#typing questions

[confusedinfj]

Hey, I need your opinion. I’m a bit confused between istp and isfp, so here is some info about me:

- I do a lot of stuff but sometimes I take breaks from my hobbies to start doing something new, then I drop it and get back to my old ones, it’s a never ending circle.

- I like to spend time alone like a lot but sometimes I get active and want to socialize. I can text my friends in a middle of Tuesday and ask out and they are like I’m working let’s meet tomorrow or whenever… and I can’t say yes coz I may not want to meet them, so yeah. And I cancel plans as well when I don’t feel like going, sometimes I regret making plans in my active phase.

- I usually do things last minute. I mean I’m okay with deadlines but I can procrastinate till the last day and then do things.

- I mostly listen to people, I talk a lot with a couple of my friends and my sister. Usually I just listen and overanalyze stuff and when I want to say something it feels like I forget how to talk, tho I’m not stupid. I don’t like being stupid.

- I don’t really care about people but if I do, I want to spend time with them a lot and get jealous when they don’t choose me. I question myself if I’m really friends with these people or I just randomly talk to them.

- I daydream sometimes and it happens unexpectedly but I quickly get back to reality thinking what’s the point at dreaming, like it brings me nothing.

- Sometimes I have a gut feeling and it makes me question things and get paranoid a bit.

- I have emotions but I can’t fight the saying in my head “emotions = weakness”. My family says I’m cold and distant and really not empathetic. I don’t remember the feeling when I was hurt, sad, happy, I just label them as hurt/sad/happy but feel nothing.

- I don’t like routines, I tried to stick to them and even made to-do lists but I give them up in a week. But I kinda have a systematic approach when working idk

- I get bored easily

From this information, I personally don't think I could call it. A lot of the things you mentioned are fairly universal behaviours, and some of them are just age/character development things (emotions = weakness is a strong socially pushed idea, for example).

The real difference between dominant Fi and dominant Ti will be in your decision making process. These can actually sound very similar, which may be why you're having difficulty. So I'll try to give you some separating questions which might help in distinguishing them.

When making a decision, do you naturally choose based off your feelings/moral judgements, or based off internal logic that make might make sense to anyone else?

The difference here is that Ti will first need to seek out enough options and information to make a decision. Fi isn't naturally so thorough. Ti likes to overwhelm itself with options, weigh them all up, and then choose. Fi is less likely to seek out all these options, and may go into a decision with a few predecided requirements (must be an ethically sourced product, for example).

When somebody tells you sad news (like maybe their dog died), do you feel sad too because you remember a time your dog (or someone/something else) died? Or do you feel whatever they're feeling in the moment?

The Fe difference is that if the person isn't actually sad about their dog anymore, you won't be overwhelmed with sad feelings about your own precious situation (with traumatic exceptions, of course). Fe tends to feel what's felt in the present, while Fi assumes what is felt based on its own experience.

When you're very stressed, do you find you become cold and rigorously scheduled (low te)? Or do you become overly concerned with what other people think about you and become unusually emotional (low Fe)?

I hope one of those helps!

[animatedmbti]

Hi! Could you please do a enfp/isfp comparison? I know it's a weird comparison to make but I'm stuck between those two types!

I can try!  I’m guessing that the function you feel most strongly about is Fi (introverted feeling), since that is the highest function in common with both of these types.  Considering this, it would probably be helpful to look into this function more and try and decide if it’s your dominant one or not.

Se (extraverted sensing) and Ne (extraverted intuition) definitely share similarities, being the two extraverted perceiving functions.  You probably relate to being generally more present or future focused, possibility seeking, new idea/opportunity loving, somewhat spontaneous, and welcoming of change even on a daily basis, if you are indeed a high Pe user, which I’m guessing from the types you’re debating between!

But Se and Ne also have definite distinctions in where these general traits tend to focus.  With higher Se, the focus is more on the present and on the physical world.  An xSFP is generally comfortable in their physical environment and more at one with it.  xSFPs are spontaneous in an adventurous way, perhaps either enjoying exciting events that are physically stimulating or being highly artistic and skilled with the physical arts in some way.  Between Se and Fi, xSFPs often have a naturally refined eye to both the emotional world and the physical one, capable of using the nuances of the physical to create things are also strong emotionally.

xNFPs are more spontaneous mentally.  They are endlessly open to and excited by new ideas and concepts, and they enjoy thinking abstractly and finding conceptual patterns.  With the Fi and Ne combination, xNFPs will often be artistically inclined in more abstract arts, such as writing.  Similarly to xSFPs, they are quite good at expressing emotional meaning, but it will likely be more through concepts than through visual arts.  The xNFP will be greatly excited by new excursions of the mind or of considering the workings of things behind what is present.  And unlike xSFPs, xNFPs are less at home in their environment and more so in the worlds of their mind and imagination.  Another reason this isn’t quite so surprising a typing dilemma to be in is the case of the dominant Ne user being often a more introverted extravert.  

