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[NT] NT confidence

skylights

i love
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Jul 6, 2010
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how do you do that?


seriously though, most NTs i know project certainty, even when they don't always believe themselves or have totally sure footing. how?​
 

Tallulah

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Feb 19, 2008
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I think it's mostly because the stuff we know about, we feel confident in. If you hit upon one of our subjects, we can ride that thing for days. Socially, I almost always feel like some sort of alien, but I've learned to fake it and look confident. Over the years, I learned to smile and listen. I guess people project onto you what they want to see.

I'd say most NTs are pretty confident in their intelligence, too, so even if we're socially awkward, the former could be peeking through, creating the overall impression of confidence.

Oh! Also, we don't tend to apologize for our thoughts or opinions. You don't hear many NTs saying, "But that's just my opinion, and I could totally be wrong." We just say it, and if someone wants to challenge us, we usually welcome it as food for thought (as long as it's a discussion/exchange of ideas and not a pissing contest). It's just that since we don't couch it in softening terms, some people don't even realize they could challenge us, or that we're open to hearing other sides.
 

Mr. Sherlock Holmes

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Oh! Also, we don't tend to apologize for our thoughts or opinions. You don't hear many NTs saying, "But that's just my opinion, and I could totally be wrong." We just say it, and if someone wants to challenge us, we usually welcome it as food for thought (as long as it's a discussion/exchange of ideas and not a pissing contest). It's just that since we don't couch it in softening terms, some people don't even realize they could challenge us, or that we're open to hearing other sides.

I've learned through experience the danger of not letting people know this so I usually make sure I say it. Just my opinion. Could be wrong.

And I don't exude confidence unless I really know what I'm talking about and even then I often struggle to express it correctly.
 

freeeekyyy

Cheeseburgers
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Intuition + thinking. NFs can also seem very confident, at least in my experience. The difference is that it's a confidence that they are right in their measurement of a person or group's character, rather than confidence in their interpretation of an idea. I'd like to be able to read people that well. Unfortunately, we can't have it all.
 

Mr. Sherlock Holmes

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Intuition + thinking. NFs can also seem very confident, at least in my experience. The difference is that it's a confidence that they are right in their measurement of a person or group's character, rather than confidence in their interpretation of an idea. I'd like to be able to read people that well. Unfortunately, we can't have it all.

Hannibal Lecter is NT. You just need to study hard enough.
 

rav3n

.
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It's not deliberate. Sometimes it can be frustrating since when you need help, it doesn't come across that way.
 

Such Irony

Honor Thy Inferior
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how do you do that?​




seriously though, most NTs i know project certainty, even when they don't always believe themselves or have totally sure footing. how?​

I don't. At least not much of the time. I've often been told that I need to be more confident and not so hesitant or tentative about stuff. I think INTPs are much more prone to self-doubting then the other NT types. I'm always qualifying my statements with disclaimers and stuff.

I've read NT descriptions where arrogance is listed as one of the weaknesses. Arrogant is one of the last words I'd use to describe myself but I do know some NTs who are quite arrogant.
 

skylights

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It's just that since we don't couch it in softening terms, some people don't even realize they could challenge us, or that we're open to hearing other sides.

that is very, very true, at least for this NF :thinking: :laugh:


Intuition + thinking. NFs can also seem very confident, at least in my experience. The difference is that it's a confidence that they are right in their measurement of a person or group's character, rather than confidence in their interpretation of an idea. I'd like to be able to read people that well. Unfortunately, we can't have it all.

hm, good point. i almost never feel un-confident about my assessment of a person IRL, but i usually seek outside affirmation for my ideas and theories, because i feel like it's sort of natural for those to be contested, and it surprises me when many NTs seem so sure of their own ideas and theories. i suppose that i do not see my own people-handling confidence when i think about these things.

anyway, i was just reflecting, because i find NT confidence very different from what i feel, and i do really respect it in general. you guys have a logical certainty that really balances me and many others.
 

skylights

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I don't. At least not much of the time. I've often been told that I need to be more confident and not so hesitant or tentative about stuff. I think INTPs are much more prone to self-doubting then the other NT types. I'm always qualifying my statements with disclaimers and stuff.

