In my experience, the initial benefits of discovering one's INTP-ness come from acquiring a more holistic understanding of one's thought processes and habits that others may find eccentric or just plain weird. It's very eery how well the detailed descriptions can fit. There is also a lot to be gained in understanding one's own strengths and weaknesses, so that one may strive towards a career or lifestyle that plays to their respective strengths instead of conforming to the societal ideal(s) (2.4 kids, white picket fence, 9-5 desk job, church on Sundays), which may be ill-fitting and psychically draining.
Obviously study of the MBTI has other benefits, such as (*gasp*) learning that other people have different thought processes that you do! Might explain why they're all so frustratingly illogical all the time.
Beyond that, one risks attempting to conform to the mold, as they see the INTP archetype as some sort of ideal to emulate. They might think to themselves, "It says here most INTPs find satisfaction in the sciences and mathematics. That's funny, I've never cared for them." From there they might try to force themselves into something they are neither good at nor truly care for, or might sink into an anxious depression where they doubt the validity of their MBTI test results or self-assessment.
Personally, taking the MBTI and discovering that I was an INTP was the beginning of something. It made me more introspective and curious about what sort of person I am, where my talents lie, and what I may one day wish to become. I don't need to identify as an INTP or weigh my life choices against the mold because it has become too limiting for me. One INTPc member, tongue wedged firmly in cheek, subdivided the INTP into 24 subtypes, and I think this perfectly displays the limits of any sort of armchair generalization about human behavior.
In my experience, the initial benefits of discovering one's INTP-ness come from acquiring a more holistic understanding of one's thought processes and habits that others may find eccentric or just plain weird. It's very eery how well the detailed descriptions can fit. There is also a lot to be gained in understanding one's own strengths and weaknesses, so that one may strive towards a career or lifestyle that plays to their respective strengths instead of conforming to the societal ideal(s) (2.4 kids, white picket fence, 9-5 desk job, church on Sundays), which may be ill-fitting and psychically draining.
Obviously study of the MBTI has other benefits, such as (*gasp*) learning that other people have different thought processes that you do! Might explain why they're all so frustratingly illogical all the time.
Beyond that, one risks attempting to conform to the mold, as they see the INTP archetype as some sort of ideal to emulate. They might think to themselves, "It says here most INTPs find satisfaction in the sciences and mathematics. That's funny, I've never cared for them." From there they might try to force themselves into something they are neither good at nor truly care for, or might sink into an anxious depression where they doubt the validity of their MBTI test results or self-assessment.
Personally, taking the MBTI and discovering that I was an INTP was the beginning of something. It made me more introspective and curious about what sort of person I am, where my talents lie, and what I may one day wish to become. I don't need to identify as an INTP or weigh my life choices against the mold because it has become too limiting for me. One INTPc member, tongue wedged firmly in cheek, subdivided the INTP into 24 subtypes, and I think this perfectly displays the limits of any sort of armchair generalization about human behavior.
The benefit of knowing what your type is - any type - is that you can maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. A common meme from a few years ago is that you should be well rounded. Stupid idea ... I spent years working on being well rounded and it didn't get me anywhere other than away from myself.
People definitely don't want to be lopsided, but a little well-roundedness goes a long way.
@Architect
While I agree that one shouldn't try to be someone they're not in order to meet some criteria of 'roundedness', I think a lot of people don't realise that they even have certain capacities, and so neglect them completely to their own detriment. I have zero interest in rounding Ni, Si, Se, or Fi, but I have found that developing my Fe has improved my quality of life considerably, when before I rejected the notion of social needs entirely.
The benefit of knowing what your type is - any type - is that you can maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. A common meme from a few years ago is that you should be well rounded. Stupid idea ... I spent years working on being well rounded and it didn't get me anywhere other than away from myself.
People definitely don't want to be lopsided, but a little well-roundedness goes a long way.
Yes. Everyone seems to feel that they are different from other people. We're in a culture that seems to breed alienation in people.Is thinking of yourself as different from other people something everyone does in differing ways?
The positives are that those attributes that one already had, which are so innate or reinforced in one, that they cannot be changed, and which are not inherently negative, but which are invalidated by society, and which INTPs often try to change without success, are revealed to be part of one's nature, and that it's perfectly okay to have those traits, and that they can even be useful. In that way, it's like being good at maths, in a school where nearly everyone else is bad at it. You still feel like there is something wrong with you. You spend ages trying to understand illogical perspectives, and spend ages wondering how one could possibly reject ideas that everyone else accepts so easily. You think there is something wrong with you. Then when you find out that you just have a brain that understands maths, and that it is so rare in your area, that it's considered incredibly useful to have such a brain.What are the negatives and positives of identifying as INTP?
My apologies, I completely missed the last sentence. I took the post as a flat rejection of rounding functions. Oops!
Yes. Everyone seems to feel that they are different from other people. We're in a culture that seems to breed alienation in people.
The positives are that those attributes that one already had, which are so innate or reinforced in one, that they cannot be changed, and which are not inherently negative, but which are invalidated by society, and which INTPs often try to change without success, are revealed to be part of one's nature, and that it's perfectly okay to have those traits, and that they can even be useful. In that way, it's like being good at maths, in a school where nearly everyone else is bad at it. You still feel like there is something wrong with you. You spend ages trying to understand illogical perspectives, and spend ages wondering how one could possibly reject ideas that everyone else accepts so easily. You think there is something wrong with you. Then when you find out that you just have a brain that understands maths, and that it is so rare in your area, that it's considered incredibly useful to have such a brain.
Likewise, when you find out that all your weird stuff is because you're an INTP, then you just accept it, and stop worrying about it. You accept yourself. Moreover, you come across other INTPs, who have learned to use those skills to their benefit, which then leads you to realise that your INTP-based skills are useful as well. A lot less negative self-perceptions, and many new positive self-perceptions.
Also, that the inconsistencies in your thinking and your behaviour, suddenly become incredibly consistent, in terms of being an INTP. You suddenly feel like you make sense.
The negatives are when you believe that INTP defines you, and you let it limit you, or you try to make yourself fit into other people's images of an INTP. Like we saying that I can't be an INTP, because most INTPs are tidy. Or me even trying to mess up my room, simply because most INTPs on this site seem to say they just leave things anywhere in their room. It's really no different than what the person was doing before, when he didn't know that he was an INTP.
Typo. I meant "most INTPs are messy".I would like to meet this INTP.
I read books on it, and experimented with it. I grew up in a large family for the number of rooms we had. When I went to college, I was still sharing a room. Didn't actually have my own room till I was 23, and even then it was little more than a box room. Space is very expensive here, and at the same time, I like to buy books. So I try to squeeze the most stuff into the smallest spaces. Then I often want something, but can't find it. So then I have to be very inventive, about how to make things organised to maximise space usage, but at the same time, maximise accessibility.Tidiness is probably my largest problem in my marriage and I would love to get some advice how I could manage a tidy life.