CHANGING PERSONALITY TYPES!!

[BoneCollector]

Hello everyone,

How are you?

I recently befriended a psychologist on my travels to Egypt. He seemed to read me like "a book" within 2 minutes of meeting me. He introduced me to the Myers-Brigs personality types and was absolutely amazed how it related to my life.

He revealed i re-charge my batteries by seeking solitude and avoid social gatherings as they exhaust my energy, also describing me an an Introvert who is always spaced out.

I was really amazed because this is exactly how i live my life.

If i was to make a conscious decision to change my personality type is this practically possible?

I describe my self as extremely introvert and Living in an very Internal world (Inside my own mind) where i want to feel the need to socialize and get my energy from interacting with other people.

Also in the grand scheme of things can an Introvert only move to different levels of Introvertness (moving up the scale if you like) instead of becoming Extrovert?


can hypnotherapy / NLP / Psychology aid with this or is the brain very ressistant to change?

Thanks for your time.

 

[Decaf]

Briefly put, no. Think of your personality like your motor coordination or your first language. Changing them would require starting over. If you want to become like a child again and try to be an extravert this time, I suggest surgical brain damage (i.e. lobotomy).

All joking aside, we live in an extraverted culture and us introverts are often put upon to modify out behavior to fit in with the people around us. What you're asking you don't want. Just because the world tries to convince you that there is no redeeming value in introversion doesn't make it so. I'm really pretty annoyed the psychologist you talked to didn't elaborate on the value of diversity of type.


OK, so no pep talk, lets talk about how you can deal with your problem in a productive way. Since you're here I'm going to assume the two of you concluded you were INTP. Here's what that means...

INTP

• The J/P scale determines which function you extravert (your functions being S/N and T/F)
• The E/I scale determines which function is your dominant
• The N says that you're intuitive, and the T that you're a thinker, but following the previous rules we get:

Dominant Introverted Thinking
Auxiliary Extraverted Intuition
Tertiary Introverted Sensing (The opposite of your auxiliary)
Inferior Extraverted Feeling (The opposite of your dominant)

See that? You have an extraverted function already, its just not your area of confidance. In fact everyone's auxiliary function is the opposite orientation to their dominant function. Even if INTP isn't your type these rules will give you the information you need.


So what is extraverted intuition and how can you learn to use it to extravert yourself. Well, you probably already use it to a degree, and probably moreso than you suspect. Extraverted intuition is the function that deals with patterns and possibilities. Your auxiliary function is your area of creativity much like your dominant being your area of confidance. Extraverted intuition allows us to brainstorm our ideas and "hunches" that we later take back to our introverted side to process. It engages the world by talking about concepts, often getting us excited when we talk about something that interests us (which could be anything not classifiable as small talk).

Alright, so I gotta go to work, but I'll leave you with these links. These are descriptions of INTPs from various sources:

http://intp.org/intprofile.html
http://typelogic.com/intp.html
http://www.personalitypage.com/INTP.html

Let me know if any of that was helpful.

 

[ElectricWizard]

Our main problem with socializing tends to be the emphasis on small talk. There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. If you don't fit in, don't bother changing yourself to fit what society expects, be yourself. If you find people who you can have interesting conversations with, then you've got a friend that's superior to many small talkers. Of course, this will also allow you to express your extroverted side.
Otherwise, you've still got us. We're pretty awesome.

 

[Dissident]

I think there is no easy solution, if you want to be more comfortable in social situations, get along better with people, etc. the best way is to just do it. Practice: Talk to people, try to have fun with them, do some team sport, etc. It wont be easy but you will get used to it eventually. You wont become an extrovert but you will probably find your own way to deal with those situations, understand others better, not be nervous, etc.

 

[BoneCollector]

First of all thanks for your input and im sure you guys are awesome wizard - and this would be a great place to share some of my INTP humour which other people "just dont get" xD .

I seem to be on a voyage of discovering my self. Ive learnt alot about myself and to be honest i am saddened by this reality. I like to get different viewpoints from experts working in different fields and the more expert advice i receive from Hypnotherapsits / NLP -ers / Psychologists, the more confused i get which is understandable. Alot of Hypnotherapists claim we are not bound to any personality profiles because change in a person is such a natural thing whether its intentional (through self-development) or unintentional like going into a COMA lol, and with Hypnotherapy you can become the person you want to be i.e, extroverted

Infact Hypnotherapists dismiss the whole idea of personality profiles as Psycho babble because behaviours can change.

I just find that within these two fields (Psychologists and Hypnotherapists) which you can effectively call Mind Doctors theres such a different of viewpoins where the mind is concerned.

