MBTI Type: ISFJ
Matt is a home-body in every sense of the word; his grandma, his home, his school, his friends, all mean the world to him, and he patiently and methodically takes care of all the practical things his grandma needs. He is the “adult” in the family, even when his dad has come back from Iraq. He does not enjoy it, but has no choice but to handle everything like an adult, from calling social services to asking for help to take care of her, while he works to support them, goes to school, and plays football. It’s hard for him to shift into being the quarterback, because he’s not used to having so much pressure on him on the field. He also clumsily tries to copy others if he sees their successes, but learns best from watching old play tapes and studying techniques, so that he can confidently call a play that wins them State. Matt is very Fe in that he puts aside all of his own hopes, dreams, and ambitions to take care of his grandmother and be there for her whenever she gets upset. He drops things and rushes home, sometimes in the middle of a date. It upsets him to have her be upset, and he tries to smooth things over and even pretends to be her dead husband to calm her down and get her to go to sleep. Matt thinks through his decisions, and tries to back them up with logic, but his reasoning does not always make sense to other people, and they may just stare at him while he fumbles and tries to explain himself. He does have hopes and dreams for the future, but won’t allow them to get in the way of the present and its immediate demands. After his dad dies, Matt dramatically upsets his life by running away from everything familiar–he moves out of Dillon, he dumps Julie, and he doesn’t look back until six months later.
Enneagram: 9w1
Matt is very shy, sensitive, and withdrawn. He does not easily approach people and finds it hard to be the center of attention, particularly if it gets him accosted by angry people upset about his inability to concentrate at football games. He’s conflict-avoidant; rather than being willing to go up to Julie and demand to know why she’s dating him, but flirting with “The Swede,” he complains about it from a distance, while confiding in his best friend. When she breaks up with him, he has to live with it. He doesn’t do well when he’s being yelled at, so Jason working with him helps him, because Jason knows how to be tough but also sensitive and focus on his potential. Matt struggles to stand up for himself until he gets angry, and then he tells his dad that he thought he would solve their problems, not create more, and asks him to go back to the military, because he’s not patient or sensitive enough with Grams. Matt often drops everything to rush home and console her. He is also hard on himself, and very honest, such as when he tells the Coach someone left several hundred bucks in his locker, without a word of explanation, and just turns it over to him. He apologizes too much, even telling the Coach he is sorry for Julie having broken up with him.
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