[ISTP] Main Difference between Male ISTPs and Female ISTPs?????

[Flicker]

What do you think?

 

[Stu Katz]

Should I?

OK.

Maybe this will would help too, but it`s not specific to ISTP.

 

[Mae]

It's true you don't see many ISTP women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for ISTP men. It's the beards...

Anyway, I believe the difference between ISTP men and women is the same difference that could be said of any of the types males and females. Society expects women to be the stereotypical SFJ and men to be STJ. So, while ISTP men don't really have to adapt that much to fit in, women do.

 

[ItsAlwaysSunny]

I think the ISTP descriptions can be pretty manly sometimes. Even the title "The Mechanic" is more masculine than just about any of the other types' titles.

Having said that, I would agree with what Mae said in her post, about feeling the pressure to be a stereotypical girl. Indeed I was always more tomboyish than just about every girl around me. I was more interested in math and video games than make-up and gossip and I wanted to be a skater girl and play electric guitar while everyone else was busy chasing guys and making their friends jealous. Also, I'd rather analyze a situation than have an emotional response to it. I feel more in control that way.

On the girly side of things, I happen to love babies and animals and would do pretty much anything to take care of them. That's about all I can think of right now, lol.

 

[ICUP]

I think the ISTP descriptions can be pretty manly sometimes. Even the title "The Mechanic" is more masculine than just about any of the other types' titles.

Having said that, I would agree with what Mae said in her post, about feeling the pressure to be a stereotypical girl. Indeed I was always more tomboyish than just about every girl around me. I was more interested in math and video games than make-up and gossip and I wanted to be a skater girl and play electric guitar while everyone else was busy chasing guys and making their friends jealous. Also, I'd rather analyze a situation than have an emotional response to it. I feel more in control that way.

On the girly side of things, I happen to love babies and animals and would do pretty much anything to take care of them. That's about all I can think of right now, lol.

I think you're probably ISTP.... I've always liked clothes and makeup to a certain degree, but it was more of a hobby than something I did because it was girlie, if that makes sense. (Of course, I am sx-dom, so I think I was more into looking good than most istp's.) I was way-into video games. My best friend was istj, and it pretty much broke up our relationship when she pulled an esfj into our circle. This girl was pretty-much forced into my life, and I withdrew from them because I hated her petty, competitive crap. I thought she was a nice girl and all, but it wasn't something I wanted around me. To this day, I have no use for either of them. I was so GLAD to finish high school and get away from all the crap I kept trying to avoid. I liked to chase guys, but I hated the competitive stuff.... Like, if I went out with a guy and thought he was cute, if my friend then went out with him, I never forgave that. I basically just wanted out of this awful situation lolol....... and free to do my own thing without being involved in a social circle at all.
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As far as men and women being different, that's hard for me to say. I've seen some istp's here and I'm different from all of them, and they are all different from each other, to me. The women I think, are just a bit more feminine than the men. Some of the istp guys seem to be a lot less communicative, I suppose. More separated and distant. Almost with a chip on their shoulder, or something to prove....... whereas the women seem more warm and inviting (that's not to say that compared to other types they are warm and inviting, just when compared to the men). Just something I've noticed on these particular forums..... I, for instance, will allow people in slowly as I trust moreso, but it seems they allow people in, but then play games or take on personas, in order to keep their distance. It's almost as if the female istp's are much more genuine about who they are and what they want. It seems like the women are much-more likely to be friendly and accommodating when approached, or at least try to be. I know one istp irl, and I hate to say it, but he's pretty immature for his age. It seems that many of the istp men never grow to really know themselves, but I've also seen some excellent examples of some who have, and who are incredibly successful at life.

 

[jixmixfix]

I think the SP temperament is more of a male trait, an SFJ or NFJ trait is more female. Attitudes about sex have alot to do with this. For survival purposes men have always lived with the idea that having multiple sexual encounters insures the survival and reproduction of our species "Se". Women on the other hand need to be more reserved in their approach to sex and matting due to child bearing purposes SJ, NJ. My guess would be that most ISTP women act more "feminine" than ISTP men, they are more sensitive to other peoples emotions or hurting peoples feelings etc.

