[Important: this is venturing into
Socionics territory, for reasonable
MBTI temperament equivalents,
IJ =
Ip, and
IP =
Ij]
A more useful way of figuring out if you are an irrational or rational type would be to analyze temperament in relation to stimulation and activity.
A greatly respectable user on 16types posted this great analysis concerning the topic:
Ej = Active because of Overstimulation (Participative)
Ep = Active because of Understimulation (Proactive)
Ij = Inactive because of Understimulation (Rejective)
Ip = Inactive because of Overstimulation (Retractive)
In relation to your situation:
The
Ej temperament is mobilized and active as a reaction to the amount of work that is before them - they must get it done or they will feel overwhelmed and unproductive, perhaps even irresponsible.
The
Ep temperament is back-and-forth about the amount of work that is before them - if the work is meaningful and interesting, they can be proactive and get things done, but if they are understimulated by the work before them, they will push it aside and look for something more stimulating, able to leave things for the last minute or leave things uncompleted for more intriguing ventures.
The
Ij temperament, as implied above, is rather selective concerning the amount of work that is before them - if the work is meaningless and dull, or lacks any sort of incentive or purpose, then they can simply put it off until it is absolutely necessary to be completed. However, the Ij temperament is often noted for its sense of responsibility and obligation, which in turn creates a sort of stimulation to complete the work in of itself.
The
Ip temperament is exasperated at the amount of work that is before them - unlike the Ej temperament, the Ip temperament does not attempt to fight off feeling overwhelmed by actually completing the work, they try and fight it off by avoiding it, or walling themselves from it to try and maintain their internal harmony. Unlike those of the Ij temperament, who are inactive due to the lack of stimulation the work provides, those of the Ip temperament feel that the amount of work is overbearing and overwhelming, and feel that they simply need to retreat from it for a little bit or a long while. Thus, they most often push things to the last minute.
Now, more interestingly, these behaviors invert when a person is stressed - the regular behavior concerning the temperament of the person transitions to the behavior of the dual temperament. This transition can best be explained by the pleasing effect the Super-Id perspective has on a sociotype, and the need for positive psychological stimulation against stress that drains the psyche.
What this means is that, under stress, one can often observe:
- Ejs acting like Ijs.
- Ijs acting like Ejs.
- Eps acting like Ips.
- Ips acting like Eps.
Ejs, when overly stressed, might attempt to cut through work that is unnecessary, but might still attempt to persevere out of a sense of obligation and responsibility to getting the work done.
Ijs, when overly stressed, might attempt to tackle all of the work needing completion at once out of a fear of being overwhelmed.
Eps, when overly stressed, might collapse inward and begin avoiding work, trying to find some sort of internal harmony that can protect themselves against breaking mentally.
Ips, when overly stressed, might expand outward, lashing out against the overwhelming amount of work that besieged them in an attempt to overpower them and finish it.
Hopefully this helps in some way.