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Is it Possible to...

Tabula

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...have a certain functional order preference, but not see yourself at all in its manifested "type" descriptions? I understand that those are two different things (er, I think?), but shouldn't there be some commonalities?

Is it more likely that I am not understanding the/some functions, or that I have a blind spot to my own tendencies and/or functional preferences? Is an easier understanding of a function necessarily indicative of a stronger preference?

I think I am probably Si-Fe, yet I fail to see any shred of myself in ISFJ descriptions; I want to know why this is. I know that we are all individuals, and no one is going to identify completely with any given type description, but shouldn't s/he identify with SOME of it?

I dunno. Help, please? :blush:
 

Cellmold

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This is completely normal.

Type descriptions, especially the majority found online, are generally written from a view of what certain functions people have come to assume will produce certain traits. However this is not set in stone and nor is behaviour the best example of what goes on behind the eyes of an individual in cognition.

The functions themselves can be somewhat flimsy too given their being open to intepretation and many will imprint their personal experience of particular people in their lives upon certain functions. This makes it hard for that person to see the variety of individuals that are still the same type.
 

IceBlock

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Yes, Jung's functions and MBTI are two different things indeed. It's weird that you see NOTHING at all in common with the ISFJ type, but I think that's ok. Plus, I observed that ISFJs tend to differ a lot from each other, and their type description often seems way too generical... But that's just me.

Anyway, the more deep I get to know myself and other people, the more I see how the MBTI gotta be used just as some identifying tool rather than an individualistic describing tool.
 

Tabula

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Thank you, both. I think I will settle in with my ISFJness... for now. :D

I'm especially guilty of this, I think:

... and many will imprint their personal experience of particular people in their lives upon certain functions. This makes it hard for that person to see the variety of individuals that are still the same type.

Couldn't that itself even be an Si-ish thing? Heh.
 

Santosha

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What in the type descriptions do you not agree with? And yes, it is entirely possible. It's rarely the what and mostly the why. Even if you find a more specific description it is only a net that captures patterns of behavior, it is not absolute. I've known INFP's 5w4's that looked like INTJ's on the surface, I saw my INTP brother appear ENFJ-ish after a terrible breakup.
 

Tabula

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^ Meh, I guess you're right. I still suck at this shit. :dry:
 

KDude

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You should keep in mind that a lot of descriptions are written by NTPs, who are mostly infantile man-children, and wish to have most of the laborious realities of "sensor" existence taken care of for them. So they've created an ideal out of SFJ types, who are happy to spoonfeed and change diapers.

:coffee:
 

Tabula

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What in the type descriptions do you not agree with? And yes, it is entirely possible. It's rarely the what and mostly the why. Even if you find a more specific description it is only a net that captures patterns of behavior, it is not absolute. I've known INFP's 5w4's that looked like INTJ's on the surface, I saw my INTP brother appear ENFJ-ish after a terrible breakup.

I find it hard to relate to the portrait of an ISFJ as a selfless duty-fulfilling drone thing. But, I suppose anyone probably would, yeah? Also, it probably bears mentioning that I have ADHD. Or maybe it doesn't. I understand that it's not a type-related thing, but I do think it has significantly impacted my ability to not only figure out my type, but figure out myself. Once I was able to place some of my behavioral inconsistencies and general dissonant/vaguely uncomfortable feelings toward some things into that ADHD framework, it all made much more sense. I DO prefer punctuality, value closure, hard work, following through on obligations, etc. etc., but those are also the very things affected by the suckage that is my executive functioning.

I'm babbling.

tl;dr: I find it hard to relate to the detail-orientation, traditionalism, and responsible picture of ISFJs. Also, I think probably just answered all my own questions, likely rendering this thread completely pointless... :doh:

But I like input! :D
 

Tabula

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You should keep in mind that a lot of descriptions are written by NTPs, who are mostly infantile man-children, and wish to have most of the laborious realities of "sensor" existence taken care of for them. So they've created an ideal out of SFJ types, who are happy to spoonfeed and change diapers.

:coffee:

Hehe. As long as said spoonfeeding and diaper-changing isn't FOR the adult NTPs, I shall be okay with this. :D

Also, please don't make me do taxes. Can we summon the NTPs to delegate this one to the STJs, please?
 

KDude

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Hehe. As long as said spoonfeeding and diaper-changing isn't FOR the adult NTPs, I shall be okay with this. :D

There's no distinction between adult and child in NTP land (barely in STP land either, for that matter).
 

Tabula

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Must be why I love them-- makes my SFJ spidey senses tingle with nurturing and other such non-creepy-oedipal-warm-mom-like feelings. :wubbie: I reckon I'd like to start an xxTP collection. But no diaper-changing services will be provided--BYOD only.
 

Title

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Be sure you aren't zeroing in too much on the minute details of descriptions, however. I've shown many friends descriptions of what type they think they are, and they object with "...but I don't like trivia" or "but I'm not a leader" or "but I don't whine" -- etc.

Not all NTPs are whiny manchildren :) nor are most FJs irrational control freaks; stereotyping is bad!
 

Tabula

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Oops.

Gah! I'm sorry for bumping this. A whole 'nother thread about myself seems like it'd be more annoying, though.

I'm having a difficult time figuring out my type (hardly a rarity 'round these parts, it seems :D). Not long after I believe I have it settled, I start finding more and more reasons to doubt it creeping out through the cracks, and, soon after, it's all a chipped, cracked, crumbly mess of pieces that can't fit back together anymore. Back where I started. :doh:

It feeeeels like I understand the functions, but I don't think that I really do. No matter how much time I spend/have spent reading about them in however many different ways they've been presented/described/explained, I never feel confident enough in my understanding to apply or demonstrate it, which I think means I never really understood it. I know I have this annoying, inefficient way of thinking myself over the river and through the woods, when grandma's house was right across the fucking street to begin with. Maybe that's why it's hard? Or maybe all of this is simply over my head. I'm not sure. But in any case, I'm invested, interested, still have a type (whatever it may be), and for whatever reason, still really want to figure it out.

I know that no one here knows me, so I can't really ask what I seem like. So, er, would anyone be willing to try to help me with this somehow?

Do you think that maybe, by my being so frustrated at all the possibilities I can see that I might be X type, or am probably not Y type, etc. could be inferior Ne? That I keep being too literal? Could I be right about ISFJ, then? Or something? I dunno. :doh:
 
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Rebe

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I asked people who knows me really well to read descriptions and tell me which one fits me the best. I know some people who just see themselves as, for example XNTJ instead of INTJ or ENTJ ... because they haven't concluded which way they sway. I think my Ne and Fi are both high up there even though my friends tell me the INFP profile has got me written all over it. An outside perspective helps a lot because we are obviously biased. I think it's which type fits the best, not which fits you exactly right. I have friends who I know really well who I can't type the fourth letter for. ;) There are a lot of different type profiles, some are more 'practical' and others are more 'intellectual' so not everything is supposed to fit exactly right.
 

citizen cane

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...have a certain functional order preference, but not see yourself at all in its manifested "type" descriptions?

Absolutely. I identify most with ISTJ or maybe ISFJ functions, but going strictly by lettters as ISxP.
 

Tabula

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[MENTION=8546]Rebe[/MENTION] Thank you for the suggestion. I asked a few people who know me well, and, while their choices weren't expected, it was really fun and interesting to see how they view me. :)

Here's what they chose for me:

Sister: INFP
Dad: INFP
Boyfriend: INFJ or ISFP
Brother: INTP or INFP
Mom: ENFP or INFJ
Friend: INFJ

:shock: .... :laugh:

I think it's which type fits the best, not which fits you exactly right.

You're right. I keep needing to be reminded of this, for some reason. It's so simple and easy to understand, but difficult in practice, I think, because I tend to automatically focus on exceptions, differences, inconsistencies, "mismatches" etc., while overlooking similarities. I'd been attributing this tendency to Si, but maybe I'm wrong. :doh:
 
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