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Could Such Irony be an INFJ?

Such Irony

Honor Thy Inferior
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I know a few people have suggested it for my type. Thoughts?

Here's the personality page INFJ description for your reference. Bolded particularly applies to me. Italics somewhat applies.



As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

NOTE: Well, I often feel reasonably confident about my intuitive impressions but I can't say for absolute certain that its right. What I do experience is a feeling that that something just 'feels' right but not have all the 'facts' to back it up. As a result I feel week in the debating issues department because I rarely have all the facts yet there are some issues I have a knee-jerk reaction towards. Maybe this is just F and not N. Or N combined with F.


INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized.


Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.


But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments.


They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals.

INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.

NOTE: Never had children so I'm just guessing here how I'd act as a parent.

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.

NOTE: I'm more detail oriented than most N's. I don't like having to pay attention to minute details all day but I've been told I'm good at it and painstakingly accurate. Maybe its just an overrcompensation for a natural weakness I have. Who knows?

The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.
------------------------

Overall the stuff that seems to fit the most seems to be the stuff that's not necessarily about intuition. Even though quite a bit of the profile fits, it makes me wonder if I'm really an INFJ as their dominant function is introverted intuition.

 

Such Irony

Honor Thy Inferior
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I went and did the cognitive functions test yet again. Not too much different except the Ti dropped a bit. Results are not at all typical of INFJ. INFJ would be expected to have higher Ni and Fe scores. Ne and Si would likely be lower as well.

Cognitive Process Level of Development (Preference, Skill and Frequency of Use)
extraverted Sensing (Se) *************** (15.4)
unused
introverted Sensing (Si) ************************************ (36.8)
excellent use
extraverted Intuiting (Ne) ******************************************* (43.5)
excellent use
introverted Intuiting (Ni) ***************************** (29)
average use
extraverted Thinking (Te) ******************************** (32.5)
good use
introverted Thinking (Ti) *************************** (27.4)
average use
extraverted Feeling (Fe) ****************** (18.3)
limited use
introverted Feeling (Fi) ************************************* (37.5)
excellent use


Either I'm not INFJ or the Ni and Fe questions are not very good. Here are the Ni and Fe questions for your reference and how I answered them and what was going on in my mind.

For the Ni questions:

*Experience a premonition or foresee the distant future.
I suppose "somewhat me." I do think about the future alot and like to imagine what the distant future will be like but I don't relate as well to experiencing premonitions.

*Achieve a metamorphosis, definitive insight, or powerful vision of change.
Mostly me. I don't always implement the visions I get in my head though.

*Gain a profound realization from a mystical state or sudden release of emotions.
Little me. I suppose the "mystical" part caused me not to relate to the statement well. I have on occasion gained profound realizations from sudden release of emotions. Maybe this isn't a good exmaple but I remember one time I was really disappointed that I got passed over for a job that I felt should have been mine. I was really upset about it but with that upset I also got the realization that "I've gotta do something!" I have to take the initiative more! I have to do more professional development to develop skills I'm not so strong in!

*Engage life's magical moments and meaningful coincidences as they happen.
Mostly me. Except I'm not sure this is an Ni question. Could also be Ne, but I counted it as Ni because there's 48 questions total so 6 for each function and I already had 6 listed under Ne.

*Feel attracted to the symbolic, archetypal, or mysterious.
Little me. Occasionally I have mild interest in this kind of thing but in the general sense I'm not all that interested.

*Transform yourself by focusing inward on a specific way you need to be.
Exactly me. Now this one I can definitely relate to. Except I think I kinda do this in an Fe sort of way. For example, there will be a social occasion or work situation coming up and I'll think ahead about how I'll need to behave and come across as in the situation and then implement the behavior.


For the Fe questions:

*Feel inclined to be responsible for and care for others feelings.
Somewhat me. It's hard to answer this question because alot depends on the context I really prefer not to care for someone's feelings but if someone insists that I comfort them, I'll give it my best shot. As far as feeling responsible or not, that also depends. If a random stranger walks up to me and tells me how awful she's feeling, I know that I'm not responsible. On the other hand, if I say no to a request that's important to the other person and the other person is upset about it, I definitely feel at least somewhat responsible for their upset.

*Compassionately take on someone else's needs as your own.
Little me. This is not to say I don't care about peoples' needs. I do. But I also separate my needs from your needs. Just because you want X doesn't mean I also want X. Maybe I'm just taking this question too literally.

*Recognize and usually adhere to shared values, feelings, and social norms to get along.
Mostly me. This is the single Fe question I really feel like I can relate to. Unless the norms and values make absolutely no sense I'm inclined to follow them for the sake of getting along.

*Help make people feel comfortable by engaging in hosting and care-taking.
Not me. I want to mention that I do care about people around me feeling comfortable. I just do it by other means. I don't do hosting or care-taking but that could just be that I'm a strong introvert without alot of connection to others and therefore not alot of opportunity. However, I still prefer not to host or be the caretaker. I want people to be comfortable but prefer not to do the comforting. I don't feel confident in consoling other people.

*Readily communicate personally to all members of a group to feel unity.
Little me. Usually I find myself communicate to just one or two members, such as the group leader or whoever I happen to feel comfortable with. If I don't feel comfortable with someone, I avoid talking to that person if I can. I don't feel a need to communicate with *everyone* and often times my communication is more impersonal than it is personal.

*Merge and feel intimate onenesss with other people.
Little me. I rarely merge with other people and I rarely feel intimate oneness with anyone. Only people I feel really close to and comfortable with. I think some of this can be attributed to introversion and/or thinking (if I am a T).
 

Athenian200

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I went and did the cognitive functions test yet again. Not too much different except the Ti dropped a bit. Results are not at all typical of INFJ. INFJ would be expected to have higher Ni and Fe scores. Ne and Si would likely be lower as well.

That part isn't necessarily true. I would expect higher Fe scores, honestly, but I wouldn't expect lower Ne and Si scores. I think, to be honest, you might just not be seeing the Fe in yourself, so it might not be coming up on the test. That's the problem with self-reporting tests like these. Another problem is that your mood can affect the tests significantly.

If you think there's insight to be gained from these results, let me organize them for you:

Ne -- 43.5
Fi -- 37.5
Si -- 36.5
Te -- 32.5
Ni -- 29.0
Ti -- 27.4
Fe -- 18.3
Se -- 15.4


Wow. I did see a pattern in there, but it wasn't the one I expected to see... your cognitive function preferences are almost exactly in the hypothetical order of an ENFP! That order goes: Ne, Fi, Te, Si, Ni, Fe, Ti, Se. Look how close you are to that! Creepy.

I think it's possible that stress could be affecting how you test, though. So you could very well be an INFJ who is testing more like an ENFP due to stress. ENFP is one of the shadow types of INFJ (the other is ESTP). The other type that shares these shadows is ISTJ. Unless... you don't think you ARE an ENFP, do you? Because that's what this function test would have you believe.
 

Such Irony

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Since INTP is still ahead with the most votes, I want to comment on the Ti aspect, since that's the dominant for INTPs.

*Be guided by a definition, logical deduction, or other nugget of reasoning.
Mostly me.

*Apply leverage to a situation to solve a problem with minimal effort.
I answered "not me" but mainly because I wasn't sure I fully understood the leverage part of the question. Also, I care more about accuracy or personal comfort when solving problems than mere effort. I'm often aware of what approaches take more or less effort but am willing to put in more effort it provides a higher quality result or if the process of achieving it is somehow more comfortable for me.

*Consisely reference multiple frameworks at once when problem solving.
Somewhat me. I typically consider multiple frameworks and views but I'm not always so concise in my approach.

*Analyze and critique what doesn't fit with a well-defined principle.
Exactly me. This aspect of Ti I definitely relate to and is party of why I identified previously with INTP profiles.

*Fine-tune a definition or concept to support a theory, perspective, or framework.
Mostly me.

*Take apart something to figure out the principles on which it works.
Somewhat me. Question is vague. What things? I could care less about how most physical or mechanical things work but when it comes to theories and the like, I definitely enjoy 'taking them apart.'

