Help with my type

[Ska]

Hello all, I just joined after reading about this all day. I got up at 11 AM EST, cleaned for a little, and then started reading about personality disorders and trying to find one that described myself. That eventually led me to the definition of introverted - which at the time explained a lot - and then eventually to the 16 different personality types.

INTP seems to be the one that fits me best, which I guess is why I'm at this forum and not one of the other ones. Part of me feels like a ENTP, though, even though I'm very bad socially. I think this is because sometimes I can act before thinking or act impulsively.

But, before I lose you guys by venturing too far off topic, I'll try to explain myself and my past for you and let you decide.

I was born premature with a twin sister (I'm male). Ever since I was little I was very shy and I remember being deathly afraid of going to pre-school without her. I would always let me do the talking for me as she couldn't get enough of it.

To this day I only feel comfortable socially around people I know closely, and not even all of my relatives. I know this doesn't fit the description of an INTP, but I've been an uncle since I was 7 and have always cared for my neice and nephews greatly (I now have 3 nephews and a niece). At family gatherings, I would much rather play with the kids than talk to anyone else.

All my life at my house I have spent in my room or in my basement away from the rest of the family for the most part. My sister (being the bitch that she is) would always explain to people that I was anti-social and spent all my time in the basement playing Xbox.) I still do spend most of my time there when I'm at home playing xbox or on my computer doing stuff on the internet.

In high school I was always sociable with kids that I didn't fel threatened by or perceived as inferior (not in a bad way, they just didn't make me feel inferior). I was always comfortable in a group of friends that I knew well, but thinking back I was more quiet around my extroverted friends and more social with my introverted friends

I'm in college now and have 3-4 friends (2 of which I believe are introverted and one I think extroverted but with social anxiety (he said yesterday we need to start hanging out with more people (I am fine with how we do things)) who I hang out with everyday for the most part (not today because I was too busy reading this whole time) and feel very comfortable and extroverted around. However, I don't have this same relationship with my roomate who is more extroverted (not so much around me but with his better friends) and we don't talk much at all. I wake up when he leaves to go to class and hate when he comes back from class. It really sucks having to share a room, because I do value my private alone time. When we're both in the room together, I generally find it awkward and pressured to make small talk or play video games with him or something, since he's my roommate. Sometimes I feel like he thinks I hate him, when I really don't, I'm just not really interested in socializing with him that much.

I've read some of the threads on INTP vs. ENTP, and just can't figure out if I'm ENTP and just shy or have social anxiety or if I am INTP who enjoys occasional social interaction with the right people.

I HATE seeing people unexpectedly. For instance seeing someone in the halls in high shcool would have been no problem, but every time I go to the mall I'm in constant watch for people I know. Occasionally it will be someone I'm excited to see (would be a very good friend), but that's a rare occurrence. When situations occur where I need to think fast about something socially my mind always goes completely blank and I just can't think at all.

I was classified as gifted in 2nd grade (I think I was right on the edge though). I don't feel as smart as most of the people here, though, and I never really associated myself with the more genius-type at my school. I also noticed that a lot of you love books - I myself and not an avid reader. I was when I was little I remember reading goosebumps books and such and being interested in those but I lost my desire to read sometime in middle school or high school. RecentI have discovered the vast amount of knowledge I can gain from reading and bought two books in areas I'm interested in (Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are They Driving Us to Drink? and God Is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitches). As with a lot of things, it seems I may have already lost interest in them.

One thing I'm finding is that I am much, much more interested in things when I'm not forced to do them. Whether it's reading a book, exercising, or learning a new subject I just don't want to do it if I'm being forced to. I'm now finding out how much fun reading and learning and becoming more intellectual can be.

I've always been a slacker. I earned good grades in high school without trying, but am having a harder time now that I'm in college. Bad study habits catch up to you. Math has always been my favorite subject, especially algebra, and I have always loved logic puzzles and solviing mysteries. In my special interest class (for gifted kids) I loved philosophical discussions, debates (I LOVE debating/arguing) lateral thinking puzzles (best thing ever), and short mysteries we had to figure out. I also work best when challenged or if I'm told I'm not capable of something. I feel if I put my mind to something I have enormous potential but the problem is putting my mind to it. I ALWAYS procrastinate and it's one of the things I'm best at. I am constantly putting things off. I also have never had a problem letting my room get messy. I tend to just throw things to the side so they're acceptable for now and worry about them later. At some point and time I'll get yelled at enough or decide to clean it all up, and then the cycle starts over.

One thing I've always noticed that is strange is I'll repeat patterns in my head or flex a muscle in me knee or foot when riding in a car and passing those markers on the side of the road or the lines in the middle of the road or whatever. Another thing I do is try not to step on the cracks when walking or try to fit the same number of steps into each block on the sidewalk (I never can do it!). I also am constantly thinking of the shortest route I can take when walking around campus. Which way gives me more diagonal movement? Or I'll compare two similar paths to estimate which one will save me the most amount of time, even though I know it will only be a matter of seconds or less.

I have always driven my parents crazy. My mom would love to tell me to do something "this instant" and I would always tell her I would do it later, why does it matter to her when it gets done if it gets done? I always had a problem with church - it always seemed more like a cult to me. When I was 9 or so I asked my mom when Dinosuars were around if man was created on the 7th day. I always dismissed manners, wondering who made these stupid rules and why I must follow them.

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Some things I've seen on here that I definitely have in common are:

Hatred of school dances (including prom...did not want to go at all even though I had a girlfriend...I do love going to ska concerts and dancing there, though).

Problem with touching - I used to always want hugs from my mom and such, and I always enjoy hugs from my nieces and nephews as I did from my girlfriend when I had one. I remember when I was a little kid my best friend's mom would always ask for hugs and I wouldn't want to give her one. Also now that I'm older I HATE giving my parents hugs. I also never got why people would want to rub my shoulders or something.

Problem with compliments - I NEVER know what to say. Nothing ever seems like the correct response.

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Quotes from the "You Know You're An INTP When..." Thread that I feel describe me:

1.You uphold the beleif that it is possible to be perfectly social wihtout actually speaking.

2.More often than not, you bow your head while walking, and are an expert at 'crowd dodging' (YES!!!!!...and the bowing head thing too, lol)

4.You think about the very thing which you are not doing.

8.When sitting on any public chair which has more than one sight sideby side, you kindly make sure that your dearest -whatever you're carrying- has a seat to itself.

11. You can get a lot done, as long as they're the stuff you're not meant to be doing.

20. You're not paranoid, it's all perfectly logical.

25. Honesty is a higher good than the ego.

And that's just off the first page..




Well...

Sorry for the extremely long post, but hopefully you guys will be able to provide some insight for me. I would really like to know after trying to figure this out all day lol. Any questions you have that will help you help me feel free to ask. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[s0nystyle]

TOO LONG DOES NOT CARE.






jk i love you!

Welcome to the forums!

PS: i have the same problem with not knowing my type, but i tested out INTP so we'll just go with that for now i guess

 

[nihilen.]

tl;dr, hence the deductions: you cannot be INTP, you're most likely INFP.

 

[s0nystyle]

Hatred of school dances (including prom...did not want to go at all even though I had a girlfriend...I do love going to ska concerts and dancing there, though).

Problem with touching - I used to always want hugs from my mom and such, and I always enjoy hugs from my nieces and nephews as I did from my girlfriend when I had one. I remember when I was a little kid my best friend's mom would always ask for hugs and I wouldn't want to give her one. Also now that I'm older I HATE giving my parents hugs. I also never got why people would want to rub my shoulders or something.

Dude you hated prom too? Jeez i thought i was alone on that. Biggest waste of like $500 in my life (so far at least ) but yeah going to prom w/ a ESFJ TOTALLY ruined everything.

Touching sucks, people are full of germs and it drives me bonkers when someone tries to SURPREYEZ BARE HUG 4U. it's like, DUDE DONT FUKN TOUCH ME. and as to why people like to touch each other? i dont understand it either, must be an "F" thing

 

[Ska]

tl;dr, hence the deductions: you cannot be INTP, you're most likely INFP.

Can you explain more?

 

[Adymus]

I read about three quarters before deciding that yes, you are definitely an INTP.

Another thing I do is try not to step on the cracks when walking or try to fit the same number of steps into each block on the sidewalk (I never can do it!). I also am constantly thinking of the shortest route I can take when walking around campus.

Oh my fucking god, I was just telling my ENFP and INFP friends about this when walking to starbucks with them tonight. About how Ti gives me a really weird quirk where I have to make sure every one of my steps lands on a crack, and if I run out of cracks I feel weird.

But yeah, you are basically an INTP with enough social experience to be confident in it. Yes it does contradict the description, because the description is wrong and can't possibly define every INTP on the planet, because we develop our cognitive functions through out our lives. The descriptions of personality type you read online only describes a type that is comfortable and developed in their top two functions. This is why an INTP with well developed lower functions (3rd and 4rth) will most certainly contradict the descriptions, because our lower functions are the opposite of our top two.
So you could never accurately describe an INTP with one description, because that is only describing one model of INTP. The best why to define INTP would be to make an open range of hundreds upon hundreds of INTPs and point to it and say "This, ladies and gentlemen, is INTP."

So yeah, I could go into detail and point our what specifically about you is INTP like, but to put it simply, I'm lazy. But if you have any other questions, feel free to hit me up.

EDIT: By the way, that thing about worrying about seeing people you know in public places is totally me as well. I often calculate the probability of running into someone I know when at a mall or something. It has to do with our sensitivity to Fe, and how we would not really know how to handle any unwanted social rituals that are thrust upon us.

 

[Ska]

I read about three quarters before deciding that yes, you are definitely an INTP.


Oh my fucking god, I was just telling my ENFP and INFP friends about this when walking to starbucks with them tonight. About how Ti gives me a really weird quirk where I have to make sure every one of my steps lands on a crack, and if I run out of cracks I feel weird.

But yeah, you are basically an INTP with enough social experience to be confident in it. Yes it does contradict the description, because the description is wrong and can't possibly define every INTP on the planet, because we develop our cognitive functions through out our lives. The descriptions of personality type you read online only describes a type that is comfortable and developed in their top two functions. This is why an INTP with well developed lower functions (3rd and 4rth) will most certainly contradict the descriptions, because our lower functions are the opposite of our top two.
So you could never accurately describe an INTP with one description, because that is only describing one model of INTP. The best why to define INTP would be to make an open range of hundreds upon hundreds of INTPs and point to it and say "This, ladies and gentlemen, is INTP."

So yeah, I could go into detail and point our what specifically about you is INTP like, but to put it simply, I'm lazy. But if you have any other questions, feel free to hit me up.

EDIT: By the way, that thing about worrying about seeing people you know in public places is totally me as well. I often calculate the probability of running into someone I know when at a mall or something. It has to do with our sensitivity to Fe, and how we would not really know how to handle any unwanted social rituals that are thrust upon us.

Thank you for confirming my thoughts. From the reading I've done around here I'm confident I can trust your opinion.

It's great to finally realize that so many people have these odd thoughts/tendencies as me. I very recently started to think I had social anxiety, but now I realize I'm just a rare introvert.

And yea, the reason I probably have partial social skills is because I've been pushed by my parents and family forever to be social. I've always been involved in sports as well, so that helps. But it still pisses me off that my mom is always trying to make me do things that I tell her I don't want to do. Her and my sister are constantly trying to get me to be more social and think I don't spend time with them because I hate them. Hopefully if I ever show this to her she'll finally understand.

Thanks again.

 

[Himself]

Put much less eloquently than Adymus, you are absolutely an INTP. I was nodding my head in agreement throughout your post (i.e., I identify with probably at least 90% of your described traits).

Welcome home, fellow brother-in-type!

 

[Maiken]

Hi Welcome...

I'm not good at typing but I can relate to most of the stuff in your post

Oh, and prom?

Spoiler

YouTube- Lancier Langkær 2007 - 2 This is a random video, not me or my school.

This is what we do at prom in Denmark. At the school I went to it's done the same every year. First the senior class dances in front of everybody, the other students, teachers and parents (the parents go home right after), this is followed by dinner and then everybody dances once every hour. It actually gets more and more fun because people get more and more drunk. (Well, only more fun to watch, not so funny when your drunk teachers drag you along to dance with them and some random guy.)

I can't believe I put on a dress and danced in front of everybody

Ohm, where were we? Oh, hi and welcome and sorry about the rambling

 

[Cavallier]

I do the crack thing as well. However, I like to shake it up. One week I'll avoid cracks then the next week I'll insist on stepping on all of them. Then I'll step on every third one. I am fascinated that surreal "weird" feeling every time I change it around.

Well. Come.

 

[Ska]

Actually, after reading a little more, I'm pretty sure I'm an INTJ now. Does that sound possible?

 

[s0nystyle]

i would imagine it's possible since the MBTI doesn't describe ev1 perfectly. Before my last run i was an INTJ that was 3% from an XNTX

 

[Ska]

I still can't decide...I haven't left my dorm in 2 days X)

Are you guys SURE I'm an INTP?

Sometimes I feel like I care about others more than you do. For instance, if I'm watching a movie with my Dad (the only family member I like) I WANT him to enjoy it and laugh. If I'm showing a friend a song I WANT them to like it. You guys experience that?

I also don't feel I have a very vivid imagination. I can think up complex situations and possibilities, but I can't really invision myself doing something.

I do smoke weed, and often times my friends and I will take a walk to the woods where we smoke, or drive in my friends car. The whole time I'm constantly thinking of what would happen if a cop would come - What would I do? Where would I run? How would I escape? Is this is really a good spot to be? Where can we go where we have the least possibility of getting caught?

My paranoia is ridiculous. Sure, that has something to do with the weed, but I think about those things when I'm not high too.

I read the one description for INTJ and it sounded a lot like me, but then I look at this page
and I a fit the P perfectly.

The thing that makes me think I'm not an INTP, though, is that I have no problem taking control of situations in which I feel comfortable. I can be very aggressive and assertive at times. But I am definitely not organized and I don't like making plans.

I'm still very lost trying to figure this whole thing out

 

[Black Rose]

If your at a university then maybe you could talk to the local consoler or visit the psychology department.

 

[Ska]

If your at a university then maybe you could talk to the local consoler or visit the psychology department.

But that takes too much time and energy!

 

[s0nystyle]

But that takes too much time and energy!

who knows? the prof might be cute

 

[Adymus]

Dude, you are sooo an INTP. Even the fact that you are freaking out over this is just contributing to the fact that you are an INTP.

Also, you have Fe, yes it is the most draining and polar of all of our functions, but we still have it, and it still effects our psyche in the same way it effects other Fe users, it is just not very high up on the hierarchy.

Let me make things easier on you; if you have Ti as a dominant function and Ne as an auxiliary, you are an INTP. Period.

The thing that makes me think I'm not an INTP, though, is that I have no problem taking control of situations in which I feel comfortable.

Duh dude, you just answered your own question. You are comfortable with the situation.
The reasons we are not into taking control is not only because our directive functions our lower than our adaptive functions, but because we lack the confidence in our ability to use them (Because we are not comfortable using them, being that they are lower, which makes us lack experience and contributes to them staying undeveloped. It is a vicious circle.)

This is the part where personality type blends well with the Archetypes. Because through experience, we develop the archetypes related to that experience, and we can slip into that archetypal mode easier next time it comes up. Once you become familiar with certain things, we go through archetypal shifts, and it becomes easier to reach into our lower functions because we are confident we can pull it off if we try. For instance, I used to be a supervisor for my last job. Now if I came in the first day with no experience at all and they told me I am supposed to call all of the shots and direct everyone's work flow, I would have been scared to death. But after working there for a year and knowing exactly what I was doing, I had absolutely no problem with being in charge and directing other.

 

[Ska]

EDIT: This was another long post filled with my doubts, but I'll spare you all of them now that I have another answer. Hopefully my confidence in this one lasts a little longer than half a day.

Ok, I'll stop bugging you all now. Thanks for the help! XD

 

[nihilen.]

You have Fe? Fe is the INTP's weakest function. And that's assuming the whole functions bullshit makes any sense.

 

[Polaris]

I like long intro posts. It is really interesting to know what other introverts are thinking. The more the better, although quality matters, and your post had that quality. (Not saying anyone else's didn't, it's just easier to reply to someone who's made an effort to give a little more of themselves. It is quite brave, I think, especially for an introvert).

I can relate to about 90 % of the stuff you are talking about, especially the cracks in the pavement......are we all obsessive compulsive or something..... ?

I still do not know if I'm INTP or INTJ, so can relate to that as well. I think I even have very strong INFJ tendencies, but only when I don't feel drained by other people generally....which isn't that often....

I like to be around people I can relate to. Stuff the rest. But I would defend any person, tooth and claw, no matter what type, if they were unjustly treated. I care about people, I just don't want to relate to them all at all times.

And, er....welcome. Looking forward to more of your posts