Zombies Ruin Everything

When you think hardheaded, what type comes to mind? Probably a TJ types. While Fi users can be stubborn (as any type can be, really), it’s the strong Te users that shove everybody else out of the way just so they can see why everyone was standing there in the first place. Thorin is that guy.

While a word like “tradition” gets thrown around a lot with ISTJs, anyone that knows them has to wonder if it’s really all about upholding the past for them or is it really just about them getting their own way. Thorin is that guy.

Described as “haughty and officious,” Thorin seems to have a similar vibe to that of an ISTJ. He doesn’t like people’s bull and he doesn’t really like much of anything else either. ISTJs have a lot going on in their head despite what people will tell you, though they get a reputation for being boring and simpleminded. Still, there’s a reason for this and it mostly has to do with the fact that they really do seem like they have a one-track mind.

Thorin could easily accused of being close minded as well, given that he doesn’t seem to care about anything past his own goals. ISTJs fit this as well, as their lead Si (Introverted Sensing) relates everything to something that they know. So if the ISTJ relates new information to something they know and don’t like, that new information is guilty by association.

So Thorin’s take on elves, and most other races in middle earth aren’t pleasant ones. With so many different people abandoning or ignoring his people in their time of need, no one is safe from his spewing judgement. If he meets you, it’s not with open arms. Nobody carries a grudge like the ISTJ.

Plus, like, who wouldn’t hate this guy?

This is only exacerbated by the ISTJ’s auxiliary function of Te (Extroverted Thinking) that wants to go, do, construct. It’s not generally associated with analysis as Ti is, but making things happen. So if the user has a strong Intuition function, they’re likely to want to build on that creativity. If the user has a strong Sensing function, they’re going to want to pursue (Ta-daa!) practical goals.

So even if their objective is a long shot, they’ll only go after it if it’s a concrete, “real” thing. Thorin’s mission of reclaiming the mountain is an end that helps the dwarves by giving them a home back and their pride. The Arkenstone is the symbol of all that and the reason he especially wants it when his company gets to the mountain, as it’s the symbol he associates with their victory.

And Thorin’s obsession with his own quest puts him at odds with Bilbo; the hapless Hobbit that happens to be set on the same mission, despite his best efforts to be forgotten. To an ISTJ like Thorin, Bilbo is just dead weight and a waste of resources. Bilbo agrees. But it’s Thorin’s ungraceful resolve that has him coming off like such a jerk. ISTJs themselves have the tertiary function (Third place) of Fi (Introverted Feeling), which, when not developed properly over time, can put them at odds with just about everyone that doesn’t agree with them and even many that do.

“Yeah, this place is alright. I guess. You could have cleaned up a bit.” -ISTJ’s first entry into your home.

Fi is like well organized feeling and morals, while Fe (Extroverted Feeling) extends it’s own emotion, if you will, to others, understanding others’ moods and emotions almost intuitively. So you can imagine why Thorin acts the way he does. He has a motive for completing his mission, which will bring honor to his people, past and present. On top of this, he really is dealing with a whole list of obstacles in his way including the fact that nobody seems to want to help him and his brethren.

So when your feelings are placed third out of only four places on your “mental priorities,” and you’ve got reason to hold a bit of a grudge already, you can see why Thorin acts the way he does.

Plus he’s probably got a bit of little man syndrome. I mean, he is living in a world where giants exist.

Suspicion confirmed.

This entry was posted on 12/16/2014 at 4:19 am and is filed under MBTI Guardians, MBTI Stuff with tags istj, mbti in fiction, the hobbit, Thorin Oakenshield. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.