Hillary Clinton: Misunderstood INTJ

Hillary Clinton is an introvert. I'm quite sure about this. My best guess is that, in Myers-Briggs terms, she is an INTJ (details below). This explains a lot about how the world regards her and why the press seems to find her so problematic.

Let me start backwards. In yesterday's New York Times, a lengthy article about Hillary Clinton's political persona ends by comparing Hillary and Bill at the eulogy of one of Hillary's best friends, Diane Blair. Hillary gave a great eulogy, but apparently it wasn't tearful enough. "It was left to Bill Clinton to bring the service to its emotional peak," the article concludes. "When he spoke of Mrs. Blair, Mr. Clinton wept. 'I felt about her as I have rarely felt about anyone,' he said. His wife, Diane Blair's best friend, held steady in the front row.'"

Presumably, what writer Mark Leibovich would like us to conclude is: "oooh, yet again Hillary is so cold and emotionally flat. Oooh, what a strange person she is."

What I concluded was, "yeah, big duh, Mark Leibovich. Hillary is an introverted thinker, and Bill is an extraverted feeler, and each was behaving in a style appropriate to his or her type."

According to the theory behind the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), each of us uses four different types of mental processes, each of which has two poles: introversion/extraversion, intuition/sensing, thinking/feeling and perceiving/judging. We have access to all of these functions, but we tend to prefer one of each pair. This theory is unprovable, but in my personal and work experience, it is valid.

Introversion/extraversion refer to where people get their energy. Extraverts get their energy from other people, the external world, and experiences. Introverts get their energy from themselves or their own space. Extraverts are often chatty, social and open; introverts are often quiet, reflective and contained. Introverts open up to their close friends; extraverts open up to everyone. Bill Clinton is clearly an extravert; I think Hillary is an introvert.

Since 75% of the population is extraverted, extraverts are considered normal. By comparison, introverts are considered a little weird ("why can't you just open up?"). (As I've written in The Creative Lawyer, law is an exception: the majority of lawyers are introverts.) Introverts often have to feign extraversion to succeed in the professional world; their natural style is often not valued. Much of the criticism of Hillary Clinton's authenticity is criticism of her introversion. She's basically criticized for being private and for being careful about her words; and then she's criticized for inauthenticity when she tries to act more extraverted and social.

The second Myers-Briggs function is intuition vs. sensing. Intuitives look for concepts, the big picture, and possibilities. Sensing types are more interested in facts, details and concrete reality. Hillary has some strong sensing skills but my guess that she, like Bill, is an intuitive abbreviated as "N").

The third Myers-Briggs function is thinking vs. feelings. Both of these are ways of thinking. Thinkers prefer to make decisions based on impartial, objective principles, whereas feelers prefer to make decisions based on strongly held personal values or the effect on other people. Thinkers tend to think logically; feelers tend to think associatively. Though Hillary talks a lot about her values, I think that she, like the vast majority of lawyers and virtually all the men running for president (with the possible exception of John Edwards), is a thinker. Bill is a feeler.

Around 60% of women are feelers, and around 60% of men are thinkers. This means that both Hillary and Bill are in the minority for their particular gender. This is where the press gets wigged out. The words commonly used to describe presidential presence are all thinker-ish: strong, clear-headed, tough, questioning, blah blah blah. So the press is constantly evaluating whether she's enough of a thinker to be president. At the same time, the press seems discomfited that Hillary is not more girly: they also want her to be compassionate, open, nuanced -- apparently she is supposed to cry at eulogies.

The final Myers-Briggs polarity is judging/perceiving. This refers to attitudes about closure. People with a preference for judging like to be scheduled, organized, and know where they stand; people with a preference for perceiving are more spontaneous and open-ended. Hillary is a J, Bill is a big P.

Conclusion: Hillary Clinton: INTJ. Bill Clinton: ENFP.

What's the point? Since Hillary is in the spotlight, more or less 24/7, people assume that everything she does has some core meaning that has implications for her potential presidency or her character. But sometimes Hillary is just being an introvert, and that's that.

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Comments

[Poised]

What a hoot! I'm a Meyers-Briggs XNTJ --more "E" when I have a job, more "I" when I don't. As a female, I fully understand the problem most people have understanding me. In fact, my motto is "Please don't understand me too quickly," (from Andre Gide as I recall). I'm perceived as unfeeling or "negative," though neither is true in my heart.

But Hillary. My goodness, I've never been a fan. Too calculating by far. LOL. I'm going to give her a second look, Thanks for the insight, Michael.

[slg]

Interesting post. After the extroversion of the last 7+ years we could all use some introversion.

[Carlee]

well you were right about one thing.

hil ain't bill

skip all the psuedo psyco babble and get to the heart of it, read the following

http://joeleonardi.wordpress.com/2007/10/28/how-to-halt-hillary/

[SolarPowerGuy]

Hillary Clinton is NOT an N (intuitive). Intuitives have "the vision thing," a source of endless annoyance to the S (sensing) types, who are "focused on the practical.­" Please note her votes on the Iraq War, and Lieberman-Kyl.

NT personality types, AKA "nerds," are persona non grata in American politics. Hillary is an ISTJ -- and Bill, who you typed correctly, is her perfect opposite.

I discovered the MBTI about twenty years ago, in college. I'm not a believer in psychology as science, it's still too young and imprecise. Still, I read a book called "Please Understand Me" by Keirsey and Bates. I was surprised, the MBTI actually seemed to say something useful about personality.

I am an XNTX. I split the introvert/extrovert and perceiving/judging questions right down the middle.

The MBTI correctly identified my professional interest in science. The book also posited an "opposites attract," Jungian imago, theory of companionship -- EXCEPT for NT personality types, who tend to seek out other NT's. So, NT that I am, I did some science. I surveyed some people I had selected as friends, and several acquaintances. I found that all of my chosen friends -- every one -- were NT.

As I began to think in MBTI terms and surveyed more people, I didn't really need the test any more to start sizing people up. In a few minutes of casual conversation, I would KNOW, before confirming my hunch with the survey, that a person was an N, and whether they were likely also a T.

My point in all this? I can spot an N a mile off. We've had plenty of opportunity to hear Senator Clinton speak and, if she had a VISION for this country, by now I should know. The only dream her words convey to me is, "I want to be President.­" I perceive a desire for power and social status, instead of "the vision thing." That's an S talking.

[Countess]

I am an introvert and believe me her problems have little to do with Introversion but more with her voting record and where she wants to see the country go. Her voting record indicates a clear path to more war and a government of secrecy and more taking away of rights Americans have sacrificed to defend.

[StrategicThinker]

Well, I'm an INTP, and I'm definitely misunderstood.

I have no doubt that Clinton is probably an INTJ, but she's also a corporate lawyer and polarizing, which means a lot more to me.

I support John Edwards, even though I despise the fact that he's such a feeler, because it makes him appear to get too concerned about what voters think about him at times.

[ystasino]

By the way it's extroverted.

[ystasino]

Go Obama, and go INTP. I'm wondering if Barack is ENTP.