Do you revert to your opposite type under stress?

[cascadeco]

Dr. Quenk's books raises one of the problems that I have with the system overall in it's rigidness in describing types at either their most healthy level or most unhealthy level, with nothing in between. When the enthusiasts find that realistic balance of how people truly are and usually fluctuate between being healthy and unhealthy, then I will take the system more seriously again.

I do tend to agree with you here, in that an individual is never 'stationary' - it's situational, or a person might adjust over the course of their life, or like you said, bounce from one end to the other, but mostly stay somewhere in the middle....and realistically, most people WILL be in the middle for most of their lives. I think it's hard/impossible to be at 'optimum' health/functionality for anyone, and be able to maintain that. Everyone gets stressed or has negative life experiences that they have to work through. It's being human.

But I also think even taking the fluctuations into account, one can still reasonably assess what the persons' type is, because in the longterm behavioral patterns do emerge. It's just making those snap judgements based on a single interaction with someone that could be hasty/inaccurate, especially if you're talking to or observing someone who's in ultra stressed-out mode, or someone who's going through a rough patch, and you yourself don't know they are, and just assume that's how they always act.

 

["?"]

But I also think even taking the fluctuations into account, one can still reasonably assess what the persons' type is, because in the longterm behavioral patterns do emerge. It's just making those snap judgements based on a single interaction with someone that could be hasty/inaccurate, especially if you're talking to or observing someone who's in ultra stressed-out mode, or someone who's going through a rough patch, and you yourself don't know they are, and just assume that's how they always act.

Oh absolutely. The type never changes, which irks me when I see people asking that question. I think that MBTI would be more doable if the authors did begin to write descriptions that are more middle of the road, which would alleviate the stereotypes. As for typing others, I just see it as presumptuous to believe that we really know anyone. I find it even more ironic that someone preferring introversion themselves would do it since we know better than anyone that what you may be seeing is not the dominant function in use.

 

[lefty]

yes i remember reading about this and appreciate the fact that its a dynamic way of looking at the model. when i brought up alternate ways of looking at the type functions on 16 types.info they were really uninterested in anything but "Model A." and yes i think under stress i become more anti-social, like an istp (from that great ptypes site)

lefty
enfj 4w5

 

[Ezra]

If you're talking socionically, there is no way you can become your conflictor. You can't suddenly go from valuing Fe and Ni to Fe being your PoLR and Ni being your third function. You can't go from being shit in Si and Te to adept in them. It makes no logical sense.

 

[Domino]

My mother has a book called "In the Grip: Our Hidden Personality" (if anyone has mentioned this before, sorry for the repeat, I don't have the energy to go find it) -- I feel it displays the "shadow" tendencies very clearly (and also shows what attracts and repels certain types). Anyone else read this?

 

[Sandy]

I had to often because of my job, and I don't like being that way... but working as my shadow has helped me overcome some procrastination issues that I sometime face.

 

[Jae Rae]

My mother has a book called "In the Grip: Our Hidden Personality" (if anyone has mentioned this before, sorry for the repeat, I don't have the energy to go find it) -- I feel it displays the "shadow" tendencies very clearly (and also shows what attracts and repels certain types). Anyone else read this?

In the Grip was expanded to Beside Ourselves, which was further expanded to Was That Really Me? I have the last title and I highly recommend it. My local library doesn't have it, but Amazon does.

Jae Rae

 

[Domino]

In the Grip was expanded to Beside Ourselves, which was further expanded to Was That Really Me? I have the last title and I highly recommend it. My local library doesn't have it, but Amazon does.

Jae Rae

Thanks for the tip, Jae, my dear! I'll have to grab it from the lib. :hi:

 

[DaRick]

Oh absolutely. The type never changes, which irks me when I see people asking that question. I think that MBTI would be more doable if the authors did begin to write descriptions that are more middle of the road, which would alleviate the stereotypes. As for typing others, I just see it as presumptuous to believe that we really know anyone. I find it even more ironic that someone preferring introversion themselves would do it since we know better than anyone that what you may be seeing is not the dominant function in use.

With regards to MBTI, I notice that extraverts tend to stereotype others more than introverts, but certain introverts are also quite presumptuous with regards to people's personality. I also agree about the stereotypes which emerge from the descriptions, which lack ambiguity. For instance, I got annoyed (although I don't show it), when this 'friend' said of the ISTJ description: "Oh, it suits you." Others said it too. It annoys me that they think that I am so simplistic and easy to figure out when they don't really know me well enough to make such sweeping judgements on my characters, when in fact I'm quite the opposite.

 

[lefty]

If you're talking socionically, there is no way you can become your conflictor. You can't suddenly go from valuing Fe and Ni to Fe being your PoLR and Ni being your third function. You can't go from being shit in Si and Te to adept in them. It makes no logical sense.

ok well what if as an enfj with fe primary and ti fourth function that i get very stressed out until ti becomes my prominent focus and i start to be become antisocial.

i think its possible, because i think its happend to me before and that i did seem like a different person than i am.

i may have been hardcore 'teaching' someone a lesson and then switched down to resemble more of a healer when they combatted, however i felt like some kind of a switch happend.

i really can't describe it but i do relate to it.

 

[lefty]

this bhutto woman is a prime example. an enfj teacher who becomes like an martyr istp...in this case under social stress.

