[katerp]

So anyway, I've gotten close to an INFJ and an ENFJ and they were both very intellectual. The INFJ was super intelligent but actually preferred interpersonal/"sentimental" (to my mind at least) topics rather than scholarly, technical thoughts but gifted and fully capable when she wanted to. I've met a few INFP's but neither of them struck me as academic or analytical in the least. Although very cool and good for talking to they don't relish intellectual conversations it seems to me. One of them I met was a really good poet which was cool...but yeah uhh some of them just seem "lost." Like I have to explain everything to them. And then because they are abstract and lost in thought they just forget or zone out when I'm saying it only pretending to understand to be friendly.



Thoughts....

I always did well in school without having to try that hard. I always got straight A's and graduated summa cum laude from my university. And though I do consider myself to be a "smart" person my grades don't have anything to do with that perception of myself. Doing well in school really involves memorization and learning how to play to the system more than real insight, creativity, or critical thinking, which I think are much more demonstrative of actual intelligence. INFPs (and I think N's in general) are supposed to be very good at just getting complex concepts, but I can see how this understanding might not be reflected in kinds of tests and grading systems that are in place today (i.e., assignments that are more focused on details or format than demonstrating knowledge and substance, or standardized tests that rely too much on multiple choice questions). I can also see how someone who's very intelligent could get horrible grades in school because their assignments are not challenging or stimulating enough and they just don't bother doing the work. There are so many different learning styles that it seems like that there are many kids who are bright enough to understand the material but they're just not being taught in a way that makes it understandable to them, or that their assignments don't give them the freedom to express their knowledge in the way that most makes sense to them.

I enjoy discussing intellectual topics sometimes and I can hold my own in this kind of conversation, but in general I prefer to talk about more personal things like music, hobbies, plans for the future, etc. I prefer to discuss people and their interests than to have disconnected, objective debates about scholarly topics. However if you can make the topic more personal then I'm more likely to be engaged. For example, a conversation about Einstein's contributions to science = a potentially boring lecture; a conversation about how Einstein's discoveries intersected with personal events in his life = interesting. INFPs are interested in things like science, politics, religion, philosophy, etc. - we just want to hear the human side of it. How does it affect us as people? Maybe you just need to present these topics in a way that appeals to them more (or find INFPs with a passion for the scholarly topic of your choosing because we are super passionate and if we're interested in something we probably know 110% of what there is to know about it).

(Just as an aside, my dad is a high school teacher in NYC and when the time comes for Regents exams (annoying high school level standardized tests in every major subject that only exist in NY state) my dad always encourages his students to guess on MC questions because "even the drunk chicken will guess right 25% of the time" (his words). Obviously that doesn't mean the drunk chicken actually knows 25% of the material being covered on the test. Why should we assume that because a student gets a 75 on an exam it means that student knows 75% of the material? Maybe they only know 60% and they're a very lucky guesser. Or maybe they know 90% but had an off day, or there was an unusually high number of questions on the 10% they didn't know.)

I think maybe I'm mistyping...I might be talking to ISFP's.....

Ha, it could be this too. My friend is an ISFP and I have to explain EVERYTHING to her. And not just in conversations about complex things... conversations about anything. I can't even tell you how many times I've explained jokes to her or watched movies with her and afterward had to explain the plot because she didn't get it. She interrupted The Dark Knight like three times to tell me she didn't get something that just happened.

[rosecolored]

Ohhhh no, I'm shit in school. I used to be better. Now, if it isn't presented to me in a way that I find interesting, I won't do it. It's unfortunate. When I take IQ tests or standardized testing, I score well above average. Teachers get very frustrated with me because they think I could be getting straight As, when I get Cs and Ds. What they don't know is, I really couldn't. I may be intelligent in theory, but I can't apply it through the mediums they give me. I'm horribly disorganized, I have trouble concentrating, and the work doesn't interest me. To a certain point, intelligence has very little to do with academic success. It takes a different kind of smart to make it in the school system.

[ptarmigan]

I might be wrong, but I tend to think personality forum frequenters are on the whole going to be at least slightly smarter than the average bear, so you're getting some sampling skew (neverminding other biases). But then, there are a lot of INFPs here, so maybe there is a good indicator, if not your answer. ^^

Anyway, whether or not I'm an INFP, I like it most here so far. I do well academically, especially at exams. INFP's might not be happy with the structured environment, but I enjoy it.

