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Ask an INTP anything?
- Thread starter rmrf
- Start date
Axwell
New member
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I doubt you're an xNTP if you really don't understand it.
I got the joke, just was commenting that the obnoxiousness/humour ratio was way off
Such Irony
Honor Thy Inferior
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Do INTP's start with the details and then build towards a bigger picture?
It depends on what I'm learning. Sometimes I start with the details and work my way to a bigger picture. Sometimes I do in the opposite direction.
If you don't understand all the pieces do you feel as if you don't understand anything?
No. I would prefer to understand all of the pieces for a complete understanding but I believe you can have a partial understanding of something.
#3 Are you flexible in the way you learn or do you HAVE to understand things with a certain approach?
It depends on what I'm learning. I can learn in different approaches but I have my preferences. Conceptual learning seems most preferred for me with being able to visualize it in my head.
Do you have a desire to be a hero?
I did as a child, but not so much now.
Do you enjoy mindless movies at times?
Yes. It depends on what you mean by mindless though. I guess I've enjoyed things that would have been deemed 'mindless' by others.
Did you read fantasy novels as a child? Like Lord of the Rings.
I enjoy them now but I didn't enjoy them as much as a kid for some reason.
How religious did u use to be throughout your life?
I was raised Catholic and as a kid I was dragged to church every Sunday and forced to take religion classes. I seriously started to question religion as a teenager. In my college years, I gave up religion and became agnostic, to which I am today.
How often do u lie?
Rarely. Occasional 'white lie' maybe.
Do you value people who can lie and get away with it?
No, I highly value honesty.
Who is your favorite super hero?
I don't know
Do you rationalize more or are you rational?
Both
Do you catch your own logical inconsistencies? Does it bother you?
Yes and yes
Are you as hard on yourself as you are on others? Does this make you feel depressed?
I tend to be harder on myself than others. I'm quite self-critical. Sometimes I get down on myself but rarely to the point of depression.
When other people speak, do you naturally break it down or try and align with the big picture? Are you more into poking holes or synthesizing (on average).
I tend to break down and poke holes.
Are you dumbfounded by how others can't see it the way you see it?
Sometimes. I used to have major issues with this when young, now I'm more patient when others don't 'get it' right away.
Are you a good technical writer?
Aside from things like lab reports, I haven't had to write 'technically.' I suppose I would be good at it.
Which do you try and understand FIRST, details or big picture? You kind of answered this but exams are not a good example. You probably use big picture logic to make connections and find answers. Problem solving vs how you process information regularly.
The big picture and then try to fit the details into the big picture.
Do you avoid conflict?
When possible but sometimes it can't or shouldn't be avoided.
When you mess up does it bother you A LOT?
It depends on what it is. The bigger the mistake, the most it will bother me. In general though, it might bother me a little but not A LOT.
When you make a mistake do you own it or do you argue just to argue at times?
I own up to my mistakes. I never shift the blame on someone else.
As an engineer do you find logic or experience to be more important?
Well, I'm not an engineer but I tend to value logic more. Experience is important though, for learning and understanding things.
If hard science can only explain a small fraction of our world. (Any true scientist will agree with this statement) What frameworks can we use to understand or better yet live in and thrive in the rest of the world?
I hope to develop a theory of everything.
Batman is your favorite. Moving on.
What?
Do you come to a conclusion and support it with logic, even if the conclusion is flawed?
No, if the conclusion is flawed, time to draw a new conclusion.
Do you judge yourself as much as you judge others?
I judge myself MORE than I judge others.
Do you see the different parts of the system as cogs in a big machine?
I wouldn't phrase it like that. I am interested in seeing how all of the parts fit into a larger whole.
Are you overconfident at times in your solutions? Does this hurt you in some ways?
Yes. It's hurt me when I failed to see potential pitfalls and then I get discouraged when things end up more difficult than anticipated.
Do you lack discipline and follow through when it comes to developing new skills?
I tend to get excited at first but long-term discipline is hard to keep up. When it's not required for work or school and just for fun, I have a tendency to start developing skills and then not maintain it very well over a longer term.
Do you get board of things after you have "figured" them out?
Yes.
It depends on what I'm learning. Sometimes I start with the details and work my way to a bigger picture. Sometimes I do in the opposite direction.
If you don't understand all the pieces do you feel as if you don't understand anything?
No. I would prefer to understand all of the pieces for a complete understanding but I believe you can have a partial understanding of something.
#3 Are you flexible in the way you learn or do you HAVE to understand things with a certain approach?
It depends on what I'm learning. I can learn in different approaches but I have my preferences. Conceptual learning seems most preferred for me with being able to visualize it in my head.
