[hotarunaru]

Okay, so I was talking to my mother (an INFP) about personality types.
And I found an interesting pattern in my friends and in my family.

Do families who have loving, caring, fair stable families spawn iNtuitives?

-like my friend is an INTP, his family is like stable. his mom and dad love each other a lot. and they travel the world and do things together

-my mom (INFP) and my sister (INFJ) and I (INFJ), have a family who talks to each other, shares our feelings and input on certain issues and also we do a lot of things together



-my other close friend (ENTJ), has a family that he loves a lot. like mine he talks to them, they care for him just as much as he cares for them. he goes to church with them and stuff, and they spend time together too.

-another friend (ENFJ) whose family does like saunas and spas together, gets almost everything he wants, practically filthy rich (stable environment)

Whereas, families that have fragmented, dominating-like, callous families spawn Sensors?

-like my other friend (ISFP), her family's split up, with a father who hardly sees her at all, a mother who supposedly saddens her

-also this other friend (ESFP), where he lives with his mother but his father lives in another city to work. he doesn't like his father since every time he visits him he always has to do labor for him.

-another friend! (ISFP as well!), where his father works in a different country, almost got his arm disjointed by his father when he was around. told what to do wether he like it or not for the most ludicrous of reasons.

-and my father (ISTJ) where he had to move around the world a lot without his mother or father. (was 15 when he reached the USA alone), he loathes having to see his mother now, because she rants a lot I guess.

As you can tell, there is a pattern. That is my question. Do iNtuitives live in more loving caring families while Sensors had to live with the not so caring ones? If this is offensive sorry, I'm not saying that iNtuitives are smarter or better than Sensors (since my Sensor friends get better grades then me and such). But I just want to know. What was YOUR family life like?

[calysco]

interesting theory- i dunno if that's true for the ENTP/INTPs though. i recall reading a thread on the ENTP subforum about 15 minutes ago and a few of them were talking about how much they disliked their parents:

tbh, i'm still not sure what type i am so i'll leave myself out.

friends of mine's:

N

INFJ- comes from loving, but overly protective family

INFJ- comes from a family where mother is overly protective and father is always gone. he disliked his father. he loves his three younger siblings though

ENFP- came to america at an early age. didnt get to see her parents much. lived with an overly controlling aunt along with her cousins and younger brother, got sick of the whole situation and immediately moved out and became fully independent upon graduating from high school. (something rare for asian families)

ENFP- came from a loving family. he speaks highly of his parents.

S

ISFP- comes from a splintered family- they rarely notice whether she's there or not. she's very sensitive and kind.

ISFP- comes from a family where they do a lot of things together. has an overly critical father. loves her family very much though

ISFP- comes from a sheltered family. complains all the time about her father who seems to lack a backbone and praises her mother all the time.

ISFJ- comes from a screwed up family. they are indifferent to him and rarely pay him any attention

ISFJ- comes from a sheltered but loving family. parents are somewhat controlling.

ISXJ- comes from a overly critical family but they do a lot of things together. she had a lot of stress growing up

ISTJ- comes from a loving but extremely controlling family. has had a lot of pressure to be the perfect kid while growing up.

ESTJ- comes from a loving family but being a middle child, was mostly ignored by parents who were always busy.

[firedell]

I'm not sure of my dad's type, IXTP is what I suspect.

I have been loved and supported by my ESFJ mother, who can annoy me and make me want to rattle her at times, but in no way does she not care. If anything she cares too much, she is rather over protective. My friends parents would suggest that she wraps me up in cotton wool, and not let me see the world for what it is. Which is true. I have never been able to have freedom to be honest, I am 19, going on 20, and I still have to ask her if I can go out. If I go out clubing, I have to text her every now and again to tell her I am alright, which bugs me. She wants me to act like an adult, taking on responsiblities, but she treats me like a child, so really I am getting mixed messages.

I cannot spend much time with her without having to argue with her though, she can be small minded, and not listen if things don't seem right to her. She likes her drink too, which I have had since I was a child, she isn't an alcoholic, but likes to drink like a teenager. When this happens she usually becomes very irritating, and tires to argue with everyone, so I have always as a young child hid away when she became like this. She is mainly the reason why I don't drink.

[Tridentus]

interesting theory, but i don't think so.

i've never met my dad, my step dad passed away when i was 13, my ISFP mother and i have never got along and used to have huge arguments. i come out an ENFP.

i would say there were certain friends as i was growing up who influenced me, looking back quite a few were NFs im sure. but i think it's something that would've happened anyway. the official stance of mbti theory i think is that you're born with your type, and that it's random. even as a little baby my mom said she knew we wouldn't get along.. which isn't her being nasty- i know what she means. i was always curious, analytical and excitable.

[Fulgur]

The way you're raised certainly has something to do with how you turn out, but I wouldn't say iNtuitive are all cloud nine and Sensors are all rough. For example, I live in a family dominated by NTs. My father is an INTJ, my eldest brother is an ENTP, my sister is an ENTJ, and I'm an INTP. My other brother is an ENFP, and my mom is actually an ESFJ. She is the only sensor in the family, so of course there is strifes, but never really rough times. And besides, with all that iNtuition in the air, we can definitely have serious issues. My family in general isn't close to my ENTP brother, either.

[Kayness]

I really don't know, but I think there's a lot more going on underneath than just types that causes families to break up.

I think I'm the only Sensor in the family; my dad's an INTJ, my sis an INFJ, my mum I strongly suspect is ENFP. It's no surprise I sometimes test an as INFP - all my family members are Ne/Ni doms, so because of them I developed my tertiary Ni way before I developed my auxiliary Se. Also, I'm pretty sure that I'm a SeNi user rather than NeSi user.

Anddd yeah, my parents are still together, after 26 years of marriage. But I also think that the cultural values and the society in which they are raised really contributes to this.

[tine]

My dad was an xNFP and I was close to him as a kid but grew apart because of his drinking issues then he passed away. My mum is probably an ENFJ or ESFJ and we get along okay but she doesnt understand me and I dont always feel I can tell her problems etc. Both me and my sister are NFs, but my older sister who I think had a less established family life than me and my twin is an ESTJ (I think, or ESTP). It's hard to say if it's family life. I personally think it'd be down to upbringing combined with genes and experiences.

[etherealuntouaswithin]

Idk im not your average isfp, but my childhood years definitely play a part in that.The source of my growth comes primarily from the instruction and "care" of Sensors (3 sensate women),with the only male influence being my grandfather.

My mother i'd type as an estp 8w7 sp/sx (a very difficult type to please).She had the greatest hand in supporting my early "fuck everybody-take no shit" attitude.We had a horrible relationship,which began as (from my perspective) a gentle and eager-to-please child being bullied and harrased by an overbearing and relentless adult.I had to learn to toughen up and handle my shit.After awhile i just started standing up to her BS and never backed down from anyone or anything again.My attitude toward people,particularly adult figures and women in relationships,have taken a considerable blow with regards to trust and issues with control/being top dog.

My 2 aunts,an esfp 9w8 and esfj 6w7-extremely phobic, also had a great influence in my development.My esfp aunt was my greatest source of affection and nurturance...she imparted an early affinity for being able to enjoy the simple things in life and providing a sense of calm.My esfj aunt was always getting pushed around and directed by my mother..which pissed me off to no end, and I attempted to defend her against all perceived attacks (which from a child comes across as ridiculous)..and i would think that this fostered my base disdain for "weakness" in myself and others, as well my heavy need to defend others from unfair treatment.

My grandfather(ENFP-1w2 Sx/So) really opened my sight to "new worlds".Beyond the chaotic materialistic forces toward matters of the essence.He introduced me to philosophy and spiritualism-martin buber,existentialism,and to matters of social justice and righteousness.He imparted values and a concept of goodness,that even the most wicked of persons can be reformed to goodness if only we had more creative minds..

So i think that unique experiences bring forth unique individuals,irregardless of type.There is such a beautiful and vibrant variety of persons throughout the world with their own colorful story and subsequent paths.

[Out0fAmmo]

As far as I know, I'm the only sensor in a family split 50/50 between NFs and NTs (parents have never taken MBTI). We all get along reasonably well. I'd describe my family/childhood as mostly average; some good, some bad, just like everything else in life. I'm of the opinion that MBTI type is mostly inborn, but I'm sure the environment plays some role in shaping our personalities.

[neologismaker]

I don't know about all sensors, but from this thread and from my own experiences with ISFPs, I'm beginning to wonder if ISFPs come frequently from unhappy homes.