which we labeled: Kantianism (treating people as ends unto themselves, not mere means), Humanism (valuing the dignity and worth of each individual) and Faith in Humanity (believing in the fundamental goodness of humans):

 

Credit: Scott Barry Kaufman, David Yaden, Elizabeth Hyde and Eli Tsukayama

After a series of refinements of our initial items (and sophisticated statistical analyses conducted by Eli Tsukayama), we settled on 12 items that capture the essence of this light triad. You can take the Light Triad Scale here (and also receive information on your light vs. dark triad balance).

We have now administered the Light Triad Scale to thousands of people of different ages, genders, races and ethnicities, and the results are far-reaching. First, it is clear that the light triad is not merely the opposite of the dark triad. While the two are negatively related to each other, the relationship is only moderate in size (a correlation of about .50), supporting the idea that there is at least a little bit of light and dark in each of us. In my view, it’s best to view those who score extremely high on the dark triad not as a separate species of human (after all, to have a dark side is to be human) but as magnified and unleashed versions of potentialities that lie within all of us.

With that said, it seems like Anne Frank may have been on to something in the opening quote of this article. We calculated a light triad vs. dark triad balance score for each participant by subtracting each person’s score on the dark triad from their score on the light triad. The average balance score of the entire sample was 1.3, suggesting that the average person is tipped more toward the light relative to the dark in their everyday patterns of thoughts, behaviors and emotions. As you can see in this scatterplot, extreme malevolence is extremely rare in the general population:

Credit: “The Light vs. Dark Triad of Personality: Contrasting Two Very Different Profiles of Human Nature,” by Scott Barry Kaufman, David Yaden, Elizabeth Hyde and Eli Tsukayama, in Frontiers in Psychology, March 12, 2019

Portraits of the Light and Dark Triad

What about the contrasting profiles of the light and dark triad? We found that the dark triad was positively correlated with being younger, being male, being motivated by power, instrumental sex, achievement and affiliation (but not intimacy), having self-enhancement values, immature defense styles, conspicuous consumption, selfishness and viewing their creative work and religious immortality as routes to death transcendence. The dark triad was negatively correlated with life satisfaction, conscientiousness, agreeableness, self-transcendent values, compassion, empathy, a quiet ego, a belief that humans are good and a belief that one’s own self is good.

The dark triad also showed positive correlations with a variety of variables that could facilitate one’s more agentic-related goals. For instance, the dark triad was positively correlated with utilitarian moral judgment and the strengths of creativity, bravery and leadership, as well as assertiveness, in addition to motives for power, achievement and self-enhancement. Also, an unexpected correlation between the dark triad and curiosity was found, which was localized primarily to the embracing (“I like to do things that are a little frightening,” “I prefer jobs that are excitingly unpredictable“) and deprivation (“It disturbs me when I don’t understand a solution,” “It bothers me if I don’t know a word”) forms of curiosity.

Interestingly, after we controlled for the more antagonistic elements of the dark triad, the dark triad actually showed positive associations with a number of growth-oriented outcomes. These findings suggest that the callous and manipulative core of the dark triad does not do these individuals many favors. It’s likely that the variance that is left over once the malevolence-related variance of the dark triad is removed is associated with agentic extraversion (the particularly aspect of extraversion associated with assertiveness, which may provide a protective factor for those scoring higher on the dark triad.*

In stark contrast, the overall picture provided by the pattern of correlations with the light triad was quite different than the dark triad. The light triad was associated with being older, being female, less childhood unpredictability, as well as higher levels of religiosity, spirituality, life satisfaction, acceptance of others, belief that others are good, belief that one’s self is good, compassion, empathy, openness to experience, conscientiousness, positive enthusiasm, having a quiet ego and a belief that one can live on through nature and biosociality (having children) after one’s personal death.

Individuals scoring higher on the Light Triad Scale also reported more satisfaction with their relationships, competence and autonomy, and they also reported higher levels of secure attachment style and eros in their relationships. In general, the light triad was related to being primarily motivated by intimacy and self-transcendent values. Many character strengths correlated with the light triad, including curiosity, perspective, zest, love, kindness, teamwork, forgiveness and gratitude.

