# The search for my auxiliary function has been a dead-end



## Longhair (Feb 17, 2012)

Now, when I first started searching for my type on this board, the first questionnaire led to a conclusion of 'very strong Ti'; the INTP or ISTP-type, with a leaning towards INTP because of what I suppose seemed like 'intuitive-vibes' Not one to accept a conclusion on such loose grounds, I tried several times to reach a more firm conclusion, but alas it was all in vain. Then again, the definition of insanity is doing the same over and over again and expecting different results. Unfortunately, I have no liking for what either Se or Ne is described as, so I very much doubt that they would be high up in a functional stack.

So, throwing the cognitive functions out the window, what approach should I choose to reach this conclusion so that I can put a nice little bow on it? Any suggestions? I identify very clearly as an introvert, more slightly as an N (don't we all?) and a T, and somewhat as a J (however little this type-doubt suggests it), but not really as an INTJ.


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## Teybo (Sep 25, 2012)

It sounds like you might benefit from a dimensional approach rather than a function-model approach. 

Consider taking the official MBTI Step I and this Big 5 inventory. If you do, I'd encourage you to post your results, including percentage breakdowns, here. I'd also encourage you to not pay too much attention to the type-bio blurb that comes with your Big 5 results. That website ("similarminds") has notoriously disagreeable type descriptions. Instead, just focus on the results you get.

I also suggest perusing some of the following type profiles, and if you find anything that stands out as "Wow, that's just exactly like me!" or "Wow, that's not me at all", it would be helpful and interesting if you could post the statement and your reaction to it. This will help us to start a discussion about your preferences.

_INTJ Profiles_
Official MBTI Manual
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_INTP Profiles_
Official MBTI Manual
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_INFJ Profiles_
Official MBTI Manual
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_INFP Profiles_
Official MBTI Manual
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ISTJ Profiles_
Official MBTI Manual
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ISTP Profiles_
Official MBTI Manual
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ISFJ Profiles_
Official MBTI Manual
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ISFP Profiles_
Official MBTI Manual
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers


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## drmiller100 (Dec 3, 2011)

how old are you? 
I would suggest you are INTP. 

You can do Ne - you can wander subjects pretty well.


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## Neidijijian (Aug 18, 2013)

Is this *75% percent of your thinking?

*Introverted Thinking*Analyzing, categorizing, and evaluating according to principles

If so, after that is it:

*Extraverted Sensing*Experiencing and acting in the immediate context.

Or

*Extraverted iNtuiting*Interpreting situations and relationships and pickup meanings and interconnections to other contexts


If it is SE then it will be this 

*Relief**Introverted iNtuiting*Foreseeing implications, transformations, and likely effects*Aspirational**Extraverted Feeling*Connecting and considering others and the group

if it is Ni then it will be this

*Relief**Introverted Sensing*Reviewing and recalling past experiences and seeking detailed data*Aspirational**Extraverted Feeling*Connecting and considering others and the group

Which set fits you the most, if the first 2 or 3 make sense, then you either need to work on that other one that you're not good at, or your a mix between types, and even if you are a mix, still worth understanding that type because it can be the missing link to personal growth.


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## Longhair (Feb 17, 2012)

I have written this post over a couple of days, so if the tone of voice in it seems inconsistent and changing - that's why. The post is divided into three parts, each aimed at each of the posters to this thread. Thank you, all three, for answering, by the way.

@_drmiller100_ 
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by 'can wander subjects pretty well' and how that has something to do with Ne. Could you elaborate?

I'm 25 years old, which would mean that my auxiliary function should be rather clear by now, if it was to be found, as far as I understand. 

To mention a reason why I consider Ne to be off: I have a rather intense dislike for brainstorming, and feel completely overwhelmed by the stream of information and impressions in the process. I also consider it a useless and inefficient tool in generating good ideas.

That said, I do enjoy playing the devil's advocate, something which is an ENTP-thing to do I believe, especially with people I like and agree with. I've made a few INFP's very uncomfortable doing this.

@_Teybo_
First, I'll do what you asked for, then what you didn't ask for, and lastly, some of what you suggested.

