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[ISFJ] any unorthodox ISFJ's out there?

earthangel

New member
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
63
MBTI Type
ISFJ
I think I saw a post similar to this a month back, but regardless, here I go.

I just joined today (insert slient web applause here) and I've been reading through mainly the relationship section of this forum and whenever I read anything about interactions with ISFJs we seem to be characterized as maudlin, law-abiding, religious, overly serious and lacking any sense of humor, and comformist to society and I am not that way at all. I deeply relate to my type as an ISFJ, but there are some stark differences from how I feel people perceive us, how the test categorizes us, and how we actually are... Of course every person is different and some people have a greater percentage of how much I or S or F or J they are, and then in general each person in this world is unique regardless of how tests can categorize them. That goes without saying.

Though the Myers-Briggs type indicators are very impressive at their categorizations. :)

So back to the subject title and question in hand, WHO OUT THERE FEELS THEY DON'T PRECISELY FIT THE MOLD OF THE ISFJ WHILE STILL GENERALLY RELATING?

About myself and why I'm curious to ask this:

I took this test for the first time in 2005 and feel like I was 95% ISFJ then. I retook it recently and I am still an ISFJ but now I feel maybe around 70%. Life experience has definitely contributed to that. Back in 2005, I was as quiet as could be to basically anyone excluding a very small group of friends. I was a straight A student who avoided other people and liked to be a teachers aide and just help my superiors out for fun and to be respectful. I was open with my friends only and was always the witty jokester of the group-- but strictly to them. In class and work and the rest of life, I was obedient, helpful and definitely non-confrontational. I had my heart broken around that time and I solemnly accepted it but suffered daily. I had to go through counceling I was so heartbroken over it. I was cautious of life, any experience-- I didn't dare even think of drugs or alcohol nor spoke to anyone who mentioned it; stepping on any property past closing time made me overridden with guilt and paranoia; I was steadfast in obeying every law, rule or order ever given to me by anyone older than myself and was entirely closed minded; I was very moral bound though not religious (thus why I was 95% not 100% ISFJ).

Later on that year I began my slow decline away from my personality type "extremism", mainly because I began dating some rastafarian-type dreadlocked guy and because I adored him so much and would do anything to make him happy, I started smoking marijuana. You know how that goes, lol. So that totally blew my mind and altered my perception on everything. Because of that, and other things that happened in my life, I am significantly different now. It planted a seed of distrust in what my family, teachers, and authority figures told me about the world. Further revelations have made me incredibly antiestablismentarian - I near completely distrust everything in the government (with the exception of the ideals of libertarianism, constitutionalism, etc), and verbally lash out against any injustice I think is perpetrated on anyone. I research anything I am unsure about, or anything someone tells me is fact (except obvious things like "hey your asian" or
"hey you are made of molecules"). At least in respect to people I know, I used to just cry over everything and give anyone the silent treatment if I felt hurt (which happened easily and often back then), and now I'll tell someone exactly how I feel, especially if i'm angry. I try to have a rational discussion with someone and express how I feel to the best of my ability. I'm now open minded and much more emotionally stable. I'm much less traditional now, though I still demand respect and give everything I can to everyone I care for. I don't go around being a "lady of the night" or anything, i do nothing that would make me seem disrespectful unless they deserve it. I always try to do nice things and care for others. I'm a big believer in random acts of kindness. I'm going to become a doctor of naturopathy to help others that I don't know become healthier and change their lifestyles from full of whatever poison corporate america convinces us is fine -- altered foods and pharmaceuticals, all that-- to something that truly works and improves well being.

I'm very different than I used to be and feel that its possible to be a rational person and analytical thinker, while still being an ISFJ. I don't let my feelings overwhelm me, though they do guide many of my decisions. I've also become more extroverted to the point where I don't want to run away everytime I meet a new person. I have an incredibly bold, inappropriate, sarcastic sense of humor to the point that I shock people constantly when I'm open and just messing around. I've always been that way, but now instead of me restricting it to maybe 10 people (if even), I act that way to near everyone as long as its not me making a first impression on someones parents or in a job interview-- situations where its obvious I need to not make "that's what he said" jokes or anything else that would make old ladies cry if they heard it. So yeah, needless to say, not incredibly typical.

How about you all?
 

Magic Poriferan

^He pronks, too!
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
14,081
MBTI Type
Yin
Enneagram
One
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Unrelated to all of that... I appreciate your avatar.
 

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
6,743
MBTI Type
ESFP
Enneagram
7w6
Instinctual Variant
sx
That's what you get for being open-minded and following impulses. It's a bad, bad, horrible idea. Go back to being the way you were before, trust me. ;)
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
I'm not an ISFJ, but I think very few people fit the description perfectly. of course I'm the proto type for INFP and I didn't mean to.
 