Overall I've only got 'average use' of Ti, hardly suggestive of INTP. Again, either I'm not INTP, or the questions are poor or too few to provide a reliable assessment.
 

Athenian200

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I don't think you're getting anywhere with those definitions... try THESE instead:

http://www.gesher.org/Myers-Briggs/Jung_8_types.html

These are the official MBTI definitions. The other definitions are an analyst's opinion. Read over these, see what resonates.

The reasons you didn't resonate with Fe were horrible... They were relating to the SF or Extraverted version of Fe. INFJ wouldn't fit that very well. The descriptions you've been talking about were written from a behaviorist standpoint, which is not compatible with the MBTI.
 

Randomnity

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You don't really seem like the INFJs here, at all. You don't seem like the INTPs either, but less dramatically so. Your functions on that test are all over the place so I doubt it'll be able to help you. I don't see the strong Ne that you show in the test, but that might only come up outside the forum for some reason. You might actually have non-standard function order (which means you probably won't fit nicely into any type) or your perception of them might be off.

But from what I've seen here, you do seem isfj. Maybe, a "soft" intp or a "withdrawn" isfp.

That isn't an insult. I like you. Don't go by the type descriptions, they're horrendous. It's too bad there aren't many isfjs here these days.

This is one of the better type descriptions I've found for istp, so maybe the isfj version there is good, too. I think it applies more to "intellectual" Ss than the usual "OMG mechanic". http://www.murraystate.edu/secsv/fye/istp.htm

edit: the things you bolded are very indicative of Fe, and it certainly could be SiFe.

I think it's very telling that you bolded this:
go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture.

And then added this comment
NOTE: I'm more detail oriented than most N's. I don't like having to pay attention to minute details all day but I've been told I'm good at it and painstakingly accurate. Maybe its just an overrcompensation for a natural weakness I have. Who knows?

I think you're leaning on your strengths, not "overcompensating for weakness". I don't think many people do the latter.
 

Eric B

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I know a few people have suggested it for my type. Thoughts?

Here's the personality page INFJ description for your reference. Bolded particularly applies to me. Italics somewhat applies.


As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.

But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments.

They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals.

INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.


The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.

The INFJ is also directive, even with all those "Feeling" traits. In the video, you seemed totally informative. A "light and airiness" common to NP's.

Both T/F and J/P cover the personality factor known as "responsiveness". F and P are more "responsive" (people focused, informing and/or motive focused), and T and J are less responsive (or more task-focused, directive and/or structure focused). Directive/informative are apart of Interaction Style, while structure/motive is apart of the conative (Keirseyan) temperament. Which factor is connected to which dichotomy is determined by S/N.

You can divide it as T=more critical, F=more empathic, while J=more "serious", P=more "light and open".
You're not directive, but you do seem more "light" (such a pleasant manner of speech), and the T-criticalness is tempered by this. I think it comes out in what others were saying about your speech (they said "stiff, cold, monotone". etc). Even with all that, there was still a kind of "lightness", I guess in the facial expressions if nothing else. A Feeling Perceiver would likely be both light as well as not "cold" and such. So it really does look like T+P.

Keirsey defined directive as "defining the relationship with others", meaning having a sort of boundary that only some are allowed across. So NFJ's (as the only directive Feelers) can be sweet, caring, and empathetic, etc. but still, there is a kind of "don't call me; I'll call you" vibe to their interaction (including speech). I could be wrong, but you didn't seem like this at all.
 

cascadeco

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Like Randomnity, I don't want you to take any of my comments negatively or think they mean anything bad, because it's not my intention.

I just truly don't think you're dominant Ni - this is based on your posts, and what you end up focusing on/honing in on, but perhaps more importantly, it's based on your video. In your video, WHAT you talked about, and what you ended up focusing on, did not seem Ni to me. To me, as I told you, you seem to have a pretty solid use of Si. You seem very precise, and more prone to go into details/specifics, and somewhat deliberate in doing that. Perhaps what I'm describing is not in fact Si, but it reminds me of some Si-doms and the way in which they talk.

Now whether or not this Si is actually primary is another thing altogether. I think dom-Ti, with Si tied to it, would also result in this sort of more detailed-deliberate focus. But if you are J, I lean to ISxJ, and if you are P, INTP. I think w/ regards to F, I would lean towards Fe over Fi.
 

