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Firehazard, good clarification that not all societies are inherently evil. I didn't mean to imply they were; your phrasing was better than mine. I expect all societies have quirks that an INTP would change, though. I certainly follow my own code of conduct. I just have yet to see someone...

White Knight? I don't really see it. White knights join really formal orders, follow complicated societal codes like chivalry, swear fealty, respect authority, and get into physical fights. That isn't me, at least. I would say revolutionary, instead: spotting problems, coming up with ideal...

I do like your definition of integrity, and you solution (an e-mail with an explanation, and maybe a request to reschedule) was the same as mine. EDIT: Another reason for not violating your principles/integrity/morality/ethics is that, once you do, where do you draw the line? What if the...

Sorry to be confusing, Reverse Transcriptase. I was talking to the mom (the daughter was at home doing homework) and, yes, she thinks you have to be ready to sacrifice your integrity to get into the good graces of people in authority. I agree with Inappropriate Behavior, that if you are...

My dear friend (ESTJ?) has a 15-year-old daughter (INTP, I think), who failed a composition test. She was supposed to write about the "most important" something, I don't know what, and spent all but the last 5 minutes trying to decide what that was. Due to conflicting school requirements...

Taxi. Firefly. Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

Yeah, better to avoid the psychopath look. Although, at least people stop telling you to smile, or ask what you are upset about, if they worry that you might go for their throat.

My mom broke me of looking neutral when I was about 14. Now I try to maintain a small smile instead of a neutral face. It really helps, but I can see why someone wouldn't want to do it, or would find it irritating to have to. Many other types depend on obvious facial expressions, and miss...

I've never been rebellious. I am a non-conformist, I suppose, because I don't conform in order to please other people. Sometimes I like popular music; sometimes I don't. But a rebel would go out and make a point of listening to weird music in public. I hate when other people inflict their...

I love being an INTP, too. Seducer, are you upset by the high concentration of INTP traits here on this forum? This is a place to be ourselves and celebrate/discuss/bemoan that which makes us different, so it makes sense if there is a lot what you describe here. I am certainly not cold...

I did that a lot as a teenager. I was good at it, like you. Around senior year in high school I decided it was wrong to do that and quit manipulating people for my own benefit and entertainment. If you like using those techniques, but want to use them for a less selfish reason, try...

Fair enough Sepka. From your term "Maths" I am guessing you live in a different country from me. I hardly ever hear anyone in the US using the plural that way. In California, we pay more for education per student than most of our other states, yet have some of the lowest math scores...

Could age have anything to do with it? When I was in high school, I was definitely INTP, but I tended to melodrama, idealism, manipulating people around me, and believing I had the one true answer. I had few friends, no dates, and no idea when to shut up. Emotionally unstable is a good...

It has been my experience that (except for people who are just anti-math) most people gravitate to either geometry or algebra. It looks like my preference for geometry is similar to many people here. That might be an INTP thing, since most people I have met prefer algebra and hate geometry...

Pacific Standard Time. Southern California doesn't have much in the way of weather, so while I sympathize with those suffering in colder climates, I really look forward to winter, when it goes from stifling hot to only too hot to finally livable, maybe with a bit of overcast and a week of...

It doesn't matter to you or me, but I have a friend with two boys who is very uptight about gender in her kids. She was shocked that I let my daughter play with trucks as well as dolls, and that I let her watch Star Wars, which she considers a boy's movie. This is, of course, ridiculous, but...

I love Halloween. I don't go to bars, but costumes can be fun. One Halloween in college, I dressed in something a little "hot" and while it was modest enough, I was in one of the prettiest, sparkliest costumes that night, with two men competing for a chance to dance with me. It was wonderful...

Thanks for clearing that up. I have, of course, visited Northern California many times, and I loved it, but I used public transportation there. The few times I drove, it was terrible (more now I expect in SF with the Bay Bridge closed), but I wasn't sure if that was just downtown SF, and I...

It drives me nuts, too. No way should any region have jobs an hour away from homes. However, I haven't found a solution to that one. Re-zoning isn't going to happen, and Southern California got rid of its good public transportation a long time ago (See Roger Rabbit). We definitely do drive...

I can see why it turns you off, especially the SUVs. But there are some differences in California that make it more understandable, if not actually a good thing. First, you can't get around in California without a car, unless you live in the Bay Area. It's just about impossible. So everyone...

Well, I am not sure what you are going to do with this information, but I grew up in a white-collar middle class family. If there was something we really wanted, like going to a private college, we managed to make it work, but we couldn't afford European vacations or a summer home. Both...

I've never so much as gotten my ears pierced, let alone a tattoo, but I very often admire and enjoy the artworks others have applied to their bodies. I certainly can't see anything wrong with it, even if it isn't for me.

I'll have to come in on Kuu's side here. I don't think this is naive at all. If people are taught a lot of data retention, then they have some facts. They can do most jobs, and follow directions really well. That is training, not education. Not everyone is suited for education, of...

Thanks, Cobra. Yes, I do miss references to death by cutting. I had a very traumatic experience when a roommate cut her wrists (but was physically okay). I don't even notice suicidal references anymore. And thank you for the compliment. I admired your analysis, too.

Wow, I am not a poetry person at all, but you certainly deserve a response for posting this. So the first thing I admire is that you finished a poem and then showed it to people, which are both very impressive. The second thing I admire is that your imagery is very vivid. The emotions...

