ISFP to INTP

[miyuki]

i know a person who has tested ISFP, but is seriously considering if she is INTP.

the functions being the complete polar opposites (isfp being Fi>Se>Ni>Te) and (intp being Ti>Ne>Si>Fe) perplexes me.

she is quite good at art (isfp-like) but doesn't *feel* quite like one. she sort of felt she lacked the social grace that ISFPs have and somehow couldn't fit right in as a ISFP.

Clues that she could be ISFP:
-fond of arts (she does read books about the science of art, face reading and palmistry or anything that can help her)
-likes fashion
-likes animals and children
-fond of physical items (hoarding could be intp, too)
-can be good at sports (though i guess intp can be too)
-she may be very sensitive to criticism? (inferior Te?)

Clues that she could be INTP
-she can be a big dork. surprisingly quite noisy and talks like rapid-fire when about ideas.
-in middle school, she read would about html for days (it was this html help page on neopets..)
-she did try to take up programming, though she finds it confusing to learn. though she did compile a program. but hasn't been able to really tackle it since school gets into her way.
-in 9th grade, i did catch her reading "a brief history of time".
-she can be really childishly affectionate or blow up and be really childishly rude (inferior fe?)



ISFP and INTP both need freedom and space and hate rigidness. (being Perceivers) she hates school. and are introverted. almost never talks, even to friends. she tends towards short replies. called by teachers "very shy"/"quietest student i have." though she does have a strong need to connect, just doesn't know how to go about it.

so. your opinion. do you think this is a good chance, even if they're completely opposite underneath? and why do you think this would happen?

the fact that ISFP ... going all the way to INTP, being that they're completely opposite underneath, really amazes me. does that mean culture itself can change a person inside-out like that?

 

[miyuki]

personally, i think there's a good possibility.

i think the reasons for her choosing isfp...
-her mom is very traditional. tested ISFP. though could be strong J. she leaves her alone mostly, but doesn't leave her alone about some things.

1) doesn't allow her to do "boy" things. ie: watch football. or fix the computer/take apart things, because she'll "break them". "leave it to your brother or dad!" though her dad did ask her how to send an email....

2) corrects her. ie: how she dresses and does things. like walking. she used to walk sorta funny. like a duck. hunched over. looking at the floor. tells her "you think too much" ie: stop thinking, and not to be sensitive.

3) school. changed from outwardly rude (thought students/teachers are big idiots) into giving them a chance (maybe there's something right about them.)

in general, i guess culture tries to correct her.

 

[miyuki]

also i'm not so sure her fear of criticism stems from inferior Te, which would make it more of an isfp issue, a fear of being incompetent.

she can be really afraid of giving her ideas or being critiqued.

she does fear being insulted, but maybe insulted unjustly is more like it. which is something she might be used to.

like,
it could be somehow intp. i think she doesn't like to be told what she already knows. or doesn't matter.

she can get quite pmsy with *incompetent* advice. which is how INTP's inferior Fe kicks in.

it might be that she hates incompetence with critiques, and she tends to blow up and behave childishly/frustratedly/angrily (basically, YOU'RE WRONG if she believes it to be the truth)

i think she does appreciate good constructive criticism. she used to go around asking for critiques (she thought it was fun), but i guess instead gets angry with the lack of constructive critiques.

she also likes to critique people, but noticed they didn't quite like her when she did. so.

well off i go. i'm going to sleep. shared my thoughts though i have more to share. i hope people don't mind that ._.; and i'm new here =D and i hope.. i get replies.

 

[Words]

Considerations:

Fact: My mother is an ISFP and myself an INTP.

Similarities: Not directive and very non-Je(Fe & Te). Both dislike commanding people.

Differences: Many and significantly more than similarities. She requires emotional + sensory approval. I have to hug her and I have adjust my appearance to fit her Fi + Se. She avoids technical problems, I search for it. She seeks emotional experience, I avoid it. I talk ideas, she replies with "You need to take a bath". She tells me I need to share situational reports of "what I did", I ignore. I value individuality, she doesn't.

Main Difference: Emotion. She has too much, I have none. Fairy vs. Robot.

Nurture Effect: I think the confusion you've noticed is not out of how much nurture has an effect, but simply the lack of knowledge in Typology and Cognitive Functions.

 

[miyuki]

Considerations:
Nurture Effect: I think the confusion you've noticed is not out of how much nurture has an effect, but simply the lack of knowledge in Typology and Cognitive Functions.

true, it is lack of knowledge in mbti and though nurture plays a part, not completely, since her true nature is still there. i'd never read about the functions until recently ... i assumed isfp or infp suited her, as she can be surprisingly really affectionate. and so i disregarded the rest, thinking she could be an isfp with a strong bent.. towards so and so.

her mom tested ISFP and did try to correct her in the Sensy+Feely (You have to look appropriate, you have to show you care, etc) ways the most. (make her like herself?) so, she might be more developed in those areas, however never getting a real chance to develop her intuition and thinking as much. which is why, overall, she never quite did come off like an INTP.

thank you for helping me sort the confusion out.

 

[BridgeOfSighs]

I'm kind of glad I randomly clicked on page 11 and found this.


This may sound completely bat-sh*t insane but I think sometimes I switch partially back to ISFP from INTP.

Looking at the contrast list in the first post I can identify with most of the characterists both lists. My live-in boyfriend being a huge F I often have to be pushed into the "feeling realm", which bugs the crap out of me. Then, out of nowhere I'll find myself waning for attention -- this does not happen often. Then when I get the attention I'll often just want it to go away; emotions stabilizing to non-feeling, robot-type mood. But, of course, it's usually an all or nothing thing.

Then the fashion loving thing makes me feel like an ISFP, though interest in def not what it used to be when I tested ISFP. Part of me makes me think that it's simply the love for the aesthetic, as I tend to love fashion photography a tad more.

Also, one my closest friends tested ISFP, and part of me thinks she may bring that out a bit.