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[INTP] INTPs: are you obsessed, by default?

alpaca

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Strange question, but I was thinking about it yesterday. When I was little I was always obsessed with something, be it pokemon, raccoons (I wanted one), a certain art style. I'd scrutinize every detail of all the information available on whatever I was obsessed with at the moment, getting immense pleasure from my gathered knowledge.

These days I'm not particularly obsessed with anything... then again, I feel that there's something missing in my life. It seems that either I'm mostly indifferent, or obsessed with some object, person or idea. I don't know if it's just me or maybe an INTP trait. Thoughts?
 

Fluffywolf

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I suppose it sort of depends on your definition of obsession.

Basicly, if something interests us. We go all the way for it. If you see obsession as unhealthy then I'd say we're not obsessed, because to us, this is being healthy. And our 'obsessions' are not unhealthy.

the definition of obsession is a subjective one.
 

JocktheMotie

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I do find, that when I find something interesting or enjoyable, I completely plunge into it and don't look back. I devour every manual, every book, every website, whatever on this subject until I'm generally satiated. It can dominate my thoughts, my time, my everything to the degradation of other interests and responsibilities. I have also noticed that this tendency has started to decline.

However, I do not know if this is exclusively INTP, hell it might be NT or everybody, but INTPs just have a different style of obsession.
 

Fluffywolf

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I do find, that when I find something interesting or enjoyable, I completely plunge into it and don't look back. I devour every manual, every book, every website, whatever on this subject until I'm generally satiated. It can dominate my thoughts, my time, my everything to the degradation of other interests and responsibilities. I have also noticed that this tendency has started to decline.

However, I do not know if this is exclusively INTP, hell it might be NT or everybody, but INTPs just have a different style of obsession.

That is where it becomes an obsession. I suffered from that a little in the past, particularly in school. But I've recently not let my interests get in the way of my responsibilities.

So I think this is ironed out when the INTP matures. And thus we can't really speak of obsessions anymore. Since we're not allowing responsibilities to suffer from it anymore.
 

alpaca

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Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I generally just get obsessed with something in my area of interest, but something that disrupts my view of the world. Psycho/sociopaths fit these criteria and I read a whole lot about them until I sort of had a grasp of how they might think.

Then I moved on. I don't really get carried away with my temporary obsession too much...
 

Grungemouse

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When I'm interested in something, like the above posts have said, I will research the hell out of it until I have drained every article and every source. But, this isn't me being obsessive; it's just me being interested in a subject. When I'm obsessed with something (or, regrettably, someone) it won't be unusual for me to lose sleep and overall compromise my health. If I'm simply interested in say, a new animal, I go through hours of reading into it, but if I have something to do (like sleep) I will be able to log myself off, or close the book. When I'm obsessed, I will lose sleep over it and move my routine around it. There was this one horrific time where I was obsessed with a crush, and wasted countless hours of productive coursework and exam study time for that person. I lost sleep because all I could think about was that person, and when I slept, I dreamed about them. I always put that person first before anyone, including myself. I did other things which I won't mention, but from that experience I can tell whether I am simply interested or obsessed. Having said that, people do mistake the two.
 

alpaca

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When I'm interested in something, like the above posts have said, I will research the hell out of it until I have drained every article and every source. But, this isn't me being obsessive; it's just me being interested in a subject. When I'm obsessed with something (or, regrettably, someone) it won't be unusual for me to lose sleep and overall compromise my health. If I'm simply interested in say, a new animal, I go through hours of reading into it, but if I have something to do (like sleep) I will be able to log myself off, or close the book. When I'm obsessed, I will lose sleep over it and move my routine around it. There was this one horrific time where I was obsessed with a crush, and wasted countless hours of productive coursework and exam study time for that person. I lost sleep because all I could think about was that person, and when I slept, I dreamed about them. I always put that person first before anyone, including myself. I did other things which I won't mention, but from that experience I can tell whether I am simply interested or obsessed. Having said that, people do mistake the two.

That's a good point; there is a difference. I've been there too, being obsessed with a person is deadly. Unlike an idea, the person is emotional and unpredictable and can hurt you :cry: Lol yeah I don't recommend it.
 

alpaca

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But I was reading somewhere else that INTPs have a hard time leaving bad relationships and have a pure sort of affection and trust for their partner. Might there be a connection?
 

