Myers-Briggs Types in The Big Bang Theory: Leonard Hofstadter (ISFJ)

Leonard Hofstadter from the Big Bang Theory is typically identified as the ISFJ Myers-Briggs personality type (often referred to as MBTI). We’ve occasionally seen people suggest INFJ for him, and we seriously considered that in addition to ESFJ. However, ultimately, we think that ISFJ makes the most sense for Leonard. Continue reading to find out why!

The Myers-Briggs Personality Type of Leonard Hofstadter

Dominant Si:

“I’m not gonna engage in hypotheticals here. I’m just trying to be a good neighbor.”

“Maybe take a walk afterwards, talk about the things we have in common. You love pottery? I love pottery. You know, there’s a pause. We both know what’s happening. I lean in. We kiss. It’s a little tentative at first. But then I realize, she’s kissing me back, and she’s biting my lower lip. She wants me. This thing is going the distance.”

“I didn’t even have to refer to my impromptu conversation starters.”

“Maybe if it goes well, you take another, you enroll full time. Ooh. Be sure to keep an eye on which credits to transfer to a four-year college.”

“We don’t say that either. I’ll make you a list.”

“To this day, I send her a card every year with a little money in it.”

Leonard’s Si can be a bit tricky to identify, given that Sheldon’s Si is extremely overbearing. In other words, Sheldon controls the exact routines allowed in their apartment, and writes all the rules. Leonard clearly gets frustrated by this, periodically issuing complaints, but he has adapted rather well. Whenever Leonard ignores rules, it’s intentional, rather than a failure to track the excessively detailed procedures laid out in their roommate agreement.

Sheldon’s ridiculousness aside, Leonard appears to be careful about following rules, in order to avoid making mistakes. When a bird gets into the clean room, Howard keeps insisting that it could have been Leonard who left the door open. Raj dismisses that immediately, seeing no way, between the two options, that Leonard would have been the one to make that mistake. On the other hand, Leonard does not let go of past mistakes very readily, which causes problem in his and Penny’s relationship. Penny is shown getting upset about Leonard always harping on her for her mistakes, in addition to the fact that he struggles to let things go.

Generally speaking, Leonard appears to be the type to stick to his routines, once formed, even if he doesn’t like them. For instance, he admits to a psychiatrist that he stills sends his mother a card with money every year on his birthday, because she had always insisted that his birth was her accomplishment, not his. Similarly, for all of Leonard’s complaining about Sheldon’s eccentricities, he gets a lot of those habits ingrained in him. For instance, after Leonard marries Penny, Penny points out that he can eat whatever he wants for dinner, rather than the specific type of food designed for that specific weekday (Thursday). Leonard essentially short circuits, and lists all the potential options before defaulting to the typical Thursday routine: Thai food.

Leonard thinks ahead and plans things out in advance to ensure events play out in an optimal way. For instance, he comes up with a list of “impromptu conversation starters” prior to a date. In addition, he writes his wedding vows, presumably before they’ve even set a date. His tendency to think about things in advance often causes him to build up specific expectations for how things might play out, some more realistic than others. This also overwhelms Penny, when he starts planning out her future at college once she decides to take a single course.

Leonard generally seems to be precise and detail-oriented, which partially manifests in his preference for lists. For instance, he offers to make Sheldon’s mom a list of what’s appropriate to say and what’s not. He also comes up with a “bug report” list for him and Penny’s relationship. In addition, Leonard reads Penny’s journal and memorizes all the information in it, so that he can know every little detail about her.

Auxiliary Fe:

“I couldn’t say that. I would have to say, ‘You were terrific and I can’t wait to hear you sing again.’ …It’s the social protocol. It’s what you do when you have a friend who’s proud of something they really suck at.”

“We need to widen our circle.”

“No, no, my point is, if you wanna learn how to make friends then just go out to a coffee shop or a museum. Meet people. Talk to them. Take an interest in their lives.”

“Ok well, there is alot of merit to both theories.”

“She’s my girlfriend. I should be allowed to help her. Why aren’t I allowed to help her?”

Leonard’s overwhelming issue throughout the series is his tendency to yield to everyone else. Essentially, Leonard acts like a doormat, typically prioritizing what other people want over his own wants. He not only yields to Sheldon, but allows other people to talk him into undesirable things, such as confronting Penny’s ex-boyfriend. Overall, Leonard prioritizes the welfare of his relationships, with little regard to how inconvenient the action is for him personally.

