Power.

[flow]

Here's a fun concept. All humans seek some form of power, and there are plenty of different forms. I've been thinking about how each personality wants to concur different aspects of society and life, and that lead me to believe every personality type probably seeks a different form of power as well. By society I mean the greater community that you're apart of, whether you consider it your block, state, country, or the world as a whole. I can only speak from the point of view of an INTP obviously, and I'm not even exactly sure what our power is. I want to say knowledge, but that may be too vague a term as obviously every type seeks a particular form of knowledge as their power. I'm going to put INTP as knowledge, but I'm definitely open to new ideas as to our true power.
I bet if we looked at each personality type, we'd find a different source of power.
Doesn't it feel like each personality type was an evolutionary niche? as each person in a tribe would have to find their place and ultimately their purpose, or power. I think we've all heard of how people can be good or evil, but really I see it as people can use their powers for good or evil. Assuming the power is realized. I think the important distinction to make is that not all power is bad, as it seems we are lead to believe. I can't say what each personality type's form of power is (just yet).. so if you'll indulge with me, lets see if we can tag each type's power.

ESFJ
ESTJ
ESFP
ESTP

ISFJ
ISTJ
ISFP
ISTP

ENFJ
ENTJ
ENFP
ENTP

INFJ
INTJ
INFP
INTP - Knowledge?


Also, if you think any of the tags given are incorrect (including INTP)...speak up! I feel like knowledge is perhaps too broad a term for the INTP, as the ENTP probably also seeks the same broad sense of knowledge. Hmmm.

 

[Jules]

As INTP I am more looking for meaning (or perhaps understanding) of the whole. It's not pure knowledge I'm after. 'To know' does not equal 'to understand'.
To know is one thing, to understand is the next.

 

[flow]

hmm, so perhaps truth? And on further thinking, I bet both the Introvert and Extrovert personality's seek the same power. So an ENTP and INTP would both seek truth, or clarity. Clarity or truth?
ESFJ
ESTJ
ESFP
ESTP

ISFJ
ISTJ
ISFP
ISTP

ENFJ
ENTJ
ENFP
ENTP- Clarity?

INFJ
INTJ
INFP
INTP - Truth?

 

[Aphasia]

I think INTJ's would want perfection. It sounds funny when I put it that way, though. They would aim to improve the physical and the intangible around them to suit their respective purposes (e.g: a machine to produce food from air and water), and reach their highest level of refinement. When something can't be improved further, they'd just improve something else. Is there any better way to say this?

Perhaps control over things (as in every kind of thing-object or thought) is what they are looking for. But that's not quite right either. They want improvement for improvement's sake, they don't care for dominance as such.

I'm confusing myself.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

I think INTJ's would want perfection. It sounds funny when I put it that way, though. They would aim to improve the physical and the intangible around them to suit their respective purposes (e.g: a machine to produce food from air and water), and reach their highest level of refinement. When something can't be improved further, they'd just improve something else. Is there any better way to say this?

Perhaps control over things (as in every kind of thing-object or thought) is what they are looking for. But that's not quite right either. They want improvement for improvement's sake, they don't care for dominance as such.

I'm confusing myself.

I think you're on the right track. My brother is INTJ, and he has dogged determination in his activities. Dedicated 800m runner, a vicious warcraft 3 player. Right now he's frustrated because he's not going with his college's competitive computer programming team. (He missed the cut by 1 or 2 spots.)

Now I have to add something... well, my dad is ENTJ so I should be able to figure out what ENTJs want power-wise. He's a good leader, but I fear that if I just say "leader" we won't have any space for other leadership-prone types. Nevertheless, I'm going to stick with it- ENTJ - Leadership.

This chart seems useful for this task.

 

[grey matters]

I would call the INTP's the problem solvers (like the chart says) or the solution solvers.

As for ENTP's I would say "the entrepreneur". According to some of the discriptions of ENTP's they are called entrepreneurs because they are willing to take risks.

