Being an INTP

[Otherside]

I always find that the Jung descriptions:

loner, more interested in intellectual pursuits than relationships or family, wrestles with the meaninglessness of existence, likes esoteric things, disorganized, messy, likes science fiction, can be lonely, observer, private, can't describe feelings easily, detached, likes solitude, not revealing, unemotional, rule breaker, avoidant, familiar with the darkside, skeptical, acts without consulting others, does not think they are weird but others do, socially uncomfortable, abrupt, fantasy prone, does not like happy people, appreciates strangeness, frequently loses things, acts without planning, guarded, not punctual, more likely to support marijuana legalization, not prone to compromise, hard to persuade, relies on mind more than on others, calm

are the harsh (but accurate) traits.

The others hold some truth, but seem to be "softened" a little.

There are maybe four traits in the list that are advantageous in Western society.

The others do not tend to lead a person toward a stable and happy life or lifestyle. This has certainly been the case with me. I would not wish INTP upon anyone, although I believe my daughter may be. My mind has been struggling with the issue of how to help her cope with it in life. I've finally decided that she will have to take on the world in her own way, and the best thing I can do is to be there for her and enjoy the time we have together while she's still a child.

 

[Beholder]

All those disadvantages are just the side effects of us having such amazing minds. People find us fascinating, I love being INTP, and would never want to be anything else.
Childhood as an INTP does suck though, but we get through it.

 

[Otherside]

You're right that people find us fascinating. and I've enjoyed some rewards of that in my lifetime. The trouble begins when fascination doesn't cut it anymore.

 

[Otherside]

No one ever stepped in and did the mundane things I was incapable of doing because they found me fascinating. Not at work anyway, and there's almost no profession that doesn't revolve around repetition.

 

[Zionoxis]

I personally hate being an INTP just due to my own weaknesses. I see no point in being amazing at hyper-analyzation of data if I do not even have the motivation to LEARN more data or achieve anything.

I constantly fight with the fact that I am expected to do something worthwhile and deep down, I simply don't want to...yet I would be incomplete if I did not do something worthwhile with my life. I consider it an early-life crisis where I realize just how stupid I really am. I have come to the realization of how little I know...and it frightens me.

 

[Sanctum]

I find many of those traits to be advantageous, they just have negative connotations. In a world were communication is key to survive i feel we are the most likely strive and prosper due to this reliance on communication people can easily be manipulated, distracted, etc. But in lieu of this us INPTs stay to ourselves and ignore the fathoms of the world around us. We are rugged, emotionally unattached, objective, and strong with great minds. Sound like a recipe for success to me, these are traits needed to work in the world today in my opinion. Im 16 and i haven't had a lot of trouble being INTP i actually welcome it at this point.

 

[Otherside]

I appreciate the thoughtful replies to my post, and would love to hear other opinions.

 

[Otherside]

IMO, it's how the social and occupational limitations imposed by being an INTP that are most problematic.

 

[ElvenVeil]

Funny.. The list of traits never stroke me as negative. The point where it says that INTPs dislike happy people, was not anything I could recognize though. People that are truly happy, silly and just enjoy life, are in my opinion some of the most thrilling people to be around.
The idea of just being unconditionally happy is so unfamiliar and exotic, that it cannot be anything but interesting to be around and to understand.

 

[yogurtexpress]

Well, if you don't like your type, there's always the off-chance that the MBTI system is totally bogus and you have more of a choice about who you are than you think you do...

 

[CBadfeather]

There are maybe four traits in the list that are advantageous in Western society.

You're right. As far as I'm concerned though, "Western society's" opinion holds about as much weight with me as the cast of 'Jersey Shore.' I'm like, you fools elected George Bush as the president I don't care what you think.

 

[Pizzabeak]

I have a feeling most people don't like me/find me assholish.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

You're right. As far as I'm concerned though, "Western society's" opinion holds about as much weight with me as the cast of 'Jersey Shore.' I'm like, you fools elected George Bush as the president I don't care what you think.

Well... considering that the United States has a fixed two-party system, there really was no choice but to vote for him. If your sentiments fall under the Republican party, that is, otherwise you vote for the Democratic candidate.

But even then, the electoral college system makes it such that US citizens' votes do not directly determine the winning candidate for the presidency, so who the victor turns out to be does not exactly represent majority public opinion.

Also, the 2000 election is filled with controversy including any other possible malpractices that probably happen during elections.

