[ISTJ] Hi ISTJ's - I need to know if I'm one of you or not, can you help? :)

[KML]

Hi everyone! I have suddenly realised, after assuming I was an NF for a long time, that perhaps I am actually an ISTJ who has just spent a long time in practical and spiritual responsibility for other people and so has assumed myself to be more spiritually aware than an 'S', and more caring than a 'T' and therefore ruled that possibility out. However, I've never really felt akin to any particular NF, and have felt frustrated at not being able to 'fit' into this system, which seems to work so well for others. I am also pretty sure I'm not an SF type, as I'm really not a traditionally 'caring' type who fits naturally into domestic/nurturing roles, which these folks seem to be, and I'm pretty sure I'm not an NT either as I'm not at all strategic. SO, that leaves ST, and since my 'interaction style' is IJ rather than EJ or IP or EP, I'm thinking ... maybe ISTJ???? Are there any of you out there that might know some questions to ask me to make sure??

Here are some of the characteristics I have that fit:
-dependable and loyal to a fault
-likes long standing truth
-likes history and science
-not interested in fantasy or impractical/irrelevant ideas
-irritated by delays and interruptions
-factual and enjoys reading information type books
-controlling on the inside
-like to work alone
-like routine and a plan to work to

Here are some of the characteristics I have that don't fit:
-philosophical
-emotional, love music
-intellectual, good at understanding theories and tying things together
-explorative, enjoy new places, things, and people
-like parties, eating drinking and making merry

What do you think?

Any help GREATLY appreciated

 

[Habba]

Too bad no one has answered you yet. I'll give it a shot.

Here are some of the characteristics I have that fit:

-dependable and loyal to a fault

Many types are. This could be because of Introversion (they have lesser friends and thus tend to value them more). It could also be Feeling, believing that you'll be judged by your capablity to be likeable and dependable. It might also be Judging, believing that betrayal and backstabbing will create chaos.

-likes long standing truth

Truths come in many forms. Is a truth uncovered by curiosity? Truth uncovered by infallible logic? Is it a truth that hurts?
Any type can appreciate their own kind of truth. I myself like the subjective truth (perceived truth matters more than the universal truth).

-likes history and science

I never quite liked history myself. Science was okay, since I was good at it. But I always disliked research while at the university. I'm a developer, I make existing solutions better.

-not interested in fantasy or impractical/irrelevant ideas

I like fantasy. Roleplaying, myths, magic... But I dislike things that have no purpose (= when things have an ambigious or an unclear purpose).

[/QUOTE]-irritated by delays and interruptions[/QUOTE]
I dislike interruptions too... gets in the way of efficiency. I'm not so much irritated by delays, unless they are result of poor organization. Then I'm irritated by poor management.

-factual and enjoys reading information type books

I read few of these, but I much more prefer short wikipedia entries about variety of topics rather than a whole book on a singular subject.

-controlling on the inside

I'm more guiding than controlling. I like to teach people. I like to improve things.

-like to work alone

I like to work on other people's work, to understand what they've done and come up ways to improve their ideas. I'm pretty good at finding faults, so it's easy for me to find and fix faults.

-like routine and a plan to work to

I like it when things are clear. I'm not much of a routine guy. But routine makes it easy to predict future and plan a head.

Here are some of the characteristics I have that don't fit:

-philosophical

In what sense? I do entertain myself quite a lot with "what if?"-scenarios. This often leads me to think about the values we hold important.

-emotional, love music

I love music. To me it's the most important form of art. I don't listen to lyrics, I listen to the tone and tempo. I love epic music, but I also love quiet and beautiful music.

-intellectual, good at understanding theories and tying things together

That's not really me, not often interested in scientific theories. On the other hand, I'm good at predicting things that are not yet true. I like to make theories of my own and play around with ideas. Usually they are just far fetched and unscientific. I have no interest in pursuing them.

-explorative, enjoy new places, things, and people

I have a reoccuring 'dream' that I find hidden places in my apartment, ever since I was a kid. Still I play around with ideas what if I'd find a hidden door behind a closet and a new room would emerge. I also like study maps and track movements on maps. I spend lots of time in wikipedia reading about random stuff.

-like parties, eating drinking and making merry

No, that I do not enjoy. I do enjoy mutual activities, such as board gaming, but not socializing alone. I prefer to eat and drink (non-alcoholic that is) alone.

What do you think?

Lot of what you've said I can relate to with a stretch, but at times I felt like you don't have a clear vision what ISTJs actually are. Sorry it took this long to answer, but I actually spend few days on this answer. I'll come back again with more time.

 

[Pionart]

[MENTION=23754]KML[/MENTION]

I relate to most of this. I would respond very similarly to Habba regarding your lists.

I too thought myself to be an NF for a time (INFJ or INFP). Perhaps NF is something an ST will strive for?

