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[ISFP] ISFP- The most misunderstood?

Quinlan

Intriguing....
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So according to this site The Temperament Sorter apparently ISFPs are the most misunderstood.

What do you think about this? If you're ISFP do you feel misunderstood? I can see how an independent and not very verbal nature could lead to this. While the likes of INFJ and INFP are complex people they have a gift for communication to get their perspective across that we may not have.
 

markscol

New member
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Jun 11, 2009
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24
i most definitely have a wild ride trying to figure out the ISFP. I thikn they can be full of contradictions, but mainly due to their weak ability to communicate through words, at elast in my experience. ...it is hard to ever get comfortable with them..because they often crawl into a hole and need a lot of space-- even when they seem to really like you!

i scatch my head quite often with them, yet i am drawn to their beauty and appreciation for the world...the way they express themselves. I think they are quite woonderful people
 

Kingfisher

full of love
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i like ISFPs, i find it easier to connect with them than other types. my closest friends tend to be ISFPs. i feel like i have an understanding with my ISFP friends, that we operate in different but overlapping ways.

i do think that ISFPs are misunderstood somewhat. but i also think ISFPs have a tendency to feel slightly more misunderstood than they really are.
 

wolfy

awsm
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Jun 30, 2008
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I don't know, maybe, maybe not. People would have to tell me what they're thinking first.
 

poppy

triple nerd score
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I've known an ISFP for years and still can't really understand what makes him tick, which is sometimes frustrating but I suspect it is also one of the reasons we're still friends. He sends a lot of mixed messages, but I don't think that's representative of all ISFPs. I think even if they are frequently misinterpreted they are generally well liked by a variety of people. They have an innate ability to sympathize and interact with others that fascinates me...the SP mindset is in general pretty foreign to me.
 

OrangeAppled

Sugar Hiccup
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While the likes of INFJ and INFP are complex people they have a gift for communication to get their perspective across that we may not have.

In writing maybe....not so much in speech (speaking for INFP). Then I'm just like "blah blah blah".

ISFPs seem to get lumped in with INXXs when it comes to having "difficulty" in life though, possibly from being misunderstood. I consistently see MBTI profiles commenting on this, and ISFPs seem the only sensors to "suffer" as INXX's do :D. How true that is....well, I guess you ISFPs have to say.
 

Synapse

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ISFP are cool, I can read you just fine.

You mean ISTP, the lone wolf?

Not very verbal nature, what do you mean not very verbal nature. My ISFP friends got the gift of the gab. Well okay, selective gift of the gab but a gift of the gab nonetheless. They know lots of people and can relate to them like a water soluble tablet. Of course that is perhaps because I am so introverted I don't really notice the nuances that show how much non relatedness they may have with some people. And sure there is the toilet humour and the what not but they are able to be earthy dwellers that respond well to others.

ah but do INFPs and INFJs really get their points across, i don't think so. often than not more misunderstood than paper weight, there it goes off along the breeze, just a flutter and wind has it.
 

Quinlan

Intriguing....
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Not very verbal nature, what do you mean not very verbal nature. My ISFP friends got the gift of the gab. Well okay, selective gift of the gab but a gift of the gab nonetheless.

Hmmm I know some ISFPs can speak well, I don't see it in my self often though and most ISFP descriptions mention quietness and expressing ourselves through actions rather than words. I am a different person with people I trust but even then, expressing myself through words doesn't come naturally.
 

Quinlan

Intriguing....
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The things is, if we are misunderstood, I don't know if I have a big problem with that, and probably half of it is by choice, being intentionally vague about personal things.
 

nozflubber

DoubleplusUngoodNonperson
Joined
Mar 30, 2008
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Hype
ISFPs aren't misunderstood.... they're just strange. They get, by far, the WIERDEST ideas. Kiersey just doesn't want to call you guys strange, but I am more heartless. I'm not gonna be a counselor like kiersey was, that's for sure
 

Quinlan

Intriguing....
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ISFPs aren't misunderstood.... they're just strange. Kiersey just doesn't want to call you guys strange, but I am more heartless. I'm not gonna be a counselor like kiersey was, that's for sure

