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[MBTI General] INXP + ISXJ + love = ??? Help!

Spin

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What do you guys think of this pairing? I frequently identify with INFPs (even though I'm not sure whether I'm F or T), and I'm pretty sure my boyfriend is an ISFJ. So far our relationship is good, but every now and then I start feeling alienated by our lack of "deep" discussions.

Have any of you dated S's? How did it work out in the long run?
 
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Giggly

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I don't think this pairing will get high reviews here on this forum but there are lots of these couples out in the real world. I'm sure many of them make it work.
 

FDG

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This pairing is common (moreso ISFJ-INTP) but IME the parties become progressively unhappier over time.
 

21%

You have a choice!
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My mom and dad are ISFJ and INTP, and they are happily married. They don't have a lot of 'deep' discussions, but she helps ground him in reality. She is patient with his N-babbles, and he thinks her stubborn, practical ways are cute, so it works :D

If your boyfriend is ISFJ, I think he might eventually expect you to conform a little to 'what is normal'. If your life standards are already in line with each other's, it makes things a lot easier. I think this is the same with any difference in that you have to appreciate your partner for who they are and not try to change them, and they have to be willing to do the same for you.

Anyway, good luck! :blush:
 
T

The Iron Giant

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What do you guys think of this pairing? I frequently identify with INFPs (even though I'm not sure whether I'm F or T), and I'm pretty sure my boyfriend is an ISFJ. So far our relationship is good, but every now and then I start feeling alienated by our lack of "deep" discussions.

Have any of you dated S's? How did it work out in the long run?

You're saying you think your ISFJ boyfriend's discussions are shallow. That sounds like you may have a low opinion of him, which doesn't reflect positively on the outcome of this relationship.

I'm not sure if you also think that his thinking is shallow, not just the conversation... but if that's the case, I think it's more likely that he's keeping his deeper thoughts to himself. Generally speaking, men are less comfortable talking at length and in depth, but it seems to me that we do plenty of thinking.

If anything in your types is going to conflict, it's likely to be your judging functions. If you're INFP, you're judging with Fi, if he's ISFJ, he's judging with Fe. THAT is where to look for depth, because while your values come from deep inside you, and probably at some point your early childhood, his are based on what he feels best serves him and others socially. In other words, he wants to make decisions that make you and others happy, and that in turn makes him happy. You want to make decisions that feel consistent with your understanding of what is fair and authentic, and that makes you happy.

This doesn't mean you can't get along, it just means that you may both sometimes have to bend your understanding a little to reach common ground, and understand each other.
 

gromit

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For some reason I feel like an INFP male ISFJ female is a good pairing. I have observed one or two and it seems very sweet and tender.
 

Spin

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My mom and dad are ISFJ and INTP, and they are happily married. They don't have a lot of 'deep' discussions, but she helps ground him in reality. She is patient with his N-babbles, and he thinks her stubborn, practical ways are cute, so it works :D

If your boyfriend is ISFJ, I think he might eventually expect you to conform a little to 'what is normal'. If your life standards are already in line with each other's, it makes things a lot easier. I think this is the same with any difference in that you have to appreciate your partner for who they are and not try to change them, and they have to be willing to do the same for you.

Anyway, good luck! :blush:

This is nice to hear, and it's kind of like my experience has been like so far. Also, we want a lot of the same things out of life, which is promising. :) I don't think we would have gotten along so well when I was going through a non-conformist phase, but I appreciate societal harmony now, and I generally try to dress nicely, and I value social niceties, so that definitely helps. I think the other biggest potential conflicts are:

1) He's really great about taking care of me (and even randomly cleaning things for me), whereas I have to make a conscious effort to remember that people and houses don't take care of themselves. For example: we spend most of our time studying together, and he gets hungry more often than I do, so I always have to remind myself to offer him snacks or dinner-foods (which he often graciously helps me pay for and prepare). And whenever we're at his place, he's a really considerate host. I just don't want him to feel like it's one-sided: like he takes care of me, but I don't take care of him.

