LophiusDragon

What are specific things that separate level 2 autism to level 1? All the descriptions I've been able to find are quite general.

yeah, the descriptions online tend to be very bare bones lol. let me try to be more detailed.

level 1s, on average, tend to be more independent. they're usually able to work, drive, go to college, and have mild communication challenges that can make them come off as 'awkward' or 'quirky'. level 1s can sometimes function mostly by themselves and likely don't need that much in terms of accommodations, though many do still benefit from accommodations. they can usually mask better.

level 2s tend to be less independent, even with accommodations. we're less likely to be able to work, drive, or go to college, and our communication issues are usually more noticeable than level 1 communication issues. for example, my affect apparently bounces between flat and exaggerated. we're likely to come off as awkward, odd, and even visibly autistic or different. as far as masking goes, I consider my masking ability to be okay, though my evaluator said that they could just look at me and tell I was autistic, lmao. other level 2s may either have a similar masking experience to me or can't mask at all. overall, we're less likely to be able to mask as well as level 1s, but there are exceptions.

Neurodivergent Masking Can Show Up As:

Social mimicking of peers

Suppressing natural reactions or stimming

Over explaining yourself

Apologizing excessively

Pretending to understand when you don’t

Overcompensating in work or school

Smiling or laughing when uncomfortable

Constantly monitoring behavior

Hiding sensory preferences or needs

Neurodivergent is a sociopolitical term that encompasses a whole lot of things. The things listed in this graphic is not things that every neurodivergent does.

It gives a false impression of what being neurodivergent is.

context: grew up in an abusive, controlling home, escaped to uni, had a prolonged mental breakdown, became a teacher and worked in a dysfunctional school with amazing kids and nightmare management for years. I did not realise I have adhd and autism for a long time. (You might even be able to scroll back through this blog to find the time around which I did realise lol.)

ANYWAY, things that have helped me because my body can no longer handle any kind of stress without flaring up:

If you’re doing anything that requires you to do a lot of prep before you begin the actual thing (e.g. cooking, deep cleaning a room, moving house), mise en place. That’s a fancy french way of saying get everything ready before you begin. So if I’m cooking idk spaghetti carbonara, that means fry and chop the bacon, separate the egg yolks from the whites, put water in the kettle, put dry spaghetti into a pan. Once everything’s ready, it reduces the mental load and means I can focus on the actual cooking and any clean up that I can do along the way. H/t to @ms-demeanor for this, you changed my life!

the Might As Well rule. This one works really well for me but you gotta be careful otherwise you’ll get sucked into the Vortex. Basically, let’s imagine you’re in the bathroom, brushing your teeth. You notice that the extra roll of toilet paper has been used. instead of thinking, “I’ll get to that later”, and then forgetting about it until you sit down on the bog (no judgement, we’ve all been there), you think “Might As Well put an extra roll while I’m here!” This tends to help with the little tasks that build up over time. This Does Not Work for big tasks.

Leading on from no.2, Do It Immediately/ASAP really helps me too. My current boss will email me on a Friday and say, ‘don’t reply to this now! Leave it til monday!’ But she and i both know that if i leave it til monday, I will forget and get stressed and this will make me Very Ill. So, instead, the moment i receive the email, I’ll either schedule in replying to it as soon as I’m done with my current thing, OR I’ll reply to it immediately.

Anything that can’t be actioned immediately, i mark as Unread. Anything Unread in my inbox is a future action, and i check those Unread emails/texts/whatevers Every. Day. To make sure whether today is the day i have the info to action it. (This also means i have to stay on top of my inbox. I read all my emails and then mark them accordingly. I’m also brutal with unsubscribing)

The House Always Wins. Both in a literal sense, because i am in a constant battle with keeping my house clean, and i know now that I’ll never get it as clean as i want it. It’s impossible, i no longer have the energy or stamina to vacuum and scrub everything. But also just in a life sense. I’m never going to achieve things to perfection, and perfect is the opposite of done. And getting things done is that much more important when you have limited energy and strength. Accept that you often have to half-arse life in order to Full-Arse the few things that really matter to you.

