MBTI Type: ISFP

Bethany knows as a child what she is “meant to do” (become a pro surfer) and believes in this enough to stand on it, even when losing her left arm to a shark threatens to destroy her dreams. She has a deep inward sense of her own emotions and finds it difficult to express her feeling in the moment or to share them easily, unless it’s with her mother. She leaves her parents and friends waiting a long time for her feelings, and runs away to feel them alone rather than shows them. She is very kind, considerate, and thoughtful of others, but also has her eye on becoming a champion. When she turns down a mission’s trip to stay home and practice surfing, to the disappointment of her youth group teacher, Bethany struggles with her dreams and her desire to please and not disappoint her. She loves the great outdoors and has no fear of the ocean, before or after her shark attack. Bethany sneaks out with her friends to go midnight surfing. She opportunistically tries to land all the best waves, and is good in competition because she sometimes goes under her opponents boards to catch the surf. Bethany is able to learn to surf one-armed because of her natural ability to sense what she needs to shift in her body to balance herself out, and she largely does this instinctively, through repeated exposure to the elements. As for her Ni, her father says she has the same “instinct” as her mother for knowing what is coming in nature; this enables her to paddle out way past the other girls when she feels a wave coming, even though there is no physical indication of its presence. She becomes stuck on a single belief about her future and how she wants it to go, and almost falls apart when she doesn’t think she can make that vision a reality. Her inferior Te doesn’t want to face the realities of her situation, but also becomes pessimistic for a time, when she gives up the sport altogether. But she finds her way back to it.

Enneagram: 9w1 so/sp

Bethany has an almost supernatural ability to remain calm in every situation, from the shark attack itself (they said if she hadn’t stayed quiet and “together” she might have lost more blood and died) to losing a championship to her opponent. Rather than be bitter, Bethany congratulates her and thanks her for not treating her any different, and challenging her to do her best. She remains optimistic, cheerful, and unwilling to descend into bad moods. Even when unable to easily do the things she used to, Bethany keeps a stiff upper lip and a mostly positive attitude. She re-imagines things positively and chooses to help others in her darkest moments. Her 1 wing is driven, appropriate in its behavior, and wants to do its best.