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People on the cusp

TenebrousReflection

New member
Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
449
MBTI Type
INFp
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I posted about this regarding myelf in the NF forum as well as some in my introduction post and probbaly a few other threads too...

At the moment, I'm strongly leaning toward being INFp, but at times question both F/T and J/P possibilities. I made my decision to decalre myself INFx based on seeing the NF temeperament as a pretty clear match as far as my values and motivations go compared to NT values and motivations.

I could be...

INFP with a well developed Ti and somewhat developed Te. Bluewing recently posted an INFP profile in the NF forum and I found I agreed with most of the part about how dominant Fi and Ne interact but only a little of the part on Si and virtualy none of the description for how Te should show up in an INFP agreed with how I see myself, but I do exhibit some of the negative traits of Te in the inferior function role as written about in "Was That Really Me" by Naomi L. Quenk.

OR

INTP with a well developed Fi and values of an NF. Oddly, while this option seems to make the most sense to me, it goes directly against commonly accepted type theory in that an NT would not value the same things to the same degree as an NF (values, feelings, importance of relationships, need to apply personal sense of meaning to nearly everything). I believe I think like an INTP (when I read a post here and find myself saying "that sounds a lot like me" its nearly always an INTP), but I don't have the same value of logic and don't look at the pursuit of knowledge the same as they do.

OR

A confused INFJ. A few posts in my thread in the NF forums do point out cases where I use and may even prefer Fe. If Fi can cause Fe to introvert its use for an INFP, then maybe Ni would have a similar effect on Fe, but I still think Fi makes a better case for being my dominant function than Ni.

OR

A confused and poorly developed INTJ

OR

I suppose its even possible I could be an ENFP but I really havnt given that much thought to that option. I consider myself highly introverted (less so on-line, but very noticable off-line), but I do feel a frequent need/desire to act on my ideas which dominant Ne fueled by a strong Fi might reflect.

Oh, and FWIW, I was born on the cusp of two different astrological signs, but thats just a tangent to the thread title IMO.
 

Athenian200

Protocol Droid
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Messages
8,828
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
4w5
I posted about this regarding myself in the NF forum as well as some in my introduction post and probably a few other threads too...

At the moment, I'm strongly leaning toward being INFp, but at times question both F/T and J/P possibilities. I made my decision to declare myself INFx based on seeing the NF temperament as a pretty clear match as far as my values and motivations go compared to NT values and motivations.

I could be...

INFP with a well developed Ti and somewhat developed Te. Bluewing recently posted an INFP profile in the NF forum and I found I agreed with most of the part about how dominant Fi and Ne interact but only a little of the part on Si and virtually none of the description for how Te should show up in an INFP agreed with how I see myself, but I do exhibit some of the negative traits of Te in the inferior function role as written about in "Was That Really Me" by Naomi L. Quenk.

OR

INTP with a well developed Fi and values of an NF. Oddly, while this option seems to make the most sense to me, it goes directly against commonly accepted type theory in that an NT would not value the same things to the same degree as an NF (values, feelings, importance of relationships, need to apply personal sense of meaning to nearly everything). I believe I think like an INTP (when I read a post here and find myself saying "that sounds a lot like me" its nearly always an INTP), but I don't have the same value of logic and don't look at the pursuit of knowledge the same as they do.

OR

A confused INFJ. A few posts in my thread in the NF forums do point out cases where I use and may even prefer Fe. If Fi can cause Fe to introvert its use for an INFP, then maybe Ni would have a similar effect on Fe, but I still think Fi makes a better case for being my dominant function than Ni.

OR

A confused and poorly developed INTJ

OR

I suppose its even possible I could be an ENFP but I really haven't given that much thought to that option. I consider myself highly introverted (less so on-line, but very noticeable off-line), but I do feel a frequent need/desire to act on my ideas which dominant Ne fueled by a strong Fi might reflect.

Oh, and FWIW, I was born on the cusp of two different astrological signs, but thats just a tangent to the thread title IMO.

I don't think you could be an INTP even if you did actively pursue knowledge, because you're still far too comfortable expressing emotions. And you just don't quite seem like an INTJ, although I guess you could be if you have a very developed Fi.

Still... you seem most like an INFx. You seem to have a lot of Ni-ish traits, but there's also a few things I don't identify with in you, but then I don't fully identify with every other individual INFJ either, although I relate to them all as a group when I consider each of them and try to form a mental "model/composite" of an INFJ.

Do you have a need for closure, or do you constantly adapt to your situation?

Interestingly, I was born with an Aries sun, and Libra moon sign. That means I have an opposition Sun-Moon, which should make me internally conflicted and ambivalent at times. Of course, that could apply to anyone (Forer effect, I guess.)
 

tovlo

New member
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
248
MBTI Type
INFJ
I test on the cusp of INFP and INFJ.

After discovery of MBTI I went through a period of soliciting information and opinions during which I settled on INFP. Most seemed to accept that designation as seeming appropriate, yet internally I continued to question and wonder. This uncertainty was declared supporting evidence for the accuracy of my chosen INFP label.

