Introduction
In the seventh installment of our US presidents series, we come to James Earl ('Jimmy') Carter, who we will type using the Rod Novichkov method of visual identification.
I type Carter as an ENFP, and make arguments for this below. Many readers who are familiar with Carter will say 'of course' when finding out that he is an ENFP. This personality type belongs to the class of types that Keirsey calls 'Idealist' (NF types, that is, ENFP, INFP, ENFJ, INFJ) and is able to connect and form a rapport with people from all walks of life. The ENFP shows a chameleon-like ability to take on the colours of the environment around him. Carter demonstrated this in his 1976 campaign for the presidency (in which he portrayed himself as a 'man of the people' and 'all things to all men') and also in his post-presidency career as a diplomat and negotiator.
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 Carter to be a Perceiver, not a Judger:
Feeler or Thinker, F or T?
Let's compare two middle-aged American politicians: 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.
Carter 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 (compared 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:
Like Nixon, Carter looks unusually awkward and gangly.
This comes across especially in photos of him sitting:
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:
I think Carter's gaze is 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. That describes Carter to a tee. In addition, he is always smiling and looks comfortable before a camera.
Conclusion: Carter is an ENFP
Putting it all together, we have Perceiver + Feeler + Intuitive + Extravert, or j + F + N + E, which gives us ENFP in MBTI and ENFp in Socionics.
Mark Hootsen, signing off.
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