Thomas Jefferson (INFP)

Fi:

“. . . The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere.”

“There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people.”

“I think one travels more usefully when they travel alone, because they reflect more.”

“On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

Jefferson was known for being both reserved, composed and incredibly quiet in regard to his personal feelings. In group or political settings, he knew when to speak and when to keep his mouth shut. In matters of governments, he tended to remain quiet in public sessions, but was very effective in small committees and meetings. He was sensitive toward the feelings of others, and avoided personal confrontation as best as he was able. This all points toward an introvert with a high feeling function. Additionally, Jefferson wore whatever he wanted regardless of what was in fashion, which suggests Fi rather than Fe.

Jefferson held very strong opinions, which he published with seemingly little hesitation. These opinions ranged from weightier political matters to small things like reading. (For instance, he believed that most fiction was trash, with the exception of certain moral tales, since it resulted in “bloated imagination”, “sickly judgement”, and a “disgust” for life.) His opinions occasionally got him in trouble. For instance, he publicly bashed a work written by his friend, John Adams, which caused turmoil within their friendship. He also jokingly (but not jokingly) called Adams a heretic to his face due to some of his beliefs that Jefferson adamantly disagreed with. Jefferson also believed and declared several times that rebellion was necessary every 20 years at the very least, which falls right in line with an Fi user’s activist spirit.

Jefferson was known for being highly idealistic. Many politicians of the time saw his ideas as naive. For example, when Congress sent Jefferson to France to work with Adams, Adams was warned that Jefferson was too idealistic. As a second example, he draws up a model treaty which Adams describes as a fine idealistic effort, but inappropriate to the realities of European politics. Generally speaking, Jefferson was known for placing a great amount of faith in humanity, believing that people could govern and restrain themselves. He emphasized the uniqueness and exceptionalism of America, which would be something a Fi user would want to focus on. Of course, we know Jefferson as the person who penned the Declaration of Independence, which declares the unalienable rights of men.

Ne:

“Jefferson saw man and his nature through generalities, and formed opinions from philosophical inductions of a more theoretical cast.”

“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”

“Without books, I would certainly die.”

Some of Jefferson’s naivety and idealism can be attributed to his Ne, when it results in a severe enough detachment from reality. For instance, he failed to anticipate or understand the reality of war, and believed that the war in America was being handled far more civily then it was. He ultimately ended up ill-prepared to deal with it, which ended up tarnishing his reputation, since he was the governor of Virginia at the time. Jefferson proved himself to be indecisive and not quick enough to act during that period of time.

Beyond that, Jefferson held a variety of interests, and was fascinated by many things, especially gadgets and architecture. His diversity of interest resulted in him being very well read on many subjects. He was known as someone who was always looking for new ways of doing things, especially within the context of his estate. His estate, Monticello, was incredibly unique for it’s time, and was a combination of whatever architectural features or ideas that Jefferson found to be the best. Within the political realm, some conservatives dismissed him as full of “chimerical… schemes and ideas.” Samuel Knapp, editor of the Boston Gazette during Jefferson’s time, described him as someone who “saw man and his nature through generalities, and formed opinions from philosophical inductions of a more theoretical cast.”

Jefferson had a good grasp on the use of language, and tended to use dramatic illustrations or metaphors within his writing. For instance, he likened the Federalist government to a “reign of witches”, and equates cities with “great sores.” Congress at one point praised his “peculiar felicity of expression.” When writing to a love interest, he composed the letter as a dialogue between the heart and head, and within it indirectly expressed his feelings toward her. He generally struggled with indirectness, which is further supported by his attempted proposal to Rebecca Burwel. Instead of doing a direct proposal, Jefferson went on a “long and rambling diatribe”, according to one of our sources. She misunderstood completely what he was trying to say, and ended up getting engaged to someone else a while later. This lack of straightforwardness was one of the things that indicated Ne rather than Se. As a result of his indirectness and lack of desire for personal conflict, Jefferson’s go-to method of attack tended to be via writing, which can be indicative of Ne. He wrote countless letters and documents, expressing very harsh opinions. He also hired a gifted writer to run an opposition newspaper against Hamilton.

Si:

“The art of life is the art of avoiding pain.”

“Delay is preferable to error.”

“History, in general, only informs us what bad government is.”

Jefferson’s Si is best shown in his record keeping. He kept countless records of everything he had seen on his travels, and countless records on his estate. He did this daily. He kept records of the weather and of his finances. He had individual record keeping books. For instance, there was a legal book, an equity book, a literary book, a case book, a fee book, a garden book. He wrote down passages that he found interesting or important in their relevant book. However, his failure to use all this information well can be indicative of his Si being low, which is consistent with an INFP type.

In spite of his highly detailed financial records, he never added up the numbers and got an overall picture of his financial situation. It, in many ways, was pointless record keeping since it was never utilized properly. He decided to switch to wheat production on his farm, but failed to account for all the necessary factors going into that change. He also designed and invented a new type of plow to save labor, which ended up causing its own set of problems. When Jefferson’s grandson finally took over management in 1815, the yield of wheat was tripled.

Lastly, an example of an Fi-Si loop can be seen when Jefferson failed to govern Virginia properly during the war. He abandoned the office suddenly with little warning at the end of his term, which provoked an inquiry to be made into his actions. He was also suspected of “treason of the heart.” This entire incident humiliates him to an extreme degree. He grew bitter and retreated to his home, full of despair and self-pity. For a while, he refused to accept any other public office or participate in government, claiming that he was not worthy. He also claimed that only death would relieve him of “the wound on his spirit.” He even later refused a position that would have allowed him to essentially combine work and pleasure.

Te:

Jefferson feared any semblance of centralized power, which could suggest inferior Te. He was not interested in positions of power, and tended to only accept them because he felt compelled to for some reason or another. In fact, he specifically did not want his title as “President” to appear among his list of accomplishments on his gravestone. While earlier we attributed Jefferson’s indecision as governor of Virginia during the war to his Ne, it can also be attributed to his inferior Te. Being indecisive and not quick enough to come to a decision can be indicative of a low extraverted judging function.

Jefferson’s underlying critical nature is also a result of his Te. While his avoidance of conflict could be construed as Fe by some, Jefferson gets incredibly opinionated, harsh, and condemning in his correspondence and writings, although it’s worth noting that his attacks tended to not be face to face. He preferred to attack indirectly, through, for instance, publications.

External Sources

• NPS.GOV: Thomas Jefferson
• HISTORY.COM: Thomas Jefferson
• GOODREADS.COM: Thomas Jefferson
• Friends Divided – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson