What type am I, the 2009 edition

[Athenian200]

INFJ is probably the most often guessed type for me, but I guess I don't feel quite as ethereal as the INFJs I know. They seem to be better able to embrace the mystical, where I am less and less so as time goes by.

Well, that could mean you're an ISFJ. If you don't relate to the escapism or going off into another world stuff, that is. Then again, I've never really thought Ni was that mystical except to non-Ni users, because they weren't used to it.

But on the other hand... what do you mean by "as time goes by"? If you mean that you used to be able to embrace the mystical more than now, it could just mean you're developing the S side of your personality more.

I'm really just throwing out suggestions here, though. I don't know much about it.

 

[Ivy]

Well, that could mean you're an ISFJ. If you don't relate to the escapism or going off into another world stuff, that is. Then again, I've never really thought Ni was that mystical except to non-Ni users, because they weren't used to it.

But on the other hand... what do you mean by "as time goes by"? If you mean that you used to be able to embrace the mystical more, it could just mean you're developing the S side of your personality more.

Oh, I relate plenty to escapism and going off into another world... just not really believing in it. Does that make sense? I was thinking about spirituality when I wrote that, actually. I have never really felt very spiritual though I faked it for awhile.

 

[Athenian200]

Oh, I relate plenty to escapism and going off into another world... just not really believing in it. Does that make sense? I was thinking about spirituality when I wrote that, actually. I have never really felt very spiritual though I faked it for awhile.

Yes, that makes sense to me. I've never really believed in another world or felt spiritual either.

Sometimes I obsess over dreams, daydreams, as well as resonant songs and images trying to figure out if they have symbolic meaning relating to myself, but I tend to consciously imagine things coming together in a way that represents something, sometimes in ways I didn't expect. Not really just believing in it as a whole, real world. Then again, maybe that's because I have too much Ti and not enough Fe.

Anyway, I have a feeling that you're very concerned about choosing your type accurately, and what the consequences of choosing one will be. You think that if you have just a little more information, you'll "know" your type. Am I right?

 

[FemMecha]

Oh, I relate plenty to escapism and going off into another world... just not really believing in it. Does that make sense? I was thinking about spirituality when I wrote that, actually. I have never really felt very spiritual though I faked it for awhile.

There are rather different kinds of INFJs. I notice some that are pretty level-headed and not mystical, but tend to focus on more subjective systems than their INTJs cousins.

I find it difficult to type someone online. In past discussions about your type it came up that you could have fairly balanced pairs of:
Ti-Ne and Si-Fe which would be a half-way point between INTP and ISFJ.

Another possibility is this same kind of split between: Ni-Fe and Ti-Se which would be the half-way point between INFJ and ISTP.

I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I wonder often about the T-F categories. They are by nature contrasting categories, but not mutually exclusive in as far as I can tell. Empathy and logic are both desirable skills that are contrasting by nature, but not mutually exclusive. They are similar to technical vs. artistic skill. In both cases people may tend towards one or the other, but are capable of possessing both or neither. The absence of empathy does not produce logic and vice versa. That mutual exclusivity is inherent to the E and I axis and to some extent the P and J. I'm not convinced the T-F categories are well constructed and is part of the reason they cause confusion. The categories by nature often leave either type diminished. There are individuals who do seem to justify the categories, but there are plenty who get caught in the tangle caused by the lack of mutual exclusivity of the categories.

For myself, I care a great deal about objectivity and being reasonable, and I make decisions based on that over emotion - to an extent as great as anyone I know in real life. Every important choice I make will set emotion aside even at the point of pain. However, I have a natural interest in personal perception and empathy. It is the content of my mind, but not the process. I find I have this in common with a number of the female INFJs and possibly some of the males, but I think the males of this sort identify as INTJ.

 

[Ivy]

Good stuff, as always, Toonia. And I agree with you about the T/F. I think it is a more problematic set of poles than the others because they're not really opposites. I like to think I am competent at both logic and empathy, and can employ both subjectivity and objectivity when appropriate.

