Stana Katic

[heiots]

Hi guys, would any of you care to type Stana Katic? She's been in Castle, and most recently, Absentia.

Here are some links that may help:

https://www.instagram.com/drstanakatic/?hl=en (Which I find you can learn a lot about her through the pictures she posts - nature, books, selfies)

 

[Ginny]

Body language from the second vid suggests extroverted judger. And so far I guess Ne-Si axis.

First says differently, movement is more perceiving, vivid memory is either Si or ... yup, Si, definitely. Disobeying orders is very unlike Te, but she respects authority, so it's either Fi-Te or Fe-Ti. I tend towards the latter a little. Now for the thrid.

The third video reinforces the judger body language. She knows how influential celebritis are, knows the motivations of the people, analyses logically (during that she kind of spaces out, like she looks internally). She looks towards the future, not dreamily, but realistically (with some dreamy aspects). And once she deviated, but came back to the topic. So maybe she's on the Ni-Se axis after all. The answer towards time management, it may either be Ni or Te.

To wrap up my very unstructured video comments and summarise my overall impression: She is interested in the big picture, looks towards the future and improve it (Ni), feeling internally all over the place thoughtwise, but always tries to answer questions as directly as possible. She is interested in the motivations of people, knows what may get them to do things and also she listens well, asks if she understood things correctly and occasionally asks the audience members who asked for their opinion, which looks like dominant Fe to me. This goes with the Extroverted Judger body language analysis as well (so those youtubers may have been right about this). Her internal look sometimes, and especially its timing, leads me to the use of Ti.

So here a few aspects I noticed which I don't know to classify just yet: Vivid memory is often with Si, but I am very much against this argument. Besides, it was a written speech, and I am also better at remembering while writing. Sometimes. Anyway, anyone can have good memory, despite functions. If feelers associate a memory with a strong feeling, they are just as good at keeping the memory. She is motivated to be healthy more by logic and prospective appeal than tradition, so it leads perhaps to the Fe-Ti spectrum. I haven't seen anything towards Se in particular, and this leads me to doubt my feeling that she is an ENFJ. Let's see what the others think.

 

[heiots]

Interesting thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Here's a post where a member believes her to be INFJ: http://personalitycafe.com/guess-type/180728-stana-katic.html#post9356394

Particularly this paragraph where they say, "A lot of acting technique is based on freeing oneself and allowing oneself to be vulnerable. At acting school, they stress a lot of Se principles. I think that’s why she comes across as Se: she repeats a lot of what they say in drama school. Se users don’t really seem to talk about adventure as more as they do it. Stana is extremely disciplined."

I don't know exactly the minute differences between Si and Se. Only this:

Extraverted Sensing (or what Jung called Extraverted Sensation) occurs by way of the five primary senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste). Introverted Sensing (Si), by contrast, relates to inner bodily sensations such as pain, hunger, thirst, internal temperature, numbness, tingling, muscle tension, etc. Both Se and Si are critical for our physical survival, delivering vital sensory feedback from within and without.

I've taken a number of acting workshops the past year, and both these descriptions of Se and Si are main elements of acting. It's been the hardest art form I've had to do due to how much emphasis is placed on physicality and sense memory, which focuses on what you see, smell, taste, touch, and hear, and how you feel internally. What changes occurs in the body when you're cold or sweating, or when you cry, what happens? Do your eyes start stinging, which part of your body hurts (e.g. your heart feels like it's being squeezed). Stana being an actor would - even if not naturally geared towards these observations - would have been trained to do so in school and in her work. An actor's training would be based on being actively aware of what you feel - both externally and internally, physically and emotionally, to use these things for her work, so she just may be good at remembering sensory details because of her training.

So I'm not sure how it all fits in, but her being an actor may affect typing. I feel more confident of Ni and Fe (especially her asking, "What do you think?" to the audience member was a good point). I've got to go back to look, but I recall browsing through her Instagram and thinking how much some of her comments on the pictures would be similar to mine. Which may not mean anything, but it does occasionally give a certain introspective, intellectual vibe.

I had different impressions watching the speech at the DePaul university and the one at Google, but the Google talk would probably be better to judge since it wasn't a written speech. There were moments I thought she zoned out a bit or struggled to focus on what they were saying or what exactly she wanted to say - and she'd the host, "Did that make sense?" as if she hope she'd formed a good way of verbally explaining her thoughts/vision.

 

[Ginny]

She might be, she might not. Here are some more points:

ENFJs struggle more to stay on topic than INFJs due to their inferior Ti. She is more active than an INFJ would be, using her intellect and other's admiration of her to persuade them to be more aware of the enviroment and infrastructure. She is much more comfortable in the spotlight than an introvert could be. She relies more on statistics and personal experience than the holistic image she could make up, which is an indicator for the not trusted, inferior Ti.

