Vote

I get lots of mail from people who want me to help them figure out their best-fit type.  For this entry, I decided to share a sample of what shows up (unedited), and elicit your opinion on the matter.  This information came through my feedback form, and the sender is entirely unknown to me.

After the poll, you can read my evaluation -- but remember, this is entirely speculation on my part.

Now put your thinking cap on to consider what his (he is male) type preferences might be.  Then vote your opinion.  Once you vote, you are allowed to leave comments about the poll.  If you believe his preferences are for another type altogether, that's the place to say so.  

Have fun!

Your_age_is = I'm 54

Are_you_INF_? = yes

Do_you_prefer_J_or_P? = not sure

Did_I_help_you_decide? = got me thinking

Was_my_site_helpful? = clarified

How_you_discovered_personality_type_is = self-discovery process

Level_of_Psychological_Type_experience_is = intermediate

You_came_looking_for =
Information, ways to relate to personality types that are different from mine, and perhaps clearification. I set this site in favorites a couple of years ago, and haven't referenced it in about a year. With online tests I come out a very firm INFX, which makes for an interesting paradox. However your site didn't do much to get me off of the fence, though I learned allot of interesting information about the details of the both sides. On your self disclosure page, I identify more with INFJ. I self disclose very easily, one to one, and I do this for the purpose of bridging to other individuals. On communication style, I am definately an informer, but I also have a goal, and direction I am working toward. I easily go with the other person's flow, but I have a direction I am working toward.

The bigest snag that I have with INFP is that I don't relate well at all to most definitions of Fi. I also make use of both Ne and Ni equally. I may even utilize Ni more than Ne. My other two strong functions are Si and Ti. I have an online friend who is INFJ, who told me once that she had concluded that I must be some form of ISF because I am clearly an F, but I utilize both Fe and Ni too intensely for me to be INFP, and she knows just from the feel of me that I can't be INFJ. Oh well. I'll just saddle up my fence here and ride away.

I've spent much time on many lists, but my goal for being on those lists was to teach myself how to bridge between differing personality types. The lists that I camped out on were type lists, and various support lists. On the time machine, I can visualize it either way, but I am still just as thrown off by descriptions of moving things up or back on the time continuam, as INFJs are supposed to be, but that could be related to something else. I have been diagnosed with an Learning Disability called Auditory Processing Disorder, and one of the common attributes of APD can be having trouble understanding intended context or meaning of other's spoken or written phrases. I encounter this kind of thing all over the place. Another atribute of APD is lack of an ability to tune out background and focus on a particular sound. It caught my attention when you quoted Alice the ISFP. She also has APD, so this is interesting, particularly since I don't identify much wish Se. I am ve ry much more Si than Se.

Oh yes. On your page that mentions viewing or seeing everything in terms of the future, this is also so me, but I thought this was just an N thing, not so much just an NJ thing.

Do_you_have_advice_or_a_special_request_to_make? =
This is not so much advice or recommendation, but more of a question. You said that INFJs tend to spend allot of time making sure posts *feel* right, where INFPs tend to just whip them out. When I read that, I was tempted to ask you, are you sure you don't have those backwards. The times I have spent on INFJ lists, I have been frustrated because of there being so many posts, and because I had to swim through so many "Me Too" responses, to get to something meaty. And there are so many joke posts. Also subjects on INFJ lists became fully developed and moved away from very quickly. I need more time to contemplate things, than most INFJs do, evidently. However, I spend allot of time developing my posts, and then reread them, making sure the wording all feels right, and I consider the end user, mentally sitting in his mind and trying to feel how he is likely to perceive my words, and things have to flow right, and I often leave things out, that I intended to include, because it I can't make it feel right with the rest of the ideas in the post, and so on. I've asked about this on INFP lists, and got many replies saying me too.