What are your thoughts about J/P? Because I think it's similar, though not as problematic. Honestly I sometimes think the whole thing is a series of false choices with the exception of I/E which actually seems like a set of true opposites that most people would have to lean towards one at the expense of the other.

 

[Laurie]

I don't know what you are but I like you! (I'm really trying to be helpful, you can't be any types I don't get along with)

 

[Ivy]

Anyway, I have a feeling that you're very concerned about choosing your type accurately, and what the consequences of choosing one will be. You think that if you have just a little more information, you'll "know" your type. Am I right?

Kind of... Typology for me is mostly an idle hobby rather than something I put a lot of serious stock in, because of the problems I have encountered with it. But I sort of envy people who have that specific identity and the camaraderie that comes with it. Still, choosing one feels like falsely limiting myself, and I often react to the other types' camaraderie by identifying as the odd-type-out (i.e. when INTPs talk about what horrible mates ISFJs make, I tend to hop in and speak as an ISFJ, or if INTJs are talking about how aimless INTPs are I might jump in and speak as an INTP). And a big fat "yes" to that last one-- I always feel like an important self-discovery is right around the corner.

 

[Ivy]

I don't know what you are but I like you! (I'm really trying to be helpful, you can't be any types I don't get along with)

Which types are those?

 

[FemMecha]

Good stuff, as always, Toonia. And I agree with you about the T/F. I think it is a more problematic set of poles than the others because they're not really opposites. I like to think I am competent at both logic and empathy, and can employ both subjectivity and objectivity when appropriate.

What are your thoughts about J/P? Because I think it's similar, though not as problematic. Honestly I sometimes think the whole thing is a series of false choices with the exception of I/E which actually seems like a set of true opposites that most people would have to lean towards one at the expense of the other.

I'm personally confused on the P/J thing. My understanding is that it is based on mutually exclusive poles, but the problem is it is based on more than one set. For example
J = structured/organized
= closure
= certitude
= forceful

P = unstructured
= open-ended
= questioning
= easy-going

This might be boiled down to the structure/unstructured pole and the certitude/questioning pole. I don't see a consistent correlation between those two poles. In many discussions I find people focus more on one or the other and make their assessments about P and J based on that.

 

[Sniffles]

I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I wonder often about the T-F categories. They are by nature contrasting categories, but not mutually exclusive in as far as I can tell. Empathy and logic are both desirable skills that are contrasting by nature, but not mutually exclusive. They are similar to technical vs. artistic skill. In both cases people may tend towards one or the other, but are capable of possessing both or neither. The absence of empathy does not produce logic and vice versa. That mutual exclusivity is inherent to the E and I axis and to some extent the P and J. I'm not convinced the T-F categories are well constructed and is part of the reason they cause confusion. The categories by nature often leave either type diminished. There are individuals who do seem to justify the categories, but there are plenty who get caught in the tangle caused by the lack of mutual exclusivity of the categories.

For myself, I care a great deal about objectivity and being reasonable, and I make decisions based on that over emotion - to an extent as great as anyone I know in real life. Every important choice I make will set emotion aside even at the point of pain. However, I have a natural interest in personal perception and empathy. It is the content of my mind, but not the process. I find I have this in common with a number of the female INFJs and possibly some of the males, but I think the males of this sort identify as INTJ.

Isn't it quite common for INFJs to straddle(to use Anja's term) the T/F divide? Cause I often notice this about myself. I maybe a feeler, but that doesn't mean I completely reject logic. In fact I despise extremes in either direction - T or F.

 

[Kasper]

Interesting. I never really got into Socionics, either. I think it seemed a bit more new-agey (like Enneagram) so I kind of ignored it. MBTI had the illusion of seeming less bunky but now I'm not so sure.

That was my take when I was shuffling types but I found reading this cleared up a lot of questions I hadn't been able to find answers to by using MBTI.

 

[wolfy]

Actually, good question. What type are you? I've always thought of you as the Ivy type.