2) He just doesn't think about a lot of the things I think about. I'm not making assumptions here -- I'll often reveal some interesting thought I had, hoping for a long involved conversation, and he'll just say, "Oh. That's interesting." If he's engaged in the conversation, he'll often follow up with something like, "wow, I never think of things like that." That mostly just happens when I try to talk about hypothetical situations, though. If it's a situation or an idea that he has experience with, he often has insights that I haven't thought of, and that helps fulfill my need for "deep" conversations.


You're saying you think your ISFJ boyfriend's discussions are shallow. That sounds like you may have a low opinion of him, which doesn't reflect positively on the outcome of this relationship.

I'm not sure if you also think that his thinking is shallow, not just the conversation... but if that's the case, I think it's more likely that he's keeping his deeper thoughts to himself. Generally speaking, men are less comfortable talking at length and in depth, but it seems to me that we do plenty of thinking.

If anything in your types is going to conflict, it's likely to be your judging functions. If you're INFP, you're judging with Fi, if he's ISFJ, he's judging with Fe. THAT is where to look for depth, because while your values come from deep inside you, and probably at some point your early childhood, his are based on what he feels best serves him and others socially. In other words, he wants to make decisions that make you and others happy, and that in turn makes him happy. You want to make decisions that feel consistent with your understanding of what is fair and authentic, and that makes you happy.

This doesn't mean you can't get along, it just means that you may both sometimes have to bend your understanding a little to reach common ground, and understand each other.

That's exactly what it's like! I also use Ti a lot, though. I took a test, and I scored almost equally dominant for Ti, Fi, and Ne:

Lead (Dominant) Process
Introverted Thinking (Ti): Gaining leverage (influence) using a framework. Detaching to study a situation from different angles and fit it to a theory, framework or principle. Checking for accuracy. Using leverage to solve the problem.

Support (Auxilliary) Process
Extraverted Intuiting (Ne): Exploring the emerging patterns. Wondering about patterns of interaction across various situations. Checking what hypotheses and meanings fit best. Trusting what emerges as you shift a situation’s dynamics.

Anyway, I'm always amazed at how naturally considerate he is, and considering what you just said about Fe, that makes sense! Every now and then, though, I start to feel like it's strange that he cares so much what other people think, or about social norms in general. He's usually pretty open-minded, but every now and then, when we read about someone who displayed strong emotion in a slightly inappropriate situation, or someone is very socially unskilled, he finds their behavior "just weird." I have a pretty good handle on social conventions now, but I can still identify with people who act in those "weird" ways. I know how they feel and how alone they are, and how the last thing they need is judgment. On the other hand, I appreciate his social compass: he naturally knows how to act in situations where I feel like I have to "fake it," and it's nice that he validates my social observations a lot of the time.
 
T

The Iron Giant

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[MENTION=16517]Spin[/MENTION]

That's good to hear. If you're rating high in both Fi and Ti, then the test is not reading you well. These functions conflict in function theory. Even the more recent ideas that add four more functions, giving people theoretical access to all eight functions, put them at opposite ends. In other words, you can't be strong in both Fi and Ti, because they're opposites.

If you are intp, you use Fe at a very low level. This usually shows up as being extremely socially awkward, especially when young. One characteristic of inferior Fe like this is periodic outbursts of rage which subside into shame and confusion. Have you ever experienced that?
 

Spin

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[MENTION=16517]Spin[/MENTION]

That's good to hear. If you're rating high in both Fi and Ti, then the test is not reading you well. These functions conflict in function theory. Even the more recent ideas that add four more functions, giving people theoretical access to all eight functions, put them at opposite ends. In other words, you can't be strong in both Fi and Ti, because they're opposites.

If you are intp, you use Fe at a very low level. This usually shows up as being extremely socially awkward, especially when young. One characteristic of inferior Fe like this is periodic outbursts of rage which subside into shame and confusion. Have you ever experienced that?