 

[lauranna]

ISTP women have boobs.
That is the only difference I can think of right now.

 

[lauranna]

On a more serious note. From my point of view, I play rugby, I love contact sports, I drive fast, I ski fast, I work in a massively male dominated profession, I'm very attractive to other women. And I can't stand girly girls. All in all not dissimilar to the average ISTP male. Apart from I probably have nicer breasts.

Trying to think of typically girly things that i do- I can't think of any. I like writing fiction. Is that girly?

 

[jixmixfix]

Trying to think of typically girly things that i do- I can't think of any. I like writing fiction. Is that girly?

That and you like to talk about your breasts.

 

[RaptorWizard]

Male is more non-conformist.

 

[ChocolateMoose123]

Not much of a difference. I've always been thought of as more male than some of my male co-workers. I've been described as tough and practical. I can look pretty hot in makeup and heels tho...Scares them mostly

In relationships, I'm softer than anyone would think and most people would be shocked at my behavior toward my SO. It's much different than how I interact with everyone else. They are privy to my softer side and it can be pretty mushy, not with words, but in a playful way.

 

[Thalassa]

I know an ISTP woman, I'm pretty sure, right now. I work with her. She reminds me a lot of me, but she's more thinker-ish and composed. She's studying philosophy at university, and she's struggling with it, because she's a self-described "very analytical" person who likes to "pick tiny things apart" (Ti much?) but that she's used to being "active" and it's hard for her to "sit still for philosophy." Like there's two sides of her, like the Se and Ti don't quite match up. Her end consensus? "I've been studying for my philosophy midterm, I need to get laid, I'm going on a date." LOL.

I'm also casually seeing an ISTP male, more like a FWB type thing, and he's younger than me. He also reminds me of me (derp) at least when I first met him about two years ago I thought he was actually an ISFP. He's a SLEEPING CHAMP. And he's in love with music and the Internet and is insanely private about all of the crazy shit he's doing and thinking. He's really paranoid about his friends and family knowing how wild he really is, or something. He's really adventurous, a great lay, and a good stabilizing influence for me when I'm upset, because he tries to reason me out of it. He doesn't handle intense feelings well, though, and I think my Fi surprised him the first time he saw it. People IRL who live around me every single day don't see what you guys see so openly on-line, people IRL are SURPRISED when they finally see me get intense about things. It can take six months, a year. Really. Or you have to have a very intimate relationship with me. But he can get intense too, I've seen him punch a wall once.

I think Thinker females in general are a lot more trained to be "feeler-ish" and traditionally female. I tend to think this about many, many thinker women, with rare exceptions.

 

[BlackCat]

The OP made me think that this was like a reverse type me thread... "well I have my type down, I just have to figure out my gender, can you guys help me out here with some descriptions?" lol

 

[StephMC]

I know an ISTP woman, I'm pretty sure, right now. I work with her. She reminds me a lot of me, but she's more thinker-ish and composed. She's studying philosophy at university, and she's struggling with it, because she's a self-described "very analytical" person who likes to "pick tiny things apart" (Ti much?) but that she's used to being "active" and it's hard for her to "sit still for philosophy." Like there's two sides of her, like the Se and Ti don't quite match up. Her end consensus? "I've been studying for my philosophy midterm, I need to get laid, I'm going on a date." LOL.

I'm also casually seeing an ISTP male, more like a FWB type thing, and he's younger than me. He also reminds me of me (derp) at least when I first met him about two years ago I thought he was actually an ISFP. He's a SLEEPING CHAMP. And he's in love with music and the Internet and is insanely private about all of the crazy shit he's doing and thinking. He's really paranoid about his friends and family knowing how wild he really is, or something. He's really adventurous, a great lay, and a good stabilizing influence for me when I'm upset, because he tries to reason me out of it. He doesn't handle intense feelings well, though, and I think my Fi surprised him the first time he saw it. People IRL who live around me every single day don't see what you guys see so openly on-line, people IRL are SURPRISED when they finally see me get intense about things. It can take six months, a year. Really. Or you have to have a very intimate relationship with me. But he can get intense too, I've seen him punch a wall once.

