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Do you revert to your opposite type under stress?

substitute

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Do any other NFJs get irritated by commercials when your fuse is short?

Oh I don't think that's just NFJ's. I get so irritated by commercials that long ago I stopped watching commercial TV. It's been BBC and DVD's for me for a long ol' time. Sometimes the kids watch the cartoon channels and I make them mute it during the commercials because they just absolutely drive me crazy.

I was walking by, saw it and thought acidly: "You should be weeded out of the gene pool, you f-ing selfish numbnuts, so your wife can remarry within her species."

Ah, haha, no it's not that. I wouldn't think that at all, though I'd laugh my ass off if you said it in front of me and enjoy extending it to maximum word-bomb potential. What annoys me about them is just how damn hyper they are, the voices are so loud, they sound so excited and just super hyper, and 99% of the time what's being advertised is just useless crap that's nowhere near as exciting as they're trying to make it sound. They're just so full of BS - airbrushed, digitally remastered Penelope Cruz telling women they should dye their hair "because you're worth it"... aghghghg just all that fakery and the cynical marketing strategies behind it are so nakedly obvious... I just want to destroy the TV.

*deep breath*

When I get stressed I go inferior F of all kinds. Strangely, Si isn't really inferior for me any more, and engaging it often helps to being me back on course. Or if I can't engage my own, finding someone else who has strong, good Si or Te (or both), and 'plugging in' to them invariably brings me back.
 

Spartan

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I've had instances where under stress, I felt that I became my shadow type. I was probably acting like a ENTP. When issues came up at my "lunch table" I debated ferociously and words flung out of my mouth without thinking. No one could disprove my ideas either. I no longer had to think and then say, which I tend to do a lot. I went home that day without an urge to do anything, which is extremely unlike the ISFJ me. The next day I was back to ISFJ.
 

miss fortune

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:laugh: infjs don't like to be estps when stressed! :D

when really seriously stressed about things I do suppose I act a bit infjish- I may take things somewhat personally and seriously and actually will cry occasionally if stressed enough! (something I wouldn't normally do!)

this is, however, refering to a basic mental meltdown instead of normal stress! :D

normal stress just means that I'll be acting more obnoxious than usual! :laugh:
 

cascadeco

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Usually not quite like that as much any more (although it used to be)... these days it seems to manifest more like a sarcastic, "Well, yeah, that makes a lot of sense." Sometimes it's also a condescending, "Come on, that's basic knowledge. How can you possibly not know that?" It can also be, "I don't have the time to listen to your irrelevant ravings." So my bad mood towards my television (and sometimes other people), has less of an edge, but it's more condescending and dismissive.

I don't really like to say things like that to people either, and I usually feel badly about it.

Well, I can sort of relate to this (maybe not the exact comments, but just the judgements/negativity) except I NEVER say any of it out loud!! :) (aside from a few embittered comments about humanity that I allow my brother to hear, hahahaha). It all stays in my head, and then I'll think I'm mean/horrible for having the thoughts, recognize I'm just in a funk and should minimize my contact with people until I get out of it..and then the cycle I initially posted continues!!! :)
 

nightning

ish red no longer *sad*
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I know I can get caught up in details and planning when I'm stressed out. That and be grumpy and aggressive. I suppose that's like ESTP... well EST anyhow.
 

Domino

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Oh I don't think that's just NFJ's. I get so irritated by commercials that long ago I stopped watching commercial TV. It's been BBC and DVD's for me for a long ol' time. Sometimes the kids watch the cartoon channels and I make them mute it during the commercials because they just absolutely drive me crazy.

Thank goodness it's not just me. Even on GOOD days, commercials make me NUTS.


Ah, haha, no it's not that. I wouldn't think that at all, though I'd laugh my ass off if you said it in front of me and enjoy extending it to maximum word-bomb potential.

AHAHAH!!! I try to keep it to myself, but sometimes I just blurt-blurt-blurt if I'm at home and no one but Jaye can hear me. Sometimes I say that awful stuff out-loud because I know it'll make her laugh. She says "MEOW, kitty likes to SCRATCH!!" in her sarcastic shame-on-you voice. :D



What annoys me about them is just how damn hyper they are, the voices are so loud, they sound so excited and just super hyper, and 99% of the time what's being advertised is just useless crap that's nowhere near as exciting as they're trying to make it sound. They're just so full of BS - airbrushed, digitally remastered Penelope Cruz telling women they should dye their hair "because you're worth it"... aghghghg just all that fakery and the cynical marketing strategies behind it are so nakedly obvious... I just want to destroy the TV.

The BS factor alone is enough to fray my patience and the rapid-fire, 15 or 30 second spots make my brain feel like it's being hammered on. Ugh. I'm not a good consumer! I've failed the capitalist system! :D
 

Magic Poriferan

^He pronks, too!
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Stress makes me needy and sensitive, and in that regard, might make me like an ESFJ, but that's really only FJ.
I don't think stress has ever made me feel E or S.