Note that the flavor of curiosity associated with light triadstretching (“I actively seek as much information as I can in new situations,” “I view challenging situations as an opportunity to grow and learn“)—differed from the flavor of curiosity associated with the dark triad (primarily embracing and deprivation). Mature defense styles were also associated with the light triad (e.g., humor, sublimation, altruism, anticipation), as were optimistic beliefs about the self, the world and one’s future. Individuals scoring higher on the Light Triad Scale also reported higher self-esteem, authenticity and a stronger sense of self.

In general, the light triad does not appear to be associated with any obvious downsides, with a few possible exceptions depending on the context. The light triad was negatively correlated with the motives for achievement and self-enhancement (even though the light triad was positively related to productivity and competence). In terms of character strengths, unlike the dark triad, the light triad was uncorrelated with bravery or assertiveness. Such characteristics may be important for reaching one’s more challenging goals and fully self-actualizing.

Additionally, in line with our predictions, the light triad was related to greater interpersonal guilt—including survivor (“I sometimes feel I don’t deserve the happiness I achieved”), separation (“It makes me anxious to be away from home for too long”) and omnipotent responsibility (“I worry a lot about the people I love even when they seem to be fine”) forms of guilt. While it may be adaptive to experience these forms of interpersonal guilt for facilitating relationships and repairing damage in a relationship, these forms of guilt may limit one’s ambitions for fear of succeeding while others remain less successful.

The light triad was also correlated with greater “reaction formation,” which is considered by some psychologists as a neurotic defense style (but which I conceptualize in my own work as an aspect of mature altruism). The reaction formation scale consisted of the following items: “If someone mugged me and stole my money, I’d rather he be helped than punished” and “I often find myself being very nice to people who by all rights I should be angry at.” While having such “loving kindness” even for one’s enemies is conducive to one’s own well-being, these attitudes, coupled with greater interpersonal guilt, could make those scoring higher on the light triad potentially more open to exploitation and emotional manipulation from those scoring higher on the dark triad. Indeed, we believe further investigation of the social interactions between extreme light vs. dark triad scorers would be an interesting future line of research.

Conclusion

There are definitely limitations of our studies, and lots of areas for future research extending and developing our work. The 12-item Light Triad Scale should be viewed as a first draft, and our four studies should be seen as more exploratory than definitive.

Nevertheless, we hope our research helps balance the force in personality psychology. Yes, everyday psychopaths exist. But so do everyday saints, and they are just as worthy of research attention and cultivation in a society that sometimes forgets that not only is there goodness in the world, but there is also goodness in each of us as well.

You can read our scientific paper here. Also, you can take the Light Triad Scale here, and also learn about your light vs. dark triad balance.

*This is in line with recent research on narcissism conducted by my colleagues and I that explicitly separates the antagonistic and agentic extraversion facets of narcissism in predicting well-being. We have found that the agent extraversion aspect of narcissism is particularly adaptive when antagonism is partialed out of the equation.

Do You Challenge Authority Often, Based on Your Personality Type

Do You Challenge Authority Often, Based on Your Personality Type

Some people believe in challenging authority and finding ways to make their own rules in life, while others prefer to follow the leader and do what is expected of them. Both paths certainly serve a purpose in the grand scheme of things, but for some it just feels like the right thing to challenge authority and make their own decisions. Here is how likely you are to challenge authority, based on your personality type.

INFJ

INFJs do have a tendency to challenge authority, at least in an analytical sense. They prefer to consider whether or not the people in control deserve this position, and if they have their followers best interests at heart. INFJs often realize that most people in power will be corrupted by this, and might not deserve to be in their position. They are willing to challenge this authority, and often struggle to completely fall into line. At the same time INFJs don’t like being someone who constantly breaks rules or disobeys the expectations of their loved ones, so they search for some kind of balance.

ENFJ

ENFJs don’t believe in being someone who causes too much trouble, but at the same time they are passionate and strong-willed people. They often analyze the situation and are willing to mentally challenge authority and consider whether or not they should be following them. ENFJs don’t just accept things as they are, instead they believe in looking at the different angles. They use their intuition to decide whether or not they can truly trust someone, and if they deem someone worthy. If the ENFJ realizes that a person does not follow the right moral path, they are certainly likely to challenge their authority.