I think Thinker females in general are a lot more trained to be "feeler-ish" and traditionally female. I tend to think this about many, many thinker women, with rare exceptions.

Yeah. Both sound pretty ISTP to me. My cousin (and one of my best friends) is an ISFP. We're similar in so many ways, but there's always been kind of a disconnect when we talk about in-depth things. The things we want to talk about deeply are just really different. I get a little uncomfortable when she talks about things that really cross her values and upsets her (Fi power!), and whenever I bitch about something (which is usually dumb and minor and I don't really care about) , for instance, some how she seems to translate it into Fi language and responds as such-- which again, is kind of bewildering to me. Fortunately we're both great listeners, so it really hasn't been an issue.

I do agree about the Thinker females being trained to be more "feeler-ish" though... to an extent. I feel expected to act that way, but I never really feel comfortable with it. Maybe it will change with age. But when I'm around a group of women that are primarily F's, sometimes I feel like an ogre (Lol.) when they talk about feeler type things and I either a) don't know how to respond or give input or b) feel like I'm put on the spot. And if I'm around a group of guys, and they make some asinine blanket statement about women, blah, blah, blah... it usually ends up with me punching them.

 

[mountainofdew]

I agree with most of what is being said here. Of course the gender response was pretty great too: as in the picture. I relate to feeling out of place with emotional discussions. I also take a while to warm up to people: which means that I think I can trust them. I think I am very friendly. I do not share everything with everyone, so yes there are layers of trust. For a long time I didn't know that when people shared personal stories that I was supposed to share one of mine also. I definitely feel the pull of trying to fulfill stereotypical male tj roles. I can take stuff apart, and put it back together. I really don't like the "Mechanic" description. Not because of it's maleness, but because it puts a blue collar feel to a personality. I know there is nothing wrong with blue collar, it just feels like an insult to my intelligence, and to everyone else who might fit that label. Yes, it's true I like working with objects rather than people. Working with people is occasionally fun. However, that's me at work. Primarily I am an introvert. I do think we are shaped by society to an extent. I think that accounts for a lot of the difference in the male, and female, istps. Of course we all have varied upbringing, and that shapes us as well. I don't really think that the personality we started off with can survive life unchanged. My 2 cents.

 

[Thalassa]

I agree with most of what is being said here. Of course the gender response was pretty great too: as in the picture. I relate to feeling out of place with emotional discussions. I also take a while to warm up to people: which means that I think I can trust them. I think I am very friendly. I do not share everything with everyone, so yes there are layers of trust. For a long time I didn't know that when people shared personal stories that I was supposed to share one of mine also. I definitely feel the pull of trying to fulfill stereotypical male tj roles. I can take stuff apart, and put it back together. I really don't like the "Mechanic" description. Not because of it's maleness, but because it puts a blue collar feel to a personality. I know there is nothing wrong with blue collar, it just feels like an insult to my intelligence, and to everyone else who might fit that label. Yes, it's true I like working with objects rather than people. Working with people is occasionally fun. However, that's me at work. Primarily I am an introvert. I do think we are shaped by society to an extent. I think that accounts for a lot of the difference in the male, and female, istps. Of course we all have varied upbringing, and that shapes us as well. I don't really think that the personality we started off with can survive life unchanged. My 2 cents.

Keirsey calls ISTPs Crafters instead of Mechanics. But I know what you mean, this is where some of the lame stereotypes about sensors come from are these dumb names which lead people to think "aha! I read, I'm educated, I'm not working class I must be an iNtuitive." I remember posting about this a long time ago on this forum, observing that some people had almost made type a distinction between not only IQ but level of education or social class. 0_o

 

[KDude]

Keirsey calls ISTPs Crafters instead of Mechanics. But I know what you mean, this is where some of the lame stereotypes about sensors come from are these dumb names which lead people to think "aha! I read, I'm educated, I'm not working class I must be an iNtuitive." I remember posting about this a long time ago on this forum, observing that some people had almost made type a distinction between not only IQ but level of education or social class. 0_o

Yeah, I don't think many ISTPs would call themselves crafters or mechanics either, but some would have the tools or means to handle many things like it if it came up. Wouldn't mean they made a career out of it. Personally, I'd like to fix things well enough so I don't have to think about it. I don't want to think about working and being a "crafter" all the time. I'm happily lazy, unless a problem comes up. If I could build robots to automate my life, I would.