And finally, some people didn't(/couldn't) vote.

 

[Beholder]

Funny.. The list of traits never stroke me as negative. The point where it says that INTPs dislike happy people, was not anything I could recognize though. People that are truly happy, silly and just enjoy life, are in my opinion some of the most thrilling people to be around.
The idea of just being unconditionally happy is so unfamiliar and exotic, that it cannot be anything but interesting to be around and to understand.

I'm probably the happiest person I've ever known, always have been, don't know why. I also love other happy people, and I like being around them.

 

[Dapper Dan]

Are those Jung's actual descriptions? Some of them are pretty fishy.

 

[Pyropyro]

I like being INTP. Sure there's a lot of weakness to balance out our strengths. But I guess its the good part, INTP's can overcome their weakness once they figured them out and not be lazy enough to act on them.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Are those Jung's actual descriptions? Some of them are pretty fishy.

Not directly from Jung, at least. They do look like SLOAN / Big Five SxUEI descriptions though.

 

[CBadfeather]

Politics aside*, the point I was trying to illustrate there was that maybe Western society isn't exactly the best judge of character to begin with; especially when it comes down to who is being rewarded, and for what.

This guy knows what's up:

It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. - Krishnamurti

[FONT=georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif]

[/FONT]*I think the quote above goes a long way to explain the 'success' attributed to corrupt politicians and reality tv stars

Also, if you're interested there's a book that just came out called 'Quiet: the Power of Introverts' that touches on the whole 'introverts attempting to live up to the extroverted ideal' problem in a pretty constructive way. might wanna check that out

 

[Sanctum]

I have a feeling most people don't like me/find me assholish.

Thats because most people don't understand us they think are solitude is a choice and to them that means we think we are too good for everyone and as an INTP to be objectively critical is a habit and some people mind find that assholish. I welcome it and I do feel at times that Im better than everyone else, basically for all the reasons listed at the beginning. to me the only real downside to being INTP is laziness. If i wasn't lazy who knows what i could accomplish

 

[P.H.]

I'm quite happy with who I am and I wouldn't want to be someone else. Being an INTP has it's pro's and con's, but so does every type. I don't think being an INTP can make a person unhappy. Not accepting who you are and losing focus on your positive traits can.

Besides, Ti/Ne rocks.

 

[tepellian]

There are maybe four traits in the list that are advantageous in Western society.

The others do not tend to lead a person toward a stable and happy life or lifestyle.

I derive happiness from my internal mental workings. I enjoy using my mind in the ways I do, and the outer world feeds it nicely. I get misdiagnosed as depressed a lot by people, who have a model of happiness that doesn't match mine.

As for stability, I wasn't sure exactly what you meant by it. If you meant outward stability, I do alright with that, even if it's transient (student, etc.). I live on my own or with someone I can trust not to intrude on my space. I keep my keys and wallet in my pocket so I don't have to think about where they are when I leave. And so on, I just cover my weaknesses. Inward stability I think I have enough of, at least, but I don't have time to pick apart the idea right now.

I seem to get by ignoring most of Western society. I've considered the question enough, and seen enough diverse lifestyles, mental states, etc. that I think society is mostly superficial anyway, a construct that facilitates people dealing with each other at best, an over-regulator of lives at worst. I just kind of live my own life wherever I am, and deal with people as I am wont to do.

 

[AureliaSeverina]

Disadvantages? From an INTJ perspective, all the things in that list are what makes INTPs cute and strangely fascinating ....er in a scary way. (Observation based on a sample of 1 INTP friend).

 

[Paintzee]

Just think all the best TV show revolve around INTP's eg. House, any CSI, The Big Bang Theory to name a few.

 

[BridgeOfSighs]

I find being an INTP is a blessing and a curse. Sure, I can become grossly unmotivated, unwilling to share my feelings, and downright annoyed at everyone who doesn't hold to a certain intellectual standard. I also enjoy being able to be by myself for long periods of time, creating my own intellectual curiosity (even if it's rarely shared), and being quirky/odd/whatever. Some days are better than others but I've come to enjoy my type. The aspects I wish I could change mostly revolve around other people's perceptions about the INTP type (lazy comes to term most often), but that part has to be shut off mostly. I've always been a firm believer in being yourself --cliche, yeah. Not everyone is going to understand why you act the way you do so it's all about finding people, bosses, friends, partners who can understand and help develop your quality INTP traits without trying to change you completely.