In the opening of James Thurber's very short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1939), Walter daydreams of being the Commander of a Navy hydro-plane. The problem is, he's also driving his overbearing wife to a hair appointment. He is being assigned by her to pick up items at the store while she's getting her hair coiffed. Upset by his constant distractibility she says, " I wish you'd let Dr. Renshaw check you out".

After her hair appointment, she finds him in a chair, where he is fantasizing about being an Army Sergeant charging an ammunition dump. She startles him back to life again. He becomes annoyed and says, "I was thinking. Does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking"? She looks at him and responds, "I am going to take your temperature when I get you home."


Walter Mitty, Introvert

Mrs. Mitty thought her husband was sick, or worse yet, inept. Thinking too much or being stuck in your own head is often viewed by society as being negative, creepy or ineffectual. But as Susan Cain, author of The Power of Introverts, puts it;

there's a word for people who are in their heads too much: thinkers.

In the Danny Kaye 1947 movie version, Walter was much more of a hyperactive clown, but Ben Stiller's new Mitty is a more accurate portrayal of a shoe-gazing day-dreamer. There are differences; instead of being beaten down by a nagging wife, he's a lonely, hopeless romantic who longs for a woman in his office.


After seeing the movie this weekend, I searched "Walter Mitty + Introvert" and an interesting take on the movie came up.

It's refreshing to see a film in which the protagonist's development, his coming into his own, is not linked with a change in their personality but instead with a greater sense of self-acceptance...It could be argued he is coming out of his shell, but perhaps he is simply taking his shell out to see the world.


In the age of fast and furious heroes, it's interesting to see a true dreamer/introvert called into action. Mitty did suffer ridicule from alpha-bros in the movie, but changing who he was to meet challenges wasn't part of the story. Self acceptance and having a meaningful reason to move into the world to meet challenges was.

Walter Mitty, INFP

An INFP is one of the 16 Myers Briggs personality types, and one of the eight introverted personalities. Part dreamy, emo unicorns with a rich inner world, part value-driven, compassionate creators in the outer world. Few fictional characters sum up an INFP as much as Mitty does.


INFPs are introspective and highly idealistic individuals with a constant desire to be on a meaningful path. According to MB, INFP Mittys are also;

Imaginative and artistic with a talent for language and writing.

Idealistic and loyal to their values and to the people close to them.

Interested in knowing what makes people tick and how to help them fulfill their potential.

Peace loving, adaptable and flexible unless a value is threatened.

An INFP Mitty can be a catalyst for the underdog or for those who can't find their way. They can use the thinking and dreams they spend so much time in for solutions and art that makes life better for everyone.


A Mitty might prefer to enjoy the movies playing in their head than suffer a mundane situation. But like the new film, they'll swim with sharks for the sake of art and beauty, or climb volcanoes for a chance at meaning and true love. If it connects to a deeply held inner value, introverts like Mitty can be a force of nature, not only in their dreams, but in real life.