Fair enough, most types are strange from my perspective though. :newwink:
 

Lauren Ashley

Revelation
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ISFPs seem pretty simple to me in terms of their needs and wants, but they tend to have complex emotions.
 

ajblaise

Minister of Propagandhi
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To me, ISFPs really seem to stay well above the fray concerning almost everything. When that happens, you end up not knowing where someone stands, their opinions, and what they're about. I don't think they're necessarily holding back, but that they just have a preference towards nonalignment and simplicity. A perpetual blank slate, of sorts.
 

wolfy

awsm
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I don't really get what they mean by most misunderstood in the description. It's so vague. Probably, like others have said, ISFP tend to keep things to themselves and that leads to misunderstandings. My brother is also ISFP and he isn't hard to understand.

It's kind of interesting though, but we would have to check others understanding of us against our own understanding of ourselves to really get to the bottom of it. And that's not going to happen in a hurry.

As far as getting their thoughts across in text. I find ISFP and ISTP the easiest to understand.
 

bananafish

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Whoa, irony. 3am today, I was actually feeling like the most misunderstood person on the planet. I was writing blog entries about it, ranting and every though and was thinking of all the times I felt left out or criticized for being too naive or careless when it was just the opposite. This "I feel so different, blahblah" mood disappeared though when I just pushed myself to stop thinking that way... and that everyone was unique and beautiful in their own way... and stuff.

ISFPs seem pretty simple to me in terms of their needs and wants, but they tend to have complex emotions.

:yes:

I can get so emotional and break down at the most random times... But maybe that's just me. :blush:

ISFPs aren't misunderstood.... they're just strange. Kiersey just doesn't want to call you guys strange, but I am more heartless. I'm not gonna be a counselor like kiersey was, that's for sure
LOL. I find being called strange more of a compliment really! :cheese:

About being verbal; I dunno about that. I find myself getting tongue tied and jumbling up my words constantly. Of course, that could just stem from the fact that I usually don't talk confidently unless I was truly comfortable around you. Kinda like what Quinlan said, actually. :)
 

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
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I think I am understood by the people who really try. But not by the people that just go by assumptions.
 

markscol

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Jun 11, 2009
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what kinds of steps do you really appreciate people taking to try and get to know you? I know ISFP tend to really like privacy as well, so what is a good balance? Actions? Words? ISFP tend to show affection through actions, but is this always reciprocal? Do genuine words have a good effect on the ISFP?
 

Julie1962

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I often feel misunderstood especially by my ENFJ husband. I've tried many times to explain my feelings, opinions and concerns but what comes out of my mouth is nothing close to what I wanted to express. He usually ends up saying that I'm too complicated. So .. I've learned not to even try to explain myself with him.
I usually do well communicating with my SF friends though.

I also hate small talk and when at social gatherings I am quiet, reserved and I feel that I come across as snobbish.
 

ster

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Jun 28, 2009
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ISFPs seem pretty simple to me in terms of their needs and wants, but they tend to have complex emotions.
I'm ISFP with a weaker S. In a family of ISTJ and ISTP and another T, I feel I've been misunderstood most of my life. Sometimes I don't even understand the complexity and intensity of my emotions, and I seek solitude when it becomes unbearable. I live an unassuming life, so when others assume it makes life hard on us.
 

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
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what kinds of steps do you really appreciate people taking to try and get to know you? I know ISFP tend to really like privacy as well, so what is a good balance? Actions? Words? ISFP tend to show affection through actions, but is this always reciprocal? Do genuine words have a good effect on the ISFP?

I'm a very open person, and have no problem talking at length about myself (as anyone who's conversed with me on Vent can attest. ;) ) So, really, just asking me about myself and actually listening to what I say and considering it is really all that is probably required. Obviously, people that spend time with me in person will have the opportunity to get to know all sides of me better, and I usually try to do the same with whoever I'm with, so hopefully as we spend time together and talk and share we can come to some mutual understandings. I really don't think I'm complex, but a part of me does like to remain unpredictable. :)
 
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