Have multiples of everything, everywhere. I wear support gloves, so i need to have handcream at every sink and everywhere i sit down in the house. I try to keep it unobtrusive, but it means i don’t have to trek upstairs just to moisturise my hands. Gum, phone chargers, pens and pencils, water bottles, hand sanitizer, whatever you need.

Work with people, even if it’s online. Body doubling actually works. Also I’ve found that if I’m working on assignments, taking myself to a library or study area that isn’t my bedroom helps so much.

Show off! Tell people on here or elsewhere in your life about the fact that you’ve just written 100 words! Or that you’ve cleaned the fridge and that’s a really big deal for you. Celebrate your wins, no matter how small.

Basically, you’re aiming to reduce the mental load as much as possible. Wear the same types of clothes all the time to minimise the amount of laundry. Eat the same three lunches so decision fatigue doesn’t take over.

For anybody looking for resources from someone dealing with actual ADHD, I have an incomplete but ever growing list of ADHD tips, tools, and suggestions on my website.

A lot of the pages on that site are adapted from my tumblr posts, for instance I'm adapting this post about car repair projects with ADHD into a guide on project management and completion with ADHD.

You can lower the amount of work you need to do much, MUCH lower than you think.

You don’t need to cook food. You can have ploughman’s lunch type snackboards for every meal - e.g cheap sandwich meats, cherry tomatoes, crackers, cheese slices, plate optional. (this is an amazing free cookbook by and for chronic illness and neurodivergent folk - the “recipes” are as simple as humanely possible). Or buy frozen meals. Or buy takeout.

You don’t need to wash the dishes. You can use disposable cutlery/plates/cups, or eat food that requires as little dishes as possible (see: frozen meals) and rinse/wipe off the food from the necessary dishes.

You don’t need to shower - you can use baby wipes. Or splash water under your arms. Or extra deodorant. Or don’t shower at all.

You don’t need to brush your teeth. You can use mouthwash. Or, as my dentist reccomended, have a disposable cup and brush by the bed, and spit into it afterwards. Or swish water around your mouth. Or just don’t brush your teeth at all.

—-

These are some of the more extreme examples (and obvs not everything here is possible for everyone) but the point is you can do less.

Yes, it will feel like shit. Yes, it isn’t ideal for your mental and physical health, but trust me, constant stress is far worse.

Other than reducing stress, a huge benefit of doing this is changing your overall mindset.

After being forced via chronic illness to get extremely creative finding ways to survive, I got used to discarding the suggestions that just didn’t work for me.

Before there were countless ADHD suggestions I had previously been trying which didn’t work, and then added to my stress by becoming yet another responsibility.

Now, I use them as ideas, and only use them when and where they feel helpful. If I try something that should work and it doesn’t, I try something different.

(And I suggest doing the same with this post)

Take a break.

I am so serious. Playing a game for an hour? Take a break. YOUR BODY NEEDS IT (dead serious death stare).

Doing art for– uuh, well, too long i guess 😅? Take a break.

Out to get groceries and only halfway through? Take a break!

So, what is taking a break?

It means to

Stop whae you're doing

Change physical position

stare out the window or at a white wall or ceiling

Let your mind process what has happened since the last break

Breathe

And what is not a break?

Scrolling [tumblr]

reading news

watching a tv show

Listening to radio

Basically anything that gives your brain input. Let it be for a minute. Or five minutes. Ten if you can.

Our minds are CONSTANTLY running around like a greyhound. They NEED to have breaks to process.

Someone may have a special interest in a show, but instead of that meaning that they will talk about that show often, it may mean they watch that show extremely frequently.

So many adults abandon reading as a hobby/coping mechanism because they feel they can only read adult books. And that takes a lot of time and effort a lot of us don’t have.

You don’t have to get large chapter books with long, complex plots that take hours to days to read to enjoy reading. You’re allowed to enjoy short, simple stories.

Reading has literally no rules. Books don’t discriminate. Read whatever you enjoy, even if that includes children’s books.

Part 3

Hello and I am so fucking back. Today we’re going over the INTJ. I know that according to how I had the table of contents set up and how I discussed writing, it sounded like I was going to do ENFP next. However, I instead decided switch things up and do ENTP’s shadow opposite the INTJ to show how the two intuitive functions differ. Also an interesting number of INTJs follow this account, so here’s to you all.

