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[INTJ] Fellow INTJs (and others as well), I need your input on "case studies"

WithoutaFace

New member
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
275
MBTI Type
INTJ
Hello INTJ "comrades." I recently accompanied a friend to Las Vegas to do a covert "case study" on his behavior. It intrigued me, I will not elaborate on this, because I think it is irrelevant. Another friend was aware of this endeavor of mine, and commented that it was "very weird." I don't trust this meddlesome, critical friend of mine. So I want neutral and honest opinions from my fellow INTJs (other types' inputs are welcome as well). How many of you have done something like this before? How prevalent is this among just people in general? How many of you think this is weird? How many of you think this is completely normal? Share your anecdotes with me. Thanks in advance.
 

Mycroft

The elder Holmes
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
1,068
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
I view everyone as a "case study", myself included.
 

GargoylesLegacy

Kickin' Ass since 1984
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Messages
1,399
MBTI Type
ESTP
Enneagram
8w9
I view everyone as a "case study", myself included.
Very true. *nod*

I often do and say certain stuff to people, just to see their reactions and to find out "how they work". Sometimes I test their boundaries and just their personality. It works quite simple. For example, you just bring up some stupid topic and start an arguement / dispute or pick a fight; then you watch how the other person reacts. I used to do that a lot in the past. I "tested" people to find out how much I could trust them or how easy they were to disbalance etc etc.

Sometimes I still do that; mostly when I am sensing that something is really wrong with a person.
I guess this is why people often *think* they know how I work, only to find out they know nothing at all. The funny thing is, that I (or "we") are not trying to hide or anything, it is more just that we have two faces: one with the "rest of the world" and one with out true friends. Some people do get annoyed of that and would blame us to be "hard to figure out", which is complete bs anyways. Because as soon as we think that somebody is worth it, he will understand faster than he dreamed of anyways. *shrug*

In any case I would say this is normal; for INTJs at least. :D
 

redacted

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
4,223
Not an INTJ, but I definitely think of everyone as a case study. It's rare for me to even get mad at people; I just view their emotional responses as interesting natural phenomena.

This is true with myself as well. It's as if I cut off the direct line from my consciousness to my emotions (I've consciously reinforced this my whole life -- this is probably rare with most Fs). I have to infer my own emotional states from my behavior instead of just knowing them. Unfortunately, this means there's lag time between my subtle expression of an emotion and my actually feeling it -- but it's an interesting set up. It allows me to live my life as if it's a big puzzle. Emotions are like little challenges, which means I get to occupy a consciously safe place (since emotions are being observed, not felt).
 

Hendo Barbarosa

New member
Joined
Dec 26, 2008
Messages
197
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w4
yeah man, this is about as INTJ as INTJs get...and in addition to that, your story has now become a case study.

Did you guys just go to vegas just to gamble, or for another reason? You may not want to elaborate on the details of your motivation for the case study, which is cool. But what about your friend? Were "really" and "weird" the only two words he gave on the whole thing, or were there more specifics as to WHY it was so weird to him?

You know something else that I've noticed that I do, and that OP did, and that most INTJs I've seen or talked to also do? The whole "quotation marks around a concept you're testing out as a new idea" thing. I love that little quirk, when building a new piece of language by combining two existing words together, or if you simply use an existing word to derive a new context to label something, it's like one gets a bit apprehensive that maybe people won't immediately except this new piece that you've built so you slap the quotation mark training wheels on. One of the founding fathers of american comics, Jack Kirby, was also known to do this throughout the work that he wrote as well as drew, it's always been one of my suspicions that he was an INTJ as well.
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

Well-known member
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
7,263
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
Moved from NT Rationale. This is why we have this subform!

Edit: You just changed the title. :sadbanana:
 

WithoutaFace

New member
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
275
MBTI Type
INTJ
Not an INTJ, but I definitely think of everyone as a case study. It's rare for me to even get mad at people; I just view their emotional responses as interesting natural phenomena.

This is true with myself as well. It's as if I cut off the direct line from my consciousness to my emotions (I've consciously reinforced this my whole life -- this is probably rare with most Fs). I have to infer my own emotional states from my behavior instead of just knowing them. Unfortunately, this means there's lag time between my subtle expression of an emotion and my actually feeling it -- but it's an interesting set up. It allows me to live my life as if it's a big puzzle. Emotions are like little challenges, which means I get to occupy a consciously safe place (since emotions are being observed, not felt).

