In the third Iron Man film, Tony is suffering from anxiety and insomnia after
saving New York with the Avengers. His focus on reinventing and
maintaining his suits verges on obsession and negatively affects other areas of
his life. His relationship with Pepper Potts becomes strained, and it moves him
to react rashly when the public questions what he will do about a recent
menacing villain, the Mandarine. He openly challenges the Mandarine, and his
home is destroyed. After narrowly escaping, Stark is stranded with nothing but
a damaged prototype suit, so he is forced to use his creativity and innovation
to return home and defeat the Mandarine.
The Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator
(MBTI) is a tool based on Carl Jung’s theory of personality which can be used
to expose the tendencies of the individual toward four basic preferences. According to Myers and Myers (1995), there is a preference
for either extraversion (E) or introversion (I), sensing (S) or intuition (N),
thinking (T) or feeling (F), and judgement (J) or perception (P). Though everyone exhibits qualities of all these preferences at times, individuals
can be identified by their four preferences in types such as ISFJ or ENTP.
Cann and Donderi (1986) said, “People who are Extravert are oriented primarily toward the outer world; thus, they tend to focus their energy on people and objects… Introverts are oriented toward the inner world and tend to focus on concepts, ideas, and internal experiences…”. They also said that sensors are more appealed by facts and reality, while intuitives enjoy abstract thought. Thinkers make decisions using cold hard logic, whereas feelers prefer to apply their emotions and values more when making decisions. Judging types tend to take more pleasure in order and structure, while those who prefer perceiving enjoy spontaneity and flexibility.
Cann and Donderi (1986) said, “People who are Extravert are oriented primarily toward the outer world; thus, they tend to focus their energy on people and objects… Introverts are oriented toward the inner world and tend to focus on concepts, ideas, and internal experiences…”. They also said that sensors are more appealed by facts and reality, while intuitives enjoy abstract thought. Thinkers make decisions using cold hard logic, whereas feelers prefer to apply their emotions and values more when making decisions. Judging types tend to take more pleasure in order and structure, while those who prefer perceiving enjoy spontaneity and flexibility.
The first and last letters in a type relate to how
one interacts with the world, and the two middle letters are called the
cognitive functions. This is where the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator gains more ground. The cognitive functions can each be
extraverted or introverted, meaning they are projected either in the outer or
inner world. Each type has a dominant
function, and an auxiliary function which supports it. Everyone uses all the
functions at one point or another, but each type uses the functions to varying
degrees. The importance decreases when one looks at the tertiary function,
fourth function, and so on.
Tony Stark displays many characteristics which
suggest that he is an ENTP. He prefers extraversion over introversion,
intuition over sensing, thinking over feeling, and perception over judgement.
His dominant function is extraverted intuition, his auxiliary is introverted
thinking, his tertiary is extraverted feeling and his fourth is introverted
sensing.
Extraversion
Sharp (1987) describes the essence of
extraversion when he says, “One’s whole consciousness is oriented outward,
because that is where the essential and decisive determinants come from.
Interest and attention are focused on objective events, on things and on other
people, usually those in the immediate environment”. This is very
apparent in Stark’s life. In the first seen of Iron Man 3, he is seen at a party in Switzerland, and he enjoys
meeting and seeing new people and being in a large crowd. He likes to be the
center of everyone’s attention, and he shows this by acting very flamboyant and
grandiose. 
His computer system, Jarvis, provides him with an outlet for his extraversion. It gives him someone to think out loud to when he is alone, which serves to transfer his thoughts into the outer world for better processing. Stark enjoys being active and moving around, rather than simply sitting and thinking. Because Jarvis’ control system is based around physically moving digital objects, this allows Stark to move around while thinking. He also feels very satisfied when he is testing his suit prototypes, because he is not only engaging his intellect, but also being active.
Sharp (1987) also states that the extravert can easily be “sucked into objects and completely lose himself in them”. This is apparent in Stark’s obsession with reworking his suits. His life revolves around them, and in his intense focus, he cannot even sleep. His thought processes and reflection are targeted toward the outside world and its conditions and circumstances.
Perception
Perceivers, like Stark, tend to
thrive on spontaneity, and enjoy leaving options open and seeing what happens. He does not place great importance on the making
and keeping of plans. He simply acts and responds to situations in his
environment. He is very receptive to new situations, and does not feel the need
to rely on great foreknowledge and planning. He is flexible, which gives him an
advantage when engaging in combat. He is able to perceive the situation and
react with ease, reworking his strategy if the need arises. These are all signs
of a preference for perception over judgement.
Extraverted
Intuition
Though Stark is very aware and
enthusiastic about events and objects in his immediate environment, the main
focus is on his intellectual capacity, implying that he prefers extraverted
intuition. Extraverted intuition involves seeing and analyzing possibilities in
the outer world, as opposed to within oneself. His creativity and innovation, rather than physical strength, are his
superpowers. It is likely that he has many ideas and scenarios running through
his mind in combat situations, because he is quickly able to change strategy
depending on the actions of his opponent. This is also shown in the fact that
he is able to think of witty quips, which are often rude, very rapidly.
