Is INTP passed genetically?

[NoID10ts]

How many of you have other INTP's in your family?

I am wondering if anyone knows whether personality types are passed on genetically. I am almost certain that my biological father and my grandfather on my mother's side are/were both INTP's (my grandfather is dead now).

I see alot of similarities between my middle son and me at that age. My daughter, who is 8 now, also seems to have alot of INTP attributes. I know all of my kids are far to young to realistically evaluate but I want to be able to guide them effectively if any of them turn out to be INTP. I'm just wondering if it is more likely because I am one.

 

[Jordan~]

My grandmother may have been. I didn't know either grandfather, so I couldn't say.

I think, like all things, personality will be partly inherited genetically (i.e. the foundations for being INTP, most notably the brain) and partly inherited through familial influence.

 

[fullerene]

nah... none of my relatives, immediate or extended. ESFP grandma (I think... it's hard to tell because she was so indecisive on the test I gave her), ENTJ dad, ISTJ mom, ENFP brother... and none of my other relatives even resemble INTPs at all.... with the exception maybe of my grandma's sister, my great aunt... she lives several thousand miles away and we don't see her that much, so I don't know.

 

[Dissident]

I think its mostly upbringing, there could be a little gene somewhere that influences some general temperament tendency (you never know), but if it was significant we would have noticed by now. Even if having INTP parents would make it more likely that the kids become INTP, it wouldnt necesarily mean its genetical either.

I dont have INTP relatives, by the way.

 

[Apathy]

ISTP Father
INFJ Mother

I suppose all the letters are there. I think I have always been an NT, (very inquisitive and curios as a child) but I think I was more extroverted as a child, maybe I could have gone either way. As for the percieving I have no idea how that develops.

 

[NoID10ts]

This is interesting. I wasn't raised by my father and I only see him about once a year but it seems unmistakable to me that he is INTP. We seem to act and think alike to a point that it is almost eerie, especially since I really haven't been influenced by him much.

The x-factor though, is that he is a vietnam vet who saw combat and I think he has PTSD. I guess that could complicate things because that can also present itself as social disconnection, depression, addictive behavior, etc (some of the more dangerous INTP traps). I wonder if PTSD can skew a personality in some way. He has always been an enigma to me and I would like to understand him better.

As I get older, genetics becomes more and more interesting to me.

 

[Agent Intellect]

i'd say my dad is more INTJ, my mom probably ESFJ. my sister is EXFJ (can't tell if she's more S or N) and my brother i'm not sure, but certainly introverted (which is probably why i don't know lol). as for most of my other extended family, they all seem very sociable, but i honestly don't have much contact with them (which i guess may or may not be an INTP thing) so i don't know exactly.

 

[Decaf]

Here's my theory...

The brain develops with characteristics based on ease of growth. If the brain confronts a problem early on in development, the pathway that is easiest to grow will be the way the brain handles the problem. That's how you get your personality type. Neurons build up based on those original branches. That's probably why we feel "clumsy" when we do things that are

So it seems conceivable that the combination of your parents genetics play a role in what pathway is easiest to develop. That brings up the uncomfortable argument of personality and race as obviously different cultures breed for different traits (i.e. height, muscle building potential, intelligence). Perhaps the way that personality types combine makes it difficult for someone who doesn't understand what's going on to actually breed any type out. Or maybe there's a bigger portion of environment involved in personality than I believe.

My mom is an ENTJ (extraverted thinking / introverted intuition) and my dad is an ISTP (introverted thinking / extraverted sensing). I don't know how that could combine to make me, but I think its a subject worth study.

 

[Ermine]

I think it might be. My grandpa and little brother both seem to be INTP. My dad's an ISTP, so maybe.

 

[Vrecknidj]

My father was an ISFJ.
My mother is an ENFP.
My older son is an INTJ.
My younger son is an INTP.

I think it's a fascinating question, the degree to which genes determine type. I've always wondered whether type determines preferences or preferences determine type.

Dave

 

[Wisp]

Yes and no.

It is passed through both environment and genetics.

 

[Fedayeen]

I don't know what anyone else in my family is, but they are very social and talkative and it seems like only me and 1 of my cousins are introverted.

