NFs being... rational??? or just developed Te?

[Babylon Candle]

note: long, and the thread title isnt addressed until a bit late in the post.


1. as a young kid (x-10) years old i was the mr imaginative and outgoing Ne, playful, etc overly happy

2. i was not always well received later socially, ( ) so i became more and more introverted (10-16). i was still probably an extrovert at heart. i loved activities where i could be Ne without social critisism: drama class, sharing creative writing in class, volunteering opinions in appropriate classes as much as any extravert.

3. around 14 or 16 i started to show what i think is Si. i became a pack rat of information. not like a knowledge hungry INTP, but literally just recorded and organized info, while i meanwhile hated organization in the real world. an example is the ridiculous amount of bookmarks that im sure i will never visit again, but i keep to have a record of info should i ever need it lol.

so up until 19 or so i was fairly certain that i was XNFP or INFP...(or at least i had been permanently turned into an INFP from poor social experience)

then around 19 or 20 i had like a TOTAL PARADIGM SHIFT

4. i changed majors from business (which at my school is IMO a joke of a major even though its a top 25 MBA school as well...) to biochemistry.

i've gone from C- in precalc Highschool, C+ chemistry highschool to having a 3.5 GPA in college (i was not dumb in highschool...math/science just didnt make sense to me)...i almost have to do a double take when i realize that i can now do can easily do Calculus and various chemisty number crunching on a daily basis and I ENJOY IT



5. is this an actual shift in my personality or just my final and extreme development of Te???


6. at what point does it stop becoming "the Te is strong with this one" and become, "i think you more Te than Fi!"


7. i have also heard that Te can be much more irrational than Ti because it tends to compartmentalize logical thinking into whatever system Te puts the info into. any truth to this?

[Othon]

I had the same experience regarding introvertedness. As a kid I was extremely extroverted and outgoing and whatnot. Social rejection led me to be EXTREMELY introverted. I'm still really shy, but whenever I'm comfortable, I'll be pretty extroverted. So I'm not sure /what/ I am.

[Santtu]

Originally Posted by Babylon Candle

7. i have also heard that Te can be much more irrational than Ti because it tends to compartmentalize logical thinking into whatever system Te puts the info into. any truth to this?

Hmm, something of the kind. I'm thinking of a subjective, stubborn or non sequitur logic in here.

Te is more about exerting influence and having it your way. The drive and interest to do it comes from some other function, Te just provides the blunt instrument to do it. It's more about what someone CAN do or CAN convince themselves or someone other about, with a degree of deception.

It's the more of a practice-orientated thinking function, whereas Ti is the more "idealistic", objective, or true-to-the-core.

But then, Ti is usually strongly paired with a practically orientated real-world functions of Se or Ne, and Te with Ni or Si, so it's not to say that persons strong with Te would necessarily be that much more practical and less pure in logic than their Ti counterparts.

[wedekit]

I remember being much more extroverted when I was younger too, but I was socially rejected as well. All I could do in response was hide myself. Kids really can be cruel. I don't doubt that I was an introvert back then, but I think the arduous road I had to walk down as a child really pushed me into extreme introversion.

[cascadeco]

Yep, I was extremely sensitive and *extremely* introverted as a teenager as well. To the point where I wasn't really a part of any social group.

I don't see what's stopping an NF from being/becoming quite rational. I know a handful of successful NF engineers, and NF's can be found in pretty much any career. And it's not like NF's are incompetant and can't do well in your more logical/rational pursuits. I always excelled in math/science/analytical subjects growing up, and have tested quite well in those areas.

i've gone from C- in precalc Highschool, C+ chemistry highschool to having a 3.5 GPA in college (i was not dumb in highschool...math/science just didnt make sense to me)...i almost have to do a double take when i realize that i can now do can easily do Calculus and various chemisty number crunching on a daily basis and I ENJOY IT

Maybe it just boils down to your interests changing, and your desiring to put forth more effort with the classes now. And sure, maturity too.

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by Babylon Candle

note: long, and the thread title isnt addressed until a bit late in the post.

