Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Persnality tests

Remember those HOME ALONE movies. If the parents were good at 'S' they wouldn't have to count the children, they would 'just know' that one of them was left behind.
Verona, because you are a J, S is expected to be the 'developable' 3rd strength. And it looks as though you have had plenty of opportunity to develop that that 'S.' I would guess that you do get the 'falling in a covered hole' experience when it comes to the strengths of a T from time to time.


Do you get blindsided at times when interacting with people who make decisions based on 'how well a proposed solution follow the preset rules,' or who reason from a 'detacted viewpoint?' If so that's because your F is you Strongest strenght - even though it's private because of your I, and what people react to is your strong N.

HTH,
Grinity

The best answer I can give is to say I think my strength is "N". The "F" is partially a strength and partially my kryptonite. I don't hold back totally, but if I feel there is too much risk of affecting someone negatively by saying something, I do.

About 15 years ago, I was very well versed in the M-B stuff, but I haven't done much with it recently. Having done this type of analysis on myself, I sometimes over think it and find it difficult to be entirely objective in answering your questions.

One thing about being a fairly extreme NFP, is it comes with the ability to self diagnose and heal, so I rarely have an opportunity to know what it is like to feel low. As they say, us NFPs are often well liked, but they fail to mention we attract a lot of people who should probably be talking to a psychologist. I find I have to be careful not to end up with a lot of these people following me around and forming a dependency.

I think I am in many ways an ENFP as I like to try new things all the time. This includes meeting new people, although I like to form long term close friendships with a small number. As my social life tends to be very dynamic, I tend to disappear from the less close people's lives for long periods of time and occasionally reappear. This is how I learned about this dependency issue. Fortunately, nothing really bad came out of it, but it scared me a bit.

My interests plus my desire to go very deep (all the way) into them requires a fair amount of time. For this reason, I do spend a fair amount of time outside a social life. I don't feel any strong dependency for people other than my own child. Does this make me an intravert or just someone with big goals? At the same time, I have often taken very intraverted people along with me on one of my extraverted rides. Does this make me an extravert or someone who has learned how to open up to the world and wants to help others do the same?

I'm an ENTP and my husband is an INTJ. For us, our P/J difference is quite stark. For example, he ALWAYS makes lists for me and gets frustrated that I never look at them. We tried working on a puzzle together. He sorts everything by shape. I don't sort anything and just visually scan for color/pattern. He is obsessed with being on time while my concept is a bit more fluid. My husband sees me as disorganized while I would categorize myself as alternatively organized. I grew up with an ISTJ father so I've had a lot of training re how to work around (ok, sometimes against) the J personality aspect. Sometimes I just have to remind myself to humor my hubby's J tendencies.

Lol, knute. Your husband sounds great to me! (I am the INTJ turned ENTJ). He is humoring you, too, I am sure.

Yes! I think you've got me. My DH is a strong, logical T and it can drive me crazy. He tries to fix problems with logic and I just want to feel the feelings . . . I really do not reason from a "detached view point" . . .

I started Meyer-Briggsing my co-workers during a particularly boring meeting today, and figured out that I don't always see eye to eye with my supervisor (the most ISTJ I have ever met) because of the strong ST while I am NF. Also got my best work buddies to do the MB at lunch and they are INFJ and ENFJ . . . .

Thanks! This is fun.

PS And I really have to count the children when there are more than two! I recall being sure I would lose one at DS6's birthday party last year. Good thing I'm not a teacher. I think you are right that I have developed my S-ness out of neccessity (or necce-S-ity). Maybe that's why I sometimes resent being the executive function of the house (doesn't come naturally, but someboday has to do it!).

I don't think this makes you in Intravert - I don't see how Extraversion and dependency on any one individual person are related. I would guess rather that Intravert more often find themselves dependent.

I remember that when I first learned about myself as an Extravert, I put more emphasis on my 'need to talk so I can see what I think' - which I do. But later I was telling my 'mom of a gifted kid in public school' story to a couple of homeschool moms at a gifted get-together. Their only words were to prompt me to keep going. Their faces were rapt attemtion and consentration, and they exhuded absolute horror at what I had allowed my son to have to put up with. I realized that another way of looking at Extraverts is that they have very highly tuned receptors to other people's body language, and being sensitive to the feedback, miss it when it isn't there. I would rate myself as an 'Extra-Extravert' - I even find housework easier to do if I can mentally carry the image of Flylady and all the other Flybabies working in their homes while I work in mine. I've even been to 'knitting conventions.' Some of my bonds with people are deep, some are superficial, with everything in between.

So, JaimeH, I'm going to peg you as an ENFP cousin of my ENTP. Your P is really your most striking trait - it pops up all over your posts on this thread. Must be pretty interesting all the thoughts that go on in your head in responses to posts here. I'd encourage you to write them all down - even if you don't post them, as a way of sharpening that big skill of seeing every side to every statement. That way eventually we all get the benifit of your periscopeic perspective without having to wade through 5 pages. That's my birthday wish anyway.

Enjoy,
Grinity

The dependency thing was about how we NFPs often find people forming dependencies on us. For me, it has caused me to occasionally be a bit standoffish to avoid running into a problem situation. I don't know how many run into this problem, but a few in my family have.

Interesting to hear about you discovering being an Extravert. Don't know if I started out an Intravert, but being a strong NFP allowed me to overcome any inhibitions holding me back.

So far, I am loving this forum. I have not been on many, but I find this forum is particularly open to people. Here you don't have to establish yourself to be included. I can even get away with my natural communication style without having to translate it like I have often done in the workplace (what I call speaking multiple versions of the same language). I am here to enjoy myself and learn, not work.

Will definitely write down my thoughts. I am really enjoying your analysis on this thread.

Cheers,
Jamie

Grinity: do me, do me

I've been trying to sort this introversion/extroversion thing in my head. When I'm toast and need help I... Bury my face in a blanket, think about something controvercial, and then go to a party & talk it up, and then go home and bury my face in a blanket, repeat till feeling better. Not necesarily in that order. I really do fall appart if I don't get BOTH.

-Mich
(PS: I also read tarot cards, meh. For every thing /turn turn turn/ there is a season /turn turn turn. Who has to _believe_ the table is there before putting the glass down, anyway?)

(PPS: INFJ "1%, 37%, 22%, 1%")

I'll do my best Mich,

But first a few questions and a good night's sleep:

When you do spreads in tarot, are there any patterns? Do you often get unusually many or few major arcana? Or is a particular number or suit often showing? Do you have a major arcana that has special meaning for you?

What happens when you are tired, but not all the way toasted? Say, lightly browned?

Are OEs a big deal for you in general - or is there special significance to the blanket?

Until tomorrow - sleep well -
grinity

Fascinating stuff!

Has anybody had a look at (or does anybody have thoughts about) "The Essential Enneagram" book by David Daniels and Virginia Price (of Stanford)?

From the blurb, "A centuries-old psychological system with roots in sacred tradition, the Enneagram can be an invaluable guide in your journey toward self-understanding and self-development."

I was sceptical when handed this book by a gal I met on a retreat--it can get a little New Age-y--but it has some good insights!