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[ISTJ] ISTJs

swordpath

New member
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
10,547
MBTI Type
ISTx
Enneagram
5w6
How much do you hate being an ISTJ?
 

swordpath

New member
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
10,547
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ISTx
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5w6
That's good. I dunno, I get annoyed/frustrated with myself sometimes.

Wanna know what the other ISTJs think of their personality.
 

swordpath

New member
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
10,547
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ISTx
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5w6
Why do you get annoyed with yourself?

Taking things too seriously sometimes, internalizing a lot of emotion, not being able to relate to people of faith, etc. etc. etc.

edit:
probably for things that other peope dislike about ISTJs.
 

Recoleta

No me digas, che!
Joined
Aug 8, 2007
Messages
600
MBTI Type
ISXJ
I don't hate being ISTJ at all. *Shrug* I am who I am, and I'm not going to apologize for it or try to change who I am to fit what others think I should be. With that said, there are parts of myself that I do sometimes get annoyed with. I can definitely relate to wishing I could just cut loose more often, lighten up, and be more reckless and open with my emotions (especially since I'm female)

However, for myself, I figure that when I meet the right guy I will feel comfortable opening up and being vulnerable. I can cut loose when I am around friends I trust and love, and thankfully I can lighten up when it is "play time." Really, it's not worth obsessing over stuff that bugs you about yourself, because trust me, there will always be someone out there that is jealous of and admires/appreciates the qualities and strengths that you do possess.

Just to share for a moment, there was this girl I worked with once...she was beautiful and all the guys at work loved flirting with her. She was always on her phone, was always busy, was kind of ditzy and emotional...but not terribly. It seemed she always got what she wanted -- ya know, a semi-charmed kind of life. However, one day I was working in the back of the store and she was there with me alone. I've spoken to her on occasion, but this particular day she walked up to me and just flat out said, "How do you do it?...How are you always so calm and are able to just be you?...I am jealous of what you have." I'm not entirely sure of the look I gave her, but I was thinking in my head, "Me!? Why on earth would you be jealous of me? You're the one that has it all." Lol...just thinking of that story still cracks me up. So yeah, the grass does always seem greener on the other side. I've learned that it's best to be content with who you are, but not allow yourself to settle into complacency.

Frankly, there are things that EVERY personality wishes they can change about themselves. No one is made with all strengths and no weaknesses (*cough* Yes,thatincludesyou,INTJ's). I think different personalities exist because we are meant to compliment each other and work off each others strengths. Without that variety the world would be a very boring and perhaps a not-so-functional place. So seriously Beat, don't be so hard on yourself...and don't let it get you down that SJ's may sometimes be stereotyped into little neat "personality boxes" that supposedly account for the way we are. MBTI is nice tool and all, but it is certainly not the end-all and say-all of who I am.
 

sassafrassquatch

New member
Joined
Jul 20, 2007
Messages
961
i-rule.jpg
 

elfinchilde

a white iris
Joined
Jan 26, 2008
Messages
1,465
MBTI Type
type
I've worked in a place of majority ISTJs for a year, before i had to quit because i couldn't quite take the conservatism and rigidity. :cry:

perhaps where the ISTJ could improve on:

-loosening up! a sense of humor would be good.

-some spontaneity. Life does not always need to be planned.

-do not be too critical on others who just happen to not live life "your way". Just because it isn't your way, doesn't mean it is wrong.

-the stoicism is good; but sometimes, it kills you. especially when you're not in touch with your own emotions: that seems to be a blind spot for the ISTJ: they are so caught up with "living by the rules", that they forget they are living, breathing beings too, with emotions and desires of their own. It is not wrong to follow your heart, instead of the pedantry of society's dictates.

-the guiding philosophy for an ISTJ (correct me if i'm wrong) seems to be: Shit happens. You just have to bear with it.

Perhaps some fun can be injected into it? Too much stoicism can kill a person. We weren't born to be gods, after all. So maybe:

Shit happens. Throw it back at the other! :D

Play! :holy:
 

Hirsch63

New member
Joined
Dec 4, 2007
Messages
524
MBTI Type
IS??
I don't hate it so much as I am cautious of it. I am (especially with the help of this forum) learning more all the time about what a risky group of preferences it outlines. I can see more and more what might have led me to behave that way for the majority of my life. Now I am not going to hate it...it got me this far, but I am tweaking it to serve me better. Perhaps that is one distinct advantage to ISTJ preferences; when you are able to recognize them objectively in yourself the very nature of these habits compells you to adjust them for maximum performance.

All through my twenties and thirties I didn't realize that these habits that served me well for a troubling period of time in my life, were no longer needed for my survival. But by that time it was an ingrained way of being. Friends and family would comment on it and laugh about it and get angry too...I would just get defensive and dismissive. The whole time I was invested in living the ISTJ profile (though at the time I was not even aware there was such a label) I lost more that I could have gained. The preferences had me, instead of me having them. Now I am bending them to serve me better,whatever it takes.
 

