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IN?P

Clover

New member
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
131
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
5w4
Hmm... I can't figure it out. I have read through other threads regarding people with the same questions as I & have found them helpful but not quite definitive of me. As a child I resembled an INFP, terribly sensitive, quiet, shy, eager to please, daydreaming, etc. But of course there was that part of me that sat back and observed the other little kids on the playground learning what I should do and not do. The first conclusion I came to resulting from observations was something like this: "Never trust anyone, keep your secrets to yourself." Does this seem like a very INFP thing to do or think?

The more INTP version of myself became pronounced in my middle school-high school years and today. For some reason I just stopped wanting to make others happy or proud, got tired of doing the same work over & over again, saw no point to it all... Yadda yadda. These things are just measured by my school performance, but there were quite a few things going on in the background too. Moving from the South to the North, being surrounded by alcoholics & drug users, my crying mother, my workaholic/ever absent/alcoholic/womanizing father, & quite a few other things that really screwed me over... Not to be melodramatic, but I am sure these sorts of experiences had an effect on me. Did they cause me to put a stopper on feeling?

Today I suppose you could say I use logic to get through life, but what is my logic based off of? The possible emotional outcome of the situation I am in. "Will this person make me happy? Will this class make me miserable? What is the road to my greatest happiness? How can I avoid heartbreak? How can I avoid pain?" These are things I am quite certain everyone asks themselves, but my point is that's really as far as my logic goes. Of course I think about the meaning of life, I am curious about sciences & how things work, philosophy & applying theories, but I have never been very good at them... I can understand philosophy, but only the ideas and logic when they are put into a realistic context. I mean I tried majoring in the sciences, but have concluded that I was trying to fit into a pair of shoes that were not made for me...

Bleh, help. I could ramble on for hours if I thought anyone was going to read more than this. :p
 

disregard

mrs
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
7,826
MBTI Type
INFP
Hmm... I can't figure it out. I have read through other threads regarding people with the same questions as I & have found them helpful but not quite definitive of me. As a child I resembled an INFP, terribly sensitive, quiet, shy, eager to please, daydreaming, etc. But of course there was that part of me that sat back and observed the other little kids on the playground learning what I should do and not do. The first conclusion I came to resulting from observations was something like this: "Never trust anyone, keep your secrets to yourself." Does this seem like a very INFP thing to do or think?

The more INTP version of myself became pronounced in my middle school-high school years and today. For some reason I just stopped wanting to make others happy or proud, got tired of doing the same work over & over again, saw no point to it all... Yadda yadda. These things are just measured by my school performance, but there were quite a few things going on in the background too. Moving from the South to the North, being surrounded by alcoholics & drug users, my crying mother, my workaholic/ever absent/alcoholic/womanizing father, & quite a few other things that really screwed me over... Not to be melodramatic, but I am sure these sorts of experiences had an effect on me. Did they cause me to put a stopper on feeling?

Today I suppose you could say I use logic to get through life, but what is my logic based off of? The possible emotional outcome of the situation I am in. "Will this person make me happy? Will this class make me miserable? What is the road to my greatest happiness? How can I avoid heartbreak? How can I avoid pain?" These are things I am quite certain everyone asks themselves, but my point is that's really as far as my logic goes. Of course I think about the meaning of life, I am curious about sciences & how things work, philosophy & applying theories, but I have never been very good at them... I can understand philosophy, but only the ideas and logic when they are put into a realistic context. I mean I tried majoring in the sciences, but have concluded that I was trying to fit into a pair of shoes that were not made for me...

Bleh, help. I could ramble on for hours if I thought anyone was going to read more than this. :p

The emboldened parts are what gave me the impression. You could post a bit more (for a month or so), and I could give you a more accurate assessment.
 

Colors

The Destroyer
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
1,276
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
The first conclusion I came to resulting from observations was something like this: "Never trust anyone, keep your secrets to yourself." Does this seem like a very INFP thing to do or think?

I concur with the INFP reading. Not all INFPs- in fact, most INFPs I have met in real life are not super-fluffy and optimistic and illogical. Your motivations, of being "eager to please" and trying to find the "road to ... greatest happiness" really sound INFP to me.
 

KatrinaB

New member
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
12
MBTI Type
INTP
I am new to this forum and finding it fascinating. It has never occured to me that I really AM an INTP. I think of it as, "When I did MBTI the results indicated I am INTP." I'm quite sure that my tendencies change depending on mood, experience, stage of like, external influences etc. I really need to do MBTI again. Clover--maybe you are an INTP and an INFP, depending on circumstances.
 

disregard

mrs
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
7,826
MBTI Type
INFP
Katrina.. don't pay much mind to the test. Stick around and learn about the cognitive processes.. and also.. about the types and how they vary. You should be able to tell your type without relying upon a test after a while.
 