Results, MBTI Step I:
E 2 - 19 I
S 9 - 17 N
T 11 - 13 F
J 16 - 6 P

Results, Big 5 inventory:
Extroversion 38%
Orderliness 60%
Emotional Stability 62%
Accommodation 60%
Inquisitiveness 72%

I'm a bit surprised by the accomodation score, which I expected to be a good deal lower, as it usually is; I must be in a particularly accomodating mood at the moment.

All in all, it does seem like as clear a result as can be hoped for, leaning towards INFJ. But I haven't always tested like this, and only started testing consistently as this a few months ago. Until then, some kind of IxTP was the most common, I believe, though I have little support for this at hand. I fear that the community has conditioned me to answer these tests like an INFJ, and that I'm not aware of to how great a degree this is the case.

I have three registered results on Keirsey.com, the only place I know of that has stored these. These were INTJ back in june 2008, ISTJ back in september 2011 and INFJ back in december 2012. I unfortunately don't have access to the percentage breakdown.

Other results I've posted on this forum previously:
Back in february, 2012, cognitive functions - http://personalitycafe.com/personality-test-resources/204-function-analysis-test-40.html#post2161942

With regards to your links: It's a rather impressive, comprehensive collection of MBTI type descriptions, Teybo. My browser warns me from visiting the Berens & Nardi website, though. Looking through the descriptions from the MBTI manual, I didn't relate very much to any greater part of the ISFP, ISTJ or ISFJ descriptions, but could find some similarities among most other types.

But you were just asking for one or two particularly strong examples and my reactions to them, right? Well, it has taking me quite a bit of time to find some; I seldom have strong 'that's me!'-reactions when reading these kinds of descriptions.

"The internal form of the INTJ's thoughts and concepts is highly individualized, and is not readily translatable into a form that others will understand."
I often find myself having a 'something doesn't fit'-reaction, but have no other immediate way to express it than through a grunt. This often has something to do with knowledge that I know I have, but which isn't immediately accessible. If that makes sense. Same goes for ideas that suddenly pop up in my head, that sort of thing. I have tried to work with this, but actually turning these thoughts into words is quite difficult, when the way one thinks often doesn't have much to do with words. 

"INFJs may be attracted to writing as a profession, and often they use language, which contains an unusual degree of imagery"
I'm not sure if the second part of the quote fits, but since I started learning to read and write, I have been attracted to writing as a profession and did write quite a few stories when I was a young child. Later, this mostly showed in writing for the school paper, and finding great enjoyment in assignments in Danish (my native language), as a school subject. My talents with regards to school work has always been all-round, if that matters.

I'm not sure if these examples are actually helpful - if not, could you perhaps suggest something more specific for me to search for?

@_Neidijijian_ - I do appreciate that you want to help me in finding my type. However, I have attempted that approach and it has not been very helpful to me.

I do not consider myself particularly unhealthily developed, and so the idea that I should have an overdeveloped tertiary or underdeveloped auxiliary function, and that that should prevent me from typing myself, makes little sense to me. 

I think the problem lies in the reductionist approach; separating cognition into little bits and pieces doesn't seem meaningful, and doesn't allow one to understand the complete type.

Your signature suggests that you are a little unsure of this yourself; still, I hope that you have more luck with the approach than I have had. Thank you for your input.


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## Teybo (Sep 25, 2012)

Hey @Longhair, glad you were able to get through all of that. I've got another long winded post for you.

Both your MBTI and your Big 5 test results indicate that you are likely an INFJ, but let's put these test results in the context of the older results you have posted (I think doing so will ease your mind and help provide an explanation for where you are now).

You mention testing as an IxTP of some sort at some time, but you're not sure when, and you mention testing as an INTJ, ISTJ, and an INFJ over a period of 4 years. What a variety of results, you might be thinking, but it seems fairly easy to explain, once you get acquainted with some dirty details about the MBTI.

The first thing I'll mention is that we should validate your statement in your first post to this thread. You are clearly an introvert. It seems that you are also an N type (again, as you identified). Given your stated preferences, which are corroborated by your scores on both tests which show that on both of these dimensions your preferences are not close to the middle, I see no reason for us to hem and haw any further about the apparent fact that you are an IN type. As for F and J, while your preferences were closer to the middle than on I and N, they don't seem to be so close as to be ambiguous.

So why did you test as those other types? Probably for these related reasons: First, the theoretical construction of the N/S and P/J dimensions in the MBTI are confounded such that NJ's tend to mistype as SJ's or NP's. Second, many MBTI items that are probing for Feeling are often more appealing to EF types and SF types than IF types or NF types. Third, there is a gender factor to the F/T dimension such that Feeling and femininity are associated (and Thinking and masculinity are thus also associated) which leads to the F answers being more appealing to women rather than men. There is research data that suggests that this is particularly true for NF men, since on one facet of the F/T dimension (the Questioning (T) vs. Accommodating (F) facet), N types tend to test as Questioning (and thus T) while S types tend to test as Accommodating (and thus F). Hell, F/T is a messy, messy thing in general.

Finally, I'll add that your P results in the past might have been influenced by your age, as research shows that young people have a P-ward slant.

Given these problems with the MBTI, it's not surprising that it does such a poor job of identifying INFJs (and male INFJs in particular). In fact, one study found that the MBTI miscategorized real INFJs as some other type (such as SJ or NP types) over 40% of the time.

On a personal note, I might mention the similarity between your experience here and my experience (and test results) going from INTJ to ISTJ to INFJ.

So, all of this being said, I would suggest focusing your self-reflection on the four IN types, but in particular, INFJ, keeping in mind that a lot of what is written about INFJs online is a bit, hmmm... "inflated." If you look hard enough, though, you can find some realistic descriptions. This thread has some good discussion of INFJ vs. INTJ, for example (and as a potential male INFJ, I'd point you to this post of mine in particular) What are your thoughts and feelings about possibly being an INFJ?


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## drmiller100 (Dec 3, 2011)

"wander subjects" means switch topics,switch ideas, have multiple convos at once. And i'm withdrawing that comment - you don't actually do very well at Ne.

So. Lets go the other way. If you are INFJ. You are male. Male's get pushed pretty hard in the US to be thinking. So, perhaps you have developed your Ti further along than most female INFJ's to fit into society. 

If so, you are an INFJ with relatively weak Fe and relatively strong Ti. 

I'd buy that.


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## Longhair (Feb 17, 2012)

@_drmiller100_ 
Ha! Well, well...

I'm Scandinavian, Danish, and I think the tendency to suppress Feeling among males is a bit less strong here than in the US. Still, I'm sure there is bit of the same tendency here, especially in the slightly more conservative area of the country where I'm from, so it might be an influence.

@_Teybo_
Feel free to be long-winded; I enjoy those posts.

My thoughts and feeling on possibly being INFJ? For some time, it has seemed as the most reasonable conclusion, but the strong tendency amongst people on this forum to gravitate towards the INFJ-typing, even when it does not seem as the most likely 'best fit', makes me doubt how probable it is to be my 'best fit' or whether I'm deluding myself. These same inflated descriptions that you mentioned, only makes these doubts that much stronger.

Looking at that post of yours that you linked to, I identify quite strongly with what you mentioned there, and a good deal of what Shane on NFGeeks said; knowing how things are, knowing how things should be, knowing that I'm right, and coming across like a bit of an asshole because of it. 

That's all I have right now. I feel reasonably confident about INFJ now, and more confident than I ever was about my other typings.


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## drmiller100 (Dec 3, 2011)

maybe you are ENTP.


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## Longhair (Feb 17, 2012)

drmiller100 said:


> maybe you are ENTP.


You're not one for hard and fast conclusions, are you? Within the cognitive functions paradigm, you went from me being INTP, because of me wandering subjects pretty well and therefor having auxiliary Ne, to me (possibly) being INFJ and certainly not being a strong Ne-user, to me now being a dominant Ne user. If looking at it from a dichotomies stand-point, it's even more inconsistent, with only N being constant.

It might have been smarter for me to have started out asking for reasoning rather than judgments - so, what is the reasoning behind these typings of yours, drmiller100?


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## drmiller100 (Dec 3, 2011)

Ne vs Ni is really hard to define and measure. I am Ne dominant, and have learned Ni, or at least how to pretend to be Ni along the way.

The facts are you are Nx, Ti, and Fe. The Fe came out later in the convo. Your first post shows VERY little feeling, later ones much more so.

I will say this. My Ne/Ti combo lets me mentally bounce around looking at things from every possible angle until something settles in and feels right. This is the second time you have felt discomfort at that approach - which does imply you are NOT ENTP.

I will also say based upon my very limited, and very subjective statistical analysis, those who struggle and struggle with figuring what they are often seem to settle in on INTP or INFP. I don't think you are one of those types though - just giving you information, which is more Ne behavior.


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## Teybo (Sep 25, 2012)

Longhair said:


> @_Teybo_
> Feel free to be long-winded; I enjoy those posts.
> 
> My thoughts and feeling on possibly being INFJ? For some time, it has seemed as the most reasonable conclusion, but the strong tendency amongst people on this forum to gravitate towards the INFJ-typing, even when it does not seem as the most likely 'best fit', makes me doubt how probable it is to be my 'best fit' or whether I'm deluding myself. These same inflated descriptions that you mentioned, only makes these doubts that much stronger.
> ...


While it's true that there are some teenagers and younger folks posting here as INFJ even though it's obviously a poor fit, those seem to be a minority case. I wouldn't worry about it in your case, given your relatively clear preferences. It might help to keep in mind that INFP's and INFJ's are the first and second most common types (respectively) on PerC for a reason: NFs are attracted to understanding other people through theories and abstractions, and introverts tend to live online these days, so it's no wonder that a website dedicated to personality theory is bursting with INF_'s. And as for the inflated descriptions... well, yes, there does seem to be some people obsessed with the idea of being INFJ, but as long as you're aware of that, you should be able to extract whatever helpful pieces of information you need and leave the fetishism for the nutters.

The fact that you resonate with what Shane said in that NFGeeks video really cements it for me that you are probably an INFJ. When I saw that video, I thought to myself, "Ah! Yes, finally someone is being honest. I don't feel like a saintly psychic, I feel so much like this guy: wanting to help other people using the strong insight I have, but ending up coming across like a bossy jerk sometimes. He understands me!"

Depending on what your interest is in knowing your type, I can point you toward some resources that I have found personally helpful (and that seem to be at least _mostly_ free of INFJ fetishism).


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## Longhair (Feb 17, 2012)

Teybo said:


> Depending on what your interest is in knowing your type, I can point you toward some resources that I have found personally helpful (and that seem to be at least _mostly_ free of INFJ fetishism).


I would be interested in any high-quality resources that might help my understanding of my type and that of others; how to work with and around them. I suppose we could continue this on pm? You've been most helpful.


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## Teybo (Sep 25, 2012)

Sure thing. I'll work on compiling some stuff and get back to you.


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## PaladinX (Feb 20, 2013)

@Teybo, from which manual do your links come from when you link to "Official MBTI manual?" I am curious because my 3rd edition profiles do not match what you've linked to.

Here is the INFJ profile from the 3rd Edition MBTI Manual:


*At Their Best*

People with INFJ preferences have a gift for intuitively understanding complex meanings and human relationships. They have faith in their insights and find that they often empathically understand the feelings and motivations of people before the others themselves are aware of them. They combine this empathic understanding with the drive and organization to implement global plans for enhancing people's lives.

INFJs have a visionary grasp of human relationships and possibilities, which, when articulated, can elevate and inspire others.


*Characteristics of INFJs*

INFJs seek meaning and connection in their lives and have little use for details unless they fit with their inner vision. They use their Intuition primarily internally, where they develop complex pictures and understandings. INFJs are likely to be:



Insightful, creative, and visionary
Conceptual, symbolic, and metaphysical
Idealistic, complex, and deep

INFJs apply personal values and empathize to understand others and make decisions. They are loyal to people and institutions that exemplify their values, but have little interest in those that do not. INFJs prefer to lead persuasively by sharing their vision. They are likely to be:



Sensitive, compassionate, and empathic
Deeply committed to their values

INFJs want meaning and purpose in their work, their relationships, even their material possessions. They are invested in growth and development for themselves and significant others and are willing to consider unconventional paths to achieve these. They value the depth and complexity of their insights and creative gifts as well as those of others. They want to see these insights realized in the world.

*
How Others May See Them*

INFJs readily show compassion and caring for others, but they share their internal intuitions only with those they trust. Because they keep this most valued, important part private, others may find them difficult to know. When they try to communicate their internal sense of "knowing," they often express it metaphorically and with complexity. They especially value authenticity and commitment in relationships.

Though INFJs are usually reserved, they don't hesitate to assert themselves when their values are violated. They they can be persistent and insistent. Others usually experience INFJs as:



Private, even mysterious
Intense and individualistic


*Potential Areas for Growth*

Sometimes life circumstances have not supported INFJs in the development and expression of their Feeling and Intuitive preferences:



If they have not developed their Feeling, INFJs may not have reliable ways of making decisions and accomplishing their goals. Then, their valuable insights and creativity stay locked inside.
If they have not developed their Intuition, they may not take in enough information or take in only what fits with their internal pictures. Then they will make ill-founded decisions based on distorted or limited information.

If INFJs do not find a place where they can use their gifts and be appreciated for their contributions, they usually feel frustrated and may:



Not give others the information they used to arrive at a decision, and thus seem arbitrary.
Base their judgments on little data, on a sense of "knowing" that has little basis in reality
Withdraw their energy and insight
Become resentful and critical

It is natural for INFJs to give less attention to their non-preferred Sensing and Thinking parts. If they neglect these too much, however, they may:



Be unable to verbalize their inner insights in a way that others can understand.
Fail to check their insights against reason and practicality, and end up following a vision that has little possibility of being realized.
Become single minded in pursuit of a vision.

Under great stress, INFJs may become obsessed with data they normally would consider irrelevant or over-indulge in Sensing activities such as watching TV reruns, overeating, or buying things that have little meaning for them.


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## Teybo (Sep 25, 2012)

@PaladinX : I stole the link from @reckful, so maybe he might be able to answer your question.


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## reckful (Jun 19, 2012)

@PaladinX & @Teybo —

Those MBTI Manual links in my profile roundups are from the Second Edition.

ADDED: In the spoiler is a revised set of profiles that includes the 3rd Edition descriptions.


* *




_INTJ Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_INTP Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_INFJ Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_INFP Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ENFJ Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ENFP Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ENTJ Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ENTP Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ISTJ Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ISTP Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ISFJ Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ISFP Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ESFJ Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ESFP Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ESTJ Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers

_ESTP Profiles_
MBTI Manual (2nd Ed.)
MBTI Manual (3rd Ed.)
Keirsey (Please Understand Me)
Kroeger & Thuesen (Type Talk)
Hirsh & Kummerow (Lifetypes [abridged])
Berens & Nardi
personalitypage: Portrait
personalitypage: Personal Growth
personalitypage: Relationships
personalitypage: Careers


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## Teybo (Sep 25, 2012)

@Longhair

I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you. I'm still working on compiling a respectable number of resources for you. Are there specific areas that you are interested in hearing about? (This could be: MBTI in general, self-improvement, dating/love, work/career, and so on)


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## Longhair (Feb 17, 2012)

Teybo said:


> @_Longhair_
> 
> I just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you. I'm still working on compiling a respectable number of resources for you. Are there specific areas that you are interested in hearing about? (This could be: MBTI in general, self-improvement, dating/love, work/career, and so on)


I'm mostly interested in hints as to how to make myself understandable to people of types that differ from my likely type - especially on the S/N and P/J-dichotomies. Could be with regards to dating or career, I suppose. My interest is mostly general, though, as a means to understand differences. I'm not sure how comfortable I would be letting MBTI decide career or dating-choices for me.


