Please do and I hope Sunshine and Sarah come in with some too and broaden the field some.
Heart's asking for my opinion!
![Wubbie :wubbie: :wubbie:](/data/vbsmilies/obscene-smiley-985.gif)
All right then, here are my answers...
1. name your five favorite fiction books (and why).
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee -- because it moves me to tears every single time I read it. It's beautifully written, and I love Atticus Finch.
Middlemarch, by George Eliot -- I re-read parts of this one every few years. I love the characterizations (btw, Dorothea Brooke is a good example of a fictional NF, and I personally think the delightful Fred Vincy is an ISFP.)
All Creatures Great and Small --actually, all of the James Herriot books -- doesn't matter which one, I love all those stories. Herriot's writing style makes me laugh no matter how many times I've re-read the same stories and know the punchlines.
Pride and Prejudice (forget the boring, snobby Darcy--- his friend BINGLEY was the true hero of the book!!!!) and
Sense and Sensibility (becasue the passionate Marianne Dashwood was totally an introverted feeling type and I relate very much to her.
Any of Josephine Tey's mysteries, -- I love the atmosphere and the laid-back "detecting". I reread Tey whenever I want some "comfort reading."
2. your favorite subjects from school that you would actually read for pleasure.
I spent more time creating art than reading about it, but one of my favorite books that I recommend to everyone who's interested is
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards. I got that book as a gift when I was 12 years old and it changed my life.
I adored my French language classes, actually. I never "studied" for exams because I simply learned the material out of sheer love of listening to it.
3. are you fascinated in the duality of good vs. evil, light vs. dark?
Kind of, yes, but not in a purely abstract way. I'm more fascinated with the Jungian idea of the shadow, as well as the idea that human beings have the capacity for both good and evil in them, and that it's our daily choices in the here-and-now that determine our character.
4. do you want to understand how evil works?
I want to understand how I personally might be tempted to do evil so that I don't go there.
5. what are the topics of some of your favorite daydreams?
Accomplishing things I've always wanted to do -- and receiving praise for them. I always daydream about taking action that gets great results.
6. what fascinates you most?
Noticing beauty in the ordinary -- and then capturing, highlighting and intensifying that pleasure via my art!!!! Owning my shadow side so I can be a more well-rounded person. Also, the way human relationships evolve over time fascinates me.
7. what do you think about the interconnection between humans and all that is?
I'm afraid that's maybe an easy question for INFPs to answer, but not me. I'm not really tuned in to interconnectedness the same way you see it.
8. What's your impression of the other IxFP type? (from SciSki)
One of my closest friends is an INFP, and although I don't understand her lack of practicality sometimes, I love her and admire her for her thoughtfulness. I also think she's a wise person. I also highly respect an INFP who runs a type discussion list that I'm a member and one of the moderators of (the Yahoo groups list "temperamenttalk"). He and I have met in person and I consider him a friend, although not a close one. We've had a lot of arguments over type-related stuff in the past, but I think there's this mutual appreciation that keeps us communicating and still talking about type despite our disagreements. I'd say that INFPs tend to be less interested in details of practical living, and also many of them seem less interested in actually
doing art than in talking about it.
9. If someone asks you what clues to look out for in deciding if someone is ISFP or INFP, what would you say?
I would send them right to a book or website that explains the cognitive processes. You can't really understand the difference between ISFP and INFP if you don't know how strongly the auxilliary and tertiary functions influence behavior. I'd encourage them to actually try DOING the cognitive function exercises in Dario Nardi's book
8 Keys to Self-Leadership: From Awareness to Action, to actually get a feel for how easy it is to do one and not the other.
10. What activities do you like to do outdoors? or What physical activities do you like to do?
Taking long walks, gardening, cross country skiing (not all that great at it, but it's fun). I take yoga classes currently and am enjoying them. I love to dance. I love to cook. I love to draw and create collages. I love to make even boring chores fun by turning them into a game --usually a game that involves dancing or creating something aesthetically pleasing. Can I also count entertaining kids in the library (part of my job) as a physical activity? Dancing to music with beanbags and shaker eggs is fun (you should try it sometime.)
11. - How would you describe this picture (briefly)?
http://www.norcalwater.org/images/ncwa_painting.jpg
It's a fantasy landscape of colors and well-defined shapes. This particular landscape isn't particulary evocative of anything to me. I guess I prefer art that draws you in towards appreciating the beauty of reality rather than being purely fantasy-based, although you could say that it encourages you to look for hints of these colors in a natural landscape the next time you're sitting in a window seat in an airplane.
12. - Do you have a personal philosophy of life? if so what is it?
I never really put it into words before, but I guess my philosophy has always been to understand my essence (what's essential to me, what I believe is important) and to find a creative outlet for expressing it. I love what someone once told me about our essence being related to our type's core needs, so with that in mind I'd say my core needs have a lot to do with expressing in the present moment what I deeply care about and why, and making sure I have the freedom to act on my own instincts. I also believe in respecting other people and treating them as I would prefer being treated, which is to say,
not necessarily exactly the same (because everyone's different) but to listen to them, respect their answers, and treat them as THEY wish to be treated.
13. Who do you think's going to win the Texas v. OU game? (from Jeffster)
For Jeffster's sake, I'll say I hope Texas wins, but honestly I don't care much for pro sports.
14. Do you believe that some people are born evil, or is it a reaction to the environment in which they were raised in? (from Neo-Genesis)
I believe, like Alexandr Solzhenitsyn says, that the line running between good and evil runs through
all of us, not just those who have made some seriously bad decisions. And that it's our daily choices that determine our overall character. I think character is shaped by a desire to grow personally, and accepting that you need to grow as a person is an essential act, and also an act of humility. I'm all for everyone becoming aware of their own shadow side as well as the side they want to present on an every day basis, because it seems to me that people who understand and
own their darker side (meaning that they recognize it exists, they know the shape it takes, and they can find healthy ways of expressing it) don't feel as much of a need to hurt others who display their shadow, much less commit acts of evil.
15. If you were a tree, what kind would you be, and what would you like hirsch to make out of you? (by Hirsch)
A pear tree. Because they have beautiful wood, and beautiful fruit. Basically, they're beautiful all around. Birch trees run a close second, because I love their lithe, graceful appearance and mottled bark.
Sarah
ISFP