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[ISTP] ISTP vs ESTJ Comparison, Why I am ISTP.

pearlwhitefrostbite

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
4
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
8w7
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I originally posted this in in my Instagram titled as "Why I am ISTP".

The reason as to why it is a comparison is because people tried to argue and persist that I am such an ESTJ, which is dumb because:
1) they never met me
2) they are basing it off online impression and stereotypes
3) they are defining the functions incorrectly asf

I made sure that my post is as thorough and informative as possible, as I have a habit of going over each detail whenever I start explaining something, because everything that is involved in that piece of information needs to be brought up.

/// Start

Introduction:

But wait? Am I not an ESTJ? I thought I was clear that I am an ESTJ only if we go by the true Jungian definitions. People fail to realize that MBTI is simply an interpretation of Carl Jung's work (amongst many others), the definitions are different, the implications are different.

To further dumb it down, as an example for how each system is a different typology, imagine a color system, in one system, pink represents love and red anger, in the other system, pink represents jealousy and red represents passion. Just because you are a pink in one system, it doesn't mean you'll be a pink in the other system.

If you saw my profile's bio, I am SLE (or ESTp) in Socionics, ESTJ in TEJM, and ISTP in MBTI. The functions are defined differently in each system, and thus, you can not treat them as the same system. I prove this in (IG)archetypical_characters starting with Si, and soon, the rest of the functions.

So back to MBTI, I usually hear more people confident that I am ENTJ or INTJ, in the past, everyone admired my ENTPness, "the classic debater type" (tbfh ENTPs suck at debating, so if someone says I debate like an ENTP, I tend to take it like an insult), for some while, I was confident that I was ESTJ due to my interpretation of the functions, until I realized that I was following a superior yet non existent system.

That system is irrelevant for this post as I will be focusing on MBTI, so let's talk about MBTI. MBTI as we know is a personality typology system with sixteen personalities, each type is a result of a combination of a specific four cognitive function set (also called a stack) in a specific order.

The order of these four functions determine its strength and how valued it is to the person. When talking about how a function manifests in MBTI, we focus on its position. The question would be worded as "How does this function manifest with respect to its position".

There are many ways in which I could start this post, and thus I'll try to keep it as organized and clear as possible.

A huge thing that I insist you keep in your mind is that since I am talking about myself specifically here, that my description of how the ISTP functions manifest in me is still affected by my enneagram type.


The ISTP:

The ISTP has Ti, Se, Ni, and Fe. We will start be defining those functions, also showing how each function is affected by each position in the stack, and to furtherprove that I am not an ESTJ in MBTI, I will also add a side where I explain the ESTJ functions which are Te, Si, Ne, and Fi.

Dominant Ti vs Te (in ISTP vs ESTJ):

Ti Definition: The focus on understanding information thoroughly via processing and breaking them down.
Te Definition: The focus on organizing and maximizing reality using the most efficient steps and resources.

As a dominant function, this will be the function that is always on, so am I always focusing on understanding information or am I always looking for ways in which I can maximize reality?

One who has never met me or doesn't know me well can not conclude my method of processing information or dealing with reality.

Simply because I try to assert a truth, it doesn't mean I have the Te, the reason as to why I am so assertive can be explained via my enneagram type, and not my MBTI type. As I am an 8w7 core, and my tritype is 864.

So to begin, what truth do I assert? What do I consider to be truth? Or better yet, what is a truth? A truth is an undeniable reality, not all which are considered facts are truth in my opinion, for something to be true, I need to investigate it in every direction possible, understand the information from all angles, read so much and even contradicting information just to see what point holds as consistent and what doesn't.

My approach in determining what is truth is the sensing and thinking functions working together, or more specifically Ti and Se, as I am breaking this piece of information down into many parts and analyzing it from every angle to ensure consistency.
(1: this form of Ti is found in ISTPs, read my ISTP vs INTP post, which even though is not an MBTI post (in instagram), I find that it holds to be true even in MBTI)
(2:HOWEVER I must also add that me accumulating all that data is more TeSi in TEJM, and ISTPs in MBTI who are also ISTPs in TEJM tend to analyze, break things down and figure stuff out as time passes and do not necessarily focus on data accumulation)


So for me to consider something to be truth, I must verify it via breaking it down and make sure each component holds truth no matter where it is applied. And only after true thorough analysis, investigation, and playing with these patterns do I finally feel comfortable with asserting it and sharing it as a truth.

I'm also almost always in this thinking investigating state, and even if I'm not, it takes one sentence to put me back in that state, even if that sentence wasn't said with the intent of making me analyse it, like jokes or someone telling me their day was great, nothing stops me from trying to investigate everything through.

Onto Te. If I show its definition to anyone that I know in real life and talk about how I might be a Te dominant type, they would ridicule me and wonder how blind I am to reality to make such ridiculous claims.

The most you'll see of me displaying Te is where I will have decided that I need to take a step back and reorganize my life to make sure it's still heading to the direction that I want, other than that, Te more like a last priority that I am apathetic towards.

