MBTI Type: ESFJ
Everything in Mary’s life revolves around Sheldon and being a good mom, but she also cares about how things look and wants to be a giving, generous, and likable presence within her community. She hovers around her son, urging him to make friends, fit in a little more, telling her two other kids to mind their manners and not tease him or hide his bowtie (then convinces him to remove it on his first day of school, afraid it might alienate the other children or get them to call him a freak). She is always forthcoming about good manners, and her feelings, talking through everything constantly and at times, overwhelming her more inward husband with her thoughts, feelings, and concerns about whatever is happening. When a friend’s child dies, Mary does everything in her power to help this person, but doesn’t know what to say to her, and thinks it’s awful. She then has a crisis of faith, as she tries to explore her feelings through a hope garden and journaling, leading her into a low Ti meltdown where she questions everything she believes and no longer wants to trust in God. It’s only when Sheldon reaffirms her as a great mom whose faith is beautiful and that he doesn’t see how God couldn’t exist (it’s only rational that such an intricate design as the universe must have a Creator) that she comes back into herself. She is very purposeful, detailed, and attentive to all of his needs, wants, desires, and little traditions, but unlike Sheldon’s lower Si, hers is ready for change and proactive in accepting that time passes. She uses her Ne to explore different ways to understand and articulate her beliefs, in her whimsical sense of humor, and in her desire to ensure her children experience all life has to offer.
Enneagram: 6w7
Mary is a worrywart who tries to keep everything in her life under control, and whose ultimate authority is “The Bible.” She places all of her faith in church and God (until in one episode, when that shaken by the death of a friend’s child and she begins to question God, but Sheldon restores her faith through being logical about it, and touching her heart in the process) and tries to live her life according to those ideals and to instill good manners in her kids. She tells her husband that if Sheldon starts college in a year or two, she will be “right there in his dorm room” because she refuses to let him out of her sight. One episode in particular shows her 6-ness in that when she remembers the couple she left Sheldon with at the private school, she translates the entire experience into negativity—a creepy house, glassy eyes, and sinister intentions toward her son, prompting her to drive over there and get him in the middle of the night with her husband’s agreement. She does not want to allow a total stranger teenager to drive her son an hour away, so she forbids him from attending a movie with his friends. Mary doesn’t show a ton of wing focus, other than being highly involved with her church and wishing her son would branch out into having more friends and interests.
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