Hello. I am new to this forum. I found the forum through googling about personalities and my specific personality ISTJ. Actually, I found the INTP sub-forum first and then found my way here.
I am an ISTJ. In college I majored in economics and mathematics. Within mathematics, though I earned good marks, I do not consider myself great at mathematics. To mathematicians, for example, real mathematics is in proving and creating new theorems (something which I was not great at). Real mathematics is not being able to solve textbook type problems (which I was great at). For the mathematicians out there, I was the guy in the back of the class who, after hearing the instructor introduce and speak on a new theorem, would shout: "Can you give us an example?"
I also had similar problems in philosophy class in understanding the abstract ideas. The only philosophy class I was good at was symbolic logic, which is just showing the truth or validity of arguments within the closed system of the rules of logic (something which I am good at -- operating within the closed system and following their rules).
Another example is computer science class, which I also did good in. However, I would never think of myself as a capable programmer because if I had to set up a system from scratch, I think I would probably freak out!
In short, I am a wannabe N. I want to be able to understand abstract ideas and theories without having have them be applicable in the real world. I want to be more than good at "operating within the system". I want to be able to create the systems as well. I want to understand the big picture and how it all fits together too. But I think this is very hard for an ISTJ since, from my reading, N is the weakest trait... Thank you...
I am an ISTJ. In college I majored in economics and mathematics. Within mathematics, though I earned good marks, I do not consider myself great at mathematics. To mathematicians, for example, real mathematics is in proving and creating new theorems (something which I was not great at). Real mathematics is not being able to solve textbook type problems (which I was great at). For the mathematicians out there, I was the guy in the back of the class who, after hearing the instructor introduce and speak on a new theorem, would shout: "Can you give us an example?"
I also had similar problems in philosophy class in understanding the abstract ideas. The only philosophy class I was good at was symbolic logic, which is just showing the truth or validity of arguments within the closed system of the rules of logic (something which I am good at -- operating within the closed system and following their rules).
Another example is computer science class, which I also did good in. However, I would never think of myself as a capable programmer because if I had to set up a system from scratch, I think I would probably freak out!
In short, I am a wannabe N. I want to be able to understand abstract ideas and theories without having have them be applicable in the real world. I want to be more than good at "operating within the system". I want to be able to create the systems as well. I want to understand the big picture and how it all fits together too. But I think this is very hard for an ISTJ since, from my reading, N is the weakest trait... Thank you...