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What do you want!?

Littlelostnf

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
645
MBTI Type
ENFJ
A little help here please.
What does it mean when an INTP picks your brain for what
you think about just about every topic you can think of.
What does it mean when you can talk about everything except
each other.
 

SolitaryWalker

Tenured roisterer
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Apr 23, 2007
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They do it because they enjoy analyzing it to the core. You cant talk about each other because INTPs hate being personal. (We tend to hate our inferior function)

There is nothing personal about it...nearly everything that an INTP does is inspired by impersonal motives and wish for their actions to be interpreted as such..
 

spirilis

Senior Membrane
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Either that, or he's too scared to admit he likes you, thus he avoids the topic.
 

The_Liquid_Laser

Glowy Goopy Goodness
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
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3,376
MBTI Type
ENTP
It means he is enjoying the conversation more than you are. If you were sharing things about each other, you would enjoy it more than he would.

One way to compromise is to talk about both at the same time. Like you can start by talking about MBTI, and then say "What type of things are important to you and how does that demonstrate how you use Ti?" (This assumes he knows quite a bit about MBTI.) Or if he likes chemistry say, "What happened in your life to make you realize you liked chemistry so much?" He'll eventually steer the conversation back to topics rather than feelings, but hey conversations should be give and take after all. :)
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
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A little help here please. What does it mean when an INTP picks your brain for what you think about just about every topic you can think of. What does it mean when you can talk about everything except
each other.

I do not mean to be trite...

...but if I had to guess, it sounds like he likes you.

If an INTP finds you boring or has no interest in you, he won't even bother asking you questions. If he continues to ask you questions, he finds you interesting. And often an INTP without social confidence will discuss every impersonal topic under the sun, because he has no idea what else to do...
 

The Ü™

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Or maybe he inquires because he wants to know how he can push your buttons -- the whole art of manipulation! :D
 

Littlelostnf

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
645
MBTI Type
ENFJ
Well he has a girlfriend so I'm sure it's not that he "likes me". I know that he enjoys analyzing everything. Yes BW he may hate being personal but that's been part of our past being personal..(prob why I have such a hard time keeping it inpersonal). Thanks for the input. I've already thought about this lots so I'm thinking I just wanted to hear some input other than my own thoughts swirling around. (before you ask yes I've asked what's going on. my question has and is being ignored).
 

spirilis

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Yeah, he probably likes you, he's just uncomfortable talking about the "two of you" because it would probably incite feelings or thoughts which principally betray his current relationship. I'd keep it quiet for now.
 

SolitaryWalker

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I dont think that it means that an INTP likes you if he is picking your mind apart...there are several women that I've done this to simply because this was what I enjoyed doing and this was a way for me to keep our conversations going..and I wanted that because I found them highly intuitive and able to teach me something..especially about Imagination and emotional intelligence first and foremost..(most of them were NFs)....

Then of course..they put too much F into it all and that got me in trouble..my Fe took a bad beating and some were naive enough to assume that I liked them..I sure had a hell of a difficult time talking my way out of this...
 

Littlelostnf

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
645
MBTI Type
ENFJ
I dont think that it means that an INTP likes you if he is picking your mind apart...there are several women that I've done this to simply because this was what I enjoyed doing and this was a way for me to keep our conversations going..and I wanted that because I found them highly intuitive and able to teach me something..especially about Imagination and emotional intelligence first and foremost..(most of them were NFs)....

Then of course..they put too much F into it all and that got me in trouble..my Fe took a bad beating and some were naive enough to assume that I liked them..I sure had a hell of a difficult time talking my way out of this...


I think BW might just be right. :) Doesn't mean it's fair to do this to someone but I think he's right.
 

SolitaryWalker

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Its only as unfair as forcing an NT to be more emotionally invested than he can handle..
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
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It's hard to be loved, isn't it? :)

I don't know. BW might be right. He might be wrong. I think you have gotten the best guesses that you will get from people here, without us observing this person with you. (There is a range of plausible possibilities, depending on the situation and the specifics of this man...)

Anyway -- I reread this thread and did not see an answer to the question, "Why does it matter?"

Do you like him?

