The Myers-Briggs® Personality Types of the Hunger Games Characters

The Hunger Games is one of my favorite young adult book series and movie franchises. These books propel your imagination into a world of survival and adventure. But in this world, it is not just physical strength that determines one’s fate—it is also the characters’ mental strengths as well.

In today’s article we’re going to explore the Myers-Briggs® personality types of the characters in the movies. While not each of the 16 personality types is represented in The Hunger Games, you’ll see types similar to your own to be inspired by.

Let’s get started!

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The Myers-Briggs® Personality Types of the Hunger Games Characters

Katniss Everdeen – ISTP

“My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. The Capitol hates me.” – Katniss Everdeen

I’ve been torn between ISTJ and ISTP for Katniss for a long time. Throughout the books, Katniss continually hearkens to her past to lead her towards the future; a common quality of ISTJs. However, everyone has a memory that brings images to the forefront during especially meaningful moments. Eventually, I landed on ISTP for Katniss. Here’s why:

Katniss lives according to her own logical rules. She doesn’t delegate and organize other people by nature; instead, she prefers to march to the beat of her own drum. This is something ISTPs will relate to. ISTPs are excellent at understanding their environment and navigating within it; but they navigate best alone. They don’t particularly enjoy delegating, organizing, and managing people, something ISTJs are more proficient at. Katniss wants to worry about her own goals and not feel responsible for people she doesn’t know. She uses her own sense of logic to maneuver through different situations, but is a reluctant leader.

ISTPs are adaptable and quick on their feet in the external world. Katniss showcases these strengths, reacting rapidly to threats or to animals that might later make a good meal for her family. Her hunting skills are so good she can shoot a rabbit through the eye from a great distance. Her impulsivity and adaptability are more akin to ISTP than ISTJs, who work best with familiarity and need more time to acclimate to new surroundings.

I’ve heard some arguments for INTJ for Katniss, but I see very little basis for that. INTJs are visionaries who are fixated on the world of concepts and abstract ideas. They are more visionaries than they are tacticians, and Katniss is definitely a tactician. When Gale urges her to think of a better life beyond District 12, she’s frustrated and annoyed with him. It is continually difficult for Katniss to think of things getting better and we almost never see her focus on the abstract or far distant futures. Her language is down-to-earth, and her aura is grounded. She’s highly aware of her environment and the details within it. This fits more with a Sensing-Perceiving preference, than an Intuitive preference.

As for the Thinking preference, it’s easy to see that Katniss thinks of what’s logical before thinking of the emotions of others in her vicinity. When it comes to her own emotions and identity, she often feels lost. She frequently mentions not knowing who she is. Katniss is someone who focuses on what she needs to do and how she can understand her environment more than who she is and what her values are. Overall, Katniss’s thought patterns and reactions line up best with ISTP.

Find Out More About ISTPs: 24 Signs That You’re an ISTP, the Vigilante Personality Type

Gale Hawthorne – ENTJ

“It’s war, Katniss. Sometimes killing isn’t personal. Figured if anyone knew that, it was you.” – Gale Hawthorne

Gale is a visionary and a hard worker; he imagines a better world and does whatever it takes in order to achieve it. Katniss, a sensor, often finds his rants about the capitol and his plans to change things unrealistic. Yet as an Intuitive, Gale is always looking beyond the present moment to a future he wants to create. In the heat of turmoil, he’s creating strategies, guiding Katniss, and making tough decisions. His thinking side is evident; Gale is a man who knows how to stay objective, follow his head, and organize people in the most logical way.

Gale’s intuition shows up in some of his tender moments as well. He’s the one that realizes first that Peeta is trying to keep Katniss alive with his actions. He also knows when it’s too late for him and Katniss to work out as a couple, saying “You’ll never be able to let him go. You’ll always feel wrong about being with me.” This certainty about the future is something that NJ personality types are famous for.

ENTJs can have a fairly adept sensing side with the right experiences and development. Gale, like Katniss, knows how to improvise in his environment in order to stay alive. He’s fearless in battle and can be impulsive when his vision or ideals are threatened. Like most ENTJs, Gale also has a deeply sensitive inner core that few know about. But he keeps that sensitivity tamped down in an effort to stay objective and focused on the tasks at hand.

