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[INTP] Do you have to be INTP?

tgk

New member
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Messages
28
MBTI Type
INTP
Why would you want to be anything else? I like being an INTP, if I want to be social I can, but in the end I typically need to recharge my batteries. I've gotten pretty good at being able to talk to random people and able to strike up a conversation. It by no means comes naturally, but I find the more you try the easier it gets.

The brain is a wonderful thing, if you do something enough times it becomes naturally embedded into you. If you genuinely want to change your behavior, and don't mentally block yourself, repetition will make it a lot easier.

Anyways, here are a couple of principles that have helped me with some of my friends:
1. Don't criticize, condemn, or complain.
-- How annoying are people that always whine and cut other people down? Almost everything I say has to be honest, so I try to find something positive to say. (This is a HARD one to do!)

2. Give honest, sincere appreciation.
-- If someone does something nice, or a good job on anything really (or even- not really, it just makes them feel better about themselves), TELL THEM!

3. Get the other person to eagerly want something.
-- This is more about getting someone excited about your ideas, give THEM a reason to want it. Don't you like it when something is relevant to you? Don't you hate it when people go off on some irrelevant banter or try to get you to do something that bears no interest to you?

4. Become genuinely interested in other people.
-- This one is the HARDEST one. People like it when you are genuinely interested and not just going through the motions, the trick is to ask questions to wade through the BS until you find a topic of interest that you can ask questions to learn things about.

5. Smile.
-- This one is the EASIEST one, but it is easy to forget. Smile at people. Laughter is the best medicine and people like to see people smiling at them.

6. A person's name is the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
-- When you are unfamiliar with someone use their name with some regularity. It makes it easier to remember, and makes that person feel good that you know who they are. Don't you feel special when someone you hardly met remembers you?

7. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
-- Again, if you learn to ask the right questions you can steer any conversation to a slew of interesting topics. I have found even the jockiest of guys, and skankiest of girls all have something about them that I find interesting. Also, people love themselves more than anything, get them talking and practice #4 and you're golden.

8. Talk in terms of the other person's interest.
-- This is easy once you get 4 and 7 down, just keep talking about what interests them and you can engage in conversation for hours.

9. Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.
-- Another good one, this makes people feel good about themselves. Hell, I love it when people make me feel like my ideas were useful and relevant.


I took these principles from Dale Carnegie's book, and found them to be very useful mini-guide to not being perceived as an asshole who doesn't talk to anybody. I have a little book I carry around with these principles in it, whenever I am feeling particularly anti I will whip it out and read a few lines to remind myself of where my head needs to stand. You need to GENUINELY want to do these though or your efforts will be fruitless.

I find we tend to be most internally stable, but our external qualities definitely need work...
 

Oom

Your time is gonna come.
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
510
MBTI Type
IsfP
Enneagram
5w4
^ And if you change your mind about not being an INTP and instead want to be a person with a nice personality disorder, you can just do all the opposites of that list!:yes:

Come to think of it... I was an INTP once. I guess I realized that I followed this list and couldn't be one.
 

Ezion

New member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
45
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
You are not an INTP.
You are who you are.

The best advice I can give is to take everything with a cup of salt.
advice mbti thoughts cultural dreams
 

The Decline

(☞゚∀゚)☞
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
780
MBTI Type
?
Enneagram
5w4
You are not an INTP.
You are who you are.

Yep. I'm an INTP, but I'm not. My cognitive functions differ slightly from the classical INTP theory. You fall somewhere on a spectrum, not perfectly into a box. And of course, the MBTI theory implies that we use all these functions, it's just that generally and over time, we use some more often and more heavily. Habits are certainly changeable, and if you don't enjoy your personal toolkit of perceptions, you can choose to emphasize other strengths if you wish. But I highly recommend taking a plunge into all of your facets before wrecklessly wishing to abandon them for their supposed negatives...
 

SillySapienne

`~~Philosoflying~~`
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
9,801
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
4w5
I wouldn't want to be an INTP, either.

:mellow:

Without INTPs we'd still be hunting in packs and grunting in caves.

You guys "take one for the team" so to speak.

Humanity thanks you for your contribution.
 

Fluffywolf

Nips away your dignity
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,581
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
9
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I love being INTP. Any INTP that doesn't love it may cross over to another type for all I care, but they don't know what they are missing. xD
 

VagrantFarce

Active member
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
1,558
There's too much pressure in society to be something a lot of people simply aren't. I don't want to be cool and hip, I wanna be wierd! :3
 

tinkerbell

New member
Joined
Aug 31, 2008
Messages
3,487
MBTI Type
ENTP
yes you can change type to an extent... MBTI is a preference scaled questionnaire, therefore you may move between on or two letter couples at different points in your life.