Earlier this year someone posed some questions to me that helped me see my experience differently and it was as if a light flipped on. Suddenly my experience was more clearly seen as most naturally one of Ni/Fe.

Oddly since I've declared INFJ, I've received more external questions about my type than I recall receiving about my declaration of INFP, while in contrast my internal sense has switched from one of uncertainty in the INFP label to one of confidence in the INFJ label.

I couldn't say complete certainty about INFJ though. I would say that I think INFJ functions suit my most natural experience more closely than INFP functions, but I also recognize that I don't look quite like other INFJ's and there is much in me that does seem to match INFP expression.

I test with exceptional use of Ne, Fi, Ni and good use of Fe. Generally my Ne or Fi scores are my highest. I've read descriptions of INJ and IFP children and my youthful experience most closely resonated with that of an IFP child. However my resonance with longer descriptions of INFP's and INFJ's that encompass childhood experience resonates more closely with INFJ's experience.

Sometimes I find myself wondering if MBTI labels really can capture the actual expression of a unique person. Perhaps for whatever reason I really do have easy and seemingly natural access to both INFP and INFJ dominant functions?

I don't really understand why that would be and I guess even now I can't say with certainty which type is who I am at my core and which type would be the one with functions developed with maturity. I still suspect my natural type to be INFJ because as you move down the function ordering I feel more natural expression of tertiary Ti than Si and resonate more with descriptions of inferior Se than inferior Te, but then what of areas lacking similarity of expression to other INFJ's? Is that difference in my expression simply a blunting of a strong INFJ expression by the strength of developed Ne and Fi? I could see it being so. I tend to feel inside it is likely so. But who knows. I don't really. Truthfully I'm not even sure it matters.

I'm me and I'm grateful for those who see me as a person rather than a type and who are not concerned in more than a curious way what label I hang around my neck.
 

JivinJeffJones

New member
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
3,702
MBTI Type
INFP
I always test on the cusp of T/F -- I typed as INTP the first few times I took the test. I decided INFP was more me because the profile was eerily accurate of my true self, whereas the INTP profile only somewhat fitted my functional self. I resolved at a fairly young age to develop my T side more because it is less painful than the F side, and often allows for a more pleasing sense of humour. My education assisted in further developing a more logical, analytical toolbox for deconstructing the world at a safer distance. I don't really understand what Ti is or how it works though, so I'm not too sure how much I use it.
 

TenebrousReflection

New member
Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
449
MBTI Type
INFp
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Do you have a need for closure, or do you constantly adapt to your situation?

In most cases, I don't really worry about it, but when it comes to relationships, what I feel is a need to have communicated my thoughts and feelings and when I have feel I have done so, it gives me a fairly strong feeling of comfort/peace of mind. When I have thoughts that I'm not comfortable communicating or just cant find the words to say thats when my mind is in constant unrest and drives me to keep thinking of ideas to do/say to express myself in some way that is satisfactory to me. If I feel I have been misunderstood, I feel a strong need to clear things up which could in a sense be a form of closure, but I don't think thats what your referring to.

tovlo said:
I test with exceptional use of Ne, Fi, Ni and good use of Fe. Generally my Ne or Fi scores are my highest. I've read descriptions of INJ and IFP children and my youthful experience most closely resonated with that of an IFP child. However my resonance with longer descriptions of INFP's and INFJ's that encompass childhood experience resonates more closely with INFJ's experience.

If you are referring to the descriptions at Personality and Kids then I am the direct opposite, thinking myself to be INFp, but finding lots of inconstancies in the IFP description but reading the INJ and saying that describes me as a kid very well.

I find a lot of descriptions of INFP and INFJ just don't make sense and sometimes parts of the descriptions feel like opposites to me, so I just chalk it up to the author having a poor understanding of those types and possibly even making their opinions based off the feedback of mistyped persons. In the case of that particular website, I would be interested in how other INFPs and INFJs feel about those descriptions pertaining to them.

JivinJeffJones said:
I always test on the cusp of T/F -- I typed as INTP the first few times I took the test. I decided INFP was more me because the profile was eerily accurate of my true self, whereas the INTP profile only somewhat fitted my functional self. I resolved at a fairly young age to develop my T side more because it is less painful than the F side, and often allows for a more pleasing sense of humour. My education assisted in further developing a more logical, analytical toolbox for deconstructing the world at a safer distance. I don't really understand what Ti is or how it works though, so I'm not too sure how much I use it.

