5. Thomas Jefferson – INTP or INTJ
There are some sites which claim Jefferson possessed an INTP (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving) MBTI. Others assign him to the INTJ (J meaning Judging) and others INFJ (F refers to Feeling). There are several other types ascribed to Jefferson and in truth, an argument could be made for all sixteen. The man was a mass of contradictions. A polymath largely self-educated (outside of classics and law), he advocated for public education throughout his life. He built regal estates for himself, though as President he was known to greet official guests in a dressing gown and slippers. He detested most preachers and priests, though he wrote his own version of the New Testament. Jefferson championed individual rights and liberties while enslaving hundreds.
He denounced slavery in his writings, and in the Declaration of Independence, he blamed the institution on the King of England. That document indicates another aspect of his personality often overlooked, or rather its editing does. Jefferson winced at every alteration of his work, indicating he strongly sought approval from his colleagues. Such desire for approval is indicative of an Extravert, rather than an Introvert. He was a scientist, musician, inventor, politician, farmer, botanist, collector of fine wines, connoisseur, avid horseman, and loved leisure activities. Yet he scheduled his day rigidly and recorded his activities in several record books. In his farm books, he recorded the first blossoms of plants in the spring, a strict adherence to detail. If any one person disproves the categorization described by Myers-Briggs, it would be Thomas Jefferson.