 

[Jordan~]

I suppose I should include what my non-INTP relatives are.

My mum is ISFP, her parents were ESFJ (my gran, who's like a third parent) and, I think, ISTP (my grandad, who died before I was born). My dad is ISTP, his parents were INTP (my gran, I think - she died when I was quite young, but that's what I think she was) and I have no idea about his dad, who died when he was five, long before I was born. My dad's brothers are both introverts, one of them probably INTP and the other ISTP, I would say. I have no full siblings, but my two half-sisters are probably ESFP and ENFJ, their mother is probably ENTP, based on the times I've spoken to her. My mum has four sisters, I would say two ESFPs, an INFP and an ISFJ. I have more cousins than I can remember the names of and that's probably irrelevant, anyway. :P

 

[Ermine]

Yes and no.

It is passed through both environment and genetics.

How would it be passed through my environment? I certainly wasn't influenced to be an INTP. I simply always have been against what I've been encouraged to be (an ESTJ).

 

[Fleur]

Right now I can`t really imagine, who from my relatives could be INTP; the only one pretendent is my aunt`s husband, but he`s not related to me genetically. My mother looks like INFJ, father could be ENTP or ESTP, sister is ESFP. And my grandmother is RFYL (acronym for "run for your life").

 

[Wisp]

@Fernando

Easy. Your circumstances determine who you are, especially at young ages. Besides, it's fairly well accepted that sometimes people trying to force you to do something will make you gravitate away from it.

 

[Jordan~]

Yes, environment doesn't mean that there's something there actively trying to make you it, it just means that you've responded to your surroundings in such a way as to make you what you are.

 

[Fleur]

I slightly disagree with that... I and my sister grew up in similiar enviroment, under almost similiar conditions, but I`m very introverted and she`s very extroverted.

Or maybe it`s something to do with being the elder child? In childhood I didn`t had much of company of coevals and other people in general, but my sister had me. Could it be that most of the elder childs are introverts?

 

[Ermine]

@Fernando

Easy. Your circumstances determine who you are, especially at young ages. Besides, it's fairly well accepted that sometimes people trying to force you to do something will make you gravitate away from it.

It's not like I rebelled to be who I am. I simply was. I didn't become extremely introverted as a reaction to extroversion. I just never identified with them in the first place.

Or maybe it`s something to do with being the elder child? In childhood I didn`t had much of company of coevals and other people in general, but my sister had me. Could it be that most of the elder childs are introverts?

Maybe. I'm the oldest child in my family, and it's quite a lonely existence. I get to experience everything first and show all my siblings what not to do. My younger sister, who I am really close with, is quite similar to me, ( I think she's an INFP) and is significantly more extroverted, though she's just as content to be alone as I am.

 

[Jordan~]

I slightly disagree with that... I and my sister grew up in similiar enviroment, under almost similiar conditions, but I`m very introverted and she`s very extroverted.

Or maybe it`s something to do with being the elder child? In childhood I didn`t had much of company of coevals and other people in general, but my sister had me. Could it be that most of the elder childs are introverts?

But environment affects different people in different ways. One could make an analogy to two houses. Two different foundations are built, and the houses are to be built with exactly the same material. However, because the foundations are different, the houses can't be exactly the same. It's the same with people: the foundation would be the genes they inherit from their parents, and the building material the environment they grow up in. Because they don't inherit the same genes, they respond to their environments in different ways and end up different people. Even then, things like birth order, friends as opposed to family, etc. have an impact: Do you and your sister have the same friends? Do your parents treat you both the same? Did they give you the same toys to play with? These are all environmental factors.

In my experience, the eldest child will probably be more inclined towards introversion because they have more responsibility. My mum is the eldest of five, and my gran had to work full time to keep them all fed, they were pretty poor. The responsibility of raising her sisters fell partly on her shoulders, meaning she had less time to socialise with friends, etc. during her formative years, and perhaps never quite got the taste of extraversion. In addition, her parents were harder on her than the others because she was older, and I suppose as a consequence she had a slightly more distant relationship with them. All speculation, of course; I imagine Decaf has something much more valid to say on the subject. :P

 

[Fleur]

But environment affects different people in different ways.

