Myers-Briggs Types in The Big Bang Theory: Sheldon Cooper (ISTJ)

Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory has had multiple Myers-Briggs personality types suggested for him, the most common being INTP, INTJ and ISTJ. To be fair, Sheldon Cooper is somewhat of a tricky character, because his character is extreme and unrealistic. However, based on the evidence, we believe that ISTJ makes the most sense, and we’re going to explain why. In addition, since the INTP theory on Sheldon Cooper is relatively prominent, we’ll add a brief section at the bottom specifically addressing the issues with that theory. Hopefully everything makes sense! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Also, if you’re interested, check out Myers-Briggs Types in Young Sheldon: Sheldon Cooper (ISTJ).

The Myers-Briggs Personality Type of Sheldon Cooper

Dominant Si:

“I’m implying that you’re a creature of habit. And if something were to prevent you from doing your laundry on Saturday at 8:15, you might find it unpleasant.” – Penny

“Well, no, sir, and do you know why? In a word: tradition. Every Thursday night for the last eight years you and I and our friends have gathered here in this very spot to break bread covered with cheese and sauce, discuss the issues of the day, and yes, share a laugh or two. But I guess our rich heritage means nothing to you.”

“Every Saturday since we’ve lived in this apartment I have awakened at 6:15, poured myself a bowl of cereal, added a quarter cup of 2% milk, sat on this end of this couch, turned on BBC America and watched Doctor Who.”

“I like the hamburgers where we usually have hamburgers. You can’t make the assumption that I’ll like the hamburgers here.”

“Boy that does smell good. Too bad it’s Monday.”

“I’m a big fan of homeostasis… Homeostasis refers to a system’s ability to regulate its internal environment. Yeah, and maintain a constant condition of properties like temperature or pH…My point is, I don’t like when things change.”

Sheldon Cooper is a first and foremost a creature of habit. He prefers to keep his environment constant and predictable. Sheldon has specific routines that he follows and doesn’t like to change things up in the slightest. He sits in a certain spot on the couch, eats certain meals on certain days, goes to the bathroom at specific times, does laundry on a certain day, etc. He struggles whenever there are obstacles to any of his typical routines. For instance, when someone sleeps on his couch overnight, Sheldon whines because he’s unable to eat his usual cereal and watch Doctor Who that next morning.

The others are highly aware of his need to follow his routines. They either mock him for it, or find themselves extremely frustrated by his extreme rigid adherence to these routines (depending on the context). Penny is actually shown using his routines against him, by threatening to impede laundry night. Generally speaking, whenever anyone tries to switch things up, Sheldon is quick to argue against it, or whine incessantly if that fails. For instance, when they all decide to have dinner Raj’s house, Sheldon tries to argue that it’s tradition for them all to gather at his apartment on Thursday nights to eat pizza. He eventually yields, but not after sharing every possible counter argument he can think of.

Sheldon distrusts new experiences, preferring to stick to ones that are familiar. For instance, he prefers certain meals at certain restaurants. He’s resistant to trying out a meal he typically likes, when it’s at a new location. At one point, the others try to convince him to try a hamburger at a new restaurant. Sheldon tells that that he likes the hamburgers at his usual restaurant, and that they can’t assume that he’ll like the hamburgers at this one.

Sheldon is extremely precise and detail-oriented, which shows up not only in his hyper-specific routines but also his social contracts. He likes to lay out clear and specific expectations that leave no room for ambiguity or subjective interpretation.

Auxiliary Te:

“I have spent my whole life trying to bring order to the universe by carefully planning every moment of every day.”

“Did it ever occur to you that not everyone has the compulsive need to sort organize and label the entire world around them?” – Leonard

“Oh Mario, If only I could control everyone the way I control you. Hop you little plumber. Hop hop hop.”

“No, we were annihilated by our own incompetence, and the inability of some people to follow the chain of command.”

“This is not anyone’s home. This is a swirling vortex of entropy.”

Many people argue that Sheldon Cooper is an INTP, but Sheldon’s thinking function appears to be Te, not Ti. Te is concerned with bringing order and structure, which is exactly what Sheldon focuses on. Coupled with his dominant Si, it leads Sheldon to eliminate any sign or chaos or disorder. This plays into why his routines are as structured as they are, such as adhering to incredibly specific timelines. He even says outright that he has spent his whole life “trying to bring order to the universe by carefully planning every moment of every day.”

Sheldon prefers to be in control of everything around him. He constantly tells everyone what to do and exactly how to do it. If there’s a need for a leader, Sheldon will claim the position, so he can be at the top of the chain of command, such as during their paintball battles. Whenever anyone deviates from the way he thinks things should be done, Sheldon is not shy about correcting them. Similarly, anyone who holds a different opinion is automatically considered wrong. Sheldon views his opinions as facts, and proclaims them as such.

