Am I an INTP?

[Koratt]

Hi,

I recently decided to registered to this forum because I require help to determine my personality.

Last week I came across Briggs Myers' 16 personality type when I was trying to find out a little bit about myself. When I did the test I wasn't hoping for anything I just thought it won't hurt. I tried to answer the questions truthfully and as a result I got INTP. While I was reading the description of this personality, I saw that it was very familiar and it explained a lot about my behaviour. It was a very strange experience. So I started researching to confirm if this is my true nature. I spent the whole week and I hardly slept. I was so focused on this subject that one day I even forgot to take a shower and a lot of other basic things. And even at work I was constantly thinking about the things I was reading about almost all night. It was very good to know that I’m not a sociopath and a cold heartless bastard who tend to forget every birthday and can’t remember the name of some his colleagues even after three months of working together and a lot of other things that I can’t list because I can’t remember. And also I’m so clumsy at emotional “stuff” and I don’t have a single clue how cheer people up. I can only present them logical explanation. And I came to the conclusion that people just couldn’t understand the way I think. Still I’m not sure about my personality I can’t tell for certain that I’m an INTP. So my question is there a fool proof way to determine the truth about this? And if you have any resource that can help me I’m looking forward to receiving it.

Manny thanks in advance I hope I will find my answers here.

 

[ddspada]

Welcome, welcome!

If you wish to fully understand MBTI (and it seems that you do, indeed) my recommendation is to read up on cognitive functions (CFs). The four-letter code you have, INTP in this case, is only supposed to be shorthand for a "stack" of different modes of thinking and decision-making. By analyzing cognitive functions you're much, MUCH more likely to correctly determine your type.

For example, most online tests will ask whether you're outgoing or solitary for the first letter, concrete or idealistic for the second, emotional or unemotional for the third (even though MBTI has very little to do with emotions), and organized or spontaneous for the fourth. If you answer "solitary, idealistic, unemotional, spontaneous" you get INTP as your result, on mostly behavioural grounds. It is almost universally agreed that type does not change. Unfortunately, behaviour can and does change: if you start college, for example, you might suddenly need to adapt to a more rigid routine or focus more on details -- say, for a history class. That does NOT make you an ISTJ, unless you were ISTJ to begin with. You mention acting in ways that resonate well with the INTP type, such as being sentimentally clumsy, presenting "logical" explanations, forgoing bodily needs when researching or working, but these factors are mostly behavioural (or at least they seem like it if no additional context is given, which is difficult to convey via text alone anyway). Not all INTPs exhibit them, and many non-INTPs do; going by these alone might steer you into reaching the wrong conclusions.

Instead, CF analysis can help you compare the way you think with the way people having X or Y CF usually think. The INTP functions are Ti (introverted thinking), Ne (extroverted intuition), Si (introverted sensation), and Fe (extroverted feeling), in that order of importance and prominence. You may find that you do not relate to Ti at all, but you do relate to Fi (intorverted feeling), which would be a good indicator of being INFP; you may find that you relate to Ne more than to Ti, which would be a good indicator of being ENTP; and so on.

Just to clarify, a specific CF or type may very well translate into behaviour, and usually does (you'd be hard pressed to find an INTP who likes to party more than an ESFP; viceversa for reading highly theoretical physics or philosophy) but for the most part analyzing the cognitive processes is a safer bet than analyzing conduct.

Do not rely on tests. They are subject to skewed results via personal interpretation and/or stereotypes, and they are very easy to manipulate most of the time.

I suggest the following as good starting places for learning about CFs.

http://personalityjunkie.com/functions-ni-ti-fi-si-ne-te-fe-se/
http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=6582
http://www.sociotype.com/socionics/information_elements/

Good luck. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[The Grey Man]

Each one of us is an INTP...
...And an ESFJ...
...And an INFJ...
...A princess...
...And a criminal.
Does that answer your question?

 

[nanook]

you are probably T dominant for being socially inept and worrying about it, but having a way of thinking that other people can not understand is no sure sign of intuition, because Ti (even if combined with sensation) can become so abstract that it becomes disagreeable to virtually anyone else. mbti can not take such things into account, it is too superficial and presents ISTP as jocks, which is not accurate. as long as you are somehow theoretical mbti will be inclined to think of you as intuitive. understanding functions can help and i recommend carl jung and socionics

interpreting your psyche is never fool proof.

however there are attempts at objectifying type, based on the attitudes that are revealed in the muscle-play, which shape aspects of the face and the body gestures. this is called visual identification or reading. you can learn to do this, but it's too fucking difficult to be fool proof. there have also been attempts to scan the brain for patterns.

 

[somebodiesfool]

Hi,

I recently decided to registered to this forum because I require help to determine my personality.