Yeah, I definitely have. It doesn't really happen anymore now that I'm older and mostly surrounded by people who respect me.

Myers-Briggs tests often put me as, like, 1% T - maybe a better Functions test would help me figure out which type I am? This is the one I took: http://keys2cognition.com/explore.htm
 
T

The Iron Giant

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Yeah, I definitely have. It doesn't really happen anymore now that I'm older and mostly surrounded by people who respect me.

Myers-Briggs tests often put me as, like, 1% T - maybe a better Functions test would help me figure out which type I am? This is the one I took: http://keys2cognition.com/explore.htm

I think you're doing great, and you've probably gotten about all you can out of functions tests already. They're really just a starting point. In your position, I would start with Jung's descriptions of the introverted thinking type, the extraverted intuition type, and the introverted feeling type, and see if any of those feel right. That would narrow it down to either IxTP, ENxP, or IxFP. From there, I'd suggest looking into the auxiliary function, which should pinpoint that final letter for you. If none of these fit, then you can broaden the search.

Jung was Ti-dom (ISTP) himself, so his writing can be a little rich and hard to parse on the first pass, but I've gotten a lot out of it in terms of understanding my own type.

I think it's awesome that you're putting this effort into understanding yourself and your partner. Far too few people really want to look inside each other this way. I think it can make a huge difference in a relationship.
 

21%

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This is nice to hear, and it's kind of like my experience has been like so far. Also, we want a lot of the same things out of life, which is promising. :) I don't think we would have gotten along so well when I was going through a non-conformist phase, but I appreciate societal harmony now, and I generally try to dress nicely, and I value social niceties, so that definitely helps.
Glad to hear! :)

1) He's really great about taking care of me (and even randomly cleaning things for me), whereas I have to make a conscious effort to remember that people and houses don't take care of themselves. For example: we spend most of our time studying together, and he gets hungry more often than I do, so I always have to remind myself to offer him snacks or dinner-foods (which he often graciously helps me pay for and prepare). And whenever we're at his place, he's a really considerate host. I just don't want him to feel like it's one-sided: like he takes care of me, but I don't take care of him.
If he's ISFJ, this is very natural for him, and he likes doing it. Most of the time Fe will take care of you and will not expect you to do the same to their extent. I don't think you have to worry about not taking care of him. The thing that will make him very happy is how you appreciate him doing things for you and acknowledge it to him. And, of course, Fe will make 'obvious' requests when he needs your help, so as long as you pick up those things and are there for him when he needs it, I think it will be fine.

If you are INTP, you might be a bit clueless about picking up emotional cues. Sometimes thinkers will try to 'rationalize' all emotions, which doesn't really work for feelers, and it may be seen as an attempt to gloss over and invalidate their feelings.

If you are INFP, you will be sensitive to his emotions already, but might not know what to do with it. Just asking "What's wrong and how can I help?" will help, and most of the time Fe needs to vent, so you need just to listen. Advice is most of the time welcome (meaning non-judging advice) and will be seen as an effort to help.

2) He just doesn't think about a lot of the things I think about. I'm not making assumptions here -- I'll often reveal some interesting thought I had, hoping for a long involved conversation, and he'll just say, "Oh. That's interesting." If he's engaged in the conversation, he'll often follow up with something like, "wow, I never think of things like that." That mostly just happens when I try to talk about hypothetical situations, though. If it's a situation or an idea that he has experience with, he often has insights that I haven't thought of, and that helps fulfill my need for "deep" conversations.
This is exactly how it is with me and my mom! I think ISFJs are not particularly interested in things that are way out there in the hypothetical realm and has no immediate relevance to the real world. It helps communication to try to ground your ideas in more practical things. However, feel free to describe all your emotions and feelings. ISFJs have a great capacity to empathize!


