How do N types live in highly traditionalist, insulated communities?

[Doctor Cringelord]

I.e., suppose an xNxx lives in an Amish, Mennonite, or Fundamentalist Mormon community? How do they survive, cope, etc? Are they more likely than S types (specifically SJ types) to leave these communities?

 

[Peter Deadpan]

Oooohh, this is a good question. I actually think that Ns could be equally as drawn to such communities because of an attractive vision. Although, I see them "thriving" more in the culty environments than the blatantly restrictive ones.

IJs and some EJs in general like order, so they may buck less against conservative communities than their P counterparts.

 

[Luminous]

I think it's likely many of them retreat inside themselves, into their own heads, thoughts, feelings, imaginations.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

IJs and some EJs in general like order, so they may buck less against conservative communities than their P counterparts.

Yeah, for that reason, I almost wanted to ask how specifically NPs do in these communities, or even SPs, who don't always do as well in highly structured, traditional environments.


I also want to clarify that I don't think all S types and SJs in particular are going to automatically thrive and do better than Ns in these sort of communities, but it's probably at least the case that they will do a bit better, on average.

 

[j.c.t.]

They seem to enjoy it or not enjoy it as much as Sensors.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

They seem to enjoy it or not enjoy it as much as Sensors.

Would you mind elaborating?

 

[Earl Grey]

My family is neither of those but are still traditionalists in many ways.

My core family (parents & siblings) is completely N by a bizarre stroke of luck (I say lucky for me) but the rest are somehow magically a congregation of ESTJ entrepreneurs and 1 ENTJ with an esteemed position, except for one quiet, reserved ISTJ and an ESFP 'oddball'... Both of whom still are business owners.

The ENTJ sticks out in my family like a sore thumb, too. She is the 'weird, different, but effective' one.
The family disagrees with her (in terms of how to run things), but respects her and let her do her own thing because 'results don't lie'.

How do N types live in highly traditionalist, insulated communities?

I don't. My parents don't, either. I, at least, escape as many family meetings as socially possible.
The aforementioned ENTJ also realizes that she doesn't 'click' with the family, but says people just work differently and she just follows her own vision of what is right.

Oooohh, this is a good question. I actually think that Ns could be equally as drawn to such communities because of an attractive vision. Although, I see them "thriving" more in the culty environments than the blatantly restrictive ones.

IJs and some EJs in general like order, so they may buck less against conservative communities than their P counterparts.

I can see this, actually. The only reason my ENTJ mom does not get along with the family is because while they are generally very decisive, business owners, professional, etc, and each agree that the other is very good at their own thing, they do not share the same visions / core values.
I can see them having many disagreements and not working as optimally as usually would, say if they were in the same company and equal positions.

 

[rav3n]

Enneagram would likely explain this better, each type's core fears and desires, and their subsequent coping strategies.

 

[Virtual ghost]

My experiences say: They either transform the place or they move away.

 

[Dreamer]

How “insulated” are we talking? I’m thinking an outcome as seen in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village” would play out. Not literally, duh, but that sort of break through or awakening.

 

[Yuurei]

I think I would be to happy being busy and feeling useful and appreciated.

I have honestly grown very tired of the area I live in for the opposite reason. There is zero concept of community. Saying "Hi" to people you pass is seen as a sign of aggression. The only thing I know about my neighbors is that one of them is a drug dealer and is constantly screaming at his poor little dog ( when he isn't getting the cops called on him for fighting with other people)
And the rest smoke outside my window ( or in their own apartment letting the smoke directly into my bedroom) 24/7.

There is ZERO tradition; no one celebrates any Holidays. Every season, every day is the same with nothing to look forward too. It's soul crushing.

I think in a traditional community I could always leave for a bit when I got bored.

 

[ThoughtBubbles]

"Intuitive" doesn't automatically mean "free-thinker" or "intellectual." An N is literally just someone who thinks more conceptually, abstractly, and in the hypothetical rather than the present moment.

I think you're questioning more about worldview than the MBTI definition of intuition. They aren't related at all.

