Sarah The ISFP finally gets around to introducing herself

[sarah]

I can't believe it's friday night and I'm doing laundry -- goes to show you what six years of marriage can tame down your social life..

I just discovered to day that there’s actually a welcome thread in this forum. So maybe I should actually say something about myself....

Actually, I'm shocked to find a number of SPs on this list who are interested in type —for years I thought I was the only one. Wow.

I’m very comfortable around iNtuitives. I grew up in a family run by my ISFJ father and INFJ mother, both of whom are very intellectual and who wanted their daughters to grow up to appreciate reading and learning. (Seriously, they both love to sit in on college classes for fun, and they were the sort of parents who expected their kids to join in on their philosophical discussions at the breakfast table!)

Some people here may know me as “sarah the isfp” from the 16types discussion board, or they may know me as sarah (there’s only one) the token SP from the Yahoo Groups TemperamentTalk.

I’m a children’s librarian. Why the heck would I choose to be a librarian, you ask? Aren’t they a bunch of boring sensible-shoe-wearing, bun-sporting frumps who live for routine and order? Well, chances are if I have to explain what children’s librarians actually DO to you, you probably haven’t been in a busy downtown urban public library lately. Actually, my job gives me endless variety and I get to have a lot of hands-on fun with kids of all ages. Besides, if you ever feel the slightest bit depressed, hang around a bunch of preschoolers and they will make you feel good about yourself again. You might even get a few spontaneous compliments from them in the bargain.

Ways I fit the ISFP stereotype:

I’m artistic. I even majored in fine art in college. I love drawing and collage-making.
I’m shy about starting conversations with strangers.
I make a lot of value-based decisions about stuff, and I don’t bother to figure out whether what I value is completely logical or not.
I’m sensual. I love digging in my garden, I love to cook good food, and I love yummy sensations.
I’m a total environmentalist (treehugger.. yes, literally.) I know.. it's probably a scary thought for most of you.
I love being around animals and kids.
I (heart) creating things of beauty. In fact, my whole life has been one big huge artistic composition. I actually find it hard to STOP daydreaming about how to fix everything around me so that it looks good.
I married an ENFJ (even though we’re supposed to be “opposite” temperaments, I think my NF hubby is perfect for me.)

Ways I don’t fit the ISFP stereotype:

I don’t just sit by Walden Pond and sniff the pretty daisies (a la David Keirsey’s portrait of ISFPs in Please Understand Me)
I’m articulate
I did well in school.
I never did drugs, and although I like alcohol, never drink to get drunk.
I don’t live an extreme lifestyle.
I was never athletic, although I like to keep active through walking, dance and yoga.
I actually like thinking about abstract stuff (gasp) some of the time – like, even personality type.

[Jeffster]

Yo Sarah.

I have no idea why I am "interested in type", but like most things I get into, once I did I was like an addict, I had to have more! I've been a member of this forum for about 3 months now, and there's already been times I was bored with it, but then it seemed like something would come along that grabbed my interest again! Part of it is I have met some cool people here, and I tend to not want to lose touch with cool people, though I frequently end up doing so anyway.

Anyway, Rock on.

Oh by the way, in case you care, you can read MY intro thread here.

[Thursday]

Hi.

[AllAboutSoul]

Hi Sarah Welcome, glad to meet you.

[Falcarius]

Welcome to MBTIc.

[Athenian200]

Originally Posted by sarah

I don’t just sit by Walden Pond and sniff the pretty daisies (a la David Keirsey’s portrait of ISFPs in Please Understand Me)
I’m articulate
I did well in school.
I never did drugs, and although I like alcohol, never drink to get drunk.
I don’t live an extreme lifestyle.
I was never athletic, although I like to keep active through walking, dance and yoga.
I actually like thinking about abstract stuff (gasp) some of the time – like, even personality type.

All right then... you're articulate, you don't drink too much, you're smart enough not to live an extreme lifestyle, and you can stomach abstract thought. Wait, why do you think you're an SP again?



Kidding aside, welcome. I know very well that the types contradict themselves inherently. NFs use logic to a degree, NTs care about people to a degree, SJs can tolerate change to a degree, and SPs can be responsible to a degree. The problem is deciding at what point one veers into the other's territory. It isn't clearly marked, and depending on how a person looks at their type, they could look like any type. The system is filled with enough room for exceptions and contradictions that you can pretty much call yourself any type you wish. So if you believe you're an ISFP, I believe it too.

I'm still here mainly because of the friends I've made, and the fact that I can't seem to stop thinking about MBTI despite not seeing it as valid after all my research into it. I've just accepted that it's really just a conceptual toy, and I'm trying to learn to treat it and enjoy it as such rather than taking it too seriously.

Anyway... how did you come to be interested in Internet message boards in general (not just ones about type)?

[Economica]

Welcome, sarah!

Originally Posted by sarah

Actually, I'm shocked to find a number of SPs on this list who are interested in type —for years I thought I was the only one. Wow.

Tell me about it (with the exception of ISTPs)! I've tried to interest three intelligent ISFPs who are willing to humor me in type, and it just doesn't take. They've been real "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" experiences. It's good to know the lack of interest is not set in stone for ISFPs.

[sarah]

Originally Posted by Athenian200

...The system is filled with enough room for exceptions and contradictions that you can pretty much call yourself any type you wish. So if you believe you're an ISFP, I believe it too.

Well, I did "try on" other types for size, and I've been interested in this for the past five years, but nothing else seems to fit. It was the type descriptions at Best-Fit Type : Exploring the Multiple Models of Personality Type and in books written by Linda Berens/Dario Nardi that finally convinced me that it's not really your contextual behavior, but about the overall theme.

Originally Posted by Athenian200

...I'm still here mainly because of the friends I've made, and the fact that I can't seem to stop thinking about MBTI despite not seeing it as valid after all my research into it. I've just accepted that it's really just a conceptual toy, and I'm trying to learn to treat it and enjoy it as such rather than taking it too seriously. Anyway... how did you come to be interested in Internet message boards in general (not just ones about type)?

I'm not. I just got interseted in type because I wanted a better relationship with my (INFJ) mom, and I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask about type, and nobody to ask. None of my friends was really all that interested in the subject, so I joined a couple of internet discussion groups. For everything else, I prefer socializing with people face to face.

[Lithium]

halooo

[Athenian200]

Originally Posted by sarah

Well, I did "try on" other types for size, and I've been interested in this for the past five years, but nothing else seems to fit. It was the type descriptions at Best-Fit Type : Exploring the Multiple Models of Personality Type and in books written by Linda Berens/Dario Nardi that finally convinced me that it's not really your contextual behavior, but about the overall theme.

Yeah... that makes sense. But how are you supposed to perceive a theme as opposed to just contextual behavior? Especially if you haven't exactly been in a variety of life situations? Oh, well. I suspect I'm just not psychologically mature enough to really have established a type yet. I have been rather sheltered.

It sounds like you've really studied this carefully. You seem to know what you're talking about.

I'm not. I just got interseted in type because I wanted a better relationship with my (INFJ) mom, and I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask about type, and nobody to ask. None of my friends was really all that interested in the subject, so I joined a couple of internet discussion groups. For everything else, I prefer socializing with people face to face.

I see. That sounds like a good reason. I'm glad to have the opportunity to meet SPs on here... so that I can see how they are. I don't get out much, and I generally don't have a strong enough constitution for most of the places SPs like to be.