Looking at socionics descriptions, the ENFj seems more emotional and less intellectual, which still induces some doubt, but when I focus on stages of development (she is after all an adult), as put down on personalityjunkie.com, it is more unlikely that she is not. The only other points that might speak against extroversion are her pre-law studies and that she speaks various languages.

I have only read the PC-thread just now, so I don't inadvertently influence my own assessment. After that, I calculate that she is at least with a 65% probability INFJ. I'd have to look at her personally...

I looked at the instagram page. Didn't know I could, I thought I'd have to have an account. But one post did it. This is pure Ni.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

It may be she comes off as Fe-dom because it's her first extroverted function. Or her most used. Only this doesn't mean that her thought process is different as well.

 

[heiots]

That quote though is quite popular among artists, and I've seen it on my acting teacher's cup, and he doesn't quite strike me as INFJ. But it is one of my favourite quotes. =)

ENFJs struggle more to stay on topic than INFJs due to their inferior Ti. She is more active than an INFJ would be, using her intellect and other's admiration of her to persuade them to be more aware of the enviroment and infrastructure. She is much more comfortable in the spotlight than an introvert could be. She relies more on statistics and personal experience than the holistic image she could make up, which is an indicator for the not trusted, inferior Ti.

As for being active in the public eye, she doesn't seem the kind to take advantage of paparazzi to get more attention; from her Instagram, she seems to value solitude and "renewal of soul" sort of experiences. But she does use what influence she has to bring issues that trouble her to light. If an INFJ has a certain amount of popularity, why would he or she not use what influence they have to share their vision? If more people are aware of the problem and seek solutions, that might help fix the issue. That said, I do feel she's much more comfortable in the spotlight than an introvert. But, that can be explained with actor's/celebrity training. And if it's an issue that troubles the INFJ and it's something of passion, that may overshadow any discomfort or awkwardness of being in the spotlight, but she also seemed fine during the Jimmy Kimmel (or any talk show) interview. She just doesn't actively seek the spotlight. So...I'm a bit on the fence with this.

At first impression, I thought she seemed a little more intellectual than emotional, but Fe does seem very dominant with her.

How is it that you came to think she has strong Ni? Usually the easiest for me to figure out is Fe or Fi. Is it the whole "spacing out/looking internally," and the way she tries to get her points across in the best manner?

ETA: Her website seems more charity-based than celebrity-based: http://www.stanakatic.com She does seem very much to have a heart to help humanity.

And then there's this little note:

Dear Friends, I have come to a difficult decision that I would like to share with you. Firstly, regarding postal fan mail and autograph requests, there has been some highly inappropriate & concerning mail recently, which led my team to insist that any postal mail be returned & that the address be shut down. Your generosity has always been so incredibly thoughtful and wonderful. If you do still wish to send a gift, I ask that you consider donating to a charity on my behalf. I am a big supporter of children's welfare and environmental causes. So please give forward, and send me a note through my website to let me know who you have donated to. Unfortunately, this also means that I will no longer be able to receive autograph requests by mail as a fan mail service would print my signature on photos and mail them out. You deserve it to be the real deal. On a positive note, I am still here, and you can all still send me your fabulous letters, and pictures, and stories, through the fan email address. You can send in your art and photos, which we often post on the Facebook fan page, and you can tweet me any time!
Stana

 

[Ginny]

she doesn't seem the kind to take advantage of paparazzi to get more attention

I only said she knows how it works, I never said she was using it. Were she exploiting it she would be more of an ENFJ, who is more likely to lack authenticity in favour of being admired. They are more likely to do the right thing for the wrong reasons, and Stana doesn't strike me as that kind of celebrity.

If an INFJ has a certain amount of popularity, why would he or she not use what influence they have to share their vision?

You have to be careful with that. There are a multitude of factors that have to consider, most of all not becoming manipulative. It goes against every healthy INFJ's principles to use their influence to acheive their objective. That would be doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Isn't it enough that she inspires and contributes?

How is it that you came to think she has strong Ni?

It's less a knowing than a feeling. However, it's weighing Fe that made the decision easier. An Fe-dom isn't likely to make these pictures. (This is where the feeling-part comes in again.)

Is it the whole "spacing out/looking internally," and the way she tries to get her points across in the best manner?

The timing of spacing out doesn't fit that theory. She spaces out to access Ti, which indicated to me that it's in the lower half of her stack. I read that Ti inferiors deviate much more from the topic depending on their feelings towards the topic, and it didn't seem to fit her. ENFJs often have to be reminded to come back to the topic. An INFJ can do that for themselves, mostly. And the points she made (unrelated as they seemed at first) still are connected to the topic in some way. INFJs are therefore in theory much more coherent and consistent than ENFJs.

