Hello... My name is Don and I "think" I might be an INTP..

[EnigmaticSoutherner]

So...I was perusing prurient materials on Tumblr and stumbled across an attractive militant feminist's page and while reading of her love of Hunter Thompson noticed a post. The post said something like... You know you are an INTP if you do...blah blah blah...

I thought instantly both what on earth is INTP and yes, of course I do .. blah blah blah..... So like any rational human being I googled it ... INTP that is....

And so I read carefully the first 5-6 articles I saw and thought to myself... Hmmmm.... apparently there are other people out there who are like me....

So, I like I imagine many others, have spent the better part of my 49 years thinking...scratch that.. knowing that I am an odd bird... that I don't fit in with any group but that I get along well with nearly all groups... etc etc etc.... So to say that I was at once relieved and dismayed to learn about this defined category in which I apparently fall is at the least an understatement. Really strange... in fact quite emotional.

Not all of the characteristics/traits apply to me as intensely as they might in others, but nearly every single characteristic / trait does to some degree or another....

I once tried to explain to a friend of mine (also a lawyer) that in my mind there are file cabinets.. and in the cabinets are lots of things.... and in one whole room full of those cabinets I have stored video reels of memories/events/persons that I found interesting for some reason or another.... and that aside from the downside of knowing that mind is cluttered with all this seemingly meaningless information, that it is rather nice to know that at any given time, bored in line at the store, sitting somewhere waiting for someone etc... I can instantly retrieve any of the reels and play them in my head .. for my own personal enjoyment or amusement..... He looked at me strangely and remarked.. Man.. you are fucked up.

So....hello to all my brothers and sisters from other mothers and please tell me that this way of being is OK... that I am not going mad... or something positive....

 

[Melllvar]

He looked at me strangely and remarked.. Man.. you are fucked up.

Yeah, I get that kind of thing sometimes as well.

Welcome, we both live in the south, me in an adjacent state.

It's a hilarious place.

 

[Mello]

You use excessive periods, but that's okay.

You should have told your lawyer friend that he is fucked up.

Welcome.

 

[EnigmaticSoutherner]

hmmm... too many periods..... I thought everyone understood... they indicate pauses in thinking.... funny you should say that.. I have a 15 year old son who is annoyed by the use of periods in that way.... Yea my lawyer friend is fucked up.... but I enjoy listening to the gears in his head turn when he thinks... which isn't terribly often...

 

[Mello]

It doesn't really matter if you use too many periods. I was just saying.

You message your son?

 

[Grove]

While raised below the Mason-Dixon Line I've never been one for too much gentle hospitality when welcoming someone...anywhere. I'll give it a shot. Come on in, take a load off. Would you care for some iced tea?

 

[tepellian]

He looked at me strangely and remarked.. Man.. you are fucked up.

Nothing wrong with good mental organization. What does your friend know about your mind, anyway.

Welcome.

 

[Awaken]

Hi don, welcome to INTP Anonymous.

In all seriousness, the way I look at it is:

Most people like doing things in the material world by default. They only think about something in order to do something in the material world.

I like thinking by default. I do something in the physical world in order to think more. Neither is right or wrong, just personal preference. As such, I have much more intimate knowledge of the inner workings of my mind and thought process.

The fact that your friend cannot understand your attempt at a description of the mind is his problem not yours. You should ask him to explain how his mind works. I assure you you will find him "fucked up", if he can even complete the task, which I doubt.

 

[EnigmaticSoutherner]

Thanks for the welcome... As to messaging my son.... I am a divorced / non-custodial parent of 3, daughter is away at college and my 15 year old fraternal twins and I communicate frequently during the week (when they are not physically present in my home) via text or email etc... and one son constantly makes sarcastic reference to the ... I frequently use in these communications.... thus my responses..he is a good kid though so he gets a pass... One day he will understand why I have assembled the vintage stereo system I dreamed of owning as a teenager in the mid 70s and have a stockpile of mint TDK SA90 tapes to record my vinyl collection on....

Anyway .. no point in dragging this introduction on and on ...probably getting rather tedious by now.... I will start exploring all the various threads to see what I can learn about all this stuff....

 

[Cavallier]

A middle aged southern INTP male has entered the mix. If it weren't for an old member no longer present I wouldn't believe you existed! You are a rare and hardly ever valued as much as you should be.
Welcome! Here is your search bat: :smiley_emoticons_mrThey are more helpful than you may initially think.

My father's side is from Hueytown outside of Birmingham.

Now...this militant feminist page...were you trolling it?

 

[EnigmaticSoutherner]

So you think the combination of middle aged and Southern and INTP are unusual ? or am I missing the sarcasm ?? I've always thought real Southerners are quite interesting, unusual and often eccentric....and your remark causes me to wonder whether INTP types dont often live past their middle aged years ?

 

[Cavallier]

So you think the combination of middle aged and Southern and INTP are unusual ? or am I missing the sarcasm ??

No sarcasm. I really do think it's unusual.

I've always thought real Southerners are quite interesting, unusual and often eccentric....

I agree completely. I just don't think that being an INTP is necessarily a requirement for being interesting, unusual, and eccentric.

and your remark causes me to wonder whether INTP types dont often live past their middle aged years ?

It's not that I think INTPs don't live past their middle aged years so much as they don't make it to ther middle aged years to begin with.

 

[YoungGuns]

It's not that I think INTPs don't live past their middle aged years so much as they don't make it to ther middle aged years to begin with.

How's that?

 

[Otherside]

So...I was perusing prurient materials on Tumblr and stumbled across an attractive militant feminist's page and while reading of her love of Hunter Thompson noticed a post. The post said something like... You know you are an INTP if you do...blah blah blah...

I thought instantly both what on earth is INTP and yes, of course I do .. blah blah blah..... So like any rational human being I googled it ... INTP that is....

And so I read carefully the first 5-6 articles I saw and thought to myself... Hmmmm.... apparently there are other people out there who are like me....

So, I like I imagine many others, have spent the better part of my 49 years thinking...scratch that.. knowing that I am an odd bird... that I don't fit in with any group but that I get along well with nearly all groups... etc etc etc.... So to say that I was at once relieved and dismayed to learn about this defined category in which I apparently fall is at the least an understatement. Really strange... in fact quite emotional.

Not all of the characteristics/traits apply to me as intensely as they might in others, but nearly every single characteristic / trait does to some degree or another....

I once tried to explain to a friend of mine (also a lawyer) that in my mind there are file cabinets.. and in the cabinets are lots of things.... and in one whole room full of those cabinets I have stored video reels of memories/events/persons that I found interesting for some reason or another.... and that aside from the downside of knowing that mind is cluttered with all this seemingly meaningless information, that it is rather nice to know that at any given time, bored in line at the store, sitting somewhere waiting for someone etc... I can instantly retrieve any of the reels and play them in my head .. for my own personal enjoyment or amusement..... He looked at me strangely and remarked.. Man.. you are fucked up.

So....hello to all my brothers and sisters from other mothers and please tell me that this way of being is OK... that I am not going mad... or something positive....

Greetings from a forty-something INTP in Tennessee who is also new, and who also uses too many periods...

I usually use them when the thought could be continued, but it would be pointless to do so as the conclusion is obvious. I guess that some people find it as annoying as typing in all caps. HOWEVER I TEND TO DISAGREE...

 

[MsAnthropy_Indefatigably]

Can someone please explain to me what trolling is? I thought that was when you lurked a website (forums, in particular) and made superfluous and/or degrading commentary throughout? I know I could just Google it, but since I'm here among my peeps, I will just ask you guys. lol

@EnigmaticSoutherner, did you test in yet or you just agree with much of the general fundamentals to being INTP? I know a lot of people here are not into the testing part of it... I just find it quite awesome that 9 times outta 10 I always score INTP no matter how the test is set up.

 

[Cavallier]

Can someone please explain to me what trolling is? I thought that was when you lurked a website (forums, in particular) and made superfluous and/or degrading commentary throughout?

HA! That's our way of communicating around here. We call it fun! The definition of trolling is fluid and different for each forum. Here, so long as you aren't outright offensive/degrading (unless you are Noddy whose modus operandi is to be degrading...to himself primarily) you will do just fine. Derailing is our national sport but continuous derailment against the Thread Originator's request can be considered trolling I think.

Don't worry about it so much.

 

[Otherside]

HA! That's our way of communicating around here. We call it fun! The definition of trolling is fluid and different for each forum. Here, so long as you aren't outright offensive/degrading (unless you are Noddy whose modus operandi is to be degrading...to himself primarily) you will do just fine. Derailing is our national sport but continuous derailment against the Thread Originator's request can be considered trolling I think.

Don't worry about it so much.

Trolling is making posts with an intent that is purposefully ignorant, malicious, or insidious.

 

[MsAnthropy_Indefatigably]

Trolling is making posts with an intent that is purposefully ignorant, malicious, or insidious.

lol, purposely ignorant...

 

[Otherside]

lol, purposely ignorant...

purpose·ful·ly adv.

 

[EnigmaticSoutherner]

Funny stuff... so with a clearer understanding of "trolling" No I was not. As to testing, I have not. But from what Ive read, If I am somehow not INTP, I will eat one pound of dirt from any county in the continental united states. I suppose if I somehow find it convenient or intriguing enough I will take one of them tests to see what it has to say.

My gf and I were talking about this epiphany of mine (and she agrees 100% once she read about the personality type) and given my remarks about how law school education aka indoctrination works to forever alter your personality and manner of thinking.... she wondered out loud whether the person was born INTP or whether the education aka indoctrination itself might have created an INTP .

On that point I wonder if there are other lawyers around here (we all share a similar education / indoctrination) who might care to opine on the point ... I recall that my ex wife (to whom I was married during my indoctrination) often said that I became a different person during law school and having had opportunity to reflect on that I now agree.... law school changes the way you approach and analyze information.... objective analysis and assimilation of massive quantities of data are the key traits of a law school education... imho btw and for what it is worth.... in my experience the law school education also removes some / many of the human characteristics and emotions that "normal" human beings experience... because I theorize in part we are trained to remove emotion entirely from analysis ...

On the other hand... I know many lawyers who are nothing like me.. in fact I know very few who are anything like me .... so perhaps my anectdotal theories about the indoctrination/education of lawyers is nothing put a steaming pile .... but I do agree with my ex wife ( now there is a novel concept ) that I became more of an asshole during and after law school.... (luckily some of those bad traits I acquired during law school indoctrination have moderated as I have aged and mellowed... and my gf is thankful for that )

Good to see so many Southerners among the group here...

 

[Czech Yes or No]

Yeah, I get that kind of thing sometimes as well.

Welcome, we both live in the south, me in an adjacent state.

It's a hilarious place.

Gotta love hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Welcome to the fiesta.

 

[Raquelio]

If your that curious then put your mind at ease and take the Myers-Briggs personality test
www.myersbriggs.org