Locked in a personality type?

[ememisya]

Does anyone here truly feel like they are a single personality type? I mean every test I took says I'm an INTP and it explains quite a lot but not everything.

For example:

I can harshly and logically judge someone even though I know I'm hurting them emotionally.

AND

I also cater to someone's emotions even though it's purely illogical but I know I'm not wasting my time because that's how "they" work, and it makes me happy to help.

I'm an extrovert if I'm in a meeting but I'm an introvert if I'm on my own time.

I'm competitive and dominating if I'm playing basketball and I want to win but I'll step back and say "monkey time complete." and take nothing personal.

Basically it all has to do with, why, where, and when.

Does anyone think the personality type is constraining or not definitive enough?

 

[typus]

Forget what you read about MBTI.
Your personality type is based on what cognitive functions you use.
Forget about the descriptions of personality types.
Being an INTP does NOT mean that you are unable to have emotions.
Forget about the questions the tests have for measuring P/J I/E etc.
If you get emotional it doesn't mean you suddenly change personality type.

 

[Fukyo]

Does anyone here truly feel like they are a single personality type? I mean every test I took says I'm an INTP and it explains quite a lot but not everything.

Let me clear this up once and for all.

INTP - or any other type, is not a personality.

The 16 personality types are a MBTI idea, you can just disregard that.

The four letter codes, are in this instance borrowed just as a system of nomenclature for certain arrangements of cognitive functions.

Type, in this case, means your cognitive function hierarchy, from dominant to inferior.

Inherently, any type has access to their feeling, thinking, sensing and intuitive functions, despite what the 4 letter code looks like. The difference is only in the hierarchy of their ordering.

The hierarchy shows the order in which you'd, under ideal conditions inherently* prefer to use your functions as well as the most probable linear course of development and usage that is expected for any type.

Dominant - Auxiliary - Tertiary - Inferior
​

However, the functions do not exist as separate elements, they interact constantly, which they in fact have to do, otherwise they would have no productive functionality.

The individual begins from the dominant, which resides as the most prominent part of the psyche, and uses the dominant to access other processes further down the line. Sometimes, so it happens the dominant will rather join the forces with the Tertiary rather than the Auxiliary, sometimes the Inferior will come into play in order to satisfy the demands of the environment before it's time.

Humans are not static, neither is their psyche, a fixed pattern exist (cognitive hierarchy), but it's inner workings are flexible.

I'll illustrate it with a metaphor.

• The cognitive hierarchy is akin to Genotype.

That is, the underlying cognitive constitution of an individual.

• The personality is akin to Phenotype.

A phenotype is any observable characteristic or trait of an organism: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior. Phenotypes result from the expression of an organism's genes as well as the influence of environmental factors and the interactions between the two.

Personality is a product, the emergent traits, behaviors that manifest in an individual as a result of interaction not only of their functions but a huge number of influencing factors and stimuli we are exposed to every second of our lives that shape and prompt us.

There are no 16 personalities on the planet, but there are 16 distinct patterns that their individual personalities can be traced back to.

----

* There is some argument over what exactly makes such and such functional ordering inherent for an individual. It is often explained by the fact that they are the most energy efficient in a physiological and consequently psychological sense. There is some research to confirm this, but it is not conclusive yet.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Forget what you read about MBTI.
Your personality type is based on what cognitive functions you use.
Forget about the descriptions of personality types.
Being an INTP does NOT mean that you are unable to have emotions.
Forget about the questions the tests have for measuring P/J I/E etc.
If you get emotional it doesn't mean you suddenly change personality type.

What he said. This is why I enjoy Socionics much more, as a greater emphasis is placed on functions.

 

[Adymus]

You are misunderstanding what it means to have a personality type.

I can't blame you for this because MBTI is extremely incompetent in their explanations, definitions, and detections.

You may or may not be an INTP, the MBTI test is extremely inaccurate and as for as I am concerned, you are unconfirmed. But for now, let's put that thought aside, as it is not very relevant for what I am about to explain.

A personality type is defined by what two function you have a preference for. Your preference functions will be your dominant function, and an auxiliary function. Furthermore you also have a tertiary function which will be the opposite of your auxiliary, and your inferior function will be the opposite of your Dominant, these bottom two functions are less preferred, less efficient and more draining of energy for you to use. But you can still consciously use them, make no mistake about that.

Obviously people are going to be able to use more than just their top two functions, nature is not retarded enough to make us that limited.

We all have the ability to extrovert (E) and introvert (I), and we do at different times, however if your dominant function is an introverted one (Such as Ti, for an INTP), then that mean you will get your energy from your inner world, regardless of how much you like to talk. Extroversion has nothing to do with being talkative, or enjoying being around people by the way.

We all have the ability to be adaptive (P) or directive (J), we are being adaptive when we "go with the flow", improvise, freeform, or do anything in an unstructured nature. We are being directive when we, set boundaries, manipulate external dynamics, make plans, or otherwise act in a structured nature. However, you will have a natural preference for one of these over the other.

