Cordelia is a blunt and straightforward person who takes shit from no one. She knows what she wants in life and strives to make it happen through the manipulation of her external environment. She is open with her attitudes and opinions, often to the point of offensiveness to other people, and is energised by interactions with others, becoming bored when left to her own devices for too long. Though she can be shallow and materialistic, Cordelia has a big heart for the people she cares about, and is willing to make enormous sacrifices for them. She is pragmatic and straightforward, valuing efficiency and practicality. She is a highly independent person and respects people who can stand on their own two feet.
Extraverted Thinking (Te): Cordelia is driven by the desire to control her external environment. She has strong organisational skills, as evidenced in her self-appointed role as secretary at Angel Investigations, where she single-handedly transforms the operation from an idealistic notion to a functioning and successful business. She is a natural at playing the social game at Sunnydale High, outwardly organising the people around her to create a life for herself that is the way she wants it to be. At school, it is Cordelia who polices fashions, sets trends, and most of all, decides where everyone stands on the social ladder. Her ability to organise her external environment gives her a sense of power and control, and without it (such as when her clique began to exclude her for dating Xander), Cordelia feels inept and powerless (Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, 2x16). Cordelia values efficiency and has little patience for time spent unproductively. Her pragmatic attitude at times clashes with characters like Angel, who make more value-based decisions. For example, Angel’s refusal to charge customers for helping them is something Cordelia does not understand, seeing the transaction of money for help as a logical solution to their financial problems. Because of her valuing of efficiency and practicality, Cordelia finds it difficult to sympathise with people who put emotions before logic, rolling her eyes at the drama of Buffy and Angel’s relationship on more than one occasion and referring to Buffy at one point as a “cry-Buffy” because of her emotional nature (Rm w a Vu, 1x05). Perhaps one of Cordelia’s most prominent character traits is her blunt and “tactless” manner of speaking. Cordelia outwardly expresses her opinions and judgements, telling Doyle at one point, “I think it, I say it…it’s my way” (The Bachelor Party, 1x07). Her commitment to saying whatever is on her mind is consistent through the series, and is very much a reflection of her Te.
Introverted Sensing (Si): Cordelia has an excellent memory. As a cheerleader in high school she only had to be taught a routine once before remembering each step: this is again demonstrated when Angel teaches her how to fight (Billy, 3x06). She is a practical and realistic person, able to take the necessary steps to achieve a viable goal, for instance getting a job at the local dress shop to support herself when her parents lost their fortune (The Prom, 3x20). Cordelia is somewhat nostalgic, referencing the past fondly on several occasions and holding on to several relics, such as her graduation diploma from high school. She often talks about her present self with reference to her past self, and welcomes seeing people she knew when in school, such as Oz (In the Dark, 1x03) and Harmony (Disharmony, 2x17), regardless of what their relationship was like in the past. Additionally, Cordelia has proven herself to be good with details, her almost immediate recognition of Russell as a vampire in the first episode of Angel highlighting her knack for noticing specifics and linking visual cues with prior experience (City of, 1x01).
Extraverted Intuition (Ne): Cordelia can, at times, be idealistic in her goals. Moving to Los Angeles to follow her dream of becoming a successful actress (City of, 1x01) is an example of this. Despite her lack of success in achieving her dream, Cordelia holds on to the ideal for a quite a number of years, even briefly choosing it over working at Angel Investigations when given the chance by the demon Skip (Birthday, 3x11).
Introverted Feeling (Fi): Cordelia tends to deal with her emotions and personal problems privately, preferring not to let other people in on any pain she may be experiencing. Dealing with the aftermath of her break-ups with Xander (Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, 2x16, The Wish, 3x09) and her reluctance to tell her colleagues about the physical scarring her visions had caused (That Vision Thing, 3x02) are examples of this. Cordelia is not a naturally empathetic person, having to learn through her visions about the pain of other people. At times, she can be selfish with her emotions, for instance, when telling an anecdote about running over a girl on her bike, Cordelia calls it “the most traumatising event of [her] life” and is outraged that the girl was “trying to make it about her leg” (Out of Mind, Out of Sight, 1x11).