Do you have a desire to be a hero?
I did as a child, but not so much now.
Do you enjoy mindless movies at times?
Yes. It depends on what you mean by mindless though. I guess I've enjoyed things that would have been deemed 'mindless' by others.
Did you read fantasy novels as a child? Like Lord of the Rings.
I enjoy them now but I didn't enjoy them as much as a kid for some reason.
How religious did u use to be throughout your life?
I was raised Catholic and as a kid I was dragged to church every Sunday and forced to take religion classes. I seriously started to question religion as a teenager. In my college years, I gave up religion and became agnostic, to which I am today.
How often do u lie?
Rarely. Occasional 'white lie' maybe.
Do you value people who can lie and get away with it?
No, I highly value honesty.
Who is your favorite super hero?
I don't know
Do you rationalize more or are you rational?
Both
Do you catch your own logical inconsistencies? Does it bother you?
Yes and yes
Are you as hard on yourself as you are on others? Does this make you feel depressed?
I tend to be harder on myself than others. I'm quite self-critical. Sometimes I get down on myself but rarely to the point of depression.
When other people speak, do you naturally break it down or try and align with the big picture? Are you more into poking holes or synthesizing (on average).
I tend to break down and poke holes.
Are you dumbfounded by how others can't see it the way you see it?
Sometimes. I used to have major issues with this when young, now I'm more patient when others don't 'get it' right away.
Are you a good technical writer?
Aside from things like lab reports, I haven't had to write 'technically.' I suppose I would be good at it.
Which do you try and understand FIRST, details or big picture? You kind of answered this but exams are not a good example. You probably use big picture logic to make connections and find answers. Problem solving vs how you process information regularly.
The big picture and then try to fit the details into the big picture.
Do you avoid conflict?
When possible but sometimes it can't or shouldn't be avoided.
When you mess up does it bother you A LOT?
It depends on what it is. The bigger the mistake, the most it will bother me. In general though, it might bother me a little but not A LOT.
When you make a mistake do you own it or do you argue just to argue at times?
I own up to my mistakes. I never shift the blame on someone else.
As an engineer do you find logic or experience to be more important?
Well, I'm not an engineer but I tend to value logic more. Experience is important though, for learning and understanding things.
If hard science can only explain a small fraction of our world. (Any true scientist will agree with this statement) What frameworks can we use to understand or better yet live in and thrive in the rest of the world?
I hope to develop a theory of everything.
Batman is your favorite. Moving on.
What?
Do you come to a conclusion and support it with logic, even if the conclusion is flawed?
No, if the conclusion is flawed, time to draw a new conclusion.
Do you judge yourself as much as you judge others?
I judge myself MORE than I judge others.
Do you see the different parts of the system as cogs in a big machine?
I wouldn't phrase it like that. I am interested in seeing how all of the parts fit into a larger whole.
Are you overconfident at times in your solutions? Does this hurt you in some ways?
Yes. It's hurt me when I failed to see potential pitfalls and then I get discouraged when things end up more difficult than anticipated.
Do you lack discipline and follow through when it comes to developing new skills?
I tend to get excited at first but long-term discipline is hard to keep up. When it's not required for work or school and just for fun, I have a tendency to start developing skills and then not maintain it very well over a longer term.
Do you get board of things after you have "figured" them out?
Yes.
Such Irony
Honor Thy Inferior
- Joined
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- INtp
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- Instinctual Variant
- sp/so
Do you have a hard time focusing on new tasks?
Sometimes, especially when they are not very interesting.
Does your mind race at nights?
Sometimes
Do you have sleep problems? How do you solve them?
Rarely.
Do you consider yourself weird and awkward?
Somewhat weird interests, somewhat awkward socially.
Are you over confident in your conclusions? Do you admit mistakes easily?
Occasionally, yes
Do you care about your image? If so how much?
Yes, I want to be thought of well by others. I do care about it quite a bit but I won't compromise my integrity or who I am just to achieve a good image.
Do you try and get away with things at times? Do you feel intelligent for being able to do so?
Occasionally, maybe
Do you care about people's intentions, are motives important to you? Do you spend a lot of time thinking about and talking about other peoples motives?
yes, yes
Do you admit your mistakes easily? What about in an argument?
yes to both
Do people motivations interest you a lot? Too much at times?
yes to both. Sometimes I get a little paranoid regarding peoples' motives.
In what situations do you find yourself wrong, often?
Perhaps when I'm discussing a topic I know little about or when dealing with people problems.
Do you care about how others see you?
Yes, it's important to be seen in a good light.
Do you find it funny or mischievous to get away with things you know you shouldn't be doing?
