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Using type awareness to help with mental health?

Sahara

New member
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Messages
927
MBTI Type
INFP
Would you say such a thing is possble?

I was totally blown away when i first learnt about my type, I felt like much confusion in my life about my weaknesses was finally answered, and that I no longer had to feel ashamed for not being like everyone else.

Yet still those weaknesses continue to be a curse when it comes to living in the real world.

Depression
Solitude
Inability to focus
Self criticism
Too soft

Yet I read these are INFP traits, and these are things the doctors would medicate, and yes I would wish to eradicate too.

So how do you take type awareness and help yourself become something better?
 

lastrailway

New member
Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Messages
508
I don't know whether is possible to find answers in mental health's problems with the types. MBTI is not any exact science, while clinical depression and problems such as schizoid disorder etc. are situations provoked by both psychological and neurological factors.

Besides clinical problems, I would say that type awareness is a great tool for many people to understand themselves and others. It helped me to understand some things about myself and other people and contemplate about many others.
Maybe I am exaggerating with the following, but I believe type awareness will be of a great use to parents, to help them deal with their children. It is an easy-to-understand scientific-like approach, which can give parents the tools to understand better and communicate with their children without feeling themselves guilty or inadequate, as traditional psychology was trying to convince them they are.
 

Sahara

New member
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Messages
927
MBTI Type
INFP
I don't know whether is possible to find answers in mental health's problems with the types. MBTI is not any exact science, while clinical depression and problems such as schizoid disorder etc. are situations provoked by both psychological and neurological factors.

Besides clinical problems, I would say that type awareness is a great tool for many people to understand themselves and others. It helped me to understand some things about myself and other people and contemplate about many others.
Maybe I am exaggerating with the following, but I believe type awareness will be of a great use to parents, to help them deal with their children. It is an easy-to-understand scientific-like approach, which can give parents the tools to understand better and communicate with their children without feeling themselves guilty or inadequate, as traditional psychology was trying to convince them they are.


Oh you just reminded me to order that book Ivy recommended. :blush: lol I am too scatty.

Ok, but lets say I go to a psychotherapy session, and the therapist is telling me that my inability to stay focused is latent ADD, or that my introversion is some mild form of agrophobia, there must be a way to either show them that type is the reason I am the way I am, or do I go with what they say and accept I am flawed?

I am making no sense, I must drink some coffee.
 

lastrailway

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Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Messages
508
Oh you just reminded me to order that book Ivy recommended. :blush: lol I am too scatty.
....
I am making no sense, I must drink some coffee.

:)

Ok, but lets say I go to a psychotherapy session, and the therapist is telling me that my inability to stay focused is latent ADD, or that my introversion is some mild form of agrophobia, there must be a way to either show them that type is the reason I am the way I am, or do I go with what they say and accept I am flawed?

I would say that if a psychiatrist diagnoses ADD or agoraphobia, he is likely to have strong reasons to believe so. There must be a quite clear distinction of scattered attention and ADD or of introversion and agoraphobia, etc. And a psychiatrist is likely to be aware that some people are more introverted than others, some more systematic than others, etc.
Also type characteristics should be an instrument to understand ourselves, not excuses to not try to improve our lives/personalities.
I think type awareness should give ourselves a notion of whether some characteristics we have are reasons to worry about our mental health or simply traits of our personality.
On a more personal example: I am very introverted, which, in combination with a total lack of shy-ness, gives a very schizoid effect in many of my social interactions (or used to, because growing older I control much better these things). Since I have never found my introvert-ness to annoy me or negatively affect my life, I never though it is a sign of any flaw.
On the other hand, I have some unhealthy characteristics, like a unreasonable fear of asphyxia while in a plane, or some sleeping disorders. These are "flaws" indeed, that is, a healthy INTP or whatever type I am, does not typically tend to have these traits, they are not "excused" for my personality type
 

Sahara

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Jul 14, 2007
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927
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INFP
See that's the thing though, when i read up about my type some of the stuff I think is a mental health issue, turns out to be type related.

Until finding out I was an introvert I thought something was wrong with me, same goes with not being able to stay focused, so when i went to see the therapist I was speaking as if these things were a problem to me.

Then again they are a problem, if I was S I would focus more, but I am not I am scatty, my mind wonders, I think of things and in a split second am off on another thought followed by another, this make studying kind of difficult lol because I get lost in my head.

