Criminal Minds: Spencer Reid MBTI
INFJ
Warning: Spoilers
I know he initially gives off INTP vibes but I find he's quite affected by other people
He tries to put himself in the shoes of the Unsub and he realizes that to some extent, everyone shares certain feelings and dark thoughts and that can scare him at times
Once he experienced being a victim, it was really difficult NOT to feel what other victims might have been feeling
I believe his inferior Se creates a desire to escape who he is or how he feels at times and I think it is what caused him to want to use Dilaudid even after his traumatic experience because he liked how it helped him escape and ease his pain
He's able to sense when something is wrong with others and will usually do something about it. He'll ask them what's wrong and maybe try to reveal part of himself in order to gain their trust.
When he isnt able to save someone from themselves, he feels personally responsible. He feels that if he was really there for them and thus they didnt feel alone, they wouldn't have done a bad thing.
He sometimes trusts an unsub when everyone else sees them as a danger. He doesn't talk rudely to them and down to the last second he tries to think like them and appeal to them and talk them down to prevent casualties, even of the "bad guys"
When stressed, he may try to reinvent himself or push people away by acting like he doesnt care or by drawing attention to their faults instead of his own
Avoids conflict: he solely took care of his mother up until he was 18 but the guilt he felt over sending her away keeps him from ever visiting her even years later, but he still cares about her enough to write her daily but just can't build up the courage to see her in person.
Is driven by a sense of duty and loyalty
Finds comfort in facts and knowledge which is why he states off statistics and knows a lot about literature, culture, religion, etc.
He wants to do his best and enjoys a challenge - ex. continuously trying to beat Gideon at chess
When his intuition tells him something is off, he can at times get tunnel vision and only accept the truth which has to feel right for him in order for him to accept - and a lot of the times his initial hunch is right but ofc sometimes it isn't.
Although he may seem to lack social skills, he feels deeply and may not know how to help people so he tries to comfort them with facts that comfort him. He doesn't always know what to say to people which is why he tries to get them to open up to him because he's a good listener. INFJ's can be very attune to people's feelings but that doesnt always translate into knowing what to say which is why many are better at the spoken word - likely also why he writes his mother instead of talking to her in person.
He tries to look for the best in people and sometimes that can lead to him putting them up on a pedestal and when they don't live up to their image, he feels betrayed because his idea and internal world is shattered.
He tries his best to look composed and not show emotion but unlike Hotch for example, those who know him, know that in reality he's quite sensitive and craves acceptance. He isn't that hard to read.
Regardless of unwittingly being an open books at times, he still keeps a lot of his life to himself - maybe even without realizing it.
It's hard for him to keep quiet about his passions. Although he's a quiet person, when it comes to things hes interested in and has knowledge in, he could go on for hours which can surprise and impress people who underestimated him.
Although he's very knowledgeable and strives to do his best work, he isn't arrogant or competitive. He wants to be his personal best and strives to feel useful to the team. He feels like his only good point and all people talk to him for is his brain and knowledge. Deep down he feels like maybe people wouldn't like him without it so he tries his best to keep up appearances and maintain himself useful. He doesn't try to be the best in order to bring people down or gain notoriety or climb the social or work ladder - which is why he doesnt even introduce himself as a doctor and wonders why Gideon does, because that title isn't important to him. He doesnt weigh success based on money or career but rather on the difference he can make in the world.
Hes always learning and searching for answers in hopes that it will help him not only learn about and understand himself but other people as well.
