David Bowie

[Kill4Me]

SLI 3w4 sx/so

numerous sx/so not NF can pass for NF at first glance...

[Jack Oliver Aaron]

http://worldsocionics.blogspot.co.uk...-analysis.html

David Bowie (EIE) - An Analysis

David Bowie

David Robert Jones, known by his stage name 'David Bowie', was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, painter, and actor. His career spanned five decades and his work especially known for its innovative design, as well as reoccurring themes of reinvention and visual representation. He had a great impact on popular music, continuously changing and redefining his style and image over the years, thus standing out for his originality. These changes were often so apparent and variant, that he has been called a 'musical chameleon'.

Interviews with David Bowie reveal a highly creative individual, but one that needed and thrived on the presence of conflict and turbulence in order to create. Bowie mentions his past of deliberately creating conflicts in the people around him, often to the negligence of their state of mind. From then, Bowie learned to observe the conflict in others and to draw inspiration from that. This is quite in line with someone from an E & F valuing quadra, which desires intensity of feeling and action in their work. In addition the ability and willingness to manipulate emotion in friends suggests a focus on and ability with E with little concern for R.

Bowie's motivations for going into music have also been expressed, with him being drawn to music as a 'revolution' of sorts. This shows from the beginning how he saw music as a medium to effect change, and that he was not so interested in the melodies in the music to begin with. We see in this, someone very much driven, not by their personal satisfaction or enjoyment of music, but by the effect that creativity can have on others and that great change can be enacted through such creativity. Similar themes exist in his discussion of other topics such as the internet. Bowie excitedly discussed the "feeling permeating music... and the internet", that something amazing would happen in "the construction between artist and audience", how the audience is becoming more important than the artist him/herself. His excitement about this lacked much cohesion, and he seemed much more able to convey how great such changes are, than define its make-up in any concrete terms. This approach shows clear Beta values, specifically towards profound, world-changing emotions (E+T) with an absence of clarity or definition, suggesting weak L.

An impression is also given of a highly addictive, chaotic man, who needed clear rules of abstention to avoid going off the deep end. Having suffered from alcoholism, he cited an absolute rule that he must never have alcohol again or it would have been the death of him. This was a man who had trouble monitoring his appetites and needed the help of his friends and strong boundaries to keep himself in check. In this regard, we see not only a great incontinence with S, but also a dependence on L to provide a stability he has difficulty providing for himself. This is quite in line with S4 and L5.

Additionally, Bowie drew on a wide range of influences in the creation of his music, and was an active instigator of a range of new, avante-garde ideas in the medium, as well as in other media, such as film and art. This is quite in line with someone who could expertly process the many possibilities open to them and utilise interesting and alternative avenues in their work, typical of very strong I. Given the clear Beta motivations, this fits very well for I8.

We thus see someone very typical of Beta revolutionary values with an Ego focus on E+Tand likely S4 and L5. Finally, Bowie first emphasises the connection with the audience, effecting world change largely through how his artwork affects them, and second, emphasises himself being the active initiator of world-change, suggests E & F as Bold motivators. The relative absence of analytical prediction or setting out clearly how things will develop in the long term suggests that T & L are more Cautiously used. The long term revolution for Bowie seemed entirely to do with how he reached out to his audience and it seems completely unclear as to the motivation or ideology behind this change. This would strongly point to E1+T2 and F6+L5 for his valued functions.

One might argue that David Bowie's initial nervousness on stage, leading to his creation of the Ziggy Stardust persona, suggests a more 'Introverted' type. However, this is a misconception, as one's shyness has little to do with one's energy and whether they tend to Energise the environment and cause things to happen or Integrate and make it fit with one's needs and standards. It seems clear in that Bowie is the former. Furthermore, an EIE may often worry over how they might come across in a particular situation, disliking elements outside their control undermining the projects they are working on. Their F6 is Bold enough to get them into high pressure scenarios, but Weak enough to leave them feeling paralysed and needing support in unfamiliar situations. As such, it is not unusual for David to be an Energiser in Socionics and have hidden behind a persona when performing.

