Me & Mr. Darcy

I confess, I usually detest anything particularly popular, but Pride & Prejudice has long been a favorite of mine.  So, imagine my surprise and delight when I found that Mr. Darcy and I share something in common - our personality profile.

Hmmm, on second thought, nobody liked Mr. Darcy at the beginning of the story, he was completely misunderstood.  Haha, that explains so much about my life... and so does the personality description below that I kluged from several online sites.  I think it's frighteningly accurate of me...

So, read on all about me & Mr. Darcy:

Myers-Briggs personality: INTJ - Introversion, Intuition, Thinking, Judgment

The Mastermind or Strategist

INTJs are one of the rarest of the sixteen personality types.  

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive.  INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know. 

INTJ strategists are private, independent and self-confident. They are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest.  INTJs possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. They are gifted strategists with analytical, conceptual and objective minds. They are flexible and like to formulate contingency plans. They analyze and strategize before they act. INTJs are able to see the reasons behind things. 

INTJs are thinkers that make decisions with their head.  In their work they are organized and structured.  They are objective and logical. They can be counted upon. They set high standards for themselves and believe they can achieve them.  Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this.  Coworkers find them private and hard to get to know. Others may perceive INTJs as aloof or annoyed when in reality they are serious and intense.  They are critical, impersonal and thick-skinned. They seek closure and enjoy completing tasks.

INTJs love to learn. They often excel in school and achieve all their goals. They are driven and self-disciplined. They thrive with the most theoretical and complex subjects. INTJs are in a constant quest for self-improvement, growth and self-competency. They are usually voracious readers.

They are most comfortable working alone and tend to be less sociable than other types.  They typically have fewer friends and prefer small groups. They are private, quiet and deliberate. INTJs are intuitive people that are always thinking and analyzing. INTJs are very deep and abstract. They are complex on the inside and see endless possibilities.

INTJs are strong individualists who seek novel ways of looking at things. They enjoy coming to new understandings. They tend to be insightful and mentally quick; however, this mental quickness may not always be outwardly apparent to others since they keep a great deal to themselves. They are very determined people who trust their vision of the possibilities, regardless of what others think. 

INTJs may be considered the most independent of all of the sixteen personality types. 

Social interaction is often the INTJ's greatest challenge since it requires setting aside their strategic thinking.  Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel.  Many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation. Since INTJs enjoy deep conversations, more shallow forms of social interaction are often seen as a waste of time. They want their relationships to serve a good purpose. 

INTJs are not affectionate unless they feel very safe. They do not always know how they affect others and can appear insensitive.  To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand.

Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete' - the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness from a romantic relationship.  Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship.  INTJs honor commitments.  Those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.

Some Famous INTJ People

• Thomas Jefferson - American President
• Augustus Caesar - Roman Emperor
• Sir Isaac Newton - Astronomer
• Jane Austen - Author (Pride and Prejudice)
• Angela Lansbury - Actress (Murder, She Wrote)
• C. S. Lewis - Apologist, Author

Some Fictional INTJ Characters

• Mr. Darcy - Pride and Prejudice
• Gandalf - Lord of The Rings
• Mr. Miyagi - The Karate Kid
• Professor Moriarty - Sherlock Holmes

So after all that info, my conclusion, ie - Notes to self:

~Being a perfectionist is part of my personality.

~I have a rare combination of imagination and reliability - (hmm, art major working in finance?).

~I am a voracious reader, and addicted to learning and the written word.

~I'm extremely private and most comfortable working alone.

~I am less sociable and the most independent of all the sixteen personality types!

~Romantic relationships are my Achilles heel! Lol. Now I know what to say to the people who ask why I'm still not married.  I absolutely detest small talk, I do not flirt, and I'm forever complaining that people don't make sense!?!

~I'm not affectionate unless I feel very safe, and can appear insensitive. 

~I am not often what I am perceived to be by others.

Oh well, by the end of Pride & Prejudice - who doesn't finally love poor misunderstood Mr. Darcy?  Under all the misjudgements, he's golden.  So to ditch the single world, I just need to find my Elizabeth . . . except that I have no intention of proposing to him!  Haha, as Mr. Bennett says, "it seems an hopeless business."  

Besides, if I got to pick my Jane Austen hero for a husband.  I'd definitely choose Mr. Knightly from Emma.  I'm not the slightest bit like Emma (so I'm probably doomed to disappointment), but what I love about Mr Knightly is that he absolutely adores Emma in all her flaws, but still bluntly points out areas for improvement.  I know, I know, that would drive lots of girls batty.  But I'm quite well aware of my weaknesses, and I would hate to be seen as perfect (even though I usually expect it of myself), and nothing could be more romantic to me than a man who was aware of all my flaws and loved me in spite of them.

Sigh.

Oh well, good thing I love living alone and I don't intend to change my status until a man comes along whose company I enjoy more than my own! Or, as Elizabeth says to Jane in Pride & Prejudice, "I am determined that only the deepest love will induce me into matrimony. So... I shall end an old maid, and teach your ten children to embroider cushions and play their instruments very ill."  So sweet nieces of mine, hear that?  I've already let both of you plunk on the piano, but as soon as you are old enough that I trust you with a needle - embroidery it is! ;o)

To give credit where credit is due, I condensed the profile info above from these online sites:

http://www.mypersonality.info/personality-types/intj/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ

http://www.typelogic.com/intj.html

https://www.personalitymax.com/personality-types/intj-strategist