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[INTP] Thoughts on my type (INTP)?

greenfairy

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I know a lot of people here get sick of all the "Please type meeeee!" threads, but this one is different. I am 99% sure I am INTP. However, in some ways I'm probably not the typical one. I have a touch of J and just a bit of F. So I was wondering what people think of my answers to these questions, my CF development, ways you think I'm atypical, whether you think I am in fact another type, etc. Also reading these might help some people figure out their type.

I'll probably update later with more in depth answers, but here it is:

1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?
For a long time I was confused about T vs. F. I felt I used both equally, because being ethical is very important to me. (Actually not so much anymore, I'm more of a relativist now).
Edit: Fi maybe. I think most people NF or not are concerned with ethics, and different types view them differently. I really had to think about this one, and I knew just saying it would point to Fi. So allow me to explain. There is really nothing I believe is ethical which I have not validated against objective reality. This could be Fi+Te, but as I will explain, I am thinking otherwise. I don't see the point in having an ethical principle which is not universal. I used to think more in terms of something good versus something bad, good people believe in this (Democrats) and bad people don't (Republicans), but since high school and early college my thinking has evolved a lot. And this always bothered me about myself, since dualistic thinking was the main criticism I had against Christianity, and I didn't want to be the thing I criticized. Once I encountered more life situations I saw that life is not black and white, there is always an option C, and most of the time a dichotomy simply doesn't apply. I no longer believe in good people and bad people. I avoid making value judgments at all, and I believe they are unnecessary. I have deduced the underlying principles upon which the world works, and I go by that. I looked into Fi and Fe, and it seems that my ethics are based more in Fe than Fi. I believe that attempting to create harmony in a group is important. I believe in the individual, but if that person's feelings motivate them to be destructive to the group, they very well might be in error. Basically my ethics are: be responsible for the consequences of your actions. This is what all ethics comes down to in my opinion. Also people protect the people and things they care about, and I do this. (Don't tell me this is Fi, INFJ is the protector and they use Fe. Everyone does this.) And the main principle I live by and tell others: we live in a balance, and throwing off that balance is usually destructive. So now my sense of ethics appears to be Fe + Ti (external harmony plus underlying principles of reality).

*In fact, there is nothing I would want to believe ever which does not align with ultimate objective reality. (Not very Fi imo.)

2) What do you yearn for in life? Why?
I want to know Ultimate Truth and attain enlightenment and inner harmony. And be happy, healthy, fit, and have a lot of fun. I want to experience a lot of cool things and have good relationships, and excel at a lot of things.

3) Think about a time where you felt like you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way.
There have been a lot of times I felt really good about myself, and in different areas, but here is one:
-I played the part of Kore/Persephone in a ritual and everyone thought I did an amazing job. They said that the beauty and grace of the dance I did with Pan touched them on a deep level, helping them connect to their own divine energy and have greater harmony with their sexuality. I felt beautiful and enchanting. It made me feel really good that I could have such a positive effect on people, and that I did a good job.
-basically situations in which I excel- getting good grades in school, when I won an art award, finishing a 5k number 5 in my age group, dancing well, being well liked and admired in social situations; also having a positive effect on others using my talents- but this is not my life's purpose as it might be for an INFP.

4) What makes you feel inferior?
Failure. Everything comes down to failure or success, and perfectionism.

5) What tends to weigh on your decisions? (Do you think about people, pro-cons, how you feel about it, etc.)
Honestly I think I make decisions with my intuition. I decide what feels right, then balance it with advantages/disadvantages, benefits/costs, future investment value, what makes sense, feasibility, how I feel about it and whether it will make me happy or whether I'll hate it, etc. I try to avoid making decisions which might have an effect on other people.

6) When working on a project what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome?
I like to work on my own projects, and my emphasis is on the quality of the final project and how well it expresses my ideas. Naturally I like to have control of the outcome.

7) Describe a time where you had a lot of fun. How is your memory of it?
Honestly my memory of the past is not very good. I remember abstract impressions, and I can remember what I saw, and I can put myself back into the situation really well. I remember feelings really well (even though I'm not very good at dealing with them). I am very good at remembering what I see, read, hear, etc.

Recently I went to a concert with the guy I'm seeing and my cousin and her boyfriend. The ride there was fun, listening to music and talking and laughing. The concert was awesome and the energy was really exciting. I loved dancing to the music with my guy and being silly.

I have a lot of fun by myself too, but usually it's with my imaginary friends...

8) When you want to learn something new, what feels more natural for you? (Are you more prone to be hands on, to theorize, to memorize, etc)
All of these. It depends on what it is. If it is learning music I can do it completely by ear. If it is an intellectual concept I can just understand it through theory (although I usually need specific examples). If I have to work problems of some sort like math or chemistry, I have to do it to understand it. If I am learning how to do something, it depends on how physical it is. If it is a physical skill like dancing I can pretty much watch and visualize and then do it. If there are details involved which I have to remember, like being a server, I have to do it until all the details become automatic and I don't have to think about them. I always want to know the underlying concepts and principles. In learning languages I have to learn in every way.