 

[WALKYRIA]

Creative joker/ wizard... INTJ/ENTP/ NFs/..Etc everybody failed, the world is going towards extinction because of a severe life trheatening virus.. but there he comes out of his cave and finds out one bright world saving crazy solution and saves them all. That is our ultimate power; ability to come up with unexpected theories and solutions/ paradigm switching models.
Seriously, I don't care about knowing plenty of things that is for specialists STJs; I consider myself more useful in a situation of crisis where I can surprise the world with creative and seemingly crazy- but bright- solutions.


what power for us the jokers/ wizards?
Ability to come up with highly effective novel solutions for novel problems.. because solving trivial problems don't especially interest me( for SJs); give me the great problems of this world and I'll be your man. ( Diseases( although I consider the nowadays medical methodology not suited enough for INTP freefloating problem solving style; more for Js) , war and socio-political problems, women psychology, brain functioning, happiness. )



WHy crisis? Well, have you ever thought about why INTP were more prolific in times of crisis? Well, I suspect that main reason why some badass smart poeple are failling is because there is no crisis anymore, nothing to consume their brains. I suspect that we only wake up in times of hardness; it might explain our boredom. I'm sure we would be more excited if confronted to more obvious important problems( and not via the media witch is biased and not validated by our septical mind anyways !).

 

[Anktark]

Walkyria might have gone on a tangent a bit, because OP asked about types seeking power, not having it.


I would say INTP seeks convergent truth, the one model that explains the whole [multi/uni](verse). I agree with Jules that it's more about understanding than knowing.

Other speculations with less experience/information to draw upon:

ENTP innovation

INTJ efficiency/perfection

ENTJ organization/order

ISTP practicality

INFP originality/individuality

INFJ integrity

ENFP novelty/entertainment

ENFJ vigilance

ISTJ convention/ritual


Tell me how I am wrong about these for now; I ought to go to sleep, it's 8 am here.

 

[Missfortune]

I think I'm an INTP and I'd disagree with calling the power having knowledge or understanding in some form, at least based on my experience.

Maybe I'm not an INTP.

I would say the power is the thing that happens when one is faced with a problem they have never seen before and have to think about it all different ways, observe new things, connect ideas together that weren't connected before, try possible solutions and understand why they do or don't work.



ENTP innovation

INTJ perfectly planned and executed

ENTJ organization/order

ISTP practicality

INFP true to ones self

INFJ integrity

ENFP novelty/entertainment

ENFJ compassionate/empathetic

ISTJ dependable, consistent


This is a list with minor revisions. The answers I have which are different are minor except for ENFJ. I chose compassionate/empathetic because the description I read was about a person who is extremely social and is well received. Being kind, considerate, understanding and also a leader implies that the person probably enjoys forming deep connections with others. That can be accomplished with empathy. Compassionate was a choice also because ENFJ seems to be an altruistic personality type. Compassion in combination with empathy and an enjoyment of interacting with others while making use of those traits seems to me to be the right combination for power of an ENFJ. But what do i know....

 

[nexion]

I think INTJ's would want perfection. It sounds funny when I put it that way, though. They would aim to improve the physical and the intangible around them to suit their respective purposes (e.g: a machine to produce food from air and water), and reach their highest level of refinement. When something can't be improved further, they'd just improve something else. Is there any better way to say this?

Perhaps control over things (as in every kind of thing-object or thought) is what they are looking for. But that's not quite right either. They want improvement for improvement's sake, they don't care for dominance as such.

I'm confusing myself.

INTJ perfectly planned and executed

I could buy either of these, but I think it is a specific kind of perfection we are after, eg. high degree of correlation between concept and phenomenal reality? I certainly do get a sense of satisfaction from having a plan come to fruition in exactly the way I "expected" it to, but perhaps it is even more satisfying when the plan becomes warped due to unforeseeable variables, only to still accomplish what you wanted to accomplish in the first place, or even something better. You can't just work within the system, you have to work within the dynamics of the system, predict how the system may move and change, and react to that change when it comes.

As for the convergence of idea with reality, I think oftentimes it manifests as an unconscious desire to externalize the idea, to give it tangible form, even though such attempts all too often fail for the INTJ. Hell, a great deal of my time is spent just trying to rationally explain concepts I have created for myself so I can communicate them to others effectively (which rarely ever works).