Such Irony

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That part isn't necessarily true. I would expect higher Fe scores, honestly, but I wouldn't expect lower Ne and Si scores. I think, to be honest, you might just not be seeing the Fe in yourself, so it might not be coming up on the test. That's the problem with self-reporting tests like these. Another problem is that your mood can affect the tests significantly.

If you read my analysis of the Fe questions, I think you'll find that I do use Fe but in a way that the questions are not picking up on. I think some of the Fe questions are perhaps biased more towards extraverts. An extravert is going to have an easier and quicker time "merging and feeling instant oneness with people" or "readily communicating to everyone in a group to feel unity." I could see IxFJs giving low ratings to these questions, since as introverts they tend to be reserved with people at first and take time to warm up although they too, do value group unity and harmony.


If you think there's insight to be gained from these results, let me organize them for you:

Ne -- 43.5
Fi -- 37.5
Si -- 36.5
Te -- 32.5
Ni -- 29.0
Ti -- 27.4
Fe -- 18.3
Se -- 15.4


Wow. I did see a pattern in there, but it wasn't the one I expected to see... your cognitive function preferences are almost exactly in the hypothetical order of an ENFP! That order goes: Ne, Fi, Te, Si, Ni, Fe, Ti, Se. Look how close you are to that! Creepy.

Well the test typed me as an INFP even though Ne was higher than Fi. I'm guessing its because Si was also high. I'd expect ENFPs to have a lower Si score. However, ENFP is one type I know I can safely rule out. I just relate much to the descriptions. INFP fits alot better than INFJ but I don't think that's right either.

I think it's possible that stress could be affecting how you test, though. So you could very well be an INFJ who is testing more like an ENFP due to stress. ENFP is one of the shadow types of INFJ (the other is ESTP). The other type that shares these shadows is ISTJ. Unless... you don't think you ARE an ENFP, do you? Because that's what this function test would have you believe.

Don't think I'm ENFP like under stress.

The test probably just isn't that good.

My Ne strength is probably overestimated as well. Not necessarily that I have poor Ne, just that its unlikely to be my dominant function. I did answer "exactly me" or "mostly me" to all of the Ne questions except for this one:

"Push your mental limits to complete an array of innovative achievements."

I answered "little me" to that one. I like functioning in the mental realm but I don't relate to pushing my mental limits. That sounds like a chore to me, like it takes fun out of the mental process. I don't think hardly any of my achievements would be considered particularly innovative. Its true I highly *value* and *admire* innovation but I don't consider myself all that innovative.

On a side note, I remember in school just dreading assignments that asked us to be original and creative, such as creative writing. Being asked to be original or creative takes the fun out of it. I want to be original or creative because the inspiration hit me, not because some assignment demands it out of me. Otherwise its just a chore. It also made me uncomfortable because I have no way of knowing when the next creative inspiration will hit or how it will manifest itself. Will I even have a creative idea that's feasible in the confines of the assignment by the deadline? Sometimes, I just don't *want* to be creative- I'd rather do it the 'right' way. Although when the creative inspiration does hit, I definitely want to feel free to act on it.

I don't think you're getting anywhere with those definitions... try THESE instead:

http://www.gesher.org/Myers-Briggs/Jung_8_types.html

Thanks for the link. I have not seen those descriptions before. I need some time to digest those. I'll let you know later how well each resonates with me.

The reasons you didn't resonate with Fe were horrible... They were relating to the SF or Extraverted version of Fe. INFJ wouldn't fit that very well. The descriptions you've been talking about were written from a behaviorist standpoint, which is not compatible with the MBTI.

Yeah, I agree.

You don't really seem like the INFJs here, at all. You don't seem like the INTPs either, but less dramatically so. Your functions on that test are all over the place so I doubt it'll be able to help you. I don't see the strong Ne that you show in the test, but that might only come up outside the forum for some reason. You might actually have non-standard function order (which means you probably won't fit nicely into any type) or your perception of them might be off.

But from what I've seen here, you do seem isfj. Maybe, a "soft" intp or a "withdrawn" isfp.

