MBTI Type: ESTP

Maverick fully lives in the moment and takes advantage of any opportunity, whether that involves pulling dangerous mid-air stunts and disobeying orders to go directly after enemy aircraft, or hitting on a girl in a bar and then lying and saying they made out with each other to win a gamble with his friends. She’s one of his instructors, but he doesn’t hesitate to get into a sexual relationship with her. He spends all of his own time when he’s not flying doing other physical activities like playing sports with his friends. The SJs in the squadron see him as too “reckless” and “confident,” because he knows his body can handle any maneuver and so he leaps at the chance to take immediate action, often without regard for the longer-term consequences (inferior Ni). He continues this behavior in the sequel (Maverick), to where he takes his pilots on dangerous training missions, constantly pushes the limits of what his body and the plane can endure, is often in trouble with his superiors for his reckless opportunism, and even gets shot down on a daring mission (after which he steals a plane and flies it despite having a too-short runway to taxi up and then shoots down the pilots that come after him). He figures out things as he goes and just knows that he can trust his body to know what to do; it doesn’t bother him to fly an unfamiliar and out of date machine, since he fiddles with the controls and figures them out rapidly based on what he already knows (Ti operating off a framework of previous understanding). He has no real ambitions beyond to innovate and get ahead, to be competitive and become “the best pilot” in the force. He shows a lot of tert-Fe charm and ability to get others to like him, but also a need to impress them, a boastful attitude about his accomplishments, and the feeling that he can talk anyone into anything, especially to get himself out of trouble. He warmly opens up to his friends and has no real enemies on the base; most of the men respect him, even if they disagree with his methods.

Enneagram: 3w2 sp/so

I’ve retyped Maverick after re-watching the films. I initially saw the assertive triad (going through people to achieve his goals), but felt torn between 7 arrogance and 3 ambition. In the end, I see a lot of 3. When Maverick shows up at flight school, he immediately admits that his intention is to “win” everything. He cares about being “the best,” and is immediately competitive and assertive in how he pursues his goals. He can also be rather arrogant in his assumption that he’s a better pilot than anyone else, and that all of his decisions are correct. In the second film, he encourages his students to “act, not think,” showing his ability to react instantly and confidently swing things in the direction he wants them to go. Like all 3s, he doesn’t think the rules apply to him, and likes to flout them (he buzzes the radio tower, which earns him a reprimand, and he carries it as a badge of honor). He assumes he is going to get his name on the plaque that denotes the finest pilots in the academy. Even though his forceful personality is of-putting at first to the other students, his commanding officer likes it. Maverick shows his 2 wing in how easily he adopts people, mentors them, and shows them how to better themselves within the flight school. He also feels responsible for what happens to his friends, and self-punishes for a while (he drops out of the academy until someone convinces him to return).

Stop stumbling around in the dark, not knowing your type or those of your loved ones. Get 16 Kinds of Crazy: The Sixteen Personality Types today!