Meet Detective Johnson, a character from the engaging book “Sqerm.” I recently read this book and had the chance to meet the author, which was really cool. Although I didn’t have my book with me for an autograph, I got the author’s email, and they kindly agreed to write an article for us soon. In this article, I’ll talk about Detective Johnson’s personality and what I think his MBTI type might be.
I’ve been using the MBTI for over ten years to help student government and club leaders build teams. It’s a tool that helps them understand how others think and make decisions. I found it very useful, especially since I’ve worked with so many students, including the amazing Thunder Rosa.
Now, let’s dive into Detective Johnson’s personality. I believe he’s an ISTP. While this might be up for debate, I’ll explain why I picked this type for him and would love to hear your thoughts.
Introvert: First, I think Detective Johnson is an introvert because he seems like a reflective and analytical person. The first time we meet him in the book, there’s a comment from another officer that’s a bit unclear, and it’s not obvious if it’s aimed at Detective Johnson or the main character, Sage Weiss. To me, this shows he’s independent and doesn’t need to be part of the good ol’ boy network. It also seems like he enjoys spending time alone thinking about the complex case he’s working on and another mystery.
Sensing: I’m pretty sure Detective Johnson leans more towards Sensing. He’s very into details and pays close attention to what’s going on around him. People who prefer Intuition (N) tend to focus on the big picture and might not be as interested in the small details, which can be very important. There’s a part in the book where Sage quickly solves a problem that Detective Johnson had been struggling with for years, but I think that’s because Sage is the main character and needs to have a bit of gravitas. In other words I think that scene says more about Sage than Detective Johnson.
Thinking: The reason I strongly believe he’s a Thinker is how he deals with Sage and the mystery around his uncle. Detective Johnson seems to rely on logic, facts, and making rational decisions. People with a Feeling (F) preference would consider personal values and emotions more when making choices. While Detective Johnson has values he seems to stick to I don’t see him making emotional decisions.
Perceiving: Lastly, I think Detective Johnson is more of a Perceiver. He seems open to new information and options. If he were a Judging (J) type, we might see more rushed decisions and a stronger desire to quickly solve Sage’s case. Judging types usually prefer things to be settled and don’t like ongoing uncertainty.
I believe Detective Johnson’s personality in “Sqerm” is best described as ISTP. Below is a meme that sums up what I think Sage thought of Detective Johnson when they first met. Often, this type can be seen as lazy or incompetent when really they are gathering information. These are my thoughts, and personality types can be quite flexible, so I’d love to hear your thoughts on his personality type, too.
