Grey's Anatomy Personality Types

Jennifer Jacobe[pic 1][pic 2]

Grey’s Anatomy Personality

        Cristina Yang and Izzie Stevens from Grey’s Anatomy are both successful surgeons yet polar opposites. How could such opposite women excel in the exact same field? Their personality types reflect and influence their personal relationships as well as their work relationships with fellow doctors and patients giving them each unique talents. Cristina, an ISTJ, appears stubborn, heartless, intense, and competitive—attributes that contrast the typical characteristics of a woman. On the other hand, Izzie, an ENFP, comes off girly, weak, emotional, and cheerful—characteristics that contrast the traits of a hard-core surgeon. Unfortunately, since both of these characters are atypical in their respective situations, they are often misunderstood. However, with the help of type-watching, we can dig deeper and better understand their actions and thoughts. Perhaps, if Seattle Grace hospital had administered the type test to it’s doctors, many conflicts could have been avoided.  

The romantic relationships of Cristina and Izzie reflect their extreme type differences. Cristina, an introvert, is a very independent person; therefore, she is very guarded and detached when it comes to her love life. Not surprisingly, she falls in love with a man completely opposite her—Preston. According to Type Talk, most people “are initially attracted to people who are different but over time [they] find that those differences don’t wear well” (12). This certainly applies to their relationship. A thinker, Cristina is more interested in Burke’s skill as a surgeon than their actual romantic relationship. When you have a thinking-type female and a feeling-type male, a set of problems arise because both violate stereotypical gender roles in the relationship process. “There’s T female whose thinking preference leads her to objectify and analyze the dating experience—all of which violates her feminine scripting, which taught her to be reactive and emotional” (130). The T woman may temporarily set aside her feminist ideals in order to allow her mate to feel more masculine. This theory plays itself out between Cristina and Preston. Despite her better judgment, Cristina reluctantly agrees to marry him:

CRISTINA: "I don't do rings. Don't expect me to suddenly change. I'm a surgeon, just like you. And we'll have money, we can hire a wife."

PRESTON: "Are you saying yes?"

CRISTINA: "Y-yeah." (from Grey’s Anatomy)

Further evidence of her hesitancy is her behavior on the day before their wedding—when most women would be preparing and overly excited—Cristina is more focused on her intern exam:

PRESTON: "Look, I know this is test day and I'm not supposed to be talking about the wedding on test day, but since tomorrow's our wedding day..."

CRISTINA: "You have five seconds. Go."

PRESTON: "Bill Adams can't make it. I have no best man."

CRISTINA: "Oh, no, baby, I'm sorry."

PRESTON: "And I need your vows -"

CRISTINA: "Okay. Time's up!"

PRESTON: “Christina”

CRISTINA: “Test day”

PRESTON: “what am I supposed to tell the minister”

CRISTINA: “Test day” (from Grey’s Anatomy)

On the other hand, consider Izzie, an intense feeler, who cares more about her relationships than being a surgeon. As an NF, her “sensitivity leads [her] to personalize any form of criticism, often resulting in [her] needlessly feeling hurt” (52). NFs too often say the words “it’s my fault” and Izzie is no exception:

IZZIE: “You couldn't even have bothered to kiss me goodnight? Okay Alex, was it me? Because we seemed to actually be having a normal time. A good time.”

ALEX: “Yeah we were having a good time.”

IZZIE: “Well then was it me? Was it something I did or … “

ALEX: “It wasn’t you. (he shrugs) I just … just didn’t feel like doing it. I was tired, you know?” (from Grey’s Anatomy)

Another apparent difference between Cristina and Izzie’s type is the S and N. Cristina believes in medicine; she believes in the things she can touch and see and things that make sense based on data. She doesn’t believe in theoretical or abstract notions. This attribute causes conflict in her relationship with Preston:

PRESTON: "I believe there's a mind/body/spirit connection. If Justin really doesn't want this heart, his body will reject it."

CRISTINA: "So, let me get this straight. You not only celebrate Christmas, but you actually believe in Santa Claus?"

PRESTON: "Go clean up."                

CRISTINA: "But we're not done here."

PRESTON: "You are." (from Grey’s Anatomy)

To Cristina, “seeing is believing”. She can rely on medicine because it involves facts and science and tangible results. On the other hand, Izzie, an Intuitive, constantly expresses that she “has to believe in something bigger than [herself]. Because medicine doesn’t always give the answers people want to hear. Because if [she] didn’t, that powerlessness would eat [her] alive” (from Grey’s Anatomy). Despite both being young, female, surgeons at Seattle Grace Hospital, Izzie and Cristina develop and maintain very different personal relationships as a result of their very different types.

Cristina’s and Izzie’s differences transcend beyond their private lives and into their professional relationships as well. They treat their patients completely differently; while Cristina thinks of them as surgeries and opportunities to demonstrate her skill, Izzie actually sees them as human beings and sympathizes for them. Cristina feels no sadness for the patient who requires a complicated, life threatening surgery because she benefits and learns from it:

CRISTINA: "People! What's with all the evil misery, huh?”

GEORGE: "You're cheerful. How is that possible?"

CRISTINA: "I scrubbed in on a four-hour esophageal surgery last night... And now, three ambulances are coming in full of bloody, broken car crash victims, all who need to be cut open. So I'm cheery, I'm cheery, I am so cheery! Cheery! I'm cheerful!" (from Grey’s Anatomy)

Cristina demonstrates a classic thinking-type reaction; “thinkers are so determined to reason their way to goals and problem solving that they ignore the human element (84).” On the other hand, Izzie not only recognizes that her patients are human, she even goes as far as to form bonds with them; in one case, she falls in love with a patient. She even risks her medical career to keep her patient alive and be with him: