Two days of work-related training endured. I made a new high-scrore in Tetris on the first day, but the second one was more interesting..
We had to fill MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) forms in advance, and were given the results on second day. I don’t exactly trust it – I got a lot of points in extrovertism, and that is something I most definetely am not (there must be something wrong with that questionnaire), but the other preferences matched. We also picked our psychological types from descriptions, and that method gave me INTP – the same result I got from tests in web both now and last year.
Anyway, reading about INTP type was fun. I’ll share some findings about living within my head.
The quotes here are from some random web pages describing the INTP type. They either know what they’re talking about or not. I don’t agree with everything out there; but most of these have some truth in them (or at least they’re fun).
Here we go, but don’t take it as a fact – neither the quotes or my comments to them…
“They may become isolated from society.”
Ummm.. I hope this doesn’t mean a small apartment with soft walls…
“They may unknowingly or uncaringly hurt people’s feelings.”
Sorry.. ごめん.. :-(
“Another area of interest common to INTPs, where Si has a strong influence, is Music. INTPs are usually fascinated by music and may have deep and wide-ranging tastes.”
“If INTP is fond of music, it is likely to be of an unusual sort.”
Really? But do mere eX-Girl, Gonin-Ish’s death-prog or Devil Doll count?-)
“The mystery of emotion is also evidence in the INTP’s use of music. He always chooses to listen to music which suits his current emotional state, be it aggression, warmth, excitement, relaxation or whatever. Hence, the emotional state is assumed to be an unchangeable, mysterious property of himself. It is easier to choose appropriate music than to attempt to influence this. People with introverted Feeling, Fi, however, will deliberately choose to listen to music which helps them change and improve their mood. INTPs could never do that. They feel an unpleasant sense of disharmony whenever a music style clashes with their emotional state.”
I’m indeed not feeling too happy when I choose to listen to Joy Division or Anathema..
“Objects which lie unmoved for more than about 48 hours usually become invisible to the INTP, until such time as he has a use for them again. For other temperaments whose need for tidiness and order in a house is strong, this lack of concern in this area may seem despairing. For the INTP, however, no problem exists. Corners of rooms, table tops and cupboards may become cluttered with objects, but while they don’t move they remain effectively invisible and are unimportant.”
;-D This is a hilarious observation, and not entirely inaccurate. I’ve experienced such conflicts, but I’ve never thought of things being invisible.. I just don’t see what the problem is with some object being where it is, unless it causes some physical discomfort.
“INTP’s are, however, willing, compliant, and easy to live with, although somewhat forgetful of appointments, anniversaries, and rituals of daily living unless reminded. They may have difficulty expressing their emotions verbally, and the mate of an INTP may believe that he / she is somewhat taken for granted.”
My daily tasks are optimized to minimalize the loss of time, but weekly/monthly tasks are taken care of when they don’t interrupt anything interesting. Which practically means that in this context a “week” is a time period usually between 4-19 days in length.. I also admit that I don’t keep track of anniversaries..
But appointments I take seriously. If I’ve agreed to meet someone, I do my best to be there exactly on time, and I expect the same from them. There’s so little time, stealing it from someone is nasty.
“INTPs are slow to communicate, but this does not mean that things are not simmering and smoldering inside. Although they appear aloof, snobbish, and disinterested in small talk at first, they are intriguing and, when comfortable, can be engaging conversationalists. At more advanced stages of a relationship, their rich imagination can “create an inferno of explosive and expressive affections”.”
Oops.. this starts to sound too much like a sales pitch..
But “small talk” really is not something that comes naturally. It requires effort.
“Pair yourself with an Extraverted Thinker (ESTJ or ENTJ) who is less likely to assume that the lack of feedback is the same thing as negative feedback. … The INTP / ENTJ match is ideal, because these types shared Intuition as a common way of perceiving the world”
Any single ENTJ / ESTJ girls reading this? ;-)
(and back in this reality I think this page is such a “freak to avoid” stamp in the forehead that I’d be better go find my JD CD’s… )
“INTPs tend to have a multitude of interests. This pertains not only to their work life, but to other areas of their life as well. Hobbies, diversions, books to read, magazine subscriptions: the INTP may well have many of these, and may well change them like some people change clothing.”
Current hobbies: photography, kung-fu, Japanese, iaido, anime+manga, listening music, watching movies, computers/Internet, sci-fi. I’ve got a lot of lesser interests (which may become hobbies, and hobbies may reduce to these), and I don’t count e.g. the search for and enjoyment of best single-malt whiskies as a hobby..
Let’s see what books I’m reading now:
I’ve started reading some of these over a year ago, and may read a few pages every now and then. There’s quite high concentration of Japan-related books at the moment; I usually seem to have one main interest and some lesser ones.
“Many INTPs report having “messy” desks and/or living areas, often with piles of books and papers awaiting attention. (There can be _lots_ of books.) The INTP’s desire to learn almost everything, together with the perceiving attitude that makes the INTP always open to new information, contribute to a reluctance to get rid of anything that might possibly be of value. Actually filing such material would impose a structure on it which might need to change “tomorrow.”"
There’s no such thing as “messy”, since things in the “mess” are invisible :-)
“Humour is another aspect which marks out the INTP. He can readily dream up jokes about almost any situation. Taking things out of context is the chief source of humour and many an INTP is a Monty Pythonite. The Ne is the engine and source of this joke-generator. Needless to say, the humour of an INTP can be pretty zany and warped and may not be understood easily by others.”
