[SJ] SJ, what brought you to the typology website?

[King sns]

I'm curious about SJ's motivations for being interested enough in typology to come here and stay here?

I'm guessing some of the reasons are similar to everyone else, knowledge- being able to read people better- etc.

But given it's grounding in theory- it's instability, it's lack of practical purpose beyond the very basics, I wonder what holds you on this topic? Some things general are fine, but some things specific to SJ even better.

 

[tinker683]

It was the discovery of Typology and the fact that I already frequent a few other message boards. Once I got into typology, I wanted to see if there were other people like me, who had the same problems and approached things exactly as I did. If I could find these people I could then compare their life experiences to my own and learn from them.

It hasn't quite gotten that far yet but I have learned a great not just about myself but about other people as well and how it is they deal with things and how they've overcome their own challenges. This has helped me a great deal.

I stick around because I like certain people and I know I'm continuing to grow and learn being a part of this

ETA: Realized I didn't give any SJ specific things.

I like the description often given to SJs as even the definition itself gives me a sense of being grounded or of knowing my boundaries. It helps me to understand my strengths as well as my weaknesses. Typology may be just a theory but I have found a lot of practical uses for it as it gives me a general idea of how people are. As such, nowadays, when I'm talking or being around someone I'm like, "Hmm...sounds like Te. I should present this as fact-filled and detailed as I can" and things like that.

 

[Giggly]

My Ne made me come and my Ne makes me stay.

It's fun when it's fun.

 

[feisty]

I decided to do my MBTI again. I did it about a year and a half ago, but at the time (in true ESTJ form) I didn't give 2 fucks about it... because I was forced to do it.

So it sparked my interest this time and I stumbled on here, and I am a forum whore so I figured, why not?

 

[entropie]

[...] I have learned a great not just about myself but about other people as well and how it is they deal with things and how they've overcome their own challenges. This has helped me a great deal.

Think this answers the question, why to get into typology for anyone, disregardless of type.

 

[tinker683]

Think this answers the question, why to get into typology for anyone, disregardless of type.

I realize the answer is kind of granola but it's true though. I like people and I like knowing how it is they tick and MBTI does that. It's helped me to understand why people act and behave in certain ways and how to adjust or react to that.

 

[entropie]

Granola always is the most healthy food.

 

[Hecuba]

This is the sad thing, an INFP friend who typed me invited me here --- my overactive 6 Loyalist/Guardian tendencies stepped over bounds.

 

[tinker683]

I discovered typology when I went to real estate school. My instructor brought up "Please Understand Me II" and since then I've been hooked.

I realize it's mostly theoretical but I find that typology has helped me to understand people better. Now when I see people acting the way they do, I try to discern what function they might be using and that gives me something to work with when responding to them. I've also have found that it makes people much more interesting

ETA: Just now discovered after scrolling up I've already responded to this thread. Whoops

 

[Giggly]

Someone I know was into typology and I wanted to see what all the fuss was and there were a bunch of people here. I was never into typology and still am not (lol) but I like people and so I hang around here and pretend to be into it.

 

[/DG/]

I heard there was free food, so I decided to check it out. There wasn't any free food, but the people were okay.

But in all seriousness, I took a random MBTI test, got a result, and said, "WTF is this?" I didn't know what was going on with all of the letters, so I decided to investigate further. I'm no longer into MBTI, but I like to hang around. This is a pretty sweet community.

But the practical side of things never even crossed my mind. I don't know that MBTI is very practical to begin with.

 

[Hecuba]

Someone I know was into typology and I wanted to see what all the fuss was and there were a bunch of people here. I was never into typology and still am not (lol) but I like people and so I hang around here and pretend to be into it.

That's a legit reason if any, right?

 

[Tabula]

I hope I may answer as a most-likely-but-still-not-entirely-sure ISFJ.

I was going through a very depressed, completely isolated, self-loathing, miserable, Fe-repressing, period (great way to start, hm? ), during which time, my crazybrain decided it was the perfect opportunity--in the absence of any outside influence--to try to figure out What I Want, Who I Am, What I'm Doing With My Life, Why I Suck So Bad etc., by way of understanding why I do X, think Y, feel Z, what that means, what it says about me, blah blah blah (and all in backward, distorted, irrational, ineffective, and usually recursive form, as is the case with my depressions). I was reading something online, found an MBTI test, scored INTP (lol), wanted to learn more, and found this place. So, basically, my initial reasons were entirely selfish ones; I wanted to learn/hear more about MEEEEEEEEEE. Since having shed most of the depression and attendant obsessive, self-absorbed thinking habits, and adopting a more honest, easy, accepting approach to self-understanding (IOW, taking my ass to therapy ), I use it to try to better understand and communicate more effectively with people in my life, where and when I deem it appropriate to do so.