Sheldon struggles when the external environment is out of order, such as Penny’s apartment. Even though her apartment is not his domain, he feels a compulsive need to break in and clean the apartment while she’s sleeping. He states that it’s not a home, but rather, a “swirling vortex of entropy”. Similarly, Leonard describes Sheldon as having a compulsive need to sort, organize, and label the entire world around him. Of course, due to this, Sheldon excels at optimization, which is why he helps Penny try to optimize her manufacturing process for a potential new business.

Tertiary Fi:

“I had to leave. They were having fun wrong.”

“How can she not be sure how she feels? You know, when I have a feeling, I know it. Trains? Love them. Swordfish? I love them too.”

“But if I do, I’ll be a phony, a sellout, a Hollywood poser.”

Sheldon has extremely strong preferences. He knows exactly what he likes, with no hesitation. Similarly, he knows exactly how he feels about things. Many inferior Fe users (such as the INTP) experience emotional delays due to being somewhat disconnected from their own feelings. Sheldon never demonstrates this, and even makes statements to the contrary. For instance, while in a movie theater with Amy, Sheldon expresses disbelief as to how someone might not know what they’re feeling, because of course he knows what he’s feeling.

In addition, Sheldon has a rigid sense of identity, and struggles to adapt himself to get what he wants. He hates anything that seems like pandering, which is why, for instance, it takes a lot of effort to convince him to attend the university fundraising event. He also struggles with anything that seems like intellectual dishonesty, such as intentionally losing a game of Words with Friends against Stephen Hawking in order to remain “friends”.

Lastly, Sheldon makes no meaningful effort to tune into the feelings of others. He’s completely disconnected from the external emotional environment, and completely in tune with his own emotional world. This all indicates Fi rather than Fe.

Inferior Ne:

“There’s a lot of harm in trying something new. That’s why we test out drugs and cosmetics on bunny rabbits.”

“No, it’s not going to be fine. Change is never fine. They say it is, but it’s not.”

“He’s lost all focus. Every day, he’s got a new obsession.” – Leonard

Sheldon fears change, which is indicative of inferior Ne. Inferior Ne users fear the unknown. Over and over again, Sheldon resists trying new things, because of this fear. He even explains that there’s a lot of harm in trying new things, which is why drugs and cosmetics are tested first. In his mind, change is never fine, no matter what anyone else says. When trying to resist change, Sheldon often comes up with wild and unrealistic “what-if” scenarios to support why something shouldn’t be done, or to argue against doing it.

Sheldon goes into an Ne grip at least a couple of times in the series. For instance, early in the series, he gets himself fired. During this period of time, he starts obsessively trying to come up with new, innovative ideas, such as fish night lights and glow-in-the-dark tampons. In addition, he starts several new hobbies and projects such as looming and trying to perfect scrambled eggs. According to Leonard, Sheldon loses all focus, picking up a new obsession every day.

Could Sheldon Cooper be an INTP in a Ti-Si Loop?

Sheldon demonstrates both prominent Si and prominent Ne. Typically, those who argue for INTP, justify the Si but claiming that he’s in a Ti-Si loop. So, I’d like to share a brief of list of reasons as to why the INTP theory makes less sense than ISTJ. Many of these were elaborated on in the main body of the article, so I’m not going to rewrite those arguments here. If you missed it, go back and read those sections. This is just intended to be an overview that you can digest in a glance.

1. Sheldon demonstrates Te not Ti.
2. Sheldon displays absolutely no adaptability, as opposed to other equally eccentric scientists such as Amy. This make being a perceiver seem unlikely.
3. Sheldon demonstrates Fi rather than Fe.
4. Sheldon’s inferior function makes more sense as Ne rather than Fe, considering his extremely low adaptability and his overall lack of Fe evidence. Some might argue his references to social protocol are Fe in nature, but he treats social protocol as concrete, black-and-white rules that he‘s obligated to follow, which is more Te in nature. He doesn’t allow for any situational context, based on the people around him. Fe adjusts to societal expectations to maintain a emotionally harmonious atmosphere, while inferior Fe users specifically might butt up against societal norms just prove they can. Sheldon doesn’t really do either of these things. He converts protocol into concrete rules or obligations, and adheres to these absolutely. (For instance, when Leonard tries to ignore a phone call, and Sheldon looks on in horror.)
5. Sheldon displays a lot of verbal Ne, some of which you wouldn’t really expect to see from an ISTJ. But with that being said, the show itself tends toward Ne humor, regardless of the character, and Sheldon as a character is unrealistic. (He’s a conglomerate of all the nerd and scientist tropes.) Based on the rest of the evidence, I don’t think this seemingly prominent Ne is enough to justify an INTP argument. (Check out Personality Bleed: Typing Fictional Characters)