ArbiterDewey

New member
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
310
MBTI Type
ISTJ
I've worked in a place of majority ISTJs for a year, before i had to quit because i couldn't quite take the conservatism and rigidity. :cry:
perhaps where the ISTJ could improve on:

-loosening up! a sense of humor would be good.

Yeah....we have a sense of humor, you just have to look for it in the right places. Sarcasm/Cynicism are amazing things in the hands of an ISTJ when not on the clock. We take work seriously most of the time, work is work, play is play. Watch us near our closest friends and our true self emerges.
-some spontaneity. Life does not always need to be planned.
I hate obligations, thus am unplanned about 90% of the time. I can't live by a daily planner very well, either.
-do not be too critical on others who just happen to not live life "your way". Just because it isn't your way, doesn't mean it is wrong.
Not living my way and being a tard are two completely different things. My way may not be the best, true. Sometimes, however, not living it your way is better. (this is circumstantial, of course)
-the stoicism is good; but sometimes, it kills you. especially when you're not in touch with your own emotions: that seems to be a blind spot for the ISTJ: they are so caught up with "living by the rules", that they forget they are living, breathing beings too, with emotions and desires of their own. It is not wrong to follow your heart, instead of the pedantry of society's dictates.
Trust me, learning to live accepting/acknowledging our emotions is difficult for us. My main area of focus was knowing how to react to emotions. Without any past experience with said emotion, I was clueless as how to respond appropriately. We have to actively work at it.

-the guiding philosophy for an ISTJ (correct me if i'm wrong) seems to be: Shit happens. You just have to bear with it.

Perhaps some fun can be injected into it? Too much stoicism can kill a person. We weren't born to be gods, after all. So maybe:

Shit happens. Throw it back at the other! :D

Play! :holy:


I have learned that living by the label ISTJ has been unhealthy. I was living up to the defined standards as described by MBTI. Now, through about 6-7 months of psychological therapy, I am coming into my own. I have taken the test recently and scored pretty much in the middle, but favoring my type. I find the lifestyle I now portray is that of my own; the individual, Dewey.

I only dislike my inability to not correct some one grammatically/spelling-wise. I hate when someone misuses a commonly accepted word, too. My little quirk to deal with as I wish.

My thoughts,
Dewey
 

Dizzy

New member
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Messages
54
MBTI Type
ISTJ
I'm loving it

I don't hate it, I love it.
I feel strong, energetic and capacable to challenge everything that comes on my path. I know that through hard work I adapt to every situation.
I like things planned and organized, but I don't go crazy when my plans don't come together. I tend to be calm and stress resistant.
Everyday I learn more about my weak spots and that helps me to improve them. I have no tendency to correct everyone, I will only interfere when it is necessary (for me).
 

swordpath

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Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
10,547
MBTI Type
ISTx
Enneagram
5w6
I don't hate it, I love it.
I feel strong, energetic and capacable to challenge everything that comes on my path. I know that through hard work I adapt to every situation.
I like things planned and organized, but I don't go crazy when my plans don't come together. I tend to be calm and stress resistant.
Everyday I learn more about my weak spots and that helps me to improve them. I have no tendency to correct everyone, I will only interfere when it is necessary (for me).
I do go crazy when my plans don't come together. =/
 

alcea rosea

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Joined
Nov 11, 2007
Messages
3,658
MBTI Type
ENFP
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7w6
That's good. I dunno, I get annoyed/frustrated with myself sometimes.

Wanna know what the other ISTJs think of their personality.

I think a person of any personality type gets sometimes annoyed with themselves. I do it too. :)
 

Mondo

Welcome to Sunnyside
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Messages
1,992
MBTI Type
EsTP
Enneagram
6w7
I would say it is because you are the exact opposite of an ENFP, :laugh:

jk of course, ISTJ's are awesome!
 

celesul

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Joined
Jun 14, 2007
Messages
190
MBTI Type
ENTP
The ISTJs on the forum actually seem quite healthy and well rounded. Most seem to have a good sense of humor (sassafrassquatch always makes me laugh :D), and all seem quite reasonable. Really, my biggest annoyance with ISTJs has been my biggest annoyance with TJs in general, that of extreme stubbornness. A healthy, balanced ISTJ, is however, quite willing to listen to reason. ^.^

Different types have different problems (mine is extreme spaceyness, and a bad sense of details), but a balanced type is pleasant. My dad is ISTJ, and quite interesting, and he appreciates NTPs, despite being quite different, although he also recognizes the weaknesses. I just avoid arguing with him, as he never admits when he lost. -.-
 

swordpath

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Oct 24, 2007
Messages
10,547
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ISTx
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My parents always hated how I could never admit defeat in arguments when I was growing up.


But it was obviously because I was never wrong. :devil:
 
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