Note: I tried to find a character that fit the INTJ type, but all of the ones I knew were either oddly unhealthy, didn’t make sense, or were controversial. So there is no example of an INTJ character. My apologies. However I did make too many references to “The Wall” (yes the Pink Floyd movie) in here, so feel free to check that out.

Without further-ado, here’s your beloved INTJ. Readers keep your simp shit out of my comments.

Dominant: Ni

You know how last post when I said intuitive functions are, in simple terms, the ability to connect dots and understand what things mean? Also that the difference between Ne and Ni is more from what perspective the two are looking from? Yeah I meant that with introverted intuition too.

Introverted intuition is like extraverted intuition, except it pulls connections from a smaller “range,” focuses on how the specific situation they choose works, and how it presents. Ni is a function that takes two factors, sees how they connect/contrast/are similar, and then combines its findings to come to a conclusion. Think of the work of tarot. When reading tarot cards, the card reader takes the known meanings of the cards and what feelings they see on the person they’re reading, then combine the two to come to conclusion about the person’s situation. The tarot reader doesn’t really “know” what the situation is, but can understand what the situation is because of two different factors that they combined to come to a conclusion. The way it was explained to me is that Ni dominants have a way of thinking that is like “A = C because A is B and B is C. So therefore, A = C.”

Ni, for the INTJ especially, is also a function that has a tendency to focus on meanings. This works alongside Fi as it allows the INTJ to ask “what does this mean/where will it lead in reference to what I think/feel about it?” In a more simply put way, Ni-Fi allows the INTJ to take an idea and then filter the idea through a sense of morality. However, it is also good to note that this is a “loop” for INTJs, meaning that when too much emphasis is placed on Ni and Fi, they can become too caught up in what things mean in their mind. This can cause them to spiral into an unnatural place of emotional sensitivity, feeling rejected, and needing to prove themselves to themselves (and ultimately to others which is where a part of their shadow Fe comes in to play). I’ll explain more in depth once we get to Fi.

The thing about Ni is that it is a perceiving function, so it “works behind the scenes.” What this means is that Ni is not necessarily conscious. Ni dominants probably don’t really know that they’re connecting dots, they just do it. This can make Ni dominants come to a conclusion and not quite understand how they came to the conclusion. They may also feel like their thinking is common sense, and have a harder time explaining themselves.

Take, for example, someone who is observing a person who shows all of the signs of a certain mental illness. A person who has Ni as their dominant function may come to the conclusion that that person has a mental illness because as they were watching the person act (which is where their Se comes in) their brain connected the dots in the background and came to the conclusion that the person was mentally ill. The Ni dominant wasn’t “asking” to think about the person, the Ni dominant just did. This is why Ni dominants can be seen as being future oriented or even sometimes mystical.

Ni is also where INTJs can create a form of bias (with help of Te and Fi). Ni allows the INTJs to zoom in or out of perspectives like a camera. When the INTJ “zooms into” an idea, thing, way of thinking, possibility, etc, it can allow them to create a form of tunnel vision. This means that they may only see this idea, thing, way of thinking, or possibility and what it means.

Auxiliary: Te

INTJs use Extraverted Thinking as a way to sort through ideas or information. This is like the part of the postal system that sorts through what mail can and cannot be sent out. If something just doesn’t look right? PUT ‘EM AGAINST THE WALL! In all seriousness, this is how Te works. It sorts through what information the Ni has absorbed.

Te makes sure that information is objective, is easy to access, and makes sense. This is where INTJs can get caught up in over-analyzing and become frustrated with other people. Te acts as like a mother who checks on her child at night to make sure the kid is asleep. When the other functions get out of hand, Te is the voice that says “I don’t know what you all are on, but the information we have right out here in front of us doesn’t correspond to anything you all are saying. Stick to the facts.” However, this can sometimes contradict itself as when information or their own ideas aren’t so bluntly phrased, the INTJ may try to make the information/ideas fit into a category to make it more understandable. Sometimes, the INTJ may simply just need time to process through and “chew” the information before they send it off to be digested. If the ideas or information “can’t” be understood, however, then that can cause problems, which I will explain in a second.

