# Can Thinkers "Read" people ?



## Another Lost Cause (Oct 6, 2015)

To be honest, I usually consider myself good at reading people, but that assumption often comes back to bite me in reality. I don't believe I have problems knowing someone's basic emotional state, though.


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## Snow (Oct 19, 2010)

From my experience, Ni and Fi are intrinsically linked in "reading" people. EIIs and IEIs (INFPs and INFJs) therefore tend to be the best "people readers" while varying factors tend to change afterward. An EIE or IEE (ENFJ and ENFP), for example, can read people well but not perfectly as they have either Fi or Ni ignoring.

I suspect Ni perceives motivation while Fi perceives a person's "character." For this reason, NFs will always be the "best" and Ni or Fi valuing/demonstrative (less so ignoring) Ni or Fi "users" are better at either perceiving motivation or character.

To answer the OP, thinkers are less skilled than any feeler at seeing character, however gamma NTs (especially ILIs) will be good at seeing motivation. (Alphas lack both Ni and Fi valuing; most LIIs and ILEs I've ever known have an intense dislike at even considering others' motivations in the first place.)


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

What does it mean to read people? I'm very good at reading the causes why people are the way they are imo, but I'm worse at reading into their emotions and what they feel.


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## somecheese (Jul 23, 2016)

I'm an NT so my answer is going to be somewhat biased. I probably have an unreasonably high opinion of my ability to read other people, including the previously mentioned "bullshit detector" and the ability to see people's motives- although I do feel that it exceeds some kind of standard, because people have faith in my abilities to do so by often seeking advice etc. and I do spend a lot of time exercising it just out of interest. Although there is one thing that I'm kind of oblivious to- and that's noticing grudges or tension between a group of people. I can see it if it's obvious, because anyone can, but I find that I can miss small details about it because I simply am not inclined to think about other people's relationships with each other (ever). This could also be because if anybody tells me anything about anyone else it just goes in one ear and out the other.


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## nestle_bird (Dec 24, 2015)

I'm definitely not the best at it (I was wrong a few times), but yeah, I can read people to some extent. 
I rely on observation of the eyes and on the tone of voice to understand emotions (I can't read body language at all).
I use a combo of logic and acquaintance with a person to predict how someone will react in a certain situation.




Helios said:


> I would imagine people who don't have Aspbergers (though emerging research suggests that they can too)


Emerging researches are right. Usually people with Asperger's and autism can read people to some degree, even if they're not great at it and don't use the same "methods" as neurotypicals.


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## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

*On STs:*
Your question seem to be if thinkers can get to the same conclutions as feelers.
Both can "read" people.
Reading a person is after all simply the process of observing behavior and communication and guessing what is up with people.
To say that they can't read people because they fail to spot factors that you value is a bit onesided.
More likely they see factors that you miss and think that you are inable to "read people".

I've not even touched upon the can of worms that is called learned skills.
Cause anyone who applies themself to try to read people will get better at it.
Since Feelers are about values, it makes sense that they might be more interested in learning the skills so to speak.
While thinkers might have other interests like programming or building stuff.

*On NTs:*
Me as an NT for example knowing so much about people that I do, was really a fluke.
A series of unrelated events that led me down a path.
It in many ways started with a body language lesson given by some random guy at my school when I was 17.
I had nothing better to do and decided to go listen to this guy over playing starcraft.
What he told me blew me away.
I had never even considered bodylanguage meaning much of anything up to that point.
Being in my little bubble as I was.
Now I seldom find people who does it better than me. (But of course they are out there)
I have a ton of tools acumulated that help me navigate the world of people.
I had to improvise where others did it naturally due to type and natural interests.
Most Fe doms probably figured that shit out in kindergarden.
Yet due to libraries and the internet I was easily able to match them and even surpass them in my people reading.


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## ALongTime (Apr 19, 2014)

Wow... Socionics seems to have changed since I was last here... :dry:


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