 

[heiots]

You have to be careful with that. There are a multitude of factors that have to consider, most of all not becoming manipulative. It goes against every healthy INFJ's principles to use their influence to acheive their objective. That would be doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Isn't it enough that she inspires and contributes?

I guess I don't see it as manipulative. It's not forcing people to do anything, but simply using what you have to shed light on issues that are harming humanity or the earth. People do that all the time though through art - with movies, or lyrics, or paintings, to share their opinion and beliefs with the world.

It's less a knowing than a feeling. However, it's weighing Fe that made the decision easier. An Fe-dom isn't likely to make these pictures. (This is where the feeling-part comes in again.)

May I request for a little clarification? What do you mean by weighing Fe? And a Fe-dom isn't likely to make these pictures as in pictures of quotes that motivate them or the vibe of her Instagram pictures in general?

The timing of spacing out doesn't fit that theory. She spaces out to access Ti, which indicated to me that it's in the lower half of her stack.

This helps me a lot. Is that how it works? I never realized that "spacing out/looking away" when thinking/mulling over something is a sign of Ti being in the lower half of the stack. I always thought it was a natural thing for people to break eye contact when thinking hard about something.

I'm enjoying this conversation. Thank you!

 

[heiots]

One other question I have also is how an INFJ can be part of the entertainment circle - at least, in a sector where it requires you to deal with a rather high level of publicity and have quite a bit of extroversion? Networking. The requirements of being a celebrity. Especially in acting, where so much emphasis is placed on sensing and performing in front of people. It's something I struggled with - something I took up to get out of my comfort zone - and I know my experience isn't necessarily the same for others, but I just wondered.

 

[Ginny]

I guess I don't see it as manipulative. It's not forcing people to do anything, but simply using what you have to shed light on issues that are harming humanity or the earth. People do that all the time though through art - with movies, or lyrics, or paintings, to share their opinion and beliefs with the world.

I just went by the way you wrote it, your choice of words implied manipulation. But it's mostly guesswork anyway. A medium is always more subtle, too subtle for some. But it allows you to make up your own mind, while sharing your point of view. Stana did say that she wants to show her characters as more environmentally aware, and display a different way of dealing with it. There are just those that don't notice this. There is a good and bad way to go about raising awareness. What she does is shifting the focus from people with money towards smarter people (that need money and influence to do something), opening a channel of communication between the two.

What do you mean by weighing Fe? And a Fe-dom isn't likely to make these pictures as in pictures of quotes that motivate them or the vibe of her Instagram pictures in general?

The pictures and Fe-dom would make are more like selfies, highlighting themselves more than the artistic value behind them. They would use the art to highlight themselves, rather than authentically shining through the art they want to put into the foreground. See for example the picture of the coffee cups, or the picture she shared of David Bowie. Especially the one with the old person (I'm working from memory here, I don't remember the gender). She expressed herself through the art and did not present an enforced image of herself through the picture (fake because she directed the perspective the observer is supposed to have of her). See what I mean to differentiate?

I never realized that "spacing out/looking away" when thinking/mulling over something is a sign of Ti being in the lower half of the stack. I always thought it was a natural thing for people to break eye contact when thinking hard about something.

Compared to a Ti-aux ENTP I observed I suppose it is so. Perhaps it is the Ni-Ti combination, more than Ti by itself. I have never seen that Ne-Ti person look into himself to form his answer, it only comes straight out, he thinks while he is talking. Sometimes it seems like he isn't consciously thinking, but talking without thinking, only he must obviously be thinking so the things that do come out come out.

Let's assume for a moment that it is so, and go through the situation, from input to output. Ni represents the information input and information order(ing). Next would be Fe, which is an information exchange, taking in further information from outside, which boils down to taking in the atmosphere of the environment. In order to order my thoughts for the Se output, without being rushed or influenced by my environment, I'd have to retreat into myself, which would look to the outside world like "looking inside", to fully concentrate on Ti. And Ti takes information out of the Ni ordered-information-repository, only it isn't particularly ordered, but needs to be re-ordered for a comprehensible answer. And even then, I'd often start talking too soon, talking as soon as I have a picture of the answer, but I haven't thought of the words yet which will make up the answer. This is why occasionally I stop talking because I don't have the word ready for utterance which would perfectly suit the expression of that particular thought or image. This is where Fe likes to step in and raise my level of nervousness because I am taking too long to say something. Long story short, I get flustered, rummaging in my head for words, which are then not always the right ones if I let myself be influenced and rushed by Fe. This is why I think Ti is a function that is not always at the ready for us. We sometimes have to look inside for the right words, because we know: words have power, we want to express ourselves authentically and (therefore) need the perfect words.

