Movie Character Psychometric Profiles

For those who have taken the Core Values Index™ psychometric assessment, you may start to recognize iconic personality types in top movie characters. Here are four you may have heard of.

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell / Top Gun

Builder/Innovator, fearless yet imaginative

The name "Maverick" says it all. Fearless, imaginative, willing to take bold action in entirely new directions with complete faith that things will work out — and if they don't, he has the confidence to figure out how to get out of it.

Played by legendary movie actor Tom Cruise, the lead character of the hit 1986 film Top Gun exemplifies the archetypical Builder/Innovator personality type. "Maverick" has two standout traits that are key to identifying his primary core value energy as Builder.

Maverick never hesitates to act, often in a bold manner without caring what other people think, and he never lacks confidence or faith in his ability to overcome any challenge.

Maverick's secondary core value energy of Innovator is shown in his ability to think on his feet and come up with creative and — ahem — innovative solutions to tough problems. He also portrays a strong sense of altruism, a key characteristic of the Innovator core value energy.

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter

Innovator/Banker/Builder/Merchant, creative, caring and brave

In the Harry Potter movie universe, perhaps even more memorable of a character than Harry himself is Hermione Granger, played by British actress Emma Watson.

Hermione is highly intelligent and wise (these are very different things: intelligence is knowing that tomatoes are fruit, while wisdom is choosing not to put tomatoes in a fruit salad). She highly values knowledge and consumes it almost to the point of compulsion. She is also exceedingly brave, especially when it comes to doing what she feels is right.

Of the four characters in this article, Hermione is perhaps one of the most well-rounded in terms of her likely Core Values Index psychometric profile. She possesses elements of all four core value energies: wisdom, a thirst for knowledge, bravery and self-confidence, and a tenderness and caring for others and the integrity of her friends group.

Tony Stark, Ironman

Merchant/Innovator/Builder, charming, creative and bold

Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., portrays Ironman, the tech-imbued super hero in the Marvel cinematic universe. Stark isn't just an ultra-rich tech tycoon superhero, he's also a charmer and personality superstar.

Looking beyond Stark's extroverted and never-shy personality, he's also a world-classic innovator. He has leading-edge and world-class tools and resources available, in large part because he came up with the ideas for those tools in the first place. Even in a pinch where advanced technology and sterile-room facilities are not available, Tony Stark creates innovative ways to not only get ahead but to save his own life.

Going even deeper into Tony Stark's likely Core Values Index profile, beyond the charming personality-heavy "Merchant" and ultra-creative and groundbreaking "Innovator" energy, he also possesses a boundless level of confidence and faith that he will always know how to act, no matter the situation. His Builder-imbued bravery is surpassed only by his Innovator's altruism and willingness to do what's right for the greater good, at the expense of his own life.

Clarice Starling, Silence of the Lambs

Innovator/Banker, dedicated, altruistic and knowledgeable

Clarice Starling is a young FBI agent-in-training who must interview Hannibal Lecter, one of the world's most notorious and psychologically dangerous serial killers. She does this with intelligence and an earnest and unwavering moral compass.

It is Starling's forthright character that motivates Lecter to view her with curiosity bordering on affection. As Lecter himself remarks, Starling interacts with the serial killer with courtesy and respect. She comes to the interviews informed yet open to receiving new information in the hope of better formulating her efforts.

Clarice Starling is seeking the solution to a terrible and pressing problem, the capture of another serial killer still on the loose, a man known by the nickname of Buffalo Bill. She must find a solution to that problem and does so by gathering more information. These are hallmark traits of Innovator/Bankers; they seek well-informed solutions.

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