I'm Draco Malfoy and That's Okay

My friend and I had a debate last night about whether or not Draco Malfoy, from the Harry Potter series, is an INTJ. For those of you who don’t know, INTJ is a Myers-Briggs personality type, standing for Introversion, Intuition, Thinking, and Judgment. From the Wikipedia definition, “Hallmarks of the INTJ include independence of thought and a desire for efficiency. They work best when given autonomy and creative freedom. INTJs develop a strong confidence in their ability and talents, making them natural leaders.  By nature INTJs can be demanding in their expectations, and approach relationships in a rational manner. At times, INTJs seem cold, reserved, and unresponsive, while in fact they are almost hypersensitive to signals of rejection from those they care for.”

Draco Malfoy is often labeled as an INTJ in character evaluations, and the conversation veered onto this topic because I am, myself, an INTJ. I proudly embrace my association with Malfoy (he is, believe it or not, my favorite character from the series—perhaps a topic for a later post), and I completely agree with his Myers-Briggs type.

The crux of my friend’s argument was that Malfoy was really an INFJ or even an INFP due to his unquestioning loyalty and voluntary submission to Voldemort. INTJs are often skeptical of others’ plans and do not have much respect for authority. However, it’s precisely for that reason that I believe Malfoy really is an INTJ. The turning point for Malfoy is when he fails to kill Dumbledore on the astronomy tower. His loyalty is not to Voldemort as much as it is to the superiority of the magical race, to an abstract ideal, and Dumbledore, despite his opposing ideas and mixed blood heritage, is no doubt a great wizard, a great wizard who even teaches other great wizards, continuing the legacy of magic. Even Draco Malfoy must respect that. To kill him would not be part of Malfoy’s “plan” for magical supremacy. Furthermore, when Voldemort dies, Malfoy and his parents flee instead of standing with their fellow Death Eaters. Fleeing is the cowardly choice, yes, but more importantly, Malfoy lives to send his own children to Hogwarts someday, not in shame but pride, in the hope of continuing the magical legacy.

As for me, I will try very hard not to join a dark cult or destroy the world or use a vanishing cabinet for evil, but I do think, as an INTJ, I can learn a thing or two from Malfoy. In fact, I think we can all learn from him. Namely, sometimes we’re going to think we’re right for a very long time, then suddenly realize we’re wrong. Just like Draco’s mother Narcissa when she protected Harry in the forest, it’s okay to change sides. It’s more important to see the end goal than preserve our plan of how to get there.