Guest Post by E. J., INTJ

Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

Dominant Introverted Feeling (Fi): Smeagol is primarily motivated by self-interest. He does think about some moral concepts, such as fairness and kindness, but mainly when they apply to himself in some way. If he breaks some aspect of this moral code, he finds a way of justifying it (e.g., claiming the Ring was his birthday present and that he is therefore the rightful owner). Smeagol, unlike his alter-ego Gollum, can feel personally responsible to people who have helped him (although not to people in general). Gollum does not even care about people who have helped him, reacting viciously toward anyone who stands in his way. Smeagol cannot empathize with other people unless they have had similar experiences–specifically in relation to the Ring. While he understands something of how Bilbo and Sam think because he is a Hobbit himself, he has little sympathy for either of them. On the other hand, he knows that Frodo has experienced something like his own struggle while staying wiser and retaining a strong moral code. Smeagol admires Frodo, but he betrays Frodo anyway because he cannot be loyal to Frodo while fulfilling his own desires.

Auxiliary Extroverted Intuition (Ne): Even before Smeagol found the Ring, he was known for his curiosity about things his relatives and friends found disgusting. Smeagol was interested in roots and beginnings, and he would tunnel underground to see what he could find there. These interests were not connected with any sort of long-term goal for his life: Smeagol simply wanted to see what lay under the earth’s surface. After he finds the Ring, Smeagol proves extremely adaptive, using his knowledge about caves and mountains to secure hiding places for himself when his grandmother kicks him out. He easily becomes used to practices that would disgust any other Hobbit, eating raw fish and Orcs to stay alive. Smeagol is good at generating various possibilities to ensure his survival with the Ring, but he does not usually plan far ahead. Most people would use the Ring to gain enormous power and achieve their personal goals. Smeagol never attempts to do so, even after he understands what the Ring is.

Tertiary Introverted Sensing (Si): Smeagol often falls into the same repetitive behaviors without realizing it. He navigates by memory, retracing his steps through the wilderness as he guides Frodo and Sam toward Mordor. The Ring, however, has suppressed his early memories. Smeagol generally does not think about the past. One of the reasons that his interaction with Bilbo and Frodo has such a powerful effect on him is that their common culture frequently reminds him of his youth. A part of Smeagol wants to live a normal life again, and his relationship with Frodo is the closest he ever comes to achieving one. Ultimately, however, the Ring’s influence proves too strong.

Inferior Extroverted Thinking (Te): Smeagol is more concerned with achieving practical results than in analyzing how ideas fit together. His Te function is weak: he does not often consider what would be practical beyond the immediate present. Smeagol, particularly when Gollum is more dominant, can be ruthless. He murders to protect his initial claim to the Ring, and he betrays Frodo and bites off Frodo’s finger in order to preserve that claim. Unfortunately for Gollum, he is so emotionally overwhelmed when he gets the Ring back that he fails to think reasonably. He forgets his surroundings (e.g., being on the edge of a volcano with two potential attackers nearby) and falls to his death.

Author’s Note: Tolkien explicitly emphasizes that Frodo and Smeagol share similar cultures (both are Hobbits, though from different places and times) and some common experiences (because of the Ring). But they share something else in common–an MBTI type. While their values and interests are very different, Frodo and Smeagol do use the same functions. Tolkien was not, to my knowledge, interested in Jungian psychology, and he may not have considered the cognitive similarities between one of his heroes and his main anti-hero. Nevertheless, that Frodo and Gollum are both INFPs reveals additional reasons for the bond between them. Gandalf notes that Gollum’s fate could have befallen other Hobbits, and Frodo might have come closer to it than even Tolkien realized.