I've read NT descriptions where arrogance is listed as one of the weaknesses. Arrogant is one of the last words I'd use to describe myself but I do know some NTs who are quite arrogant.

wow, i really like your avatar... it's like mathematical christmas trees...

anyway, that's very interesting. my INTP little brother projects arrogance like no other. my ESFJ mom says he's not so arrogant underneath, which i'm starting to believe, but haha wow does he ever put on a good facade.

not to discount individual difference, of course. props to you for not being arrogant. :)
 

Mr. Sherlock Holmes

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"To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know. "

I know this is for INTJs, but I think this sort of thing can be applied to many NTs. It fits me, except that my knowledge systems are less specialised and purpose designed and more because I like them. If I appear to be confident and arrogant, it's because I am just trying to be instructive and educational in my areas of knowledge, which I generally know.
 
T

ThatGirl

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I think the strategic mindset leads to a feeling of capability. Even if you don't actively know all the right answers, you're pretty confident you can get there if you put in the effort.
 

Moiety

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I think NTs aren't bothered with convincing people like an F might be for example.
 

Oeufa

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I don't. At least not much of the time. I've often been told that I need to be more confident and not so hesitant or tentative about stuff. I think INTPs are much more prone to self-doubting then the other NT types. I'm always qualifying my statements with disclaimers and stuff.

I've read NT descriptions where arrogance is listed as one of the weaknesses. Arrogant is one of the last words I'd use to describe myself but I do know some NTs who are quite arrogant.

I totally agree with all this. I'm often adding disclaimers to opinions I put forward. If it's a fact and I know it is then I'm unwavering about vocalising it.

I think a large part of my confidence is practised. Being short, I've had to learn to stand straight and tall to make up for being 5'2". I've also always been very aware of the chance that I can be mugged or attacked at any time (I watched a documentary about it when I was 6 or 7, and I think it's definitely impacted me in a big way), so I always make sure I look like I know where I'm going, what I'm doing.

In a social setting, I think I appear confident because I desperately don't want to seem otherwise. I loathe feeling vulnerable around anyone (even my parents), and so all my fears and worries and grief is locked away for me to deal with in my own time. No one sees that part of me very often at all, because that's how I decide it should be. When I'm down, I make sure that I smile anyway and have it appear genuine by creasing my eyes (I'm tired so excuse the bad explanations) etc. I also think that my ability to poke fun at myself in a light way makes me seem more self assured.
 
R

ReflecTcelfeR

Guest
It's been said several times, but it's the misconception of 'aloof-ness'. Most see aloof as confident, when generally, or for me at least, it's not really paying attention/not caring.
 

The_Liquid_Laser

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how do you do that?


seriously though, most NTs i know project certainty, even when they don't always believe themselves or have totally sure footing. how?​

It is a combination of several factors.

One factor that I've become aware of recently is that that deductive reasoning does not come naturally to most people. For example, my wife will sometimes ask how I've come to a conclusion and I will explain it deductively. She will still be confused though until I can give some examples. I think what may appear to be "intuitive leaps" to some people may actually just be deductive reasoning.
 

LunarMoon

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It seems that a large amount of NTs appear confident because they aren't so much confident in themselves but in the objective data that they use to make decisions. NT tend to spend an unusally large amount of time thinking about of abstractions and don't tend to rely their gut to make decisions, thus they are confident under the pretense that "numbers do not lie". In addition to that, since that form of thinking is typically held in high regard as a form of intelligence, many NTs have been complimented on their abilities from an early age. By the time they reach adulthood they have little reason to question it.

how do you do that?


seriously though, most NTs i know project certainty, even when they don't always believe themselves or have totally sure footing. how?​

Actually, I've often wondered the opposite. I'm unable to relate to individuals who are consistently jealous of the success of others or who dislike people who are self-confident. Does whining on and on about how rich Bill Gates is or insulting people who regard themselves as intelligent really improve their own situation from a practical perspective? Even if you decide that someone with more money than you is "teh evul" that still doesn't change the fact that you work in a dead end job and that you're going to have put in a lot of effort in order to improve your own life.
 
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Kenneth Almighty

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Keep your voice loud and your language clear and you can say anything and people will call it truth.
 

visaisahero

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Nov 13, 2009
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My confidence stems from my faith in my problem-solving mechanisms. If I don't know something, I believe that can find out. If I can't do something, I believe that I can find a way around it. Ultimately, I have faith in my capacity to reason, to think and to transcend.

If you ask me about something I don't know much about, I will still give you a confident response. Try me! :D
 

Kenneth Almighty

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Oct 18, 2009
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ENXP
My confidence stems from my faith in my problem-solving mechanisms. If I don't know something, I believe that can find out. If I can't do something, I believe that I can find a way around it. Ultimately, I have faith in my capacity to reason, to think and to transcend.

If you ask me about something I don't know much about, I will still give you a confident response. Try me! :D

Why can't women make up their minds?
 
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