[ISFJ] You know your an ISFJ when...

[DJAchtundvierzig]

Feel free to post some "You know your an ISFJ when..." statements.

 

[strychnine]

Do you think you're an ISFJ? I just saw your dom-tert loop thread and I'm having the same problem.
Oh god, the schizoid (or whatever) loop SUCKS.

You know you're an ISFJ when you end up in a dom-tert loop and suffocate in your own solitude, the same solitude that was once a blessing. Too much of a good thing.

 

[tinker683]

Hmm....not sure if I'm doing this right, but here goes:

You know you're an ISFJ when, talking to exotic dancers, your first thought is to be really nice to them because you're worried they probably get treated like trash a lot

 

[strychnine]

You know you're an ISFJ when, talking to exotic dancers, your first thought is to be really nice to them because you're worried they probably get treated like trash a lot

I do the same thing with people who work in retail. I thank them profusely, wish them well, etc almost to the point of excess. They get bitched at by angry customers all day long so I make a point of being polite.

 

[Tamske]

When at war, your secondary concern is survival. Your first is making sure your companions don't get a scratch.
You're the one doing the menial/boring tasks just so that others wouldn't be bothered with them. Others are used to it and it's not spectacular, so people will tend to take your contribution for granted and forget to thank you for it. You won't show, but it hurts a bit.
That's why you're going all out of your way to thank the people who do the menial jobs.
I don't know but I guess dom-Si and aux-Fe would make you good at remembering the names of your neighbours.

 

[strychnine]

You're the one doing the menial/boring tasks just so that others wouldn't be bothered with them. Others are used to it and it's not spectacular, so people will tend to take your contribution for granted and forget to thank you for it. You won't show, but it hurts a bit.
That's why you're going all out of your way to thank the people who do the menial jobs.

This might be true for other ISFJs but not for all. The reason I thank people who do "menial jobs" is simply because, well, they get bitched at (as I said). [I thank them to neutralize the bitching, so if all were neutral, I would just leave it be.] I don't do things for other people, I'm a bit of a selfish ass , and I don't expect people to thank me for doing things for myself! Yet, they still do, because sometimes I accidentally help them in the process of feeding my own self-interest. Anyway, it would seem from type theory that you are right about us, but from my experience as an ISFJ I have to disagree.

 

[Thalassa]

When at war, your secondary concern is survival. Your first is making sure your companions don't get a scratch.
You're the one doing the menial/boring tasks just so that others wouldn't be bothered with them. Others are used to it and it's not spectacular, so people will tend to take your contribution for granted and forget to thank you for it. You won't show, but it hurts a bit.
That's why you're going all out of your way to thank the people who do the menial jobs.

I do the same thing - actually sometimes I'm more polite to sales people in stores than they are to me, because I remind myself that they might be having a really bad day and they're being treated poorly. I don't think that makes me ISFJ.

I do already want to hug the ISFJs in this thread for the replies they've given, though.

 

[DJAchtundvierzig]

...when you make a new thread but aren't sure where it goes, you worry that you'll put it in the wrong place and someone will be mad at you for breaking the rules

...you subconsciously begin emulating a person's laugh after being in the room with her for too long and then wonder if she noticed

...you claim to not give a shit what people think about you but somehow can't bring yourself to say hello to complete strangers for fear of seeming too forward or desperate for attention

...you get flustered when a person commands you to "Speak Up"

And one of my personal favorites-
...you get attached to the car behind you on the highway, and feel a sense of loss once they turn off.

 

[Emectar]

Im aware im not an ISFJ but i gotta let you know that you guys sound like the sweetest people in the world, i wish i knew one

 

[tinker683]

Im aware im not an ISFJ but i gotta let you know that you guys sound like the sweetest people in the world, i wish i knew one

We certainly can be but we're hardly angels. At our best we are diffently one of the types you'll always want to have around. At our worst....yeah, just ask around about some of the horror stories others on this forum have dealing with ISFJs

*edit*

Something else to add to the thread that happened to me recently:

You know you're an ISFJ when you're working with a boss who's constantly interrupting your work to do things he wants to do, and just as you're about to boil over with frustration and rage over your routine getting interrupted over and over again and the fact that because you're not going to be able to do your job that you feel like you're going to let a lot of people down....your boss apologizes to you and informs you that he doesn't expect you to do a good job and that they're VERY short handed tonight and that he hates to impose on you constantly.

