Myers-Briggs Personality Types
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Here are the Myers-Briggs Personality Types of my lead characters. I use the Myers Briggs Typology Inventory to help me define my characters, so that they come alive! To discover your own personality type, take the free personality test here.
Hero: Gabriel Renault, aka “Jaguar”
Jaguar is your classic ESTJ. This means he’s extroverted; a sensor, a thinker, and a judger. ESTJs are very aware of their external environment, and Gabe has exceptional eyesight, which is the reason they call him Jaguar.
ESTJs thrive on order and continuity. When they’re not organizing and mobilizing people, they are busy enforcing “the rules,” as dictated by tradition or handed down from a higher authority. This is why Gabe fits so well in the military.
ESTJs like to see things done correctly, according to tradition and procedure. However, they tend to be impatient with those who do not carry out procedures with sufficient attention to detail. All this is especially clear in Gabe’s earlier relationship with Mallory. Being a POW taught him patience; it also gave him an appreciation of the power of relationships and the importance of connecting.
ESTJs are usually neat and orderly at work and at play. Gabe takes great pleasure in taking care of things around the house and keeping them in good running order.
ESJTs seek out like-minded companions in clubs, civic groups, and other organizations. The need for belonging is woven into the fiber of all SJs.
ESTJs are traditionalists, in tune with established, time-honored institutions, which is makes it easy to understand why Gabe sees terrorists as a threat.
ESTJs are outspoken. Gabe is never afraid to stand up for what he believes is right, even in the face of overwhelming odds, as in during his captivity. I love this about Gabe. He doesn’t ever weigh the risk to himself by exposing corruption. ESTJs take the bull by the horns, which is probably why Gabe survived imprisonment and torture so well. You can’t break an ESTJ of what his believes in.
The biggest fault of an ESTJ is that he may not be responsive to points of views and emotions of others. It is evident from Gabe’s past that he was guilty of ignoring Helen and coming down too hard on Mallory. Fortunately he has come away from imprisonment with some valuable new tools-—patience and compassion.
Heroine: Helen Renault
This feisty but sensitive heroine is an ESFJ, a “Provider.” ESFJs are energized by interactions with people, which is why Helen enjoys her job as Athletic Coordinator. They tend to idealize whatever or whomever they “admire”, which is the main reason why Helen fell in love with Gabe in the first place. In her own words, she fell in love “with the idea of him.”
Harmony is very important to this type. Like ESTJ’s (Gabe’s type) ESFJs enjoy and joyfully observe traditions. ESFJs bear strong allegiance to rights of seniority, which makes Helen an ideal mate for Gabe.
ESFJs are the great nurturers of established institutions. Wherever ESFJs go, they promote harmony and harmonious relationships. Social ties matter to the ESFJs, and their conversations often drift to nostalgic recounting of past memories. Helen is notorious for remembering the past–using it as a tool to predict what life will be like now that Gabe is back in her life.
Most importantly, ESFJs are hurt by indifference. They need to feel appreciated, which is what Gabe failed to do before his disappearance. They are easily wounded. And when wounded, their emotions will not be contained. They wear their “hearts on their sleeves.” They need to be needed, loved, and appreciated, which is what Gabe failed to do before, but has since learned.
ESFJs can become melancholy and depressed. They can exhibit a bent toward the pessimistic that can be contagious. We see this in Helen as she wrestles with her predictions of the future and whether Gabe has truly changed or not.
ESFJs tend to be dependent on their mates and may marry to insure that they have a proper place in the social strata. This is the exact reason why Helen married Gabe in the first place-to give Mallory a father and to make herself worthy in her parents’ eyes.
In many ways ESFJs have to struggle to repress their fears that the worst is sure to happen. They have a tendency toward anticipating disasters, which is why Helen fetches Gabe’s gun at the end of the book, and it’s a good thing she does!
Original Title: Unforgettable
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