You read that right. As a writer, I have always found it difficult to develop my characters for my stories, but ever since I got into the craze of MBTI, I saw how useful the personality types are for crafting characters. Each personality type provides me with an abundance of information, which gives the characters I created a lot more depth. I encourage every single writer to have a look at the MBTI personalities. MBTI can be your blueprint, helping you understand how your characters will think, feel, and react in different situations. I will explain why.
First of all, with MBTI your characters will have deeper motivations. It will help you understand their core motivations, and you can exaggerate them. For example, an ESFP mainly cares about living in the moment and looks for excitement and fun, while INTJ is driven by a need for control and knowledge. Therefore, ESFP’s motivation will influence his decisions and actions throughout the story differently than the INTJ. An INTJ might be pursuing world domination through the AI revolution, which is something ESFP would never do. An ESFP might be some formal ballroom host who discovers a secret, which could change the course of the world, from one of the attendees (the INTJ). Knowing what kind of personalities your characters have, makes writing a story a lot easier because you will base the course of the story on the personalities of the characters. It is all tied together.
Secondly, in terms of relations, some MBTI types get better along with certain types than others. Basing characters on MBTI types will immediately give you clues about with whom they will likely have a conflict since certain personalities naturally clash with each other. Think of the ESFP who is more carefree than the more serious INTJ. Also, types that are likely to have good chemistry, such as INFP and ENFJ, can develop romantic feelings throughout the story, because ENFJ and INFP complement each other. This development can be intriguing for the storyline.
Thirdly, it can help with arcs and map out the character’s journey. To give an example: ISTP is a natural lone wolf but due to circumstances, he is forced to work in a team to survive, where he learns to be more of a team player. Another interesting example is to turn the character into a villain based on his MBTI negative traits. Such as turning the charismatic ENFJ into a villain. He starts off as being an absolute human magnet due to his charismatic and social nature, but he ends up being a cult leader because he notices that he is able to influence and manipulate people easily
Fourthly, MBTI can also help with shaping speech patterns, tone, and word choices. An INFP will likely sound differently from an ESTP. She/he will likely be more soft-spoken, indirect, and emotionally expressive. While ESFP will likely be direct, blunt, and action-oriented. ESFP is also more likely to raise his voice than the INFP.
Finally, they all have strengths and weaknesses. It makes writing easier, as it is known where growth and transformation lie. The enigmatic INFJ who is known to be selfless, going through something that forces him/her to be more selfish, makes for a captivating story.
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