I don't know that I can really be INTO typology (I kinda skate along the top of it) in the sense that I never really know if I'm understanding it or anyone here correctly when they talk about certain aspects of/theories; theory decidedly isn't my strong suit, nor something I always have patience enough for. It does sometimes become exhausting having to fight through my tendency to take words literally (in the absence of accompanied body language/intonation/etc.) combined with the fact that I still don't have stellar confidence, which means I can end up equating that tendency with my being stupid--especially when I need to keep asking for clarification because I don't know which of the possible interpretations I came up with was the intended one (inferior Ne?) which makes me feel like a bother. But any frustrations/insecurities I feel here are far exceeded by the fun, challenge, interest, and fascination it offers me. I do a lot more reading than participating, however, and I don't feel like I know how to mix into the more social/friend-making part. All that said, I sort of come when the mood strikes, and leave when it does, which explains my not-exactly-prolific posting history.

Not sure if that's SJish enough, but there it is.

 

[WALMART]

Systems.

 

[RaptorWizard]

Wow lol SJ is obviously really rare here!

 

[The Iron Giant]

But given it's grounding in theory- it's instability, it's lack of practical purpose beyond the very basics, I wonder what holds you on this topic? Some things general are fine, but some things specific to SJ even better.

Drawing personal growth and understanding for myself and my loved ones from the competing and sometimes conflicting theories within typology is pretty great, if sometimes frustrating for its quirks. It ends up coming down to personal interpretation and blending of theories in some cases. Since none of it is concrete or "real" science, it kind of feels like a game where the goal is self awareness.

 

[Cellmold]

To understand my purpose. But I remembered to be skeptical and good thing too; typology needs a lot of work after all.

But generally I came here because I was desperate for some way to dive into myself, I didn't lack introspection, but I lacked any definition of what it was I was 'spectorin' in the first place. MBTI gave me some clarity and much more confusion, so it is a double-edged sword.

Mainly though...I just wanted to know what I was, to have a sense of purpose and direction, to realise that I am not some insane creature doomed by it's own cognition, that there was rhyme and reason to be found.

That life didn't have to be a series of mirrors in which an individual could get lost, looking for the one image that was real. Instead none or all of them could be and taking that in stride is the key.

The potential for multiple answers to both be right and wrong at the same time. True and untrue. The contradiction that is living.

 

[EJCC]

I'd been getting increasingly into the MBTI ever since I'd taken the test a few months before; I'd read a ton of online descriptions, started to get a little bit into function theory. I was a huge fan of the MBTI because it explained so much about me and about my relationships with others that I had been unable to explain, and it pretty much opened the doors to introspection for me. Gave me a set of tools with which I could poke and pry at my own psyche.

So as I was looking for more stuff about ESTJs on the internet, I naturally looked through several threads on several typology forums that were dedicated to my type. One of them was on this forum and was full to the brim with baseless stereotyping and hatred. So, because I was seventeen years old, full of relatively unchained Te, and pissed off, I joined the forum exclusively to tell those people off and to prove them wrong. I only stuck around because people were receptive, and I learned a lot through interacting with them. So I built myself a niche, stayed with it, and here I am.

Drawing personal growth and understanding for myself and my loved ones from the competing and sometimes conflicting theories within typology is pretty great, if sometimes frustrating for its quirks. It ends up coming down to personal interpretation and blending of theories in some cases. Since none of it is concrete or "real" science, it kind of feels like a game where the goal is self awareness.

^ Yep.

Self-awareness, self-improvement, and general communication improvement, in my case. Figuring out how I should change my behavior (and/or my outlook) to better suit my needs and the needs of my interpersonal relationships.

 

[Sil]

I'm curious about SJ's motivations for being interested enough in typology to come here and stay here?

I'm guessing some of the reasons are similar to everyone else, knowledge- being able to read people better- etc.

But given it's grounding in theory- it's instability, it's lack of practical purpose beyond the very basics, I wonder what holds you on this topic? Some things general are fine, but some things specific to SJ even better.

I'm mostly here for the conversation. Which I don't seem to get because this forum is dead as fuck.

Knowledge is good, but I don't particularly care about the theories at this point.

 

[elcie]

Honestly for me finding out about typing was like finding out something I'd been looking for my whole life and never realised. People suddenly made so much more sense to me. But I'm here because I think it's like a bottomless pit I fell into...so much more to learn and it never ends