INTPness
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- Joined
- Jan 22, 2009
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- 2,157
- MBTI Type
- INTP
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- 5w4
I've talked about this in another thread at some point, but I wanted to get opinions on this. I have noticed that when I turn my Ti "inside out" and just let my thoughts fly so to speak, it can be very effective.
As an example, think about a situation where you've got an ESTJ riding you and picking apart everything you do. He's quick on his toes with his comments, has a quick, common-sense comeback to dispute everything you say. Basically, he's getting the best of you in the verbal back-and-forth and, in turn, he's establishing (in his mind and in others who are listening) that he can out-think you and he has better answers/solutions than you do. These situations aren't everything in life, but they are a part of reality - they do happen, especially in the workplace or in areas of business.
I've noticed that I get frustrated with Ti in these situations because, although I have a very logical answer in my head, I can't always articulate it as quickly as the ESTJ/ENTJ. So, it seems to him and others that he's out-thinking me. But, there comes a breaking point where the frustration builds up and I just let the "filter" go out the window. My thoughts start to fly freely right back at him and there is a good and bad side to this.
The good side is that it seems to me that he respects me more. He sees that I'm not a push-over, that I'm willing to punch back with words when necessary, and that, in fact, I can very easily keep up with his thought process. In fact, he may even find that I'm one step ahead of him at times. When I'm able to do this, I find that I'm respected more. I still may be seen as somewhat eccentric and some of the things I say might be a little jumbled, but this Te that I use is blunt, bold, and doesn't hold back. When an ESTJ is all over my case and isn't letting up, I'll sometimes go into this mode and it really shocks them sometimes. It's almost like he's an aggressive tiger who walks up to a snake and thinks he's going to have his way with the snake (because he has his way with every other animal) and the snake stays quiet, stays quiet, doesn't have a lot of smart things to say, but then just strikes with a sharp Ti comment and the tiger doesn't really know what to do. He takes a step back and then just figures, "Hmmm, that didnt' really work. I'll give it a try tomorrow." It still sees the snake as a bit strange, but there's some respect there now.
The bad side of this is that when I turn my Ti into Te it can be very "biting". It can come off extremely harsh, to the point to where people look at you like "Whoa...what the heck did he eat for breakfast this morning?" It can offend, it can burn bridges, it can cause people to say, "I don't see that person as someone I'd want to be friends with" (although there is still some level of respect because they know that you don't take any crap off people).
It's almost like I'm willing to tolerate a lot from ESTJ/ENTJ types. ENTJ types I relate to more (probably because of the shared "N"), so I'm mainly thinking of ESTJ's (and some other types when it's necessary to be blunt). But, I can tolerate them giving me a hard time/riding me/criticizing my every move for some time, and then it's just like a switch goes on inside that says, "OK buddy, if you're going to play this game with me, I'm going to give it to you straight and you're probably not going to like it very much." Basically, I'm going to open a can of Ti on you. It's rare in life that I need to, but I know it's in my arsenal. When Ti is serious, backed into a corner, or otherwise very frustrated/angry, it doesn't play games. It gets very serious, it commands respect, and it backs people off.
Opinions? I was thinking about resolutions for 2010 (I don't really do the resolution thing), but I thought that maybe I need to work on letting my thoughts fly a little more often. Learning to let myself get to that place where I speak my mind more often (surely it can be accessed in other ways besides being angry) - and trying to tame it a little bit so as to not alienate people, but to still command the respect of those I do business with. I don't put a ton of stock in "getting people's respect", but I bring this up for business purposes. In these kinds of settings, you really have to play hardball sometimes or you end up getting walked on.
Thoughts from INTP's and others who are familiar with us as to whether or not this is a good strategy or not and why you feel that way?
As an example, think about a situation where you've got an ESTJ riding you and picking apart everything you do. He's quick on his toes with his comments, has a quick, common-sense comeback to dispute everything you say. Basically, he's getting the best of you in the verbal back-and-forth and, in turn, he's establishing (in his mind and in others who are listening) that he can out-think you and he has better answers/solutions than you do. These situations aren't everything in life, but they are a part of reality - they do happen, especially in the workplace or in areas of business.
I've noticed that I get frustrated with Ti in these situations because, although I have a very logical answer in my head, I can't always articulate it as quickly as the ESTJ/ENTJ. So, it seems to him and others that he's out-thinking me. But, there comes a breaking point where the frustration builds up and I just let the "filter" go out the window. My thoughts start to fly freely right back at him and there is a good and bad side to this.
The good side is that it seems to me that he respects me more. He sees that I'm not a push-over, that I'm willing to punch back with words when necessary, and that, in fact, I can very easily keep up with his thought process. In fact, he may even find that I'm one step ahead of him at times. When I'm able to do this, I find that I'm respected more. I still may be seen as somewhat eccentric and some of the things I say might be a little jumbled, but this Te that I use is blunt, bold, and doesn't hold back. When an ESTJ is all over my case and isn't letting up, I'll sometimes go into this mode and it really shocks them sometimes. It's almost like he's an aggressive tiger who walks up to a snake and thinks he's going to have his way with the snake (because he has his way with every other animal) and the snake stays quiet, stays quiet, doesn't have a lot of smart things to say, but then just strikes with a sharp Ti comment and the tiger doesn't really know what to do. He takes a step back and then just figures, "Hmmm, that didnt' really work. I'll give it a try tomorrow." It still sees the snake as a bit strange, but there's some respect there now.
The bad side of this is that when I turn my Ti into Te it can be very "biting". It can come off extremely harsh, to the point to where people look at you like "Whoa...what the heck did he eat for breakfast this morning?" It can offend, it can burn bridges, it can cause people to say, "I don't see that person as someone I'd want to be friends with" (although there is still some level of respect because they know that you don't take any crap off people).
It's almost like I'm willing to tolerate a lot from ESTJ/ENTJ types. ENTJ types I relate to more (probably because of the shared "N"), so I'm mainly thinking of ESTJ's (and some other types when it's necessary to be blunt). But, I can tolerate them giving me a hard time/riding me/criticizing my every move for some time, and then it's just like a switch goes on inside that says, "OK buddy, if you're going to play this game with me, I'm going to give it to you straight and you're probably not going to like it very much." Basically, I'm going to open a can of Ti on you. It's rare in life that I need to, but I know it's in my arsenal. When Ti is serious, backed into a corner, or otherwise very frustrated/angry, it doesn't play games. It gets very serious, it commands respect, and it backs people off.
Opinions? I was thinking about resolutions for 2010 (I don't really do the resolution thing), but I thought that maybe I need to work on letting my thoughts fly a little more often. Learning to let myself get to that place where I speak my mind more often (surely it can be accessed in other ways besides being angry) - and trying to tame it a little bit so as to not alienate people, but to still command the respect of those I do business with. I don't put a ton of stock in "getting people's respect", but I bring this up for business purposes. In these kinds of settings, you really have to play hardball sometimes or you end up getting walked on.
Thoughts from INTP's and others who are familiar with us as to whether or not this is a good strategy or not and why you feel that way?