As such, the identification of E1, T2, S4, L5, F6 and I8 make EIE the most likely type for Bowie.


Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie - Wikipedia Article

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiK7s_0tGsg - Interview

[suedehead]

Ti-xLE 3w4 So/Sp

[Pallas]

David Bowie looks like probably EIE, since he was largely what I was thinking of when I saw those pictures of Russians from the 70s and thought the EIEs mostly looked like a bunch of rock stars.

Fe first values: "I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie.html"

More Fe values: "The humanists' replacement for religion: work really hard and somehow you'll either save yourself or you'll be immortal. Of course, that's a total joke, and our progress is nothing. There may be progress in technology but there's no ethical progress whatsoever.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_3.html"

Yet more Fe: "What I like to do is try to make a difference with the work I do.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_5.html"

Ni mysticism, combined with complaints about lack of values: "Heathenism is a state of mind. You can take it that I'm referring to one who does not see his world. He has no mental light. He destroys almost unwittingly. He cannot feel any Gods presence in his life. He is the 21st century man.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie.html"

More Ni: "Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie.html"

More Ni/Fe: "Anxiety and spiritual searching have been consistent themes with me, and that figures into my worldview. But I tend to make my songs sound like relationship songs.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_3.html"

David Bowie calling himself Ni creative directly: "An armchair Jungian would say the whole thing is about my own ongoing spiritual search. My interior life has always been one of trying to find a spiritual link, maybe because I'm from a family of separate religious philosophies: Protestant and Catholic.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_5.html"

Beta quadrant obsession with death: "Confront a corpse at least once. The absolute absence of life is the most disturbing and challenging confrontation you will ever have.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie.html"

EIE striving: "I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_3.html"

Nietzsche fanboyism: "I'm not a prophet or a stone aged man, just a mortal with potential of a superman. I'm living on.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_3.html"

Obsession with actual romance, Victim-ish vibes: "When I was 18, I thought that, to be a romantic, you couldn't live past 30.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_3.html"

Dynamic type: "I feel confident imposing change on myself. It's a lot more fun progressing than looking back. That's why I need to throw curve balls.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie.html"

He's a poet, which tends to be Ni/Fe in some order: "I guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I'm a writer... I write.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_2.html"

Outsiderness and idealism/mysticism: "There's a schizoid streak within the family anyway so I dare say that I'm affected by that. The majority of the people in my family have been in some kind of mental institution, as for my brother he doesn't want to leave. He likes it very much.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_4.html"

Aristocracy: "Radio in England is nonexistent. It's very bad English use of a media system, typically English use.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_4.html"

More aristocracy: "The Americans at heart are a pure and noble people; things to them are in black and white. It's either 'rawk' or it's not. We Brits putter around in the grey area.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_4.html"

Ne in Id: "There are times when I prefer a cerebral moment with an artist, and I'll just enjoy the wit of a Picabia or a Duchamp. It amuses me that they thought that what they did would be a good way of making art.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_bowie_4.html"

There's even more but I got tired of posting them.

[Hope]

EIE

[para]

Yes, clear EIE-Ni. Note the similarities between him and Kate Bush (who i think is IEI-Fe)

[Tallmo]

C-EIE

[khcs]

David Bowie - ISTP - Gabin

david bowie1.png

[WVBRY]

I can't really tell what type he is.

His paintings (google them) seem to express irrationality. They are full of chaos and movement.

He had a public "persona", which could indicate ego, but it could just be a 3w4/4w3 chameleon thing.

Everyone says he has beta values, but what is this based on? I don't see it, though I don't see anything that contradicts beta either.

So irrational, ego, maybe IEI but nothing is less certain.

Enneagram type: 3w4 (59)

[Desert Financial]

EIE 4w3 sx/sp
Edit: 3w4 seems more plausible.