So it's a problem, also I am trying to make friends, but I am also not trying, part of me wants to be outgoing, but the hurt part of me does not, then I read I am an introvert and all of a sudden it's a new issue, rather than being something I thought was wrong with me, this loneliness is a part of me, and it's crippling me to some extent.

I know type is meant to help you understand yourself, but what if the type you are, is not a useful type to be?

I think I am making not much sense on this, because it's still just a jumble of thoughts in my mind.

Ivy, Jennifer, Cafe or Proteonmix, would it be possible to add this to my blog since it's just me rambling again? :blush:
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
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Messages
50,187
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BELF
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594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Ivy, Jennifer, Cafe or Proteonmix, would it be possible to add this to my blog since it's just me rambling again? :blush:

I could; but I think it's a wonderful topic, if we get some more participation.

Type reveals general strengths and weaknesses in one's approach to life. Type is considered more of the average pro's and con's of a "normal" person; diagnosed psychological illnesses actually connote something more powerful or difficult to manage, and possibly even biologically rooted problems.

Some of these things can be medicated, but in general I think medication is only effective in terms of alleviating symptoms long enough / severely enough so that the patient can make some psychological growth in the questionable areas.

In other words, you might be extremely shy (and thus anxious); but to try to completely medicate away the shyness is not positive. The anxiety probably either is rooted in or has CAUSED some socialization issues that the patient still needs to work to overcome.

And there is also gray area in the middle. Not everyone has to be as outgoing as everyone else. If there were not shy people, who would listen in a conversation? I think to some degree we need to decide for ourselves (with feedback from others) which parts of us are truly us and should be embraced and which parts are destructive or hinder us from thriving as people.

I think one good sign of health is the ability to give of oneself to others graciously and without resentment. Each type is capable of this; each simply gives different things to a relationship.
 

Park

New member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
263
MBTI Type
INTP
Would you say such a thing is possble?

I was totally blown away when i first learnt about my type, I felt like much confusion in my life about my weaknesses was finally answered, and that I no longer had to feel ashamed for not being like everyone else.

Yet still those weaknesses continue to be a curse when it comes to living in the real world.

Depression
Solitude
Inability to focus
Self criticism
Too soft

Yet I read these are INFP traits, and these are things the doctors would medicate, and yes I would wish to eradicate too.

So how do you take type awareness and help yourself become something better?

You seem to be saying "I'm imperfect and I would like to improve", you could try out this angle instead "I'm perfect with space for development".

Your angle does a poor job at embracing the present (the person you are right now) but focus on an idealized future version of yourself. The second angle embraces the present. I am at this moment in time, the best I can be i.e. a snapshot of perfection but I can allways develop.

It's a generel thing though, many people seem to be better at embracing past versions (yourself as a child or a teenager) or imagined future versions of themselves but are often very critical with the present version.

I could have just said "learn to love yourself" but it sounded tacky.
 

ptgatsby

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Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
4,476
MBTI Type
ISTP
To be blunt about it first up; No. I highly recommend not using type in this way. It is not designed for it, it won't be very helpful and is even against the code of ethics that MBTI has.

Ok, disclaimer aside, most mental health issues are traits that have gone too far... or appear that way anyway. Depression is linked to being (FFM lingo here!) E- (introverted) and N+ (neurotic). In your Sahara, if I remember your scores correctly, this is the case. I also think it comes from being a bit shell shocked, something that will take time to recover from.

The ADD stuff shouldn't correlate to INFP (attentive disorders) in particular...

The only way it can help is to identify small behaviours that you can prune back... learning how to cope with smaller issues before trying to deal with/cope with the larger ones. Once something is considered a disorder though, type theory doesn't offer much.

As Park said, type is about understanding yourself - too often it is used as an excuse for behaviour. Introversion isn't healthy - not the way it is portrayed here anyway - and should be worked around. The only answer is to try to do some E like stuff. Not to the point of it being painful or harmful, but to cope with the drawbacks of being an I. Think about moving forward. All of us Is think things are worse than they really are... keep in mind how few positive emotions Is tend to have... we don't reflect the reality around us. It keeps us looking inward, berating ourselves...

In true ISTP form - just do it. If a behaviour is bad, stop doing it. If you know what to do to prevent it, take tangible steps to change it (ie: solitude and depression are linked... all you need are a couple of people!)
 

lastrailway

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Joined
Aug 11, 2007
Messages
508
...I know type is meant to help you understand yourself, but what if the type you are, is not a useful type to be?...

