Jordan Peterson (LIE): Personality Type Analysis

Jordan Bernt Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist who currently holds a professorship in psychology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Peterson has conducted research in a wide range of psychological sub-fields. However, his main areas of study include personality psychology, as well as abnormal & social psychology, with an emphasis on personal self-improvement and the psychological role of mythological belief systems. Throughout his career in academia, Peterson has also maintained a clinical practice treating up to 20 patients per week.

For much of his professional life, Jordan Peterson was not well-known outside his field of study. However, that all changed in 2016 when he gained international notoriety for his very public criticisms of political correctness, and opposition to the Canadian government's Bill C-16 which, among other things, permitted the legal compulsion of preferred gender pronoun usage. Since then, Peterson has continually been in the media spotlight for the controversies surrounding many of his sociopolitical views. As a result, his YouTube channel (to which he's uploaded his lectures for years prior) has also garnered an up-swell in public attention, with subscription numbers reaching well over 1 million. He's also received an enormous surge of support in the form of tens of thousands of dollars in crowdfunded donations each month. This has allowed Peterson to step back from University work to travel the globe, be interviewed by numerous media outlets, give public talks & lectures, and write books -- among other projects. Fortunately, his large media presence provides a wealth of information from which to deduce his sociotype.

Particularly in his talks on the Psychological Significance of the Bible, Peterson often expresses his fascination with the concept of sacrificing in the present for future gain being a common mythological theme. He also frames many insights gleaned from his psychological studies in terms of the role certain psychopathologies played in the formation of infamous totalitarian regimes of the early 20th century. What's more,  Dr. Peterson's "Self Authoring" program also emphasizes reflection on past errors in order to plan long-term, practical strategies for self-improvement. Even some of Peterson's objections to Bill C-16 largely stemmed from concerns over the long-term societal consequences stemming from such a legal precedent. Judging from the above, and his oft stated desire to gain greater historical understanding despite his already extensive knowledge, it's safe to say that Peterson values -- and has a strong facility with -- T.

Throughout Jordan Peterson's academic lectures and public talks, there's a heavy emphasis on drawing empirical data from scientific studies across numerous fields to form the basis of his arguments on a wide range of issues. When referencing his experience in clinical practice, Peterson has spoken of using methodologies from varying schools of thought, based on whatever happened to be most effective for a given client. He also personally favors trait based personality metrics (namely the “Big 5”) over typological systems inspired by Jung, despite his general admiration for the man's works, citing the superior empirical backing and performance prediction value of the former. When pressed on the nature of his general worldview, Peterson has stated that he's a philosophical pragmatist, judging beliefs based on their personal & practical utility -- which accounts for his identification as a Christian despite being agnostic. He also frequently emphasizes the importance of assuming personal responsibility, gaining competence, and generally being of use to the people around you. The above, combined with other aspects of Peterson's career as a clinical researcher, indicates strong and valued P -- likely his base function -- with a probable L7.

In keeping with his aforementioned P valuation, Jordan often expresses his strongly held view that it's best to speak the truth (or at least honestly voice one's understanding of the truth) even if it's harsh and causes great discomfort in the moment. Given that his own public notoriety originally stemmed from refusing to shy away from controversial speech despite personal risk, and that he's exhibited consistent showings of such an inclination since then, it's apparent that Peterson has an overall Gamma style of communication. Despite this, Peterson has oft times shown himself to be adept at maintaining diplomatic composure and good humor in exchanges with contentious -- even hostile -- parties. The most famous example of this is displayed in his interview with journalist Kathy Newman. This indicates likely E3 usage, given his overall adequate facility with the element despite not holding it as a Quadra value.

Even before Peterson's rise as an internationally recognized public figure, he maintained a hectic work schedule, dividing his time between university lectures, research, and juggling multiple clients each week in his clinical practice -- often to the neglect of his health. Recently, Peterson has transitioned into an all meat diet at the recommendation of his daughter as a way to ameliorate certain chronic health issues, after she herself gained significant positive results in dealing with her own depression and crippling arthritis. Peterson has since maintained a strict adherence to the diet, despite the lack of culinary variety, citing only its effectiveness as sufficient justification. His general neglect of leisure and sensory pleasures in favor of doing the bare minimum required to keep his health up to task with his relentless workload strongly suggests an S4.

In a good many of the talks & lectures where he explains the "Big Five" personality traits, JP has stated that he himself scores high on the trait "openness" which, based on it's technical definition and some informal studies, highly correlates with I. In fact, when describing his own favored brainstorming method of simultaneously generating multiple, alternative possibilities, and then mentally simulating how they'd likely play out in practice, Peterson provides powerful evidence of I8 in the service of T2. Also in reference to his own big five rating, Dr. Peterson's explicitly expressed his valuing of trait "assertiveness", and frequently laments that he's not as strong as he'd like to be with the trait. Since the technical definition of trait “assertiveness” clearly coincides with extroverted sensorics (i.e. “Force”) in Socionics, and given Peterson's valuation & background usage of the faculty in the service of maintaining his heavy workload, it would be reasonable to conclude that he's a likely F6.

In his public debates with Sam Harris (LIE), the topic of discussion between the two intellectual figures constantly gravitates back to the ontological relationship between empirical facts and moral values, indicating their common valuation of R as seen from a P-heavy perspective. Further evidence of R valuation can be seen in Peterson's conviction that the best way to ameliorate social ills is by individuals focusing on the development of their character and personal relationships, rather than rushing to make sweeping systemic L changes at the level of societal institutions. Considering his own overwhelmingly prominent usage of P eclipsing L, intellectual fascination with a barely visible R, a desire to be more assertive despite having a relentless work drive (mobilizing F), a strong facility with an obviously valued T, adequate but subdued E, heavily neglected S, and his demonstrative usage of I, it seems certain that Dr. Jordan B. Peterson is an LIE.

To learn more about LIE, click here.

If you are confused by our use of Socionics shorthand, click here.