Functions
Music thread starter
Kutiman fan
The lady who likes the sheep dog
Moderator
etc

 

[Economica]

I've totally been experiencing confirmation bias since last time! I now think it is all but obvious that you are a springy Ne user, not a dogged Ni user, and also that you are a no-nonsense Te user rather than an academic Ti user. Add to it that mature Fi users learn to wield some Fe (and that the differences between learned and natural Fe are less salient online) and that mature IXFPs learn to restrain their Fi, and as far as I'm concerned you're all set as a mature but not irregular exemplar of the (N) type that struggles the most with typing themselves.

Still, choosing one feels like falsely limiting myself, and I often react to the other types' camaraderie by identifying as the odd-type-out (i.e. when INTPs talk about what horrible mates ISFJs make, I tend to hop in and speak as an ISFJ, or if INTJs are talking about how aimless INTPs are I might jump in and speak as an INTP).

This sure sounds to me like extroverted perception in action in support of contrary Fi! (A TP might exhibit the same type of contrarian reaction, but it seems more founded in their fetishization of objective truth (you-must-respect-the-logic/the-data :rolli: ) than in their identification with a belittled party, even when the latter is also in play (witness ptgatsby in a thread about e.g. bullying).) As for your resistance to 'falsely limiting yourself to one type', I must say I admire the strength of your Fi defense against the logical concession of your best-fit type.

Disclaimer: Remember, I do acknowledge my spectacular lapse into confirmation bias! I'm just throwing this in since you request perspectives on how you are viewed, and this is my (current ) perspective.

... That said, I would appreciate having my attention drawn to evidence of Ni and Ti in action on your part. I don't recall any displays of toonia/Athenian200-style philosophizing from you, which I would expect from an INFJ with your level of (Big Five) Intellectual Curiosity.

 

[Orangey]

Ivy: I don't know you all that well, but from what I've seen of your interaction on the forum, I would say that you strike me as INFP. Your posting style reminds me of heart's a bit, and like Economica said, your description of identifying/defending the party being ganged-upon is a pretty strong indicator of INFP.

I don't recall any displays of toonia/Athenian200-style philosophizing from you, which I would expect from an INFJ with your level of (Big Five) Intellectual Curiosity.

I agree.

-My two cents.

 

[Ivy]

I really appreciate all the responses. I guess INFP is the most likely culprit here. I have to admit it just doesn't feel authentic to me, although I guess striving for authenticity is kind of an INFP thing to begin with.

 

[Asterion]

This thread has reminded me that the rest of the world lives in 2009 as well

 

[Athenian200]

I really appreciate all the responses. I guess INFP is the most likely culprit here. I have to admit it just doesn't feel authentic to me, although I guess striving for authenticity is kind of an INFP thing to begin with.

Yeah. You're definitely IxFx. And INFP has IF as it's two strongest letters.

I guess I might not have wanted to type you as INFP because you just don't seem quite random or disorderly enough in your thought process and communication to be P in most respects. Then again, a lot of people who type as INTP surprise me in the same way. I've been encountering a lot of very clever INFPs lately. Perhaps you're another one.

The main thing that throws me off is... well, you don't show a lot of Te bluntness or Fi drive and will. Ah, well... MBTI doesn't really make that much sense, anyway.

 

[Ivy]

Ah, well... MBTI doesn't really make that much sense, anyway.

(Oops, was I not supposed to admit that as an admin on a forum that is pretty much based on it? Oh well!)

 

[527468]

Ivy's type:

 

[Economica]

I really appreciate all the responses. I guess INFP is the most likely culprit here. I have to admit it just doesn't feel authentic to me, although I guess striving for authenticity is kind of an INFP thing to begin with.

I have to say I love the differences in our approach to MBTI in general and our own types in particular. I mean, I initiate small talk with strangers at social gatherings (that I happily attend), I readily share my feelings with friends and even acquaintances, I care more about romance than success and - here's the real kicker - I'm (admittedly newly) open-minded. And by now I have enough experience with typing to know the limitations of MBTI all too well. Yet I have no qualms whatsoever identifying as an INTJ and I would never concur that MBTI does not make that much sense.