We all have the ability to take in both Concrete (S) and Conceptual (N) information. We all have one perception function that will be based on Literal and Concrete information, such as information gained by the visceral experience of five senses (Se), or the personal memory of exact experiences, or bank of remembered Details (Si).
And we all have one perception function that will be based on Interpretive and pattern-based information, such as information gained by patterns emerging in real-time, possibilities of where a trend taking place could go (Ne), or the personal perspective of all of the patterns that exist in nature (Ni).

You can have either Ne and Si, or Ni and Se, but we will have a preference for one over the other.

And lastly, we all have the ability to make decisions based on logic (T) or Values (F), but you will prefer one over the other.

I'm leave out a bit, but I think you should get the jist of what I am trying to tell you. We are not locked in boxes, we have access to all we would need to access, but we have certain specializations and niches, certain pathways that we like to take in order to access these other functions.

 

[Adymus]

What he said. This is why I enjoy Socionics much more, as a greater emphasis is placed on functions.

Yeah but it still sucks.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

Who cares what personality your labeled as. Everyone has traits of each letter. If your 100% INTP then your a fuckin freak.....hmm you said your an extravert at meetings..That makes me wonder how you can find your true self without the influence of society or mental disorders...hmm thats somethin carl jung thought of but i cant remember the term..ah yes individuation...

 

[Vrecknidj]

I am an INTP.

My father was an ISFJ and in order to survive my own childhood I had to develop my S and J (as it were). For a long time, I was tremendously introverted, but, over the decades, I've become far more comfortable engaging the world en masse than I ever would have been able to do in my teens (or even early 20s).

Anyway, these days, I rather deftly exhibit the INTP's chameleon tendencies even into the other types.

But, I'm an INTP. I just happen to be comfortable meeting new people, comfortable with small crowds, fully able to engage in "small talk" even for hours if necessary, have extended conversations about feelings (extended can include lasting for hours on end for days in a row) without getting uncomfortable, etc.

I can judge someone harshly while aware I'm hurting someone. But I don't. Because I'm nice. And that's a choice.

Dave

 

[ememisya]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I can judge someone harshly while aware I'm hurting someone. But I don't. Because I'm nice. And that's a choice.

I would much rather be nice. Unfortunately most people, in the working world (a.k.a. concrete jungle) or anywhere else, see being nice as a weakness.

Sometimes not being nice can save someone's life. I think that's really nice Everyone else would think I was an asshole, but It'd know the truth, and that's enough for me.

 

[Ska]

I just want to point out that it's not very likely you are an INTP. You seem very Fe oriented to me.

Spoiler

Fe (Extroverted Feeling):


Personal Connection: Fe is connecting with others. The process of Fe often involves a desire to connect with (or disconnect from) others and is often evidenced by expressions of warmth (or displeasure) and self-disclosure. They carry conversations well, finding common ground with their speaker. They tend to find the correct and gracious way to respond in any given situation, no matter how tense or uncomfortable it is. Fe types typically radiate goodwill and enthusiasm. They are optimistic about life in general and human potential in particular. They prefer to focus on the positive, harmonious and uplifting aspects of people and human relations, paying little attention to negative, pessimistic, limiting, and divisive messages, situations and conclusions. Their primary goal is to create and maintain good feeling and harmony among people.

Personal Consideration: Fe is considering others and the group – organizing to meet their needs and honour their values and feelings. Adjusting to and accommodating others, and deciding if something is appropriate or acceptable to others. The “social graces,“ such as being polite, being nice, being friendly, being considerate, and being appropriate, often revolve around the process of Fe. Laughing at jokes when others laugh, and trying to get people to act kindly to each other also involves Fe. Using this function, one responds according to expressed or even unexpressed wants and needs of others. Fe types are careful not to hurt others’ feelings and try to take others’ well-being into account. If they cannot avoid telling someone an Unpleasant truth, they will carefully soften the message by putting it in an affirmative context. For Fe types, unconditional positive regard is a strongly held value. They are always focused on the other person, feeling a glow when those around them are happy, and troubled when something is amiss.

Ritualizing: Fe is maintaining societal, organizational, or group values. “Family”, “friend”, and “co-worker” aren’t states of emotion. They’re categories of human alliance, organized by degree of relatedness. What we are doing, when we use these categories, is accommodating our specific experience of people to the conceptual shapes the terms offer. This is a rational process, not a sentimental one. These standards constitute one aspect of our societal value system. They set up conventions that tell us how relationships are “supposed” to be conducted and what responsibilities they entail.