I do see my Ne presenting itself on the forum in the form of "it could be this" or "it could be that." Maybe its some other function instead of or in addition to Ne.

Curious why you think "withdrawn" isfp is a possibility. Especially considering how weak my Se is. Unless I have very poor access to my auxiliary function but I doubt is.

That isn't an insult. I like you. Don't go by the type descriptions, they're horrendous. It's too bad there aren't many isfjs here these days.

This is one of the better type descriptions I've found for istp, so maybe the isfj version there is good, too. I think it applies more to "intellectual" Ss than the usual "OMG mechanic". http://www.murraystate.edu/secsv/fye/istp.htm

edit: the things you bolded are very indicative of Fe, and it certainly could be SiFe.

I think it's very telling that you bolded this:

And then added this comment

I think you're leaning on your strengths, not "overcompensating for weakness". I don't think many people do the latter.


I like you too. I know you're not trying to 'insult' me by suggesting ISFJ or some other type. I appreciate your feedback.

Thanks for the link. I haven't looked over the ISFJ one yet but I will later today and let you know what I think. I did look over the ISTP one and it does sound like one of the better ISTP descriptions out there. However, I laughed when it said they are "god" with their hands. Surely that must have been a typo.

When you say the type descriptions are horrendous, do you mean mainly the ISFJ ones, or all the types in general?

FiSi INFP.

Reasoning please?

I haven't completely rejected INFP as a possibility. I do think a "soft" INTP or IxFJ is more likely but am interested in hearing a good case for INFP.

The INFJ is also directive, even with all those "Feeling" traits. In the video, you seemed totally informative. A "light and airiness" common to NP's.

Both T/F and J/P cover the personality factor known as "responsiveness". F and P are more "responsive" (people focused, informing and/or motive focused), and T and J are less responsive (or more task-focused, directive and/or structure focused). Directive/informative are apart of Interaction Style, while structure/motive is apart of the conative (Keirseyan) temperament. Which factor is connected to which dichotomy is determined by S/N.

You can divide it as T=more critical, F=more empathic, while J=more "serious", P=more "light and open".
You're not directive, but you do seem more "light" (such a pleasant manner of speech), and the T-criticalness is tempered by this. I think it comes out in what others were saying about your speech (they said "stiff, cold, monotone". etc). Even with all that, there was still a kind of "lightness", I guess in the facial expressions if nothing else. A Feeling Perceiver would likely be both light as well as not "cold" and such. So it really does look like T+P.

Keirsey defined directive as "defining the relationship with others", meaning having a sort of boundary that only some are allowed across. So NFJ's (as the only directive Feelers) can be sweet, caring, and empathetic, etc. but still, there is a kind of "don't call me; I'll call you" vibe to their interaction (including speech). I could be wrong, but you didn't seem like this at all.

Thanks for the feedback. Interesting. I do identify more with informative than directive. I'm not sure how much of this "lightness" or "criticalness" I have that you seem to be describing. Anyone else want to weigh in?

Like Randomnity, I don't want you to take any of my comments negatively or think they mean anything bad, because it's not my intention.

I just truly don't think you're dominant Ni - this is based on your posts, and what you end up focusing on/honing in on, but perhaps more importantly, it's based on your video. In your video, WHAT you talked about, and what you ended up focusing on, did not seem Ni to me. To me, as I told you, you seem to have a pretty solid use of Si. You seem very precise, and more prone to go into details/specifics, and somewhat deliberate in doing that. Perhaps what I'm describing is not in fact Si, but it reminds me of some Si-doms and the way in which they talk.

Now whether or not this Si is actually primary is another thing altogether. I think dom-Ti, with Si tied to it, would also result in this sort of more detailed-deliberate focus. But if you are J, I lean to ISxJ, and if you are P, INTP. I think w/ regards to F, I would lean towards Fe over Fi.

I'm also having trouble seeing the dominant Ni for the reason you describe. Probably an Fe using introvert but still haven't completely eliminated INFP as a possibility. I am pretty precise and thorough when I want to be.
 