INFP

INFPs are willing to challenge authority in the right circumstances, especially someone who appears as immoral to them. If a person in a position of authority is rude and uncaring, it becomes difficult for the INFP to follow them without needing to often challenge their sense of power. For the INFP it is about following their own rules and path, and only listening to people who they can truly trust and rely on as morally sound.

ENFP

ENFPs definitely believe in challenging authority, since they want to follow their own rules and path in life. If someone tries to control the ENFP it often makes them want to challenge this and fight against it. They don’t mind when someone else is in a position of authority, they simply want to be sure they are not taking advantage of this. They don’t like blindly following anything, instead the ENFP believes in analyzing, as well as following their intuition.

INTJ

INTJs don’t mind following someone who is in a position of authority, for them it is about being logical. They will respect authority and rules, if those rules make sense and prove to make society more efficient. INTJs just don’t want to follow anyone who they consider to be foolish or ignorant, and will be willing to challenge them if this is the case. INTJs want to be sure they are being wise before challenging authority, and make these decisions after a lot of consideration.

ENTJ

ENTJs often prefer to be the person in the authority position, since they aren’t fans of having to follow others. They are natural leaders who want to be the ones setting the rules and making the decisions. They are willing to follow the rules and go with what the person in authority suggests, but only if it is the smart and efficient choice. ENTJs are not afraid of challenging authority, but they don’t do this for no reason at all.

INTP

INTPs do naturally challenge authority, since they don’t like feeling obligated to follow the rules. INTPs often feel it is their duty to challenge authority, in order to figure out if someone is doing things the wrong way. They aren’t rule followers by nature and prefer to go against what is expected of them. For the INTP this is the best way to learn and really uncover the truth in any given situation. They would rather explore the different possibilities, which sometimes makes them want to challenge authority.

ENTP

ENTPs are not rule followers by nature and so they do actually enjoy challenging authority. They believe in going against what people expect in order to really learn and uncover different possible outcomes. ENTPs will certainly challenge authority, especially if they feel like the person in power needs to be challenged a bit. For the ENTP this is about uncovering the truth and learning more about people and situations.

ISTJ

ISTJs don’t like challenging authority most of the time, since they prefer to follow the rules rather than shake things up. This doesn’t mean they will blindly follow someone who is immoral, but they prefer to find people they can respect and follow. ISTJs simply believe in focusing on getting things done, and don’t like to get caught up in challenging authority and breaking the rules which prove to help them be more efficient.

ESTJ

ESTJs aren’t naturally likely to challenge authority, since they prefer to follow the rules. ESTJs want to be seen as a valued member of their community and so they don’t want to shake things up and cause trouble. ESTJs are capable of being in positions of authority themselves, and do generally prefer to be the leader. They are good at filling this role, and so instead of challenging authority they want to work towards becoming one themselves.

ISFJ

ISFJs don’t usually challenge authority, instead they prefer to follow the rules and keep focused on what is important to them. ISFJs care about providing for their loved ones and so they don’t like doing anything which might get in the way of this. For the ISFJ challenging authority seems like a messy thing to do, which could cause them to shake things up in a negative manner. They would much rather follow the rules so that they can work towards a good future for their loved ones.

ESFJ

ESFJs don’t challenge authority for no reason, but this doesn’t mean they don’t do this occasionally. For the ESFJ it depends on what the authority is presenting to them, and if it goes against their beliefs and what they have grown accustomed to. When the ESFJ is raised with certain beliefs they don’t enjoy when authority tries to defy this or make them change their minds, and so in these situations they actually will challenge authority and have a hard time to really following.

ISTP

ISTPs don’t mind challenging authority, and sometimes they do this naturally without even thinking about it. For the ISTP it is best to follow their own path and so they don’t like being told what to do. If they feel inspired to go in a certain direction, it becomes difficult for them to listen to some authority telling them they can’t.

ESTP

ESTPs are more likely to challenge authority when they are younger, but they do this as adults as well. For them it is about going in the right direction and not allowing others to control or force them. If the ESTP feels like the person in authority is foolish and making the wrong choices, then they will be much more likely to challenge them.