Last week I came across Briggs Myers' 16 personality type when I was trying to find out a little bit about myself. When I did the test I wasn't hoping for anything I just thought it won't hurt. I tried to answer the questions truthfully and as a result I got INTP. While I was reading the description of this personality, I saw that it was very familiar and it explained a lot about my behaviour. It was a very strange experience. So I started researching to confirm if this is my true nature. I spent the whole week and I hardly slept. I was so focused on this subject that one day I even forgot to take a shower and a lot of other basic things. And even at work I was constantly thinking about the things I was reading about almost all night. It was very good to know that I’m not a sociopath and a cold heartless bastard who tend to forget every birthday and can’t remember the name of some his colleagues even after three months of working together and a lot of other things that I can’t list because I can’t remember. And also I’m so clumsy at emotional “stuff” and I don’t have a single clue how cheer people up. I can only present them logical explanation. And I came to the conclusion that people just couldn’t understand the way I think. Still I’m not sure about my personality I can’t tell for certain that I’m an INTP. So my question is there a fool proof way to determine the truth about this? And if you have any resource that can help me I’m looking forward to receiving it.

Manny thanks in advance I hope I will find my answers here.

Hey maybe you like him:

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

[Architect]

Each one of us is an INTP...
...And an ESFJ...
...And an INFJ...
...A princess...
...And a criminal.

Speak for yourself, I'm not an ESFJ, or INFJ and definitely not the latter two. I have proof, the police investigated my record for an unrelated matter and I came up clean.

 

[The Grey Man]

Speak for yourself, I'm not an ESFJ, or INFJ and definitely not the latter two. I have proof, the police investigated my record for an unrelated matter and I came up clean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqoNKCCt7A

 

[k9b4]

yep you seem like an INTP to me

congrats

 

[Koratt]

Thank you for all the answers.

I did my research and I came to the conclusion that I'm an INTJ and I can say for sure that i'm not an ENTP or an INFJ. And the reason is that I can't relate to Ti and as my main CF but in the other hand Ni and Te is as dominant CFs is much more like me. Although my main CF is Ni I tend to engage people with Ti if that makes sense. And I don't care about the fact that people call me a cold hearted psychopath I even enjoy it. Now I know it's not actually the case. I'm just an observer who doesn't want to be involved with other people unless it is absolutely necessary. When I go shopping and I can't find the thing that i'm looking for I rarely ask for help, instead I end up spending a lot more time looking for it. And the reason for that is my Se is quite low and I can't notice my details in my environment. As for the third function Fi which makes sense. Lately I feel I would like to help people in need, but I engage them with my Ti so it doesn't turn out quite well all the time. I think I can empathize with people with problems that they don't usually tell to others. But most of the time they won't tell these problems to me anyway so I just don't give a f***. I guess this is my third function in development. A fun fact: This is the first time ever I registered to a forum to actually post something not just observe.

 

[Vrecknidj]

Thank you for all the answers.

I did my research and I came to the conclusion that I'm an INTJ ....

So you're fond of both Spock and Darth Vader?

 

[Reluctantly]

MBTI seems to have a high brainwashing capability. If only I could channel that somehow into directing the associations people seem to want to make. More research is needed.

 

[Koratt]

MBTI seems to have a high brainwashing capability. If only I could channel that somehow into directing the associations people seem to want to make. More research is needed.

It certainly does. Since I know about it's existence I can't deny my perception has changed a bit about myself, however I don't think this will last, but it was a fun research and I learned something new along the way. In my opinion people with desperation are the most susceptible to brainwashing and if you can provide them a solution that is easily comprehensible alternative for their problem they will follow you. I don't think a logical system like the MBTI can do that, but money can be made out of it. Lot of the personality testing sites has a "premium content" and after doing the test they give a short assessment and they encourage people to buy their product in order to make their life easier. In other words an easy way out. And people will buy it even if they did some research. They won't find a solution on the first page of google and even if they find something it is written in a language that the majority can't understand. It is easier to give up and spend a few dollars.

 

[MellifluousSky]

MBTI seems to have a high brainwashing capability. If only I could channel that somehow into directing the associations people seem to want to make. More research is needed.

Actually it has perverse, pernicious brain-melting capability, especially when you start thinking that INFP's and INFJ's can be type 8 on the Enneagram. Now I could be wrong, but it seems like the type of stretch one would experience inside a Schwarzschild radius. Te/Se dom should not be mistaken for Ni dom, even under the influence of hallucinogens.

 

[manishboy]

Be INTP today, INTJ tomorrow. I've found more benefit from trying on types and seeing the results than from nailing a single identity to my forehead. (It's useful to have a few types you can be for situations where some extrofart wants to sum you up by asking your type.)

The map is not the terrain!

 

[Yellow]

Each one of us is an INTP...
...And an ESFJ...
...And an INFJ...
...A princess...
...And a criminal.
Does that answer your question?

3/5 isn't bad!
INTP: Criminal Princess! Like Xena except I close my fucking mouth when I finish speaking!

Anyway, I would lean toward INTP over INTJ simply because INTPs (as a rule) seem to be the most interested in MBTI. (Enough to study it day and night, that is).

 

[Koratt]

So I still study the MBTI. I think of the personality types as a computer running an operation system. Everyone has their main type that is the operation system. But over time updates and applications can be downloaded through observation, interaction and experience. However there are applications that are less compatible with the system. When those processes are running the they will not run perfectly or they will run slowly or will not start until the relevant update is downloaded. If two completely different operation system try to interact, they will not process the exchanged information or they will misunderstand it, but after extended exposure the relevant application can be installed, that interprets the difference. Later the new functions can be used by the system that received it, but never the same easy and natural way as the provider. Hope this makes sense.

So in my case I got an INTP operation system with an INTJ service pack and downloaded an application to run some Fi.