Guh-reetings fellow INTPs!

[Plumbata]

For a number of years the MBTI-based personality tests have captured both time and attention, and invariably the answers to such tests have resulted in my repeated classification as an INTP. Cool.

As is likely the case with most of you fine individuals, the implications and "prestige" of such a scarce evaluation does little more than reinforce what was already known intuitively, but to the end of obtaining an increased understanding of this psychosocial predisposition it was deemed prudent to join and peruse this forum. Here I am.

I am 23, male, have 20/13 vision, am quite healthy despite smoking a pack of Camel Turkish Royals a day, and have a truly fantastic ISTJ girlfriend of 5 years who is in grad school now (less work for me, bwahahaha! ) and is a chef of superb talent. I went to a good university but did not finish, and am now supporting myself by dealing in elemental substances and antiques both online and at local markets. Collecting scrap metals part-time provides an extra 400 or so in cash per week, which certainly helps. On every standardized academic aptitude test including the ACT I scored in the 99th percentile without any studying or preparation (WTF do I care about an arbitrary metric like that, after all?), and plan to complete my education when I feel that it is worth the investment of time and money. My academic interests lie in psychology, sociology, general anthropology, archaeology, history, geology/paleontology and the study of useful plants. Wonder why I didn't finish my degree...?

Since the age of 5 I have invested countless hours studying and collecting anything old or personally interesting, from hand-blown bottles, stoneware, silver coinage, rare plants and natural medicinal agents, antique books/ephemera, hand-forged tools, fossils and minerals, elements and chemicals, MTG cards (not anymore, but immensely profitable when I did), early electronic apparatuses, militaria, Roman antiquities, explosives, projectiles, and edged weaponry. I also study and emulate the manufacture of the aforementioned items when materials and increasingly-scarce time permits. In 4th grade I built a rocket launcher, and in 5th grade I blew a hole in my fence using a small cannon I made, for example. I also greatly enjoy planting, growing, nurturing, and harvesting the yield of useful vegetables, berries, trees, and fungi, and love selling all manner of other unmentioned classes of items for substantial profit (when possible).

I hate 99.85% of the TV programming out there (and thus watch an average of 30 minutes per week or less, when chillin' with the dudes), video games except for Goldeneye and Duck Hunt, politics, pop-culture, professional and competitive recreational sports, celebrity worship, modern fashion, authority without capacity, and Paris Hilton. I hate how biased the news is, and hate how so many people gobble it down with unabated zeal. I hate people who judge everything without consideration, and people who accept everything without judgment. Perhaps "hate" is too forceful, but overall I try my best to remove myself from all contexts which have the potential to suck me into a framework which I despise for many reasons.

My favorite activities involve hiking alone (and thus unhindered) through the wilderness in search of experiential knowledge and items I can absorb into the collections or sell for profit, drafting schematics for useful inventions, improvements to existing technology, or explosive devices, building things, carving stone, having sex, eating drinking and smoking inebriating or delicious substances, discovering undocumented phenomena, fossils, and classes of historic material antiques, digging holes up to 12 feet deep in search of fossils, antiques, and general physical fitness, and reading through my 2000+ volume library of antique books.

I am 25% Jap, 25% Czech, and a smattering of Scottish, Irish, English, French, Italian, Russian Jew, Narragansett Indian, and German. A genetic mutt, in essence.


I do not pretend that this assortment of biographical information will be of interest to anyone but myself, but perhaps it may guide your hands when answering a few questions I have for you:


Is it normal for INTPs to have broad interests manifested by massive collections, the latter which are so voluminous that it leads others to the conclusion that one is an OCD hoarder?

Is it normal for INTPs to dislike general mathematics and computer science?

Is it normal for INTPs to have close friends that are neither particularly intelligent nor inquisitive?

Is it normal for INTPs to be extremely hands-on and physically engaged with one's environment?

Is an active quest for knowledge and experience necessary for survival in a world without societal infrastructure common amongst us, or is it considered unnecessary since in all likelihood the world as we know it isn't going anywhere anytime soon? Would it just be an aspect of an attempt to be generally self-sufficient?

Is being highly gregarious, and being very capable of diffusing difficult or dangerous social or environmental situations normal for INTPs (think police encounters, noxious fume clouds moving towards a large group of unsuspecting spectators, or rampaging wildfires which must be controlled)?

Are tedious traits, deemed narcissistic or egocentric tendencies by others, common with INTPs?



Anyway, thanks for having me folk, I hope to learn a great deal from all of you!

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Is it normal for INTPs to have broad interests manifested by massive collections, the latter which are so voluminous that it leads others to the conclusion that one is an OCD hoarder?

INTPs hoard intangible knowledge most of all, anything else would pale in comparison. Though hoarding other things is possible, I don't think it would be enough to be obvious to an arbitrary observer.

Is it normal for INTPs to dislike general mathematics and computer science?

NTs have a tendency towards technology, math and science, but this is not absolute. If you completely despise mathematics though, I would seriously doubt your INTPness.

Is it normal for INTPs to have close friends that are neither particularly intelligent nor inquisitive?

When it comes to friends the trend is "all or nothing" with regards to intellect, but one can have close friends of any type.

Is it normal for INTPs to be extremely hands-on and physically engaged with one's environment?

No. We prefer Ne to Se.

Is an active quest for knowledge and experience necessary for survival in a world without societal infrastructure common amongst us, or is it considered unnecessary since in all likelihood the world as we know it isn't going anywhere anytime soon? Would it just be an aspect of an attempt to be generally self-sufficient?

The insatiable curiosity for knowledge is a result of a need to understand, it is also seen as a defense mechanism/crutch for making one's self vulnerable to new experiences.

Is being highly gregarious, and being very capable of diffusing difficult or dangerous social or environmental situations normal for INTPs (think police encounters, noxious fume clouds moving towards a large group of unsuspecting spectators, or rampaging wildfires which must be controlled)?

No No No No No and more No. Unless you have a job in which you are forced to focus on your environment and are surrounded by other intellectuals, I don't believe you are an INTP based on this.

Are tedious traits, deemed narcissistic or egocentric tendencies by others, common with INTPs?

Anyway, thanks for having me folk, I hope to learn a great deal from all of you!

INTPs may have a huge ego concerning knowledge, but that information is pretty introverted, I don't see how the average INTP would be considered narcissistic.

I have concluded you are either STP or SFP or a developed NTJ based on your strong Se. I suggest you take more tests, if you want accuracy.

Also, welcome.

 

[Ska]

I have concluded you are either STP or SFP or a developed NTJ based on your strong Se. I suggest you take more tests, if you want accuracy.

Do you really think an Ni user would have such a preference for Se, though? My guess is XSTP.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I was trying to keep it flexible, considering he believed he was an NT in the first place, but STP is the most likely.

 

[nexion]

Firstly, let me reverberate the conclusions that the other two posters came to: I highly doubt you are an INTP, but rather an xSTP, considering your fascination with tangible objects, collections, nature, and the such.

Secondly, let me say, that I wish my Sensing abilities were developed to such an extent as to be very similar to you. How I do desire to build practical inventions, explosives, and weapons using many different materials both collected and purchased (I'm not so sure about the collections of varying objects), but I am sure, hearing what you have to say about it, that my near or far future shall be spent in such a manner, at least for a time.

Now, onto the questions:

Is it normal for INTPs to have broad interests manifested by massive collections, the latter which are so voluminous that it leads others to the conclusion that one is an OCD hoarder?

Broad interests, perhaps, though... massive collections, not so much. I would not say that I have barely anything which represent my interests, but massive collections would be far over-reaching. INTP's tend to rely a great deal more on intangible knowledge rather than hands-on experience and physical possessions.

Is it normal for INTPs to dislike general mathematics and computer science?

I would be inclined to say no, but that is only because I love both, and many INTPs I know like either one or the other, or both.

Is it normal for INTPs to have close friends that are neither particularly intelligent nor inquisitive?

That could be true for any personality type, or the opposite could be true. Considering INTPs generally have much more complex thought patterns and much greater in-depth knowledge, however, it can sure feel that way some, if not most, of the time.

Is it normal for INTPs to be extremely hands-on and physically engaged with one's environment?

Not really. They mostly stay within their own heads (Ti and Ne).

Is an active quest for knowledge and experience necessary for survival in a world without societal infrastructure common amongst us, or is it considered unnecessary since in all likelihood the world as we know it isn't going anywhere anytime soon? Would it just be an aspect of an attempt to be generally self-sufficient?

Self-sufficiency, I find, is key, especially given the nature of many aspects of society.

Is being highly gregarious, and being very capable of diffusing difficult or dangerous social or environmental situations normal for INTPs (think police encounters, noxious fume clouds moving towards a large group of unsuspecting spectators, or rampaging wildfires which must be controlled)?

Are tedious traits, deemed narcissistic or egocentric tendencies by others, common with INTPs?

Not really, it is far more common with ISTP's... as to the last question, maybe.

 

[The Gopher]

Well in regard to maths I hate itbut I am good at it I would say he is an ENTP or a INTP that is very close to the other types.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Well in regard to maths I hate itbut I am good at it I would say he is an ENTP or a INTP that is very close to the other types.

Why do you think ENTP?

 

[nexion]

Why do you think ENTP?

Te followed by Ni could work I think... but I still think the Ti-Se of ISTP or maybe even the Se-Ti of ESTP is a much better fit.

 

[AlisaD]

Welcome.
I couldn't care less which type you are.
You do seem quite interesting and it is a shame that you are not likely to stick around for very long.

To answer your questions, I don't really think there is any such thing as normal for an INTP, but here's what applies to me:

Is it normal for INTPs to have broad interests manifested by massive collections, the latter which are so voluminous that it leads others to the conclusion that one is an OCD hoarder?

Nope, I leave stuff behind, lose it, give it away or destroy it.

Is it normal for INTPs to dislike general mathematics and computer science?

I'm quite good at both, but have no respect for either, I don't dislike them per se, but I do dislike the fact that they are turning into a whole new religion.

Is it normal for INTPs to have close friends that are neither particularly intelligent nor inquisitive?

I'd have to say, no. I do have a close friend who is a horrible person, though, but I love him just the same.

Is it normal for INTPs to be extremely hands-on and physically engaged with one's environment?

Yes, but on very rare occasions.

Is an active quest for knowledge and experience necessary for survival in a world without societal infrastructure common amongst us, or is it considered unnecessary since in all likelihood the world as we know it isn't going anywhere anytime soon? Would it just be an aspect of an attempt to be generally self-sufficient?

It's quite unnecessary, I think. Pure fun all of it, really.

Is being highly gregarious, and being very capable of diffusing difficult or dangerous social or environmental situations normal for INTPs (think police encounters, noxious fume clouds moving towards a large group of unsuspecting spectators, or rampaging wildfires which must be controlled)?

For me - yes.

Are tedious traits, deemed narcissistic or egocentric tendencies by others, common with INTPs?

Oh yes.



Once again, welcome, and don't mind the obsessive typers, you are what you are.

 

[Plumbata]

INTPs hoard intangible knowledge most of all, anything else would pale in comparison. Though hoarding other things is possible, I don't think it would be enough to be obvious to an arbitrary observer.

I certainly agree. The hoarding of items is not rooted solely in the materialistic desire for ownership, it is done because they are tangible keys which unlock the doors to volumes of this "intangible knowledge". If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how much is the actual item in-hand worth, eh? I can know things about an item by observing and handling it that many pages could not encompass. The objects serve as bookmarks amongst the multitudinous pages of knowledge, memory and experience, if that makes sense. By merely touching a revered item, an explosion of information occurs in 1 second that would require a half hour to translate into spoken language, and even then much additional information simply could not be communicated without direct transmission of data not easily transcribed into spoken language.

With the attention paid to all my possessions my friends find it funny how non-materialistic I am in the typical sense, as I am always giving unrequited gifts of unique items, dressing like a bum, and am unmoved by typical social displays of class and wealth (or the emulation of the aforementioned, which usually elicits an automatic decrease in respect for people who do so).

NTs have a tendency towards technology, math and science, but this is not absolute. If you completely despise mathematics though, I would seriously doubt your INTPness.

I used to love math and excelled in the realm without much effort, multiplying numbers into the millions before i turned 6, but later found far more interesting diversions. I suppose one could say that I am indifferent to mathematics (it is so black and white, and I like gray areas), but I love physics, chemistry, and scientific inquest in general, as long as there are personally practical applications for such things (including an (attempt at) understanding the ways by which this universe and all its parts operate, which i say is supremely practical). I hate statistics though, blech! Psychological, Geological, anthropological, and macro-sociological theorizing constitutes much of my mental investment, but I can be just as happy when focusing on small-scale artifacts or mechanical gadgets, the ways they operate, and how they can be improved or brought into material existence, though after solving the last issue I usually move on before actually creating it.

When it comes to friends the trend is "all or nothing" with regards to intellect, but one can have close friends of any type.

Makes sense. My most highly-valued friends are the most intelligent, generally, but one can learn amazing things through interaction with those that posses well-developed primary traits in other realms that I suffer a weakness/lack of development in. They help me, and I help them. It is good to keep an open mind wide open .

No. We prefer Ne to Se.

Likewise, but isn't experiential and "truth-based" knowledge the basis for, or foundation from which intuitive information is concocted? It is not the sensory information alone that is of value, it is the cascades of thought and deeper understanding that they trigger.

I need to be actively focused on external sensory stimuli for it to register; it isn't necessarily natural but it comes easily and is very enjoyable, since I've been doing it for years and it has been profitable in many ways.

The parents always considered me to be quite the showcase of ADHD, and for a time thought I was autistic because I shunned physical touch (HATED hugs, kisses, and was terrified of eye contact), avoided loud noises, and didn't speak until I was almost 3 at which point I began communicating in full articulate sentences and was lovingly termed the "young professor" by relatives. I used to take everything as a literal representation of truth and erected elaborate mental landscapes illustrating the stories people told me that were actually just colorful jokes or even lies (oh the horror of falsehoods!), as I learned when analyzing the situations years later. Asperger's sydnrome, anyone?

I will often hold an ancient artifact or fossil in my hands and instantly be transported back in time, experiencing vividly the possibilities which (may have) guided its creation, use, and eventual deposition. The fact that I hold it in my hand proves that a string of events guided its creation, use, and journey to my collection, and I love musing over the possibilities, from global forces to the most minute chance events. During these states I will be oblivious to everything around me for 5, 10, or more minutes, not even registering spoken language directed at me unless repeated forcefully. Such mental states are almost magical in intensity and reality, often more memorable than the rest of the living day.

This is not to say that I overtly enjoy human physical contact, or try to gain sensory information from everything at all times (just from novel things, and potent and meaningful items). Sensory information seems to be an extremely valuable source of useful information (texture, temperature, insulating capacity, weight, density, hardness, etc) used as the raw materials for the intuitive engine, which has saved my ass or prompted the taking of immensely profitable chances on many occasions. Intuition forms the initial amorphous blob of thought that is brought into focus and fleshed out by further analysis and logical construction. I am a visual-kinesthetic learner, but that does not dictate how I think or create comprehensive systems of understanding which use, in part, that raw sensory data. I figure that one is best informed when physical and sensory properties are absorbed and analyzed as a supplement to and in conjunction with the intuitive juggernaut. Many times I have intuited things and then created an elaborate rational case for the views, only to find that I lacked a crucial piece of data and was entirely incorrect as a result. I don't like the personal implications of being grossly incorrect (and thus diverging from truth), so I use all that I can to prevent that from happening.

The insatiable curiosity for knowledge is a result of a need to understand, it is also seen as a defense mechanism/crutch for making one's self vulnerable to new experiences.

Less vulnerable, I presume? And yes, the need to Understand is very deeply rooted for the reasons you described, amongst others. Nicely put.

No No No No No and more No. Unless you have a job in which you are forced to focus on your environment and are surrounded by other intellectuals, I don't believe you are an INTP based on this.

It is not an active striving for interaction (now that I gained a sufficient level of interpersonal competency, anyway), just an ability to play the part when immersed within a social situation. I avoid crowds and prefer to keep to myself, but when friends request that I regale them and other non-friends with tales of explosions, near-misses, valuable discoveries, or various aspects of world history or psychology I have no difficulty making it very entertaining (nowadays, anyway). Until I was 13 I wouldn't buy something I wanted at a store because the mere thought of interacting with the cashier (a stranger) was so inundated with "what-ifs" and possibilities which I knew I had no skills to handle that I would get the parents to buy it with my money, or go without. At flea markets or antique stores I was quite capable, but only because I usually knew what to expect in those situations.

During the first two years of high school, I was quite a hard-shelled introvert and was fine with it, but starting before junior year I resolved to break out of the shell and try interacting with everyone I deemed worthwhile, even if the general consensus was that they were undesirable or had little to offer. I wanted to have what normal people were able to enjoy, seemingly without effort on their part. It was very very very hard at first; my sense of humor was off, and I still remember how quickly my mind raced to find the most fitting of hundreds of responses to truly mundane conversational prompts that shouldn't require much consideration at all. I was so lost and confused but kept at it. I taught myself how "normal" people work in a social setting and the conversational formulae they used subconsciously, encapsulated this knowledge, and soon was no longer afraid to interact on their level. I (intuitively) developed my own encyclopedia of highly developed "personality programs" I would use to best interact with various people with different traits and intelligence levels, and ended up with a large circle of very different friends. Attaining social competency (and the illusion of emotional competency) was probably the hardest thing I ever accomplished. It did not come naturally, but the rewards were invaluable. Eye contact is still frightening though; it is scary how much information is conveyed through the eyes without conscious intent!

In regards to diffusing difficult situations, environmental or otherwise, it seems to be rooted in an understanding of the mechanics and or forces which underlie the issue at hand, and the physical or social ability (the latter perhaps superficial or feigned) to quench the issue. Emotional reactions, if they occur at all, happen after everything else is under control and are very raw and simple. My empathic/emotional side has always been particularly underdeveloped, but I've been learning to compensate in other ways. Particularly moving stories will at times cause me to shed tears, so I'm not emotionally dead thankfully, just suppressed and childlike in that realm.

INTPs may have a huge ego concerning knowledge, but that information is pretty introverted, I don't see how the average INTP would be considered narcissistic.

Fair enough. Concerning knowledge I am decently confident in myself, but the girlfriend and some close friends think that I come off as arrogant or condescending at times. Heck I can see it too sometimes, just not as often as they can . It probably is a function of the intensity with which strong beliefs are communicated and the disconnect in interpretation. An intense rant about something can come off as an intense rant directed at the listener, not the topic, which can then lead to an unintended interpersonal mess. In regards to narcissism, after 3 attractive girls told me candidly in person that I was the most interesting person they ever met (they wanted to jump my bones, hehehe), 2 others said they would worship me if I were a god, and many more people of both sexes told me I was the most intelligent person they've ever met, it can start to go to your head ! For the record though, I have several friends that I am positive are more analytically/scholastically intelligent, but I haven't met anyone that I find more interesting or multifaceted than myself (subjective and biased, naturally), hence the unintended but still unsavory narcissistic tendencies which manifest when simple emotions break through and rear their ugly heads at times when I feel I am being unfairly criticized or judged. I'm trying though.

I have concluded you are either STP or SFP or a developed NTJ based on your strong Se. I suggest you take more tests, if you want accuracy.

Every single MBTI test I've taken, which has been over course of 3 years, classifies me as an INTP without variation. My father is a brilliant INTJ chem engineer and we are extremely close so perhaps that has something to do with it, but I am by no means as confident or judgmental as he, despite the traits that may have been inherited through continuous interaction. When I was drawing schematics for a magnetic cannon and an improved street-sweeper in 3rd grade (only years later did I come across the concept of a gauss rifle) he suggested that I would make an excellent mechanical engineer, which seems to be a trait of the ISTP class. I contend that although I may be capable in that realm, I am a more skilled INTP than an ISTP and though both profiles are fitting, the former fits better. I am most at home while wading through "big" ideas, not small ones, as they can get tedious and boring quite quickly.

If INTPs are atypical as far as most people go, perhaps i am an atypical INTP? I am a great lover of truth, and as such the MBTI is seen as a tool to aid understanding, but not seen as a direct reflection of the truths inherent to solid (albeit sometimes indecipherable) reality, and thus is not to be used as some sort of psychological bible. It is very useful though.

Perhaps you have a link handy to the most faithful MBTI test and I can try once again, if I haven't already taken it multiple times?

Also, welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Plumbata]

Secondly, let me say, that I wish my Sensing abilities were developed to such an extent as to be very similar to you. How I do desire to build practical inventions, explosives, and weapons using many different materials both collected and purchased (I'm not so sure about the collections of varying objects), but I am sure, hearing what you have to say about it, that my near or far future shall be spent in such a manner, at least for a time.

These "sensing abilities" are largely a function of good eyesight and a love of getting dirty and involved with things on a base level. Anyone can tap into them with a little bit of focus. Comfort with dangerous chemicals or items comes with experience and understanding (beware of chlorates!). I remember when I made my first molotov coctail many years ago, and was scared to experiment with more than 2 ounces of flammable liquid. The results were unimpressive. Now I will happily hold a half-gallon in each hand with 10 more waiting to be thrown. You only live once so get out and do it! Chemical ingredients are abundant if you know where to look, nichrome wire for 9 volt battery electric detonation is cheap and the electronics you need to build are elementary at best. I'd suggest playing with thermite. It is easy to make, decently easy to ignite, and very very interesting to use...

Broad interests, perhaps, though... massive collections, not so much. I would not say that I have barely anything which represent my interests, but massive collections would be far over-reaching. INTP's tend to rely a great deal more on intangible knowledge rather than hands-on experience and physical possessions.

As related before, the collections are physical keys to a vast library of "intangible knowledge". The collections are a means to the end of a greater volume of knowledge than would be easily possible without tangible physical "bookmarks". They are also worth a lot of cash so if I ever get stuck, I can sell them and take care of business.

I would be inclined to say no, but that is only because I love both, and many INTPs I know like either one or the other, or both.

Fair enough, and I appreciate your objectivity.

That could be true for any personality type, or the opposite could be true. Considering INTPs generally have much more complex thought patterns and much greater in-depth knowledge, however, it can sure feel that way some, if not most, of the time.

Yes it sure can feel that way! But as you said, it can be true, with regards to their respective skills, for any other type.

Not really. They mostly stay within their own heads (Ti and Ne).

This is where I am again a tad confused. I like to be engaged with external items but am by no means the most engaged that I have seen. I may interact with the external world a great deal, but the internal, mental life elicited by such interaction is the most vibrant and important end that is sought.

Self-sufficiency, I find, is key, especially given the nature of many aspects of society.

Yup.

Not really, it is far more common with ISTP's... as to the last question, maybe.

I suppose this has been addressed already, and I probably posed the question incorrectly initially, but the key here lies in the differentiation between natural, and learned social ability, and between innate sensory and trained sensory acuity. It was not natural for me, but I learned to cope with, and even enjoy the former, and learned to visualize and encode what i was touching or doing in the external world over years of messing with all manner of stuff. Does this make one an ISTP or a well-rounded INTP? Something else?

 

[Plumbata]

Welcome.
I couldn't care less which type you are.
You do seem quite interesting and it is a shame that you are not likely to stick around for very long.

Thanks! I don't usually spend too much time on the computer but depending on the utility of this forum I may remain for quite a long while. This is a particularly interesting place, after all.

To answer your questions, I don't really think there is any such thing as normal for an INTP, but here's what applies to me:

Ah, excellent discrimination.

Nope, I leave stuff behind, lose it, give it away or destroy it.

Makes it easier to travel, doesn't it?

I'm quite good at both, but have no respect for either, I don't dislike them per se, but I do dislike the fact that they are turning into a whole new religion.

A religion, eh? I guess I am a tad out of the loop?

I'd have to say, no. I do have a close friend who is a horrible person, though, but I love him just the same.

Love in an equally reciprocal respectful manner, or in a pedagogical way? I had a few friends that I later learned were horrible, but slowly ceased contact after such realizations. Perhaps that makes me the weaker person; for not trying to help when it was possible?

Yes, but on very rare occasions.

When you focus on it?

It's quite unnecessary, I think. Pure fun all of it, really.

Fun is the crucial descriptor. Few things in this world could be more invigorating and pleasurable than reinforcing one's capacity for survival using novel and engaging real-world techniques, in a context which is more true-to-truth than almost any other. Far better than video games, in my opinion.

For me - yes.

Sweet.

Oh yes.

Not as sweet, but more understandable

Once again, welcome, and don't mind the obsessive typers, you are what you are.

All of you are what you are as well, naturally, and shouldn't let something created by another fallible human being define you. It can help, but only as a supplement to personal understanding arrived at in a manner that is as objective as possible.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Likewise, but isn't experiential and "truth-based" knowledge the basis for, or foundation from which intuitive information is concocted? It is not the sensory information alone that is of value, it is the cascades of thought and deeper understanding that they trigger.

True, this is why ideas and plans concocted from un-Se-fortified Ne intuition mostly result in oversights and, basically, forced connections between two ideas that don't really have any correlation. If you are an INTP shut-in and never venture outside, you may believe that so many bad things will happen to you when in reality most people are harmless and feel the same way you do about human interaction, they're just better at it.

If INTPs are atypical as far as most people go, perhaps i am an atypical INTP? I am a great lover of truth, and as such the MBTI is seen as a tool to aid understanding, but not seen as a direct reflection of the truths inherent to solid (albeit sometimes indecipherable) reality, and thus is not to be used as some sort of psychological bible. It is very useful though.

Perhaps you have a link handy to the most faithful MBTI test and I can try once again, if I haven't already taken it multiple times?

Yes, you're right, we may seem to take it too far, but then the information wouldn't really be reliable if one wasn't certain of his type.

http://www.socionics.com/sta/sta-1-r.html?2::: - Socionics
http://similarminds.com/cgi-bin/similarminds.pl - Enneagram

 

[nexion]

I apparently have INTp on Socionics (I thought INTP and INTp were different?) and 5 with balanced wings on Enneagram. It really is interesting having balanced wings.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I apparently have INTp on Socionics (I thought INTP and INTp were different?) and 5 with balanced wings on Enneagram. It really is interesting having balanced wings.

If you're curious try both the Normal and Reversed testing modes.

Yea, INTp Socionics is INTJ MBTI. It's a different system, but for the most part, the types correlate.

 

[Plumbata]

True, this is why ideas and plans concocted from un-Se-fortified Ne intuition mostly result in oversights and, basically, forced connections between two ideas that don't really have any correlation.

Dang, you hit the nail on the head. The meta-analysis of one's thought patterns after the stimulating event is concluded will often illuminate the errors of thought that can only be fully appreciated by hindsight. By constantly building one's sensory and environmental library of understanding one can avoid those oversights and forced-connections to an ever-greater degree as time goes on.

Let me relate an amorphous anecdote to help illustrate:

Often when hanging out with my friends, I will randomly introduce a topic, fact, or idea that has little or no relation to the current events around us. They will listen, but often comment that however interesting the topic is (or isn't), it is ultimately irrelevant and useless information.

I love "useless" information.

At other occasions, they may ask "when was the Irish potato famine?" or "WTF is Bakelite?" or "what does Cogito, ergo sum mean?, or "what do you use to...", or wonder about the disposition of some unpleasant character who just left their presence, and I will spout off as much relevant "useless" information as they and I together can handle.

When one has the use of his senses, a great deal of information can be anchored in memory using categorical sensory and environmental triggers, amongst others. This useless information, given the necessary critical mass, then becomes a fine web of understanding that is tangentially linked to a multitude of other bits of information across the whole spectrum of human experience. That useless data then informs every waking moment, and allows for easy daily additions of knowledge to be sorted into various broad and interlinked categories, which is anchored by the "useless" information already encapsulated. Each piece of data is transformed from "useless" into a crucial building-block of one's understanding of the workings of the universe, big or small.

What alone is of little utility, is of extreme daily value in coping with the external world when conjoined with all other bits of seemingly useless information. The new sensory input is no longer scary, but something well understood when plotted within your knowledge of the range of the swing of the wayfaring pendulum of universal human experience.

If you are an INTP shut-in and never venture outside, you may believe that so many bad things will happen to you when in reality most people are harmless and feel the same way you do about human interaction, they're just better at it.

This was one of my greatest problems. I couldn't have described it better myself. Social interaction could be terrifying, and when I was young, being immersed in huge crowds would cause something like a sensory overload attack, when everything would slow down and visual and auditory data would become disconnected and I would need to sit down and hold my face in my hands or else totally loose it. Pretty scary. I would also be very worried about the whereabouts of my parents when not in sight, and break down if I had any negative thought about the catastrophes which could have befallen them. It would feel like a downward whirlwind of the painful negativity inherent to many of the outcomes that the universe allows, bearing down on my face and chest with extraordinary force. Those Ne minus Se panic/worry attacks sucked hardcore, but thanks to a far more firm sensory grounding to reality nowadays I haven't experienced anything nearly as severe as that in 10 years, about when my father got a well-needed and successful heart transplant.

we may seem to take it too far, but then the information wouldn't really be reliable if one wasn't certain of his type.

So you are saying that the information is reliable because you are certain of your type?


Ultimately I would have to agree though, lol.

http://www.socionics.com/sta/sta-1-r.html?2::: - Socionics
http://similarminds.com/cgi-bin/similarminds.pl - Enneagram

Took the tests at the 2nd site and was deemed an INTP or global-5 equivalent a few more times. Haven't had the motivation to complete the first suggestion yet however.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

So you are saying that the information is reliable because you are certain of your type?

Touché

Took the tests at the 2nd site and was deemed an INTP or global-5 equivalent a few more times. Haven't had the motivation to complete the first suggestion yet however.

I don't expect you to, I quit myself lol. I'd give you another link, but hey, it really doesn't matter. You're here so that must mean something.