Randomnity

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On a side note, I remember in school just dreading assignments that asked us to be original and creative, such as creative writing. Being asked to be original or creative takes the fun out of it. I want to be original or creative because the inspiration hit me, not because some assignment demands it out of me. Otherwise its just a chore. It also made me uncomfortable because I have no way of knowing when the next creative inspiration will hit or how it will manifest itself. Will I even have a creative idea that's feasible in the confines of the assignment by the deadline? Sometimes, I just don't *want* to be creative- I'd rather do it the 'right' way. Although when the creative inspiration does hit, I definitely want to feel free to act on it.
Not really on-topic, but I strongly identify with this. It's why I didn't choose to pursue art as a career, in fact.

I do see my Ne presenting itself on the forum in the form of "it could be this" or "it could be that." Maybe its some other function instead of or in addition to Ne.
That does sound like Ne although I see people of all types saying things like that. Everyone uses each function, blah blah.

Curious why you think "withdrawn" isfp is a possibility. Especially considering how weak my Se is. Unless I have very poor access to my auxiliary function but I doubt is.
I'm ignoring your functions in the quiz since they don't make sense, and going mostly on how you come across on the forum. It's hard to judge Se on the forum, and not all Se-aux types have "strong" Se necessarily. I don't. That would be my third choice after ISFJ and then INTP, though. I don't see Ni at all (not that I see it much in anyone).
Thanks for the link. I haven't looked over the ISFJ one yet but I will later today and let you know what I think. I did look over the ISTP one and it does sound like one of the better ISTP descriptions out there. However, I laughed when it said they are "god" with their hands. Surely that must have been a typo.

When you say the type descriptions are horrendous, do you mean mainly the ISFJ ones, or all the types in general?
All the S ones, at nearly all sites. I haven't read the SJ ones much in detail but pretty much all teh SJs here have complained about them, and the SP ones are awful.

They pretty much all assume that Ns are special snowflake geniuses and that S means we're incapable of using our minds ("thinking is abstract!!!!!!") and we are completely uninterested in anything that isn't done with our hands.

The one I linked is one of the few who don't assume that for the SP description, so maybe it has good SJ descriptions too. It's from a college so I suspect they're aimed more at "intellectuals" of all types, and the descriptions tend to reflect that.

I also found interaction styles very useful when I was trying to see if I was istp, intp, intj, even isfp.

http://www.bestfittype.com/interactionstyles.html

ISFJ and INTP are both behind the scenes interaction styles, so it wouldn't help you choose between them, but INFJ is chart the course, so you can see which seems more like you.
 

Eric B

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On a side note, I remember in school just dreading assignments that asked us to be original and creative, such as creative writing. Being asked to be original or creative takes the fun out of it. I want to be original or creative because the inspiration hit me, not because some assignment demands it out of me. Otherwise its just a chore. It also made me uncomfortable because I have no way of knowing when the next creative inspiration will hit or how it will manifest itself. Will I even have a creative idea that's feasible in the confines of the assignment by the deadline?
That too is just like me.
 

Aquarelle

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I know a few people have suggested it for my type. Thoughts?

NOTE: I'm more detail oriented than most N's. I don't like having to pay attention to minute details all day but I've been told I'm good at it and painstakingly accurate. Maybe its just an overrcompensation for a natural weakness I have. Who knows?
Me too. I'm detail-oriented at work and school when I'm conditioned to pay attention to details, but sometimes I don't notice the most obvious things if my mind doesn't register them as important (ie what someone is wearing, details in movie plots, the TV talking in the background... I never noticed how oblivious I can be sometimes, until I started living with a strong S).


I went and did the cognitive functions test yet again. Not too much different except the Ti dropped a bit. Results are not at all typical of INFJ. INFJ would be expected to have higher Ni and Fe scores. Ne and Si would likely be lower as well.

I don't buy into the cognitive processes order thing. I don't get the typical INFJ order, either, when I take that test. Just like all INFJs are not enneagram type 4s (like I am), I don't think all INFJs will be Ni, Fe, Ti, Se, Ne, Fi, Fe, Si. I usually score highest on Fi, followed by Ni.

