[MBTI General] Are INFPs (and ISFPs) better bullsh*t detectors than the other types?

[Sunny Ghost]

yes this is true for me too. i feel like i can tell when someone is being authentic. expressing true feeling etc. and the fake nice thing people do...ughh most are so bad at it.

i can often tell when someones telling a story that it's often exaggerated or parts are made up. even good people do this a lot and wow does it bug me.

But a degree of exaggeration makes for interesting and usually funny story telling. IF the story teller makes it obvious it's an exaggeration.

 

[Lady_X]

But a degree of exaggeration makes for interesting and usually funny story telling. IF the story teller makes it obvious it's an exaggeration.

The exaggeration doesn't bother me nearly as much as the made up bits but I'm also a pretty horrible storyteller so there's that.

 

[Sunny Ghost]

The exaggeration doesn't bother me nearly as much as the made up bits but I'm also a pretty horrible storyteller so there's that.

You're an ENFP! How can you possibly be a bad storyteller?

An ESFP friend of mine is one of the best storytellers I know. It's almost as if she's giving a comedic performance. She can make the most mundane events incredibly interesting through the use of her keen detail absorbing abilities and use of exaggerated details.

I feel like ENFP's storytelling style would be similar, though with zany Ne details dropped into the mix.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I vote ESFJ to be the best judge of people (Fe Si Ne Ti). Fe picks up on changes in emotions expressions ect better than any other function probably one of the most valuable skills of people reading. The fact that it's an ESFJ's dom function is enough all on its own but that killer Fe is also supported by Si. Si is of course sensory and it deals with past present and future allowing them to recall and compare past experiences with people with the current experience. Then they have that Ne thing going on, a function of the abstract that can up on everything a person is not saying. Finally Ti logically pulling a part information and judging the validity. If I had to pick a second I'd say ISFJ ( Si Fe Ti Ne). Same functions different order.
I mean Fi though a feeling function is directed internally. Though it helps the user to develop a strong sense of right and wrong it can be so subjective. You can clearly identify how you feel about things and why but your right might be someone else’s wrong and vice versa. You can't really build such a strong sense of self or an internal personal framework and then accurately apply it to others. They're not you yet you’d be judging them primarily on how you see the world. That would be pretty one sided. Fe however is the culmination of the feelings of everyone else. That makes for a much broader framework and a more accurate judgment in this respect. Fi is like having a dictionary of words for 13 letters in the alphabet to Fe's 26. Fi would have more in-depth definitions but Fe would have a summary of all the words to work with.

It's interesting that you mention the ESFJ. That's most likely my father's type. He claims to be a great judge of character, and yet I've seen people try to work him over so many times. He DOES have a general distrust for people he meets, but I don't think he's as good at detecting ulterior/sinister motives in people's actions as myself, my wife (ISFP), or even my mom (most likely ISFJ, and oh boy, while she can seem like a space cadet a lot of the time, you'd better not try to lie or pull a fast one on her). I'm not saying you're wrong, as I'm sure this varies from ESFJ to ESFJ. It's also quite possible my dad has been mistyped

Nah I don't think they are. Fi projects too much based on our own understanding. We're often good at it but probably not the best. I know I often give people the benefit of doubt that don't deserve it. I think this is what I would mean if I said that and its usually coming from a good place so I project that into others and I'm wrong because actually they're just horrible people...and mean something that would never occur to me.

I get what you're saying. I don't think, however, that the "idealistic" types willingness to see good in others necessarily makes them less effective at sensing bad intentions. The key is finding a balance between the two. My friend Greg is an INFP and I swear, sometimes it seems he is able to look straight into people's souls.

Detectors?

Is this like a he who dealt it, smelt it deal?

Yeah.

My INFP superpowers tell me you farted in the corner earlier. Open a window next time.

 

[PeaceBaby]

My answer when you first made this thread - it depends on the bullshit. I can be quite gullible when it comes to matters of fact. Someone will say, "Did you hear that tricorders are being invented, just like in Star Trek?" and for a second, I will believe it. I'll believe it before I disbelieve it, is my point.

 

[Lady_X]

You're an ENFP! How can you possibly be a bad storyteller?

An ESFP friend of mine is one of the best storytellers I know. It's almost as if she's giving a comedic performance. She can make the most mundane events incredibly interesting through the use of her keen detail absorbing abilities and use of exaggerated details.

I feel like ENFP's storytelling style would be similar, though with zany Ne details dropped into the mix.

It really should be but I fail at enfpness in this way. At least 80% of the time. I have been told that I talk really fast and start to mumble and trail off like I'm too bored to finish.

The only time I'm clear and enthusiastic is when I'm explaining some cool new idea or invention or business idea. My si sucks too much to be good at story telling I think... I just leave out too many details or something or am too vague or circuitous or something.

 

[Stanton Moore]

I disagree that INFP/ISFP's are better at reading people. I have an INTJ friend who is good at reading the subtle signs of emotional discomfort in others. How can this be based on typology theory?
It's because, just like me, he was raised in a family that was controlled by one or more addictions and lead by a father who was distant and/or volatile.
That's it. No magical Ni or Fi or whatever needed. If you are used to bombs being dropped, you quickly learn to predict them. Anyone can do this.

 

[kiddykat]

I most certainly feel Fi can really help to me to feel when something seems off, and having the ability to quickly assess that feeling by putting myself into that person's shoes or a situation can really help me determine falseness or not.

Not all of that feeling is confirmation bias, which most social-psychology books seem to push onto others these days. Sometimes, when you know, you just know. Doubting yourself is like denying yourself or lying to yourself over and over and over again.

I think most people have the gift of Fi, but most people in society are also taught that feelings are irrational, when in fact, they're also a way to guide us to what seems wrong or right. Sorta like how scientists can get a feeling for something. There aren't always 100% tangible explanations for that feeling, but to trust it, then the ability to distinguish what's true or false gradually grows stronger and stronger.

 

[Lark]

Yeah.

My INFP superpowers tell me you farted in the corner earlier. Open a window next time.

You didnt get it, I was meaning that if you're better at detecting it maybe its because you're the best at generating it.

 

[Stanton Moore]

You didnt get it, I was meaning that if you're better at detecting it maybe its because you're the best at generating it.

Seems hateful.

 

[Honor]

I most certainly feel Fi can really help to me to feel when something seems off, and having the ability to quickly assess that feeling by putting myself into that person's shoes or a situation can really help me determine falseness or not.

Not all of that feeling is confirmation bias, which most social-psychology books seem to push onto others these days. Sometimes, when you know, you just know. Doubting yourself is like denying yourself or lying to yourself over and over and over again.

I think most people have the gift of Fi, but most people in society are also taught that feelings are irrational, when in fact, they're also a way to guide us to what seems wrong or right. Sorta like how scientists can get a feeling for something. There aren't always 100% tangible explanations for that feeling, but to trust it, then the ability to distinguish what's true or false gradually grows stronger and stronger.

This is true. Feelings have an evolutionary purpose and protect our survival; otherwise they wouldn't exist.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Yeah, okay, this is a stupid topic. Forgive me.

I wasn't trying to say "ooh IxFPs are better than other types in this area. nyah nyah nyah."

I can see this is a sensitive issue for certain members, so I'd better leave it be.

Just conjecture on my part.

I'm also not in the mood for snarky off-topic fart jokes. Maybe keep that in the NT sub-section next time.