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[ISFP] help! Why can't I just chill about this?

sarah

soft and silky
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
548
MBTI Type
isfp
So I'm starting to get a couple of people on this list emailing me to question my type preferences now. It happened on another type discussion list I was on, and I managed to convince them that there are all different flavors of the same type. It's really kind of irritating, though.

Am I really that untypical of ISFPs? I mean, shoot, I'm stereotypical in that I'm an actual artist, I love nature, I love little kids, I'm a pacifist and an environmentalist, I try to make everything in my life as beautiful as possible, I move gracefully, I care tremendously about staying lithe and fit, I notice the world in great detail and love pleasurable sensations, and I care about improving the aesthetics of everything. This stuff is my passion.

Is it just because I speak my mind, and I was brought up in a family that expected their daughters not only to talk coherently but also write in complete sentences with correct grammar (my mother majored in English literature in college and worked as a copy editor)? Is it because I care about psychological type enough to have read a number of books on the subject? Is it because I have rather "highbrow" interests? Or because I have spiritual opinions (which I've never even mentioned on this list yet, so that can't be it!) Is it because people think introverted feeling = the NF temperament? Is it because I say I have an imagination? What's going on here?

I know I should just chill out about all this type stuff, but it really bothers me that I can't just say I've discovered my best type fit and have that accepted by people. In fact, I feel angry and I don't know what to do. (My ISTJ sister hates most type descriptions of her type, as well as much of what's said about ISTJs online, but she seems to be able to just ignore the bad stuff... I envy that reasonable detatchment. I can't help not taking this stuff personally.)

Sarah
ISFP
 

Simplexity

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2008
Messages
1,741
MBTI Type
INTP
Personally I don't question your type, I haven't encountered too many ISFPs so take that for what its worth. I think its more of a hang up on people not really understanding S or N, and don't grasp that creativity and intelligence can manifest in both perceiving functions.
 

millerm277

New member
Joined
Feb 1, 2008
Messages
978
MBTI Type
ISTP
Who cares what other people think about your personality? Do you think your type fits your pretty well? Yes? Then don't worry about it, and let people think what they want.
 

Quinlan

Intriguing....
Joined
Apr 6, 2008
Messages
3,004
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
9w1
What other types have they suggested? Like you said you seem to be an almost stereotypical isfp. It would frustrate me as well to have my type questioned by someone you doesn't know me hardly at all, especially if I had put a lot of time and thought into finding out what type I was.
 

sarah

soft and silky
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
548
MBTI Type
isfp
What other types have they suggested? Like you said you seem to be an almost stereotypical isfp.


Either ENFP or INFP. It's only been a couple of people so far.

Sarah
ISFP
 

Simplexity

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2008
Messages
1,741
MBTI Type
INTP
Yeah I'm assuming they either don't have a very good grasp of MBTI or you just have a very good one and understand yourself more(obviously).
 

Quinlan

Intriguing....
Joined
Apr 6, 2008
Messages
3,004
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
9w1
Either ENFP or INFP. It's only been a couple of people so far.

Sarah
ISFP


Yet both of those types have weak Se, which seems to be a fundamental part of who you are. Sounds like these people are confusing abilty with preference, you seem to be a well developed individual with strengths right across the cognitve processes however I have no doubt that the isfp primary processes come most naturally to you. Well actually you shouldn't listen to what I think, or the others on the board because we don't know you, your isfp you probably only share a fraction of who you really are, so you know yourself far better than anyone else ever will.
 

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
6,743
MBTI Type
ESFP
Enneagram
7w6
Instinctual Variant
sx
Eh..there's people that think I'm an extrovert just because I post a lot and like attention. What can you do? Just be you. You probly can't chill about it because you've got that SP fire in your belly. But it'll pass, find some little thing to fiddle with, that's what I do. ;)
 

Simplexity

New member
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Jul 15, 2008
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1,741
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Lol I know that SP fire you speak of and it cannot be contained.
 

Sunshine

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Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
1,040
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ABCD
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4
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Oops. Sorry Sarah. :(

Actually, I should have known better. I hate it when people question my type too.

I think you're an ISFP.

Yet both of those types have weak Se, which seems to be a fundamental part of who you are. Sounds like these people are confusing abilty with preference, you seem to be a well developed individual with strengths right across the cognitve processes however I have no doubt that the isfp primary processes come most naturally to you. Well actually you shouldn't listen to what I think, or the others on the board because we don't know you, your isfp you probably only share a fraction of who you really are, so you know yourself far better than anyone else ever will.

YES. ISFPs only share a tiny fraction of who they are!!!
 

Kasper

Diabolical
Joined
May 30, 2008
Messages
11,590
MBTI Type
ENTP
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
ISFPs can appear to be different people at different times and as such it can be hard for others to get to know the real you. How can you chill when people say you’re not... dunno, put it down to their misunderstanding and walk away.
 