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## Teybo (Sep 25, 2012)

Longhair said:


> I'm mostly interested in hints as to how to make myself understandable to people of types that differ from my likely type - especially on the S/N and P/J-dichotomies. Could be with regards to dating or career, I suppose. My interest is mostly general, though, as a means to understand differences. I'm not sure how comfortable I would be letting MBTI decide career or dating-choices for me.


Hahaha, well, yeah, I wasn't referring to letting MBTI decide dating or career choices, so much as referring to getting targeted advice about possible dating or career obstacles or refining your understanding of yourself and your preferences (in contrast to what people around you tell you should prefer) so that when it's time to make a dating or career decision, you are better equipped to make a choice that is in harmony with who you are.

So, given your general interest, I reccommend the follwing.

*Three type-specific books:*

Please Understand Me II, by David Keirsey
Gifts Differing, by Isabel Meyers
Personality Type: an Owner's Manual, by Lenore Thomson

The first is a book focused on painting portraits of each of the 16 types. If you are looking for insightful illustrations of each type, Please Understand Me II should be in your personal library. Keirsey also groups the 16 types into 4 temperaments, a strategy which provides further insight into interaction styles and differences between groups.

The second, Gifts Differing, will give you a solid understanding of the origins of the MBTI as a theory, and some general information about the preferences. Myers does not dedicate as much of her book to individual portraits, but explains the 8 preferences (I,E,N,S,F,T,P,J) and some implications of type, including how to communicate with people who have differing preferences.

I actually have some misgivings about recommending Thomson's book. While she offers some interesting perspectives on type, some of her musings have little grounding in reality. For example, she has this bizarre theory that cognitive functions belong to certain locations in the brain (right vs. left, front vs. back). And she is overly focused on explaining the cognitive functions. Still, her portrait of INFJ strikes me as one of the better ones. I just recommend taking the book with a grain of salt (or more).

(Some of these books are available online if you know where to look... but I didn't tell you that :ninja

*Other type oriented things:*

I'd encourage you, if you haven't already, to read the personalitypage.com articles on personal growth. They have a lot of good advice.

I also highly recommend you read this article, published in the Journal of Psychological Type, about how it might be desirable to adjust or revise our understanding of type based on new research data. Other articles in the Journal might be of interest to you as well.

*Stuff that's not explicitly about type:*

I've thought a lot about what kind of things I would include in a "INFJ handbook for life", and of course most of these things wouldn't necessarily be explicitly about type. It's an idea that I want to work on a bit and get input from other INFJs in order to refine. For now, I recommend the following books/book topics:

Books on Mindfulness/Meditation
-- Probably any well-known book(s) will do, but Charlotte Kasl is by far my favorite author when it comes to mindfulness. She doesn't really go in depth about "how" to meditate, but that never bothered me, perhaps because I practiced meditation in several other settings before coming upon her books. Pick up "If the Buddha Got Stuck" or "If the Buddha Dated" for some really concise and incisive messages.

Books on Positive Psychology:
-- Forgiveness is a Choice by Robert Enright is powerfully written, and is backed by a lot of good psychology research.
-- Books about gratitude also seem to be particularly good for J types.
-- Books about codependency vs. developing healthy boundaries (For me personally, I have a mother with Borderline Personality Disorder, so the books I found most useful were about BPD, but I see that many INFJs struggle with this topic).


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## Octavarium (Nov 27, 2012)

Teybo said:


> I've thought a lot about what kind of things I would include in a "INFJ handbook for life", and of course most of these things wouldn't necessarily be explicitly about type. It's an idea that I want to work on a bit and get input from other INFJs in order to refine.


As you may or may not already be aware, Vicky Jo has already beaten you to it. I'm not necessarily endorsing it (it's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember if it's any good). Take it as a starting point, or another example of how irritating she is, or completely ignore it, its up to you.


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## Teybo (Sep 25, 2012)

Octavarium said:


> As you may or may not already be aware, Vicky Jo has already beaten you to it. I'm not necessarily endorsing it (it's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember if it's any good). Take it as a starting point, or another example of how irritating she is, or completely ignore it, its up to you.


Oh God. I'm going to need a lot of alcohol in my system before I can click through all of that.


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