Or are you afraid that he might like you, and you do not want to be the cause of some break-up with the person he is already committed to?

Aside from those two things, it seems like just a relationship you could enjoy as friends... regardless of what HE is thinking or feeling (for all intents and purposes), if he is never going to bother to tell you.
 

Littlelostnf

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Apr 23, 2007
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645
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ENFJ
Its only as unfair as forcing an NT to be more emotionally invested than he can handle..

Not trying to force an emotional investment. If I want unemotional intellectual conversation I'll come here and talk to you all. :) I've even told him about this site. Let him talk to you guys...or better yet INTPc

It's hard to be loved, isn't it? :)

I don't know. BW might be right. He might be wrong. I think you have gotten the best guesses that you will get from people here, without us observing this person with you. (There is a range of plausible possibilities, depending on the situation and the specifics of this man...)

Anyway -- I reread this thread and did not see an answer to the question, "Why does it matter?"

Do you like him?

I suppose I don't really know nor do I want to find out (which is why I can't risk talking to im to much) History to much to discuss.

Or are you afraid that he might like you, and you do not want to be the cause of some break-up with the person he is already committed to?

No I honestly don't think he likes me

Aside from those two things, it seems like just a relationship you could enjoy as friends... regardless of what HE is thinking or feeling (for all intents and purposes), if he is never going to bother to tell you.


I thought I'd like to try but I think I won't be able to.

sigh. thank everyone.
 

Natrushka

Pareo cattus
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Jun 7, 2007
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INTJ
I was going to suggest "he likes you", too. He'd like to be a friend. While not an INTP, I can tell you that if I express interest in someone, continued interest, then it is because I find their input valuable and I'd like to hear more.
 

substitute

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May 27, 2007
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A little help here please.
What does it mean when an INTP picks your brain for what
you think about just about every topic you can think of.
What does it mean when you can talk about everything except
each other.

To an NT, their knowledge and thought is them, and it's easy to assume others think the same way. When I probe people as to their opinions, what I think I'm doing is talking about them, and giving them my thoughts and my knowledge is telling them about myself. When they ask me questions about feeling type stuff, I sorta blink and wonder why the hell anyone would want to know that!? I also don't know what to answer most of the time, because I'm not sure what 'level' of answer they want. I hate talking about my problems to empathic types, because they start getting all down on my behalf, even though I'm actually quite okay about things and managing and then I worry about how they've got upset, when it's actually me with the problem. I wonder why they want to know those personal things, I really do - what value they have to them?

When talking to Feelers, a lot of the time I feel as though every question is as nebulous as the infamous "How are you?" - that question that could be asking everything, but equally nothing; it could want a full answer, it might not care at all. It's very easy for me to get it wrong, to mis-judge what kind of answer people want to that question. So to avoid the risk of being a bore, or of whining, or generally making the conversation turn out to be all about me (which I hate), I just answer the safe "fine thanks", regardless of the truth , and then think of some cool thing to start a conversation about, like "I saw this film the other day, where this guy..." And see how they respond. Then they're telling me about themselves, though they may not know it. Their words are the least important thing - my intuition's feasting on their every move and inflection.
 

Ferrus

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Aug 5, 2007
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INTP
That is the best description of the MT mindset I have seen yet. As an extrovert, does it change the nature of such interactions with people?
 

substitute

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That is the best description of the MT mindset I have seen yet. As an extrovert, does it change the nature of such interactions with people?

Not sure... years ago when I behaved in a more introverted way, I guess I was using the info they gave me to judge them - not necessarily in a judgemental way, but just in a sort of summing them up kind of way. Like they'd say something and I'd think 'aha!' a lot, like I'd pegged them. Difficult to describe, but I think I was looking for something specific - as though I started out with a theory and I was looking for things that proved it.

But as time's gone by and I've become pretty extraverted, I tend to take the info and just sorta 'suppose' about it, imagine different things it might imply, or think of further questions to ask them in order to reduce the variables, or to increase the flow of information while I mentally try and match it with other stuff or find patterns that I've seen before, then fine-tune them for that individual as time goes on, if you get my meaning?

I suppose that'd be quite analogous to the idea of one having a judging function as dominant, and the other a perceiving one... maybe.
 
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