ISFP

ISFPs are certainly willing to challenge authority, since they find it hard to follow what other people expect of them. They often dance to the beat of their own drum, making it difficult to simply fall into line. ISFPs will challenge authority, or in some cases completely ignored it and go about living life on their own terms.

ESFP

ESFPs really aren’t afraid of challenging authority and often know how to go about this in the right way. They believe in following their own path in life and don’t like doing what people command of them. If the ESFP wants to explore a different option then they belief in doing this freely without really feeling restrained by others. They are willing to challenge authority when they know it is the right choice for them, and are not afraid of this.

Who among the world leaders would best represent each MBTI type?

I’m not only going to name the World Leaders, but I’ll try include some accolades, achievements, affairs (as in what is going on) or even scandals (not the aforementioned affairs, but the affairs you probably first thought of) they’ve done that best displays their cognitive functions in action.

(World Leaders may or may not include First Ladies, Duchesses, Matriarchs, Influential Royalty. If you want to argue, please don’t, write your own answer. Just enjoy the read.)


ESFJ; Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton — 42nd President of the United States

Apparently, numerous sources claim Bill Clinton himself has verified that he is an ENFP though there is much debate on this topic, and others type him ESFP. (I can’t find any World Leader to be verified ESFJ, hence Clinton is the closest. I have to pick him or else there aren’t any ESFJ leaders to choose from.)

Not really an accolade, but probably one of the most ESFJ-esque things he did was the Lewinsky Scandal [1]in 1998.

One thing Clinton managed to achieve was effective policy (and rather successfully) with Fe-Si (debatable) believing in a strong foundation — and it was his Educational Reform, where he doubled federal investment in education and training. Internet access across schools increased from 35% in 1994 to 95% in 1999 as funding in educational technology had increased by 3000% (30x).


ESTJ; Theresa May — Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2016–2019)

It was her hard Brexit move[2] that she shifted towards that really displayed Te-Si; garnering support from the public and the safest immediate move to secure the Conservative Party in power. She tends to lean towards the safest strategies and most immediate solutions for her cabinet, taking precedence over the long-term effects (or some may say consequences) of this economic path.


ESFP; Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini — Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy (1922–1945)

Like most ESFPs; Mussolini was incredibly charismatic and could read emotion from thin air. His skillsets were more into winning the crowd over than more practical political skills like; managing the economy and army. He leaned a lot on people skills and focused on relations than the country’s management.


ESTP; Donald John Trump — 45th President of the United States

(Please don’t let out an exasperated sigh. I can smell your breath through the computer screen.)

Trump fires from the hip or rather, fires from the Tweet. He speaks incredibly fast (and unfiltered) from the mind which leads to a lot of misfires and mistaken words (that he can’t exactly take back on Live TV). He processes and anticipates the crowd (or his crowd) and mirrors their sentiments, riling up and garnering support incredibly fast. He spouts the first thought that comes to his mind — exactly what he did when he said; “I wanna build a wall.” Unfortunately after being nominated, he was forced to hold onto that upkeep and follow-through to preserve a political facade.


ISFJ; Kate Middleton — Duchess of Cambridge

(I could use Queen Elizabeth II, but Kate better represents ISFJs.)

Kate Middleton actually hasn’t been heard much nor did she say anything truly memorable (because she technically doesn’t even say anything). Most of the coverage on her is mainly putting on an elegant smile or keeping herself reserved — exemplifying the typical ISFJ.


ISTJ; George Washington — 1st President of the United States

What George (from my perspective) is starkly remembered for was his huge stature and distant nature. While people follow him around like paparazzi, he tends to shy away and only kept a few relatively close people and few proteges in his midst. He greatly disliked crowds, from many accounts.


ISFP; Marie Antoinette — Queen of France

She was accused numerous times for being profligate and promiscuous. Aside from ISFP ignorance and stereotypical sexual nature, she was incredibly sympathetic towards France’s enemies (Fi-Se) — which led to more resentment from France’s middle-class at the time.


