How do different types handle crisis or trauma? | INFJ Forum

How do different types handle crisis or trauma?

Gaze

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Sep 5, 2009
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How do different types handle crisis or trauma? Are there specific or unique responses to trauma expressed or demonstrated by each type?
 
i really dont think its a type thing...perhaps an experience thing...but a mom weather shes an INFJ or a ESTP would have the same reaction if they needed to help their child in any way.
 
i really dont think its a type thing...perhaps an experience thing...but a mom weather shes an INFJ or a ESTP would have the same reaction if they needed to help their child in any way.

That's not true, not all mothers are equally concerned about their children... and even those that are would have different ideas about how best to help them. But I think you're right that it's less a type thing and more an experience thing.

Anyway, one possible trend between type and stress response is that introverts would be more likely to withdraw and seek the familiar under stress, and extroverts would be more likely to talk and seek novelty.
 
Anyway, one possible trend between type and stress response is that introverts would be more likely to withdraw and seek the familiar under stress, and extroverts would be more likely to talk and seek novelty.

Interesting point but many introverts have found the opposite. Under normal circumstances they may withdraw because they don't want the attention, but in crisis situations, they often come to the forefront and take charge to help where necessary.
 
Interesting point but many introverts have found the opposite. Under normal circumstances they may withdraw because they don't want the attention, but in crisis situations, they often come to the forefront and take charge to help where necessary.

heh that's kind of true, I think under moderate levels of stresses they'll withdraw, and then if further stress is applied they'll reach a crux point where they just flip 180 and do the social thing for a while.
 
I was researching on trauma and its affects on different MBTI types. I found on other forums that this is also being discussed.
My pyschologist is still in the process of figuring out whether I have PTSD or not.
But I'll address this from an INTP's and my personal prespective.

After traumatic experience or crisis I tend to withdraw, I would imagine that other INTP's tend to do the same.
In my case I never spoke about my own experiences for over 10 years. The reason was because I didn't want to draw any outside attention to the problems, without speaking about them I eventually forgot about them. The problem was that when I was faced with similar situations they came back through disguised emotions and problems. Anxiety and depression.
It was until I was asked about what could of caused me to feel anxious and depressed, I started to remember. I began questioning the nightmares that I have been having and found the answers.

Now I'm not sure If this is how INTP's in general handle trauma, but I can only speak for myself.

Here's something interesting that I came across when I was spying on the INTP forums;

While looking up information on MBTI in psych article databases, I ran across this study:

Application of Psychological Type in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment.
Author(s): Otis, Gerald D., Department of Veterans Affairs, US

This little tidbit was in the summary at http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=16&hid=111&sid=310b0e96-6f84-476b-a48f-4173a79214d5%40sessionmgr104


More than 70% of the participants in the nine groups studied fell into just three psychological types: ISTP, INTP, and ISTJ.

This struck me as interesting, both because of personal interest and because of the very obvious over-representation. So I looked for other, similar studies, and EBSCO turned up this:

MBTI profiles of Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Author(s): Dalton, John E., Veterans Affairs Medical Ctr, North Chicago, IL, US Aubuchon, Ivan Tom, Agnes Pederson, Sanford L. et al.

From the summary:


MBTI types ISTP, ISTJ, and INTP accounted for over 64% of the PTSD sample.

Unfortunately, that was the only other study on it in their database, but it raises an interesting question: why would these 3 be so over-represented in the two studies?
 
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