I wanted to mention something else. When I plan for the future, I always start at the destination and think backwards. When I was in school it was much easier to start with the paper, and then create the outline from my paper, than to create the outline first. Another difference is what you mentioned about INFJs thinking in outline form. When I write a post, my ideas that I want to put in a post, are just out there hanging together, and everything gets sequentialized at post writing time. And memory is not stored sequentially, and my thoughts are not sequential. Everything runs along associations. Right after coming out of a meeting, an INFJ, or INTJ would be able to tell you sequentially, excactly what just occured in the order it occured in. I can't do this. Everything is stored interconnected via associations. If someone asked me what was said, I wouldn't be able to tell them, but later when something is discussed that is related to the subject of something discu ssed at the meeting, everything related to the subject will come flooding to mind.

I wanted to thank you for pointing out and discouraging type snobbery. I encountered allot of put down of F-Ness and P-Ness on INTJ lists, and there is always someone on INFJ lists that has no patience with folks who are INFP. I had enough self esteem problems growing up. It was really nice to read your comments that framed NP attributes as having usefullness.

Is_there_anything_on_your_mind_or_need_to_clarify? =
I thought I would share some things I have noticed along the way. On the Stonehinge page, you mentioned INFP ability to tune out others, where INFJ could not, but you put in reference to sounds. I cannot tune out background sounds, but poeple are also impacted by nonverbal ques, and vibes. I can focus on one person's vibes and ques, and tune out the rest. My wife tells me that she intentionally goes around acting happy and chipper, even when she is depressed out of consideration for people around her, and she gets impatient with me when I don't. When people around her are depressed, it drags her mood down, but when people around me are depressed, I can tune them out. I have a similar ability to tune out clutter. I almost don't notice it. My wife is clutter intolerant. As for treatment of clutter, I almost see no point in picking something up, if I don't know where I am going to put it. My mind tries to keep up with the location of everything because I have such problems locating things with my eyes. However my wife's goal is to clear the deck, and she often forgets where she puts things while she is cleaning.

J-Ness Labels. I apply the label of J-Ness to skip the process, just give me the bottom line please attitudes. It's annoying. My wife values completed jobs, and finished tasks, and she tells me has no patience with detail. Just boil it down to bare facts please, she says. That feels to me like she is slashing all of the pleasure out of it. I would rather take my time and do it well, but she wants it done SOON.

I thought I would mention a difference I noticed comparing notes with an online INTJ friend. The INTJ friend said that her only interest in process was reach the conclusion, but once the conclusion has been reached, she no longer cared about the detail of the process, and in fact when she remembers events, she only remembers the outcomes, where I remember both the process detail and the outcome. I also remember allot of detail organized by person. The INTJ friend tells me she is amazed by what all I can remember about things she posted years ago. I mind accumulates all manner of data on individuals. She said she didn't experience people's posts as having a person behind them. She only saw the ideas contained in them. When I read a person's post, I *feel* the person that is behind the post, as well as their words.

Another NF/NT difference, or at least INFP/INTJ difference. You will have to tell me if INFJs are this way. I call this ownership of ideas. When a person who is NT, shares an idea on a list, he is putting it there to test it, trying to see what it is made of. And other NTs feel like they are doing the poster a favor when they tear the idea appart and show the poster, what the idea's weaknesses are. On the other hand, when an NF shares an idea on an email list, he feels he is sharing a piece of himself. So when the NT tears the idea appart revealing it's weaknesses, the NF feels hurt and offended, and the NT is puzzled because he thought he was doing the NF a favor, but the NF blew up in his face instead. It can be a source of great miss understanding.

In case you are feeling anxious for him, I do have his permission (in writing) to post his feedback form -- so don't think I'm being mean (and yes he was uncomfortable sharing it, but he recognizes the potential for learning -- so my hat's off to him).  He will be checking back occasionally to see how the poll is going, so I encourage you to register a vote for him.

My opinion may be found here.  

I'd rather you vote before you read it, or don't vote at all if you're just voting for my opinion.  Thanks!

TRADEMARKS