No
Do you value theories or practical actions?
Both but I tend to prefer theory to practice. I could stand to be more practical.
What cognitive functions do you most want to develop? What do you think you are missing?
Se and Fe. Those tend to be my lowest scoring functions on cognitive function tests.
Are you more theory bound or does your framework of the world include the limitations of knowledge?
Both but tend towards theory bound and wanting everything to fit into a framework.
What do you think about a probabilistic view of reality?
Makes logical sense.
What do you think about an empirical approach to knowledge?
For most things, it's a good approach except for the few things where experiments cannot be feasibly done.
Do you think just as language at times can explain what science cannot - That also their are phenomena that exists but we have no words for?
Yes
Does language shape how we see the world?
Yes, and I'm often curious about how animals and babies who have not acquired language 'as we know it' see the world. Perhaps they have their own 'language' and 'understanding' that we don't quite grasp. It seems difficult to understand the world without some concept of language.
How much of our thinking is path dependent based on paradigms both past and present?
I think a significant amount. To a good extent, your past actions affect where you are now and your present actions impact the future.
Can do you free yourself from that?
Yes, just because it was done that way before doesn't mean it should have been done that way.
Are religions attempts to explain reality?
Yes
What religion does the best job at doing so?
This is purely subjective, not answering this. It could open a can of worms.
Do you believe words are models?
In the sense that they describe logical concepts, yes.
Do different domains require a different approach?
Vague question. Do you mean different subjects require a different approach to learning? If so, yes.
Sometimes, especially when they are not very interesting.
Does your mind race at nights?
Sometimes
Do you have sleep problems? How do you solve them?
Rarely.
Do you consider yourself weird and awkward?
Somewhat weird interests, somewhat awkward socially.
Are you over confident in your conclusions? Do you admit mistakes easily?
Occasionally, yes
Do you care about your image? If so how much?
Yes, I want to be thought of well by others. I do care about it quite a bit but I won't compromise my integrity or who I am just to achieve a good image.
Do you try and get away with things at times? Do you feel intelligent for being able to do so?
Occasionally, maybe
Do you care about people's intentions, are motives important to you? Do you spend a lot of time thinking about and talking about other peoples motives?
yes, yes
Do you admit your mistakes easily? What about in an argument?
yes to both
Do people motivations interest you a lot? Too much at times?
yes to both. Sometimes I get a little paranoid regarding peoples' motives.
In what situations do you find yourself wrong, often?
Perhaps when I'm discussing a topic I know little about or when dealing with people problems.
Do you care about how others see you?
Yes, it's important to be seen in a good light.
Do you find it funny or mischievous to get away with things you know you shouldn't be doing?
No
Do you value theories or practical actions?
Both but I tend to prefer theory to practice. I could stand to be more practical.
What cognitive functions do you most want to develop? What do you think you are missing?
Se and Fe. Those tend to be my lowest scoring functions on cognitive function tests.
Are you more theory bound or does your framework of the world include the limitations of knowledge?
Both but tend towards theory bound and wanting everything to fit into a framework.
What do you think about a probabilistic view of reality?
Makes logical sense.
What do you think about an empirical approach to knowledge?
For most things, it's a good approach except for the few things where experiments cannot be feasibly done.
Do you think just as language at times can explain what science cannot - That also their are phenomena that exists but we have no words for?
Yes
Does language shape how we see the world?
Yes, and I'm often curious about how animals and babies who have not acquired language 'as we know it' see the world. Perhaps they have their own 'language' and 'understanding' that we don't quite grasp. It seems difficult to understand the world without some concept of language.
How much of our thinking is path dependent based on paradigms both past and present?
I think a significant amount. To a good extent, your past actions affect where you are now and your present actions impact the future.
Can do you free yourself from that?
Yes, just because it was done that way before doesn't mean it should have been done that way.
Are religions attempts to explain reality?
Yes
What religion does the best job at doing so?
This is purely subjective, not answering this. It could open a can of worms.
Do you believe words are models?
In the sense that they describe logical concepts, yes.
Do different domains require a different approach?
Vague question. Do you mean different subjects require a different approach to learning? If so, yes.
Such Irony
Honor Thy Inferior
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andresimon
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1. What do you think about Chaos Theory and what that means for the "theory of everything?"
2. Are all models false?
3. If you are operating in the domain of say General Relativity would your approach have to be necessarily different then lets say when you dealing with social systems, like economics?
4. Is it possible to predict emergent phenomena?
5. Do emotions precede rationality? what % of the time? For you? For others?
6. What is wisdom? And how do you gain wisdom?
7. Do you enjoy physical activity?
8. Did you ever consider becoming an architect?
9. Do you enjoy junk food?
10. As a P function do you find yourself judging others?
11. Are you easy going most of the time and more intense in specific situations?
Such Irony
Honor Thy Inferior
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Why the rainbow (doesn't) have seven colors?