As far as testing goes, INF is pretty consistent, its just the J/P that tends to test as highly variable and seems to depend on the questions asked, how i interpret them, and my mood at the time. The stuff in bold is what I relate to most in your statement and probably explains why I relate to INTP so much (and I still am trying to understand all the functions and figure out if/when I'm consciously using each one (use of Te/Ti and Se/Si are the most confusing ones to me)) .
 

substitute

New member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
4,601
MBTI Type
ENTP
Well, I think the J/P division is another weird one to be on the cusp with. I mean, it makes a much bigger difference to your function 'line up' than the E/I one. I mean, the difference between INFP, with Fi and Ne first, is very different from INFJ, with Ni and Fe first - totally different effect on behaviour, so I wonder how that would manifest in a person's behaviour, if their dominant functions could be an equal split beween Fi/Ni and Ne/Fe - would it make them just super sensitive and incredibly dreamy or paranoid, with very little sense of logic (T) or fact (S)?
 

nightning

ish red no longer *sad*
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
3,741
MBTI Type
INfj
I'm on the cusp for J/P function in testing... however people who interact with me often times comment that I seem like a J and not a P. In terms of function usage. My ordering is Ni > Ne > Fe > Fi ~ Ti. So based on that, I'm technically closer to INFJ than INFP. Although I don't fit in to the classical Ni/Fe that well. I think people on the cusp for any trait can choose to go one way or the other. For me, conscious awareness that I'm closer to INFJ might have lead to my development of Ti as oppose to say Si...

Of cause the alternate view to this is people really are only one type... that they have natural preferences. However environmental interactions made them more familar with other functions and thus they can't tell what their natural tendencies are anymore.
 

substitute

New member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
4,601
MBTI Type
ENTP
Of cause the alternate view to this is people really are only one type... that they have natural preferences. However environmental interactions made them more familar with other functions and thus they can't tell what their natural tendencies are anymore.

Yes, this is something like the case with me and Ti/Te, they both come quite naturally, I can't tell which is my preferred one. The convenience of the explanation of prolonged leadership augmenting my Te makes me think Ti was the original/natural one. Before I left school, I was very chaotic and disorganised and never very confident at all with leading or ordering things/people in the real world and could never bear telling anyone what to do.

You don't come across to me very typically INFJ though... I wouldn't even try to put you in a different category, but you 'feel' different to me, to the other INFJ's on here anyway. Maybe you just explained why!! :)

I like the way you put that though - for me it'd be something like Ne > Ti~Te > Ni~Fe~Se > Si > Fi

I always test on the cusp of T/F -- I typed as INTP the first few times I took the test. ...

Your posts give me a vibe like an INFP I know, who also tests quite close on the T/F part. She's pretty cool, too.

For me, the I/E conflict was highlighted earliest when I was reading an ENTP profile, a really detailed one, for the first time. Previously I'd read INTP ones and marvelled at how much like me it was, but then I read the ENTP one and it made the other one seem like a horoscope - roughly like me, but lots of bits I had to gloss over and a bit of suspension of disbelief, if you will. I realised that INTP was like I'd been in the past, and like I was when alone sometimes, but the descriptions of how INTP's are with people and in 'real world' situations was nothing like me, whereas ENTP was spot on.
 

tovlo

New member
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
248
MBTI Type
INFJ
If you are referring to the descriptions at Personality and Kids then I am the direct opposite, thinking myself to be INFp, but finding lots of inconstancies in the IFP description but reading the INJ and saying that describes me as a kid very well.

I find a lot of descriptions of INFP and INFJ just don't make sense and sometimes parts of the descriptions feel like opposites to me, so I just chalk it up to the author having a poor understanding of those types and possibly even making their opinions based off the feedback of mistyped persons. In the case of that particular website, I would be interested in how other INFPs and INFJs feel about those descriptions pertaining to them.

It is the Personality and kids page I was referring to.

I share your theory that some of the descriptions may cause confusion because there is poor understanding of the types being described. I've wondered that specifically about the IFP and INJ children descriptions.

I also would be curious to know how other INFP's and INFJ's feel about those descriptions.
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
5,903
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
7w8
Sometimes I behave like an ESTJ, some other times like an ENFJ, but generally speaking I'm ENTJ.
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
I think I may be on the cusp for T and F. I've tested few times as INTP.also my functions test result said I used Ti but not Te I use Fi the most though.
 

cafe

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
9,827
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
9w1
I frequently test and can identify with INFP. In the INJ/IFP as children thing, I identified slightly more with the IFP description, but like INTJ Mom describes, what diplomacy I have was mostly consciously learned. I could be pretty ruthless verbally as a teen and frequently came off as very cold. It wasn't always or even usually that I didn't care. I just didn't realize how I sounded. But then again, I do have two sons with autism, so it could be that I have some autistic traits in that area that, when combined with their father's similar traits became more pronounced in our sons. I don't know.

On the function tests, I tend to score high on Ni/Ne and Fi/Fe average on Ti/Te and low on Si/Se.

Organization, routine, and diligence are not among my strong suits. I'm too easily distracted and lazy.

But I'm pretty sure I'm an INFJ.
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
I come off us cold. I don't try to I just don't always feel comfortable showing my feelings to strangers or people I don't trust.


Also one of the neighbor's I had growing up was an Aspie. One time my commented on how me and him are similar in many ways, we were never friends as he was younger and went to a different school. So I may have some traits. I know I was tested for something, but I think it was just a language delay (This was before I was tested for a Learning Difference)
 
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