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The Jack of All Types

LucrativeSid

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Oct 20, 2007
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What type do you think is the most likely to seem like another type? For the sake of clarity, I'm talking about from the point of view from other people who don't know the person being typed on the deepest levels.

I think it's the ENTP.

I'm asking you because I want to explore your ideas, but I also want to share some thoughts about ENTPs, which is how I got the idea for this thread in the first place.

My number one reason for suggesting the ENTP is that I believe we are all very experimental in nature. We are big thinkers who get off on playing with our ideas. This is probably one of the most notable traits of the ENTP. Extroverted Intuition, the lead function, keeps the ENTP expansive, open-minded, and fluid. They are always reaching out and exploring, questing after whatever seems fun or whatever seems worthwhile.

Since ENTPs are so experimental in nature, and since we have such a strong desire to test our ideas and actually use them, we could end up doing anything, at any time, in any way. (More than most types.) ENTPs love challenges and they are creative. So, an ENTP who decides that acting like a J makes more sense (Ti) can easily adopt J-like traits. An ENTP who thinks it will be fun to experiment with feelings (Ne) will find himself being more open to that kind of thing.

I think they love trying new things, and more often than not, they are their own biggest experiment, so they don't place very many limits upon themselves. And when they change, or try something new, they don't feel like they are being fake. To them, to expand is the only way to be real.

On the one hand, we can be very practical about some things, and will tend to seem more like sensors. I can seem like an S in the way that I do things. In the way that I think, and dream, I seem way more like an N.

It's been discussed throughout this forum that ENTPs are one of the most, if not the most, introverted extroverts. All of those arguments apply to this one as well.

ENTPs have the unique quality of being NP and ET at the same time. NP enough to be like INTPs and INFPs, but ET enough to be comfortable hanging with the ESTJs and ESTPs.

When your foundation is Ne, I think it's hard for people to predict why you're doing a certain thing or acting in a certain way, and this makes the ENTP easy to mistype by other people.

I'm sure I could ad more, but that's more than I planned on writing anyway.

I'll pick another type so I can offer an unbiased opinion as well. ISTJ. They're not quite as dull as stereotypes say they are.

And just for fun, which type is the easiest to type accurately?

ESTJ. You can't miss the dominant Te with SJ motivations.
 

LucrativeSid

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I considered ENFJ, but then I decided it against it because of dominant Fe. A feeling and judging function is their dominant... I'd guess it would be noticeable. They mirror people? So you're saying that if an INTP talks to an ENFJ, the INTP will think that the ENFJ is an INTP too? I think that's a bit of a stretch! Still, not a bad choice though. I'd still say they are probably mistyped easier than other types.
 

Venom

Babylon Candle
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
2,126
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
1w9
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
a stereotypical INTP actaully seems like they would be the most obvious (im thinking like "Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas" INTP)

you suggested ESTJ as the most obvious. However, I can sometimes see ESFJs as very similar to the ESTJ depending on the setting.


Hardest to type if you DONT know them? INFJ.
Hardest to type if you do know them? ENFJ.
 

JocktheMotie

Habitual Fi LineStepper
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Nov 20, 2008
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I'm going to have to disagree with you. I think the best type to meld themselves into another type would be a balanced INTP. ENTPs typically have such a strong sense of personal identity, it's what makes them as gregarious and what makes them so good at projecting themselves into social situations. I may be biased because I am an INTP, but I've found I do mirror my company's personality when I am around them: take the form of what I believe I need to be to fit in to this social group.

Here is an excerpt from an INTP profile...

INTPs dislike making the first move and tend to mirror the emotional content of the other person. A jolly person will quickly bring the INTP out of his shell, as much as that is possible, while a serious person will find a serious INTP looking back at him. In this sense, INTPs preference for intuitive perception (rather than action) with respect to people results in them resembling a chameleon. The INTP can fit into many different modes of behaviour, even contradictory ones, in order to get into the mindset of the other person. The goal is to gain enough intuitive data to analyse and assess the person. In doing this, the INTP remains somewhat reserved, never wholly identifying himself with his surroundings. As chameleons, INTPs are therefore approachable and open, unless the Ne tells the INTP that the other person is a type he doesn't like, in which case the reserved attitude may become too obvious. The chameleon behaviour can be particularly strong when discussing something.

Source

So while an ENTP may be very good at this, I believe their strong personal identity will leave traces of themselves in the emulated type, while the INTP can emulate anything he wants while being detached from his exhibited behavior.
 

