Can You Read A Person?

[JonB]

I think I'm pretty solid at that, it's funny. I actually am the "self-appointed psychologist of all my friends" that MBTI descriptions say ENFP's are.

 

[petra]

Question: What do we mean when we say we "read" someone? I'm asking because person A can see some aspects of someone clearly and almost immediately without knowing them very well, while Person B can read other things not observed by Person A.

Some can see motives for acting or behaving in a particular situation which makes the reading or knowing contextual, while others can see the spirit of the person as a whole, without necessarily becoming aware of how that person will behave in a particular situation.

yes, that's true. first thing that came up to my mind was 'oh yeah, i can read people' but that's not true at all, in that sense the author meant. i'm most of the time wrong about first impression, and i overlook all small details that are probably important for making some objective opinions.

but what i'm good at is i kind of feel that something is unusual with person. i just catch a glimpse of his/her look, or any other unexpected behavior, that is so small and irrelevant, but latter it comes to me why was that. i don't have any good example. perhaps dealing with small children. i can exactly know when child is hurt because of what you sad to him and i'm sure i don't do it whit looking his behavior, i mean not only that, but the whole picture. it's a feeling, not something that has to do with observing.

so in my opinion reading people can be different for everyone and maybe it can depend on what is important for person, and doesn't have to be connected with Se or Ni. but maybe i'm wrong. can someone tell me does what i described in 2nd paragraph match to my type?

 

[Reon]

Not an INFJ but an INTJ, so no insight into how you Feelers are...<hehe>
However, my Ni is very, very, very, very good and I read people well. I think my Te helps me order my perceptions very fast. The combination of these 2 aspects and the fact that I find figuring out emotions interesting have helped develop this talent. If I hang around someone a few times I usually have a pretty accurate handle on them. I find the most difficult part is to keep my insights to myself because not many people are comfortable with the knowledge that someone can have such insight into their issues and motivations. I try and only use my Ni for good.....

I'm pretty much the same.

*What other types are good with figuring people out? What other functions aid in this (such as Ti)?

I think pretty much all functions and types have an ability to read other people, it's just more natural for Ni users for the simple fact that we like understanding concepts and that can often include people; we naturally think "What if this situation was ever so slightly different, what would be the result".

* Is this something that's not really related to type, and that just gets easier with age?

It is related in type in the sense that type generically describes how quite a few people think but with that being said, I believe it gets easier with age as well. Wisdom and all.

 

[jewel]

Question: What do we mean when we say we "read" someone? I'm asking because person A can see some aspects of someone clearly and almost immediately without knowing them very well, while Person B can read other things not observed by Person A.

Some can see motives for acting or behaving in a particular situation which makes the reading or knowing contextual, while others can see the spirit of the person as a whole, without necessarily becoming aware of how that person will behave in a particular situation.

I deffinitely think that i can see peoples spirits. This can sometimes get me in trouble bc i see them as a good soul ,even when they are a lost and hurt individual. I feel i gravitate to those people who are internally struggling. I am very empathetic and feel for them. I generally want to believe they are a good person and i tend to believe what they tell me..even when i get a feeling their not being honest with me , i sometimes ignore my intuition and tend to think im just being skeptical but my gut is usually right. I tend to see things in people that they didnt see in themselves and it resonates with them. This doesnt always happen but over all i have a good sense of people i just need to follow it{which isnt always easy]. Also, not give in to the strong emotions i feel for people sometimes. it's hard to explain but i just get a 'feeling" about people. I can sense when people arnt genuine and are trying to put up an image. I think, i can sense their emotion and even if peoples actions don't match up with the vision i have of their 'true soul or nature." its very conflicting and can hurt when you always want to see the good in people and they do something that makes them untrust-worthy or flaws their character. It make be the childlike "nieve(ness)" ,but i've been hurt by people , taken advantage of and experienced shaddy behavior from people. Still, i look to see the beauty in people and think we are all human and make mistakes and won't allow myself to accept that people are truelly evil.

 

[Gaze]

I see things in people others seem to miss, but i always question whether i'm just projecting my impressions. But sometimes, i connect with people who are so unlike me or spot someone with such a unique spirit that i wonder if it's just me who notices these things about the person or whether i'm seeing what's already noticeable to everyone else. I'm empathic to a degree (but not psychic) so that doesn't really help.

 

[Imightbecrazy]

I can READ almost infallibly (to the point of freaking people out sometimes) that something is up... I can't necessarily read WHAT is up; there, my imagination gets a bit overboard and I can assume worse than is reality

Me too. I personally don't see why other people aren't like me, Ive never understood why, not even to this day. I know 100% when people are trying to manipulate me, I usually let them, sometimes for a long time. I know most times when people are lying, except for random tests like "what number am I thinking of (and even then I get it often). Wanna have fun? Tell a drunk how old he is -when you can't possibly know. You'll never forget the look you get-priceless. I often know what their going to say on television a full ten seconds before they say it-to the point I sometimes think I'm making them say it. But then again, I'm a looney and might be full of it.

Frankly, I'm not sure how one can be an infj without a strong ability like this-are all of you sure your not just being humble?

 

[middle1]

I consider myself to be a good judge of character. Although I hate to judge and categorize, my first impressions about people are generally true. I am not sure if that is considered reading people or not. For the most part I keep my thoughts to myself because I don't like coming off as judgemental and I could always be wrong, so I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.