ISTP; Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel — Field Marshall of Nazi Germany

The most ISTP thing Rommel did was probably of his indifference towards the political agenda of the Nazi Party — fighting for a cause to strengthen Germany through a stronger military and for the welfare of the people. It was his indifference that truly highlighted his Ti-Se and his military theory that was honed and showcased through an extensive use of Ti. He was also supposedly part of Operation Valkyrie/ July 20 plot against Hitler.


ENFJ; Barrack Obama — 44th President of the United States

(Again, Obama being an ENFJ is debatable. Numerous sources speculate he is an ENTP or INTP too.)

He’s always reaching out to the middle-class and in Michelle Obama’s memoirs, was “Incredibly innovative and forthright” in his arguments during his days at Harvard Law School — showcasing a very extensive use of Ni. He’s incredibly good with children and reads the behavior of people frontally, a strong use of Fe.


ENTJ; Gaius Julius Caesar — Emperor of Rome (37–41 A.D.)

(Yes I know, not exactly a photo of him. As if cameras existed back then.)

It was his great reformation of the Roman Empire and reconstruction of the Senate that solidified Rome as we know it today. His great influence preceded him and his ambitious attempt to conquer the world brought about attention and ultimately, his assassination.

His quote “Veni, vidi, vici.” (I came, I saw, I conquered) greatly exemplified Te-Ni in a very concise fashion.


ENFP; Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz — 16th Prime Minister of Cuba

He fought against oppression and was incredibly loved by the people of Cuba. He’s basically as big as an ENFP gets — not too much explanation needed here.


ENTP; Theodore Roosevelt Jr. — 26th President of the United States

Though he called himself a progressive, Teddy is viewed to be more Democratic with his policies and reform — which modern ENTPs tend to lean towards. He called forth many supporting statements towards liberal views and consistently questioned (without full-blown criticism) the movement of the United States at the time — showcasing high Ne. What he did criticize was business and large corporations and called forth a curb, and he didn’t stop pushing for heightening wage and minimizing working hours. A very modern president for his time.


INFJ; Adolf Hitler — Führer of Nazi Germany

(Heh. I bet you were expecting a good guy. I wanted to choose Vladimir Lenin but Hitler was too influential to pass.)

A very powerful, charismatic speaker, with a very vast intellect and incredible foresight. He could read, decipher and extract hidden slivers of information from thin air. His frequent Ni-Ti loop was showcased during his years of countering insurgencies and executed various members in both the Parliament and the German Army. Contrary to popular belief; Hitler never executed subordinates even to the extent of insubordination. Instead, he had fiery debates and was open-minded to listen and counteract arguments.

Hitler is a true showcase of an INFJ gone astray — and how Ni dominants can pose a major threat to anybody’s safety.


INTJ; Thomas Woodrow Wilson — 28th President of the United States

(And I bet you were expecting a bad guy — since the typical INTJ is thought to be evil. There are many good INTJ examples out there, but Wilson’s predictions were uncanny which made me choose him.)

Woodrow Wilson’s prediction of the resentment of Germany was shockingly accurate — his Ni predicted exactly how far-fetched and dangerous it was to set off a hard penalty against Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, and spoke up against the wishes of Georges Clemenceau (PM of France with anti-Germany sentiments) and David Lloyd George (PM of the UK, indicated interest in a firm hand against Germany) anticipating potentially extreme punishment and fought for a just compensation. It was his ultimate withdrawal from the League of Nations and settled for an Isolationist Policy for America that he did in order to avoid conflict and the eruption of a potential (and anticipated) World-War II.


INFP; Diana Frances Spencer — Princess of Wales (1981–1997)

Diana had a bad premonition before she went down the aisle and predicted a bad marriage with her Fi — her astute judgement eventually snared Prince Charles and they soon found themselves in a terrible mismatch but until then, it had already been too late. She could see through this and discovered that Prince Charles had fallen in love with another woman. Her in-depth understanding of the human heart is a strong combination of Fi-Ne.


INTP; Abraham Lincoln — 16th President of the United States

Perhaps one of his most obvious feats of his personality was his self-subjectivity to life-long learning. Though he was self-taught, he was incredibly self-motivated with his formal schooling totaling to less than 12-months. He was an avid reader and retained a vast amount of knowledge. Though he didn’t display much of his intelligence at his seat in the White House, a lot of his thirst for knowledge had been shown whenever he was alone. Many people who knew him all recounted of his numerous amounts of re-reading.


