MBTI Type: ESFJ

Cora often reflects back the emotions of those around her, such as taking on O’Brien’s feelings toward Mr. Bates and passing them on to her husband. She prioritizes her family and friends, but also has a deeper sense of appropriateness that extends to those in the household and how they come across in society. She is quick to smooth things over, but also to assert how she feels forcefully – making it known what she will and will not stand for, as regards her house, and putting others in their place when it comes to them criticizing her children. Like Robert, she enjoys having things predictable at home. She’s relieved to turn her house back into a country estate after the war and send the soldiers off home—there’s no need to make permanent changes, after all. Cora enjoys being in the middle of things and volunteering for committees, but also likes to be at home with her family. She tends to focus on the everyday necessities of life—such as finding appropriate suitors for her daughters, though she does readily latch on to new ideas and considers progress a necessary evil. She has broad, contextual thinking in terms of cleaning up Mary’s scandals (how it could impact all of them and her future prospects) and she’s more able to access the “bigger picture” than Robert (“She should  get married soon, Robert…”). She often relies so much on appearances, and how things look to others (is it bad to have a crippled servant?) that she doesn’t stop to reflect, to analyze the situation, or consider what is the driving force behind others’ actions (inferior Ti).

Enneagram: 9w1 so/sp

Cora can be extremely emotionally detached, so much so that Robert accuses her of being “curiously unfeeling” toward Matthew’s situation and Bates’ needs. She keeps herself isolated from unpleasant things, and is quick to smooth over any bad situation. If the servants downstairs don’t like Bates, she urges her husband to get rid of him, always siding with them in a desire for harmony. She admits that she knew Robert didn’t love her when they married, but agreed to marry him anyway, despite him being after her money (showing a tendency to find “okay” things others might object to). Her 1 wing can become fixated on how “things look” to other people, causing her to be somewhat hypocritical in asking Robert to fire Bates while not questioning her own motives.