Sunshine

New member
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Apr 25, 2008
Messages
1,040
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ABCD
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4
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
ISFPs can appear to be different people at different times and as such it can be hard for others to get to know the real you. How can you chill when people say you’re not... dunno, put it down to their misunderstanding and walk away.

Yes.
 

FrisbeeLad

New member
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
37
MBTI Type
ISTP
Yeah...it's annoying when you know yourself AND MBTI better than others that question your type. I know a few folks that love to think that I'm an Extrovert because I'm fairly open and gregarious and not a "quiet" or "uncommunicative" ISTP. Just annoying. Sorry that's happening to you on this board. Geez...online folks most likely really DON'T know you very well.

I'm not sure you can chill out on it quickly however. You are an F and probably passionate about things. My ISFP friend gets his panties-in-a-bunch pretty easily about some things (especially politics and sports), whereas I seem dispassionate relative to him. That's just the ISFPs nature.
 

Kasper

Diabolical
Joined
May 30, 2008
Messages
11,590
MBTI Type
ENTP
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
so/sx

Once I made the connection that appearing to be different people is an ISFP being genuine and not a facade I gained a whole other level of appreciation and now I totally love you buggers... so much fun but able to be serious when needed :wubbie:
 

Anja

New member
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
2,967
MBTI Type
INFP
Sarah, how about this line?

I refuse to give free rent in my head to other people.
 

Kleinheiko

New member
Joined
Aug 9, 2008
Messages
47
MBTI Type
IxTP
Enneagram
9w1
Sarah, you're one of the smartest and most interesting people on this forum. You be whoever you want to be. We need more SP's anyways.
 

Athenian200

Protocol Droid
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Messages
8,828
MBTI Type
INFJ
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4w5
Oh... I'm so sorry to hear about this. :( It really shouldn't have happened to you, but considering Keirsey's description of the SP temperament... are you really surprised?


Is it because people think introverted feeling = the NF temperament?

I must say, though, you're rather clever to have come up with this idea. I see your Ni works a little. ;) This IS in fact what most people think. I've typed myself as an INFJ, and most people think I'm an IxTJ. Most of what people stereotypically associate with NFs are, in fact, Fi traits. INFJs are often mistaken for NTs, because we have (according to the model) the weakest Fi out of the NF temperament (and the strongest Ti, which is what is stereotypically associated with the NT temperament).

According that same model, ISFP is very likely to be mistaken for an Idealist such as INFP. ISTPs would also often be mistaken for INTPs, and so on.

It goes like this:

INFJ leans towards NT (Ni+Ti).
INTJ leans towards NF (Ni+Fi).
ISFP leans towards NF (Fi+Ni).
ISTP leans towards NT (Ti+Ni).

This is a consequence not only of stereotypes, but of tertiary function influence. These sorts of mistypes seem most consistently predictable for ISPs and INJs.

Does that make sense?
 

Colors

The Destroyer
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
1,276
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
That's just because Kiersey is a very different system. :p

Sarah, you're awesome, so you can be any type you want to be.

(Fi-doms are always sneaky anyway.)
 

wolfy

awsm
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
12,251
You've always come across as ISFP to me. That's why I asked you, Jeffster and Mo and other ISFPs to help when I was wondering about my type.
You aren't ISFP anyway at the end of the day you're Sarah whose type within the MBTI theory is in your most humble opinion ISFP.
Over identifying with anything is a recipe for disaster.

Whatever type you are your posts are always informative.:hug:

Anja's line reminded of this one
If someone offers you a gift and you refuse it who does the gift belong to?
 

sarah

soft and silky
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
548
MBTI Type
isfp
Yeah...it's annoying when you know yourself AND MBTI better than others that question your type. I know a few folks that love to think that I'm an Extrovert because I'm fairly open and gregarious and not a "quiet" or "uncommunicative" ISTP. Just annoying. Sorry that's happening to you on this board. Geez...online folks most likely really DON'T know you very well..

and

Eh..there's people that think I'm an extrovert just because I post a lot and like attention...


Yeah, like being "gregarious" online in a faceless conversation with people you're never going to meet in person is just like going up to people physically, introducing yourself, initiating conversations, and drawing others out. haha! :D


I'm not sure you can chill out on it quickly however. You are an F and probably passionate about things. My ISFP friend gets his panties-in-a-bunch pretty easily about some things (especially politics and sports), whereas I seem dispassionate relative to him. That's just the ISFPs nature.


Unfortuately, yeah. "Probably passionate"... heh! My ENFJ husband claims he knew all along that I was kind of high strung and emotionally intense underneath my facade of happy-go-luckiness. Drat those extraverted feeling types -- you can't fool 'em! :D

Sarah
ISFP
 
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