[Nayru]

Let me first get more clear on what I mean by masculine and feminine energy... It has come up again and again in books about men/women and about relationships.

Masculine energy:
-control
-focus
-grows by challenge
-is about "more", and better
-wants to break through, conquer something
-focus more on work and mission
-toughness

Feminine energy:
-not having to control, just letting things "be"
-more flowing, with emotion
-more soft
-focus more on relationships
-grows with praise, compliments
-caring, loving

Also in relationships, for there to be passion, there needs to be "polarity". So if you are a more masculine man, a feminine woman attracts you naturally (sexually). If you are a very feminine woman, a feminine man does not really attract you, not sexually at least.

Note that you can be a woman with a masculine essence, or a man with a more feminine essence. David Deida (author of "the way of the Superior Man) says that 90% of people he worked with have a definite preference, and that about 10% have a more balanced essence.



Me personally, I do have strong values and try to find and live my true mission, but also have this strong feeling side. So I'm more balanced, I think. Maybe that's why I am not that easily attracted to women that I meet.

What do you think is your own essence, more masculine or feminine? I'm just wondering what other ISFP's essence is, I've been thinking about this. And what preference have your (previous) relationship partners been?

EDIT: Well peoples, how could this be stereotypical? Isn't it so obvious that people have a natural preference? That there is a difference between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the hippie guy spreading love and hugging people? I'm not talking about what society thinks you "should" be, how you are "supposed" to act and be; I'm talking about REAL masculine and feminine ENERGY, your natural essence. Most men are naturally very masculine (Barack Obama, Muhammed Ali, as random examples) and some more feminine. It's like MBTI, it's not stereotypical, it juts is. Like, you can behave in a "stereotypical" male manner when you are a man, but on the inside really be naturally more feminine.

Like, my naturally very feminine friend who is just a flow of emotions and moods is very different from my Stoic, authoritative, strong, leading, black belt karate Sensei. There IS a natural difference, not just a "societal" difference.

@NekoNinja: "The only thing that I might be curious about is whether ISFPs are more dominant or submissive" -- Well that IS a masculine / feminine energy difference. That is what I'm talking about. It's not that a feminine woman can't be dominant. It is just that if she is in her natural state, she doesn't need to control or dominate anything, if she's got a strong man who can lead her. Also, a masculine male naturally will want be dominant, want to lead. Not from a society "I should be dominant because I am a man"-thing, but from his natural desire to lead and be dominant.

"ISFPs are generally too independent to really care if they are acting like what they are "supposed" to act like. Or thats my view anyways." - well... I don't care also how you "should" behave. But you're gonna behave in SOME way. How do you REALLY behave, because it is somewhere on the spectrum of masculine / feminine ENERGY (not masculine / feminine "what society thinks you should").

Alright... I am just a bit bothered people think I am trying to stereotype or box. You know, I am an ISFP also, I don't give much of a fuck what society thinks. I am just asking what is REAL within you. Those qualities aren't ALL feminine / masculine qualities, it was just to paint a clearer picture for you to answer my question with.

[NekoNinja]

Most of those qualities are quite stereotypical imo. I basically ignore what society says men and women should be like, and I think that ISFP men in general are more feminine than most by a societal definition. ISFPs are generally too independent to really care if they are acting like what they are "supposed" to act like. Or thats my view anyways.

The only thing that I might be curious about is whether ISFPs are more dominant or submissive...

[RyRyMini]

@NekoNinja - I'd be interested in that too.

I agree that these are basically stereotypes and that most, if not all ISFPs would probably have a feminine energy because this description screams F.

[Luftkopf]

It seems very stereotypical to me too. Perhaps it would've helped if they've picked different names for them. I'm not sure how many ISFP guys would match up to the 'masculine' description...

[gilded]

By that description definitely more feminine, but I agree that these are too stereotypical.

[Le9acyMuse]

Well, psychologically it is known that men are more often less concerned with developing and nurturing relationships than women. In that light I can find some agreeability in 'masc-fem energy.' However, women and men's emotional tendencies aren't masculine or feminine - rather they are disparate kinds of human nature, in my opinion.

I would say that I'm relatively centered between the two tendencies. I tend to sway back and forth freely.

[Indigo Aria]

I consider myself androgynous anymore. The only reason I leave my gender listed as male is so people who are less "out there" than me know what's between my legs, if they're curious. I go far out of my way to avoid stereotypes of both genders. I don't want to be a controlling insensitive hairy disgusting man, and I don't want to be a gossipy vain overly passive and overly emotional woman (just going by stereotypes here). I like to strike a sensible balance.

I just need to get the look right, now. I'm shooting for something like this:


or this:

[Indigo Aria]

The only thing that I might be curious about is whether ISFPs are more dominant or submissive...

Whatever the moment calls for

[NekoNinja]

Let me first get more clear on what I mean by masculine and feminine energy... It has come up again and again in books about men/women and about relationships.

Masculine energy:
-control
-focus
-grows by challenge
-is about "more", and better
-wants to break through, conquer something
-focus more on work and mission
-toughness

Feminine energy:
-not having to control, just letting things "be"
-more flowing, with emotion
-more soft
-focus more on relationships
-grows with praise, compliments
-caring, loving

Also in relationships, for there to be passion, there needs to be "polarity". So if you are a more masculine man, a feminine woman attracts you naturally (sexually). If you are a very feminine woman, a feminine man does not really attract you, not sexually at least.

Note that you can be a woman with a masculine essence, or a man with a more feminine essence. David Deida (author of "the way of the Superior Man) says that 90% of people he worked with have a definite preference, and that about 10% have a more balanced essence.

Me personally, I do have strong values and try to find and live my true mission, but also have this strong feeling side. So I'm more balanced, I think. Maybe that's why I am not that easily attracted to women that I meet.

What do you think is your own essence, more masculine or feminine? I'm just wondering what other ISFP's essence is, I've been thinking about this. And what preference have your (previous) relationship partners been?

EDIT: Well peoples, how could this be stereotypical? Isn't it so obvious that people have a natural preference? That there is a difference between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the hippie guy spreading love and hugging people? I'm not talking about what society thinks you "should" be, how you are "supposed" to act and be; I'm talking about REAL masculine and feminine ENERGY, your natural essence. Most men are naturally very masculine (Barack Obama, Muhammed Ali, as random examples) and some more feminine. It's like MBTI, it's not stereotypical, it juts is. Like, you can behave in a "stereotypical" male manner when you are a man, but on the inside really be naturally more feminine.

Like, my naturally very feminine friend who is just a flow of emotions and moods is very different from my Stoic, authoritative, strong, leading, black belt karate Sensei. There IS a natural difference, not just a "societal" difference.

@NekoNinja: "The only thing that I might be curious about is whether ISFPs are more dominant or submissive" -- Well that IS a masculine / feminine energy difference. That is what I'm talking about. It's not that a feminine woman can't be dominant. It is just that if she is in her natural state, she doesn't need to control or dominate anything, if she's got a strong man who can lead her. Also, a masculine male naturally will want be dominant, want to lead. Not from a society "I should be dominant because I am a man"-thing, but from his natural desire to lead and be dominant.

"ISFPs are generally too independent to really care if they are acting like what they are "supposed" to act like. Or thats my view anyways." - well... I don't care also how you "should" behave. But you're gonna behave in SOME way. How do you REALLY behave, because it is somewhere on the spectrum of masculine / feminine ENERGY (not masculine / feminine "what society thinks you should").

Alright... I am just a bit bothered people think I am trying to stereotype or box. You know, I am an ISFP also, I don't give much of a fuck what society thinks. I am just asking what is REAL within you. Those qualities aren't ALL feminine / masculine qualities, it was just to paint a clearer picture for you to answer my question with.

Its stereotypical because feminism and masculinity should be subjective. It is viewed to be objective by society, but it is always subject to change over time and it is subject to be different by the individual. So when you refer to feminism and masculinity in an objective sense you are seeing it from society's objective views. It can be noted that there may be slight differences in men and women when it comes to some of these aspects, when environmental aspects are removed, but that is due to a difference in body chemistry. Males and females tend to lean to one or the other mostly because while growing up the environment says that they are supposed to be this way or that. And this plays a heavy role when it comes to forming our personalities. Controlling, "toughness," caring, etc. These are aspects of personality. They are grouped into categories such as feminine and masculine only due to societal views. And this is why I posted what I did. ISFP would be one of the more feminine personality types. So would INFP. That is why there are usually more women than men who are these two types. (Due to environmental expectations.)

[Leon]

I think I am 50/50. I think you see expression of the masculine side more, though both are there. It's a nice mix in my most humble of opinions.