Social Awareness: Fe is conceptual and analytic. It encourages us to make rational choices, to measure our options for relationship against external standards of behaviors. [Customs] Fe prompts in this regard are not a matter of emotion, impulse, or doing what we learned in kindergarten. These are secular rituals—visible signs that mark a participant’s membership in the community at large. Such rituals can touch us, but they aren’t occasions of sentiment. They’re a vocabulary, part of our feeling lexicon. They submit to collective form an experience ordinarily confined to individual history, allowing us to express the kinds of relationships important to us as people. Social values mark these wares of decision making that go beyond one person’s immediate experience to affect the community as a whole. Apart from questions of moral rectitude, our behaviors toward others have implications, whether we intend them or not. Fe types seek continuity through harmonious relationships and collective values. They excel at picking up on the tone of a situation and acting accordingly, adding warmth to a cool setting or turning sour into sweet.

Team building: They will naturally seek to know what people do well, what they enjoy, where and how they work, and understand what they need in order to make the appropriate connections with other people. They weave and strengthen the collective fabric of social conventions and interactions. Fe types seem to have an infinite of acquaintances from all walks of life and are always on the lookout for people in need and those who can help out. Inclusiveness is important and they are particularly sensitive to those who are excluded. As team players and project leaders, they have a gift for rallying their players, focusing on what is being done right and each member’s strengths. They are loyal and they expect loyalty. They are natural cheerleaders, often expressing support, gratitude, and encouragement, and heaping praise onto those they appreciate. They take note of what is being done and what needs doing, offering their help and assistance wherever necessary.

Suppression: Fe and Ti have a suppressive relationship. Fe devotes itself to the feelings of the collective, and must ignore one’s personal logic in order to satisfy the customs of the tribe.

Perhaps you are: ISFJ, INFJ, ESFJ, or ENFJ.

 

[Minuend]

You may or may not be an INTP, the MBTI test is extremely inaccurate and as for as I am concerned, you are unconfirmed.

Do you type people through their writing?

If so, how?

I realize that if you do, you'd say it isn't as accurate as live typing seeing as [insert obvious reasons]. But it'd be interesting to know how you go about it, if you do.

 

[Adymus]

Do you type people through their writing?

If so, how?

I realize that if you do, you'd say it isn't as accurate as live typing seeing as [insert obvious reasons]. But it'd be interesting to know how you go about it, if you do.

No, I don't


There was a point were I did, but I've learned how unreliable it is and put an end to that.

The most I will do with writing is get a general idea of what a person is, just by the way they are presenting their thoughts, or certain opinions they have (For example spaceyetti's position on intellectual discourse being a waste of time.)
But I won't base anything on that alone, anything is possible, I just get a general idea of how likely it is for them to be certain types, but I do not believe it is possible to accurately type a person solely on this.

 

[IfloatTHRUlife]

I think it is kind of important that people understand cognative functions more and stop assuming things such as, since there are "strengths" in mbti test results, that it is possible to be more than one personality, or that it is possible to change personailties. Especially those who think they can change thier J and P, which would require someone to completely demolish and rebuild their functions, and switching out a T and F, which for example, if an INTP were to literally turn into an INFP, it would require that they switch their dominant and inferior functions. Which some people might think is possible but all you would be doing is forcing your Ti to deny its own existance and substitute in the Fi, which might actually be possible with some serious mental issues, possibly nuerosis , not exactly sure but tis probably what happens in cases of dissociative identity disorder.

In loving memory of whatever it was i wanted to say to begin with:

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I think it is kind of important that people understand cognative functions more and stop assuming things such as, since there are "strengths" in mbti test results, that it is possible to be more than one personality, or that it is possible to change personailties. Especially those who think they can change thier J and P, which would require someone to completely demolish and rebuild their functions, and switching out a T and F, which for example, if an INTP were to literally turn into an INFP, it would require that they switch their dominant and inferior functions. Which some people might think is possible but all you would be doing is forcing your Ti to deny its own existance and substitute in the Fi, which might actually be possible with some serious mental issues, possibly nuerosis , not exactly sure but tis probably what happens in cases of dissociative identity disorder.

In loving memory of whatever it was i wanted to say to begin with:

I agree, more attention should be paid to functions for all reasons considered, but personally I find it easier to construct mental models knowing the ins and outs of each building block.

 

[ememisya]

I think it is kind of important that people understand cognative functions more and stop assuming things such as, since there are "strengths" in mbti test results, that it is possible to be more than one personality, or that it is possible to change personailties. Especially those who think they can change thier J and P, which would require someone to completely demolish and rebuild their functions, and switching out a T and F, which for example, if an INTP were to literally turn into an INFP, it would require that they switch their dominant and inferior functions. Which some people might think is possible but all you would be doing is forcing your Ti to deny its own existance and substitute in the Fi, which might actually be possible with some serious mental issues, possibly nuerosis , not exactly sure but tis probably what happens in cases of dissociative identity disorder.

In loving memory of whatever it was i wanted to say to begin with:

Thank you. I always did think I have multiple personalities as I tend to observe and add the thought processes of people I find interesting to my mind and play them out continuously. It lets me know what people around me think and feel truly and why they think they are right, impartial or wrong. I reconciled between my two older brothers my entire life as they fought about everything. I wouldn't say I suffer from a mental disorder though. To the contrary, I quite enjoy it.

Thanks again, I definitely have some reading to do now