That`s right. But the direct affect of enviroment probably depends on the type.

 

[severus]

Oldest sibling: ISTP
Middle sibling: ENTJ
Youngest sibling: INTP
13 year gap
Me: INTP

I don't think I like the environment thing. Because wouldn't your personality determine how you react to your enviornment in the first place? I like the house analogy.

Genes load the gun, enviornment pulls the trigger. I believe that was originally used to describe obesity. Sounds more like something for a personality disorder than your actual personality, but you get the idea.

 

[Jordan~]

That`s right. But the direct affect of enviroment probably depends on the type.

But what about before the type forms? It can't come from nowhere, and I don't think anything as complex as personality can be entirely genetic. I hold that genetic foundation + environment = personality.

 

[vic]

I agree with Jordan. I think it's a combination of a multitude of things that give you the INTP trait. You can always change from INTP to something else as you discover new things in life that excite you.

 

[Jordan~]

I disagree with that. The system is designed so that it never changes after its formation: changes are within type, rather than of type.

 

[severus]

Though I think that it can change when you are very young. I was quite extraverted as a child.

 

[Jordan~]

Yes, I'd say that was before the personality had formed, though. Perhaps not formed, but concreted.

 

[Dissident]

I think the environment forms the personality, a new born is neither thinker nor feeler, its mostly blank with some built-in instincts. Does your type affect how you see the world and therefore how it affects you? yes, but you first need to have a type, have a psichology, and you are not born with that.

 

[Agent Intellect]

introverted/extroverted is probably the first thing to develop. some babies love being picked up and are much more affectionate, while others would rather just be left alone. then, in my opinion, sensing/intuition develops next, as thats more how one sees the world, and younger children are still at the stage where they are taking it all in.

of course, i'm drunk and no expert, so maybe i'm wrong.

 

[Decaf]

Remember... people develop functions, not dichotomies... So you're right that kids become almost entirely introverted or extraverted first, but its accompanied by a function, like feeling, intuition, etc.

 

[severus]

So people that grow up in the exact same conditions would have the exact same personalities? This doesn't sound right to me. Maybe it's just impossible to actually grow up in the exact same situation as someone else. Even siblings, in the same conditions, are not influenced the same way because of the birth order. Still, I don't think personality is all based on one thing. So enviornment may be part of it, but I don't think children - even infants - are "blank slates." I think that we all have a certain tendancy, and perhaps our enviornment causes it to develop a certain way.

Isn't this the age old nature vs. nurture debate?

 

[Decaf]

that's why I try to state my ideas on the subject in neutral terms. We don't know, and in my opinion it doesn't matter. For a child to be able to process their environment beyond sheer noise and panic they have to have started development of at least one function. That suggests that children develop it in the womb, or very close after birth, or (as many believe) before they're born.

I'm of the opinion that they're not mutually exclusive. I have no idea of how to test it, but I wonder if genetic bias can be overridden by stimuli during pregnancy, at least to a point. Then again, maybe that's a recipe for an unhappy individual.

The problem is that its hard to find out what type people are on a mass scale, quickly and/or effectively. Without that, it is nearly impossible to design an experiment to shed light on this issue that doesn't rely on anecdotal evidence.

 

[Pixie]

I think one of my cousins is definitely INTP. We don't see each other often these days, but we got along really well when we were kids and always seemed to understand each other and have a natural connection.

I made my family take the test yesterday. Mum is ISFJ. Dad tested as ENTJ but the descriptions are not very accurate for him. I think he might really be an IxTJ with well-developed Feeling who has been taught that extraversion is good and introversion is bad. My brother actually tested as INTP and I have no idea how that happened. We're very different and he acts nothing like an INTP. I guessed him to be ESFP, Dad and I both read the ESFP descriptions and were absolutely certain that he would test as that. *shrugs* I remain convinced that he's ESFP.
Not sure about other relatives. Grandad is probably ESxJ or something. Mum's siblings seem to be all SFs. One of my uncles (dad's brother) might be INTP or INTJ.

 

[lilbeast]

well my dad is an INTP but he is more of an ass than I am. I guess it is because he is a guy and they have more testosterone to drive them to prove themselves right at all costs. Personality traits are genetic but they are not the only factor.