Not entirely related, but I think anything's possible as far as females go. If I could use a famous person to buck a stereotype, I'd choose Famke Janssen. I can't think of any other type for her but ISTP.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pTihqyG8PU].[/youtube]

She might have *some* masculine traits, but she's not "butch". There's another interview I ran into where she did talk about some pressures in being a female though. She mentioned divorce, but suddenly found herself happy to be independent. Funnily, she did mention some "crafter" stuff. Like she was glad to learn a lot of that and do things herself, without depending on some man around. There might be a lot of females in similar situations. My mom is an ST, but she's always been this way herself. She couldn't depend on my dad. He's actually the clumsy one.

 

[StephMC]

Yeah, I don't think many ISTPs would call themselves crafters or mechanics either, but some would have the tools or means to handle many things like it if it came up. Wouldn't mean they made a career out of it. Personally, I'd like to fix things well enough so I don't have to think about it. I don't want to think about working and being a "crafter" all the time. I'm happily lazy, unless a problem comes up. If I could build robots to automate my life, I would.

Yesss. When people hear "fix things" they think of mundane, everyday things. To be honest, I'm probably pretty average at fixing actual objects just because I'm always around someone better at it than me. Growing up, I had a handy INTX dad, and I've had two long term NTP boyfriends that are actually pretty handy (the only boyfriend I was more handy than was an ESTJ believe it or not ). But as a programmer, I'm a good troubleshooter. I like to fix things, and I like to make things work better. When I was a majoring in math in school, I kind of viewed solving problems in a ISTP putting together/taking apart sort of way. I might not have cared too much about the really deep theories, but I enjoyed understanding how it all fit together and taking problems apart and putting them together again. I would work backwards and forwards a lot, until I understood how it worked.

On a sort of unrelated note, I probably figured out I was an ISTP as opposed to INTP so quickly when I picked up Meyer's Briggs because of the INTP I dated in college. When we worked on math or physics stuff together, our approach was pretty night and day. We both liked the subject, but for really different reasons. And we focused on really different parts.

To make this more relevant to the OP, I would guess that it's less common for female ISTPs to be handy than males, but I really think it just comes to how they were raised and the environment they were in. If you felt more pressure to be feminine, you'd probably be more feminine. If you felt more pressure to be masculine, you'd probably be more masculine. Really, I'd guess a good 90% of male/female differences is due to that.

 

[jixmixfix]

On a sort of unrelated note, I probably figured out I was an ISTP as opposed to INTP so quickly when I picked up Meyer's Briggs because of the INTP I dated in college. When we worked on math or physics stuff together, our approach was pretty night and day. We both liked the subject, but for really different reasons. And we focused on really different parts.

I'm noticing more and more differences now between ISTPs and INTPs myself. I notice INTPS appear more "goofy" and less grounded. I work with one and he seems to over think simple facts while I'll just brush off simple facts and not over think them. When it comes to dealing with "in the moment" opportunities and decision making they aren't so keen on using the objects/variables that are thrown right in front of them. They are rather fixated on their original plan/idea.

 

[StephMC]

I'm noticing more and more differences now between ISTPs and INTPs myself. I notice INTPS appear more "goofy" and less grounded. I work with one and he seems to over think simple facts while I'll just brush off simple facts and not over think them. When it comes to dealing with "in the moment" opportunities and decision making they aren't so keen on using the objects/variables that are thrown right in front of them. They are rather fixated on their original plan/idea.

I'm just throwing this out there, but I think it may because they trust their Ti more than us. We may be heavily dependent on Ti too, but Se allows us to "chart the course" and adapt