Twilight Saga: Jacob Black (ESFP)

Jacob was probably the most difficult character in Twilight to identify out of the main three. We’re going to lay out a case for Jacob being an ESFP, because that seems like the most likely option. We considered others, such as ISFP and even ESTJ/ENTJ because of his relatively prominent Te. Hopefully this makes sense. Feel free to share your thoughts!

Se:

“Yeah, it’s completely stupid and reckless. When do we start?”

“They’re cliff diving. Scary as h*** but a total rush.”

“It’s just blood, Bella. No big deal.”

Jacob is laid back and adaptable. He’s good at dealing with new circumstances as they arise. For instance, he’s quick to abandon his pack the moment he’s given an order that he can’t live with. Impulsive actions such as this are not uncommon for Jacob. His interactions with other members of the pack quickly degrade to violence on multiple occasions. Of course, in the small daily things, Jacob readily takes advantage of the spur of the moment opportunities to spend time with Bella.

Jacob enjoys action-oriented hobbies and working with his hands. His most prominent hobby appears to be rebuilding engines. He ends up bonding with Bella over repairing a pair of motorcycles, and then riding them together, even though he initially agrees with Bella about it being stupid and reckless. In addition, he refers to cliff diving as a “total rush”.

Jacob avoids with responsibility when possible, which is common for dominant extraverted perceivers. For instance, he refuses to lead the wolf pack when Sam offers, even though everyone expects him to because it is his birthright. Instead, he agrees to follow Sam, and does so up until he feels the need to break free from Sam’s authority. When others try to join him, he tries to shut them down, preferring to not be responsible for them.

Fi:

“I’m not good. I used to be a good kid. Not anymore.”

“Better you really be dead than one of them.”

“Yes. I promised I was never going to hurt you, and this is me keeping that promise. Go home, and don’t come back, or else you’re going to get hurt. ”

Jacob possesses deeply held beliefs, which colors his view of people. While he’s willing to work with the Cullens, he struggles to see past his prejudices of them as vampires. He even tells Bella that she’d be better off dead than becoming one of them. Similarly, he stubbornly believes that Bella has feelings for him, even though time and time again she expresses otherwise. Overall, his feelings, especially his feelings for Bella, are his primary motivation throughout the series. He refuses to suppress them in spite of constant rejection.

After becoming a werewolf, Jacob is shown to be highly judgmental of himself. While he had previously promised to always be there for Bella and never abandon her, he suddenly back peddles on that, claiming that the only way to not hurt her is to cut her out of his life. He declares that he’s not a good kid anymore, even though objectively werewolves only kill vampires, which are typically evil.

For the most part, Jacob is confident in his identity, and not one to change for others. (Although, he does question himself for a bit when having to adjust to being a werewolf.) When Bella expresses concerns over influencing him, he casually brushes her off, saying, “You influence me? Please.” He’s also confident in his capabilities, which is why he doesn’t get offended when often questioned in the beginning. For instance, at one point, he says, “Your lack of confidence in us is a little insulting” in a way that overall sounds nonchalant and unbothered.

Te:

“You should hold out for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit.”

“I’m not asking for permission.”

Jacob is frequently blunt, but in a more casual way. He typically doesn’t struggle to speak his mind. In the process, he can be very assertive. For instance, he frequently tells Bella what is or is not good for her. When making a case as to why she should choose him, he points to external, objective facts such as him being human, warm, and capable of giving her a good life, one in which she doesn’t have to change.

Out of the three main characters, Jacob is probably the most objective. He values doing what’s necessary to get the job done, which is why he’s willing to work with the vampires periodically, in spite of his feelings. At a certain point, he even forcefully inserts himself into their business, (when he agrees to join the fight against the newborns), out of his desire to protect Bella.

Ni:

“Every choice has its consequences.”

Jacob fixates on Bella, determined that he knows what she’s feeling, even when she keeps telling him otherwise. He never appears to consider that he might be mistaken. When it comes to Bella, he’s focused and committed for the longest time, refusing to give up on winning her over. When he finally realizes that the wedding is going to happen, Jacob falls into despair, and disappears suddenly for a long period of time, deciding to live in solitude as a wolf.

Beyond Bella, Jacob tends to avoid long term commitments, because he recognizes that choices have consequences. He is generally disinterested in having things too planned out and would rather do his own thing, at his own pace, without having to think too far in advance.

Even when it comes to things that he wants, like spending time with Bella, he still doesn’t think too far ahead. This is demonstrated when he talks to her in retrospect after finishing up fixing the bikes. He observes that he should have drawn out the process, making it take longer, so he could have spent more time with her, but failed to think about that in advance.