US Presidents Celebrity MBTI: Richard Nixon - ENFJ

So far we have typed Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson using the Rod Novichkov method. Nixon differs from the previous five presidents in that he is an Intuitive: the others were Sensors.

For a complete exposition of the Novichkov method, see here.

Judger or Perceiver, j or p? 

Let's look at the diagrams of the Judging ('Conceiving', as Novichkov calls them) and Perceiving types, from left and right sides of the head:

Profile shots reveal Nixon to be a Judger, not a Perceiver:

Feeler or Thinker, F or T? 

Let's compare two middle-aged American politicians, one Lindsey Graham, who Novichkov would type as a Feeler, and Donald Rumsfeld, who he would type as a Thinker:

Novichkov lists these as the attributes of the Feeling, as opposed to the Thinking, type:

1. Small and rounded forehead, less expressive when compared to the lower face;
2. Flat, unpronounced, smoothed superciliary arches (bones behind the eyebrows);
3. Rounded bridge of nose dip;
4. Shallow eye sockets;
5. Rounded, pug-shaped nose;
6. Wide lower face, more expressive than the forehead.

Nixon looks more like Graham than Rumsfeld:

Sensor or Intuitive, S or N? 

Intuitives tend to be gangly, skinny, thin-lipped, and their fingers are knuckled and somewhat unsightly. They sit in awkward, unconventional and uncomfortable-looking (to a Sensor) positions, and tend to sprawl everywhere.

Sensors, on the other hand, tend to be thick, stocky, full-lipped and inclined to put on weight, and their fingers are smooth and square shaped. They sit in a stiff, conventional and (to an Intuitive) rigid fashion. They do not sprawl, preferring to confine themselves to a small personal space.

Here's a compare and contrast photo of an Intuitive and a Sensor: gangly, skinny, long and knuckled fingered John Kerry, and stocky, square-fingered and square-handed John McCain.

Kerry flops and lolls in his chair, while McCain seems somewhat more stiff and centrally placed. Kerry is more typical of an Intuitive, according to Novichkov, McCain, a Sensor.

This picture of a stiff and stocky Mitt Romney, a Sensor, with a sprawling and gangly Paul Ryan, an Intuitive, gives us another side-by-side example:

I use this picture of Jarvis Cocker to convey the floppiness, gangliness and awkwardness of the Intuitive:

Nixon was renowned for being unusually awkward and gangly. This comes across in photos of him:

Introverted or Extraverted Intuitive, Ni or Ne? 

The gaze of the Extraverted Intuitive tends to be restless and manic. Because it bores right through you, some find it confrontational and disturbing. Below we have two celebrities who Novichkov types as INFPs. These are Extraverted Intuitives:

In contrast, the gaze of the Introverted Intuitive seems softer and gentle. Novichkov characterises it as 'absent', even 'sightless'. I think of it as otherworldly; the Introverted Intuitive seems to be not on this planet. When making eye contact with you, the Introverted Intuitive does see you, but seems to be looking from a long distance away - a very long distance.

The below two celebrities Novichkov types as INTJ and INFJ respectively. Both of these are Introverted Intuitive dominant:

I think Nixon's gaze is Introverted, not Extraverted, Intuitive:

Extravert or Introvert, E or I? 

The energy of the Extravert is directed towards his outer environment; he seems absorbed by it and completely immersed in his surroundings, as opposed to the Introvert, who is withdrawn from them. The Extravert's face displays a certain amount of tension and tautness, and often appears to be more tired - and weather beaten - than that of the Introvert.

Nixon is often described in his biographies as a brooding, solitary type, who could be rather shy around others - these are introverted behavioural traits. But, according to Novichkov's understanding, Nixon's demeanour bears all the marks of extraversion. He seems extremely comfortable when in front of a camera, in contrast to the sheepish Eisenhower.

Conclusion: Nixon is an ENFJ

Putting it all together, we have Judger + Feeler + Intuitive + Extravert, or j + F + N + E, which gives us ENFJ in MBTI or ENFj in Socionics.

Even if we did not have Novichkov's method, we would have some justification for typing Nixon as an ENFJ. For those who are familiar with Nixon's life, we can see that Nixon is perhaps the archetypal ENFJ. We find the ENFJ's dramatic and theatrical personality traits, the ENFJ's sensitivity to slight and inclination to vindictiveness when crossed, the ENFJ's gift for oratory, the ENFJ's leadership ability, the ENFJ's frightening, almost cult-like grip on followers, the ENFJ's tendency to be caught up in his imaginings and be somewhat liberal with the truth... Nixon displayed all this in spades.

The combination of a dominant Fe and a secondary Ni gives the ENFJ the qualities which can make him a good leader and speaker, preacher or politician. The type with dominant Extraverted Feeling has the ability to gather up individuals and form them into an audience or community, and Introverted Intuition in the secondary position allows him to draw them into his inner world, a world of visions of the future and understandings of the absolute essences of things. Through his rhetoric and actions, he takes his audience on a journey through space and time, lifting them out of the here and now.

The story behind Nixon's 'Checkers' speech, which you can read about in the biographies, gives us an example of the ENFJ Fe and Ni combination at work.

Mark Hootsen, signing off.