Yeah, Mary Poppins, too! Exactly the same reaction. (Though that author is Australian.)

Here's an odd question for you. As an American, I have always had an aversion to the classic English children's fantasy stories, such as Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang, the Chronicles of Narnia, or Alice in Wonderland. Classic American children's fantasies, such as the Oz series, more recent...

What does SPO stand for?

Wow, that is quite a statement. As an INTP female, I have never felt the least like a man, but I have spent my life in male-dominated fields (electronics, physics, IT), and I am certainly an outlier among my fellow (non-INTP, bubbly-writing) moms. The prevalence of the bubbly girl...

This hasn't been as much of a problem for me as it apparently has for some others here. Sure, it can be hard to get myself started, but I usually manage it. When I don't, it is because of fear. I can put things off for years if I am afraid. Maybe fear is due to a phobia (I have a few) or...

The bubbly girls' handwriting isn't all that legible, I find. I just volunteered to enter a bunch of contact information submitted by parents at my child's kindergarten. About half of them were bubbly girls' handwriting, and about half of those were illegible. Is that round loopy thing an a...

I thought about this, mormeguil, and I can't agree. Clearly, being intelligent does not make you better than other people, and life does go better when one appreciates others for their strengths. As for your comment that you are not more intelligent, but just better at using logic to...

When I multitask, I do a bad job at each task. That doesn't mean I don't do it. I fold laundry while helping my daughter with piano practice, or listen to TV while cooking, but this only works under certain strict conditions: 1) neither task is of critical importance. A failure is...

I can't agree with that. My parents always let me have my say, and gave me respect, even when I was just learning to talk. They are an INTP and an INFP, so it could be hereditary. My INTP friends all have terrific parents. I don't think personality is the result of upbringing. I sure...

I used to do a lot of graphology, so I looked into this extensively. Very seldom does a single trait, like forgetting to cross your t's, indicate something. There have to be multiple signs to back it up. Illegible handwriting, if it is written quickly, can indicate a mind going faster...

I was very manipulative in high school. I could get people to do what I wanted. Then I decided that what I was doing was wrong, and I stopped. You use the term manipulate to mean any attempt at influencing another person. If you reassure someone who is scared, yell at someone who angers...

Like everyone else here, it seems, I don't lie much, but when I do, I am completely convincing. I think Cavallierose described the method very well. Most of my lies are in the "polite" category. "Don't worry about it; we were planning to replace that anyway." "We'd love to come to your...

I would not have liked math if my dad hadn't taken over my math education. He's an INTP too, and an electrical engineer, and a compulsive teacher. He owned a school, so textbook companies were delighted to send him teachers' editions of any book he wanted, for free. He would order whatever...

Yes, I have been there. I was very emotional as a kid, too. I don't think that makes you fake anything. The fact that you suppressed your feelings to avoid bullying sounds like a common enough story on the INTP forum. It sounds like you are in a very bad way, and I certainly hope you can...

I see both, at will, but this time it started counterclockwise (I'm in the USA). I've seen it before and it could start either way for me. Is there supposed to be some meaning to it? I've never paid much attention to the illusion, though I think it is fun.

I used to have terrible problems with compliments. For many years, I felt like I was faking my own competence, and people thought I was better than I was. When others saw something praiseworthy, I saw only the flaws. I would dissect compliments to try to determine if they were a) sincere and...

Well, Ermine, now I am upset. I had it so much better than my mom, in terms of what girls were allowed and expected to do, and I guess I was hoping it was much better now. Maybe it is, but your story is not a comforting one. I do appreciate your comments, of course, since the information is...

I love math and science, and got my degree in Physics. But I don't work in that field, so I don't have much to say about it, except that it is a lot of fun and I still like studying it. If anyone wanted to discuss parenting, I'd be up for a discussion of early science and math education...

Okay, you caught me in a sampling bias. I don't know that many people who are, in fact, rich. So saying I don't know any rich INTPs is not actually indicative of anything. Perhaps your point about being prone to depression is the reason for my observations that INTPs do better when they...

Sorry, I didn't mean to scare people who are 19! I don't mean it will take until you are 35 for things to get better. I mean that by the time you reach 35, you will probably be in a better emotional and financial state than you can even imagine now. It is more gradual than a light switch, of...

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but don't give up. Most of the INTPs I know, including myself, have rather low incomes early on, and sometime around age 35, they suddenly find their way, become happier, and start making more money. I don't know any rich INTPs but I know many who are happy...

It is scary, but not as scary as some people I've worked with. Some CPAs couldn't figure out the original price if something had been marked down, like 40% off was $22, so what was the original price? And a civil engineer I worked with couldn't figure out exponential growth of 1.1% for 5...

I dumb myself down much of the time, but I think Inappropriate Behavior is correct, and it isn't a good idea. When I was a kid, I did so in order to make them stop calling me "computer" and make me more popular. It didn't work. When teaching software to professional accountants, I once...

That's an interesting point. I didn't have an all-girl school environment, and generally got along with the boys better. However, I have worked in an all-female office, and I despise single-gender environments. Nastiness goes up and critical thinking fails altogether. With all women (I...

That's me! Everything I ever saw about muscle memory has focused on physical activities, like playing music or sports. And everything I read about kinesthetic learning involves being unable to sit still, but nothing about muscle memory. When I learn, the learning is stored, somehow, in my...