 

[Gorgrim]

I remember feeling abit different even from 4 years old, I grew up in a home with 2 half-siblings... extroverted both.

Both my parents are ENTP, my half-sister and half-brother are ESFJ and I think ESTJ. My dad's brother ( identical twin ) is INTJ i think. But i only lived with my mum and siblings.

Either I was compelled not to be extroverted because my family wanted me to, or I was already introverted before that. Either way, i know i was introverted from the time I was 4-5 years old, since that's when i remember my childhood the earliest.

I admired my siblings and my brother especially, but I know how i didnt want to be all social and hated it. So i must have been introverted early. Question is how did i turn introverted....

I would like to research it, i think its worth it, too. I just havn't been able to get anywhere yet.
I would have decided to be held-back, because I thought other kids were moral-stupid, because I remember kids bullying and some kids beeing jackasses, and some, cheating in games.
Maybe i became reserved more from people than others for a reason, for some event. Which caused me later to decide that I should use my thinking and not my feeling, concerning the world, because I thought many people were quite horrible.

I would use my intuition, because I would have to show the people around me myself, but not in the sensing way, because i was inclined from my mum to use intuition.

ofcourse, this is a horrible explanation. but thought i'd put it out there for thoughts

 

[Perseus]

My father was an ISTJ.
My mother is an INFX.
Sister is INFJ.

I am an independent, not taking on the ISTJ bit.

 

[grammyofdavid]

Did you all know that !NTP and INFP and INFJ only exsist in about 1% of the poputation ( each)---most of the population is made up of SJs thus it is hard for us to fit into the world ---school, work, family. I think children are born with their personality type all ready in place, I have 3 children all raised by me and my husband , but they were all very different from birth. The E is there at the very beginning with a social baby---the I a quiet or fussy baby if to much outside stimulation. The J and P you can also see at a young age by how many toys they drag out and how that messy affects them. The T and F also come in pretty early for a T you can usually reason with for discipline ---the F you have to handle differently ---reason does not seem to work! I have a INTP son; an ENFP; daughter; and an ISTJ daughter. I am an INFP and my late husband was a ENTP. Needless to say my ISTJ child had truoble fitting into the family, but no trouble at school, work, etc. The NT and NF , we had trouble fitting into the extended family. I do think, it most be some want genetic for the envoriment was the same for all my children.ENFJ are in about 12% and I have known few STPs

 

[Jesin]

Did you all know that !NTP and INFP and INFJ only exsist in about 1% of the poputation ( each)---most of the population is made up of SJs thus it is hard for us to fit into the world

Yes, we know.

 

[Dissident]

Both my parents are ENTP, my half-sister and half-brother are ESFJ and I think ESTJ. My dad's brother ( identical twin ) is INTJ i think.

Wouldnt some statistics of identical twins type settle the issue of it being passed genetically or not?

Anyone knows if such research has been done?

 

[grapefruit]

I have no INTP family.

 

[flow]

ahhh I welcome your insight grammyofdavid! I've wondered how soon personalities types become apparent, and what you said seems very truthful. I hope I don't have any S children...though I probably will... I'd like to think that having children with an ENTJ would increased the chances of us having NT children...makes sense to me!

 

[Gorgrim]

Wouldnt some statistics of identical twins type settle the issue of it being passed genetically or not?

Anyone knows if such research has been done?

in my opinion it would get us closer and narrowing down what could cause different personalities during the time a child develops in the womb...till its born. atleast the DNA factor is out then.


it's just that.. only 2-5% in Denmark knows MBTI at all. And i don't have any opportunity to type any identical twins myself. :O


Btw. different personality traits would logically occur at different times. Would it make sense if Feeling / Thinking was developed first and then P or J over the other .. also. again.. it is very hard to say how a Child should be I or E before it's even born. "shrug" i'd bet that intuition and sensing develop after birth too.

 

[Thread Killer]

Dunno if I've already replied, but I do think being INTP is genetic, just not hereditary, meaning, I think I was born with the infection but none of my family members have it.

I don't think any of my family members would make good stand-up comics, though.