When interacting with outside factors (other people, jobs, etc), Te requires objective and direct information. If the information isn’t direct and organized then the INTJ will try to analyze it, end up becoming way too confused for their own good, and ultimately end up frustrated. Unfortunately this is how a lot of INTJs view the world around them. If it doesn’t make sense, and the INTJ can’t find a way to fit it into their “frame,” then the INTJ will typically reject the information they are given altogether. This is where and why a lot of people may view INTJs as cold. While we won’t be discussing the shadow functions in this series, it is important to note that the INTJ’s shadow Fe can make it to where the INTJ sees emotions and other’s emotions as something that doesn’t make sense. This can cause the INTJ to reject other’s emotions, or society as a whole, as the INTJ sees it all as something that can’t be understood or simply takes too much effort and time.

This is also why their Te and Fi have the tendency to conflict. Their Fi wants to be seen and heard; Te sees their Fi as irrational, emotional and tries to suppress the Fi as it doesn’t see it as valuable to having time spent on it.

Te is where insecure INTJs can, in a way, “wear their heart on their sleeve.” I mean this as in once one can begin to understand that most characteristics I’m about to list are reactions to fear/insecurity, one will find that INTJs can be quite easy to read if you are close to them:

When insecure INTJs feel rejected, unheard, or threatened as a whole, they can become like a brick wall (haha The Wall… Pink Floyd… Roger Waters… known INTJ… get it? That was really bad I’m sorry I’m not). By this I mean that they can become stubborn, defiant, suspicious, and reject anything that doesn’t fit their vision under the guise of “it’s not objective.” They’ll also purposefully find faults in an opposing argument in order to make themselves feel more stable. This is their way of leaning back onto their own “logic” and “objectivity.” With that being said, this is most evident to others when the INTJ feels threatened. Normal INTJs may present this more as trying to educate themselves on topics. This is because feeling uneducated can make the INTJ feel insecure or fearful. However, it is also good to note that a lot of this can be fueled by the enneagram type, so take the “knowledge as power” with a grain of salt. INTJs test mostly as an enneagram 5, which reinforces the idea of using knowledge as “gauze for a bullet hole wound.”

Te can also be a place of control for the INTJ. INTJs, when stressed, can learn to depend on the detachment that is provided by Te. This is not inherently bad, as Te keeps Ni grounded in what is true. However, if an INTJ depends too much on Te, they can forget their human side. With this, it is really no surprise that INTJs may have issues with getting lost in thought, feel as though they’re living in a dream, or think that time itself is not real.

Tertiary: Fi

Introverted Feeling is a function that focuses on finding moral guidance from within oneself. For INTJs this is a place for both guidance and struggle.

As stated before, Te and Fi have tension as Te sees Fi as being irrational and subjective. Fi wants the INTJ to recognize what is important to them, set boundaries, and understand who they really are. Contradictory to popular belief, this is not something that is 100% natural for the INTJ. The INTJ will “intuitively” feel when something conflicts against their morals, but may not understand what that feeling is or what those morals are until later on in their life.

Interestingly enough, INTJs can also struggle a bit with self-identity because of their tertiary Fi. What I mean by this is that INTJs may be stubborn, for lack of better terms, in who they are, but not consciously know what that actually is. Fi is intuitive and innate- not conscious! Fi is also a function that places value on what one thinks of themself. So until the INTJ can learn to take the pressure off of their Fi, connect with themselves, and understand what they actually want, the INTJ may struggle with their own identity forever.

More balanced or healthy INTJs understand the value in giving themselves the space to simply exist. The INTJ has to attend a large party because they’re playing the piano that night? It’ll be bothersome, but they’ll make more time for themselves before or after the party (probably both) to recuperate. The INTJ feels a pit in their stomach when a specific person attempts to hug them? They probably don’t like being touched by that person, so now the balanced INTJ will try to find a way to make that known while still being respectful.

The second part of this is that Fi is the function that Ni immediately goes to when the INTJ is in a loop. In case you didn’t read my last post about ENTPs, loops are when information gathered by the dominant function is sent to the tertiary function, completely skipping over the auxiliary. For INTJs, this may look like:

Imagine an INTJ giving a presentation on something they’re deeply interested in

Ni: Fi, I just stumbled over a big word and I am now going to take a sip of water to make it appear as though I am dehydrated so that it doesn’t look like I don’t know what I’m saying.

