Contact is a 1985 novel by American astronomer Carl Sagan. It is based on hard science in the sense that it is characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. This is also reflected in its meaning and simple answers to its ending. It deals with the eventuality of contact between humans and some form of more technologically advanced extra-terrestrial life.
The Technical Expert and The Super Achiever
ISTJ — 136 – 135 – 259 – 146 – 269
INTJ — 458 – 358 – 145 – 135 – 468
INTP — 459 – 359 – 145 – 135
The Super Achieving Technical Expert
INTJ Tritype® 135
Type One
Virtue
Ones are true pioneers with the ability to envision utopia, and the discipline to put in the hard work necessary to make it happen.
Katherine Chernick Fauvre
Did contact, the novel, influence the history of the American space industry?
The novel and the film do appear to reflect the aspirations of the time. The release of the novel coincides with January 1985 when President Reagan had an impressive vision of America’s space future.
“We’re going to keep pushing back the frontier of space and keep opening new doors of discovery and opportunity and progress. We’re going to do it with the shuttle program. Within a decade, we’re going to do it with a manned space station.
American President Ronald Reagan, 1985
Contact was initially intended as a film but its development stalled and in 1985 the novel was published. The film Contact (1997) was released in 1997, see below poster photo. Contact was helped by Ann Druyan, an Award-winning American documentary producer and director.
Carl Sagan married Ann Druyan in 1981 and their daughter Sasha Sagan published the book For Small Creatures Such As We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in our Unlikely World, where she discusses life with her parents. Her father died when she was fourteen years old.
How does Ellie Arroway begin her journey as a SCIENTIST and how does she progress towards the end?
Ellie Arroway is an interesting 135 INTJ – Technical Expert. She begins her journey focussing on her Five (The Investigator), progresses towards her Three (The Successful Achiever), and then adopts more and more the characteristics of her One (The Crusader). For this reason, any INTJ Enneagram Type 1 with the 9 Wing or Enneagram Type 3 with the 4, or Enneagram Type 5 with the 6 Wing can easily relate to her.
Ellie Arroway: “Occam’s razor. You ever heard of it?”
Palmer Joss: “Hack-em’s Razor. Sounds like some slasher movie.”
Ellie Arroway: “No, Occam’s Razor. It’s a basic scientific principle. It says all things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one.”
Type Five
VirtueFives’ greatest strengths are clear objectivity, instinct and penetrating insight unfettered by emotions. Fives have an innate ability to gather information and create systems to assess and categorize data in a clear and concise manner.
Katherine Chernick Fauvre
Type Five
AttentionFives’ attention goes to observing the world, hiding or withholding to protect themselves and gathering information for the purpose of knowing and understanding. Hesitant and reluctant to engage, Fives search for factual data, seeking reason, logic and objectivity.
Katherine Chernick Fauvre
INTJs tend to have tunnel vision and for this reason, they may develop an obsession. She is obsessed with finding evidence of extra-terrestrial life and possibly contacting and interacting with Aliens.
Introverted Intuition:
Looks at consistency of ideas and thoughts with an internal framework. Trusts flashes from the unconscious, which may be hard for others to understand.
The Myers & Briggs Foundation
Ellie is intj 135-The Technical Expert but how does her personality contrast with S.R. Hadden who is entj 385-The solution Master?
Dr. Eleanor “Ellie” Arroway has a high predisposition for Science and Mathematics. She firmly believes in the existence of other forms of life in the universe. She does not believe in God, possibly because she lost her father, Ted Arroway, when she was 10. Her father greatly supported her quest to find proof of extraterrestrial life.
Ellie Arroway: “Mathematics is the only true universal language.”
[..]
Ellie Arroway: You know, there are four hundred billion stars out there, just in our galaxy alone. If only one out of a million of those had planets, and just of out of a million of those had life, and just one out of a million of those had intelligent life; there would be literally millions of civilizations out there.
Palmer Joss: [looking the night sky] Well, if there wasn’t, it’ll be an awful waste of space.
Ellie Arroway: [looking him] Amen.
In the second quarter of the film, she encounters a rich industrialist and former engineer called S.R. Hadden who shares similar dreams. Nothing would have even happened without his support and he describes her in these terms:
S.R. Hadden: [..] Eleanor Ann Arroway, born 25th August, 1964, De Pere, Wisconsin. Mother, Joanna, died from complications during childbirth. Early testing indicated a high predisposition towards science and mathematics. Father, Theodore, advised to provide enrichment activities in these areas, .did so conscientiously until his death from myocardial infarction, November 10, 1974.
Tritype® 135, 153, 315, 351, 513, 531-The Technical Expert
If you are a 135, you are diligent, focused, and knowledgeable. You want to be ethical, efficient, and wise. Highly rational, you seek systems and procedures. Detail-oriented, you like mathematical concepts and finding ways to breakdown and understand complex material.
Katherine Chernick Fauvre
Here is how cognitive functions work together, he is ENTJ over INTJ as he is:
- More analytical and measured than imaginative and determined and more expressive, enthusiastic and direct than quiet, reserved, and independent:
S.R. Hadden: Dr. Arroway, I presume.
Ellie Arroway: Mr. Hadden.
