This is cracking me up..why on earth did they delete his response in the movie!? hes so offended LOL
UNMUTE THIS
How does the fandom feel about Ianto being an INFJ?
I am INFJ and I fully agree.
I’ve heard other people say ISFJ and I can’t decide. Please state your case.
Okay, sorry for the delay! I wrote this post twice and it somehow got deleted both times so here’s hoping that third times the charm!
So in order to best explain my reasons I’m going to include some quotes from the site I always use for personality type research (https://www.personalitypage.com/html/INFJ.html). All non-Torchwood quotes are from there. I’m also going to draw from the radio drama canon in addition to the TV show’s (I would use the books but I am still reading them).
I believe Ianto is an INFJ because:
– INFJs are orderly.
This is the essence of Ianto and his job. He organizes the archives, keeps everyone on time, and keeps the Hub clean and orderly. Since he is the only one doing this job, he has a certain level of independence which INFJs generally like. With the archives, I imagine he would have to find the best organization system possible and he would need/get to be somewhat creative which is also very characteristic of INFJs. His need for order is also seen in his diary, in which he can put all of his thoughts, observations, feelings, and insights into one place. We don’t get to see his diary much, but from the few glimpses we do have, it appears a tad cluttered. In “Adam” you can see things paper clipped in and bits sticking out. We don’t know for sure since we can’t fully look at it, but if it is a bit unorganized, it would be another trait of an INFJ since INFJs tend to have one bit of disorder in their lives like a messy closet or desk that tends to be what I like to call “organized chaos.” His diary could be, for him, his bit of “organized chaos.” Either way, the diary is something that lets him put all of his thoughts in one place that also allows him to be a bit creative which are both very characteristic traits of an INFJ. INFJs also tend to have a perfectionistic streak, however. This often results in INFJs setting very high expectations for themselves and, speaking from personal experience, these high expectations tend to lead to a deep need for approval from others. We see this most clearly in “Fall to Earth” when we learn that post-Lisa what he really wants is for his friends and teams mates to like and trust him.
-INFJs are intuitive and insightful.
“INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations.” In many moments throughout the show, Ianto offers great insight into the the world around him and his relationships with people such as when he says “The world is always ending” in COE, when he muses on the travelling shows with Jack in “From Out of the Rain,” when he figures out the cab drivers connection with/involvement in the crimes in “In the Shadows,” his conversation with Jack in “To the Last Man,” and his speech about Jack in “Deadline.” He also seems to have intuitive insight into the state of the universe. From “In the Shadows” we learn that he is semi-religious and throughout the shows and radio plays there are often little hints that he tends to muse on things (such as in the examples above), so it is likely that he often thinks about what the true shape of the universe is (among other things) which is a very INFJ characteristic. This intuition can also lead to INFJs being a bit stubborn at times. They trust their instincts and feelings and when they are right, they know it. The best example of this for Ianto is in the episode “Sleeper” when he says “Because I know everything” and “Nobody knows more than I do.”
– INFJs are caring and warm and protective.
Ianto is also a very caring man. He not only cares deeply about his friends but about the people around him such as when he cries for the little boy in “From Out of the Rain” who is the only survivor and when in “Adam” the worst nightmare Adam can create for Ianto is making him believe that he killed innocent people. However, he cares even more about his team mates and friends whom he will do anything to protect. INFJs are sometimes called “the protectors” for this very reason. Ianto shows this trait in how he betrays his friends to save Lisa, how he head-butts a cannibal to help Tosh escapes, how he stun-guns a man in the head to save his friends and alien whale, and how he goes into actual hell (in “In the Shadows”) in order to save Jack. Generally, Ianto is also very warm and friendly. He has a warm, affectionate smile and he mans the tourist partially because he is kind and friendly with the unsuspecting tourists.
– INFJs are complex
“…most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.” All of these traits are also very characteristic of Ianto. He tends to close himself off and only share himself and his past in rare moments when he wishes to. He is also definitely very secretive in how he doesn’t talk about his family and how he hides Lisa. He is also very complex. At times, Ianto is very sure of himself, but he also has a deep need for approval. He is incredibly caring, warm, and affectionate but also isolated, quiet, and secretive. Ianto Jones is like a beautiful puzzle in which the pieces don’t always seem to match up, which it was being an INFJ is sometimes like for me.
It is rather difficult to decide if Ianto is INFJ or ISFJ since the two types are incredibly similar. As I read both descriptions I found that there was more similar about the two than different. I even found myself seeing a lot of ISFJ traits in myself and my own life. I believe that if we were able to have Ianto sit down and take the test, he would be somewhere in the middle of the two (the sight I use gives percentages that one trait is dominant over another – Ianto might even be split 50/50.) But since we can’t know for sure, I still believe that he is an INFJ because of all of his complexities from his secrecy to his kind and loving nature and from his need for approval to the protection of his friends. Ianto Jones is a complex and amazing person and, for me, an INFJ.
We will never be the same again.
But here’s a little secret for you: no one is ever the same thing again after anything. You are never the same twice, and much of your unhappiness comes from trying to pretend that you are. Accept that you are different each day, and do so joyfully, recognizing it for the gift it is. Work within the desires and goals of the person you are currently, until you aren’t that person anymore, and everything changes once again.
“There’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait,” is one of the signature lines of the show, uttered several times by Miranda. I can’t think of any recent book, movie, play or other work that celebrates ambition, hard work and accomplishment as unironically and infectiously as “Hamilton” does. Every time I listen to the cast recording I start making plans and resolutions to accomplish great things. Sometimes I even get working on them. You go spend your money on a Stephen Covey book or a David Allen seminar. I’ll just listen to “Hamilton” again.
‘Hamilton’ Makes Me Want to Be Great (Bloomberg View)
Seriously. Every time I hear “Non-Stop” I feel super guilty because I don’t write like I’m running out of time.