Fi: WHAT? But now I look stupid and I can’t stand feeling stupid because my sense of self-worth is based off of how much I know about this really niche topic and how well I pronounce words and now everyone is going to think that I’m uneducated and now I feel rejected. Oh my god I am such a loser. I hate myself. Nothing ever goes to plan. Why can’t I just make this work? The one good thing I have going on in my life and I didn’t think about using a big word I don’t know in my presentation! I mean what am I? Stupid? God!

Ni: You know what, Fi? In order to protect ourselves we should shut down and act cold, huddle back inside of ourselves, and then act nonchalant and mysterious so that we don’t feel the pain of rejection if someone brings up that we stumbled over a word

Fi: oh my god Ni you are a GENIUS

End scene. Yeah, I know, that was such a good movie.

While this example was humorous (if you didn’t feel called out ofc), loops can be a lot more intense than this. They can span over a series of time frames. Ni takes the information it has gathered and sends it to Fi. Fi brings up the faults in the INTJ’s form of identity (that’s relevant to the information presented by Ni) and Ni builds off of that. This is a reason why a good number of INTJs can be rejecting of others and security oriented. As you can probably assume, this can where many INTJs can create bias. This is especially true if the cause of rejection stems from unprocessed trauma or immaturity.

Fi is also where the INTJ can place a lot of value on being understood. As I mentioned earlier, Fe is a place of insecurity for the INTJ as it is a shadow function. They feel rejected by society or other people because they don’t quite know exactly what to say, how to respond to others, and ultimately feel misunderstood. Fi swoops in, takes this insecurity, and turns it into the INTJ valuing feeling understood by those they deem worthy. This is why INTJs may find it hard to become involved with people they feel don’t understand them. If an INTJ is close with someone, they’ll feel understood by that person and want that person to feel understood by them. Now, of course, this is ignoring the walls built up by Te.

Te suppresses this feeling, unfortunately, which can lead to the Fi bringing this desire of being understood in an emotionally tense way. What adds into this is that this position in the stack is also called “the child,” which means that the INTJ may not necessarily see this function as too serious. This doesn’t mean that their Fi doesn’t have influence, but that the INTJ may view their Fi as “hogwash” or simply just not worth thinking about.

Inferior: Se

Extraverted Sensing for the INTJ is the last and most suppressed function. Se is the part of the INTJ that keeps them in tune with the world around them and focused on real time. Se is not about physical activity, or predominantly about physical activity as I should say. Se is what keeps a person grounded mentally. To contradict what I just said, this is also partially why INTJs can be quite clumsy.

Because Se is the last function for the INTJ, it is the part of the type that they’re not that in-tune with. INTJs may experience a disconnection between them and the world around them, physically and emotionally. While I do mean this socially as well, because Se is more focused on physical connection I’m placing emphasis on the lack of physical awareness.

So what does this look like for INTJs? Well it can look like clumsiness and what some might describe as dissociative-like behavior, like constant day-dreaming, spacing out, feeling disconnected from one’s body, etc. Because of this, a many INTJs may say things like “time isn’t real” or have a level of an existential crisis that happens nearly constantly.

Se is also where the INTJ can experience a grip. Grips are when the dominant function (and essentially all of the functions below it except for the inferior) are overwhelmed so they burn out. The inferior function emerges as the “leader” of the type. It is good to note that dipping into your inferior function from time to time is not the same as a grip and that grips typically happen because of life altering circumstances, like trauma. A Se grip predominantly manifests as becoming more impulsive than what is normal for the specific person. For the INTJ this can look like going on random shopping sprees, indulging in sensory pleasures like sex, experimenting with drugs, renting out a hotel on a whim without thinking of if you have enough money, drinking more. Actions like that.

The length of grips are debated. Some people who are in the “MBTI community” believe some people can spend their whole lives in grips, especially if there is major trauma involved. Some believe they are states we dip into periodically throughout our lives. Some don’t believe in them at all. In my opinion they are states we dip into and some are longer than others. With that, as I preach on this blog, please don’t go off of what I say and take that as your opinion without asking questions/getting more info. Educated people are hard to fool.