EDIT: I mean sensitive in the emotional way, not in the obviously S way.
 
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lazyhappy

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lol i don't think i ever became my opposite: ESFJ.. but... if it's true that people become thier opposite, then how do i know that i am not just a stressed ESFJ? lol paradox, eh?

but when i was a unhealthy intp, i did become more of a infp

edit: now that i think about it i might of also been a s... but... i deffinitley never became a E (in fact i was more i then usual when i was unhealthy)
 
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Athenian200

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Well, I can sort of relate to this (maybe not the exact comments, but just the judgements/negativity) except I NEVER say any of it out loud!! :) (aside from a few embittered comments about humanity that I allow my brother to hear, hahahaha). It all stays in my head, and then I'll think I'm mean/horrible for having the thoughts, recognize I'm just in a funk and should minimize my contact with people until I get out of it..and then the cycle I initially posted continues!!! :)

Do you mean never, never? Or just very rarely to the point that it would take more stress than the situations you thought of? And I usually think these things rather than say them, although I do say them if I think no one can hear me... or if I'm just too stressed.
 

cascadeco

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Do you mean never, never? Or just very rarely to the point that it would take more stress than the situations you thought of? And I usually think these things rather than say them, although I do say them if I think no one can hear me... or if I'm just too stressed.

Well yeah, honestly, I really don't think I speak any negative *judgements* about specific people, to people, out loud. Because I realize it's just my mood affecting my perceptions, so I don't think it's fair, nice, or appropriate. I know it's more a reflection of MY mood, than anything the other person has done. Because the reality is the other person is probably behaving just like they normally do, and on non-stressed days, I wouldn't be bothered at all...so I don't say anything when I am stressed. So I guess I never direct barbed comments about someones' character or personality to them.

The only irritable stuff that would come out would be stuff about humanity at large (and usually my brother is the only one who hears this, or else my INFJ coworker who is quite the cynic so can always relate :) ) , or I'll get more irritated at behavior from random strangers, or stuff on the news...things like that. Or just the petty things that don't have anything to do with a specific person - just obsessive/anal comments about housekeeping, or stupid stuff like that. :)
 

Athenian200

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Well yeah, honestly, I really don't think I speak any negative *judgements* about specific people, to people, out loud. Because I realize it's just my mood talking, so I don't think it's fair, nice, or appropriate. I know it's more a reflection of MY mood, than anything the other person has done. Because the reality is the other person is probably behaving just like they normally do, and on non-stressed days, I wouldn't be bothered at all...so I don't say anything when I am stressed.

I guess I never make negative statements regarding someones' character or personality;

You're a saint... you never say negative things out loud. The fact that you have that much self-control at all times makes me feel even worse than I already do about when I mess up and say such things (I know that wasn't your intent, though). I wish I could just never say mean things to people the way you do.
 

cascadeco

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Well..uh..I hope you're not being sarcastic there!! And trust me, I'm far from it. Also, don't beat yourself up any more than you probably already do!! I think one of the INFJ's worst talents is to beat themselves up. I do it ALL the time.

It could be argued the other way you know...that keeping it all in, and always self-monitoring, isn't necessarily a good thing either. But yes, it's what I tend to choose to do - the only reason being like I said, that I know my perceptions are a bit off-kilter when I'm really stressed.
 

Athenian200

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Well..uh..I hope you're not being sarcastic there!! And trust me, I'm far from it.

It could be argued the other way you know...that keeping it all in isn't necessarily a good thing either. But yes, it's what I tend to choose to do - the only reason being like I said, that I know my perceptions are a bit off-kilter when I'm really stressed.

No, I was serious. And I know that my perceptions are skewed at that point as well... it's just that I when I reach a certain point, it's hard for me to stop it from coming out. So I guess I'm jealous that you can do that consistently and I can't (although I can most of the time, it slips for me). That's what I would do, if I could.

Does that make sense?
 

cascadeco

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No, I was serious. And I know that my perceptions are skewed at that point as well... it's just that I when I reach a certain point, it's hard for me to stop it from coming out. So I guess I'm jealous that you can do that consistently and I can't (although I can most of the time, it slips for me). That's what I would do, if I could.

Does that make sense?

Yes, it makes total sense. :hug:

I'm positive you are able to do things consistently that I can't do and wish I could do..so it evens out. :) Also, who knows, there might be a point in your future where you'll be able to do it consistently. And if not, that's ok too. But I do know I keep learning new things about myself and others all the time, and I definitely have different approaches/outlooks to life today than I did, say, 5 yrs ago....so these things are always just a work in progress, for everyone.........I think we each beat ourselves up about our own unique little demons.
 

quietgirl

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I'm supposd to turn into a really bad version of the ESTP.

I definitely tend to be more Se & Ti when I'm stressed, so I can see that theory.