I think it's possible you're an INFJ, from the bolded/italicized parts in the OP. A lot of the description seems to apply to you, and in my experience, that is the best way to determine type. And since only you know just how much the description matches your personality, you are really the only person who can decide if in fact you are INFJ (or any certain type). :)
 

Orangey

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Fuck the tests. They are not helpful at all, and are more likely to confuse you than anything else. Also, I agree with Randomnity and cascadeco.
 

Elfboy

Certified Sausage Smoker
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I went and did the cognitive functions test yet again. Not too much different except the Ti dropped a bit. Results are not at all typical of INFJ. INFJ would be expected to have higher Ni and Fe scores. Ne and Si would likely be lower as well.

Cognitive Process Level of Development (Preference, Skill and Frequency of Use)
extraverted Sensing (Se) *************** (15.4)
unused
introverted Sensing (Si) ************************************ (36.8)
excellent use
extraverted Intuiting (Ne) ******************************************* (43.5)
excellent use
introverted Intuiting (Ni) ***************************** (29)
average use
extraverted Thinking (Te) ******************************** (32.5)
good use
introverted Thinking (Ti) *************************** (27.4)
average use
extraverted Feeling (Fe) ****************** (18.3)
limited use
introverted Feeling (Fi) ************************************* (37.5)
excellent use


Either I'm not INFJ or the Ni and Fe questions are not very good. Here are the Ni and Fe questions for your reference and how I answered them and what was going on in my mind.

For the Ni questions:

*Experience a premonition or foresee the distant future.
I suppose "somewhat me." I do think about the future alot and like to imagine what the distant future will be like but I don't relate as well to experiencing premonitions.

*Achieve a metamorphosis, definitive insight, or powerful vision of change.
Mostly me. I don't always implement the visions I get in my head though.

*Gain a profound realization from a mystical state or sudden release of emotions.
Little me. I suppose the "mystical" part caused me not to relate to the statement well. I have on occasion gained profound realizations from sudden release of emotions. Maybe this isn't a good exmaple but I remember one time I was really disappointed that I got passed over for a job that I felt should have been mine. I was really upset about it but with that upset I also got the realization that "I've gotta do something!" I have to take the initiative more! I have to do more professional development to develop skills I'm not so strong in!

*Engage life's magical moments and meaningful coincidences as they happen.
Mostly me. Except I'm not sure this is an Ni question. Could also be Ne, but I counted it as Ni because there's 48 questions total so 6 for each function and I already had 6 listed under Ne.

*Feel attracted to the symbolic, archetypal, or mysterious.
Little me. Occasionally I have mild interest in this kind of thing but in the general sense I'm not all that interested.

*Transform yourself by focusing inward on a specific way you need to be.
Exactly me. Now this one I can definitely relate to. Except I think I kinda do this in an Fe sort of way. For example, there will be a social occasion or work situation coming up and I'll think ahead about how I'll need to behave and come across as in the situation and then implement the behavior.


For the Fe questions:

*Feel inclined to be responsible for and care for others feelings.
Somewhat me. It's hard to answer this question because alot depends on the context I really prefer not to care for someone's feelings but if someone insists that I comfort them, I'll give it my best shot. As far as feeling responsible or not, that also depends. If a random stranger walks up to me and tells me how awful she's feeling, I know that I'm not responsible. On the other hand, if I say no to a request that's important to the other person and the other person is upset about it, I definitely feel at least somewhat responsible for their upset.

*Compassionately take on someone else's needs as your own.
Little me. This is not to say I don't care about peoples' needs. I do. But I also separate my needs from your needs. Just because you want X doesn't mean I also want X. Maybe I'm just taking this question too literally.

*Recognize and usually adhere to shared values, feelings, and social norms to get along.
Mostly me. This is the single Fe question I really feel like I can relate to. Unless the norms and values make absolutely no sense I'm inclined to follow them for the sake of getting along.

*Help make people feel comfortable by engaging in hosting and care-taking.
Not me. I want to mention that I do care about people around me feeling comfortable. I just do it by other means. I don't do hosting or care-taking but that could just be that I'm a strong introvert without alot of connection to others and therefore not alot of opportunity. However, I still prefer not to host or be the caretaker. I want people to be comfortable but prefer not to do the comforting. I don't feel confident in consoling other people.