Giggly

No moss growing on me
Joined
Jun 12, 2008
Messages
9,661
MBTI Type
iSFj
Enneagram
2
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
That's what you get for being open-minded and following impulses. It's a bad, bad, horrible idea. Go back to being the way you were before, trust me. ;)


lol Jeffster.

First, hello and welcome earthangel! :hi: :D

Next, it's okay to feel like you don't fit neatly into a little box!

If you really want to type yourself correctly, you might spend some time exploring if your preference is really for J or P.
 

Cimarron

IRL is not real
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
3,417
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I bet there's plenty of "wiggle room." There are tons of ISFJs out there. You think they're all the same? :jew:
 

ehastin1

New member
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Messages
33
MBTI Type
ISFJ
isfj.....im not religious but i kind of follow my own thing. im still in the works of figuring out what it is though. and i smoke weed too.....i'm also pretty witty and funny
 

BerberElla

12 and a half weeks
Joined
Sep 25, 2008
Messages
2,725
MBTI Type
infp
My closest friend in the real world is not the traditional rules ISFJ either, it's why I kept second guessing her type for so long.

She ran away from home as a teen to join the travellers and lived on the road for 10 years, experiencing pretty much everything you can on the edge of the law and beyond it, done more illegal activities than I have lol complete and utter rebel with no trust for the government, or people in charge in any given situation.

Although she is more settled now and more law abiding, she is still one of the black market type people that would drop kick an officer in a heartbeat.

She is very untraditional and that's part of her wonderful appeal. :wubbie:
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
5,903
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
7w8
Well, what you say seems to be perfectly compatible with being ISFJ. I know a good number of ISFJs that aren't as perfectly coscentious as the description says. Thing is, the point of reference of an ISFJ will generally be the people he-she cares about and meeting their expectations. If those people don't place restrictions on them, then they can easily become very extraverted and liberal.
 

earthangel

New member
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
63
MBTI Type
ISFJ
My closest friend in the real world is not the traditional rules ISFJ either, it's why I kept second guessing her type for so long.

She ran away from home as a teen to join the travellers and lived on the road for 10 years, experiencing pretty much everything you can on the edge of the law and beyond it, done more illegal activities than I have lol complete and utter rebel with no trust for the government, or people in charge in any given situation.

Although she is more settled now and more law abiding, she is still one of the black market type people that would drop kick an officer in a heartbeat.

She is very untraditional and that's part of her wonderful appeal. :wubbie:

To be close to as wild as ur friend is now my personal goal, lol.


Thanks for the responses everyone. I knew that there is always some variance, but all but one other ISFJ i've met have been spot on with the personality description. I am satisfied now, lol.
 

Cimarron

IRL is not real
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
3,417
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
Of course, there are things that all ISFJs have in common--that's why they're the same type. It's just not always very obvious or easy to summarize.
 

countrygirl

New member
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
722
MBTI Type
ISFJ
When I was younger, then ya that sounds like me too except that I never cared for the traditional role society placed on women. However, now I'd say I'm not a typical ISFJ but have become a house wife and mom.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,192
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
it's not uncommon for ISFJs to be more rigid/structured early in life (typical to type), then diverge later.

Remember, the specifics of ISFJ are not set, they just tend to take their early life experience and incorporate that as an Si-anchored view the world... then preserve and defend that view as their baseline later rather than flex quickly to new situations. Much of the current details associated with ISFJ might not truly be indicative of the ISFJ archetype -- it's just reflective of ISFJs that grew up in a traditional/conservative culture manifest especially in religious practices that controlled the United States (for example) for much of the century until perhaps the last 30 years.

With things having changed so greatly, it'll be interesting to see what ISxJ's look like when raised in a more flexy Gen X / Gen Y culture with less stringent religious influence.

As far as changing while an adult, mature ISFJs *do* change. They tend to lighten up, find joy in life, figure out how to give and love without judging based on their internal worldview, and take people on their own terms. And with their Ti+Ne tertiary and inferior, while those things might be weaknesses earlier in life, they become extremely important later. The Ti helps them get clarity on their traditional-style judgments and the Ne helps reduce their fear and anxiety in new and unexperienced situations. it also allows them to appreciate types of humor they might not have before. Instead of being pissed at people who rock the boat and go off the path and who get in their way, they learn to appreciate the free spirit and relax.

Lots of room for positive change and growth, and such change is not bad at all. It's just a continual maturity, as every type goes through.
 
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