Yes, I see your point. The thing is, as Jennifer and Park said, that there are parts that are really yourself and acceptance is the best way to use them positively. There are other things that are not yourself and, since they bother you, you can try and change them.

I know my opinion won't be very popular, but I believe type is not about innate properties, but about tendencies that we can change or re-prioritise (if there exists such a word :) - it should mean something like: define again our priorities). That is, except the I/E part, that I believe is very difficult if not impossible to change it.

But then, being an I does not mean to be isolated. Being shy cannot be a fundamental part of your personality that you cannot control. Being hurt cannot be something you cannot overcome if you give a try.

As for the N/S thing, I am pretty sure it is the less stable characteristic of one's personality and that it flips and changes with the age, the circumstances, the occasional needs, etc. If you had found something that can trap your interest, I am sure you wouldn't have your mind wander in irrelevant things. If you cannot concentrate to the task at hand, it probably doesn’t mean anything about you and you might want to change your route and find something more satisfying.

Another thing that I know many people find useful is to adapt a work-mode. Which is, when I am at work, I am not myself but somebody who does the work, I have come in terms with this and simply do it. (it is not very pleasant, true is, and I am happy that my current job does not require me to be on this mode).

But, in all cases, I wouldn’t worry if I were you. Of what I have seen of you, you seem pretty healthy and balanced to me. And, if you are not trying to change something, then probably this change isn’t interesting for you.

edit:what ptgatsby says could also help somebody, like try to do some extrovert stuff or whatever. Though it is not what I would do (I find it to be too much a radical change for me that I don't find the reason to press myself that much)
 

Wolf

only bites when provoked
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
2,127
MBTI Type
INTJ
I have thought that there is a unique link between mistyping and certain disorders. Therefore, you might have more falsely-typed people of certain types due to such disorders and they will be common in these groups.

I think this is true of introverts (depression) and intuitives (neurosis), particularly.
 

INTJMom

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Sep 28, 2007
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5w4
I think that it's possible that a serious mental illness could manifest itself as an extreme type,
and no one would be the wiser.
 

still water

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Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
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MBTI Type
infp
Funny, I am a n00b to the INFP-MBTI things and the FIRST thing that popped into my head was "is there a correlation between types and mood/personality disorders?" I was diagnosed with bipolar depression when I was 23, after a severe bout of post-partum neurosis. I've been heavily medicated (10 meds) and I have now whittled myself down to just 3 meds *pats self on the back* partly because I have chosen to take a strong stance in the mental health care i receive.

In short...do all schizo's tend to lean towards a type? Do all narcissists lean towards a type? Are most bipolars INFP's? Hmmmm...
 

INTJMom

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I think that MBTI Type, at best, expresses "tendencies" which are usually only about 85% accurate about any particular person,
so that, at most, you could probably come up with a type that "tends" to be the "most narcissistic", etc.
I think Type can help explain why someone struggles with -narcissism, for example -
but I don't think it could fairly be used as a predictor for it, in my opinion.

For instance, I am an INTJ and struggle with perfectionism.
I have read that INTJs tend to struggle with perfectionism more than any other type,
however not all INTJs struggle with perfectionism.
Neither do only INTJs struggle with perfectionism.
 
Last edited:

Mempy

Mamma said knock you out
Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
2,227
For instance, I am an INTJ and struggle with perfectionism.
I have read that INTJs tend to struggle with perfectionism more than any other type,
however not all INTJs struggle with perfectionism.
Neither do only INTJs struggle with perfectionism.

Very true.

I think that it's possible that a serious mental illness could manifest itself as an extreme type,
and no one would be the wiser.

It's interesting to think about. I'm wondering if certain mental illnesses (none of which come to mind because I don't know anything about mental illnesses) are only accessible to certain types? For example say there's a mental illness that involves extreme sensitivity (I'm just whipping these out of my butt, by the way), agoraphobia, hallucinations, extreme disorganization, ADD, failure to complete tasks, etc - these traits conflict with a lot of types' preferences. Js aren't usually incapable of completing tasks, and Ts aren't usually extremely sensitive. So it would follow that this mental illness either most likely crops up in FPs, or in TJs who are behaving like their shadows. Do you think any mental illness is accessible to any type, or that some mental illnesses are nearly always found in certain types?