1. as a young kid (x-10) years old i was the mr imaginative and outgoing Ne, playful, etc overly happy

2. i was not always well received later socially, ( ) so i became more and more introverted (10-16). i was still probably an extrovert at heart. i loved activities where i could be Ne without social critisism: drama class, sharing creative writing in class, volunteering opinions in appropriate classes as much as any extravert.

Ne is an extroverted function and is energized by bouncing around and springboarding off other's ideas. I think people who use it as their "engaging function" (with I or E) can appear extroverted, and it confuses type reading.

I was originally very quiet, observing, never said much, always thinking. When Ne kicked in, my social abilities improved and I actually interacted with people and could be a lot of fun when I was around others.

3. around 14 or 16 i started to show what i think is Si. i became a pack rat of information. not like a knowledge hungry INTP, but literally just recorded and organized info, while i meanwhile hated organization in the real world. an example is the ridiculous amount of bookmarks that im sure i will never visit again, but i keep to have a record of info should i ever need it lol.

I do that too...my bookmark file is insane. But every so often I get annoyed and try to org/thin it out. I think Si can have a pack-ratty nature to it especially when it is not as strong/healthy. (Ex: Healthy ISFJs seem to be uncluttered, they know when to let go; unhealthy ISFJs seem to keep everything because of sentimental value, even if it diminishes their capacity to act.)

4. i changed majors from business (which at my school is IMO a joke of a major even though its a top 25 MBA school as well...) to biochemistry.

i've gone from C- in precalc Highschool, C+ chemistry highschool to having a 3.5 GPA in college (i was not dumb in highschool...math/science just didnt make sense to me)...i almost have to do a double take when i realize that i can now do can easily do Calculus and various chemisty number crunching on a daily basis and I ENJOY IT

5. is this an actual shift in my personality or just my final and extreme development of Te???

It could be. I don't know. Older INFPs I've met definitely had that shift; they liked getting their hands on things and feeling like they had some control, they liked implementing things and making them work. It becomes empty if they don't get enough Fi action, but they can become very perfectionist/controlling over all the details of a project once they are in Te-lock.

6. at what point does it stop becoming "the Te is strong with this one" and become, "i think you more Te than Fi!"

I think some people can be one type but be more developed with their secondary (for example). It's more a matter of instinctive motivations, rather than overt behavior. If you are INFP, you will still be an INFP and show a strong Te bent, you will never act more like an ESTJ (for example).

7. i have also heard that Te can be much more irrational than Ti because it tends to compartmentalize logical thinking into whatever system Te puts the info into. any truth to this?

I agree with that. Ti is more concerned with the foundational definitions and that the categories are right. Te tends to take the most convenient/effective categories and use them to get a task done,regardless of how inherently accurate the categories are.

[Gabe]

Originally Posted by Babylon Candle

note: long, and the thread title isnt addressed until a bit late in the post.


1. as a young kid (x-10) years old i was the mr imaginative and outgoing Ne, playful, etc overly happy

2. i was not always well received later socially, ( ) so i became more and more introverted (10-16). i was still probably an extrovert at heart. i loved activities where i could be Ne without social critisism: drama class, sharing creative writing in class, volunteering opinions in appropriate classes as much as any extravert.

3. around 14 or 16 i started to show what i think is Si. i became a pack rat of information. not like a knowledge hungry INTP, but literally just recorded and organized info, while i meanwhile hated organization in the real world. an example is the ridiculous amount of bookmarks that im sure i will never visit again, but i keep to have a record of info should i ever need it lol.

so up until 19 or so i was fairly certain that i was XNFP or INFP...(or at least i had been permanently turned into an INFP from poor social experience)

then around 19 or 20 i had like a TOTAL PARADIGM SHIFT

4. i changed majors from business (which at my school is IMO a joke of a major even though its a top 25 MBA school as well...) to biochemistry.

i've gone from C- in precalc Highschool, C+ chemistry highschool to having a 3.5 GPA in college (i was not dumb in highschool...math/science just didnt make sense to me)...i almost have to do a double take when i realize that i can now do can easily do Calculus and various chemisty number crunching on a daily basis and I ENJOY IT



5. is this an actual shift in my personality or just my final and extreme development of Te???


