Will Smith (Willard Carroll Smith Jr.) ~ MBTI, Enneagram, and Socionics Personality Type

Will Smith (Willard Carroll Smith Jr.) ~ MBTI, Enneagram, and Socionics Personality Type

Will Smith (Willard Carroll Smith Jr.)

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psycho

ENFP 3

ESTP 1

7w8 3

7w6 1

3w2 1

so/sx 3

IEE 3

SEE 2

ESE 1

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public myers-briggs votes

(22/05/29 10:57) rock and roll: ENFP

(22/04/06 06:24) cyber_ninja: ESFP

(22/03/02 01:24) GIJOEBusta Cap: ENFP

(19/07/03 03:09) LadyX: ENFP

(18/11/12 09:58) Tch: ENFP

public function votes

(25/07/17 12:12) Woll Smoth: ESTP

(22/05/29 10:57) rock and roll: ENFP

(22/04/06 06:24) cyber_ninja: ENFP

(22/03/02 01:24) GIJOEBusta Cap: ENFP

public enneagram votes

(25/07/01 23:39) Woll Smoth: 3w2

(22/05/29 10:57) rock and roll: 7w8

(22/03/02 01:24) GIJOEBusta Cap: 7w8

(19/07/03 03:09) LadyX: 7w6

public instinctual variant votes

(22/05/29 10:57) rock and roll: so/sx

(22/03/02 01:24) GIJOEBusta Cap: so/sx

(19/07/03 03:09) LadyX: so/sx

public tritype® votes

(25/07/01 23:42) Woll Smoth: 368

(19/07/03 03:09) LadyX: 729

public sociotype votes

(25/07/02 09:49) nicotineseries: SEE

(25/07/01 23:37) Woll Smoth: SEE

(22/05/29 10:57) rock and roll: IEE

(22/03/02 01:24) GIJOEBusta Cap: IEE

(18/11/13 10:43) echidna1000: ESE

(18/10/13 23:44) switchblades: IEE

public psychosophy votes

public hexaco votes

To start things off, I will open up with a quote from Hannah Strachan’s argument for Cleopatra being ESTP that I think parallels Will Smith's personality, “Cleopatra was very image-conscious and knew how to present herself in a way that would further her aims in every social context … In terms of functions, this suggests Se-Fe more than Se-Fi. In the same vein, she … align[ed] herself with Egyptian history, culture, mythology and religion, continuing each of the practices that the people expected of her and their rulers.”

To elaborate, I think that the trajectory of his career is also quite indicative of what Boye Akinwande coined “a strong cultural empiricism” in reference to Se and Fe together and in that order (in his Why Taylor Swift is ESTP article). For one example, look no further than the quote below:

Smith: “Social media demands authenticity. Social media pushes you, more and more, into having to reveal what’s true. ‘Cause if you don’t, TMZ is goin’ to. …”
[Interviewer: “… How have you maintained your authenticity?”]
Smith: “You know, it’s really interesting. I haven’t maintained my authenticity, per se. I’ve maintained my ‘character’ … the character ‘Will Smith’ signs every autograph and is always happy, and wants to see the fans, and is always in a good mood. That’s actually not authentic.”

This quote is quite indicative of Se with Fe (in accordance to the framework of both Hannah and Akinwande). There are some who may think this embrace of authenticity in the quote should necessarily somehow point to Fi, but it’s important to realize he only embraced it when “the eyes and ears of the world are starting to demand more and more authenticity.” So rather than being something that sprung from inside, Will Smith talks about authenticity and the like in a way that intertwines with the external sentiment.

If Will Smith did filter things through the prism of ‘Is this authentic to me? Is this true to who I am?’ then he would’ve likely attempted to bridge the dissonance between his constructed persona and his true self (in other words, he would’ve sought to exude more sincerity) on his own terms (and possibly much earlier). Or, at least, the persona, even if performative, would have been woven from the fabric of his genuine self (or at least in a way where he felt like it was), rather than something totally separate. Will Smith is definitely not someone who purifies his internal sentiment at the expense of external sentiment. Overall to me, Will Smith having conscious Fi (even if secondary position) doesn’t make sense.