According to Cann and Donderi (1986), “Intuitive-type learners assess information by its
possibilities, focusing on the big picture and searching for connections,
patterns, relationships, and insightful meaning”. Stark’s preference
for intuition is shown when he is researching and trying to piece together the
facts behind the Mandarine’s bombings, and the bombing his friend witnessed. He
is quickly able to see many angles, and he looks for the big picture. He asks
Jarvis to show him a map of recent bombings, and he sorts through them quickly,
looking for patterns. Stark is very innovative, and takes great pleasure in
inventing and reinventing his suits.
Carlson and Williams (1984) stated that intuitive people are more likely to embrace new possibilities, whereas sensors are more comfortable staying within tradition and the existing standards. Stark is more interested in breaking out of social norms than maintaining tradition. He is resistant of authority as well, and does not like to be told what to do. Also, individuals with a sensing preference are more likely to be “practical and matter-of-fact", and Stark’s focus is not on being practical. An example of this is when he buys his girlfriend, Pepper, an enormous stuffed animal. It was not a practical gift by any means. She was not quite sure what to do with it.
According to Cann and Donderi (1986), “Intuitive-type learners assess information by its
Carlson and Williams (1984) stated that intuitive people are more likely to embrace new possibilities, whereas sensors are more comfortable staying within tradition and the existing standards. Stark is more interested in breaking out of social norms than maintaining tradition. He is resistant of authority as well, and does not like to be told what to do. Also, individuals with a sensing preference are more likely to be “practical and matter-of-fact", and Stark’s focus is not on being practical. An example of this is when he buys his girlfriend, Pepper, an enormous stuffed animal. It was not a practical gift by any means. She was not quite sure what to do with it.
Stark’s extraversion is not to be confused
with a sensing preference. Though he is very aware of his immediate
surroundings and enjoys being in action and in motion, the experience is
secondary to his intuition. Over all, Stark portrays very intuitive cognitive
patterns.
Introverted
Thinking
Introverted thinking is classified
as seeking consistency and logic within the individual, as opposed to seeking
logic in the outer world through law and regulation (Te). Stark's thinking function is often explained best when paired
with his intuition. Myers and Myers (1995) described the NT personality as “logical
and ingenious and… most successful in solving problems in a field of specific
interest…". There is no doubt that Stark is both logical and ingenious.
His specific field of interest is inventing and engineering, which he focuses
on wholeheartedly and excels at. Sharp (1987) says that extraverts who are
thinkers collect objective information from their immediate environment in order
to create an internal framework of logic. Stark is impersonal in his
observations, and links his objective observations together logically in order
to make his decisions. This contributes substantially to his ability to act
quickly in combat and in debates and conversation, and explains why he has no
issue engaging in heated discussions when he challenges the status quo.
Stark’s
Weaker Functions
Every individual uses each cognitive
function throughout their life, though some are naturally stronger than others.
If Stark’s stronger functions are extraverted intuition and introverted
thinking, then his weaker functions are extraverted feeling and introverted
sensing. These do not appear normally in his personality type of ENTP, because they are
less often used, and he does not use them as well.
The third, or tertiary, function
tends to be developed later in life. Extraverted
feeling involves striving for harmony in the outer world, in accordance with
“interpersonal and cultural values”. This
does not
come naturally to Stark, but he understands people enough to know how
to act in order to emotionally move them. Despite his rebellion and self-centeredness,
he is charming. People want to follow him because he presents a calm and
collected confidence. His struggle with his feeling
function is apparent during
his panic attacks. They are made worse because he is so unnerved by them. They
are not logical, so why are they happening? He has trouble navigating his
emotions.
Introverted sensing is Stark’s
fourth function, so it is very weak. Introverted sensing involves looking to
the past and comparing it with current sensory experience. Sensory data is
stored for later use. Stark does not have much
respect for tradition and social order, as someone preferring sensing would.
Besides the panic attacks he has upon recollection of New York, this appears when he looks back on memories of his
father. Those memories strongly affect the way he perceives and lives his life.
Conclusion
It is apparent that Tony Stark is an
ENTP on the Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator. He is extraverted and perceptive
in the way he interacts with the world, and intuitive and thinking in the way
he processes his experiences.
Works Cited
Black,
S. (Director). (2013). Iron man 3 [Motion Picture]. United States: Marvel
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D. R., & Donderi, D. C. (1986). Jungian personality typology and the recall
of everyday
and archetypal dreams. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 1021-1030.
doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.50.5.1021
Carlson,
R., & Williams, J. (1984). Studies of Jungian typology: III Personality and
marriage.
Favreau,
J. (Director). (2008). Iron Man [Motion Picture]. United States: Marvel
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Myers,
I. B., & Myers, P. B. (1995). Gifts differing: Understanding personality
type. Palo Alto,
C.A.: Davies-Black Publishing.
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D. (1987). Personality types: Jung's model of typology. Toronto, Canada: Inner
City
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eight function attitudes. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-
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tertiary function. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-
type/understanding-mbti-type-dynamics/the-tertiary-function.htm
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dynamics. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-
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