6. at what point does it stop becoming "the Te is strong with this one" and become, "i think you more Te than Fi!"


7. i have also heard that Te can be much more irrational than Ti because it tends to compartmentalize logical thinking into whatever system Te puts the info into. any truth to this?

Read Howard Grant's function developement model. What you described actually fits the ENFP discription very well. You might want to look into that (and make sure that the extraverted percieving function is Ne and not Se. Just to make sure for yourself, because what you wrote sounds completely like Ne). The extraverted thing sounds totally like the developement of the tertiary, and fits the timetable for the teriary. And of course you're still using Si here and there. I bookmark everything, and my violin case has music that I haven't touched for two years. It can still be inferior.
It seems like you actively decided to develop the tertiary function, with a realization that it 'just takes a little work', and quickly came to see it as fun and rewarding, while your original personality remained intact.
What just needs to be known now (for you) is what KIND of introversion you experienced. Was it intensive feeling?

Lastly, you might as well ignore #7. Both functions are rational.

oh. And read some real ENFP profiles

Best-Fit Type : Exploring the Multiple Models of Personality Type It's the 'discoverer advocate'

and Understanding Berens' Interaction Styles compare 'get things going' (ENFP) with 'behind the scenes' (INFP)

[Babylon Candle]

Originally Posted by Gabe

Read Howard Grant's function developement model. What you described actually fits the ENFP discription very well. You might want to look into that (and make sure that the extraverted percieving function is Ne and not Se. Just to make sure for yourself, because what you wrote sounds completely like Ne). The extraverted thing sounds totally like the developement of the tertiary, and fits the timetable for the teriary. And of course you're still using Si here and there. I bookmark everything, and my violin case has music that I haven't touched for two years. It can still be inferior.
It seems like you actively decided to develop the tertiary function, with a realization that it 'just takes a little work', and quickly came to see it as fun and rewarding, while your original personality remained intact.
What just needs to be known now (for you) is what KIND of introversion you experienced. Was it intensive feeling?

Lastly, you might as well ignore #7. Both functions are rational.

oh. And read some real ENFP profiles

Best-Fit Type : Exploring the Multiple Models of Personality Type It's the 'discoverer advocate'

and Understanding Berens' Interaction Styles compare 'get things going' (ENFP) with 'behind the scenes' (INFP)

the introversion was for sure intensive feeling....im the guy who got teary eyed when watching gladiator ...(its such a sad yet uplifting movie)
im sure my introversion was feeling. i love the idea of archetypal extremes.

dont just make the story about bad or good,...i want it to be good versus EVIL. the hero doesnt lose, he loses EVERYTHING, (before he can come back )....ya im pretty sure thats feeling.

after reading your ENFP descriptions:
i think my desires reflect the ENFP...and in fact when im in a really comfortable position (say im coaching a sports team like last summer) or its a particularly happy period in my life, i relate to the ENFP one way more...

...but i guess certain childhood social experiences or memories prevent me from extroverting a lot of that imagination that ENFPs like to share. insecurities hold me back.

so i guess ive turned into an INFP out of fear...i guess ive found other introverts more accepting. the happy times of my life i was definatly an ENFP . im not sure though if that makes me ENFP though.

[Evan]

i think my Ti has been much more visible than my Fe until maybe 2 years ago.

i guarantee if everyone in my grade in high school knew MBTI and typed me, at least 80% would label me NT. maybe 90%.

my Fe was always there, of course, but i always had an extremely small group of friends, and mostly directed my Fe at them. and when you're trying to learn math or science, Fe is pretty useless.

even now, most people see me as rational much before they see my empathy.

i guess what i'm trying to say is only you can be the ultimate judge of your type. and it's completely possible to have 3 well developed functions.

[hotmale]

This thread is great! I think we are all INFPs on the inside!