“If you see someone smirking and laughing at some private thought, without any obvious reason, he’s probably an INTP.”
The sad thing is, if somebody asks to share such a funny private thought, most of the time I just can’t, since it’s not the subject that is funny, but the way it can be processed in brain as opposed to using a “normal” method. It would take ages to explain, and you probably still wouldn’t get it (and it’s certainly not an issue of intelligence, but simply because people are wired in different ways). Heck, half the time I don’t understand why it’s funny myself either..
“Photography is a classic interest of the INTP … Landscape photography, for example, is the art of conveying a sense of mood / atmosphere to the viewer (Si). … the enjoyment of seeing the world as an fascinating varied object to be observed and captured in the best possible way brings out the Ne-Ti architect.”
I don’t actually know why exactly I like photography. More than that I would like to write, but I’ve had a huge writer’s block for years. Photography is not a desperate substitute for writing, it’s just a different, parallel track. This blog is the latest attempt to combine both. I just have to produce something visible, it’s not a conscious choice.
“Since INTPs prefer to use their perceiving function to relate to the outside world, and since they perceive (gather information) intuitively, they can seem “absent-minded,” “spaced out,” “uninvolved,” or “not all there” to people who are more strongly grounded in concrete sense perceptions.”
I bet that at times (quite regularly before the first cup of coffee in the morning, or after a particularly boring day/event) people restrain (out of politeness) from waving a hand in front of my eyes to see if there’s anybody home, but they would like to :-)
“Authority derived from office, position, or wide acceptance does not impress INTPs. … External authority per se is irrelevant. INTPs abhor redundancy and incoherence.”
To me, “bureaucracy” is a swearword (isn’t it for everyone?). I also read a book on anarchism a while back (or tried to, to my disappointment it was pretty bad and I skipped more than half of it, got to get a better one..). I don’t exactly consider myself an anarchist, however. But I dislike the current business-driven society where money has the authority.
“INTPs prefer an unstructured approach to living and to getting things done. They do not, therefore, do well with schedules. To an INTP, time is an open-ended entity that is allowed to unfold, not a resource to control.”
Quite often schedules are evil. When doing something, it can either be done well or in time. If something of any importance (it must be important, if it has a schedule) has to be done, why do it badly? This I can’t appreciate (but then, I despise the immense authority of money in this society, and I think money is the only excuse for doing things badly). Doing something badly is just trying to do it: “Do, or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda
“The INTP takes his/her energy from the inner world of thoughts (and, maybe, emotions). He/she prefers dealing with patterns and possibilities, and making decisions on a logical basis. His/her life is flexible, following new insights and possibilities as they arise.”
This is also at war with having a schedule to follow.
“Precise about their descriptions, INTPs will often correct others (or be sorely tempted to) if the shade of meaning is a bit off.”
“They may have difficulty in being understood by others because they tend to think in a complicated fashion and want to be precise, never redundant in their communications.”
If something is a detail or a fact which is really understood (or should be handled as such), it’s pointless to communicate it inaccurately. On the other hand, if it is obvious, there’s no point in communicating it at all, since stating the obvious would be redundant and a waste of time (like small talk…) ;-)
If the subject (or knowledge of it) is vague, then it’s description should not seem precise (so it wouldn’t be mistaken for a fact).
However, sometimes it seems better to use metaphors, partial information (from which the rest can be deduced), or inconsistency to deliver the fundamental point via insight (as opposed to delivering bare details via accurate description).
Of course I don’t consciously try to stick to this kind of rules any more than anyone limits him/herself to a set of rules for communication, but I’ve observed myself doing all of the abovementioned occasionally..
“He may analyse his own thought processes as if his mind and body were separate from his conscious self. In wanting to understand his reactions to things, he may treat himself, even his own thoughts, as subjects for experiment.”
:-) See the last sentence of the previous comment.
“Possessing a desire to understand the universe, an INTP is constantly looking for natural law. Curiosity concerning these keys to the universe is a driving force in this type.”
“Indeed, most primary interests of an INTP are things which he cannot fully understand, usually because they are highly complex or have some exotic, mystical element that does not yield to analysis.”
I’ve been struggling with something like that in the back of my mind for years – the personal “quest” of mine. I’m not willing to share it yet (there’s no results), but read a lot of William Gibson and Masamune Shirow and you’ll figure out the general direction..
“INTPs are fascinated by computer technology as well as the Internet which gives him a voice that he would not otherwise have. Many of the most dedicated Computer Freaks are INTPs. Ultimately, INTPs tend to trust machines more than they trust people and may feel particularly at home in the realm of cybernetics.”
Somehow I’m not surprised to find that description :-) Only I wouldn’t use the word “trust”.
“While the INTP’s internal life is highly theoretical and complex, their external life in comparison is usually quite simple.”
I don’t actually like the idea of having a lot of stuff – piles of books and CD’s/DVD’s – I’d rather have zero of them physically, but an instant access to any of them. Regrettably it is not currently possible.
After swinging a bokken for an hour on iaido lesson I got this vision of being asked what one thing I would bring to desert island. “Can I assume there’s trees which have branches..?”
That’s it. Here’s two versions of MBTI with different approaches, if you’d like to check your type:
http://similarminds.com/myers-briggs.html
http://haleonline.com/psychtest/
It might be better to do both, and to avoid picking too many selections in the middle of the scale in the latter one.. There’s also cultural differences to these things, an introvert on an American scale may well be an extrovert on Finnish scale.
posted on 28 February 2004 at 21:32