MBTI Reading Personalities: The Analysts (NTs)

Sigmund Freud, analyse this (this this this this this)

“Excellent! I cried. “Elementary,” said he.

- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (‘The Adventure of the Crooked Man’)

Analysts are the kinds of people that will know that the above quote is canonically correct, and that Holmes did, in fact, never say ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’. They will also likely know that he smoked a black clay pipe, and not the pleasingly curved meerschaum which always accompanies any recreation of Holmes’s imagined silhouette. They Know Stuff, basically.

If SPs are the scarecrow, frolicking through golden fields without a care, and SJs are the lion, cautious of the world and always hedging against risk, and NFs are Dorothy, constantly spinning through the stratosphere in a whirlwind of endless emotions and dreams, then NTs are the tin man, struggling to bring their minds into contact with the heart beating inside their shiny, shiny chest. A crop of relatively rare types, these deep-thinking braniacs love playing with ideas in a way, and to a degree, that other types cannot quite understand—and are even sometimes fearful of. Due to their ability to see the Big Picture, combined with their willingness to examine everthing with an impressive level of detached rationality, Analysts will always see things that others will miss.

One thing I noticed while researching the Analyst types is that they do tend to be cast as the villains in stories—INTJs and ENTJs in particular—and, while their scarily powerful brains could be used for diabolical deeds, most Analysts genuinely just want to use their gifts for the good of others. Sure, an email from an Analyst is more likely to get straight to the point rather than opening with the gratuitous (and generally arbitrary) ‘hope this finds you well’ and questions about your recent holiday to Tenerife, but don’t judge the book by its digital etiquette. These guys do care, and care deeply, about the things, and the people, that really matter to them.

So, what on earth can the most unserious literary blogger on the planet have the audacity to recommend to these geniuses?? *deeeeeep breath*…

ENTP - The Debater

Who are they?: Ever found yourself deep down a rabbit-hole discussion with a seriously charming smart-aleck who seemed toplay devil’s advocate with you for fun?Yeah, you just met an ENTP—fun, quick-thinking, outside-the-box contrarians who will always challenge received wisdom and status quo, right down to your grandma’s recipe for apple crumble. Nothing is sacred, and nothing is off limits. However, while these cheeky rebels may be frustrating to debate against, they will fight for your right to express your opinions to the death, even (and perhaps most particularly) those they disagree with. You’ve really got to love them for that.

Literary doppelgangers: Odysseus (The Iliad, The Odyssey), Captain Yossarian (Catch-22), Falstaff (Henry IV part 1 & 2, The Merry Wives of Windsor)

I think you’ll like…: Apparently, Franz Kafka received complaints from his neighbours because he laughed so raucously while writing his novels—which is hard for most of us who have actually read said novels to believe, such is the inky black nature of their content (poor, poor Gregor), but I feel like ENTPs will Get It. In one of his most famous works, The Trial, Kafka follows the plight of the unfortunate Joseph K, pulled up by implacable civil servants on undisclosed charges, and left to wait for his fate to descend with no means of argumentation or reply. While the subject matter is actually the worst nightmare of the Debater type, the themes of The Trial, particularly that of the tyranny of Red Tape in modern societies and the importance of open discussion and freedom of speech in any society, will chime with these guys on a deeper level.

Why not try?: The title and subject matter of Muriel Sparks’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie might not sound like the sort of novel that would appeal to Debater—after all, on the surface this novella is just following the Hot Girl Summer of an unconventional junior school teacher with delusions of Fascism and her influence over a group of 10 year old girls—but there’s a reason this weird little tale often sneaks into Top 100 lists on the regular. Witnessing the influence a teacher with unusual and ‘progressive’ ideas can have over her young charges, an influence which has some bizarre outcomes from an affair with an older man to a literal nunnery, can’t help but give the highly charismatic Debater a bit of a wake-up call as to their own outsized influence on those around them.

Special quote:

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).”

- Mark Twain

ENTJ - The Commander

Who are they?: Commanders have a very ‘as the crow flies’ approach to life—as in, they will always take the shortest and most ruthlessly efficient route to their goals, blasting through any and all obstacles in their way. Come across a massive (and probably TPO’d by the council) tree blocking their path? Timber! Say, isn’t that a huge barbed wire fence? Fetch the wire cutters! These types are, shall we say, indomitable—something that is both admirable and, in some cases, utterly terrifying. CEOs, Prime Ministers, and World Leaders abound among this type, plus the occasional pint-sized French warmonger and revolutionary.

Literary doppelgangers: Mr Rochester (Jane Eyre), Cleopatra (Antony and Cleopatra), Milady de Winter (The Three Musketeers)

I think you’ll like…: Chinua Achebe’s (rightly) lauded Things Fall Apart is about what happens when tradition meets progression, and when things that can be measured and quantified meet things of unquantifiable value. Okonkwo, Achebe’s magisterial protagonist, starts out as a warrior king in pre-colonial Nigeria, and ends up a literal untouachable—all as a result of the huge changes wrought by European colonisers and missionaries appearing in the midst of his community. I think that Commanders, with their no-nonsense view of human nature, will be drawn in Achebe’s creation of a truly complex and flawed protagonist, but will be even more intrigued by the moral complexity of the events that unfold. For type who often view ‘progress’ and ‘optimisation’ as the ultimate good, this powerful novel will throw some of those assumptions into question.