This one I can explain scientifically. The rainbow is the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and this visible portion consists of continuous rather than discrete wavelengths. So really, there are infinite number of colors. Whoever said seven colors is grossly oversimplifying htings.
What do you think about Chaos Theory and what that means for the "theory of everything?"
I believe in entropy. Atoms and molecules naturally revert to a more disordered state. To increase order in the 'inner' environment, you must decrease the amount of order in the 'external environment.' Overall on the whole, disorder increases.
Are all models false?
No. It's actually quite difficult to prove something is totally false. Likewise that something is totally true. It's a scale of probability.
If you are operating in the domain of say General Relativity would your approach have to be necessarily different then lets say when you dealing with social systems, like economics?
I haven't studied either much but I don't see why the approach would necessarily be different. I guess the former sounds more theoretical, the second more applied.
Is it possible to predict emergent phenomena?
I think so.
Do emotions precede rationality? what % of the time? For you? For others?
Sometimes. I don't know what percent of the time. I'd guess maybe about 20% for myself. I'm not sure about the others. I think I'm more rational than average but I definitely have my moments where I've let my emotions take over (yay, inferior Fe!)
What is wisdom? And how do you gain wisdom?
Deep understanding and insight into things. You gain wisdom over time, through life experience and keeping an open mind intellectually.
Do you enjoy physical activity?
Not particularly but is necessary at times. Exercise is healthy so I try to get enough exercise but I can't say I like it.
Did you ever consider becoming an architect?
I have but I never seriously considered it or tried to pursue it. I lack the artistic talent for it.
Do you enjoy junk food?
Unfortunately, yes. My weaknesses are chocolate and fried foods. I limit consumption of them but every one in a while I indulge.
As a P function do you find yourself judging others?
Yes, everybody judges others to some extent. I am careful to be impartial in my judgements and back up my judgements with logical evidence.
Are you easy going most of the time and more intense in specific situations?
I'm easygoing about some things and intense about others. I tend to appear more easygoing on the outside and feel more intense on the inside.
This one I can explain scientifically. The rainbow is the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and this visible portion consists of continuous rather than discrete wavelengths. So really, there are infinite number of colors. Whoever said seven colors is grossly oversimplifying htings.
What do you think about Chaos Theory and what that means for the "theory of everything?"
I believe in entropy. Atoms and molecules naturally revert to a more disordered state. To increase order in the 'inner' environment, you must decrease the amount of order in the 'external environment.' Overall on the whole, disorder increases.
Are all models false?
No. It's actually quite difficult to prove something is totally false. Likewise that something is totally true. It's a scale of probability.
If you are operating in the domain of say General Relativity would your approach have to be necessarily different then lets say when you dealing with social systems, like economics?
I haven't studied either much but I don't see why the approach would necessarily be different. I guess the former sounds more theoretical, the second more applied.
Is it possible to predict emergent phenomena?
I think so.
Do emotions precede rationality? what % of the time? For you? For others?
Sometimes. I don't know what percent of the time. I'd guess maybe about 20% for myself. I'm not sure about the others. I think I'm more rational than average but I definitely have my moments where I've let my emotions take over (yay, inferior Fe!)
What is wisdom? And how do you gain wisdom?
Deep understanding and insight into things. You gain wisdom over time, through life experience and keeping an open mind intellectually.
Do you enjoy physical activity?
Not particularly but is necessary at times. Exercise is healthy so I try to get enough exercise but I can't say I like it.
Did you ever consider becoming an architect?
I have but I never seriously considered it or tried to pursue it. I lack the artistic talent for it.
Do you enjoy junk food?
Unfortunately, yes. My weaknesses are chocolate and fried foods. I limit consumption of them but every one in a while I indulge.
As a P function do you find yourself judging others?
Yes, everybody judges others to some extent. I am careful to be impartial in my judgements and back up my judgements with logical evidence.
Are you easy going most of the time and more intense in specific situations?
I'm easygoing about some things and intense about others. I tend to appear more easygoing on the outside and feel more intense on the inside.
andresimon
Permabanned
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- ENFP
If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living?
If you had all the free time in the world, what would you study?
If you had all the free time in the world, what would you do?
What do you think the biggest problems are in the world today?
How do you think they can be solved?
Do you think a question is more important then an answer? If yes why? If no why?
Do you seek truth, love, status/power, and in what order of importance?
Do you have a grand purpose in life, that you have chosen?