 

[disregard]

- Have suicidal thoughts (more often)
- Verbally abuse and threaten people
- Create an emotionally volatile atmosphere
- Actively avoid or defy authority
- Take my anger out on friends
- I may throw objects around the place
- I may disrupt certain gatherings (i.e - I once disrupted a party in a classroom)
- My appetite is diminished
- I lose my rationality completely (or get upset over nothing)
- I become confused as to why bad things are happening to me
- I don't care about the consequences of my actions until after I've left the 'extreme stress' phase
- I get people asking me in a worried tone: "Are you all right?"
- I become more negative and cynical than usual
- I begin believing that nobody cares about me
- I become very impulsive

My immediate response to these symptoms leads me to believe that you are depressed. I most definitely do not become my type opposite when I am stressed, but that may be the case for other people.

 

[nightning]

My immediate response to these symptoms leads me to believe that you are depressed. I most definitely do not become my type opposite when I am stressed, but that may be the case for other people.

It's not becoming your opposite type so much as you try to use the functions of your opposite type... just very very badly.

I found that I only get to that stage when I get swamped with work that my dominant and auxiliary function couldn't handle that it push me into tertiary... then even that doesn't work. Then you end up all stressed out and start using the inferior function that you are not adapted to handle.

 

[prplchknz]

There was this site called teamtechnology.co.uk, which suggested that INTJ's, under extreme stress, acted like ESFP's, or that any personality type reverted back to their shadow type. This is an interesting theory, which (as far as I can tell) has not been presented in such explicit terms on any other website I've seen (some websites have implied the exhibition of an 'opposite' personality under stress, such as personalitypage.com, but not explicitly). I can't really tell whether this is a fair call or not. I know I probably shouldn't use myself as an example (I've done so way too many times, but I'm not really sure how else to get across my confusion about this theory), but here is what I am prone to do when under 'extreme stress':

1 Have suicidal thoughts (more often)
2 Verbally abuse and threaten people
3 Create an emotionally volatile atmosphere
4 Actively avoid or defy authority
5 Take my anger out on friends
6 I may throw objects around the place
7 I may disrupt certain gatherings (i.e - I once disrupted a party in a classroom)
8 My appetite is diminished
9 I lose my rationality completely (or get upset over nothing)
10 I become confused as to why bad things are happening to me
11I don't care about the consequences of my actions until after I've left the 'extreme stress' phase
12 I get people asking me in a worried tone: "Are you all right?"
13 I become more negative and cynical than usual
14 I begin believing that nobody cares about me
15 I become very impulsive

I did consider putting this in the 'What's my Type?' section, but I felt that wasn't really appropriate, since I am using myself - under extreme stress - as anecdotal evidence, in order to prove or disprove this 'shadow stress' theory, as I will term it. (I know that this all sounds vague, but I've got no better way to express my curiosity ). Besides, I am dealing with shadow types, as opposed to real types. Also, I feel that I would be hogging that section if I did.

I can relate to when stressed 1,2,4-6,8-15 plus if I'm extremely stress I'll hear voices (though it may just be too many thoughts in my head at once,but they scream some of the most random things) and have tendency to believe I'm either dying or going insane.

 

[TaylorS]

Under moderate stress I start exhibiting negative IxTJ traits, and then when I'm extremely stressed I start showing negative ExFJ traits.

 

[Kristiana]

Under stress I become manic, which for me, means I act like an ENxx. I can't act like an S type if I try, my N is so far off the charts!

 

["?"]

For instance, I got annoyed (although I don't show it), when this 'friend' said of the ISTJ description: "Oh, it suits you." Others said it too. It annoys me that they think that I am so simplistic and easy to figure out when they don't really know me well enough to make such sweeping judgements on my characters, when in fact I'm quite the opposite.

Interesting DaRick and I will try to find the article that I was just scanning, but it disgusted the blindness of dichotomies where INTJs and ISTJs can appear look-a-likes due to the S/N Blindness, INTP and INFP due to the T/F Blindness, you get my drift. INTPs think ISTPs resemble, where I see a vast difference and see more commonality between ISTP and INTJ.

 

[Athenian200]

Interesting DaRick and I will try to find the article that I was just scanning, but it discussed the blindness of dichotomies where INTJs and ISTJs can appear look-a-likes due to the S/N Blindness, INTP and INFP due to the T/F Blindness, you get my drift. INTPs think ISTPs resemble, where I see a vast difference and see more commonality between ISTP and INTJ.

I've never really thought ISTP's, INTJ's, or INTP's resembled one another much... but then perhaps so many of them are mistyped I haven't gotten an accurate picture of any of those types. What do you think?

I always thought of ISTP's as being like Han Solo, INTJ's as being like Jean-Luc Picard, and INTP's as being like Rene Descartes. Am I far off?

 

["?"]

I've never really thought ISTP's, INTJ's, or INTP's resembled one another much... but then perhaps so many of them are mistyped I haven't gotten an accurate picture of any of those types. What do you think?

I always thought of ISTP's as being like Han Solo, INTJ's as being like Jean-Luc Picard, and INTP's as being like Rene Descartes. Am I far off?

I think that MBTI would like to make you believe that, because it attempts to limit the personality and make it finite. Even in taking cognitive tests, you notice that on any given day you may prefer a function that is not your dominant one. So on any given day, I may resemble ISFP, ESTP, INTP INTJ, etc. I think we all have two functions that come natural, however as we get older we experience the other functions more. As we gain more experience in using them then they become natural. However as Lenore Thomson says, we never gain full usage of our weakest functions and we should not attempt to. Otherwise, there would be no need to say that we have dominant functions if they can all be used equally effectively.

 

[lefty]

I've never really thought ISTP's, INTJ's, or INTP's resembled one another much... but then perhaps so many of them are mistyped I haven't gotten an accurate picture of any of those types. What do you think?

I always thought of ISTP's as being like Han Solo, INTJ's as being like Jean-Luc Picard, and INTP's as being like Rene Descartes. Am I far off?

its istp and intp that are look alike types in socionics.

Look-a-like relationships