 

[laterlazer]

I know two very different ISTJs, well actually a bunch since I have quite a few ISTJ friends and they're not all the same. Either way, one of them loves to party and I actually initially thought she was probably ESTJ, some of them love music (although not sure about it's tie to emotionality?), some of them are intellectual. I won't rule out the type just for some small things you might not equate to that type, people are still going to have their personality differences within a type.

 

[Pionart]

some of them love music (although not sure about it's tie to emotionality?)

I've heard it said that music generally is used to regulate the emotions.

Also, emotion is not Feeling.

 

[laterlazer]

I've heard it said that music generally is used to regulate the emotions.

Also, emotion is not Feeling.

Huh. I know music may make you feel emotional at times but don't really see how loving music can mean you're emotional as it seems that's what OP was suggesting.

 

[Pionart]

Huh. I know music may make you feel emotional at times but don't really see how loving music can mean you're emotional as it seems that's what OP was suggesting.

All people are emotional, though some people are better able to self-regulate their emotions.

Interestingly I found this

Those scoring high in agreeableness tend to have more intense emotional reactions to all types of music.

which contradicts what I'm saying.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Hi everyone! I have suddenly realised, after assuming I was an NF for a long time, that perhaps I am actually an ISTJ who has just spent a long time in practical and spiritual responsibility for other people and so has assumed myself to be more spiritually aware than an 'S', and more caring than a 'T' and therefore ruled that possibility out. However, I've never really felt akin to any particular NF, and have felt frustrated at not being able to 'fit' into this system, which seems to work so well for others. I am also pretty sure I'm not an SF type, as I'm really not a traditionally 'caring' type who fits naturally into domestic/nurturing roles, which these folks seem to be, and I'm pretty sure I'm not an NT either as I'm not at all strategic. SO, that leaves ST, and since my 'interaction style' is IJ rather than EJ or IP or EP, I'm thinking ... maybe ISTJ???? Are there any of you out there that might know some questions to ask me to make sure??

Here are some of the characteristics I have that fit:
-dependable and loyal to a fault
-likes long standing truth
-likes history and science
-not interested in fantasy or impractical/irrelevant ideas
-irritated by delays and interruptions
-factual and enjoys reading information type books
-controlling on the inside
-like to work alone
-like routine and a plan to work to

Here are some of the characteristics I have that don't fit:
-philosophical
-emotional, love music
-intellectual, good at understanding theories and tying things together
-explorative, enjoy new places, things, and people
-like parties, eating drinking and making merry

What do you think?

Any help GREATLY appreciated

I'm guessing you've read a lot of the type descriptions which portray the SJs as serious, down-to-earthers who love the same routine everyday and have little patience for theoretical/philisophical thought.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I know two very different ISTJs, well actually a bunch since I have quite a few ISTJ friends and they're not all the same. Either way, one of them loves to party and I actually initially thought she was probably ESTJ, some of them love music (although not sure about it's tie to emotionality?), some of them are intellectual. I won't rule out the type just for some small things you might not equate to that type, people are still going to have their personality differences within a type.

Spock is an ISTJ and the epitome of intellectualism

 

[Lark]

This forum well tell you that you are.

Especially if you express any conservative or conventional opinions or any traditionalism, also they dont believe intuition is that commonplace apparently, and, curiously unlike Jung, that intuition is superior to sensing.

Also there's supposed to Sherlock Holmes style STJs on every street corner.

 

[Zen_Fox]

Nothing you've listed indicates that you're not an INFP.

INFPs are known to be loyal and devoted once they commit to something. I certainly am.

I'm also an INFP who enjoys routine and orderliness. Doesn't make me an ISTJ. Not by a long stretch.

INFPs are known to work better (as in are more productive) with external deadlines and structure because they are not good at creating their own structure and deadlines. It's little wonder you find comfort in that aspect of life if you'd end up producing nothing in life without it.

You also likely feel an affinity toward to the world structures created and enforced by ISTJs and ESTJs because you share their exact functions, just in a different order. I gravitate to STJs and their systems because, although I sometimes find STJs short-sighted and they find me odd, I "get" them 100% and respect them.

INFPs are also known to be controlling "on the inside", as you put it. We hold ourselves to very high standards. We also often have harsh expectations of others. Fi is a tyrannical function.

The ISTJs I've known really like partying, and are way better at it than the average INFP, so I don't know why you think that wouldn't fit. ISTJs are the least introverted seeming of the introverts and highly sensual. Like ESTJs, they work hard and play hard.

I'm voting that you're an INFP whose feeling bored with being an INFP.

P.S. I'm an INFP who also reads mostly nonfiction. While accurate facts are important in any discipline, being able to see human contexts, as in philosophies and ideologies, behind historical events is extremely important to history. One has to be able to abstractly associate historical events with current zeitgeists as well as use past events to make predictions about the future. Many INFPs are historians for this reason. History is essential studying the human heart in my view.