9) How organized do you to think of yourself as?
Very organized. Just not very good at time management.

10) How do you judge new ideas? You try to understand the principles behind it to see if they make sense or do you look for information that supports it?
Both, but more intuitively. I see whether it makes sense based on my framework of understanding the world. Also whether it is logical. I always want to know the underlying concepts and principles.

11) You find harmony by making sure everyone is doing fine and belonging to a given group or by making sure that you follow what you believe and being yourself?
Depends. Mostly the second one. I generally think other people's feelings are their own business, but if I pick up on someone feeling something negative and I know that person well, I'll try to help them out. I guess I always do the second one, but sometimes the first one too.

12) Are you the kind that thinks before speaking or do you speak before thinking? Do you prefer one-on-one communication or group discussions?
I have to think before I speak because if I don't I'll mess the words all up. I'm really quiet, so group discussions are not my forte because it's hard for me to be heard. I'm working on getting better at this though.

13) Do you jump into action right away or do you like to know where are you jumping before leaping? Does action speak more than words?
I always look before I leap. I want to be safe. A lot of the time this kind of paralyzes me. I do think actions speak louder than words. Both can be misinterpreted, but in terms of relationships I can only be sure of what I experience directly.

14) It's Saturday. You're at home, and your favorite show is about to start. Your friends call you for a night out. What will you do?
Most of the time I live in my imagination and forget about interacting with real live people- so given the chance to socialize I will.

15) How do you act when you're stressed out?
If you read the description of inferior Fe in INTP's, that's me 100%.

Interestingly I feel a strong need to discuss my feelings with people, but I work them out out loud by myself first- so I can find the right words, get an immediate sort of answer, and not bother people with my problems. (Imaginary people once again...) Usually once I have done this I can just present my problems and conclusions to people in a simple and clear way, and see if what I'm thinking/feeling makes sense.

16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people?
I don't like loud, crude people, or close minded or judgmental people. I hate it when people are dramatic and overly emotional. I hate being put on guilt trips and being judged. A lot of people are annoying in different ways. (But I really do like most people...)

17) Is there anything you really like talking about with other people?
philosophy, spirituality, entertaining or interesting stories, just generally being witty and silly and entertaining, my thoughts and opinions on things and asking about theirs, things we are interested in, sometimes interesting facts about nature and science

18) What kind of things do you pay the least attention to in your life?
Boring details and facts that have have no relevance to me or underlying connecting meaning; I pay attention to theories and ideas. Sometimes this makes me an absentminded professor.

19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? What would your friends never say about your personality ?
People say I'm smart, perceptive, insightful, independent, and brave about being introspective and honest about myself. I've been told I'm wise several times. They would say I'm very health conscious. Probably talented. Also that I am quiet and shy. They would never say I am overemotional. I don't really know how they perceive me and what might be wrong about their perception.

20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing?
Good question. I have some issues with the whole J-P thing which I haven't really worked out yet; sometimes I don't do the things I really want to do which would actually be productive because I feel like I should be doing other things which would be more productive- but then I don't do those things either, so I just end up daydreaming and listening to music and playing Tetris and wasting time on the internet.

But when I do things I like exercising, reading, eating, spending time with friends, doing extreme Sudoku, hiking, astrology, and dancing.

My CF results:
Introverted Thinking (Ti) ||||||||||||||||||||||| 10.69
Extroverted Thinking (Te) ||||||||||||||||||||| 9.93
Introverted Sensation (Si) ||||||||||||||||||| 8.77
Introverted Intuition (Ni) ||||||||||||||||||| 8.58
Extroverted Intuition (Ne) ||||||||||||||||| 7.73
Extroverted Sensation (Se) ||||||||||| 4.8
Introverted Feeling (Fi) |||||||| 3.25
Extroverted Feeling (Fe) ||||||| 2.75
 
Last edited:

Rasofy

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My impression was 3w4 ISTP with a well developed Ni
 

greenfairy

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Hm...I have an ISTP friend who is interested in a lot of boring things, and likes facts which I don't care about. He's like, "The price of silver has doubled!" And I'm like, "So what does that mean?" And he's like, "What do you think?" And I'm like, "I don't know. Is it good or bad?" And he's like, "I don't know." I feel more N with a developed Si. Interesting.
 

Fluffywolf

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Hmm. have you had a long period of depression or exposed to a lot of stress in your younger years? You seem INTP enough to me, by the way. Dominate but not too strong on the T, but definately P.
 