[kingslayer]

Poster child EIE

[Adam Strange]

I was thinking about David Bowie and which types would turn their deaths into performance art, and it's Hamlet, of course.

So I looked to see if the16types had a thread on him, and here it is.

David Bowie - EIE.

[Not A Communist Shill]

I was thinking about David Bowie and which types would turn their deaths into performance art, and it's Hamlet, of course.

This may be true even if he isn't dead.

[qaz00]

EIE

[on a peaceful hiatus]

I can't really tell what type he is.

His paintings (google them) seem to express irrationality. They are full of chaos and movement.

He had a public "persona", which could indicate ego, but it could just be a 3w4/4w3 chameleon thing.

Everyone says he has beta values, but what is this based on? I don't see it, though I don't see anything that contradicts beta either.

So irrational, ego, maybe IEI but nothing is less certain.

Enneagram type: 3w4 (59)

I'm watching more interviews. he seems extremly intelligent. a part of me is thinking IEI>EIE but it's very hard to say. I think he was a creative subtype. maybe @Subteigh has some personal characteristivs to share. he is Ni+Fe 100%

https://youtu.be/Z_ZVEwtrmqU

he invented all these characters but was also playing on the emotions of others. it's just very hard to say if Ni was base or Fe. he refused knighthood and other honorable things and I just find it difficult to imagine an extrovert, let alone EIE, doing that. he's very humble in the way he carries himself

[Not A Communist Shill]

I'm watching more interviews. he seems extremly intelligent. a part of me is thinking IEI>EIE but it's very hard to say. I think he was a creative subtype. maybe @Subteigh has some personal characteristivs to share. he is Ni+Fe 100%

https://youtu.be/Z_ZVEwtrmqU

he invented all these characters but was also playing on the emotions of others. it's just very hard to say if Ni was base or Fe. he refused knighthood and other honorable things and I just find it difficult to imagine an extrovert, let alone EIE, doing that. he's very humble in the way he carries himself

"I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go." - David Bowie

[on a peaceful hiatus]

"I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go." - David Bowie

oh yeah I know that quote. he has many that make it seem as if he was extroverted but I cannot help but feel that it was all in his imagination considering that introverts have such a hard time influencing reality. if I go by what he is saying he's an EIE but nonverbal and the way he expresses himself in interviews make me think IEI. he invented all these characters because he was shy and it helped him perform on the stage.

"I'm just an individual who doesn't feel that I need to have somebody qualify my work in any particular way. I'm working for me."

[DEAD]

If Bowie isn't EIE, then everything we know about Socionics is wrong.

[on a peaceful hiatus]

found an interesting passage about his wife Angela Bowie, who also seems beta NF

Angela Bowie saw herself as a mediator between her husband and Tony Defries. The still quite shy David Bowie reacted positively to working with his wife at the beginning of the relationship. Paul Morley, in his book The Age of Bowie, described Angela's role to David Bowie in the early years of their relationship as "as a hitman, crook and intimidator, stylist, geisha and number one fan, but also as a wild, dissolute wife and a nutty mother". . According to Madeline Bocara, "She created for him a safety net and a whirlwind of energy and creativity around him."

She stated that they were not in love, and the union was a marriage of convenience. She told the Evening Standard, "We got married so that I could work [to get a permit]. I didn't think it would last and David said, before we got married, 'I'm not really in love with you' and I thought that's probably a good thing."

in his IEI description Gulenko literally mentions that IEI are prone to marry out of convenience.

[on a peaceful hiatus]

Maybe this is C behavior?

I mentioned it because gulenko writes in his book that introverts see themselves as individual entities, while extroverts evaluate themselves through other people. bowie's statement points towards introversion.

[nifl]

mb ILE

[Tallmo]

EIE-C

[Expansion]

EJ temperament via video interviews. Ethical.

[hellohellohello]

SLI for sure...jk. EIE.

I would hope everyone under the sun with at least a basic understanding of Socionics/Model A would type him as EIE