Se:

-I get really impulsive & make impulsive spontaneous decisions that are rarely thought out. I also engage in more impulsive, in the moment activities such as blowing $400 shopping (when I'm normally extremely controlled & borderline cheap with money) or drinking too much.

-I tend to start focusing on the physical instead of the mental. I'll start a weird diet because I get superfocused on my body image or exercise obsessively.

-I get hypersensitive to outside stimuli that I never notice any other time. I also can't concentrate to save my life. I tend to shift from activity to activity during this time.

-I tend to break plans or drop people for no apparent reason, which goes completely against my ideals & ends up making me feel like a hypocrite.

Ti:

-Analyzation to the extreme. I take everything in & analyze it to bits. I often detach in this analyzation mode & rarely get anything done.

-I get very argumentative on behalf of my Ti. I'll also make statements with no regard whatsoever for the feelings of others.


Funny, my ESTP mom seems to turn into a really lame version of me while upset. Fe spills ALL over the place& she starts anticipating in a really negative Ni sort of way.
 

Siúil a Rúin

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I don't turn into anything like an ESTP under stress. I go from a heightened state of paralyzing anxiety that eventually wears me out into an almost serene apathy. I become very detached from myself and more inwardly structured, but outwardly less structured. Many things simply no longer register or bother me. I become very unaware of the concrete world, lose things, make lots of mistakes. The main feature that changes has to do with my emotions which almost completely detach at times. If anything I become a bit more abstract, structured, and static. My emotional circuitry fries out. I turn into robo-toonia part of the time when I'm not focused on crying.
 

DaRick

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You're a saint... you never say negative things out loud. The fact that you have that much self-control at all times makes me feel even worse than I already do about when I mess up and say such things (I know that wasn't your intent, though). I wish I could just never say mean things to people the way you do.

When I'm irritable, I can be outwardly negative. When under extreme stress, I can be outright abusive, threatening and even violent. Otherwise, I don't really express my negative opinions of others.
 

Athenian200

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I don't turn into anything like an ESTP under stress. I go from a heightened state of paralyzing anxiety that eventually wears me out into an almost serene apathy. I become very detached from myself and more inwardly structured, but outwardly less structured. Many things simply no longer register or bother me. I become very unaware of the concrete world, lose things, make lots of mistakes. The main feature that changes has to do with my emotions which almost completely detach at times. If anything I become a bit more abstract, structured, and static. My emotional circuitry fries out. I turn into robo-toonia part of the time when I'm not focused on crying.

Now, see, that happens to me under prolonged stress, but I rarely experience that kind of prolonged stress. And I wouldn't call that sense of apathy you're describing serene... I'd like to call it frightening in retrospect, but it really doesn't "feel" like anything... just kind of dead.

I think it's like a power outage. Normally you would try to do your report on the computer, but if the power goes out, you have to write it by hand while studying books by candlelight/flashlight. I think that's sort of what this feels like. You could also say it feels kind of like a driver malfunction in earlier versions of Windows that forces you to try and repair everything from the command prompt so that you can get back into Windows. Those analogies are weird, but then so is that experience.
 

Ezra

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This is a very interesting topic.

I think XNTJ is most evident in me in my normal state. However, under stress, or under the influence of other people around me creating energy or forcing my own energy to influence them in some way makes the Extraversion in me come to life, along with Sensing, something my ENFP friend actually notices more in me. However, when things get chaotic, I can become almost mentally scattered, like an ENTP. This happens when I don't keep myself under control; it happens when I unleash myself.

In essence, I've never made a full flip. If I'm XNTJ in regular state, I've never been XSFP. Technically, the only one I'm truly balanced on and always have been is Extraversion and Introversion. S/N changes depending on my mood. T and J are generally consistent, but P occasionally enters the arena.
 

"?"

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Naomi Quenk put out a good book about MBTI "inferior function / flipped" selves (the original release was called "Beside Ourselves" -- but I think the title was changed upon rerelease). I recommend it, if you can find a copy.
It did come out under "Beside Ourselves: Our Hidden Personality in Everyday Life", but she revised parts of it and retitled it "Was That Really Me? How Stress Brings Out Our Hidden Personality". Essentially it is the same book. Dr. Quenk's books raises one of the problems that I have with the system overall in it's rigidness in describing types at either their most healthy level or most unhealthy level, with nothing in between. There are so many types that, in this case the INTJ would most likely consider before hitting rock bottom to total unhealthiness. I would say that bits and pieces of each dichotomy would disintegrate until the INTJ would not realize who they truly were and appear ESFP. So before that occurs, an INTJ could mistype as INTP, ISTJ, INFJ, and so on depending on the person and how strong they prefer the type functions. Clearly I mistyped as INTP, coincidentally when taking Dr. Quenk's Step II, because Se is my weakest function and I can easily use my Ne.
 
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