FFF

Fight For Freedom
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
691
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
9
Hmm... I can't figure it out. I have read through other threads regarding people with the same questions as I & have found them helpful but not quite definitive of me. As a child I resembled an INFP, terribly sensitive, quiet, shy, eager to please, daydreaming, etc. But of course there was that part of me that sat back and observed the other little kids on the playground learning what I should do and not do. The first conclusion I came to resulting from observations was something like this: "Never trust anyone, keep your secrets to yourself." Does this seem like a very INFP thing to do or think?

The more INTP version of myself became pronounced in my middle school-high school years and today. For some reason I just stopped wanting to make others happy or proud, got tired of doing the same work over & over again, saw no point to it all... Yadda yadda. These things are just measured by my school performance, but there were quite a few things going on in the background too. Moving from the South to the North, being surrounded by alcoholics & drug users, my crying mother, my workaholic/ever absent/alcoholic/womanizing father, & quite a few other things that really screwed me over... Not to be melodramatic, but I am sure these sorts of experiences had an effect on me. Did they cause me to put a stopper on feeling?

Today I suppose you could say I use logic to get through life, but what is my logic based off of? The possible emotional outcome of the situation I am in. "Will this person make me happy? Will this class make me miserable? What is the road to my greatest happiness? How can I avoid heartbreak? How can I avoid pain?" These are things I am quite certain everyone asks themselves, but my point is that's really as far as my logic goes. Of course I think about the meaning of life, I am curious about sciences & how things work, philosophy & applying theories, but I have never been very good at them... I can understand philosophy, but only the ideas and logic when they are put into a realistic context. I mean I tried majoring in the sciences, but have concluded that I was trying to fit into a pair of shoes that were not made for me...

Bleh, help. I could ramble on for hours if I thought anyone was going to read more than this. :p

The things you refer to make you sound like more of an INFP. Don't ask for specifics. You just do.
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

Well-known member
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
7,263
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
Your question is the equivalent of asking: am I tall or short? People don't really divide into tall and short categories. The cutoffs are arbitrary and relative to others. You're more F than some, and more T than others, but you're somewhere in the middle.
 

Mort Belfry

Rats off to ya!
Joined
Jan 12, 2008
Messages
1,238
MBTI Type
INTP
Today I suppose you could say I use logic to get through life, but what is my logic based off of? The possible emotional outcome of the situation I am in. "Will this person make me happy? Will this class make me miserable? What is the road to my greatest happiness? How can I avoid heartbreak? How can I avoid pain?" These are things I am quite certain everyone asks themselves, but my point is that's really as far as my logic goes.

I never ask myself those things. When I'm introverting in a large group of people that I'm too socially inept or apathetic to talk to, all I try to do is list the ways that I'm better than everyone else around me in my head.

I agree with Dana, INFP.
 

Seanan

Procrastinating
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
954
MBTI Type
INTJ
First, I would never presume to type you and can only give you an alternate from my own INTP way of thinking:

Today I suppose you could say I use logic to get through life, but what is my logic based off of? The possible emotional outcome of the situation I am in.

I seldom, if ever, consider where I'm at or going "emotionally." In fact, I find the language of emotion pretty foreign and hard to grasp.


Will this person make me happy?

Do we have the same goals/values?

Will this class make me miserable?

Do I need this class and will it hold my interest?


What is the road to my greatest happiness?

Again, what road will lead to my ultimate goals or be consistent with my values?


How can I avoid heartbreak?

Never a consideration as the nature of life is that its inevitable... consideration of such diminishes other possibilities.

How can I avoid pain?

Again, not a consideration as above.

These are things I am quite certain everyone asks themselves, but my point is that's really as far as my logic goes.

No, I don't think they do.

Of course I think about the meaning of life, I am curious about sciences & how things work, philosophy & applying theories, but I have never been very good at them... I can understand philosophy, but only the ideas and logic when they are put into a realistic context.

I don't think a particulary strong interest in those indicates INTPness although those do happen to be things that interest me.


I mean I tried majoring in the sciences, but have concluded that I was trying to fit into a pair of shoes that were not made for me...

I switched my major from the arts to the sciences... my double major.. Philosophy and Biology fit me much better.

Hope that helps.
 

Clover

New member
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
131
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
5w4
Seanan said:
I seldom, if ever, consider where I'm at or going "emotionally." In fact, I find the language of emotion pretty foreign and hard to grasp.

It is really hard for me to grasp the idea that people do not think about their emotional state, even just a little, when they are faced with a task or situation. I would think people might care about how they feel, I had no idea someone would make a decision that could quite possibly make them miserable... I wonder what could drive someone to do such a thing? Essentially, doesn't everyone strive to achieve some form of happiness? Perhaps people go about it in different ways, but that doesn't really mean they don't consider their emotions... :huh:

Ahhh, I had no idea I came off so INFP-ish. I guess I have to do some reading now, hehe. Thanks a lot for the input, guys! It really gives me a lot to think about. :]
 