S.R. Hadden: I’ve had my eye on you a long time, Doctor. I consider you one of my most valuable long-term investments. And when it comes to my investments, I always do my homework.
- More ambitious, big picture, decisive, and outspoken than structured, organized, cause-and-effect oriented, and forward-thinking, and more planned and goals oriented than visionary and harmony minded. He is ENTJ 358-The Solution Master:
S.R. Hadden: First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price? Only, this one can be kept secret. Controlled by Americans, built by the Japanese subcontractors. Who, also, happen to be, recently acquired, wholly-owned subsidiaries…
Ellie Arroway: [speaks with Hadden] … of Hadden industries.
Dominant Introverted Intuition:
As a dominant function, Ni manifests as a keen perception for the meaningful connections that exist between the thoughts, concepts, events and occurrences in the Ni-user’s environment.
The dominant-Ni monologue: “Everything is interconnected and I must determine the meaning and implication behind those connections.
https://j.mp/3gu0Ph8 Thought Catalog, Heidi Priebe
To be more precise Ellie Arroway is INTJ 135 as she is a core One, while S.R. Hadden is ENTJ 385 as he is a core Three as The Achiever.
how does Ellie Arroway continue her journey as a Crusader (Enneagram Type 1) and an Achiever (Enneagram Type 3)?
The government and the scientific community are at odds with funding her project. Especially for the following reason:
Dr. Kent Clark: Uh… These are government-owned telescopes, they can lease them to whomever they want. And they don’t want the high priestess of the desert using them anymore.
Ellie Arroway: What?
Dr. Kent Clark: Staring at static on TV for hours at a time, listening to washing machines. Did you really think these stories wouldn’t get out?
Ellie Arroway: I was looking for patterns in the chaos, come on!
Dr. Kent Clark: It doesn’t matter anymore! We’re a joke to them, they want us out.
Enneagram Type Three (Heart)
VirtueTheir efficiency makes them an overachiever who can accomplish a great deal. Often they are the model of success, and they have a natural ability to motivate and charm others.
Katherine Chernick Fauvre
She continues with her One (as A Crusader, Gut triad) and her Three (as The Achiever, Heart triad) as suddenly she battles the government and scientists to win their respect and to raise funds for her project and for ‘The history of history.’ She also begins a relationship with Presidential Science Advisor Ken der Heer.
Enneagram Type Three (Heart)
Virtue
A true taskmaster, Threes’ virtue lies in their veracity and sense of industry. Self-confident, energetic, positive and enthusiastic, they generally excel at and reach whatever goal they set. Their efficiency makes them an overachiever who can accomplish a great deal.
Katherine Chernick Fauvre
She is sick of being regarded as a loony (or a crank as Carl Jung said) because she believes in extra-terrestrial presence. She feels disappointed that even Scientists have preconceptions about the idea of alien forms. (We note however that Jodie Foster who is acting Ellie Arroway has a Height in her Tri-type instead.)
Ellie Arroway: [to a group of children] I’ll tell you one thing about the universe, though. The universe is a pretty big place. It’s bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it’s just us… seems like an awful waste of space. Right?
Enneagram Type One (Gut)
Virtue
Like a White Knight, Ones are not afraid to act according to their strong convictions— even if their actions go against the beliefs of their parents, boss or society. Ones have a special gift for teaching and enjoy helping people learn and improve.
Katherine Chernick Fauvre
1+3: The Super Achiever
They are very hard on their work ethics and can pressurize themselves to accomplish more. [..]The 3 fix helps the core 1 to get out of their preconceived ideas and be more goal oriented.
The 1 fix helps the core 3 to orient their actions through a set of standards and be less arrogant about their accomplishments.
Karkino from Personality Cafe
She is successful in getting funding for her project and it turns out to reveal a communication from Aliens. Towards the end, she embarks on a journey where she may die. The video commenter below suggests she is the image of a Saint. This reinforces the idea that she is a core Type One.
her development throughout her enneagram tri-type allows the character to fit a wide array of INTJ MBTI Stereotypes
She fits a lot of INTJ MBTI stereotypes in Contact.
competent 1 INTJ
INTJ MBTI Stereotypes
concise 1 INTJ
productive 1 INTJ
long-range planners 1 INTJ
systems-minded 1 INTJ
task-focused 1 INTJ
value knowledge 1 INTJ
global 1 INTJ
firm 1 INTJ
creative synthesizers 1 INTJ
deliberate 1 INTJ
demanding 1 INTJ
expect competence 1 INTJ
rational 2 ENTP INTJ
calm 2 ISTJ INTJ
visionary 2 INFJ INTJ
autonomous 2 INTP INTJ
private 2 INFJ INTJ
efficient 2 ESTJ INTJ
objectively critical 3 ESTJ INTP INTJ
clear 3 ESTJ ENTJ INTJ
insightful 3 INFJ INTP INTJ
conceptual 3 INFJ ENTP INTJ
original 3 INFP INTP INTJ
decisive 4 ESFJ ESTJ ENTJ INTJ
theoretical 4 ENTP INTP ENTJ INTJ
independent 5 ISTP ENFP ENTP INTP INTJ
reserved 6 ISFP ISTJ INFP INFJ INTP INTJ
logical 6 ISTP ESTJ ISTJ INTP ENTJ INTJ