Find Out More About ENTJs: 24 Signs That You’re an ENTJ, the Director Personality Type

Peeta Mellark – ENFJ

“But Our Lives Aren’t Just Measured In Years; They’re Measured In The Lives Of People We Touch Around Us.” – Peeta Mellark

Peeta is someone who nearly always has a strategy for how he’s going to interact with the world around him. However, his strategies are unlike Gale’s. They’re not about winning a war or directing people to victory on the battlefield. Rather, his plans are about preserving the people he holds most dear and staying “himself” no matter what the capitol or the games do to him. Peeta is willing to sacrifice his entire life in order to protect Katniss; but he doesn’t do this by fighting ferociously against opponents. He emotionally orchestrates situations so that sponsors will want to protect Katniss and viewers will be drawn to her. Peeta is someone who knows how people emotionally respond, and like a master conductor, he can direct those emotional responses to his own ends.

Peeta is an intuitive; he’s constantly trying to understand the people around him and their motivations. His intuition works hand-in-hand with his Feeling preference, which causes him to prioritize his values over logic in some situations. He looks for a “greater good” in everything he does, and that often means sacrificing his own personal desires for the betterment of others.

Haymitch Abernathy – ENTP

“Embrace The Probability Of Your Imminent Death, And Know, In Your Heart, That There’s Nothing I Can Do To Save You.” – Haymitch Abernathy

Haymitch was a tough character to type. Because he is coping with PTSD and grappling with alcoholism, it’s hard to see where his head would be under normal circumstances and in a healthy state of mind. Here’s why I typed him as ENTP:

ENTPs are very persuasive individuals. They can think outside the box, come up with strategies, and manipulate situations to get the results they want. While Haymitch seems brusque and cold at first, we later see that he’s able to charm sponsors and orchestrate the giving of supplies to Katniss through his manipulation of the Capitol. ENTPs (and ESTPs) can be quite charming and persuasive when needed, and often know how to “work” peoples’ emotions. Haymitch employs this method when he pushes Katniss and Peeta to play the part of “star crossed lovers” to keep them safe from President Snow’s vengeance. Regardless of how uncouth and sloppy alcoholism renders Haymitch, he still knows how to strategize and manipulate people’s emotions to his own ends. However, his method seems to be rather haphazard at times; Haymitch isn’t someone who lives with a strict regiment or routine. Thus his Perceiving (P) preference seems obvious.

Haymitch also comes up with unconventional ways to survive in the arena. By experimenting, he discovers that there is a force field surrounding the arena during his games, and this realization gives him an invaluable edge in the games. Haymitch is quick to react to his environment, but in ways you wouldn’t necessarily expect.

Effie Trinket – ESFJ

“Welcome! Welcome, welcome. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor.” – Effie Trinket

Effie is someone who knows the values and social expectations of the Capitol. Polite and friendly, she tries to bring a sense of fun and harmony to the Games even though she knows they are a brutal and inhumane event. Her politeness hides her true feelings on the matter, as she is often very uncomfortable with the fact that the children she takes care of are going to be sacrificed in the Games.

ESFJs rely heavily on their Feeling preference; they strive for harmony and will work hard to create and maintain it. They are very sensitive to the moods of other people, in Effie’s case, Katniss and Peeta. She does what she can to make them feel comfortable in their living arrangements, remarking on how she was able to ensure that they got dessert when others couldn’t. Effie places a high value on tact, manners, and attention to detail. She notices the small things that could potentially bring Peeta and Katniss more joy, and protectively looks out for each of them. Motherly and nurturing, she does her best in the given circumstances to provide some semblance of support and happiness.

Coriolanus Snow – INTJ

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous.” – Coriolanus Snow

Coriolanus Snow is a villain with dimension. If you’ve read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes you know there’s more to him than you’d see in The Hunger Games trilogy. Snow doesn’t start out full of evil, in fact, he despises who he became when he briefly entered the arena to try to save his friend, Sejanus. Unfortunately, Snow’s moral conflict doesn’t last and he eventually evolves into the tyrannical leader of Panem. He is a formidable leader who wins through strategic planning and control; every move he makes is part of a bigger play and he casts a careful watch over the districts and their citizens for any sign of rebellion.

