Claire Fisher: INFP

Introverted Feeling (Fi): Individualistic and self-directed, Claire strives to live a life that is in accordance with her own values. She is constantly in search of meaning, telling her counsellor Gary that she “just wants something to matter” (Brotherhood, 1x07), and is committed to authenticity, often expressing her disinterest in living a conventional lifestyle through fears of “conforming” or “being reprogrammed.” Claire has little respect for people she perceives to be inauthentic, calling her teacher Olivier a “fucking phoney” (Death Works Overtime, 3x11), and is focused on shaping her own life in a way that is independent of societal norms and pressures, leading Gabe to refer to her as “the most original girl in school” (The Will, 1x02). She pursues interests that are separate from her peers, often spending her time reading or making art rather than “trying to figure out how to puke after lunch without anyone noticing” (A Private Life, 1x12), and views the world in a personal and individualistic way, leading Olivier to comment that she “sees the world through her own eyes” (Nobody Sleeps, 3x04). Claire has a rich internal world, and is deeply aware of her own emotions, often using her feelings as a way to guide her moral judgements. She is quick to criticise people for engaging in behaviour she believes to be immoral, telling Olivier that “some feelings are wrong” in response to his inclination to “give into every emotional impulse” (Death Works Overtime, 3x11), and is inwardly tormented by doing things that go against her moral code, sobbing in distress when Gabe forced her to drive away from a man he shot (The Plan, 2x03). Though she is often dismissive of the things she doesn’t care about, Claire invests a great deal of energy into areas that have affected her emotionally, like trying to “save” her boyfriend Gabe, or looking after her brother David after he was carjacked and tortured by moving in for a few days.

Extraverted Intuition (Ne): Claire is energised by possibilities. She enjoys playing with ideas, as evidenced in her delight at planning an art installation with her friend Edie, and is excited by the potential of different concepts, commenting that an art talk she attended made the world seem “really open and interesting” (Nobody Sleeps, 3x04). She is focused on the way things could be, expressing a desire for “things to be better” during a counselling session (An Open Book, 1x05), is attracted to new ways of seeing the world, agreeing to attend a spiritual camp that offered a chance to “transcend reality” as a way of accessing a different perspective on life (Crossroads, 1x08). Claire is experimental in her approach to life, and is often open to trying new things: she buys a digital camera to “see what it can do” despite her preference for film (Hold My Hand, 5x03), and agrees to sleep with her friend Jimmy as a way of experimenting with a new sexual technique he had proposed (Coming and Going, 4x08). She experiments with numerous drugs throughout the course of the show as a way of altering her experience of reality, and is always open to trying new substances, often accepting drugs from her friends without further questioning. Claire has a vivid imagination, and often uses her internal world as a way to pass the time and provide herself with amusement. She writes a creative story for the school magazine based on something she had imagined in class, and enjoys creating “creepy cyber identities” in her spare time by way of amusing herself (The Private Life, 1x12). She is also idealistic in her expression of ideas, telling her friend Parker, “If we live our lives the right way, then every single thing we do becomes a work of art” (The Liar and the Whore, 2x11).

Introverted Sensing (Si): Claire has a nostalgic side. She is moved by Ruth’s comments about how she used to collage as a little girl (Bomb Shelter, 4x11), and deeply appreciates it when her mother presents her with a box of her past artworks, spending hours poring over its contents (In Place of Anger, 2x06). At times, she expresses strong beliefs about the way things ought to be, refusing to take digital photographs, for example, out of a desire to preserve the use of traditional film in photography (The Black Forest, 4x10). In line with this, she occasionally expresses interest in past ways of doing things, being enchanted by the idea of living during the Renaissance when people made their own clothes and butter (The Liar and the Whore, 2x11). Though Claire’s Si is not particularly strong in the first few seasons, it becomes more prevalent towards the end of the series when she lands herself in a conservative job (Rainbow of Her Reasons, 5x06). She is also aware of her personal history, often using past experience as a way of dealing with the present, such as comparing unhealthy aspects of her relationship with Russell with her past boyfriend Gabe (Everyone Leaves, 3x10).

Extraverted Thinking (Te): Claire prefers to experience the world through her personal feelings, and is uncomfortable with the use of hard logic (“You think the world runs on logic? Come on, open your eyes!”). Though she spends the majority of the series avoiding the “real world” by chasing her dreams of becoming an artist, Claire is highly capable of considering practicalities, such as refusing to buy a tube of cobalt blue paint because of practical expenses (Timing and Space, 3x07) or considering enrolment in a business course after high school by way of gaining practical life skills (The Secret, 2x10). She is capable of logical thought, and is efficient at the conservative job she gets at the end of the series, despite finding it uninspiring and tedious (Rainbow of Her Reasons, 5x06).

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