Arilee

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Apr 23, 2007
Messages
84
MBTI Type
ESTP
I would probably have said INTP as well. I read somewhere (can't remember where though) a description of INTP as a chamelion - they just sort of blend in.
 

raz

Let's make this showy!
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
2,523
MBTI Type
LoLz
I would probably have said INTP as well. I read somewhere (can't remember where though) a description of INTP as a chamelion - they just sort of blend in.

The folks over at INTPc often talk about a chameleon mode. Though, my sister that's an ESFJ, I often make fun of her, telling her she's a chameleon, because she always changes her personality to mirror who she's with.
 

JocktheMotie

Habitual Fi LineStepper
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The folks over at INTPc often talk about a chameleon mode. Though, my sister that's an ESFJ, I often make fun of her, telling her she's a chameleon, because she always changes her personality to mirror who she's with.

Maybe the approaches are different, but the results the same. The INTP may detach and conduct himself in a certain mode, responding to the general perception he has of his company but be so at a distance he still maintains his internal disposition; the ESFJ may ingrain themselves so deeply into someone else's shoes, there is no separation of identity internally or externally. I'm not familiar enough with ESFJ functions to know if they're capable of this/do this on a regular basis.
 

Xander

Lex Parsimoniae
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
4,463
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
9w8
The most "mentally flexible" types are ENTP and INTP. ENTP is the most prone to acting unlike their natural tendencies though.

As for most difficult to type, I'd concur that it's an INFJ. Swines always bury everything in their boots!!!
 

nightning

ish red no longer *sad*
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Apr 23, 2007
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MBTI Type
INfj
Judging from the number of folks running around where they're not even sure of their types here, INFJ.
 

raz

Let's make this showy!
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LoLz
Judging from the number of folks running around where they're not even sure of their types here, INFJ.

We need to enclose those people in a room alone for 24 hours with nothing but a chair and a notepad, and monitor their activity. That's when their type shows.
 

mlittrell

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Sep 3, 2008
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1,387
MBTI Type
ENFP
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9w1
as far as me typing, i have often mistyped the few INFJs i know.

that being said, in regards to the first post and title, i dont believe there is a jack of all types. what makes people hard to type is the external environment in which they and we live in. this is what gives people certain amounts of depth or broadness. everyone thinks completely different at their core so in that way it is impossible to say that there is a jack of all trades considering by definition of types, everyone is different. so like i said, it depends on nurture and not nature.
 

LucrativeSid

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Oct 20, 2007
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I guess a lot of types can be social chameleons, but what about when you're just observing a person who is alone? Or a person who is actually doing things that they decided to do instead of mirroring all the idiots around them? I didn't think this "social chameleon" thing would get in the way of my question because I figured being a social chameleon does not equal to lying in conversations or doing things that you would never otherwise do just to fit in. Sure, some people do that, if they are really pathetic... but usually the things that people mirror are very insignificant and light, and not much of an indication of their type or perceived type.
 

mlittrell

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mbti describes something we dont understand to well... the human cognition. of course this is reflected in behavioral things too but a lot of behavior is a mirror of what one observes around them. so even when isolated, a person is still going to mirror what they have learned and understand, their environment. now you will see less of this "mirror" but people only mimic what they know. and your right, the things people mimic wont be an indication of type.
 

raz

Let's make this showy!
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LoLz
They can also be mimicking things that their mind is subconsciously "approving" of. You wouldn't mimic something that you didn't like if you had any say in it. The processes are very basic. The resources we have to understand the processes focus a lot on the application of the processes in real life. Even a lot of descriptions on the internet are still pseudo applications. You have to look at why they're making you do something.

That goes back to motivation. One cognitive process could make you want to do something for a selfish reason that is something your dominant and auxiliary processes aren't sufficient at handling. Take me for instance. If the cognitive process stuff with ISTJ is true, then I'm not that great at handling abstractions. I can vouch for that. If I get too much into a theory of something, I start to get exhausted. However, my thinking process makes me see the utility of the MBTI, so it makes me push further into a sea of knowledge of it, regardless of the fact that I can only take the "ideas" part of it in small doses at a time.

That's just my own take on it. I guess that's real introspection?
 

Frank

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What about you INTj's? Isn't ni the function that most easily shifts perspective? I swear I remember reading that somewhere.
 
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