Dance Moms: Maddie Ziegler (ISTP)

(Photo: Capezio)

Maddie Ziegler is a 14-year-old dance prodigy from Pittsburgh. She danced at Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) for the majority of her career. The company became the backdrop for Dance Moms, a reality television series that’s currently in its seventh season. Dance Moms gained a cult following that propelled Maddie to international stardom. She now performs in music videos, scripted television series, and movies.

Maddie’s actions and relationships align with the personality type ISTP. Highlighted below are the cognitive functions related to this type. An evaluation of those functions in action follows.

Cognitive Functions of the Personality Types

	Dominant How you think	Auxiliary How you act	Tertiary How you justify	Inferior How you cope
ENFJ	Fe	Ni	Se	Ti
ENFP	Ne	Fi	Te	Si
ENTJ	Te	Ni	Se	Fi
ENTP	Ne	Ti	Fe	Si
ESFJ	Fe	Si	Ne	Ti
ESFP	Se	Fi	Te	Ni
ESTJ	Te	Si	Ne	Fi
ESTP	Se	Ti	Fe	Ni
INFJ	Ni	Fe	Ti	Se
INFP	Fi	Ne	Si	Te
INTJ	Ni	Te	Fi	Se
INTP	Ti	Ne	Si	Fe
ISFJ	Si	Fe	Ti	Ne
ISFP	Fi	Se	Ni	Te
ISTJ	Si	Te	Fi	Ne
ISTP	Ti	Se	Ni	Fe

Key:

Ne       extroverted intuition

Ni        introverted intuition

Se        extroverted sensing

Si         introverted sensing

Fe        extroverted feeling

Fi         introverted feeling

Te        extroverted thinking

Ti         introverted thinking

Dominant Ti

	Dominant How you think	Auxiliary How you act	Tertiary How you justify	Inferior How you cope
ISTP	Ti	Se	Ni	Fe

Ti = introverted thinking

Dominant Ti types (INTP, ISTP) employ internal frameworks of logic to make decisions. They like to know how things work and use their knowledge to solve problems (Personality Max).

Maddie knows exactly what she needs to do to win dance competitions. She has consistent grace under pressure, even when she gets assigned a solo to perform an hour later. Dominant Ti types can remain calm during times of stress because they trust their ability to solve problems. They detach their emotions from situations that require critical thinking, such as Maddie’s performance logistics (Funky MBTI in Fiction).

Maddie has successfully navigated the complicated politics of the ALDC. She knows what Abby, the company’s director, likes to see in her routines and how she’s expected to behave at competitions. In an attempt to reduce conflict, dominant Ti types see everything in terms of systems. They can identify cause and effect within systems and apply that knowledge to the group harmony (Cognitive Function Theory).

Auxiliary Se

	Dominant How you think	Auxiliary How you act	Tertiary How you justify	Inferior How you cope
ISTP	Ti	Se	Ni	Fe

Se = extroverted sensing

Auxiliary Se types (ISFP, ISTP) enjoy new experiences and physical thrills. They have complete awareness of the present environment and can notice the smallest of changes (Truity Psychometrics).

Dance controls every aspect of Maddie’s life. She became homeschooled at age 11 and recently moved her family across the country for this passion. Auxiliary Se types have high kinesthetic intelligence and often excel in sports. They prefer physical stimulation so much that they may shy away from academic pursuits (Personality Junkie).

Maddie has the social skills to survive in the cutthroat entertainment industry. She can handle criticism from her teachers and the other moms. The objective thinking of auxiliary Se types grants them emotional maturity. They see situations for what they are and rarely become sensitive as a result (Talent Insights).

Tertiary Ni

	Dominant How you think	Auxiliary How you act	Tertiary How you justify	Inferior How you cope
ISTP	Ti	Se	Ni	Fe

Ni = introverted intuition

Tertiary Ni types (ISFP, ISTP) feel a constant desire to improve their skills. They can see what’s standing in the way of their goals and determine how to best combat it (Personality Cafe).

Maddie wants to be the best, but she needs Abby to make it happen. Her perfectionist tendencies align with Abby’s high standards and form their close relationship. Tertiary Ni types, especially as children, look to authority figures for guidance. They haven’t yet figured out how to make their dreams a reality, and their seniors provide the wisdom they seek (Obsovolution 2.0).

Maddie often taps into the audience while she dances. She’s known for her expressive faces that tell a story. Tertiary Ni types can activate their introverted intuition—a function that finds the deeper meaning of information—when both their dominant and auxiliary functions are satisfied. For ISTPs like Maddie, Ti and Se become so engrossed in a physical activity that Ni works to understand its symbolism and relevance (Joseph Chris).

Inferior Fe

	Dominant How you think	Auxiliary How you act	Tertiary How you justify	Inferior How you cope
ISTP	Ti	Se	Ni	Fe

Fe = extroverted feeling

Inferior Fe types (INTP, ISTP) have a hard time sharing their feelings. They strive to connect with other people but can’t always determine their needs (Realm of MBTI).

Despite all her success, Maddie remains very humble. She hated when Abby made her show the other dancers her crowns or when she went head-to-head with Chloe, her best friend. Inferior Fe types despise interpersonal conflict because they rarely know how to get out of it. They’re much better with problems of logic than problems of emotion, so they’re often uncomfortable speaking up for social justice (Department of Human Resource Management).

Maddie never wants anyone to be upset because of her, which explains why she rarely makes waves (or even speaks) at the dance studio. When she forgets her solo, she keeps screaming, “Abby’s going to hate me!” Inferior Fe types need outward approval from others in order to feel confident. They may overextend themselves in an effort to please people, as exemplified by Maddie’s dog-like obedience to Abby (ISTP Daredevils).

Did You Know?

Maddie wrote a tell-all book about Dance Moms and her early rise to fame. Check out The Maddie Diaries!