If you want a good case-study for this, I suggest reading about Brian Jones from the band The Rolling Stones. Maynard James Keenan and his alcoholism would be another good read to understand Se grips better.

However, Se is not inherently bad. When not in a grip, Se also helps the INTJ to adapt. Se allows the INTJ to see perceived threats in their current environment, then use Ni to decide how that situation will play out. Te will decide on a solution in reaction to the perceived threat and then will send it down the chain of command.

While Se for the INTJ will never be as developed as a Se dominant (ESFP and ESTP), it can still be useful. INTJs can reinforce their Se by practicing their Te, if that is something they wish to do.

Part 2: ENTP

Part 4 (not posted yet)

That was it for the third part of the “Why Are You So…” series. I hope this part was as good as the other two. I was watching “The Wall” last night while thinking about this post and the two made each other make so much more sense lol. I’m not going to recommend you all watch “The Wall” because I understand that Roger Waters is controversial, however I recommend you watch it because it makes this post more understandable. That movie is also where the header came from 😛 I think next post will be over a Ti dominant.

Anyways, as usual, feel free to ask questions and comment. ¡Adíos!

Part 2: ENTP

Part 4

Hello and welcome back. This is part 4 of the “Why Are You So…” series. I had you all vote on what dominant type you all wanted to hear about and you all chose a Ti dominant. Lowkey I’m so glad you all voted for Ti because I just finished reading 1984 and the main character is an INTP 🙏 So obviously the character I correlated to our type today is him (Winston). I’m also not going to lie to you, this took so long because I was procrastinating. Thanks for your patience.

🚨Warning: There will probably be spoilers to 1984 by George Orwell in here. Prepare yourselves accordingly.

Fictional characters: NF, NT, SJ, SP. Real people: index.

—

INFP

A Quiet Passion: Emily Dickinson

Alice in Wonderland: Alice

Amélie: Amélie Poulain

Blue Is The Warmest Color: Emma

Conversations with Friends: Frances

Donnie Darko: Donnie Darko

**I can’t pinpoint the functions one by one, else this will be too lengthy, but I’ve covered mostly the primary to tertiary functions, not much on Se.** We have… Introverted Intuition (Ni-Primary), Extraverted Thinking (Te-2ndary), Introverted Feeling (Fi-Tertiary), and Extraverted Sensing (Se-Inferior)

INTJs Perception on Fairness:

We rely on logic and intuition (or a certain inner knowing). There is this thing of fairness… and fairness to us is more logical than emotional. We can see things fairly, without it affecting our feelings, we can make choices without being attached, and we won’t see it in any way as hurtful or rude. We act fairly because we believe it to be “right”, not because a certain choice uplifts us, not because we want to appear helpful, not because of pity, and not because we want others to feel indebted to us. That’s why we find accountability and integrity--- a natural and innate concept. (if we are objectively wrong, then we're simply wrong).

And, as each person is unique(regardless of MBTI), INTJs will side on either Fairness or Manipulation (in negative). INTJs who believe in equal exchange or fairness are healthy INTJs. INTJs who explicitly manipulate have a part of them that’s underdeveloped or unhealthy, especially their feeling function.

The term of fairness and equal exchange, when applied to skills for an INTJ:

The fact is that an INTJ is JUST simply an efficient and straightforward human being; we are just good at our job and knowing things… living and getting things we want, the way we want it. We know we are capable of pushing limits, but we are not overly delusional. We have our limitations, and from time to time, we challenge those limitations, because we don’t want anything holding us back, especially our own LACK and DEFICIENCIES. We don’t want OURSELVES holding us back. 

Therefore, we need SKILLS to move past these limitations. Which means valuable input and training. What better way to learn than through human interaction, human insight, and being surrounded by the right people with those skills that we want.

Reverting back to “valuable”, we believe that it is healthy for humans to be INTERdependent. Because an interdependent community is where humans thrive in support and aid, which benefits all sides. EQUAL AND FAIR GIVING AND RECEIVING. If we can get information etc., from someone, then we also believe that we can offer something valuable to that someone.

