MBTI

I do not. To be honest, the only paid assessment I’m aware of is the official MBTI organization and those licensed through it.

I do have to say, I am not a mental health professional but MBTI is like...not important for mental health assessment? It’s a little weird to me your therapists are giving the MBTI assessment, honestly. In fact when people get really detailed in their mental illness stuff in my inbox I’m like “please stop and talk to a therapist about this because I am not one and also MBTI doesn’t enter into it”.

.A couple tendencies that are common in high Ti users are really annoying to Te users in general and me in particular:

At their core Te and Ti are at odds. This comic covers the Ti tendency to try to come up with the general, works for every possible scenario even if not relevant solution - which in and of itself is fine except like in the comic they also don’t pass you the salt before they start trying to solve the problem. Te strives for “appropriate for achieving the stated objective within the relevant context”; Ti strives for “achieves the stated objective under a wide range of scenarios or even all scenarios” and there is a time and place for the latter (programming, theoretical sciences) but like, in every day life? not much of one. So this is why Ti irritates me in academic and professional contexts. In the worst cases, you also get TPs who will hold that if something can’t be done perfectly logically, or if a rule itself is not perfectly logical, there’s no point. Which for the latter is kind of true but like...my job requires government paperwork. It’s stupid. I know it’s stupid. You still have to do it and if you don’t do it bad things happen. The fact that it’s stupid does not fix the problem.

Basically: I understand that “because I said so” or “because it’s the rules” is not a very satisfying answer but if you are not a literal child I expect people to be able to comprehend that sometimes it is the only true answer and deal accordingly (by which I mean do the thing while striving to change it if that’s possible) Some Ti users do not deal accordingly.

More generally, in social situations, there are a couple things among Ti users that I don’t like. Fortunately the people I know well in real life are like, normal adults who have learned how to act maturely but this happens online a lot and with people I don’t know well.

1. Deliberately trying to get a rise out of people. This is stupid; fuck off. Fortunately on the internet you can just block them (pro tip to high Fi users: stop arguing with Ti users. Just give a noncommittal answer or block them. They want a reaction. Don’t provide it.)

2.”Um, actually”/”Well, technically” behaviors or adding information that is not relevant to the point being made simply because they happen to know it. This does not make you look smarter; it makes you look like you have no capacity to understand context or assess things for relevance. There’s a parable in Jewish teachings (Pirkei Avot/Chapters of the Fathers for those wondering) about different kinds of learners - the funnel, who learns quickly but forgets quickly; the strainer, who remembers trivial items but not the core points; the sponge, who absorbs everything but can’t distinguish between good or bad; and the sifter, who retains what is important but discards what is not. A lot of Ti users have real sponge tendencies. Which is fine as a personal trait but also the Ti-Fe desire for validation (see next point) sometimes mixes with this to create the toxic fumes of telling it to me, which is just the worst. You know that guy in a lecture who has “not a question, really more of an observation?” That’s Ti. (To be clear: know it all behaviors do exist in a lot of people regardless of type but Ti amplifies it).

3. I don’t really have an internal need for validation from people I don’t know. It’s just not a thing I have - I care what my friends think about me, and I don’t want people on the whole to think I’m acting against the values I hold important - I would hate for someone to think I’m bigoted or deliberately cruel - but like, beyond that? Whatever. Anyway this also means, and this is totally my fault but also it’s unlikely to change, that it’s really irritating to me when other people are clearly trying to get a reaction of any sort. The part about getting a rise is the most annoying but also desperately trying for my approval is weird. Like we don’t know each other. Why would you want that. So that’s sort of a barrier that I struggle with for the entire Ti-Fe axis but that’s the main thing that irritates me about Fe users whereas it’s one of three major things for high Ti users.

It’s also funny because this is by no means the first time I’ve said I find high Ti users (or Ti-Fe users) annoying compared to people on the Te-Fi axis, and every time someone is like “but I’m not annoying” or “I would think that MBTI would make you more open-minded” and it’s like I don’t know you? I’m an internet stranger? I just said I’m outright repelled by people I don’t know personally thinking my approval is something they should be seeking let alone be entitled to and so now I’ve gone from “people of your type are more likely to annoy me” to “you are actively annoying me right now by doing the exact thing I said was annoying”. It’s like a negative feedback loop.

INTP: *plans to clean their room*

Person: Damn your room is so messy dude, how about you clean it for a change?

INTP:

ENFP: Talking to Siri (or even better, Cleverbot)

INFP: Taking pictures of random stuff (or just selfies)

ENFJ: Talking to yourself or having a conversation in your head

INFJ: Reading anything laying around, even a cereal box or car manual

ESTJ: Pacing around restlessly with no clear objective

ISTJ: Lists. Lots of them. Usually to-do lists and grocery lists

ESFJ: Stalking random social media accounts for no real reason

ISFJ: Solitaire, Mahjong, or some other simple game you can play on your phone

ENTJ: Watching or reading the news or watching the stock market in real time

INTJ: Getting sucked into Wikipedia or some sort of database

ENTP: Messing with RNG or making diagrams/graphs/charts of dumb stuff

INTP: Tapping and pen-clicking. The cursed, infamously irritating tapping. Do you even know you’re doing it? No, but we do and it’s awful.

ESFP: Tossing a ball or other item up in the air and then catching it, or balancing things

ISFP: Doodling and Zentangling on scratch paper (or your own skin)

ESTP: Scrolling through your explore feed on social media to find something funny

Based on stereotypes, duh.