That's a unique way of monitoring yourself.

Did you guys just go to vegas just to gamble, or for another reason? You may not want to elaborate on the details of your motivation for the case study, which is cool. But what about your friend? Were "really" and "weird" the only two words he gave on the whole thing, or were there more specifics as to WHY it was so weird to him?

The pretext was recreation. The other friend specifically stated "I found that really strange." He had this exaggerated/vexed look on his face, almost as if he could not identify. Which I judged to be histrionic bullshit. I never asked him what in particular confused him, though I assume that it was a matter of social normalcy for him (given his tone, semantics, nonverbal cues, etc.).

You know something else that I've noticed that I do, and that OP did, and that most INTJs I've seen or talked to also do? The whole "quotation marks around a concept you're testing out as a new idea" thing. I love that little quirk, when building a new piece of language by combining two existing words together, or if you simply use an existing word to derive a new context to label something, it's like one gets a bit apprehensive that maybe people won't immediately except this new piece that you've built so you slap the quotation mark training wheels on. One of the founding fathers of american comics, Jack Kirby, was also known to do this throughout the work that he wrote as well as drew, it's always been one of my suspicions that he was an INTJ as well.

Hmmm, I never thought it about that way. Interesting thought.
 

01011010

New member
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Messages
3,916
MBTI Type
INxJ
I've been doing them since I was a wee child. Whenever my mother has to reference my behavior as a child/adolescent, she always responds with, "strictly scientific."
 

redacted

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
4,223
You know something else that I've noticed that I do, and that OP did, and that most INTJs I've seen or talked to also do? The whole "quotation marks around a concept you're testing out as a new idea" thing. I love that little quirk, when building a new piece of language by combining two existing words together, or if you simply use an existing word to derive a new context to label something, it's like one gets a bit apprehensive that maybe people won't immediately except this new piece that you've built so you slap the quotation mark training wheels on. One of the founding fathers of american comics, Jack Kirby, was also known to do this throughout the work that he wrote as well as drew, it's always been one of my suspicions that he was an INTJ as well.

I think it's an N thing in general -- maybe more Ni than Ne.
 

Jwill

New member
Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
85
MBTI Type
INTJ
Well, far be it from me to say that anyone I don't know anything about is weird. I can say that I never would have done it. I'm just not that interested in other people to want to do a case study on them. I'm social enough (don't just live on the internet), but I usually don't get that intrigued by a person's quirks to have my sole reason for accompanying them on a trip to be for a case study. I'm too self-interested to devote that much time to studying someone else.

I people watch more to kill time at the check-out stand.
 

pippi

New member
Joined
Sep 6, 2008
Messages
735
MBTI Type
xxxx
I like finding out what makes people tick, but I usually just ask a lot of questions, instead of following them around covertly.
 

WithoutaFace

New member
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
275
MBTI Type
INTJ
So, quick summary thus far:
-somewhat of an INTJ thing
-somewhat of an Ni thing
-some INTJs don't even care
 
G

garbage

Guest
People are interesting and complex. Why not treat them as case studies?
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
69
MBTI Type
InTJ
Enneagram
5
Definitely an INTJ thing, at least for me. I like to analyze and disect people to the point I am as knowledgable of them as perceptively possible. Which doesn't seem too hard in most cases..
 

Maabus1999

New member
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
528
MBTI Type
INTJ
Hello INTJ "comrades." I recently accompanied a friend to Las Vegas to do a covert "case study" on his behavior. It intrigued me, I will not elaborate on this, because I think it is irrelevant. Another friend was aware of this endeavor of mine, and commented that it was "very weird." I don't trust this meddlesome, critical friend of mine. So I want neutral and honest opinions from my fellow INTJs (other types' inputs are welcome as well). How many of you have done something like this before? How prevalent is this among just people in general? How many of you think this is weird? How many of you think this is completely normal? Share your anecdotes with me. Thanks in advance.

Life is a continuous case study. However, having fun is part of it as well for personal reflection and understandment of other types. Did you enjoy yourself?
 
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