Though I may be wrong about many of the above MB types of these examples, it had been numerously stated that they were mentioned as these types I’ve listed them as. Then again, these types are all subjected to debate.

Footnotes

I’m not only going to name the World Leaders, but I’ll try include some accolades, achievements, affairs (as in what is going on) or even scandals (not the aforementioned affairs, but the affairs you probably first thought of) they’ve done that best displays their cognitive functions in action.

(World Leaders may or may not include First Ladies, Duchesses, Matriarchs, Influential Royalty. If you want to argue, please don’t, write your own answer. Just enjoy the read.)


ESFJ; Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton — 42nd President of the United States

Apparently, numerous sources claim Bill Clinton himself has verified that he is an ENFP though there is much debate on this topic, and others type him ESFP. (I can’t find any World Leader to be verified ESFJ, hence Clinton is the closest. I have to pick him or else there aren’t any ESFJ leaders to choose from.)

Not really an accolade, but probably one of the most ESFJ-esque things he did was the Lewinsky Scandal [1]in 1998.

One thing Clinton managed to achieve was effective policy (and rather successfully) with Fe-Si (debatable) believing in a strong foundation — and it was his Educational Reform, where he doubled federal investment in education and training. Internet access across schools increased from 35% in 1994 to 95% in 1999 as funding in educational technology had increased by 3000% (30x).


ESTJ; Theresa May — Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2016–2019)

It was her hard Brexit move[2] that she shifted towards that really displayed Te-Si; garnering support from the public and the safest immediate move to secure the Conservative Party in power. She tends to lean towards the safest strategies and most immediate solutions for her cabinet, taking precedence over the long-term effects (or some may say consequences) of this economic path.


ESFP; Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini — Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy (1922–1945)

Like most ESFPs; Mussolini was incredibly charismatic and could read emotion from thin air. His skillsets were more into winning the crowd over than more practical political skills like; managing the economy and army. He leaned a lot on people skills and focused on relations than the country’s management.


ESTP; Donald John Trump — 45th President of the United States

(Please don’t let out an exasperated sigh. I can smell your breath through the computer screen.)

Trump fires from the hip or rather, fires from the Tweet. He speaks incredibly fast (and unfiltered) from the mind which leads to a lot of misfires and mistaken words (that he can’t exactly take back on Live TV). He processes and anticipates the crowd (or his crowd) and mirrors their sentiments, riling up and garnering support incredibly fast. He spouts the first thought that comes to his mind — exactly what he did when he said; “I wanna build a wall.” Unfortunately after being nominated, he was forced to hold onto that upkeep and follow-through to preserve a political facade.


ISFJ; Kate Middleton — Duchess of Cambridge

(I could use Queen Elizabeth II, but Kate better represents ISFJs.)

Kate Middleton actually hasn’t been heard much nor did she say anything truly memorable (because she technically doesn’t even say anything). Most of the coverage on her is mainly putting on an elegant smile or keeping herself reserved — exemplifying the typical ISFJ.


ISTJ; George Washington — 1st President of the United States

What George (from my perspective) is starkly remembered for was his huge stature and distant nature. While people follow him around like paparazzi, he tends to shy away and only kept a few relatively close people and few proteges in his midst. He greatly disliked crowds, from many accounts.


ISFP; Marie Antoinette — Queen of France

She was accused numerous times for being profligate and promiscuous. Aside from ISFP ignorance and stereotypical sexual nature, she was incredibly sympathetic towards France’s enemies (Fi-Se) — which led to more resentment from France’s middle-class at the time.


ISTP; Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel — Field Marshall of Nazi Germany

The most ISTP thing Rommel did was probably of his indifference towards the political agenda of the Nazi Party — fighting for a cause to strengthen Germany through a stronger military and for the welfare of the people. It was his indifference that truly highlighted his Ti-Se and his military theory that was honed and showcased through an extensive use of Ti. He was also supposedly part of Operation Valkyrie/ July 20 plot against Hitler.