And, as of now I think you sound a bit more INFP than INTP :blush:
 

Spin

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[MENTION=15167]Stephen[/MENTION], thanks for the advice and encouragement. I tried looking at them both, and to be honest, I still identify with both INTP and INFP -- I'm either 1) a relatively-stoic INFP who loves logic :wubbie:, cares a lot about being competent, tries to communicate ideas very accurately (to the point of nit-picking), and enjoys working with complex systems, or 2) an empathetic, relatively-sensitive INTP who's really in touch with her emotions and doesn't mind occasionally going out of her way to keep the peace. I'm leaning towards INTP right now, partly because 1) I used to be completely unable to express myself, which is typical of immature INTPs, and 2) I had a mind-mate once, and he was an INFJ. That seems to be one of the more common types of mind-mates for INTPs, according to what I've been reading on INTPcentral. (Of course, INFJs and INFPs could frequently be mind-mates too. I have to do more reading to be sure – and of course, that’s my evidence-based INTP-ish-ness coming out.)

For anyone who's not familiar with that phrase, mind-mate doesn't mean soul mate. It's not even necessarily romantic. It just means that you've found someone who really GETS you, who's on the same page, line, sentence, word, and wavelength as you. I dated my mind-mate for a few years, and having someone who understood my thoughts and feelings really helped me get used to expressing myself. It felt wonderful to be so connected to someone and to be understood, especially because I had been pretty isolated for most of my life. I’d had friends, but I had never felt like I could share the things I really thought or felt – especially because many of my thoughts weren’t in word-form until someone asked the right questions. After a while, though, there were some problems:

1) It got boring. My ex and I shared so many thoughts that after a while, it seemed redundant to talk about many things. (Then again, most people in LTRs probably don't have new stuff to talk about every day.)

2) It got invasive. My ex and I agreed on so many things that, when we disagreed on some moral or practical issue, he was CONVINCED that there was something wrong with my thought process. Sometimes he would try to pick me apart to figure out the flaw. When I tried to force the issue, he would get so mad that he would shut me out completely and then get angry again if I tried to bring it up after a cool-down period. (We once had a fight like this when I asked him not to leave raw meat partially unwrapped in the fridge. I don't want to get food poisoning, and even if it's unlikely that it would drip onto my other food, it wouldn't take that much effort to put the meat into a ziplock bag! Plus, I don’t want to reach into the fridge for my milk and end up with blood on my hand. It was absolutely ridiculous.)​

Anyway, regardless of our issues, I grew a LOT from that relationship. Now I can ask for what I need. I’m comfortable putting my thoughts and feelings into words, even if no one asks the right questions (although of course it helps).

Sorry for the ramble. I guess my point is, THAT’s a big part of why my current relationship feels so… different. I got used to conversations with my ex, which were essentially mind-melds. With my ISFJ boyfriend, our conversations aren’t mind-melds, but they’re still beautiful, vulnerable, playful, and sometimes intellectually stimulating. I love him. I really appreciate the ways in which he’s different from me, and I like the fact that he can respect my thoughts and feelings without having to understand EXACTLY how they got there every time. It’s nice to have some mental privacy and relaxation!

My real concern is this: my ex and I, once we were past the initial limerance part of the relationship, stayed close by discussing ideas, deeply, on a regular basis. We would get into mind-meldy conversations on innovation, ethics, what this person’s motivation must be, how I could have phrased something differently to make someone feel just a little bit better… a very specific type of analysis. I know that my current boyfriend and I won’t be able to have conversations like that nearly as often. With us, they maybe happen once a week, which is fine so far, except on weeks that it doesn’t happen. By the end of, say, two weeks with no intellectual connection, I feel like I’m very alone and almost on the verge of tears… but I know that we both have to study, and that these types of conversations don’t come naturally to him, and that I don’t want to seem too needy. So I wait a few more days to see if it passes. If it continues for a few more days, I usually have to come to my ISFJ (crying) and explain what I’m feeling. He’s always very attentive and apologetic, and I try to make it as painless as possible by reminding him that he’s a good boyfriend and that I appreciate him. I always try to give specific things that I would like for him to do differently. For example: “When I mention some thought that I just had, it’s ok if you don’t have anything to say most of the time, but every now and then, I want to hear what you think. Even if you need some time to think, it’ll really help if you tell me your thoughts later. It’s fine if most of the time, you just say “oh”…. But for me to feel connected, every now and then, I need to be reminded of how your mind works.” After that kind of conversation, things are normally sunshine and rainbows for a long while.