Auxiliary Se vs Si (in ISTP vs ESTJ):

The Auxiliary Function is that which supports the Dominant Function, it is also the second most valued and te second strongest function.

Se experience of reality= Experience reality as it is. Natural improvisers. Focuses on engaging with experience and sensations within the moment. Actively seeks opportunities.
Si experience of reality= Experiences reality through the lens of the past. Often cautious. Constantly scanning what goes on and compares it to what they know. Detail oriented. Tends to trust what is tried and tested.

I added the line "experience of reality" to emphasize that it is a perception function. These are not definitions because the use of definition will not help as much when it comes to differentiating them in this specific post.

So do I live life as it comes? Or do I constantly examine the present through the lens of the past? Well, consider me the most hyped up overly present (but also sometimes shortly blinded by my thoughts) overly impulsive person who will get into action as soon as I find something exciting I want to try. I also almost never learn from the past, every new moment is something I can explore and take over.

But what does this mean in the Auxiliary Position? How does this support the Dominant Function?

Te that is supported by Si means to look for a course of action that perhaps might've been done before.

Ti that is supported by Se means to understand and go through knowledge and see how it may apply to reality.

Se is also known as raw data, so how does Se support my Ti? It adds to my analysis, it's more like application and verifying my thoughts, looking for these patterns in reality and seeing what holds true and what doesn't.

It also means that I love experimenting, "I got a theory that this might happen, let me see if it really does.", playing with people's reactions, playing around in my university's lab, and a lot more.

Overall, a lot of my theories and perception of life tends to be very grounded, however there are times where my Se isn't adding to my Ti and TiNi starts acting weird, that I will explain when I get to the Ni section of this post. (I end up forgetting to)

I must also add that I am a biotechnology student, though I would much rather prefer if I have studied biochemistry because I prefer further learning the structure, laws, and processes behind life. As these, I could apply to my understanding on how life works and further predict even more likely information based on these data.

Biotechnology is more application, it focuses on knowing the basics and understanding how to aid in a research work. Sadly, my interest in team work and collaboration is down to zero, I am also horrible at following instruction and I am not bothered enough to focus on precision of application when it comes to it either. This hints at low TeSi if anything.

I have strong urges to explore further, move around, I love thrill seeking activities, I love seeing the outcome of my actions. I recall that even whilst nobody really used the lab for anything, I'd be the only student running around with chemicals and random specimens in my hands, using whatever equipment with an either theorized goal result, a question or a set of data that I want to add to, or even just doing experiments for the fun of it to see what would happen.

A lot of what I do is free style, actions unplanned just to see what would happen, surely I've almost put myself and others at danger a few times, but to me, I never felt burdened by it.

Tertiary Ni vs Ne (in ISTP vs ESTJ):

The Tertiary Function is as added as an extension to your Auxiliary (to aid the Dominant) and is usually looked at as a “fresh” perspective for the type. And thus, though the Tertiary function may not be fully developed, it is still somewhat valued to the person.

Ni experience of reality= Reality is only a tool for the future. Prone to trusting their hunches, may struggle in communicating exactly why or how they know that their hunch is correct. Tends to be either idealistic or visionary. Conscious about consequences.

Ne experience of reality= Reality is hard to define because it can be anything, and thus sticking to one idea or conclusion is a restriction to the millions of other possibilities that may be true.

Tertiary Ni: I have figured out this concept, what does it mean for what I know, how does it look when I piece it all together? Does it still make sense?

Tertiary Ne: Improvement or seeks to create new concepts and methods when the old or known methods are not efficient enough.

For the above descriptions of the functions in the Tertiary position, the Intuition functions look more precise, conscious, and focused on the thought process, this is because it is not valued enough to let be used freely and come up with answers if little data is involved (stronger intuition will jump to conclusion/s or assume possibility/ies using fewer data).

Which means that the Tx-Sx must gather the data which will be synthesized later with the intuition function. The ISTP piecing data together using Ni to view the bigger picture, and the ESTJ mentally going over possible solutions or methods which either will work or not, and picking the one which seems most efficient, with others in mind.

This also proves that the Tx-Sx type is a lot more visual than people claim, as the tertiary intuition function is more like a calculator which not only runs through data but also plays with possibilities.

Even with intuition now described, I still find myself relating more to Ni than I do with Ne. I don't use Ne as an alternative when no existing method seems effective, as a Ti user, I'd be sure to understand the procedure and exactly how and where it works and where it doesn't, thus being able to improve it at the points that I want while leaving the parts I think are essential. An ESTJ will gather data on procedures in general, having an idea on what works and what doesn't, then from there, having an idea on what is supposed to work and what isn't, and thus developing many ways in which it can be fixed.

Reality to a Tx-Sx type is like a laboratory in which they can figure out how it works, and this remains true for me. However I approach life with an intent to understand it rather than discover the most efficient ways or method in approaching tasks and methods.

If I want to come up with a method or procedure, it is usually only after I have understood exactly how the concept works and why it does, making sure that my work or method will be precise.