Seanan

Procrastinating
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
954
MBTI Type
INTJ
It is really hard for me to grasp the idea that people do not think about their emotional state, even just a little, when they are faced with a task or situation. I would think people might care about how they feel, I had no idea someone would make a decision that could quite possibly make them miserable... I wonder what could drive someone to do such a thing? Essentially, doesn't everyone strive to achieve some form of happiness? Perhaps people go about it in different ways, but that doesn't really mean they don't consider their emotions... :huh:

Ahhh, I had no idea I came off so INFP-ish. I guess I have to do some reading now, hehe. Thanks a lot for the input, guys! It really gives me a lot to think about. :]

Perhaps its semantics or degrees Clover. Except for a brief spell of clinical depression caused by a brain chemistry imbalance from some meds I had to take, I don't think I've ever been miserable. When making a decision to do anything, my approach is logical in terms of who I know myself to be. If I make the best decision I can toward my goals, like success in my artwork for instance, or values, like not lying for instance, then unhappiness will not result. But I'm not seeking happiness only authenticity. I, on the other hand, cannot perceive of seeking happiness for happiness's sake. Where would one even begin? The key is in knowing yourself. When you do, and your approach is logically consistent with self perhaps happiness is a by product... but not a goal. Additionally, misery, happiness or unhappiness are, as I see it, the result of perspectives. Those can be changed. But no, I don't think anyone, certainly not me, jumps into anything willy nilly not predetermining the possible results.
 

Mort Belfry

Rats off to ya!
Joined
Jan 12, 2008
Messages
1,238
MBTI Type
INTP
It is really hard for me to grasp the idea that people do not think about their emotional state, even just a little, when they are faced with a task or situation. I would think people might care about how they feel, I had no idea someone would make a decision that could quite possibly make them miserable... I wonder what could drive someone to do such a thing?

Some of these people aren't aware of feeling miserable. I think you've given us some valuable insight, Clover. Apparently Jung himself thought everybody was an introverted thinker in his earlier years and it took him while to figure out they're not. The dominant function is so strong in ourselves that we wonder how other people of other types do without it.
 

Mondo

Welcome to Sunnyside
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Messages
1,992
MBTI Type
EsTP
Enneagram
6w7
Hmm... I can't figure it out. I have read through other threads regarding people with the same questions as I & have found them helpful but not quite definitive of me. As a child I resembled an INFP, terribly sensitive, quiet, shy, eager to please, daydreaming, etc. But of course there was that part of me that sat back and observed the other little kids on the playground learning what I should do and not do. The first conclusion I came to resulting from observations was something like this: "Never trust anyone, keep your secrets to yourself." Does this seem like a very INFP thing to do or think?

The more INTP version of myself became pronounced in my middle school-high school years and today. For some reason I just stopped wanting to make others happy or proud, got tired of doing the same work over & over again, saw no point to it all... Yadda yadda. These things are just measured by my school performance, but there were quite a few things going on in the background too. Moving from the South to the North, being surrounded by alcoholics & drug users, my crying mother, my workaholic/ever absent/alcoholic/womanizing father, & quite a few other things that really screwed me over... Not to be melodramatic, but I am sure these sorts of experiences had an effect on me. Did they cause me to put a stopper on feeling?

Today I suppose you could say I use logic to get through life, but what is my logic based off of? The possible emotional outcome of the situation I am in. "Will this person make me happy? Will this class make me miserable? What is the road to my greatest happiness? How can I avoid heartbreak? How can I avoid pain?" These are things I am quite certain everyone asks themselves, but my point is that's really as far as my logic goes. Of course I think about the meaning of life, I am curious about sciences & how things work, philosophy & applying theories, but I have never been very good at them... I can understand philosophy, but only the ideas and logic when they are put into a realistic context. I mean I tried majoring in the sciences, but have concluded that I was trying to fit into a pair of shoes that were not made for me...

Bleh, help. I could ramble on for hours if I thought anyone was going to read more than this. :p

Yea, another INXP! I can't say for you what type you are since that would be contradicting my own confusion, since I cannot yet tell the difference between an INTP or INFP in many ways. However, deciding to never trust anyone is something that an INFP would do, especially if there were past disappointments. You sound like an NF though and not an NT. You don't seem like someone who has stopped feeling. An INFP is capable of skepticism like an NT.
 

TenebrousReflection

New member
Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
449
MBTI Type
INFp
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Yea, another INXP! I can't say for you what type you are since that would be contradicting my own confusion, since I cannot yet tell the difference between an INTP or INFP in many ways. However, deciding to never trust anyone is something that an INFP would do, especially if there were past disappointments. You sound like an NF though and not an NT. You don't seem like someone who has stopped feeling. An INFP is capable of skepticism like an NT.

There may be times I'm not certain if I'm and INFP, but I do not believe that lack of trust is a defining characteristic of INFPs (and if it is, then thats one more thing to make me think about it). I have had times in my life where I very pessimistic, cynical and had a hard time trusting most people, and that made for a fairly miserable way to live, but thats the past to me, and its pretty easy to trust most people, so now I'm miserable for other reasons :).

But ya, I'll agree with the other posters and say that from what little I've read of you INFP looks like a good fit based on whats important to you.
 
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