It's likely that you are an NT and an NT you will remain, but later in life or in learning enviornments you may be more disciplined, you may become more extravert.

Ultimately though I think you always go back to what you really are. You never move very far from your own type.
 

Laurie

Was E.laur
Joined
Jan 3, 2009
Messages
6,072
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
7w6
Do I have to be INTP? Really? Well, ok, if you say so.
 

Feops

New member
Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Messages
829
MBTI Type
INTx
Q. Do you like who you are?

If yes: Carry on.
If no: Change it.

You are most certainly in charge. Every person has the potential to totally revolutionize themselves if need be. You'll have a number of people pipe up "oh just be yourself", but I call bullsh*t on that if you're not happy with where you are. Effort becomes improvement. Enact change!
 
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
1,992
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
8w9
I don't know a flying fuck, what it's like to be INTP. I'd imagine it must be very hard, since you guys seem to bitch about it quite a lot. However, I must say, I think my world is a better place with you guys in it so to answer your original question: Yes, you have to be INTP.
 

Grungemouse

Widdles in your cream.
Joined
Feb 5, 2008
Messages
577
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5
I'd imagine it must be very hard, since you guys seem to bitch about it quite a lot.

Heeey. Don't lump me together with the whiny lot. I'm the sort of INTP who is too dispassionate about anything to give a shit.

I see being INTP as a natural inclination, not something that is "absolute". When it becomes the latter, it is most likely down to self-prophesizing. "Oh, I could socialize more and maybe pay the bills on time, but I'm an INTP".
 

Fluffywolf

Nips away your dignity
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,581
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
9
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I don't know a flying fuck, what's like to be INTP. I'd imagine it must be very hard, since you guys seem to bitch about it quite a lot. However, I must say, I think my world is a better place with you guys in it so to answer your original question: Yes, you have to be INTP.


I would like to distantiate myself from 'you guys', without the need to be neutered. Pretty please. :D
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
14,037
MBTI Type
ISFP
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496
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Also are all nerds INTP? I never really connected with people that society would label as ''nerds''.
Congrats on being an INTP. Condolences on not being a nerd.

Nerds should have their own MBTI type or at least an extra letter tacked on as needed. :glasses:
 

Fluffywolf

Nips away your dignity
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
9,581
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
9
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Are you distancing yourself from the former or latter category of "you guys"? ;)

The former. Although I'm not too sure I in particular am making your world a better place as well, perhaps in the future and probably some other INTP's in history!

I've never been labeled nerd in real life. Though plenty of times people say I have a high intelligence. But when I say intelligence can only be recognized by the same amount of intelligence, they all just frown.
 

tgk

New member
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Messages
28
MBTI Type
INTP
There's too much pressure in society to be something a lot of people simply aren't. I don't want to be cool and hip, I wanna be wierd! :3

The funny thing is I am normally 3-5 months ahead of my friends on movies, books, music, and fashion.
 

Mondo

Welcome to Sunnyside
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Messages
1,992
MBTI Type
EsTP
Enneagram
6w7
No you can't change your type, it's ingrained.

Not all nerds are INTP. You ask the question as if you know the answer itself.

And the people that love you and will love you will love you for who you are, not for being some "normal" person.

This is exactly how I was going to answer the question.

Also I'm a definite nerd- just a little louder and more chaotic than an INTP nerd. :devil:
 

Shimmy

New member
Joined
Jun 9, 2009
Messages
1,867
MBTI Type
SEXY
Learning your type can be interesting.

Sometimes I think it does more harm than good though.

Heeey. Don't lump me together with the whiny lot. I'm the sort of INTP who is too dispassionate about anything to give a shit.

I see being INTP as a natural inclination, not something that is "absolute". When it becomes the latter, it is most likely down to self-prophesizing. "Oh, I could socialize more and maybe pay the bills on time, but I'm an INTP".

Blah, I have that sometimes. Nothing serious though.
 

Unique

New member
Joined
Oct 14, 2008
Messages
1,702
I know an ESFJ nerd

Though despite having the "piece of paper" and being brilliant at mathematics he somehow is still a closed minded idiot

Makes you wonder if true intelligence is actually just personality
 
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