When they see Charles Schultz’ Peanuts character, Linus Van Pelt, many people think he has a “Linus Complex.” But many in the MBTI community probably see all the stereotype traits of an INFP. This personality type, while not as famous as the INFJ, is not all that uncommon. It’s very interesting that Charles Shultz paired these two types as siblings (Lucy being the INFJ) in his comic strip. So this thumb sucking, blanket hugging kid makes for a fascinating study (to me at least).

INFP stands for Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving. This personality type has been given “The Healer” as its monicker, a nickname that fits Linus perfectly. He is introverted because he has a rich inner world. The wheels are always turning, so to speak. The NF is a powerful combination which allows Linus to understand the feelings of others on a deep level. He is able to follow patterns of human behavior and go with his gut feelings in any given situation. Unlike his sister, Lucy, he has a more open and flexible approach to life (P).

So how does this play out? Linus is Charlie Brown’s supportive friend who is always available to listen to him. He encourages him and helps him when he can. In his novel approach to life, it was Linus who famously wrote encouraging letters to Santa Claus instead of telling him what he wanted for Christmas. Even his beloved blanket is a mark of the INFP, who is known to be sentimental to things that have enriched his/her life. On different note, INFP’s can be quite stubborn once they latch on to a personal belief, hence The Great Pumpkin.

Also, you may have noticed that this character is not at all infantile in spite of his blanket and thumb trademark habits. He is not at all insecure or fearful as one may expect. He even used his blanket to teach some bullies a lesson in one Peanuts cartoon. Again, true to his personality type, he was called to action to protect someone else, not himself. INFP’s are supportive souls who see the potential in others and love to see it come to fruition. In that regard, Charlie Brown is lucky to have such a good friend, complex or not.

The image below was pulled randomly from an internet search. The artist is unknown, but I like his/her take on Charles Schultz’ character.