I type Coriolanus Snow as INTJ based more on his qualities in the books than what you’ll see in the Hunger Games movies. He mentions having an obsessive focus on one thing at a time; something INTJs often will relate to. They enjoy delving into philosophical ideas, big-picture plans, and strategies for the future. Snow is someone who can think outside the box, understand strategy, and sense patterns and how they could unfold. His visionary outlook and strategic nature deeply align with an NJ preference. Clearly, Snow is a Thinking type; he looks far more to outcomes and logic than his own personal values. These qualities are typical of an unhealthy INTJ, however, and must not be confused with average to healthy INTJs. Average to healthy INTJs are very loyal to their personal values and are not just powermongers like you see eventually with Snow. That said, Snow still believes that what he is doing is for the greater good. In fact, he believes that he has sacrificed love, friendship, and even his own health to bring the Capitol to glory while controlling the districts to keep them out of chaos.

Find Out More About INTJs: 26 Memes Any INTJ Will Relate To

Johanna Mason – ESTP

“I’m going to the stinking capitol if I have to kill a crew and fly there myself.” – Johanna Mason

Johanna Mason is clever, quick-witted, and bold. While she can come across harsh and brutal at times, her heart is usually in the right place. Like most ESTPs, Mason has no trouble coming up with tactics that work to her favor in the arena. She manipulates people into thinking she is weak and vulnerable, and then strikes with confidence when the opportunity presents itself. ESTPs are natural risk-takers, and this is something seen in Johanna Mason: she takes risks that can potentially save her own life, as well as that of her allies. She’s highly aware of her surroundings and knows how to use objects in her environment to get the upper-hand.

Mason is also very independent and has a strong sense of self; she doesn’t need someone to tell her what to do. Unfortunately, President Snow detests this quality of hers, and has her entire family murdered when she refuses to be a prostitute after winning the 71st Hunger Games. Driven by vengeance and a desire to protect the districts, she puts her life on the line to protect the Mockingjay. She fights for what she believes in, even if it means sacrificing her own life in the process.

Finnick Odair – ESFP

“Everytime that cannon goes off, it’s music to my ears. I don’t care about any of them.” – Finnick Odair

Finnick Odair was difficult to type because you see his persona throughout much of the books and then discover his true self later on. Many people type Finnick as an ENFJ due to his easy charm, compassion, and the swift way he can read people. However, ESFPs are also quite capable of these same qualities; and, in fact, any personality type can be compassionate. What we notice about Finnick is that he can quickly blend into any situation; he knows how to work people and woo them. He can read a crowd, and use his resources to get the upper-hand. Like most ESFPs, Finnick Odair can immediately tune into sensory information and assess what it means. He can also read a situation, make quick decisions, and help out in practical ways.

ESFPs enjoy making an impact, are quick to react to their environment, and believe in seizing the day. We see this again and again with Finnick. Yet ESFPs aren’t all about action; they also believe in following their hearts no matter what. Finnick’s flirtatious demeanor is his way of protecting his family in the district, particularly Annie, the troubled woman he loves. When Finnick is outside of the Capitol, his friends quickly realize that he has a laid-back, accepting aura and is much more grounded than anyone previously knew. This laid-back, down-to-earth style fits more with a Sensing-Perceiving preference than an Intuitive-Judging preference.

Rue – Introvert and Feeler (Most likely ISFP, INFP, or ISFJ)

“Rue, who when you ask her what she loves most in the world, replies, of all things, “Music.” – Katniss Everdeen

There really isn’t enough written about Rue for me to clarify what her personality type is. Many people type her as INFP, but as I re-read through the Hunger Games books, there was such limited data and so few quotes that I feel it would be sloppy for me to guess at a very specific type. What we do know is that Rue is a heart-driven girl who loves music and adores singing to the Mockingjays in her home. She’s more of an observer than an instigator; quietly she follows Katniss in the arena, never coming into view until it’s absolutely necessary. She loves stories, music, and nature and has a sensitive but competent presence. Her death is one of the most haunting and heartbreaking moments in the entire series. My top guesses for Rue would be ISFP or INFP, primarily because she takes a more flexible than mapped-out approach and doesn’t have the directing style of the INFJ. However, there really isn’t a lot of information to go on, so any Introvert (I) and Feeling (F) type could be possible.