Rasofy

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Hm...I have an ISTP friend who is interested in a lot of boring things, and likes facts which I don't care about. He's like, "The price of silver has doubled!" And I'm like, "So what does that mean?" And he's like, "What do you think?" And I'm like, "I don't know. Is it good or bad?" And he's like, "I don't know." I feel more N with a developed Si. Interesting.
He's probably stupid.
 

greenfairy

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Hmm. have you had a long period of depression or exposed to a lot of stress in your younger years? You seem INTP enough to me, by the way. Dominate but not too strong on the T, but definately P.

Cool. Why stress and depression?
 

Fluffywolf

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Cool. Why stress and depression?

I had that impression of you (also based on your other thread), but now that I know you're a girl, that impression is quite different.

Ps, that is in no way meant sexist, I'm just saying INTP females have it quite a bit different than INTP males have. Probably because society is sexist, but not because I am, since I'm not! :p
 

greenfairy

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I had that impression of you (also based on your other thread), but now that I know you're a girl, that impression is quite different.

Ps, that is in no way meant sexist, I'm just saying INTP females have it quite a bit different than INTP males have. Probably because society is sexist, but not because I am, since I'm not! :p

Np, I understand. :)

I think it's interesting that females use both sides of their brains at the same time much more of the time than males, and it's easier for them to switch back and forth. I think the result of that is that when females are thinkers or feelers they tend to be a more unique blending of the two, with a side that has the final say. We are probably more likely to be confused about our type because of this. (I'm not anymore.) I would venture to guess that females usually use a blending of the S/N functions too.
 

SoraMayhem

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I think the result of that is that when females are thinkers or feelers they tend to be a more unique blending of the two, with a side that has the final say. We are probably more likely to be confused about our type because of this. (I'm not anymore.) I would venture to guess that females usually use a blending of the S/N functions too.

I was confused about my type for a long time, except the other way around. I value logical and intelligence more so then most of the women I'm around, and figured this had to make me a thinking type. However, I'm pretty exclusively Ne, and have a hard time with the Sensing functions.
 

greenfairy

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I was confused about my type for a long time, except the other way around. I value logical and intelligence more so then most of the women I'm around, and figured this had to make me a thinking type. However, I'm pretty exclusively Ne, and have a hard time with the Sensing functions.

Cool. Expanding more on this theory, it seems we are more wired to balance. (I don't want to make limiting generalizations about women and men like it seemed was done in the feminism thread, but: ) It makes sense because we are more physically vulnerable, so we have to balance our safety with being close to other people more than is necessary for men. So, when we make decisions not only are females statistically a little more likely to focus on people rather than impersonal factors, when we primarily use logic and objectivity we want to look at things from all sides more often.

Interesting idea.

I think if you are an INFP female, this drive for balance might lead you to balance your subjective feelings and values with what you can confirm in the outside world. Being Fi dominant you would want this function to be very reliable, and so balancing it with outside information is especially necessary. When you have opinions based on value judgments, and use those to create change in the world, you would want to make sure those opinions were based in reality and that those changes would be feasible and effective. I would say the same is true with INFP men, but I would think they would be less likely to question their own opinions. The decision making process would probably be quicker.

Thoughts/feelings?
 

greenfairy

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My impression was 3w4 ISTP with a well developed Ni

Actually I have been discovering that my sensing side is a lot more developed than I thought. I just read the description of ISTP and I can relate to a lot of it. But I fit INTP more. I fit those and INTJ and INFP. Do you think one person can have a dominant type, and then act like other types in certain situations according to what CF's their immediate circumstances require, or that maybe we have auxilliary and tertiary types like in the CF hierarchy? Obviously people are not simple individuals who fit in a box, but it seems like sometimes people can act like more than one type a lot of the time.
 

SoraMayhem

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Cool. Expanding more on this theory, it seems we are more wired to balance. (I don't want to make limiting generalizations about women and men like it seemed was done in the feminism thread, but: ) It makes sense because we are more physically vulnerable, so we have to balance our safety with being close to other people more than is necessary for men. So, when we make decisions not only are females statistically a little more likely to focus on people rather than impersonal factors, when we primarily use logic and objectivity we want to look at things from all sides more often.

Interesting idea.

I think if you are an INFP female, this drive for balance might lead you to balance your subjective feelings and values with what you can confirm in the outside world. Being Fi dominant you would want this function to be very reliable, and so balancing it with outside information is especially necessary. When you have opinions based on value judgments, and use those to create change in the world, you would want to make sure those opinions were based in reality and that those changes would be feasible and effective. I would say the same is true with INFP men, but I would think they would be less likely to question their own opinions. The decision making process would probably be quicker.

Thoughts/feelings?

Actually, this is helping my understanding of my type. It's the combination of Fi + Si that cements me in reality, which, yeah, might lead to a seeming blending of N/S.
 