That conversation has only happened twice, but we’ve only been together for about 10 months, and it’s starting to seem like a once-every-four-months phenomenon. I’m not really sure whether that matters, but it’s always really distressing to me when he gets “distant” (for lack of a better word) for such a long period of time, and I know it’s hard on him to feel like he’s not meeting my needs.

Does anyone have any insight here? I’m scared that if we end up in a really committed relationship, that this will eventually get worse. My parents have an awfully similar dynamic, and I’ve always sworn that I’d avoid that type of marriage like the plague. But, unlike my dad, my ISFJ knows how to make his partner (me) feel better, so there’s that.

If he's ISFJ, this is very natural for him, and he likes doing it. Most of the time Fe will take care of you and will not expect you to do the same to their extent. I don't think you have to worry about not taking care of him. The thing that will make him very happy is how you appreciate him doing things for you and acknowledge it to him. And, of course, Fe will make 'obvious' requests when he needs your help, so as long as you pick up those things and are there for him when he needs it, I think it will be fine.

That's good. I get the impression that he wants to be appreciated, so whenever I have appreciative thoughts (which is pretty often), I try to share them with him; hopefully that helps.

Sometimes his 'obvious' requests are really subtle! It's actually kind of sweet when I'm able to pick up on them, though. (Hopefully I always pick up on them! Every now and then I ask whether there's anything I could do differently to make him happier, just in case.) And he does sometimes make genuinely obvious requests.

If you are INTP, you might be a bit clueless about picking up emotional cues. Sometimes thinkers will try to 'rationalize' all emotions, which doesn't really work for feelers, and it may be seen as an attempt to gloss over and invalidate their feelings.

If you are INFP, you will be sensitive to his emotions already, but might not know what to do with it. Just asking "What's wrong and how can I help?" will help, and most of the time Fe needs to vent, so you need just to listen. Advice is most of the time welcome (meaning non-judging advice) and will be seen as an effort to help.

This is one of those things where I'm split. I can be really oblivious to emotion in people that I don't know very well. Once, I was in a meeting, and my boss mentioned something that really upset one of my co-workers. When my co-workers and I left, we took a long elevator ride and walked quite a ways, and other co-workers had already started quietly asking her what was wrong, before I noticed anything -- and she was about to cry! I felt awful for not being more considerate.

On the other hand, with my closer friends and significant others, I think I usually notice when something is wrong. Once, my ISFJ mentioned that I always seemed to know when something was wrong, so there's that. And as a matter of principle, I always try to respect people's emotions and to empathize. I mean, brains aren't always rational. Just because you KNOW something is ok, that doesn't mean that your brain will let you feel that way. Neurotransmitters don't always do what you want them to, so when someone is upset I usually try to understand and be a source of comfort. I know that's what I want when I'm upset. (That seems like a combination of Thinker/Feeler to me. What do you think? I work in the world of emotion, but it makes sense and feels right because of science... but then it gets reinforced again because of feelings.)

This is exactly how it is with me and my mom! I think ISFJs are not particularly interested in things that are way out there in the hypothetical realm and has no immediate relevance to the real world. It helps communication to try to ground your ideas in more practical things. However, feel free to describe all your emotions and feelings. ISFJs have a great capacity to empathize!

Yay! That's the impression I've been getting too :blush:
 
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