Stepping out of the argument for a second, I will explore how Tertiary Fe in the ESTP manifests in a general sense since it has been a dearth in typology (unless if you count the ESTPs stereotypical ‘charm’, which is one typical manifestation of their Fe but it still doesn’t get to the underlying processing). So for starters, let’s look at what Fe is: a function that operates on the basis of objective sentiment (and by “objective" I don’t necessarily mean the colloquial meaning of being universally true or completely impartial, but rather I mean that the source of the feeling judgment lies outside the individual). Fe users are attuned to the Feeling environment, which lends to a consideration of external reaction and the impact on others' perceptions.

Ok so what about Fe in the tertiary position one may ask? And it’s not a bad question as ESTPs after all are not FJ types, but even in the tertiary position one still can observe that they are still operating under the spell of social norms of some sort. This doesn't imply strict adherence; as one can find many ETPs deliberately deviating from or even disrupting these norms and the like (this is individual dependent of course). Nevertheless, their initial framework/assumption with regard to Feeling stems from an understanding of external sentiment, from which they then react to, navigate, or, in some cases, rebel against for effect. Some examples to illustrate through quotes to what I mean (most of which are from IDRlabs no less):

Helen Mirren: "I decided to get a tattoo because it was the most shocking thing I could think of doing."

Helen Mirren: "You are what other people think you are. You can't avoid that."

Sasha Grey: "I enjoy the challenge of proving people wrong."

Traci Lords: "I try to keep people guessing."

David Fincher (on Kevin Spacey): "Kevin ... understands perception, how to ingratiate. He's also just naughty! ... He just has that twinkle in his eye!"

Elle Magazine (on Miley Cyrus): "She seems acutely aware of what she's doing, and how to command attention."

With these examples, the individuals quoted demonstrate an underlying awareness of how their actions are perceived by others and a tendency to operate in relation to that external sentiment. Whether it's to shock, defy expectations, ingratiate, or command attention, the initial framework involves an understanding of the "Feeling environment" and navigating within it (as well as using this understanding to achieve their goals). So even though tertiary Fe is less developed than an FJ and can manifest in ways that might seem inconsistent, its underlying motivation is still rooted in the principles of Fe. (Please note that I do not intend to make ESTPs out to be these super calculated, cold-hearted con men with no sense of integrity, that was not the point I was trying to make as I don't believe the stereotype rings true for many ESTPs in real life. Rather my intent was to showcase the ESTPs tendency to navigate on the basis of external sentiment at the times when they are using their Feeling function).

So back to Will Smith, it is my contention that he fits what I described above. Rather than filtering things through the Fi prism that I mentioned in the beginning, he more so filters things through the Fe prism of ‘How is this going to affect others? How is this going to make me come across?’ and using this feeling nexus to understand the external feeling atmosphere from which he can use to navigate, leverage from, adjust, and the like (though semi-conscious, meaning not consistently conscious with regard to it):

Smith: “Because every little thing I do is huge. I’m much more accommodating to people because I know even the slightest bump is going to be magnified tenfold.”

The Guardian: “Smith's ability to charm his way out of any given situation had already seen one high school teacher nickname him The Fresh Prince.”

Furthermore, since Fe is largely outer-focused, it naturally lends them to a keen understanding of other’s vulnerabilities (arguably to a greater degree than all the other functions, at least instinctually). As said by IDRlabs: “Fe, by directing its eloquent sensitivity outwards, … attains [an] awareness of [others] vulnerabilities.” Now that was in reference to FJ types but I still think it applies to ETPs to an extent (at least those with well-developed Feeling). Here is a good quote from Will Smith that illustrates Se-Fe awareness with Ti-like precision sandwiched in-between:

Smith: “I’m actually very good at being mean, very skilled at finding your weakest spot and ramming an ice pick into it. I’m a laser-guided, intergalactic, space-molecular, air-dispersing module for finding that particular bull’s eye. My natural instinct is to pad rather than stab. But I can be deadly.”