Rasofy

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Actually I have been discovering that my sensing side is a lot more developed than I thought. I just read the description of ISTP and I can relate to a lot of it. But I fit INTP more. I fit those and INTJ and INFP. Do you think one person can have a dominant type, and then act like other types in certain situations according to what CF's their immediate circumstances require, or that maybe we have auxilliary and tertiary types like in the CF hierarchy? Obviously people are not simple individuals who fit in a box, but it seems like sometimes people can act like more than one type a lot of the time.
I think mbti theory is full of loopholes. There are people who have their tertiary function overdeveloped and their auxiliary function underdeveloped. In those cases, the mistyping potential is huge. To cut a long story short, you need to understand the differences between Se x Si and Ne x Ni... I believe the best way to do that is by interacting with/watching people who have those functions as their primary one. Purely abstract descriptions may not help much.
 
W

WALMART

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Actually I have been discovering that my sensing side is a lot more developed than I thought. I just read the description of ISTP and I can relate to a lot of it. But I fit INTP more. I fit those and INTJ and INFP. Do you think one person can have a dominant type, and then act like other types in certain situations according to what CF's their immediate circumstances require, or that maybe we have auxilliary and tertiary types like in the CF hierarchy? Obviously people are not simple individuals who fit in a box, but it seems like sometimes people can act like more than one type a lot of the time.

I agree, it certainly must vary from situation to situation. I think of type more as a 'default method of action' type thing.



As for OP, I assume you're a lot like me.


Except on occasion I rue social interactions days after they've transpired =/
 

Fluffywolf

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Actually I have been discovering that my sensing side is a lot more developed than I thought. I just read the description of ISTP and I can relate to a lot of it. But I fit INTP more. I fit those and INTJ and INFP. Do you think one person can have a dominant type, and then act like other types in certain situations according to what CF's their immediate circumstances require, or that maybe we have auxilliary and tertiary types like in the CF hierarchy? Obviously people are not simple individuals who fit in a box, but it seems like sometimes people can act like more than one type a lot of the time.

How aloof can you be at times? Ever lost an item in your home if you didn't place it in the spot you always put it? Do you tend to keep everything close to you, or do you put things in a way that makes more sense with the environement it is in?

Se can be used as a shadow function and can appear strong at times of focus, but if you ask above questions with: "Very. Yes, many times! My house caters to my needs, it does not cater to the needs of my surroundings.", then you are most definately intuitive.
 

greenfairy

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How aloof can you be at times? Ever lost an item in your home if you didn't place it in the spot you always put it? Do you tend to keep everything close to you, or do you put things in a way that makes more sense with the environement it is in?

Se can be used as a shadow function and can appear strong at times of focus, but if you ask above questions with: "Very. Yes, many times! My house caters to my needs, it does not cater to the needs of my surroundings.", then you are most definately intuitive.

Interesting! Yes to the first 2, but as for how I organize my house I have some things lying out in plain sight (things I'm going to use soon or have just used), but I like to have everything look nice and make sense.
 

Fluffywolf

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Interesting! Yes to the first 2, but as for how I organize my house I have some things lying out in plain sight (things I'm going to use soon or have just used), but I like to have everything look nice and make sense.

So let's say you have a laptop. And you like using your laptop on your favorite couch/chair. You will still put the laptop back on some dresser or something where it makes sense instead of leaving it on the couch/chair or a nearby table within reach?

Hmm. That is kind of suspicious. Not very INTP-like. *rubs chin thoughtfully*

Unless the reason for doing so is to please others, not yourself. So you can entertain houseguests in an environment you feel is more fitting.
 

greenfairy

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So let's say you have a laptop. And you like using your laptop on your favorite couch/chair. You will still put the laptop back on some dresser or something where it makes sense instead of leaving it on the couch/chair or a nearby table within reach?

Hmm. That is kind of suspicious. Not very INTP-like. *rubs chin thoughtfully*

Unless the reason for doing so is to please others, not yourself. So you can entertain houseguests in an environment you feel is more fitting.

No, I really like my environment to look nice. I'm kinda lazy about putting things away, but everything has a place and it bothers me if things are not in their places. As for the laptop, I'll do kind of a compromise where I'll leave it, but in a way that looks nice, i.e. at the end of the couch on the little cushion I use. Also I kind of follow a "trail" of objects if there are things I have to remember. I multitask a lot, so I don't always finish things- but if I can look at them I am reminded. I will leave a water bottle next to my purse so I won't forget it, leave a tea bag out to remember I was going to make tea, and otherwise leave parts of unfinished tasks out. Or if I am trying to remember where I put my keys I'll go back to when I came inside, remember where I went first, and check there- like if it was in my room they would be beside my bed or if it was in the kitchen they would be on the counter, or if I put all my stuff down by the table or the couch my keys would be not far away. I only misplace my keys and sometimes cell phone because there are multiple places where it would make sense to put them.
 
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