How to Use Personality Types to Shape Your Characters

Introduction

If you’re struggling to make your characters feel distinct from one another, one technique that can help is using personality types. Whether you use a system like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Enneagram, or even astrological signs, personality types can give you a framework for building well-rounded characters with consistent behaviours, desires, and fears. In this post, I’ll explore how to use personality types to create characters that stand out from the crowd.

Step 1: Choose a Personality Framework

First, decide which personality framework you want to use. The MBTI divides people into 16 distinct personality types based on four dichotomies (introversion vs. extraversion, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs. perceiving). The Enneagram identifies nine personality types, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and growth paths. Choose the system that resonates most with you and fits the needs of your story.

Step 2: Match Personality Types to Your Characters’ Roles

Once you’ve chosen a framework, start matching personality types to your characters. For example, if your protagonist is an idealistic dreamer, they might fall under the “INFP” type in the MBTI, or be a Type 4 in the Enneagram. This doesn’t mean you should force your characters into rigid boxes, but rather use the personality types as a guide for understanding their core motivations and behaviours.

Step 3: Use the Types to Guide Character Interactions

Personality types can also help you craft compelling interactions between characters. A character who’s an “ESTJ” (decisive, assertive, logical) will clash with a character who’s an “INFP” (sensitive, introspective, idealistic). These natural tensions make for great conflict and character dynamics.

Step 4: Show How Their Personality Changes Over Time

Remember, people change, and so should your characters. Over the course of the story, your character’s personality might evolve, especially as they face challenges that force them out of their comfort zone. Use the personality framework to guide their arc—how does an “INFP” learn to be more assertive, or how does an “ESTJ” learn to be more empathetic?

Conclusion

Using personality types as a foundation for your characters can help you create distinct, consistent personalities that feel real. By understanding how these types think, act, and interact with others, you’ll build characters that readers will connect with and remember long after the story ends.