Another example is a psychopath. If psychopaths can't empathize with others, does this mean they're usually extreme Ts, or that they're Fs that are behaving like their own shadows? Can psychopaths be either?

In response to the OP: I don't think MBTI can be used for improving mental health either. I find the enneagram more suited to that.
 

The Unknown Essence

New member
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
33
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
Would you say such a thing is possble?

I was totally blown away when i first learnt about my type, I felt like much confusion in my life about my weaknesses was finally answered, and that I no longer had to feel ashamed for not being like everyone else.

Yet still those weaknesses continue to be a curse when it comes to living in the real world.

Depression
Solitude
Inability to focus
Self criticism
Too soft

Yet I read these are INFP traits, and these are things the doctors would medicate, and yes I would wish to eradicate too.

So how do you take type awareness and help yourself become something better?

Seeking constant solitude is not a weakness, it's a natural consequence of introversion. The reason why it is seen as symptomatic of a problem is because it's not common.

I am a very solitary person, yet I have absolutely no problems with depression or any self-esteem issues. I think it is very inaccurate when people automatically assume solitude is indicative of psychological problems. It's not.
 

INTJMom

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Sep 28, 2007
Messages
5,413
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...It's interesting to think about. I'm wondering if certain mental illnesses (none of which come to mind because I don't know anything about mental illnesses) are only accessible to certain types? For example say there's a mental illness that involves extreme sensitivity (I'm just whipping these out of my butt, by the way), agoraphobia, hallucinations, extreme disorganization, ADD, failure to complete tasks, etc - these traits conflict with a lot of types' preferences. Js aren't usually incapable of completing tasks, and Ts aren't usually extremely sensitive. So it would follow that this mental illness either most likely crops up in FPs, or in TJs who are behaving like their shadows. Do you think any mental illness is accessible to any type, or that some mental illnesses are nearly always found in certain types?

Another example is a psychopath. If psychopaths can't empathize with others, does this mean they're usually extreme Ts, or that they're Fs that are behaving like their own shadows? Can psychopaths be either?...
That;s a good question.
I have read that when people are "beside themselves" they become the worst form of their opposite, so that as an INTJ, when I am "beside myself" I show all the worst manifestations of the ESFP type. I am not sure of the proper technical terms. So who knows.
 

GZA

Resident Snot-Nose
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
1,771
MBTI Type
infp
INTJMom, what do you mean "beside yourself"?


Every type does have it's "defects" and it's benefits. I've always though of my self-criticism and my sensitive nature as just part of my personality, although at one point when I was very young I seriously thought something was wrong because I never saw it in other people.

You mentioned depression, inability to focus, self critism, softness (which I assume to mean sensitivity), and solitude. I think perhaps types are more inclined to some of these than others (perhaps depression is more likely with some kind of IXFP person, while coldness/lack of understanding could be more dominant in a XXTJ type, but that last one is pretty much a wild guess), but the really serious problems are also influenced by external experiences and/or biology.

I know that I personally experience those things more than most people by nature, because my external situation is really quite good, so it really only could be nature (and biology, I suppose) that causes my mood to be turbulent. I've always seen my inability to focus as a blessing in disguise, because it really has given me the ability to see the big picture of things and round it all up, and naturally explore a related topic (or, in laymans terms, my mind wanders off and I think about a new, although related, idea when the old one expires). The only problem with this "inability to focus" I have is that most things, such as school, are set up in a way that needs a different kind of attention. I've heard that people with ADD can "hyperfocus". I don't have ADD (to my knowledge), but I still have a hyperfocusing type thing going on, and it works well for me. Self criticism is the result of my perfectionistic ways, and my attitude that I can always grow and improve and learn. My self-criticism is very optimistic, in that sense, and even though I can be critical, I still like who I am. I feel that sensitivity is an important thing to have when learnign and understanding things, not a defect... softness is only a defect when it stops you from doing what you need to do, or when you can't control it appropriately.

As others have said, solitude is just a byproduct of introversion. I think a lot of those symptoms you mentioned are very much related in similar ways. For example, depression and self-criticism could really be the same problem manifesting itself in different ways. They are both negative, and are both similar in the sense that you feel down on yourself, victimized, and/or like a failure. Perfectionist tendancies could really just be a byproduct of being visionary or idealistic and needing to fill your vision of how something should be.
 

INTJMom

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"Beside yourself" is an expression that refers to when somebody loses control of themselves and behaves out of character.
 
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