Primrose Everdeen – ISFJ

“People deal with me, but they are genuinely fond of Prim” – Katniss Everdeen

Primrose “Prim” Everdeen is a gentle, nurturing soul who has a gift for healing. She has a quiet aura, and is someone who thinks before she speaks, carefully choosing words that she hopes will instill a sense of stability and comfort in those who need it most. These are all qualities of the ISFJ personality type. Like many FJs, Primrose cares about her community and is attuned to the feelings of others. She is also practical with resources in her environment and enjoys working with her hands to heal ailing people and animals. Like most Sensing-Judgers, Primrose longs for stability and enjoys a steady routine. She trusts her older sister to handle things but is there to comfort her and offer practical and emotional support anytime she needs it.

Cinna – ISFP

“I always channel my emotions into my work. That way, I don’t hurt anyone but myself.” – Cinna

ISFPs believe in fighting for a cause and living according to their deeply-held inner values. While they may appear stoic and unreadable on the outside, they usually have a passionate inner core. Often ISFPs will express themselves creatively or use physical activities to show their emotions. Cinna is a great example of this; he pours his inner feelings into his work, creating stunning and iconic costumes that help Katniss’ image in the arena. He also takes physical risks – like setting her dress on fire during the parade – which shows both his commitment to the cause and his desire to push boundaries. Cinna’s gentle and understanding attitude towards Katniss throughout the books is like a steady rock that she can rely on no matter what.

President Alma Coin – ESTJ

“This isn’t just adolescent, it’s insubordination.” – President Alma Coin

No-nonsense and pragmatic, Alma Coin is a woman who’s good at managing things and people. Like most ESTJs, she is responsible and task-focused. She wants to bring order to the world while simultaneously plotting her own hidden agenda. She is extremely organized and has a knack for formulating plans that help her reach her goals. Unfortunately, Coin is an example of a power-hungry ESTJ who, in the end, cares more about being in charge than revolutionizing the corrupt system the Districts and the Capitol have been living in for so long. When she takes charge of Panem she seems to want to reinvent the same corrupt policies, yet in a different order, that President Snow had in place. In the end, her ambition overshadows her better judgment and she loses it all, leaving a lasting reminder of how power can corrupt even the best intentions.

Beetee Latier – INTP

“There’s always a flaw in the system.” – Beetee Latier

Beetee is an inventor and tech-savvy INTP who loves coming up with ingenious solutions to problems. His inventive spirit can be seen throughout the series, from Katniss’s voice-activated bow and arrow to the more complex inventions like booby traps set around the arena. Beetee is good at thinking outside the box and analyzing the world around him; he’s always trying to find ways to make things better or come up with solutions that no one else has thought of. His analytical mind is invaluable to the crew, and his solutions often prove fruitful.

Plutarch Heavensbee – INFJ

“We had to save you because you’re the Mockingjay, Katniss. While you live, the revolution lives.” – Plutarch Heavensbee

Plutarch Heavensbee is a man with a vision, and he’s willing to work as long as it takes to make that vision a reality. Heavensbee also has a way with people, and has no issues ingratiating himself with the Districts and the Capitol alike. His insight into human behavior is also impressive; he can see through layers of manipulation and subterfuge, and can, in turn, manipulate via propoganda and strategy. He’s also a compassionate leader, and cares deeply for his team. In the end, he shows his true colors when he helps Katniss escape the arena, showing that even though he may have done some morally questionable things in service of the revolution, at heart Plutarch is a devoted believer who will do whatever it takes to help his cause succeed.

Find Out More About INFJs: 24 Signs You’re an INFJ, the Mystic Personality Type

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