What is your best skill?
What do you lack the most?
andresimon
Permabanned
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What % of your time is spent thinking about what others think?
what is your greatest strength?
If you could be or do anything, what would that be?
What is the purpose of life?
Is purpose important?
Do human's have freewill?
Does god exist?
Such Irony
Honor Thy Inferior
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If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living?
I'm a librarian.
If you had all the free time in the world, what would you study?
Personality psychology of course. Also mathematics, quantum physics, philosophy, history, and languages. Really anything that happens to capture my interest.
If you had all the free time in the world, what would you do?
Read and learn. And travel.
What do you think the biggest problems are in the world today?
Poverty, people living in dictatorships under oppression, intolerance, war
How do you think they can be solved?
I don't know. They are problems because they are so damn hard to solve.
Do you think a question is more important then an answer? If yes why? If no why?
I don't know. They are both important to me. Questions inspire curiosity and a sense of wonder. But answers satisfy my need for understanding and logical clarity.
Do you seek truth, love, status/power, and in what order of importance?
Truth > love > status/power
Do you have a grand purpose in life, that you have chosen?
No. I haven't figured it out yet. Why I am here? Why is anyone here? Will it matter when I die? Will I be remembered? If so, for how long and by whom? or will I just fade away into oblivion?
What is your best skill?
Probably my thinking abilities.
What do you lack the most?
Se
I'm a librarian.
If you had all the free time in the world, what would you study?
Personality psychology of course. Also mathematics, quantum physics, philosophy, history, and languages. Really anything that happens to capture my interest.
If you had all the free time in the world, what would you do?
Read and learn. And travel.
What do you think the biggest problems are in the world today?
Poverty, people living in dictatorships under oppression, intolerance, war
How do you think they can be solved?
I don't know. They are problems because they are so damn hard to solve.
Do you think a question is more important then an answer? If yes why? If no why?
I don't know. They are both important to me. Questions inspire curiosity and a sense of wonder. But answers satisfy my need for understanding and logical clarity.
Do you seek truth, love, status/power, and in what order of importance?
Truth > love > status/power
Do you have a grand purpose in life, that you have chosen?
No. I haven't figured it out yet. Why I am here? Why is anyone here? Will it matter when I die? Will I be remembered? If so, for how long and by whom? or will I just fade away into oblivion?
What is your best skill?
Probably my thinking abilities.
What do you lack the most?
Se
andresimon
Permabanned
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yeah that's completely fine
Do you fear the big picture at times?
Afraid that you won't ever understand everything and so you don't understand anything?
Do you ever try to bring down others in order to feel better about yourself?
Do you feel you are too detail focused at times?
Probably ~ <5% of the time I spend thinking about others think but it's hard to quantify. It's not so much that I think about what others think about me, just think with respect to myself whether I'm being judged and what impact that will have. I suppose the prospect of being negatively appraised by others does have some affective impact on me but I think I dwell on that less than most people.
My greatest strength I think is critical thinking; to be able to identify biases in my thinking and to seek to minimize their influence. I think I also have a strong ability to be able to intuitively piece together how systems work. I definitely see my mind as my greatest strength.
If I could do or be anything it would be a scientist, probably in the field of cryptography or computer security as that's what I'm good at. I also have a deep interest in the systems that bring about our consciousness and if it were my choice of study, I would love to have gotten into cognitive neuroscience, especially using psychopharmacology as a tool of understanding consciousness as functions of chemistry.
I don't take it for granted that life has any set purpose but I suppose if I were to pick one, it would be having a good depth and breadth of experiences in this short life time, and to be able to experience, perceive, and understand as much of the cosmos. I think this purpose is important.
Do humans have free will? That's a hard one. What is free will? If it is freedom to make choices, it is still a restriction in some sense. If one chose strawberry are they truly 'free' to have chosen chocolate?
Does God exist? Short answer is No. Long answer: what does it mean to have a 'God' and what does it really mean to 'exist' at such an omnipresent level?
andresimon
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You are really smart. I can tell by your answers. Their are parts of your thinking though that I view as flawed. It's interesting, I'll see if I can put together a post. To point some of them out. Very interesting career choice though. Here is a thought, what if consciousness is the ground of all being and not a result of something bottom up, like chemistry. Can you have universe without mind entering into it? Bottom up causation vs top down causation. I.E God top down but maybe in this case replace god with consciousnesses.
five sounds
MyPeeSmellsLikeCoffee247
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citizen cane
ornery ornithologist
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Why is there a question mark in the thread title?
Was a typo
Fluffywolf
Nips away your dignity
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What ranking would you give yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 of how well you embody the perceived notion of the average INTP.