 

[ThoughtBubbles]

Edit: nevermind my post, I see now you were more asking for specifics than assuming all Ns are intellectual iconoclasts and Ss are stupid lol.

 

[Totenkindly]

I think it's likely many of them retreat inside themselves, into their own heads, thoughts, feelings, imaginations.

Yeah, there are various ways of "escape" other than by physical distance. instead, you go deep "inwards" rather than outwards.

I was not raised as a Mennonite, although I was surrounded by them in my rural area. But the area was still pretty religious and traditional valued. (And yes, it was PA -- so I was raised about 1.5 hours from regular Amish and then ended up living within an hour as an adult for a decade or more). I was raised to believe certain things and view the world in certain ways, even though I was always trying to grasp a better understanding of the "why" and felt uncomfortable. I again did this by either "going within" and/or reading as much as I could and/or spending my time exploring nature rather than hanging out with human beings.

Eventually I felt very stifled and physically moved from the area (it was increasingly crushing). I also eventually left organized religion.

When I was growing up, I knew very few N people although at the time I didn't know about MBTI or typology structures. Like, on very rare occasion, I would meet someone and immediately click with them; later in life, I recognized this as the N factor. I never really knew many N types at all until I went online years later. Even if there are N types in those kinds of rigid structures, either they have to be channeled into the structure to engage and survive, or they are withdrawn in some way and thus you don't really meet/engage them... or I think their ideas take them outside the structure eventually.

I guess also there are degrees of style, it's not just S and N as extremes. Extreme N's have trouble being bound by a system, just as extreme S's might feel super-uncomfortable in a system without known boundaries. but you get a lot of folks who are just moderate one or the other, or have a slight preference. They find it easier to exist within such systems... they can more easily accommodate their surroundings. And people usually don't change unless they have a reason or find their setting unpalatable, even if they don't like it per se or have a preference --- basically it's a matter of cost vs benefit of staying vs leaving.

 

[Lib]

Nothing can remain traditional, once I joined.

 

[Norexan]

Edit: nevermind my post, I see now you were more asking for specifics than assuming all Ns are intellectual iconoclasts and Ss are stupid lol.

Because shallow people think that every N is iconoclastic INTJ INTP ISTP ISTJ INFP INFJ 5w4

If Se braking rules and other destructive beehive is showing how they care for traditions than every thief or prostitute could be define as N because it is not part of traditions!
Neither Si care about traditions because a lot of SJs ARE NOT good citizens as MBTI "idealistic view of types" try to present them.

 

[Maou]

I was raised in a very strict environment, but not so much religious. I can tell you I dug so deep inside myself its hard to get out sometimes. I do think you spend a lot of time considering, and ruminating over the rules and culture though. So you might rationalize the good in it, as well as the bad. The choice to pursue depends on your own personal values.

 

[mgbradsh]

I would say that any community or society is reliant on a blend of all types in order to be successful. Each type plays a role in maintaining the balance that keeps society growing and prosperous. Within the confines of even the most closed society there is room for every type to have an impact.

I think it’s why we see the mix of types in the percentages in which they occur across large populations, it’s just what it takes to operate a society.

 

[Radio Bob]

For some reason my mind wandered into the differences between people born into such communities and therefore know no other way, verses those who join, or find themselves in such a situation, (almost type independent). Military/Government service not excluded. Kids who grow up in police/military/mafia families come to mind.

I respectfully read the comments of one member in this thread, who seemed to convey the idea that they would welcome a more traditional (protected?) lifestyle given the evolution of the world around them.

Also in some cases, like what is documented in long term prison inmates who come to rely on the template and framework built around them.

 

[phoenix31]

I might be ignorant, but I don't really understand how one can group all N's together in this discussion. For instance, in a very restrictive and strict Mennonite or Amish community, I would guess that an INTP's reaction would be to question, rebel and get out of the structure as fast as possible, even if it meant being cut off and self reliant, while an INFP (9) might be unhappy but stay in that situation for a much longer time to avoid conflict. I guess I'm not knowledgeable enough about every N type to take a guess at how they would react, but just that slight difference I'm aware of between INTP's and INFP's says to me that you probably can't make a broad statement about all N's and how they would react.