ENFJ; Barrack Obama — 44th President of the United States

(Again, Obama being an ENFJ is debatable. Numerous sources speculate he is an ENTP or INTP too.)

He’s always reaching out to the middle-class and in Michelle Obama’s memoirs, was “Incredibly innovative and forthright” in his arguments during his days at Harvard Law School — showcasing a very extensive use of Ni. He’s incredibly good with children and reads the behavior of people frontally, a strong use of Fe.


ENTJ; Gaius Julius Caesar — Emperor of Rome (37–41 A.D.)

(Yes I know, not exactly a photo of him. As if cameras existed back then.)

It was his great reformation of the Roman Empire and reconstruction of the Senate that solidified Rome as we know it today. His great influence preceded him and his ambitious attempt to conquer the world brought about attention and ultimately, his assassination.

His quote “Veni, vidi, vici.” (I came, I saw, I conquered) greatly exemplified Te-Ni in a very concise fashion.


ENFP; Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz — 16th Prime Minister of Cuba

He fought against oppression and was incredibly loved by the people of Cuba. He’s basically as big as an ENFP gets — not too much explanation needed here.


ENTP; Theodore Roosevelt Jr. — 26th President of the United States

Though he called himself a progressive, Teddy is viewed to be more Democratic with his policies and reform — which modern ENTPs tend to lean towards. He called forth many supporting statements towards liberal views and consistently questioned (without full-blown criticism) the movement of the United States at the time — showcasing high Ne. What he did criticize was business and large corporations and called forth a curb, and he didn’t stop pushing for heightening wage and minimizing working hours. A very modern president for his time.


INFJ; Adolf Hitler — Führer of Nazi Germany

(Heh. I bet you were expecting a good guy. I wanted to choose Vladimir Lenin but Hitler was too influential to pass.)

A very powerful, charismatic speaker, with a very vast intellect and incredible foresight. He could read, decipher and extract hidden slivers of information from thin air. His frequent Ni-Ti loop was showcased during his years of countering insurgencies and executed various members in both the Parliament and the German Army. Contrary to popular belief; Hitler never executed subordinates even to the extent of insubordination. Instead, he had fiery debates and was open-minded to listen and counteract arguments.

Hitler is a true showcase of an INFJ gone astray — and how Ni dominants can pose a major threat to anybody’s safety.


INTJ; Thomas Woodrow Wilson — 28th President of the United States

(And I bet you were expecting a bad guy — since the typical INTJ is thought to be evil. There are many good INTJ examples out there, but Wilson’s predictions were uncanny which made me choose him.)

Woodrow Wilson’s prediction of the resentment of Germany was shockingly accurate — his Ni predicted exactly how far-fetched and dangerous it was to set off a hard penalty against Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, and spoke up against the wishes of Georges Clemenceau (PM of France with anti-Germany sentiments) and David Lloyd George (PM of the UK, indicated interest in a firm hand against Germany) anticipating potentially extreme punishment and fought for a just compensation. It was his ultimate withdrawal from the League of Nations and settled for an Isolationist Policy for America that he did in order to avoid conflict and the eruption of a potential (and anticipated) World-War II.


INFP; Diana Frances Spencer — Princess of Wales (1981–1997)

Diana had a bad premonition before she went down the aisle and predicted a bad marriage with her Fi — her astute judgement eventually snared Prince Charles and they soon found themselves in a terrible mismatch but until then, it had already been too late. She could see through this and discovered that Prince Charles had fallen in love with another woman. Her in-depth understanding of the human heart is a strong combination of Fi-Ne.


INTP; Abraham Lincoln — 16th President of the United States

Perhaps one of his most obvious feats of his personality was his self-subjectivity to life-long learning. Though he was self-taught, he was incredibly self-motivated with his formal schooling totaling to less than 12-months. He was an avid reader and retained a vast amount of knowledge. Though he didn’t display much of his intelligence at his seat in the White House, a lot of his thirst for knowledge had been shown whenever he was alone. Many people who knew him all recounted of his numerous amounts of re-reading.


Though I may be wrong about many of the above MB types of these examples, it had been numerously stated that they were mentioned as these types I’ve listed them as. Then again, these types are all subjected to debate.

Footnotes