Overall, between Fi (navigates on the basis of internal sentiment) and Fe (navigates on the basis of external sentiment), Fe makes much more sense for Will Smith.

So after all the evidence of Will Smith being more Fe than Fi I will now shift my attention more on Te vs Ti. Per Jung: "[What] is of absolutely paramount importance [to Ti] is the ... subjective idea ... standing ... darkly before the inner vision. Its aim ... [is concerned with] the shaping of that dim image into a resplendent idea." Here is a quote from Will Smith that I think very much fits what Jung says regarding Ti:

Smith: “I have to be moving toward perfection. [I] don’t have to achieve it, but [I] do have to be moving toward it.”

Furthermore, as you said about the differences between Te and Ti:

“Ti judges on the basis of internal, ‘subjective’ ideas. For example, in explaining the success of the iPhone, Ti will more naturally stress the 'internal' aspects of its success such as the iPhone being associated with a certain lifestyle, with its owner being thought to have certain values (such as ingenuity and individuality), and the owner generally being 'ahead of the curve' with regards to social trends. By contrast, the Te function is more likely to stress external parameters, such as the iPhone being amongst the first phones to introduce a touchscreen and Apple’s distinct brand of aesthetics. … Here [Ti is] ultimately concerned with an internal idea that does not directly pertain to the object (in this case the phone). So Ti will seize upon the internal idea in explaining the success of the iPhone (e.g. that it invokes a certain image) and neglect or coerce external facts that might explain the success (e.g. that its screen was better than that of any competing product at the time).”

Smith: "I was in Russia ... one of the reporters tried to kiss me, and I slapped him ... so I get back, I'm pissed like that somebody think [that just] cuz you famous, they get to do whatever they want to do to you. So I'm in my room, and I have ten urgent messages from Jay-Z, right ... he's like, "Call me now!" with exclamation points ... and he sounds winded. He's like ... 'Hey, I just saw the video of you slapping to do it Russia,' he said. 'Just want you to know you'll never make a better piece of entertainment. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen,' he said. 'Me and B, we got a show tonight, and we thinking about canceling it and just staying in and watching you slap this dude.' ... We talked about it after, he was like 'it was such a breath of fresh air to see you just be authentic' ... I thought that it would be negative and everything. And in this new, yeah, social media world, it actually, the authenticity was accepted and respected, and ... that was a new thing for me." (This is from the same interview from my very first point regarding Will Smith's Se-Fe)

Based on the quote, Smith leans more towards Ti than Te. He's trying to understand the underlying principle at play in this new social media landscape. While he acknowledges the certain external facts (Jay-Z's call, the positive reception), he's not mostly focused on dissecting the quantifiable data points that led to the positive response, so to speak. He's more so prioritizing his subjective ideas of the principles behind the facts (the "why" behind the occured facts). This orientation towards an "internal" idea to explain external events aligns more closely with the characteristics of Ti as described. In other words, he is seizing upon the internal idea in explaining the "success" of his slap (e.g. that it invokes a certain image e.g. authenticity) and neglects or coerces external facts that might explain the success.

Here another quote that indicates that Smith is not as F as meets the eye:

Smith: "[What] always would make me angry [is for someone] to not have any real ... logical base for what [they're] saying."

While Will Smith has some traits one wouldn't typically expect from an ESTP, the ESTP function stack makes more sense than the ESFP one. If one feels that the idea of Will Smith being a ESTP seems far-fetched, I would like to add that Will Smith "seems" much more ESTP than Meryl Streep "seeming" ESTP, Elizabeth Olsen "seeming" ENTP, Charlotte Gainsbourg "seeming" INTP, etc. So if those typings exist on IDRlabs then Will Smith being ESTP should not be considered that far of a stretch.

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2025-07-17 12:15:53pm (post #10147)

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