*Readily communicate personally to all members of a group to feel unity.
Little me. Usually I find myself communicate to just one or two members, such as the group leader or whoever I happen to feel comfortable with. If I don't feel comfortable with someone, I avoid talking to that person if I can. I don't feel a need to communicate with *everyone* and often times my communication is more impersonal than it is personal.

*Merge and feel intimate onenesss with other people.
Little me. I rarely merge with other people and I rarely feel intimate oneness with anyone. Only people I feel really close to and comfortable with. I think some of this can be attributed to introversion and/or thinking (if I am a T).

based on these scores, you look like an ENFP :hifive:
 

Such Irony

Honor Thy Inferior
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They pretty much all assume that Ns are special snowflake geniuses and that S means we're incapable of using our minds ("thinking is abstract!!!!!!") and we are completely uninterested in anything that isn't done with our hands.

I've always been more intellectually oriented and conceptually minded than "hands on." I don't enjoy the process of most hands on activities that others seem to derive pleasure from. I don't enjoy making arts and crafts, knitting, gardening, cooking, or woodworking. Not the physical process of these activities anyway. Only the end result. It doesn't necessarily mean I'm an N type but I'm guessing N types would be less inclined to enjoy "hands on" activities.

The one I linked is one of the few who don't assume that for the SP description, so maybe it has good SJ descriptions too. It's from a college so I suspect they're aimed more at "intellectuals" of all types, and the descriptions tend to reflect that.

I also found interaction styles very useful when I was trying to see if I was istp, intp, intj, even isfp.

http://www.bestfittype.com/interactionstyles.html

ISFJ and INTP are both behind the scenes interaction styles, so it wouldn't help you choose between them, but INFJ is chart the course, so you can see which seems more like you.

I looked up the ISFJ description from that site and it was only about half-fitting for me.

What I relate to is working primarily behind the scenes, responsible, dutiful, neat, orderly, take obligations seriously, and hardworking.

I don't think I'm as workaholic as the profile makes ISFJs to be. I don't think I'm the doormat the profile makes ISFJs to be either. I'm generally pretty quiet and nonassertive but when I perceive injustice has been done to me I can and will stand up to myself.

I like serving and helping others on occasion but its not what I consider particularly enjoyable. I don't have the interest in serving others like that profile describes.

I'm also not as tradition or ritual oriented either.

I also reviewed the interaction styles and feel like a combination of Behind the Scenes and Chart the Course with Behind the Scenes as most like me.

Here's iwakar's video, to compare. She seems like a typical INFJ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkCuXUGU73A&feature=player_embedded

I don't quite vibe like her, I don't think. Even as an introvert, I thought she was fairly emotionally expressive, whereas I came across as more emotionally contained.

I don't think you're getting anywhere with those definitions... try THESE instead:

http://www.gesher.org/Myers-Briggs/Jung_8_types.html

Some of the ways the those descriptions were worded were rather vague and abstract, so I'm not sure I interpreted it all correctly but I'll give it my best shot.

I related best to Ti, Si, and Ni. On the functions test, I scored much higher on Ne than Ni but after reading these descriptions, I definitely fit Ni more than Ne. I also fit Ti more than Te, Si waaaaay more than Se. With Fe/Fi it's a closer call but I think I fit Fe slightly more than Fi. I still found parts of Fe that I wasn't quite sure were all that fitting though. I'm not sure my feelings are more extensive than deep. I don't necessarily accept the ideals of the collective without question. I don't express myself all that easily- it takes awhile before I feel comfortable doing thiat. I don't think I give the effect of insincerity and pose. I've had people say that I come across as genuine.
 

Eric B

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I don't quite vibe like her, I don't think. Even as an introvert, I thought she was fairly emotionally expressive, whereas I came across as more emotionally contained.
Exactly! Yet you still manage to have a bit more of a "light and airy" vibe.
 

Orangey

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It's not going to be much more helpful to compare yourself to someone else whose type you can't be sure of.
 

Eric B

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Since we were discussing "vibes", I just used that as an example of what I was saying. Of course, none of this is ever 100% definite.
 
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