Narcissa Malfoy’s Personality Type (A guide)

This article will attempt to explore the personality type of Narcissa Malfoy, the mother of Draco Malfoy in the ‘Harry Potter’ series, highlight her dominant traits as well as strengths and weaknesses and shine light upon her character in the role of a mother and faithful wife.

What Is Narcissa Malfoy’s Personality Type?

Narcissa Malfoy’s personality type is an ISFJ who is also known as a ‘Defender’. These individuals can be described as warm hearted and caring, efficient and approachable. They pay a lot of attention to detail and are very protective of their loved ones as the name signifies.

Although they are described as introverts and are reserved, ISFJs have developed very good analytical and people skills not to mention they are very much adaptable to change. Their analytical skills arise from the fact that they pay attention to detail and Defenders are people oriented – they are able to understand people because they act on feeling rather than thoughts.

These personality types are usually found in occupations that are relevant to medicine, academics or social work due to their desire to help others and do good.

Before we investigate further the personality type of Mrs. Malfoy, let us take a look at who she is and what the Myer Briggs Type Indicator is that assigns her this type and title of Defender!

What Is The Myer Briggs Type Indicator?

The Myer Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI is a self report personality assessment tool that categorizes each individual into one of the 16 personality types based on that individual’s responses to a number of questions. These questions are based on the four psychological functions namely extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling and judging/perceiving.

Who is Narcissa Malfoy?

Narcissa is the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange, mother of Draco Malfoy and wife of Lucius Malfoy. She is hardly seen in her own capacity; she is either seen as a mother or wife in the movie however, we still learn about her personality by observing how she plays out these roles.

In most of the scenes, we see her as a composed lady who never truly expresses what she is feeling or thinking; she does a good job in maintaining an expressionless face which is quite intelligent as she is mostly around the Dark Lord when we see her.

Narcissa portrays a character that is brave, caring, wise and even trustworthy of others. She is very elegant in her demeanor because of her dressing and how she carries herself. She is not very expressive of her feelings hence which is why as Potter fans, we can never truly figure out whose side she is on. Or can we?

The Dominant Traits of Narcissa Malfoy.

What traits dominate the personality types of ISFJs or Defenders? Let’s take a quick look.

Introverted.

Like other ISFJs, Mrs Malfoy is an introvert. She is rarely seen communicating with others in the movie except unless it has an aim; which is usually surrounded by Draco’s concern. When we see her sitting in the gathering of other death eaters, it is as though she sits there only to fulfil Lucius’s desire to please the Dark Lord. She never has any input or opinion nor does she show any interest in what is going on or being planned.

Introverts prefer solitude not because they dislike others but because they value the feelings and thoughts they have during this time; they can focus on what is going on in their mind, become very productive and do not have to worry about the fuss of how to interact or behave with others. In general, introverts value their time alone and sometimes being with others may cause them to appear silent which is in the case of our dear Narcissa.

Sensing.

We do not see much of her in the series but Narcissa seems to be a wise lady who is prudent in her matters. She is careful in what she observes and acts accordingly. Her character is one that does not really tend to be imaginative or think abstractly rather she is one who looks at the facts, takes a practical approach and learns from her past experiences. 

People with this trait focus more on the now and make use of their senses to understand the world. They are not so much intrigued by their gut feelings or thoughts when it comes to determining what to do.

Feelings.

Narcissa clearly acts on her feelings rather than thoughts like other ISFJs. These people tend to give more importance to values, love, mercy and forgiveness rather than the truth, facts and right thing. They do this because they give more weight to human feelings possibly because they understand the impact they have and how much pain or happiness they can cause.

When in the forest, Narcissa goes to check if Harry is dead or not. If she operated on her thoughts, she may have found a different way to check on Malfoy but she chose to ask Harry and still covered up for him. This may be because of multiple reasons one being she acted as a mother and wasn’t ever in favor of the Dark Lord. 

Judge.

Narcissa is a woman who prefers structure and wants to be in control. She does not like uncertainty or spontaneity and dislikes it when things do not go according to plan.

People with this personality type also have the above characteristics. In the opening of one of the parts of the series, Narcissa is seen meeting Snape and making the unbreakable vow with him to ensure Draco’s protection. Being a mother she cannot stand knowing her son could fall into deep danger and to bring some sort of certainty, she devises a plan which involves the Hogwarts professor.

The Strengths of Narcissa Malfoy.

Supportive.

Yes we can see this trait in Narcissa for sure. She is a good wife and mother who aligns herself in their paths so that they can achieve what it is they desire. Throughout the movie series, we see Narcissa accompany her husband in the presence of the Dark Lord although she does not seem much happy about it. Towards the end, she is seen walking away holding Draco’s hands as soon as she gets the chance when Voldemort is near his defeat.

Observant.

Narcissa is very observant. In many scenes we see her react less but watch others more. When the battle at the Malfoys manor is going on and her wand is shaken from her hands by Dobby, it isn’t her who reacts but her sister Bellatrix. She is indeed an introvert but an observant one.

This quality allows her to understand people and manipulate them according to her needs.

Practical People.

Narcissa is all about taking the practical steps. She is seen as a woman who will do anything to make sure her son is doing alright and we see this when she takes the bold step of meeting Snape even when the Dark Lord forbids it. She knows what she has to do!

The Weaknesses of Narcissa Malfoy.

Repressed Feelings.

Narcissa is rarely seen expressing her feelings. As much as she wants to defend her loved ones, she understands that she must protect herself too. As a wife, she is shown as quiet and obedient in the movies. The only time she does express herself is when Draco is at stake.

Overload Themselves.

ISFJs are people who may find they have taken too much than they can stand. It is possible that in trying to please her loved ones, Narcissa took up a dark path she later one found out she disliked. This is possible because towards the end of the series, she does not have Harry harmed even though she knows he is alive. Also, like others, she flees the scene when Voldemort seems helpless with her son leaving Lucius behind to follow if he pleases. It is a quiet message that she has had enough with his turns.

Humble and Shy.

No matter how elegant and high class she may seem, Narcissa and other Defenders are shy and humble people who do not think much of themselves. Rather they just want to go about their lives. When Narcissa asks Snape for the favor regarding Draco, you can see her personality. She is humble in explaining what she wants and the gratitude she has is easily visible in her eyes.

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

Conclusion.

The article above attempts to investigate the personality type of Narcissa Malfoy by extracting various traits she exhibited in the movie series of ‘Harry Potter’. The article also highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of her personality type which is classified as the ‘Defender’ according to the MBTI.

Frequently Asked Questions: Narcissa Malfoy’s Personality Type.

References.

https://www.16personalities.com/isfj-strengths-and-weaknesses

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Narcissa_Malfoy