Type My Friend

[Mondo]

When I go home for holidays and the summer, I have a solid group of four friends. These were virtually the only people I kept strong friendships with since high school ended. I'm sure of three of their types (INTJ, INFP, ISTJ).
We're all gaming geeks and share an interest in many intellectual matters. I consider all of us to be bright guys. We all did well in school and were seen as geeks in high school. More girls in my grade were excellent students but the five of us all had strong grades in high school or high test scores (my grades were weaker than my friends but I did the best on standardized tests). I'd argue in some ways that I'm the most different from them- in that, I have more breadth in interests and am the only one who drinks a lot of alcohol in college.

However, I'm not sure of the type of one of my friends.
Here are some of his qualities and behaviors.

-Quiet- when we hang out- he's often the one who says hardly anything.
(My other close friends are Introverts but they do say stuff- especially my INTJ friend who could probably be mistaken for an Extravert superficially..)

-Laidback and very easygoing.

-Mathematically gifted and is studying Engineering at Columbia

-Cooperative and very agreeable- I don't think I've ever seen him disagree with anyone.

-Has a witty sense of humor- he doesn't share it much but when he does- he's hilarious. He can be sarcastic, like the rest of us, but it's clear his intentions are 100% filled with good intentions- while the rest of us can have somewhat of a 'nasty' side with our sarcasm.

-My INTJ friend is easily the most dominant and assertive in our group and he will often agree with him. My INTJ friend thinks he's the most similar to him out of everyone in our group but I don't think that's necessarily the case. His interests also coincide the most with my INTJ friend. They both have similar interests in TV shows where everyone is an idiot (reality shows, Maury) and have genuine passions for science, which isn't necessarily true for the rest of us...

-Very nice. My ISTJ friend once commented that he is the nicest person he ever knew.

-Very devoted to his family. These days, he's the one I hang out with the least because he always has obligations to his family. He's Indian and comes from a very family-oriented environment. He has deep respect for his family and also has strict parents. He still has a midnight curfew and regularly commutes home from college.

What type do you think he is?
Feel free to ask me questions.
I know I left a lot out!

[Kai]

Ever seen him upset?
What is he sort of like when gaming?
What does he want to do with his future and why that path?
What are his negative habits?

[Mondo]

Originally Posted by Kai

Ever seen him upset?
What is he sort of like when gaming?
What does he want to do with his future and why that path?
What are his negative habits?

I've hardly ever seen him upset but once I saw him get annoyed when he realized he forgot to do a homework assignment. He cares a lot about his schoolwork.

He's a laid-back gamer and is the least competitive of all of us.

He wants to become an engineer. He genuinely enjoys engineering and he's good at it. He was originally on a biomedical engineering/pre-med path but had decided against becoming a doctor his freshman year.

He doesn't have many negative habits. The only habit, which I would consider to be negative, is that he doesn't speak his mind often enough. Also despite his laidback demeanor, he doesn't seem to be the most open to adventurous exploits- some of it could be due to temperament a lot of it could be due to him thinking about what his parents would think on the matter.. and most of my crazy ideas wouldn't be so enthusiastically supported by his parents. As for not asserting himself, it could be because he doesn't always feel comfortable asserting his opinion among more assertive/arrogant personalities- especially around my INTJ friend. The rest of us are a little less intimidating..

EDIT: I have given it some thought and I think he's either an INFP or ISFJ.
I just can't figure out which one.

[Aderack]

MY FRIEND

...

I'm not sure how much that satisfied me.

[Lohengrin]

Originally Posted by Mondo

EDIT: I have given it some thought and I think he's either an INFP or ISFJ.
I just can't figure out which one.

That's also what I thought as soon as I read your first post.

Sounds very similar to an INFP pal of mine.

[shortnsweet]

I'm thinking isfx

[NewEra]

My guess is ISFJ.

[Lohengrin]

Originally Posted by shortnsweet

I'm thinking isfx

Originally Posted by TheChosenOne

My guess is ISFJ.

Mathematically gifted and is studying Engineering at Columbia.

Not sure I've heard of any ISFJs in Engineering and mathematically-gifted. Their talents tend to lie elsewhere, right? But then again, every individual is different... yada yada yada.

Also, the issue with family loyalty (which I believe may seem more ISFJ than INFP) could be a cultural one. Like the OP's friend, I'm also from a community that places a great importance on family. Even most of the INTs here (where I live) come off as SJ in that respect!

[Kai]

Originally Posted by Mo

Mathematically gifted and is studying Engineering at Columbia.

Not sure I've heard of any ISFJs in Engineering and mathematically-gifted. Their talents tend to lie elsewhere, right? But then again, every individual is different... yada yada yada.

Pretty much. I'm chinese and I've been brought up with a mathematics and science background. I know a fellow ISFJ that has gone to UCL to study Physics as well. There's also the factor that he's male and potentially feels social obligation to go into this field, even if he loves it anyway. Granted, my interests and my talents are two very seperate things. I'm much more interested in humanities it seems.

This is not to say that this dude is an ISFJ.

Also, the issue with family loyalty (which I believe may seem more ISFJ than INFP) could be a cultural one. Like the OP's friend, I'm also from a community that places a great importance on family. Even most of the INTs here (where I live) come off as SJ in that respect!

Pretty much...
What's his interaction with you like Mondo? What do you think of him specifically?

[Mondo]

Originally Posted by Kai

Pretty much...
What's his interaction with you like Mondo? What do you think of him specifically?

I find that even though he is quiet in groups, one-on-one, we get into very fun and witty conversations. This could indicate a preference for Intuition but keep in mind he's also very bright- bright Sensors can possess many 'stereotypically intuitive' traits.

However, he also has a strong imagination. I just don't think he always shows it when he is in groups. I'm not 100% certain but for now, I'm going for INFP.

While I think I've settled on INFP- there are definitely a lot of mathematically gifted Guardians out there (and Artisans..). For instance, I know a few ISTJ math majors and even more ISTJ engineers- not as many ISFJ's, but I'm sure they exist,