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Type and self-honesty

Such Irony

Honor Thy Inferior
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Messages
5,059
MBTI Type
INtp
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
By self-honest, I mean being able to accurately assess your own strengths and your shortcomings. Also being in touch with what you truly prefer and value, not what you should prefer. Is there a tendency for some types to be more self-honest than others going by this definition? Or is more an indication of psychological health and not really type related.

I think it's mostly a measure of one's psychological health and ability to introspect. I think that INxx types might have a slight advantage here because of the I and N in combination allows for introspection and to see patterns in one's behavior. The part about being in touch with what you truly prefer suggests healthy Fi use. Fi dominants may have a slight advantage in that regard, with emphasis on the slight.

Like I said, I think there may be a very slight correlation between self-honesty and type. Mostly it's about psychological health. There are ESTJs who are very in touch with themselves and INFPs who aren't so in touch.
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
the older i've gotten the harder it is for me to introspect, i dunno maybe i'm just getting older but i thought you got better at it when you aged. like fine cheese.

I think for me at least anyways it has to do with psychological health
 

Cellmold

Wake, See, Sing, Dance
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
6,266
I think you have a point about IN types and Fi. In general as you pointed out any individual can be well developed in the area of true self-honesty, but some probably do have an advantage.

However it's fascinating how often what an individual perceives about themselves differs so much from how others perceive them. I tend to find it shifts a lot as the person changes throughout their life.

For example I would LIKE to think I am honest about myself, but I would suspect that the truth is that I am quite unaware of many of my own faults and foibles. To be able to accept the faults others might notice is a hard step to take, but maybe one of the first when it comes to actually attempting to be honest with yourself.

But of all the people in your life, you are the most easily deceived by your own mind.
 

Burger King

New member
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
338
the older i've gotten the harder it is for me to introspect, i dunno maybe i'm just getting older but i thought you got better at it when you aged. like fine cheese.

I think for me at least anyways it has to do with psychological health

I'd argue that it's a good thing in what you're describing. There's a natural predisposition to introspect, be self-absorbed, and bla bla in INXX types, maybe IXXX in general too? Too much introspection only leads to self-consciousness and too much watching oneself. It's not natural. Being able to get out of yourself can give the benefit of extra perspective and allows one to just "be," a difficulty many INXX types suffer from I bet.
 

Chiharu

New member
Joined
Feb 22, 2011
Messages
662
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
7w6
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Fi is the key.

I can be very introspective, but it's a marked shift. I often react to things without understanding my reasons, or figuring out my feelings as I discuss them. Thinking out loud in the extreme. I can often feel the switch from Ne to Fi.
 

skylights

i love
Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Messages
7,756
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
I think I'm good at identifying my strengths and weaknesses, but one of my weaknesses is that I have a very hard time making decisions for myself, and trusting that I know how to make good decisions for myself. I have a very strong superego. So... for me it's sort of a split. I feel like my Fi is of good strength but I'm much better at using it to help others than myself.
 

miss fortune

not to be trusted
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
20,589
Enneagram
827
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I wouldn't say that it's particularly Fi related... any function could be the assessor within it's own sphere... for instance, is Fi as good at assessing PHYSICAL capabilities? :huh:
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
14,037
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
496
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
When Fi falls short in terms of self-awareness, I think it tends to be aware of the personal issues, but projects these outwards onto others.

When Fe falls short in self-awareness, it tends to internalize external problems as their own by not creating a clear boundary between the problems of self and others.

What do you think?
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
Staff member
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
27,230
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I think you have a point about IN types and Fi. In general as you pointed out any individual can be well developed in the area of true self-honesty, but some probably do have an advantage.

However it's fascinating how often what an individual perceives about themselves differs so much from how others perceive them. I tend to find it shifts a lot as the person changes throughout their life.
I can see the advantage of being IN, but as someone who is an IN type, I can say that it is just as hard for us to see into our blind spots as it is for other types. These blind spots may just be different, and perhaps also the most effective methods for revealing them.
 
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