Juggy & Bets Theories - Continued...
I’ve been thinking a bit about what kind of personality Jughead might have out of the 16 personality types (check it out if you want to, its pretty cool: https://www.16personalities.com/ ).
I was going through the personalities, and I think I ultimately came to the conclusion that Jughead might in fact be an INTJ type (a.k.a., “The Architect”), which also so happens to be my own personality type. Now, that said, you are more than welcome to poke holes in my theory. I’m interested in hearing other people’s views on this subject. But if he were an INTJ, that would not only explain a few things about him, but it would make his connection with Betty that much deeper. So I’ll try to explain not only why I think this way, but also what could actually be happening in his head because of this personality type.
1. What is an INTJ personality and why might Jughead have it?
An INTJ is an imaginative and strategic thinker, with a plan for everything. So, lets check that off first.. Imaginative, check, he writes stories. Strategic, check, he knows where to go with getting information for that story and how to get it. He also knows which step of the investigation he needs to do next at the end of every turn. Having a plan for everything, check, he was thrown into homelessness and his response to his father was, “I’ll figure it out dad.” After that, he still appeared to be doing fairly okay, despite everything. So, he hits all the checkmarks for the base of the personality. But it goes deeper than that. INTJ types are not good with social interactions. They view being overly emotional as a sign of poor self-governance, and prefer cold rationality. Shutting down with strangers, and only really opening up to people they feel close with. They also base their thoughts in logic. All of which Jughead has proven he does.
First, Jughead is an outcast as school. Somehow he has managed to gain Betty and Archie’s loyalty and friendship, probably because they view his insight, honesty and intelligence refreshing and invaluable. He is blunt and cynically sarcastic, but also always hoping for the best. INTJs are a perfect contradiction of being both the bitterest of cynics and the most starry-eyed idealists simultaneously. Beyond that, since an “Architect” personality is based around logic, when something doesn’t make sense, such as Archie having an affair with Ms. Grundy, Jughead has to confront it and try to work through it. Despite the insecurities the INTJ feels, they radiate self-confidence and an aura of mystery. Think back to Pops cafe with Archie, Betty and Veronica. Remember when Betty asked Jughead and Archie to join them and Jughead had one of his rare moments of confident charisma. In that moment, even Veronica was impressed by him.
2. How does this affect Jughead’s relationship with Betty?
Assuming that he is in fact an INTJ, “Architect” personality, I’m going to make some conclusions about Jughead that I think are true, so humor me.
He internalizes a lot. The fact that he’s opened up so much with Betty would suggest that he feels very close with her. Since his personality is an introverted type, its much easier to see the points where he is subtly dealing with strong feelings for Betty. The subtle loss of composure and discomfort he shows when she reveals that she is going on a date with someone else, for example. Or when he hands her the paper with her family’s name on it to put on the murder board. He could barely take his eyes off of her.
Jughead would be bad at dealing with emotions. He doesn’t trust them because they don’t make sense from a logical perspective, however, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel them. Feelings are a trait of the “Architect” personality that aren’t exercised very much, so when someone like Jughead does feel or love, it can be much deeper, much more intense than with many other personalities. Jughead’s personality type finds the best partners in people who are intelligent and intuitive. And open-communication and honesty are prized. In Jughead’s case, if Betty were to feel the same way, the chances that they would have a good relationship might be pretty high (assuming the writers don’t have an ulterior motive in store), considering Betty seems to fill most of those things. It’s also probably why Jughead is attracted to her, besides being a beautiful woman. And in Betty’s case, it would also suggest that she has some kind of “I & N” personality as well... perhaps leaning more towards an INFJ “Advocate” or an INFP “Mediator” personality.
In the end, my real hope is that the writers go with the relationship and don’t mess it up. This would be one of the first times that an INTJ personality is portrayed accurately as a protagonist (instead of an antagonist) on TV who actually has a healthy romantic relationship.