Shimmy

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That's a good point; there is a difference. I've been there too, being obsessed with a person is deadly. Unlike an idea, the person is emotional and unpredictable and can hurt you :cry: Lol yeah I don't recommend it.

Oh yeah, very true...
 

Grungemouse

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I usually have a hard time closing a relationship because I find it hard to be assertive enough to dump them. But when I finally end it, leaving is the easiest part. Then again, I'm still not completely over an ex because we just fell apart, instead of officially ending it. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was a connection between obsession and your statement.
 
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I have a rule when it comes to people, make sure no one else is #1 in your life.
 

Alwar

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OP's description is similar for me though the interests are not linear but have a strange rotation of intensity. For example, a few years ago I was reading about failures in the education system and it's ideological foundations. It led me to the doctrine of the "blank slate" which then led to a book of the same name by Steven Pinker. Pinker is an evolutionary psychologist that has popularized both that field as well as issues to do with the fundamental mechanistic structure of the brain, language, and neuroscience.

So once I had a taste of brain science after reading his other book "How the Mind Works" I was immersed in these topics periodically to the present--and just recently read "The Brain That Changes Itself" by Norman Doidge and now reading "Consciousness Explained" by Daniel Dennett. I say it isn't linear but comes in waves because I didn't stay interested everyday for three years, but rather, for a month I'd be immersed in it, then some study or book would reference something related, and throw me off for the next two months until I got my fix, then I'd be drawn back in when the subject came full circle.

It's sort of like how you get caught up reading some wikipedia artcle, and the internal links to other topics draw you away, then two hours later your back again, surprised by how much time has passed. It seems in hindsight that the brain/mind is the focal point of my interests and everything else is an offshoot, but I may be able to point it at other topics if I really analyzed all the stuff I research.

Here's a question for you INTP's. Do your friends and family know about your interests? Mine would be shocked to find out just how much I read and research topics because I never feel the need to inform them.
 

Shimmy

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But I was reading somewhere else that INTPs have a hard time leaving bad relationships and have a pure sort of affection and trust for their partner. Might there be a connection?

No, if something is bad for me I have no problem getting rid of it. It's the good relationships that end badly.

I have a rule when it comes to people, make sure no one else is #1 in your life.

I do that, but that doesn't stop me from going through bad feelings every once in a while.

Here's a question for you INTP's. Do your friends and family know about your interests? Mine would be shocked to find out just how much I read and research topics because I never feel the need to inform them.

They usually know the subjects of my interests, but I often baffle them by the amount I know about them.
 

Willfrey

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Here's a question for you INTP's. Do your friends and family know about your interests? Mine would be shocked to find out just how much I read and research topics because I never feel the need to inform them.

For the most part no. They get glimpses, like when my mom asks me what I want for my birthday and I ask for a book on whatever random topic tickles my fancy.

One thing that I've always enjoyed is not making my interests apparent. That way you can bust out your knowledge/talent from out of the blue to impress :) For instance, I was dating a girl for about two months and never said a word about the years I'd taken piano lessons. One day we are walking through Costco where they had a digital piano hooked up for customers to tinker on, so sat down and busted out Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto.
 

Shimmy

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For the most part no. They get glimpses, like when my mom asks me what I want for my birthday and I ask for a book on whatever random topic tickles my fancy.

One thing that I've always enjoyed is not making my interests apparent. That way you can bust out your knowledge/talent from out of the blue to impress :) For instance, I was dating a girl for about two months and never said a word about the years I'd taken piano lessons. One day we are walking through Costco where they had a digital piano hooked up for customers to tinker on, so sat down and busted out Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto.

Yes, I love the look of shock on some people's faces when I surprise them with my knowledge/skills etc. Wow, busting out a Rachmaninoff piano piece all out of the blue sounds to me like the one of the most interesting things I could ever do.
 
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Wow, busting out a Rachmaninoff piano piece all out of the blue sounds to me like the one of the most interesting things I could ever do.

:wubbie: and also, I fall flat for knowledgeable dudes. It's on my list! :steam:
 
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