Why not try?: Dating must have been doggone tricky for Cleopatra. I mean, it must have been challenging to find a guy who was remotely in her ‘league’—I have a feeling that the burnish’d throne and perfumed sails may have scared off one or two potential boyfriends over the years. So, when Cleo meets Tony, she really didn’t have much of a choice—who else was there knocking about in 30 BC to spend Friday nights with except for this charismatic and impressive (if somewhat gone to seed) warrior guy? I think ENTJs might just relate, which is why I am sure they’ll get a kick out of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. I’m pretty confident that both Cleopatra herself was probably an ENTJ, which is a huge compliment, as she may just be one of Shakespeare’s most supreme creations. Her combination of impressive achievements, intimidating bearing, and daring actions, will resonate with Commanders, who live life at a pace that the rest of us only experience in our most exhausting nightmares. I just hope that the resonance ends with Cleopatra’s personality, and doesn’t extend to all that stuff at the end with all the snakes and swords and stuff.

Special quote:

Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.

- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

INTP - The Logician

Who are they?: I would be willing to bet my life savings (yes, all 157 British Pounds Sterling) that an INTP sits atop the world rankings for Sudoku. Or Wordle. Or those terrifying cryptic crosswords you only ever find in broadsheets and old copies of Readers Digest. For these types, logic is their second language. Actually, in most cases, it’s their first language—being that this type often isn’t exactly Sally Sociable. But don’t be fooled, on closer acquaintance INTPs are one of the most fun types, endlessly playing with ideas and exploring the world with refreshing, sometimes eccentric and highly risk-tolerant, curiosity. Seriously, never a dull moment.

Literary doppelgangers: Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein), Billy Pilgrim (Slaughterhouse Five), Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles)

I think you’ll like…: It’s ALIIIIIIVE (cue thunderbolt and dungeon-come-laboratory and scientist guy with hair sticking up all over the place)! INTP: Mary Shelley’s gothic little number Frankenstein should be numero one on your Must Read list. This is The Novella for anyone with a creative mind and an ability to bring ideas, quite literally, to life through the force of their erudition. Starting off at university with all the characteristic enthusiasm of an undergraduate on the first day of term, Victor Frankenstein’s innocent pursuit of new and innovative ideas lead him to… well, you all know the story, even if just the Itchy and Scratchy version. Just remember, Logician, Frankenstein is a cautionary tale, not some kind of creepy how-to manual.

Why not try?: Above all other types, INTPs just want to chow down on some serious KNAWledge—and what the ruddy heck could be wrong with that? I mean…nothing, really. Except if your SkillShare quest for, say, a fuller understanding of pivot tables wanders into the realm of literal dark magic, then you might have a problem, as Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus darkly demonstrates. Selling your soul for a couple of years’ worth of invisible hijinks round the pope’s house might sound like poops and giggles, but, believe me, when Lucifer pops round to call in your debt, you might have one or two regrets. The thing about old Faustus is that he did start out with pretty good intentions—the accumulation of knowledge, enlightenment, progression—but, unfortunately, the lure of playing pranks on significant religious figures and pulling Helen of Troy was simply too strong to pass up. Whatever you do, my learned Logicians, keep the chain on when Mephastophilis comes a-knocking.

Special quote:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

- T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets

INTJ - The Architect

Who are they?: They walk among us. You’ll know them by their huge brainboxes and simmering, brooding intensity just under the surface, and conversations wherein you haven’t a clue whether they’re joking or serious or what. Thoughtful, original, and inscrutable, INTJs can be a little intimidating to others at times, and are often written into the role of villains in stories and fables—but at their core, they just want to use their big old brains to help everyone out, and to maximise efficiency in ways that make the inventor of the airfryer look like a bumbling amateur. I love this type. I’m biased, because my husband is an Architect, and I happen to think that these guys are some of the most fascinating human beings on earth. I’ve never known anyone with a better plan for loading the dishwasher, for instance—like Tetris, but with real-world application beyond brightly coloured Russian blocks. Cheers Iain, you’re the best xoxo

Literary doppelgangers: Sydney Carton (A Tale of Two Cities), Paul Atreides (Dune), Rodion Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment)

I think you’ll like…: Fyordor Dostoyevsy’s Crime and Punishment is essentially a long thought experiment asking ‘do the ends justify the means?’—a question that I think will both intrigue and challenge my Architect friends in equal measure. After all, the superpower of the Architect is their ability to apply a kind of cool rationality to any problem, which is incredibly useful in many scenarios. However, when Dostoyevsky’s tortured anti-hero (and likely INTJ), Rodion Raskolnikov, gets sick of his studentized life subsisting on Supernoodles and watching his mother and sister fall into poverty, he decides to apply said cool rationality to find a solution to his misfortunes—and ends up not only destroying himself, but many of those around him. In a sort of diabolical application of utilitarianism, Raskolnikov manages to justify literal axe murder under the proviso that his victim really deserved it, and that he really needed their money… but only before the deed is done. In fact, the majority of the novel is a long, tortured inner monologue of Roddy’s swirling, neverending, terrible guilt, and a descent into madness. Man cannot live on rationality alone.

Why not try?: INTJs are so smart, and so I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend something suitably difficult for them to get their analytical teeth into—which means I need to recommend the godfather of what in the heck did all of that mean? Yep, it’s the Darth Vader of confusing Modernist literature: James Joyce. While all the stories in The Dubliners are worth a read, I’d like to recommend ‘The Dead’ specifically, as it’s a story that centres around a man who leads with his head, Gabriel, in his struggle to really live, rather than merely debating action endlessly. Deeply affected by the death of a relative, and his wife’s tale of a lost childhood love, Gabriel has a moment of sweet clarity, thinking:

“Better to pass boldly into that other world than fade and wither dismally with age.”

For INTJs, whose lives are marked by the most profound internal dramas of which the rest of us only see the smallest piece, Gabriel’s reflections about life, and death, and true love will inspire these incredibly able and original types to translate thought into reality. When they do this, it really is quite something to see.

Special quote:

I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses.

- Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra