INTPs and Pets

[Dogod]

I've noticed that when I'm around my dog, I act more like an ISFJ than an INTP. I never even thought of this until I saw this post:

Fe- I am very sociable with my three pets, a collie and two cats. I greet them most of the time and react back and forth with them. My expressed feelings are top priority.

...

Now my behavior before I got each pet was very INTPish. I thought a great deal about what I wanted (Ti), felt pets were a good idea (Ne), didn't do any formal test selections (Si) and felt nothing toward animals not mine (Fe).

...

Certainly behavior with pets is different from with humans though I don't know why. One could say my behavior with pets is very introverted, for though my wife (an introvert also) shares a lot of my behavior, my interactions with my pets are my own. (My behavior is to compensate for missing Si in the human world I assume.) Still it doesn't appear to be Ti at all. It's Si. It's Fe weak on the human side but strong on the animal side. So am I right about ESFJ operating here?

When my attention is focused on my dog, Ti and Ne seem to just disappear on me. It's not just with my dog, though. Whenever I'm focused on interacting with an animal, I become ISFJ. Does anyone else have this experience with animals, seemingly switching type?

 

[Pants]

Maybe you're mirroring your dog's personality and mood. Do you think your dog might be an ISFJ?

 

[RedLoki]

The same happens with my cat and dog. I noticed this pattern in my behaviour before and thought about it too, I came to a few realizations. I'm really playful and physical with my cat and dog. I hate playing fetch with my dog, but I like play wrestling and just getting him excited, it's fun. Doing this with people is a lot harder..

I'm little high writing this, went off into a few tangential thoughts and realized I'm really a damaged INTJ turned INTP, I feel so cold

Edit: Maybe just INTx?... Reading about INTJ, I do this almost everyday.. "Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this" Natural leader? When I play MMOs, I always take over leadership in guild/clan/linkshell

 

[Dormouse]

I love my pets, need I go into any more detail?

Love without expectations is liberating. I don't know whether I act more myself or less.

 

[Adymus]

I show more Fe to my Doggies than I ever have to anyone in the world.


If I ever actually have children, I'd be happy if I could shower them with just half as much affection as I do my pets.

 

[BigApplePi]

Dogod. Just noticed your post and glad you continued the thought cuz I don't think anyone replied at the time to mine though I haven't looked back.

I notice you called yourself ISFJ with your dog. Would you consider ESFJ because of the human-dog sociability? I would like to come up with a theory about this that fits in with Adymus's CF100. I do have some thoughts but they didn't develop cuz no one continued the idea till now. I beleve a solution is important.

 

[Dormouse]

On a related note, are we talking about any kind of species?

I've only had pet rats, though I have sponsored some wonderful dogs at the SPCA and befriended the odd stray cat.

Unfortunately I've never been able to show much affection to my fish, though I still became very attached.

 

[Adymus]

Just noticed your post and glad you continued the thought cuz I don't think anyone replied at the time to mine though I haven't looked back.

I notice you called yourself ISFJ with your dog. Would you consider ESFJ because of the human-dog sociability? I would like to come up with a theory about this that fits in with Adymus's CF100. I do have some thoughts but they didn't develop cuz no one continued the idea till now. I beleve a solution is important.

This is just speculation, but I have a hypothesis:

With people, you have to worry about how much affection is appropriate and how much is inappropriate. Fe is usually what we are least comfortable and confident with using, because we are the least sure of how it will be received.

With our pets, there are no societal rules that we have to worry about abiding by, so we can show our pure and unhindered emotional expression without worrying about how it will be received.

Much like being on MDMA.

 

[BigApplePi]

On a related note, are we talking about any kind of species?

I've only had pet rats, though I have sponsored some wonderful dogs at the SPCA and befriended the odd stray cat.

Unfortunately I've never been able to show much affection to my fish, though I still became very attached.

Dormouse. Re: fish. My wife and I raise koi. They can be identified and exhibit individual behavior. She and I were devastated when they all died. We've replaced them.

 

[Dormouse]

Hmm. I do love fish, but what I meant is that there's no way to actually convey the affection. You can hardly hug them.

You know what's nice about pets? You don't have to talk to them. No messy articulation to worry about. And if you do talk, it can be about anything.

Also yeah, you don't have to worry about whether they'll accept you or not, or even love you back. For me it's just nice to have something to care for.

 

[BigApplePi]

This is just speculation, but I have a hypothesis:

With people, you have to worry about how much affection is appropriate and how much is inappropriate. Fe is usually what we are least comfortable and confident with using, because we are the least sure of how it will be received.

With our pets, there are no societal rules that we have to worry about abiding by, so we can show our pure and unhindered emotional expression without worrying about how it will be received.

Much like being on MDMA.

Adymus. Exactly. I can be an idiot slobbering over my dog. Fe doggone wild. Okay for the theory: When one leads with a CF, the opposite becomes weakest: Ti. It is odd the temperament reverses itself. So you get Fe, .... ,Ti.
Now I have an extention of this to explain something and it all must fit within CF10N. Still intuition, so let me think it over unless others come up with something .....

 

[BigApplePi]

Hmm. I do love fish, but what I meant is that there's no way to actually convey the affection. You can hardly hug them.

You know what's nice about pets? You don't have to talk to them. No messy articulation to worry about. And if you do talk, it can be about anything.

Also yeah, you don't have to worry about whether they'll accept you or not, or even love you back. For me it's just nice to have something to care for.

Yes. If we have all those functions, T, N, S, F combined with I and E as well as P and J, we can find ourselves at ease and released in special situations. Uninhibited. Those special situations don't represent our whole lives. I wouldn't last long living solely with my dog as she doesn't hunt.

BTW, I will show my dog affection in the presence of my wife because she approves and likes it. But I don't with others. I strictly revert to reason and dog good behavior with others around. Further more any feelings for the dog go to "inferior function Fe" when I pass someone walking my dog. I resume introversion.

 

[Dormouse]

Hmm, I'm actually more introverted than usual around animals. More emotional & loving, but much more introverted.

I suppose it's because animals have a calming effect on me. A lot of the time I find myself sitting and just watching them, or thinking. Some contact, but not a huge quantity.

 

[Cavallier]

I am effusive with my affection towards my cats. I snuggle and hug and love them a lot but my cats are very needy. They mug anybody who sits still long enough for affection. I literally could spend all evening petting one then trading off to pet the other one and they would never tire of snuggles. It's ridiculous. I find I get tired of showing them my Fe like I would when dealing with people. Though not nearly as quickly. I usually push them off my lap at some point in the evening while muttering, "Yes, yes I love you to. Now shove off I'm getting exhausted here".

 

[Adymus]

Adymus. Exactly. I can be an idiot slobbering over my dog. Fe doggone wild. Okay for the theory: When one leads with a CF, the opposite becomes weakest: Ti. It is odd the temperament reverses itself. So you get Fe, .... ,Ti.
Now I have an extention of this to explain something and it all must fit within CF10N. Still intuition, so let me think it over unless others come up with something .....

Dude, what?

No. No no no no. At no point does our dominant function suddenly become our weakest function just because we are using a lot of another one. Personality does not work that way at all, modulating to another function does not actually reverse or even alter the hierarchical order. It will suppress our Ti a bit, yes, but that does not actually flip the two or make it "weaker"

Sorry man, but the theory stops here.

 

[echoplex]

I've had a few pets. I used to like collecting lizards as there were many around where I lived (some would even sneak into the house!), and I've had cats and helped others take care of them. I'm really not very affectionate with any pets, outside of a little petting. I usually prefer to observe animals: how they naturally act, how they communicate with you, how they react to different environments. I always liked seeing how a cat would respond to a new toy, especially when they're playful kittens. When they get older they become boring, sadly.

 

[OtakuJolyn]

I love my cat, and I love to give it affection...
but when it comes to other people I cant really, it's strange... maybe because pets are like kids, I kinda act that way towards kids too, but not quite...

 

[BigApplePi]

I love my cat, and I love to give it affection...
but when it comes to other people I cant really, it's strange... maybe because pets are like kids, I kinda act that way towards kids too, but not quite...

Did I read that right? When your cat goes to other people you can't or won't love it?

 

[Anling]

^ I think he means that he can't love other people the way he loves his cat.

I am more expressive with my pets. I love having them around. They aren't very needy though. So they don't require much. They just want to snuggle up and sleep. That is quite easy to accommodate.

 

[miyuki]

This is just speculation, but I have a hypothesis:

With people, you have to worry about how much affection is appropriate and how much is inappropriate. Fe is usually what we are least comfortable and confident with using, because we are the least sure of how it will be received.

With our pets, there are no societal rules that we have to worry about abiding by, so we can show our pure and unhindered emotional expression without worrying about how it will be received.

Much like being on MDMA.

i definitely agree. Fe is our inferior function so it's generally undeveloped and sort of childish, or i suppose pure; we show all or we show nothing. an animal's love is something like an unconditional love.

but with people, it's our usual worries about when it is appropriate to (should i?) and "what if" no one wants to hear. so then we keep it to ourselves.

i think many INTPs and ISFPs have a special bond with animals. though, ISFP has our polar opposite functions.

i've never had a pet, other than 33 snails which my mom made me throw away and 9 fish ... i mean a mammal kind of pet, but i still have a special affectionate thing for all types of animals. i'm more touchy-feely around dogs and cats, than actual people. and i think i have a calming effect on animals.

also, though it's not real animals, i have gotten my mom jealous a couple of times as a kid for being kinder to my stuffed animals than to her. it is uncomfortable to show it to people.

true, i guess INTPs would be more loose with their emotions once drunk or on drugs.... i'd always wanted to have someone videotape me if i ever do get drunk, so i might understand myself more.

 

[Words]

Well, I certainly enjoy the suffering I imagine/create amongst my insect friends. The physical action of killing only adds more to the realism of the imagination.

Affection is never expressed when there are still several inputting active cognitions(people). I can fake but "true emotion" is harder to externalize.

 

[Dormouse]

Words, I must warn you that we shall most likely end up dueling if you ever wander into my territory. The insects here are under my protection. Lay a hand on so much as a mosquito and I will have your head.

 

[Words]

If you try to relate lives' relevance in ways such as "the entire earth vs. single individual", you can imagine that we are all actually little mosquitoes. I think that's already common knowledge but still, the power of "relativity" on "worth" impresses me.

Anyways, Dormouse, I would like to exchange my useless head for that lovely mosquito, if you would be so kind.

 

[I'mProbablyanINTP]

Pets are great, animals are really what I'm interested in though, Pets are just like routine animals

First started when someone left a bag of kittens in our neighbours front yard, we rescued the Mum and a male kitten, they had more kittens and we kept another, then I got a rabbit which turned feral, then I got a blue tongue lizard but released it later. Got a few fish, then got some axolotles but they were boring as hell, got a green tree frog whos boring as hell but cool, and then I got a labrador when I wanted a german shepherd when I was 10. Shes old now, so I rescued a dog from the RSPCA, a dingo x siberian husky -- greatest dog ever. So smart, fast, strong, loyal, intelligent.

He's beaten every dog in the park in a race, need to find a grey hound to reduce his head size haha.

I'm never really scared of any dogs, even if they're massive I just remain composed because they generally don't want to hurt you, and even if they do I've still got a good 40kg and 100 IQ points to devise a plan to defeat it. I dont much like cats since to me they're like dogs except not loyal or protective

Check out this dingo, and this environment, tell me it isn't beautiful YouTube- YAANIS (Canis lupus dingo)

This is mine, always got a smile on his face great with all people - very strong dog, he's beaten up a rotty and a boxer who tried to make him their bitch

 

[Ska]

This is just speculation, but I have a hypothesis:

With people, you have to worry about how much affection is appropriate and how much is inappropriate. Fe is usually what we are least comfortable and confident with using, because we are the least sure of how it will be received.

With our pets, there are no societal rules that we have to worry about abiding by, so we can show our pure and unhindered emotional expression without worrying about how it will be received.

Much like being on MDMA.

I think this is very accurate. I don't like animals/pets very much, but I can relate with babies. I have four nephews and a niece, and I love them to death. I've considered this many times - that I enjoy interacting with them because I don't have to worry about what they're thinking about me, just entertaining them and playing with them, and having a good time myself.

I've also found that as they grow older things get much more awkward. Now I don't know whether to hug them or not and it's just harder talking to them in general. Kinda sucks.

Also, thanks for making me want to try MDMA now.

 

[snafupants]

People take me as a hardass and loner sometimes (often times), and might be surprised to see the love I show my kitty cat.

n.b., this has not been a sexual pun. I love that pussy.