Chris McCandlesss Personality Type

Chris McCandless was someone who wanted to live life on his own
terms and not on the terms of society. Once he graduated college, he made
the decision to go on a journey. He didnt want any kind of connection with
society. His temperament type could help explain why he was the way he
was and why he did the things he did. So, the question is, what was Chris
McCandlesss temperament type? Based on evidence from the story, Chris
McCandless was most likely an INTP (introverted, intuitive, thinking, and
perceiving) temperament type.
Some who oppose this position might argue that Chris McCandless
leaned more towards the preferences of sensing and feeling. Throughout the
story, there is some evidence to show that Chris demonstrated the
preference of sensing over thinking. According to MBTI Basics, someone with
a sensing personality is one who pays attention to the physical reality; what
they can see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. They pay more attention to the
present rather than the future. When Chris decided to leave his car, money,
and any trace of him behind, he was not worried about how that was going to
affect his future. He saw the flash flood as an opportunity to shed
unnecessary baggage (Krakauer 29). He was doing what he wanted to do in
the moment and what felt right to him. Others might argue that Chris
demonstrated more of a feeling preference. Someone with a feeling

personality is one who makes decisions with their heart or is more

compassionate. When Chris changed his name to Alexander Supertramp, he
was able to symbolize the complete severance from his previous life
(Krakauer 23). It allowed him to feel free. He made that decision with his
heart. People with a feeling personality also like to do whatever will maintain
harmony between everyone. In the story, Chris showed the preference of
feeling when he decided to leave the ranch when he realized that Crazie
Ernie was never going to end up paying him for the work. It did not take him
long to make the decision and move along in his journey. The MBTI Basics
show reasons and support as to why people could believe that McCandless
leaned more towards the sensing and feeling preferences. Regardless,
evidence from the story suggests that Chris likely had the INTP temperament
type.
When it came to extroversion and introversion preferences, Chris
prefers introversion. According to MBTI Basics, someone who is introverted
prefers to be alone or in small groups. An introvert will not fit snugly into a
typical structure. They value independence of thought and action
(Quistic).There is evidence of this throughout the story. At one point, Chris
stated that he had not seen or talked to another soul for thirty-six days
(Krakauer 125). Another example of this preference would be when Chris did
not stay in contact with his family when he set off after college. As months
passed without any word of Chris-and then years-the anguish mounted
(Krakauer 125). A person who prefers extroversion would prefer to be around

lots of people and groups. Therefore, one can believe that Chris had a
preference of introversion and did not want many people in his life.
When it comes to sensing and intuition, Chris was more intuitive. MBTI
Basics explains that someone who is more intuitive prefers to look at the big
picture before finding out the facts. Chris was not afraid of what the future
held for him. He ended up writing to Wayne If this adventure proves fatal
and you dont ever hear from me again I want you to know youre a great
man. I now walk into the wild (Krakauer 133-134). That statement proved
how he felt about this journey he was about to face. Chris was also a very
intelligent man and everyone around him knew that. Westerburg explained
how he tried too hard to make sense of the world, to figure out why people
were bad to each other (Krakauer 18).
When it came to the thinking and feeling preferences, Chris preferred
thinking over feeling. According to MBTI Basics, one with a thinking
preference is one who makes logical decisions and solutions to situations.
One with this preference finds emotion difficult, as they are logical at
heart (Quistic).They are also very task-orientated. Chris never seemed to
care about what people thought about him or what he was doing. Once he
got his mind set on something, he stuck with it. Westerburg eventually said
that If he started a job, hed finish it. It was almost like a moral thing for
him. He was what youd call extremely ethical. He set pretty high standards
for himself (Krakauer 18).

Lastly, when it came to judging and perceiving preferences, Chris

was more perceiving than judging. MBTI Basics indicates that someone with
a perceiving personality prefers a flexible and spontaneous way of life. The
simple and obvious bores them, and anything they see as trivial or
unimportant will be pushed away (Quistic). For example, Chriss journey
involved him taking lots of chances and risks. After college, Chris had loaded
all his belongings into his little car and headed west without any itinerary
(Krakauer 22).
When it came to Chriss temperament type, he was introverted,
intuitive, thinking, and perceiving. He was considered A thinker
(Personality). There is plenty of evidence throughout the story to show this.
He was introverted because he did not have many friends, but had a real
connection with those he was friends with. He was intuitive because he
always liked to see the big picture. Also, Chris was a thinker because he
would analyze a situation before making a decision. Lastly, Chris was a
perceiving type because he stayed open to new information and preferred a
spontaneous way of life. Chris was a very intelligent man that wanted to live
life on his own terms with nature. He was the master of his own destiny
(Krakauer 23).

Sources

"INTP." Quistic INTP Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor, 1997. Print.
"The Myers & Briggs Foundation - MBTI Basics." The Myers & Briggs Foundation - MBTI
Basics. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
"The Sixteen Personality Types - High-Level." The Personality Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar.
2016.