Leonard pays close attention to how his actions impact those around him. While socially awkward, he’s generally polite, and will go out of his way to avoid hurting people’s feelings. For instance, Leonard throws away him and Sheldon’s fresh takeout in order to give themselves an excuse for avoiding Penny’s singing, so as not to hurt her feelings. Similarly, he often counsels Sheldon on social protocol, so that Sheldon will adhere to the correct behavior.

Leonard acts like the mediator of the group, often being the first one to attempt to restore peace when there is infighting. For example, at one point, he makes Penny apologize to Sheldon when she hurts his feelings by calling something “just a robot”. Similarly, he uses an IOU to make Penny apologize to Howard for hurting his feelings by calling him creepy. To give an example not involving Penny, when Leslie and Sheldon pull him into an argument over which theory was better, Leonard starts by saying that both theories have merit. In addition, Leonard actively avoids causing fights himself. For instance, he refuses to sell his collectibles to one of his friends because then the other ones would be mad at him.

Leonard occasionally also falls into the trap of trying to force his help on those he loves. For instance, he pushes to help Penny with her paper. Once he reads it against her will and finds out that it’s bad, he essentially rewrites it for her, while claiming that “She’s my girlfriend. I should be allowed to help her. Why aren’t I allowed to help her?”

Tertiary Ti:

“Oh! We’re just bending the rules a little. We have grant money to do the experiment so we’re gonna spend it on the helium we need.”

“What’s your point? In order to keep having a sexual relationship with Penny, I have to give up everything I believe in? My intellectual integrity? The very nature of who I am? I can’t do that Howard.”

“But isn’t Los Angeles full of actresses who are just as talented just as beautiful?”

Leonard shows a decent amount of Ti, which is not surprising given the show is subject to INTP personality bleed. He occasionally shifts into a critical mode, where he analyzes certain issues in a detached. For instance, when Penny is frustrated with her failing acting career and considering giving up, Leonard doesn’t encourage her, but rather approaches the situation rationally by reminding her that Los Angeles is fully of actresses who are just as talented and beautiful as her. In addition, when trying to restart their relationship, he comes up with the idea for a bug report list, where they essentially write down every little complaint they have about each. This nitpicky, critical troubleshooting approach supports Si and Ti working in conjunction.

Leonard is willing to bend rules when he thinks it’s fair, or for the greater good. For instance, Leonard and Sheldon publish a theory that actually gains some momentum. However, they hear that Swedish scientists intend to do the experiment to prove the theory first, essentially sniping them. Leonard pushes to illegally buy helium with the college’s grant money so that they can perform the experiment first. Sheldon gets stuck on the fact that it’s highly unethical, but Leonard argues that they have grant money specifically for the experiment, so it’s only bending the rules slightly.

Lastly, Leonard often falls into the trap of over-analyzing every little thing, especially in regards to Penny. She’ll say something as mundane as, “I’ll see you later” and he’ll overthink the statement to a ridiculous degree. This also plays into his inability to let anything go, because he’ll keep spinning on things until they’re fully resolved.

Inferior Ne:

“Ok, I’ll be honest with you. I just spent the last two hours imagining various scenarios in my head, trying to come up with some clever line to say to you.”

“Every scenario I play out with you and me ends badly.”

“I mean, the odds of anyone becoming a successful actor are like a million to one.”

“Okay now what I’m hearing is that you feel that I sometimes take too long to express myself, and you wish I’d be more succinct.”

Leonard’s inferior Ne surfaces in his tendency to imagine a bunch of scenarios under stress. For instance, he spends two hours imagining various scenarios before finally approaching the actress, Summer, to talk to her. Similarly, he imagines a bunch of scenarios with Penny, and admits that every one ends badly.

In addition, Leonard struggles with Penny’s acting career, seeing it as an impossibility. He greatly discourages her, even though she want to continue to pursue it against all odds. Leonard just keeps focusing on how unlikely it is, and how she needs to focus on more practical matters, like paying the bills.

Lastly, Leonard has a tendency to ramble when he talks, struggling to be succinct. He’ll add more context then necessary, or perhaps go on the occasional tangent. At one point, he describes it as taking to long to express himself. Of course, this can be frustrating for someone like Penny, who’s often just waiting for him to get to the point.