Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Jemma Simmons (ESTJ)

Jemma Simmons from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is often identified as either an ISTJ or an ISFJ. I saw arguments for both. I actually almost landed on one of those myself, starting with ISFJ and then ISTJ. However, as the show went on, I started seeing ESTJ as the most plausible theory for Jemma Simmons. Hopefully this makes sense.

Te:

“You will do that, because despite the lack of respect I’ve been shown today, I assume I was brought here because your bosses value my expertise. So, impress them by keeping me happy. Everyone out now.”

“We have no jurisdiction now that SHIELD’s been labelled a terrorist organization.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m organizing them by subject and date…Is there something so terrible about a comprehensive system?”

“Again, let’s not just postulate. Let’s apply scientific principles and consider the evidence we have.”

Simmons focuses on being objective and level-headed. When stranded on an alien planet and later on when stranded in the future, Simmons emphasizes considering evidence and gathering data, rather than merely speculating. While on the planet, she focuses on prioritizing tasks and keeping her head, whilst keeping a record of her experiences. Under normal circumstances, Simmons naturally puts on a business-like persona, which allows her to come across more impersonal under certain circumstances. For instance, when Skye abandons S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while to essentially be a vigilante, Simmons is one of the few that doesn’t act hurt and doesn’t try to seek her out. She makes a comment indicating her disapproval, but she acts emotionally detached from the situation.

Simmons values authority and structure. She struggles greatly when S.H.I.E.L.D. is labelled a terrorist organization, questioning their right to do anything or continue operating as they had been. Similarly, when Skye tries to convince her to break the rules in the Hub, Simmons initially fights against it, saying “No! I can’t be part of your bad girl shenanigans. I like following the rules, and doing what’s expected of me.” Once in a positive of authority, Simmons naturally enforces her authority and demands respect from those around. She refuses to budge from any stances that she takes, and adheres rigidly to the agency standards.

Simmons is driven to excel, but does so in a way that focuses on competency and tasks. In other words, she’s focused on tasks, not people. This is shown when she joins Hydra. She struggles to advance within Hydra while undercover, explaining to Coulson that she usually advances much more quickly. Coulson advises her to make friends and form relationships, which is something she hadn’t thought to try herself.

Simmons values control and order. After Trip’s death, Simmons explains that she was curious about powers and unearthly biology, seeking to understand it and control it. However, after experiencing such drastic consequences, she becomes much more controlling, and takes extreme stances. For instance, she’s quick to sedate Skye when Skye’s losing control, and suggests keeping her drugged. In addition, she increases the effectiveness of the Icers, and claims that powers should be eradicated entirely. During less extreme periods of time, her desire for order surfaces in how she designs the lab in an exact way and complains when things are out of order. Similarly, after she’s rescued from the planet, Simmons is shown organizing files as a means to distract herself, which is a common coping mechanism for Te users who are under stress.

Si:

“Past events like that unfortunate incident at The Hub have shown me that I’m not good at improvisation. However, I excel at preparation.”

“Good is not the appropriate word to describe your state. You’ve been shot twice, had your stomach perforated, and a breathing tube shoved down your throat. Better is the more accurate word.”

“Trip died, Fitz. All because we didn’t take the necessary precautions.”

Simmons excels at preparation, and learning from her mistakes. She tries to improvise at the Hub, when pushed by Skye to break the rules, and learns that she’s not good at it. So, next time she goes into the field with the team, Simmons over-prepares to compensate for this. During their mission on the train, Simmons memorizes everything, and makes up a detailed backstory, much to Coulson’s surprise. She gets extremely, unnecessarily specific. This actually indicates that her Si is not dominant, because she goes overboard with the details and gets unnecessarily imaginative (Ne higher than inferior) about her character’s past. She even describes the house that her character grew up in.

After Trip’s death, Simmons starts fixating much more on consequences and mitigating risk rather than progress. Granted, she is always one to prepare to some degree, which is why she gives Fitz an anti-venom pack and his favorite sandwich before his secret mission with Ward. However, as explained in the Te section, she gets much more extreme, regretting her failure to take necessary precautions.

Simmons is very exacting or precise, from wording to procedures. This plays into her rigidity as an authority figure, and in her desire to follow rules. She likes clear expectations, with no ambiguity. Her precise nature compels her to correct Skye, when Skye tries to define her state as “good” during her recovery from being shot twice. Similarly, she breaks the Index into two categories, because “‘Gifted’ is both insufficient and too broad.”

Ne:

“I was so curious about powers, about unearthly biology. Wondering where it might lead. Hoping to better understand it. Control it. I should have been trying to terminate it. Erase it from existence.”

“There are other possibilities. What if the city didn’t kill Mack but co-opted him?”

“Dead-ish. There’s some sort of metabolic activity. Fascinating.”

Simmon’s curiosity motivates her. She refers to the younger version of herself as having “two PHDs and a million questions.” However, in the process of studying new and exciting things, she doesn’t always immediately register the potential dangers. After Trip’s death, she berates herself for her uncontrolled curiosity. For another example, at one point, Fitz and Simmons have a dead inhuman in front of them, and Simmons notices that there’s some sort of metabolic activity. While Simmons refers to this as “fascinating”, Fitz instantly counters with “No, not fascinating. Quarantine.”

Simmons is usually willing to consider multiple possibilities or scenarios, rather than getting stuck on just one. For instance, when Mack gets possessed inside the ancient city, Fitz assumes that Mack is dead. Simmons suggests that there are other possibilities, such as the city co-opting him. Similarly, after being captured by Will on the strange planet, Simmons starts frantically accusing Will of different possible motivations, such as wanting to eat her. She didn’t bother to just stop and ask him, instead speculating out loud. Lastly, when Koenig presents Simmons with the desert island scenario, Simmons instantly jumps to the Tardis being in the box. This suggests that her Ne is higher than inferior.

Fi:

“That’s a romantic gesture. How very not you… to be romantic. We both know that I’m the romantic one.” – Fitz

“There are protocols, Daisy. I take mandatory lie-detection tests. I can’t just voluntarily aid a wanted vigilante.”

Simmons is not the stereotypical example of an inferior Fi user, because she has a strong moral code. However, having morals does not dictate one’s personality type. Simmon’s inferior Fi shows up in a couple of different ways. First, Simmons is good at isolating her emotions, and preventing them from interfering with the task at hand. This is sometimes reflected in her direct communication with others, such as when she tells Director Mace (while he’s stuck in the Framework) that nothing in that world mattered. She had a hard time grasping the fact that, emotionally, it did matter to everyone who was living in it. For a slightly different example, Simmons once manages a romantic gesture, and Fitz comments that it wasn’t like her to be romantic.

Simmons, while very loyal, tends to be loyal to external systems over individual people, which indicates inferior Fi. In other words, she suppresses her individual loyalties in favor of organizations or structures. For instance, as mentioned in the Te section, she struggles with whether they should keep on fighting once S.H.I.E.L.D. is labelled a terrorist organization. She struggles to rely on her own personal code to continue, because it’s based on the external structure. Similarly, when serving under Director Mace after Coulson steps down, Simmons refuses to help the others look for Daisy, even though she and Daisy had been friends. When Daisy asks for her help directly, Simmons initially turns her down, and Daisy ends up pointing a gun at her to compel her to help.