So you then go from being extremely angry to feeling really guilty and then resolve yourself to work harder to prove yourself to this guy who only 20 minutes ago you were prepared to murder if he didn't leave you alone and let you work.

Any other ISFJs this volatile or is it just me?

 

[amazingdatagirl]

You need to be part of a tribe (church group, service organization, hobby club, etc.)

 

[strychnine]

^No. This is an SJ stereotype, doesn't apply to all of us (or I would wager, even most of us).

I agree with Tinker, though. I am very volatile. If people start talking during a test or exam for example I always imagine myself killing them... needless to say this wastes time and raises my stress levels = bad exam performance.

 

[Vasilisa]

Here is a story from my dear ISFJ. It may not come across as funny to you as I find it, but I still want to share because the pure ISFJness of it is so great in my opinion.

So, its my ISFJs mother's 50th birthday party and many relatives from their very close knit family are coming into town for the celebration. Of course the family is relying heavily on my ISFJs skills at communication, keeping everyone in the loop, remembering everyones schedule, arranging transport for all these people, etc. Everyone just naturally nominates her to take care of all these things because she is so good at it. It comes down to her having to secure a 15-passenger van, drive it herself to the airport to pick up these people, and take them to the destination. So as the family is loading into the van, a stranger comes up and yanks open the door and asks my ISFJ if this is the "Super Shuttle" She has to explain to this confused person that no, its just her taking care of her family.

So, maybe that is when you know you're an ISFJ when the lengths you go to in order to take care of your family are mistaken for professional services.

 

[Giggly]

Here is a story from my dear ISFJ. It may not come across as funny to you as I find it, but I still want to share because the pure ISFJness of it is so great in my opinion.

So, its my ISFJs mother's 50th birthday party and many relatives from their very close knit family are coming into town for the celebration. Of course the family is relying heavily on my ISFJs skills at communication, keeping everyone in the loop, remembering everyones schedule, arranging transport for all these people, etc. Everyone just naturally nominates her to take care of all these things because she is so good at it. It comes down to her having to secure a 15-passenger van, drive it herself to the airport to pick up these people, and take them to the destination. So as the family is loading into the van, a stranger comes up and yanks open the door and asks my ISFJ if this is the "Super Shuttle" She has to explain to this confused person that no, its just her taking care of her family.

So, maybe that is when you know you're an ISFJ when the lengths you go to in order to take care of your family are mistaken for professional services.

Hahaha that is hilarious. That probably made her feel good.

 

[slowriot]

.... when the first thing you do before opening the door to your house when youve been away all day is tell the people you are having over how horrible your house looks and how many plates is in the sink that have not been cleaned.

More will come

 

[Giggly]

.... when the first thing you do before opening the door to your house when youve been away all day is tell the people you are having over how horrible your house looks and how many plates is in the sink that have not been cleaned.

More will come

Good one.

When you say your house, work, appearance, <insert just about anything else here> is a mess but when other people look it, they don't see the same thing and don't know what you're talking about.

 

[slowriot]

Good one.

When you say your house, work, appearance, <insert just about anything else here> is a mess but when other people look it, they don't see the same thing and don't know what you're talking about.

exactly. And Im intp, its telling me stuff that dont interest me that much. Plus usually it looks better than my house.


oh new one:

.... when people tell you how good thing look/taste etc when you hold a dinner a party, you say "Oh it was nothing" Eventhough it took you hours to make.

 

[thepink-cloakedninja]

When you LOVE puttering around your place, and just tidying and cleaning everything up. It literally makes me so happy and relieves so much stress.