Indigo's Type Has Come Into Question Again

Hi Indigo,

I have to tell you how wierd this sounds because I just came in from sitting outside in the rain, smoking a cigar. I was aware almost immidiately, how almost "sad" I became, when I was in the rain. It's as though my Fe was so open to the outer world and I again, began to question my type. I know my Ni and Ne are very strong, yet I question if it's my "senses" that dictate my feelings sometimes too. How come we seem to be so in synch at times???

However, I still think that both of us are mainly INFJ. That is what I typed you. I don't believe you are INTJ, as I know how stressful your recent past has been. Considering that, I feel more so, that you are simply in the process now of focussing your thoughts and energy on stratagising your present life. It's normal to slip in and out of type, and I'll never forget how on the ball you were, with your PM that evening. Your intuition was spot on. Shifts and resistance is natural, you have to be able to adapt, then when the dust eventually settles, you'll find yourself back to feeling like an INFJ again, lol

 

*GASPS*

*long pause*

INFJ

 

Look how much typing was in that first post! INTJ!

 

Is this Si? It sounds more like Fe to me, but I admit I'm not very sure about the details of what Si is.

I think among the types of people I have the most fondness for in my life, ISFJ is in there. They have typically been women and they have typically been the quiet servant types. I feel a sense of resonance will their willingness to serve quietly in the background. I also feel resonance with their kindness and care for others. I sense that they admire my insights and perspectives, but generally when we begin to wade into this territory is where I begin to lose the sense of resonance and feel different.

Aside from the breakdown of functions (because despite what natural ordering is, I believe we can develop facility with any of the functions), do you resonate with people of these other types? On what level?

 

The possibility of you being a thinker is obscenely remote.

You're either INFJ or ISFJ. Because you're a bit of a nutter and concerned about self reflection, I think that brings you easily into the N part of that separation.


You're one of the most INFJ people I've talked to Indigo. I'm going to post a big post on Spiral Dynamics soon, and I think you'll find a lot of yourself in the "Blue" level of that. Blue sounds a lot like SJ land, but it isn't. Most people on this board are blues and oranges, with greens dotting the landscape here and there. I purpose that you're INFJ, you just see the "blue" in you.

You'll see what I mean when I make my post.

 

Tovlo speaks truly. This is Fe, not Si.


Question: Do you tend to judge yourself based on how the world responds to you, or based on an internal value system of your own design?

 

Indy, to be honest I think MBTI is more of an overall picture rather than specific "rules" of type. I think what you feel is Si is more your judging function and maybe Fe. You know we're all a mix...but it's the total picture that makes you who you are.

My take, anyway.

ETA - Oh, yeah: You're an INFJ with strong Si, boyo.

 

Indy, you are an INFJ. Deal with it

 

You are trying to type yourself according to an 'imperfect' system. Sometimes MBTI fits like a glove, and sometimes the shades are more grey. Perhaps you are an INsFJ; an INFJ with an optional Si "wing", to borrow from the enneagram.

I think your type is INFJ or ISFJ rather than INTJ/ISTJ, for sure. If I had to choose, I would say an INFJ with well developed T and Si preferences.

 

Indy, I can tell you that I went on a similar journey, with maybe the same types of questions. I thought I was a hardcore sensor when I first started - and I'd never really known about MBTI. I honestly thought I was simply "highly observant"...I thought I was sensor supreme, for lack of a better word. In my mind I was picking up clues and I was even able to trace back my steps and show folks how I observed things. But truth was, sometimes I just "knew" and I couldn't trace back those steps...and in reality, I was doing things that weren't normal for Sensors. It took effort for me to trace back my steps but if asked I could do it.

We use all the 16 processes. But what makes us who we are isn't that we can use those processes, or even use them well. It's our preference for those things. And sometimes we can do something for so long that we think we prefer it...but we could in fact be using that process because of stress or because we feel our main one isn't working too well.

Keep exploring who you are - you're still young! Ni can be a pain, especially when you can't turn it off. It's like hearing white noise all the time and suddenly you're tuning into it.

 

When you said that you are embarrassed by friends breaking social rules, what did you mean?

I'm embarrassed too, but that doesn't mean that my Ni is inferior, though I'm not saying you implied that connection.

I still think that you are INFJ with variation. Perhaps you've found it advantageous to switch into ISXJ modes given your environment. I have had to switch into Te because of my environment.

I still think that you're INFJ primarily though, and it doesn't mean that your N is small either. You definitely can sort through things intuitively.

 

Have you looked into Beebes theory yet?

Van Hase has recently posted a good tread about it. You could relate all the functions to the place they have in the INFJ and ISFJ profile and see if it correlates with how you use them.

Beebe theorized that the placement of each function within a type has a great impact on how an individual uses that function. In essence, this is really where personality comes into play with respect to cognitive functions. It's not a question of how well developed one's functions are, but how those functions are used by the individual.

for INFJ it would be

for ISFJ you will have to switch Ni with Si and Ne with Se

Ni dominant function

 

I can appreciate wondering if Ni is dominant or shadow when you seem to notice it most under stress, however I did have two thoughts about what you said here.

1) A shadow or lesser function that displays itself during stress usually displays a negative expression of that function. It sounds as if your Ni is supporting you healthily during times of stress in this description.

2) I immediately thought about Beebe too when I read this from you. Before I felt secure in my MBTI type, a friend who was well-versed in Beebe archetypes went through an archetype exercise with me. She "tested" my functions (before explaining anything to me) by asking me which function tends to come to my rescue. Not knowing where things were headed I immediately recognized Ni as my hero (dominant function). Based on your description above, I had an immediate sense of Ni as hero coming to your rescue.


Edit:

If you're interested in exploring the archetype experience for various types in your discernment, take a look at the type sheets from this site. The archetype descriptions seem in line with what Morgain posted above, but give a little more detail and some exercises for exploration.

 

Well, I don't have much to say about your being N or S, but I can assure you that you are not INTJ. That whole thread about "Is self-analysis selfish(bad)?" is pure Fe, guy. I'd say the majority of INTJ forum believes that selflessness is bad as wholly as many here believe that selfishness is bad. (Myself excluded, read my post in the other thread if you're curious about my stance.)

 

If I am on the fence about anything, it's about you being an INTJ (which is why I chose that vote on this pole), as you remind me a LOT of my INTJ best friend, especially with the way you make leaps of logic. However, I do believe you are an INFJ because I too believe you are confusing your Fe with your Si.

Fe has as a downside (and if anyone understands this it is me) a very resolute ability to feel how things should be. When combined with Ti, which pays attention to the micro picture of how things work, it creates a very clear sense of how the details are supposed to work. I am almost convinced that this is the case with you, and your self assessment because I am constantly doing the same thing. What you describe as Si isn't actually Si. It's Fe working in tandem with Ti.

Proof of this...

Your memory is good, but you don't express your worldview through your memories like an Si person does. You don't dwell on the details of what people have done as if they are now present reality like an Si person. Si isn't an indicator of how good someone's memory is. It's an indicator of how much they live in their memory.

Your perspective is based in seeking connections and hidden meanings. You're Ni dominant if ever anyone was. You are a posterboy for Ni dominance.

Further proof of this...

The only time you dwell on the past is when someone or something does something you felt it wasn't supposed to. When things go the way they you feel they are supposed to, you don't pay much attention. The two things that pull your attention more than anything are the unknown (Ni) and the supposed tos (Fe), followed third by how it works and relates (Ti and Te).

Even more proof of this...

Doing the same monotonous micro managing reptitive menial activity drives you nuts. This is the realm of Si, if nothing else. Si people are energized by doing reptitive menial activity. You are not. You are energized by seeking the answers (again, Ni). Si people are frequently vexed, often angered, and sometimes infuriated by people who have a problem with reptitive menial activity, wondering what the hell is wrong with us.

Introverted Intuition is not 'intuition' on a psychic level. Ni is subconscious pattern recognition based on understanding of pattern. Ni doesn't work unless we already understand something. You know this. Ni first seeks to understand the pattern, and that urge is strong in you because you are Ni dominant. Once you understand the pattern, Ni then just pulls the answer out of what seems to be nowhere. The truth of the matter is, Ni is nothing more than a pattern based filing system through which we 'just know' things based on how we store the information. Again, what you are describing is actually VERY Ni.

Yet again, Ni is picking up on things (the similarities between what you assume is Si and the way your Ni and Fe manifest) and then your Fe is forced to change how it feels things should be.

You're taking a 01% lean on a self assessment test seriously?

Your S score is because you're identifying more with the sorts of things the questions that assess S functions are asking. You're neck deep into tedium with your classes, and you're opening yourself to the possibility that there is more to yourself than you had previously considered, because you were so comfortable with the INFJ box, then realized it wasn't a perfect fit. Fe and Ti want things to be perfect. Ni seeks answers.

For these reason, I say you are an INFJ. The only other possibility for you is that you are an INTJ. I've seen men and women over estimate their respective T and F functions, due to gender bias. As a gay man, it is possible (though very unlikely) that you're over estimating your F function, and you're actually an INTJ with a well developed Te and Fi pairing that creates an effect similar to Fe and Ti. I've seen a strong Te in you, as you are VERY good at seeing the big picture and how things relate. I've also seen a fair amount of healthy Fi in you, as you strive to be a good person and help others on a one on one basis (This is exacltly what my INTJ does, except she's much more of a hard ass about it). In both cases, you seem to be Te and Fe strong with solid Ti and Fi supporting. INTJ is the only other possibility I would ever entertain for your best fit type.

Remember, no one, and I mean NO ONE (Jung agrees) is going to fit any of these types perfectly, because types fit us not the other way around. We are all bigger than the type that best fits us. You are definitely an Ni domininant. There is no getting around that. And that leaves only two options... INFJ (which I believe to be your best fit) and INTJ (which I believe to be a back up type for you).

 

Sorry Indigo, I knew you know this, I worded myself poorly. What I meant was that it might be an incomplete system that's undeveloped to the point of not being equipped to handle certain variances or levels of development. That said, I also have a somewhat rudimentary understanding of MBTI and some of the processes, so maybe it's much more developed than I realize.

I can see why you are considering ISFJ as a type. I am curious how you identify with both INFJ and ISFJ type descriptions? Personally, I really like this one: http://personalityinstitute.tripod.com/INFJs.htm (you can switch the N for the S in the html address). There are several sites with excellent overviews. I don't know, again, if that's more rudimentary than going about it by examining the order of your processes though.

Another thought is that you strike me more as an NF than SJ, if looking at it through the NF/SP/NT/SJ lens. You actually don't seem like an SJ at all, from what I've observed. Your natural propensity towards being yourself, and not conforming to a senseless status quo, in addition to your drive for self-reflection and self-understanding really make me think NF, rather than SJ. There is more to type than this, for sure, but that's why I say INFJ when you ask, because I can't shake some of these characteristics that seem to be dominant in what guides you through life/how you approach life.

I am curious about something else. When did you develop Si? Was it always present with you, or a tool you began to use in order to figure out your social world when you were younger?