The tertiary cognitive process of the INTJ is Introverted Feeling (Fi). It is referred to by Jung as, "child" or "Puer" meaning "boy" in Latin; puella meaning "girl". Jung used these terms to represent the archetypal child in us all. In this context, it means that the third position Cognitive Process is accessed in a "childlike" way. That is, it's not as well-developed as the top two (Ni and Te), and is prone to shifts in perspective, in Beebe's terms, it can be "inflated" or "deflated". Not as dramatic as manic-depressive mood swings, but somewhat similar.
In the case of INTJ, it means that our deeply-held inner values are usually not as well developed as our Ni and Te. Consequently, it's possible that we can become alternatively petulant or grandiose depending on whether our values are being questioned or supported.
I'm curious as to how other INTJs on this forum view this statement. Have you ever thought about how you view these shifts in perspective, e.g., highs/lows? Have you worried that you may have Bipolar tendencies or have you simply recognized this as part of who you are?
I don't know that this is directly answering the question, but I'll more so comment just on thoughts, I guess.
I was always extremely emotionally stable when I was younger; this past year or two I have certainly felt more emotional pulls due to my first real swings at Serious Facts of Life (1st experience with death of someone close to me, 1st time immersed in a foreign culture...) but I don't really feel that I have been moody so to question the chemical makeup of my brain activity.
My dad is ENFP; he really worked hard on developing our consideration of others' feelings b/c it was something that a) my mom was sometimes unintentionally extremely poor at and b) one of his biggest goals for his children. (Every sibling squabble became a "how are you affecting this person's soul and identity by saying those things about them/treating them this way?" lol. He was so friendly about it, though, you'd think it would get annoying but he pulled it off.)
I do certainly get flashes of anger and take this out on people when they don't deserve it. Mostly, these are due to the fact that I'm working on a project in my mind/researching on the internet/books and I feel like they're sucking me out of my reality when they come and ask me to do something so "unimportant".
Or, if I'm stressed b/c I'm not feeling able to completely give my best to something (i.e. school) due to time constraints, and hten something like a family gathering is occurring, I get pretty pissed at people b/c I don't want to give my time to them.
Maybe, to more directly answer the question... I find when I am "restructuring my inner mental framework" I behave in ways that make no sense to me. Irrational, would be an appropriate word, actually.
I get snappy and moody a little bit when I'm trying to integrate a new meaningful piece of information and I have yet to lay my new foundations and find my footing.
(Read:
Introverted iNtuition is sort of like a framework for understanding that exists in the mind. As something is perceived, it is melded into the existing intuitive framework. If an entirely new piece of information is perceived by the Introverted iNtuitive, that person must redefine their entire framework of reference. So, Introverted iNtuitives are constantly taking in information about the world that needs to be processed in a relatively lengthy manner in order to be understood. That presents quite a challenge to the INTJ. It's not unusual for an INTJ to feel overwhelmed with all of the things that he or she needs to consider in order to fully understand an idea or situation. from
INTJ Personal Growth)