I hope this is helpful for you, and thank you for asking!

[animatedmbti]

hello! so for the longest time i've been confused as to deciding whether im an INTP or an INTJ. most of the quizzes i took said im an INTP but i strongly relate to INTJ as well! i was thinking, maybe you could help by identifying INTP and INTJ characters? that way maybe i can decide in which character i see myself the most. thank you!💖

Happy to!  First, for reference, here are some posts on characters of both those types:

http://animatedmbti.tumblr.com/post/164145859120/animated-intps

http://animatedmbti.tumblr.com/post/164088505810/animated-intjs

You can also check out the lists under the pages drop-down menu for characters of all types.

To pick some characters that really stand out from those two types:

INTP: Hiccup from How To Train Your Dragon–definitely my favorite example of an INTP in animation.  He stays very true to character through both the movies as well, a solid INTP!  Alice from Alice in Wonderland is also a good example, though not perhaps as three-dimensional as Hiccup.  And Hiro from Big Hero 6 is a good INTP too!

INTJ: Hank from Finding Dory is a good example.  There’s also Gru from the Despicable Me movies, and Anton Ego from Ratatouille.  For a great example of an INTJ, though not an animated character, is Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Be sure to check out the cognitive functions in depth as well for typing!  The functions of these two types are opposites in many ways–while INTJ has Ni-Te-Fi-Se, INTP has Ti-Ne-Si-Fe.  This is an excellent description of INTP that also goes in depth into the functions, and from the same website you can also find an equally insightful description of INTJ: https://personalityjunkie.com/the-intp/

I hope this is helpful for you, and thank you for asking!

[animatedmbti]

Heya! could you please do a comparison between INFJ and INTP (how they react to and solve specific real-life problems or something like that). I know they are really different types, but I'm stuck between them:)

Of course!  They are different, but similar too, both being introverted intuitives.

Dominant Ti and Ni can sometimes come into conflict.  INTPs may see INFJs’ intuitions and feelings about things as rather unnatural and perhaps even unreasonable; INFJs might see INTPs as being overly objective and not accounting enough for what they see as the importance of trusting a strong feeling.  You might ask yourself if you typically find yourself more surprised or confused by strong intuition/feeling following or a lack thereof in others.

INTPs’ dominant function is a judging one, so an INTP tends to analyze and judge based on internal logic first and then looking more at possibilities (Ne).  INFJs lead with a perceiving function, so their first look at something will involve more non-jadging observation, followed then by a more external based judgment.

Fe (extraverted feeling) is a strong function for INFJs, but it is the inferior function for INTPs.  So while for INFJs being keenly aware of a social atmosphere, naturally always reading into/being aware of interactions or others’ emotions, and having a strong sense of how to be or of what is accepted in a situation, these are things that an INTP is more likely to have as a blind spot.  This isn’t to say that all INTPs are socially awkward in the least–you might be plenty good at these things, but if you are an INTP, they will probably still feel somewhat forced or to require more mental effort.  An INFJ can struggle with just the opposite effect with Fe as the auxiliary function, sometimes being less of themselves in order to be one of the others, for example.

As IN types, both will likely struggle with feeling misunderstood or generally a bit out of place in the greater population.  INFJs have somewhat higher Ti as well, and both types are often drawn to things that incorporate both strong logic and conceptuality.  INFJs are sometimes called (and accurately, I think) the coldest of the feelers, whereas INTPs, from my experience, can really be some of the softer thinkers.  

Both types are seekers all through life (of meaning, truth, etc., and probably identify as this way to some degree); with Ni, the INFJ tends to purse one meaningful interest very deeply and thoroughly, focusing very much just on that and seeing it through; with Ne, the INTP seeks in somewhat more of a spontaneous or wide ranging exploratory nature, skilled at contemplating many possibilities.

I’m thinking it just might be more likely that you’re an INFJ in this typing dilemma, given the INFJ’s common loves for philosophical and logical areas, as well as the fact that INFJs have Ti as well as Ni.  But don’t follow me too much on that one!  

You might also look into enneagram.  For instance, an INFJ that is also a type 5 in the enneagram will be even more inclined than other INFJs to favor logic over feeling and more frequently tend to keep a distance from or objective feelings.  I bring this up because if you’re relating to both types a lot, perhaps looking at the possible variations a little might help confirm your type.

I hope that this helps you, and thank you for asking!