I have her narrowed to NF...

[Ruthie]

I have 2 nieces - 16 and 13. The 16 year old (definitely NOT the NF) has always gotten straight As in school, is breezing through just about every AP class her school offers, plays sports, has tons of friends, and comes across as a very well-adjusted teenager. She has a self-proclaimed hatred of emotional or intellectual "depth" and could care less about art or poetry. Things come very easily to her and she rarely stresses about the future. She is a definite ESxP, with a very borderline T/F - she's bubbly and excitable, but also quite directive.

It's the younger niece that has me more perplexed. She's very sensitive, and even at a very young age, she wanted to volunteer in soup kitchens, etc... But in some ways, she's completely insensitive - making inappropriate jokes at awkward times and the like. Her mother claims she's just trying to improve the spirits of people around her, but I don't know... it seems off sometimes. That description could fit ENFP, which I've considered for her, but there's something very introverted about her. She's definitely a talker, has a lot of friends, and acts kind of bubbly and even scatterbrained at times, but it all seems like an act.

Unlike her older sister, she doesn't have the need to always be on the go and seems to enjoy being alone quite a bit. I also get the feeling that there's a lot of underlying depression or anxiety, although it's never verbalized. She's never really had an interest in an activity that has lasted long, although she does seem to like theater quite a bit. I guess she could be an INFP, but I'm thrown by the fact that she always seems like she's playing a role - so much so that I don't always know what to believe about her.

So, NFs... think back to your teenage years... any guesses or telltale signs I could look for?

 

[Goatman455]

I have 2 nieces - 16 and 13. The 16 year old (definitely NOT the NF) has always gotten straight As in school, is breezing through just about every AP class her school offers, plays sports, has tons of friends, and comes across as a very well-adjusted teenager. She has a self-proclaimed hatred of emotional or intellectual "depth" and could care less about art or poetry. Things come very easily to her and she rarely stresses about the future. She is a definite ESxP, with a very borderline T/F - she's bubbly and excitable, but also quite directive.

It's the younger niece that has me more perplexed. She's very sensitive, and even at a very young age, she wanted to volunteer in soup kitchens, etc... But in some ways, she's completely insensitive - making inappropriate jokes at awkward times and the like. Her mother claims she's just trying to improve the spirits of people around her, but I don't know... it seems off sometimes. That description could fit ENFP, which I've considered for her, but there's something very introverted about her. She's definitely a talker, has a lot of friends, and acts kind of bubbly and even scatterbrained at times, but it all seems like an act.

Unlike her older sister, she doesn't have the need to always be on the go and seems to enjoy being alone quite a bit. I also get the feeling that there's a lot of underlying depression or anxiety, although it's never verbalized. She's never really had an interest in an activity that has lasted long, although she does seem to like theater quite a bit. I guess she could be an INFP, but I'm thrown by the fact that she always seems like she's playing a role - so much so that I don't always know what to believe about her.

So, NFs... think back to your teenage years... any guesses or telltale signs I could look for?

INFP is my guess, but that is a guess. You said she enjoys being alone quite a bit, this seems to point towards Introverted. I think children's personalities are more malleable since they haven't had the experience to bias themselves with "who they think they are". You may very well see her change or develop into something different than she is now.

 

[Thalassa]

She sounds like she's definitely an xNFP. She could still be an ENFP because they're introverted extroverts. ESxPs are noticeably more extroverted than ENFPs.

Then again she could be an INFP. I am borderline E/I and I can definitely relate to what you say about your neice, underlying depression or anxiety, and a love of theater, an ability to act. At any rate at 13 she's still really too young to type.

The sixteen year old sounds like an ESTP. But they say that T/F is actually the last trait to develop.

 

[Goatman455]

Yeah xNFP could be true to, maybe she is right in the middle. That said, I am definitely introverted for an extrovert, but I still NEED that interaction with people to recharge. An INFP would prefer to 'recharge' alone, so check that out and see how she acts, maybe it will give you added insight into her type.

Oh and don't stereotype the girl too much, there are only 16 types out there and there are over 6 billion people on the earth.

 

[Ruthie]

Oh and don't stereotype the girl too much, there are only 16 types out there and there are over 6 billion people on the earth.

Nonsense. Everyone knows all 6 billion fit neatly into one of those 16 little boxes.

Seriously though, you have me convinced she's an xNFP, so I'll just keep observing her to take a guess at the I/E dichotomy.

 

[entropie]

Nonsense. Everyone knows all 6 billion fit neatly into one of those 16 little boxes.

*tips hat*