When you were a child...

[MerkW]

I know that when one is a young child (roughly ages 3 - 6) usually only one's temperament (IxxP, ExxJ, IxxJ, ExxP) can be determined, and when older (7-12) only about three letters of one's type may be determined (IxTP, INxJ, ESxP, ENxP, ExFJ, ExTJ, ISxJ, IxFP,).

Regardless of all this, were there any particular instances during your childhood during which, your MBTI type would seem very clear. As in, despite the fact that back then your type would not have been able to have been determined with certainty, are there any anecdotes that you have of you childhood that display distinct traits only related to your current MBTI type?

[OctaviaCaesar]

When I was a child, I was very E, and somewhat S and T. It was only at puberty (and don't get me started on that subject ) that I became suddenly, extremely IN. I have always had J tendencies, though.

[Jennifer]

I'm not sure if the "childhood rules" are correct. I was able to type all of my children very early on, and the types have held perfectly.

(And I'm aware of the possibility of bias and "pushing" children in a direction and have taken great pains not to do so. Even when we tried to just get our ESFP child to "tone down" and fit better with an introverted family, he became very miserable and lost his confidence and passion, and we had to ease up and let him be him.)

Our daughter was four when we adopted her, and I was 80% sure she was INFJ a few days into the trip, and was very sure soon after we got home.

Our ESFP son has fit the description since literally his birth.

Our INTP son was the most difficult to type -- by the time he was two, I was sure of INxP... but it took another year or two to be sure about the T. (The problem with INXP is that they do so much of their thinking and feeling inside that you do not get enough evidence to observe!)

If I can think of anecdotes, I'll include some of them later. I spent a minute thinking, but most of them seem inconclusive on their own. (Perhaps it is a combination of anecdotes that lets one triangulate and form a picture?)

[Athenian200]

I don't know if you would have been able to figure out my type early on... or even now, really. I have a rather weird combination of traits...

Some traits I have that could probably be construed as more "NT-ish" would be that on my first day of Kindergarden, I read some signs in the classroom, and surprised my teacher (I had been able to read since three, and had started to read Childcraft books a few months before coming to school.). When I asked why it was surprising, she said that most of the other students couldn't read. So I said, "You mean... they're illiterate??" Then she had me sent to the principal's office because she thought "illiterate" was a curse word or something, and the principle had to explain what it meant.

And starting around first grade or so, I was frequently watching KERA, various documentaries, and trying to understand my computer. I had to keep getting the dictionary out to look up various words in the process, and sometimes just read it for no particular reason.

Now, I've also always had a strong NF side... I've always been somewhat nervous/high-strung, and willing to choose things for their sentimental value. I've also worried a lot about what people thought of me, and tried to be fairly nice. Also, I've always preferred to cooperate with people rather than compete with them.

In summary, it seems like I'm more F in that I'm cooperative rather than competitive, and prefer to be nice rather than crude. Also, the fact that I don't feel guilty about having sentimental/illogical preferences about many things is probably important as well. Finally, I don't find it difficult to convey an emotion that I'm experiencing (or even one I'm not, in some cases.)

The only T traits I have are that I'm not really good at accepting things without understanding them, tend to scrutinize things rather thoroughly, tend to be extremely interested in learning, and feel irritated when I have to deal with people who don't care about understanding anything, and act put upon by the notion that they should. It also bothers me for someone who doesn't understand their job well enough to be in a position they can't really function properly in.

Basically... I'm a bit of a mess typologically, but so are many INFJ's.

The only letter I think you could have guessed was J...

[whatever]

I hung out with the boys playing soccer at recess as a child! I could trash talk and get in fights with the best of them I was known for looking down at a guy who I'd kicked in the shin in a particularly violent soccer game one day and saying- "what, are you going to cry now like a little girl?" This was made more dramatic since my lip was completely busted and bleeding from a fight at the moment...

yeah- I'd say I was probably a pretty good ESTP child!

[Randomnity]

From as early as I can remember:

-I was always very very quiet, introverted, shy, whatever
-I was always a bookworm and would spend hours reading in my room, from an age when most kids couldn't read very well
-I would frequently spend the whole day in the woods making shelters and gathering berries etc and pretending that I could survive by myself
-I'd also spend hours drawing animals and such

So I guess that points to I, S (marginally) and T. And for the P part, I've always procrastinated on schoolwork.

So for me my type has been evident for my whole life...the IxxP part, anyway.

[Uberfuhrer]

I had interests in very odd things, such as ceiling fans, speakers, and sink drains. I also had weird fears of vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, and an exhaust fan in one of the bathrooms in my former abode. Don't ask me why.

I also lined up toy cars in straight rows and made my own movies up in my mind.

My personality growing up was pretty much INxJ as described on the Personality Page. I hated surprises and sudden changes, I was in a world of my own, and I was a victim of bullying more often than I care to think about.

[Lookin4theBestNU]

Some of my earliest memories:

I watched my little brother get punished (mildly in reality). I cried at the atrocity I was witnessing. I refused to speak to my parents for a couple of days due to my outrage.

I used to sit in the window sill in the living room. I used to imagine the dust particles were actually 'mouse balloons' lol. Anyway I created a rather vivid imaginary world from the beginning that's a little embarrassing to think on now.

We grew up without much of anything. I met a little girl down the street who was worse off than I was. I gave her my best toy because I wanted her to have something.

I know lots of little girls liked to play teacher growing up. It was one of my favorite games and my little brothers were my students LOL it was great!

I don't really remember playing with other kids all that much. I wanted to be with the grown-ups all the time and learn from them. I acted like an adult to the best of my ability as early as I can remember.

[anii]

I was all Fi as a child... very sensitive, would be moved to tears by seemingly inconsequential matters at very inconvenient times (for my ISTP father).

[Maverick]

ExTJ troublemaker in the playground