Typing this person: NT or SJ?

[helen]

I'm not sure how to type this friend of mine. He's an IXTJ I'm pretty sure, just not positive if that X should be an N or an S.

His hobbies seem NT-ish on the whole: computer games, pen and paper RPGs, paintball, fencing, Star Wars, reading science fiction of all kinds. He's also into car tuning and racing. Professionally, he's a computer programmer. Sounds like an NT, right?

On the other hand, abstract kinds of ideas don't appear to engross him nearly as much as they do me. I mean things like psychology, philosophy, MBTI, discussing random hypothetical situations, etc. He'll talk about these kinds of things when I bring them up, but his mind seems to pull more towards the concrete, while I'll continue in an abstract vein indefinitely. Does this sound more like an SJ?

[Jack Flak]

Originally Posted by helen

His hobbies seem NT-ish on the whole: computer games, pen and paper RPGs, paintball, fencing, Star Wars, reading science fiction of all kinds. He's also into car tuning and racing. Professionally, he's a computer programmer. Sounds like an NT, right?

No. Could easily be NT, as well as INFP, ISTP, ISTJ.

Based on your entire post, I'd put money on ISTP or ISTJ, can't tell which.

[disregard]

Typing other people is hard.

I was having a conversation with my friend last night (IRL), and I recall thinking, "He has no way to tell that I'm Fi dom," because my extraverted functions (Ne, Te) are typically most apparent in the presence of most others.

[Jennifer]

ISTJ males often are into the stuff you attributed to NT. They just tend to approach the topics a little different in how they evaluate/indulge.

He sounds more ISTJ to me, but honestly, there's not a lot of data here to triangulate with.

[helen]

Originally Posted by Jennifer

ISTJ males often are into the stuff you attributed to NT. They just tend to approach the topics a little different in how they evaluate/indulge.

He sounds more ISTJ to me, but honestly, there's not a lot of data here to triangulate with.

What kind of data is more relevant?

I'm just curious. It doesn't really matter that I know which type he is.

[spirilis]

Could go either way. The real kicker, IMO, is how he handles strategy. Ask him about his games and why he plays them and what he gets out of them.

The only "NT-ish" item in the list IMO is the science fiction. I can see any IxTx type doing the rest of them, although even sci-fi I've seen capture the attention of at least one ISTP. They might not be as interested in the theoretical situations and alternate realities posed by sci-fi material though.

[Usehername]

Not enough info for us to determine, but another thing to consider is that he's an InTJ with very low N and is not as abstract-interested as you are.


I always try to see what motivates people more with the temperament sorter. Does he get more stressed when perceived as not competent at something, or when he has to buck protocol for a reason that isn't perfectly clear etc. etc.?

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by helen

What kind of data is more relevant?

I'm just curious. It doesn't really matter that I know which type he is.

okay. Just to answer your question, though, when you say something like this:

On the other hand, abstract kinds of ideas don't appear to engross him nearly as much as they do me. I mean things like psychology, philosophy, MBTI, discussing random hypothetical situations, etc. He'll talk about these kinds of things when I bring them up, but his mind seems to pull more towards the concrete, while I'll continue in an abstract vein indefinitely. Does this sound more like an SJ?

You sort of consolidated the data and answered your own question. (i.e., "He seems more interested in the concrete. Do you think he is an SJ?") How can anyone add to your assessment? We can't.

[Jack Flak]

Originally Posted by Jennifer

You sort of consolidated the data and answered your own question. (i.e., "He seems more interested in the concrete. Do you think he is an SJ?") How can anyone add to your assessment? We can't.

She naturally had what she saw as NT in one hand and what she saw as SJ in the other. Since the NT hand wasn't specifically NT, I hope the SJ hand feels heavier now.

[helen]

Originally Posted by spirilis

Could go either way. The real kicker, IMO, is how he handles strategy.

I would say has a very strategic, orderly, logical kind of mind. He is quick to spot fallacies in arguments and good at condensing and summarizing my long winded speeches . In assessing situations (concrete ones mostly, but also abstract) he keeps all kinds of possibilities in view-- open minded in that sense.

Not enough info for us to determine, but another thing to consider is that he's an InTJ with very low N and is not as abstract-interested as you are.

Yeah, I had thought of this. It could well be.

She naturally had what she saw as NT in one hand and what she saw as SJ in the other. Since the NT hand wasn't specifically NT, I hope the SJ hand feels heavier now.

Pretty much. I had this notion that computer science major = NT. So my SJ hand is more specifically SJ than my NT hand is NT?