I always got straight A's and graduated summa cum laude from my university. And though I do consider myself to be a "smart" person my grades don't have anything to do with that perception of myself. Doing well in school really involves memorization and learning how to play to the system more than real insight, creativity, or critical thinking, which I think are much more demonstrative of actual intelligence.

Wow. How impressive! I suppose I agree with you too. You know, what intelligence is is one of the most interesting things I can think of. It's absolutely fascinating. I want to understand it and grasp its most essential nature.

What is intelligence? Ptarmigan wants your theoriez.

[Angel1412kaitou]

I have to be pushed by parents, or I won't even try.
But I manage to get a relatively good grade, and studying is a last minute thing.
People always think I'm either extremely stupid or genius. Or both?
It's never average, but I'm pretty sure I'm average.
I am extremely private. I have a lot of thoughts going on, and unless I really need to vent, or I know you for the majority of my life (at least 7 years) I'll try to avoid being deep.

[refugee]

I often thought school was too easy. No one would believe how I felt though because my grades were bad. I just didn't care was all. I could never get it through my head that it was something I needed to do in order to have a better life or whatever.

truer words have never been spoken. i exaggerate, but you guys get the picture... it's as if we've been blessed with extraordinary gifts but are not able to harness it all. at least that's how i feel about the whole situation.

[heartturnedtoporcelain]

I might be wrong, but I tend to think personality forum frequenters are on the whole going to be at least slightly smarter than the average bear, so you're getting some sampling skew (neverminding other biases). But then, there are a lot of INFPs here, so maybe there is a good indicator, if not your answer. ^^

I wonder whether it has to do with the intellectual curiosity displayed by a lot forum goers (at least in this forum ... other forums are not so lucky). I wouldn't argue that we're all super intelligent beings, but I would argue that intellectual curiosity is generally a sign of above average intelligence. Also, I personally think that self-awareness is a sign of intelligence but well, that's probably a reflection of my own bias rather than it being actually true. Thoughts?

[j3321]

Remind me to post more often in INFP forum. You guys all contribute and have good things to say. Seems like the only time INTP's open up is when they are talking about how depressed or apathetic they are outside of that we keep it pretty concise.( hahahaa funny cuz it's true.)

This is also a great place to get your "Thanked" to post ratio way up.

[BrooklynBoy]

I would argue that intellectual curiosity is generally a sign of above average intelligence. Also, I personally think that self-awareness is a sign of intelligence but well, that's probably a reflection of my own bias rather than it being actually true. Thoughts?

I agree with the above statement. I can't say that I have ever read anything like that in any of the MBTI literature, but, from my own experience and observations I would say that that is probably true.

[ptarmigan]

I wouldn't argue that we're all super intelligent beings, but I would argue that intellectual curiosity is generally a sign of above average intelligence. Also, I personally think that self-awareness is a sign of intelligence but well, that's probably a reflection of my own bias rather than it being actually true. Thoughts?

I think you could argue that it's not just a bias, but that self-awareness is critical to intelligence at least in some sense.

If the point of intelligence originally in animals was for the regulation and harmonizing of the body, higher intelligence was able to begin to harmonize the surrounding environment, including other beings, as though it were an extension of body to be harmonized with it. It allowed for autonomy of others because the individuals could work to regulate something transcending themselves, their social group, and take on its interests and identity. With that, there is the necessity for self-regulation within that context, as the self becomes a part of that body and surrounding environment for the wider "individual", the social group identity. If intelligence as one person says is "mental activity directed toward purposive adaptation to, selection and shaping of, real-world environments relevant to one’s life", then within the social group, this must also include the adaptation to, selection and shaping of self, and one's own mental activity, as a part of a wider intelligent, social construct which takes self as object for it. (Of course, once a leap like that is made, it is only natural for the social group "individual" to be seen in light of that particularity, as a part of something wider, and perhaps here begins the formulation of theology as an extension and deepening of our political philosophy.)

[OmarFW]

I know 3 INFP's in person (including myself)

None of us finished highschool

Not that that speaks for all INFP's, but the schooling system is not built for us. rather it is built for people who are the polar opposite of us

Also I'd like to point out that being successful in school has nothing to do with how intelligent you are, it has to do with how well you receive and retain knowledge as well as understand new concepts easily.

INFP's have their own kind of intelligence just like everyone does, but our kind of intelligence is not seen by this ST dominated world as valid.