 

[Decaf]

I'll try not to be disparaging of hypnotherapists because I think they can do useful things when it comes to behavioral changes, but behavior is not base personality. Behavior is what evolves when all the components that make up a person are put together. Fundamental personality, environmental education and willful self-correction. Hypnotherapy deals only with the last, and personality type theory deals with the first. I would challenge any hypnotherapist to debate with me how the last signifies more of what makes up a person than the first. In case you're wondering psychiatry occupies the middle spot.

That's not to say personality type theory is alone in trying to describe fundamental personality. There are plenty of theories that deal with trait systems, but I find them to be reductionist, often unintentionally describing some fictional ultimate personality that everyone should strive for. There's also socionics, which to me feels depressing. That doesn't mean its wrong, but its hard to want to read about.

Neuro-linguistic programming is interesting, but the research is still in its infancy, so we'll see if it proves its merit.

Now you used the word extroverted, which is different than extraverted. Extroverted is defined as outwardly applied, or the opposite of shy. Extraverted means that you are externally focused. That you get your energy by having an impact on the outside world. Introverted means you get your energy from the inside world and I don't care what the hypnotherapists say, you won't change that, though over time you will find that it takes less effort to extravert than it used to.

 

[Jordan~]

I'd quote Joanna Newsom at you, but the section would be too long and would probably annoy people. But I've posted it in one of the poetry threads, I'm pretty sure - Monkey and Bear would be the song.

 

[eudemonia]

Psychologists have found that babies differ in relation to external stimuli. When a noise is focused on them (e.g. a bell) some babies will reach out towards the noise whilst others will recoil or cry. The hypothesis is that babies who embrace the noise will grow up to be extraverts whilst those who recoil will grow up to be introverts. This hasn't yet been proven though. Also the ability to access and articulate emotion is associated with the size of the corpus collosum in the brain. Men have a smaller cc than women and in mbti, the TF scale is the only one which has consistently shown gender differences (more women are F and more men are T). I think we're born with these traits, so it's important to embrace and accept their strengths. I's listen, reflect, think before they act, write, study, go into depth and generally are happy to do things on their own - this is a strength!

Having said that, I agree with Dissident (for once) it's important to develop the skill of extraversion. It's an important skill and you will need to access it at various times of your life. And the only way to develop the skill is to practise it - it won't feel comfortable but once you have mastered it you'll be happy you did.

Good luck

 

[Ermine]

Welcome to the forum of like-minded people.

Well, at least you didn't consult a psychiatrist about your personality. I've found that many INTP characteristics, which are totally healthy, can easily be confused with mental illnesses, like narcissism, schizoid, antisocial, etc. I don't mean to say this to scare you, though. Narcissism can easily be confused with autonomy and antisocial can be confused with introversion, which I have found very useful. Introversion is my inner strength and the source of my independence.

@ Eudemonia

Relating to that study, do you know how moldable that tendency is more babies? Because I was by all means introverted from the start, but as an infant, I liked to always be in on the action and commotion, at least as an observer. Also, that makes me wonder if Thinking women have smaller cc's like men, or if they simply aren't used as much as other women.

 

[Thread Killer]

Welcome to the forum of like-minded people.

I swear I read that the first time as "Welcome to the funeral of like-minded people."

Anyways.

If I've learned anything is not to force things. If you want to be more social, join groups that target your interests. Stay involved. Humans are an adaptable species. You will gradually open up and get used to more social interaction. You'll just adapt versus having to really consciously become something you are otherwise not. You'll still be an introvert but you will be put in situations that will make being sociable feel a little more natural even if it isn't.

 

[myexplodingcat]

If you want to change personality types, that says to me that you might actually not be INTP. Most people aren't.

 

[theory_of_everything]

I feel like my personality type is more like a blank canvas. Some canvases are better made for oil, some for acrylic, but its what you work with.

I've learned to be a little more social. I've learned to be a little more emotional. I don't think its about changing your personality, but understanding everyone else's and learning how to enter and exit those worlds.

 

[Mondorius]

I've always had the INTP result from just about every Myers Briggs tests I've done in the past, but recently one sprung out the words INTJ. I shrugged it off. I don't believe anyone will ever change radically, but I can certainly say I've changed a bit over the last few years.

It could be a lot of things. Maturity ( yeah, right... ), experience, increased self-confidence, or just that I give less of a shit, but I swear something's different!

 

[Abraxas]

If i was to make a conscious decision to change my personality type is this practically possible?

Yes, yes and yes!