Usually, skills and training are something you pay for, and when you have access to those skills via close-knit relationships, it’s much more likely for them to reject payment. INTJs can’t have that — “like, how dare we… leach off from you?! Blatant shame on us INTJs!”–we can’t face the fact that you’ll have nothing to benefit from us.

Additionally, we believe knowledge is currency; knowledge is so valuable that it is monetized. IN THIS ECONOMY?! *deep breaths* You have to at least… want to learn a thing or two from us as well.

Humans are ever evolving, skills and knowledge open you up to opportunities, in our minds… “why not take this chance of exchange, to improve each other’s skills, so that we both gain something from it, and I won’t feel like I’ve free-loaded your personal time.” 

And before anyone says, “Well, ummm actually… I’ve met snobbish and selfish INTJs”... An unhealthy INTJ, on the other hand… Yes, they will think they’re far superior and untouchable… Because they haven’t developed their Fi function. They have weak philosophies in life and personal values.

Yes, it does, the same way you'll find an EFP more "forceful" and competent with Te on the spot than you would an IFP's Te.

The higher the Ne, the more able someone is to process multiple possibilities on the spot and give them weight without preferring one description or possibility over the other one. This is how Ne-doms can remain open-minded and not decide things for a long time, or how they shift between ideas and possibilities without feeling tied down, or stay in a mood of "I don't know, maybe so..." or explore without attachment. (This sounds cool... lemme try it out... oh, that was last week, I am over it now...) ISJs treat ideas either with more reverence and importance becase that is not easy for them to do (they want to pick something and follow through on it) or as a playground that is not taken seriously (a fantasy life, here is where I find good ideas for short stories, etc).

Where you most see the difference would be in an environment that demands ideas sharing and action on them; let's say a group of people coming up with new marketing ideas for a business, or even a collaborative writing group. Ne's throw stuff out there, and the EFJ's Ne goes along with all of it on the spot -- that sounds like a great idea, and it would go along well with this other thing, and I agree, expansion sounds terrific! But the ISJ is there, getting frustrated because they want time to think about this new idea and how it will fit in with what already exists or the storyline beats that are established, and it feels like the discussion is happening too fast to do that. They either have to stop trying to think about it and go with the flow, or slow things down to process how this new idea is going to impact everything around it.

Using functions that are the opposite of what your natural cognitive process are, is also tiring. So if you are an extravert, it's not super tiring to use your two extraverted-pointing functions; meaning an ESJ can use Te/Ne or Fe/Ne for hours and have it be stimulating and building up more excitement, enthusiasm, and energy, because they are also bouncing these things off other people in the room. An ISJ using Fe/Te/Ne finds it more tiring, because they are far more internally invested and energized through accessing Si and Ti/Fi.

ESJs often have a very visible Ne and mistype themselves as ENPs as a result, because they naturally generate possibilities on the spot and feel very open-minded and curious about a lot of things, and have many hobbies and interests, without realizing that they are still exerting control over Ne with their dominant Te/Fe, instead of "floating" through life on a sea of possibilities and struggling to organize it.

WAH WAH WAH WAH THIS IS SO TRUE AHAHA what a challenge...... theres so many good bugs.... im going to have to completely omit spiders, because if i didnt all my choices would just be spiders!!! So,

1: Solpugids!!!!! Rahhh!!!!

2: HARVESTMAN INSECTS!!!!

1: praying mantis! specifically a large female individual I named Lettuce, hung out with me for like 30 minutes and felt comfortable enough to groom herself in my hand

2: common grass spider! not a bug but still an arthropod and one I lovvveee I find them all the time and they're such sweetie pies, like the most tolerant and unbothered spiders ever, you can literally poke their butts and they do not care, they also feel great to hold in my hand (they got a nice heft to them idk how else to describe it :P) and I love doing it as much as I can

3: I can't pick an individual so honestly just multiple of the order orthoptera, like katydids, grasshoppers, crickets, and trigs! I've held multiple individuals of all four of those names and again, such sweeties!! And, for some reason, all four of them have also tried to nibble my hand? I even have a couple videos of them doing it, idk why they do it, it just tickles and makes me laugh so oh well :P

bug photos and videos under the cut, arthrophobes beware!

Eleodes desert stink beetle

Earwigs