Inferior Fe vs Fi (in ISTP vs ESTJ):

The inferior function is usually a function that people despise, suppress, or ignore. It is also the weakest (some people might say least stable, but I disagree) and most importantly, the least valued.

So let's define the feeling functions,

Fe= The focus on understanding on how something affects people.
Fi= The focus and understanding on how one feel towards something.

Te Dominant types will usually not notice when they are being burnt out by the tasks they are working on, as emotions are considered highly irrelevant when it comes to getting tasks done.

Ti Dominant types will usually not notice that they are not focusing on how people feel towards their thoughts, as the emotions of others is considered irrelevant to the processing of information.

Inferior Fi and Inferior Fe both sound similar, however it is easy to simplify it, IxTPs are more likely to be unaware of people's social expectations as it does not come naturally, while ExTJs are more likely to put so much effort into their work and being rational that they may end up neglecting their own emotional and personal needs, leading them to being burnt out by work.

An IxTP can easily shrug work off if they are feeling burdened by it, while an ExTJ might feel stressed at the thought of even ending their work.

An ExTJ can easily determine that is wanted of them because such information can come useful to them, while such information can either burden or stress an IxTP.

Which if you have been around my page for a while, you'd have noticed that I take my time, and whenever people try to stress me out or have me work on something against my will, I will get angry and not only not work on it but rather drop the project as a whole.

Usually, people's expectations bother me, and I like doing things my way and just my way.

I do not read people, I usually don't notice or even bother to. And thanks to my tritype which is 864, I will usually get angry that people "even dare to expect me to act or be dishonest".

From here I must say, I find that the way that people react to their inferior function when it is being triggered, hints heavily at the Enneagram type. This is because the Enneagram shows us how we cope with emotions, stress, and more.

Many people think that due to the way that I act, that I have some form of a superiority complex because I tend to publicly display anger and a clear state of unwillingness to act or adapt for others in any way possible.

While I perceive myself to be a friendly person who people enjoy due to my usual excitement and hyped up behavior, and while people love that I am extremely honest, they never like it when my honesty is directed to them. People tend to perceive my criticism or comments directed to them as mockery, condescending, or sometimes even degrading. Which is usually never my intent as why on earth would I care to hurt others unless they gave me a reason to. The point of my comments or criticism is the criticism in itself, but due to my expressions and the way I talk (sounding excited almost all the time), it tends to rub off extremely incorrectly.

When people point it out and tell me how they feel, I tend to shrug it off and ask if my point was incorrect, where they are incapable of defending themselves because the truth is the truth and there is nothing you can do about it. If they can refute my criticism though, I will usually be open to it.

But if people simply comment on the way I talk or the things I say, I will usually get angry and everyone will hear it within that moment, as well, I am very impulsive and reactive and thus do not control my emotions well.

(I will add that though I might be reactive and easily angered I can still find it fun and barely consider it anger, however people have claimed that it makes them feel uncomfortable)

This is not to say that Inferior Fe users will react like myself, again, I am an 864, also known as the most reactive and aggressive tritype. Most Dominant Ti users are more on the withdrawn socially awkward side of the spectrum where they will fear asserting themselves, however this applies more to INTPs than it does to ISTPs because ISTPs still have Se which is almost like a huge boost of confidence that they know what they are doing and a better capability on reading people if they want to.


/// End
 

JocktheMotie

Habitual Fi LineStepper
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
8,491
I gotta be honest, I can't ever see an ISTP creating such a thorough breakdown of why they are an ISTP.

With formatting and all!
 

pearlwhitefrostbite

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
4
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
8w7
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
That's not formatting, it's rambling - tldr.

Perhaps writing a one line description simply stating that "Hey, I am indeed ISTP" would've fit you better?, if so, then you do not need to read the text below.

I had few intentions in mind as I have created this, the first being that I wanted to explain why I personally am ISTP and not ESTJ, as people tend to debate my type whilst bringing up strange definitions that do not really fit the system well. This also lead me to another intention, which was to reintroduce function definitions which remain consistent no matter where it is applied. I am no expert by any means, these definitions aren't official and were not created nor purposed by any licensed nor certified MBTI typologists. Another main intention I had in mind was to create genuinely detailed and explanatory articles about the Sensing types and functions to compensate for the lack of them.

The formatting was to make the separate parts easier to read or focus at, as if I am not careful when I write down my thoughts or analysis, it can get heavily messy and easy to misunderstand, and at times, even repulsive for the average reader. I tend to find that I sometimes forget to write certain words, include parts which may not be relevant to the viewer, and sometimes write or include a little too much because "everything is connected and relevant to the idea", and thus, removing parts can feel like taking the idea a little backward and making it more vague. In short, it is necessary that I format my work this way. Otherwise, it would truly seem as if I am rambling.
 

pearlwhitefrostbite

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
4
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
8w7
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I gotta be honest, I can't ever see an ISTP creating such a thorough breakdown of why they are an ISTP.

With formatting and all!

If it helps, I have answered Jaguar with why I type like this or my reason as to why I have done this. It fits as a response to your comment too, minus perhaps the first line of my response, unless you perhaps happen to agree with him or her.
 
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