It may be that thinking hard is also a cause for introspection. But for an INFJ it is not the only cause for introspection. I don't know exactly how it is for other types, I can only guess. For INFJ, I believe it's a motivation to express integrity towards their inner world, because our inner world so complex and highly nouanced that it is close to impossible to make it known.

 

[Ginny]

One other question I have also is how an INFJ can be part of the entertainment circle - at least, in a sector where it requires you to deal with a rather high level of publicity and have quite a bit of extroversion? Networking. The requirements of being a celebrity. Especially in acting, where so much emphasis is placed on sensing and performing in front of people. It's something I struggled with - something I took up to get out of my comfort zone - and I know my experience isn't necessarily the same for others, but I just wondered.

For that I'd use the enneagram insticts to explain and say it depends on that. Not every person of the same type reacts the same way. Social types are likely to just be themselves. They have a high amount of energy and know how to regulate the output. Sexualy types are like a flare, they glow brightly and are thus easily wearied by too much exposure or exposure to too many people at a time. Self-preserving types have only a small amount of energy and are therefore easily worn out. I guess the self-preserving types are more prone to make up a public persona which is different from their real self, because it's easier to be someone else than be seen and judged for who you really are. Networking is probably easiest to deal with for the sexual type, because they don't talk to all that many people at a time and can also retreat for a while (5-15 minutes at a time, depending on how many people there are during a conversation). I'd have to think about this some more...

 

[heiots]

Finding photos like these on her Instagram makes me happy, and I don't know if it's at all type related, but it feels like a soul thing - appreciating the little things that most people miss and loving the intricacies of nature.

The pictures and Fe-dom would make are more like selfies, highlighting themselves more than the artistic value behind them. They would use the art to highlight themselves, rather than authentically shining through the art they want to put into the foreground. See for example the picture of the coffee cups, or the picture she shared of David Bowie. Especially the one with the old person (I'm working from memory here, I don't remember the gender). She expressed herself through the art and did not present an enforced image of herself through the picture (fake because she directed the perspective the observer is supposed to have of her). See what I mean to differentiate?

As in "look at this thing that has enriched me" vs "look at how amazing and beautiful I am/self-promotion"?

Let's assume for a moment that it is so, and go through the situation, from input to output. Ni represents the information input and information order(ing). Next would be Fe, which is an information exchange, taking in further information from outside, which boils down to taking in the atmosphere of the environment. In order to order my thoughts for the Se output, without being rushed or influenced by my environment, I'd have to retreat into myself, which would look to the outside world like "looking inside", to fully concentrate on Ti. And Ti takes information out of the Ni ordered-information-repository, only it isn't particularly ordered, but needs to be re-ordered for a comprehensible answer. And even then, I'd often start talking too soon, talking as soon as I have a picture of the answer, but I haven't thought of the words yet which will make up the answer. This is why occasionally I stop talking because I don't have the word ready for utterance which would perfectly suit the expression of that particular thought or image. This is where Fe likes to step in and raise my level of nervousness because I am taking too long to say something. Long story short, I get flustered, rummaging in my head for words, which are then not always the right ones if I let myself be influenced and rushed by Fe. This is why I think Ti is a function that is not always at the ready for us. We sometimes have to look inside for the right words, because we know: words have power, we want to express ourselves authentically and (therefore) need the perfect words.

It may be that thinking hard is also a cause for introspection. But for an INFJ it is not the only cause for introspection. I don't know exactly how it is for other types, I can only guess. For INFJ, I believe it's a motivation to express integrity towards their inner world, because our inner world so complex and highly nuanced that it is close to impossible to make it known.

It took me a while to follow along as I'm only starting to get more familiar with how functions work together, but it sounds exactly like how I behave. What I bolded in your quote is beautiful. You meet so many people who are so eloquent or have no qualms in speaking what they think, that it feels good to know this. That others have this struggle as well, that it isn't enough just to attempt to get what's inside to the external, but it needs to be crafted with as much precision as possible to do the inner world justice. And sometimes it's difficult, and you have to settle for what you can get out. (I'm sidetracking, but I wonder if the need to get it "just right" is sometimes a disadvantage; we hesitate to share or to speak or to create art because we don't think it would be "good enough" and so lose an opportunity to share with others. Sometimes it seems like the easier option not to try.)

Back to the topic - like you've already mentioned, Stana seems more at ease with public speaking than most INFJs I know, but maybe it's maturity and honing of other skills. Outside what seems to be comfort in the spotlight, can we say she seems much like an INFJ?

More bits of info I've found: http://www.thelist.com/85410/things-dont-know-stana-katic/

 

[Ginny]

As in "look at this thing that has enriched me" vs "look at how amazing and beautiful I am/self-promotion"?

I guess more of the latter. But it needn't be beautiful, they can also be environmentally active, but then they need to be admired for it and probably even see to it that they do.