INTP: Absent-Minded Professor, Erudite Stoner, Gadgeteer Genius, Reluctant Mad Scientist, This Is Your Brain On Evil

INFP: The Anti-Nihilist, Byronic Hero, Because You Were Nice to Me, The Dark Side Will Make You Forget, Not-So-Harmless Villain

ISTJ: The Reliable One, Unfazed Everyman, Cloudcuckoolander’s Minder, Loyal to the Position, Obstructive Bureaucrat

ISFJ: Yamato Nadeshiko, Humble Hero, Tranquil Fury, Churchgoing Villain, Love Makes You Evil

ENFJ: The Paragon, The Chooser of the One, Warrior Therapist, Soap Box Sadie, Psycho Psychologist

ENTJ: The Leader, Cultured Badass, Seme, The Corrupter, Visionary Villain

ESTP: Determinator, Ace Pilot, Da Editor, Blood Knight, Corrupt Bureaucrat

ESFP: Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot, Plucky Office Girl, Obfuscating Stupidity, Hidden Depths, The Ophelia

INTJ: The Spock, Tin Man, Aloof Big Brother, The Chessmaster, Evilutionary Biologist

INFJ: Hurting Hero, Hermit Guru, Zen Survivor, Living Emotional Crutch, Knight Templar

ISTP: Warrior Poet, Street Samurai, The Hunter, Because I’m Good At It, Then Let Me Be Evil

ISFP: All-Loving Hero, Hero’s Muse, Determined Defeatist, Granola Girl, Mad Artist

ESTJ: The Captain, The Ace, Nerves of Steel, Corrupt Corporate Executive, Egomaniac Hunter

ESFJ: Crusading Lawyer, The Social Expert, A Father to his Men, Nerd Nanny, Evil Matriarch

ENTP: Bunny-Ears Lawyer, Trickster Mentor, Knowledge Broker, Cool Loser, It Amused Me

*checks price tag*

     What sorts of problems do INTJs have?  Specifically, INTJ women.  What sort of interpersonal trouble do they get into that other types might not?  What fears and self-doubts do they have?  What things are harder and easier for them?  Common strengths and weaknesses?  In what ways don’t you fit the INTJ mold?

     I’m an INFP, so what similarities can I tap into or what differences in thinking might surprise me?

     I’ve done a lot of research on this topic already, but it’s still not the same as getting someone’s firsthand experiences, because everyone’s experiences are going to be different and more specific than the generalizations that I find online.  (This INTJ is not the villain, btw.  She’s the main character!  Whoa!)

I'm kind of done with every villain or cold jerk character being immediately typed as INTJ for that sole reason, so INTJ protagonists are definitely interesting to me, and I can't wait to see where that goes!

Personally, some struggles or general traits I've noticed in my INTJ friend:

1. She is concerned with her reputation and kind of secretive in group settings. When we were in high school, she sat out of a Never Have I Ever game in the flute section to avoid embarrassment, but she didn't realize that by being the only one sitting out she ended up being more suspicious when she could have just lied her way out. She has a good poker face after all. She really just doesn't want to be associated with anything stupid so she ends up blocking people out and, in turn, ends up distancing herself from people and kind of ruining a chance of any reputation. Plays into the pride thing.

2. She is awful at asking for help. Another pride issue. She's very good in science and arithmetic-based calculation. She's great with technology and she's also good at English. However, she has two areas of weakness: history and complex math. She was in the advanced biotechnology program, but let's just say she was 2 years above me and we took the same precalc class because she had failed geometry once when she was in 9th grade. She would look like she knew what she was doing, but she really had no clue, and she was dead-silent. I noticed that she sped out of the room quickly after class, probably to avoid our teacher. It was because she didn't want to admit she needed help, because she was older than everyone else to begin with AND she was in an advanced biotech program.

3. She's the kind of person you can sit in silence with and not feel awkward around. I would eat lunch with her, but really we were sitting next to each other on the hallway floor doing our own thing, and it was actually nice. She didn't mind, and I didn't feel obligated to strike up conversation (though we did talk every once in a while). She actually said she enjoyed the feeling of being alone but not bothered. I agreed. We could both do our own thing but we felt less exposed and comforted just by being there physically. I've noticed that INTJs really tend to prefer that kind of silent togetherness and it gives them a sense of protection, trust, comfort, and it allows them to relax. They'll never say it aloud but the body language screams, haha.

4. She has a few really good friends who she would do anything for and vice-versa. She has been dead-set on a career in biotech since middle school, but she decided that having the support of her friends was integral to achieving her goals in college, so she ended up going to the uni that they all went to. It's a state school and it's really good while still fairly inexpensive (also IN STATE TUITION), and they have a good marching band, which was important to her. Band was how she made those friends, so despite not being a serious musician, she found enjoyment in it. So, she was actually flexible in achieving her goals. INTJs don't actually drop people like garbage to achieve what they want like they're stereotypically shown to do, because um...they're people. Everybody cares about someone. Sticking with the people who have helped her thus far is part of her dream. In the event of separation being a better option, she would just find a way to stay in touch and support her friends from a distance. It may be a hard decision and she would find it hard to discuss for sure, but her intentions are good. Because she's...not a villain.

5. She really dislikes drama but always finds herself stressing over it. She thinks it's the dumbest thing ever, but she knows that it isn't all that petty to some people and she wants to be a supportive friend. She's told me it's hard to give advice to people like that because she feels like she's walking on eggshells. She doesn't want to lie, but she doesn't want to make a bad situation worse by telling her friend off only to get roped into the mess. It's an awkward position to be in (and from personal experience, can confirm).