# Core Question Each Type Asks?



## skackjellington (Jun 8, 2015)

I was wondering if anyone could help me complete my list of core questions that each personality type asks. I did some quick searching at the University of Google and came up short. I did find a neat list of questions that each type will ask in a relationship if you’re interested in that, but anyway on to the reason behind this request.

Backstory - 

I discovered, as I'm sure most of you have, that there are personality types which appear very similar to each other on the exterior. My sister (INTJ) and I (INTP) spent hours figuring out our father's type (INFJ) who presents himself in an xNTx fashion, however, when you pay close attention to how people arrive at their conclusions and their stances on controversial topics, the driving forces then become clear. An intelligent INFJ -- and I only know two but my understanding is they are all pretty damn sharp -- will give acquaintances the impression that they are very objective and analytical. The impression given is not wrong per se, it’s just a different brand of analytical than xNTx. One might assume they fall under xNTx because of this, but a little closer examination reveals that their analysis, while usually insightful and accurate, is of a more subjective nature piloted by their intuition. 

INFJs, at least my understanding of their type anyway, rarely reveal their processes and true nature to those outside of their inner circle. It was easy for his children then to drill down with questions to isolate those mental processes because he is less guarded around us. His core question gave away his type and settled the debate over his cognitive preferences. Simply discussing a controversial political issue revealed that he was in fact subconsciously asking ‘Is this good for people?’ even though he generally presents his thought-process in what appears to be an objective fashion. 

Identifying a type without testing - 

What I learned from trying to identify a personality type without a test involved, and I'll just say openly that I think the MBTI is a crap test, is that it's not too difficult to type someone yourself if you understand the cognitive functions and have a strong grasp of the Thinking/Feeling dichotomy -- as that is the most commonly misunderstood of them all based on MBTI data. One could argue J/P is even more difficult, but I suggest ignoring the stereotypical 'J's are more organized and productive while P's have messy hair and open schedules' descriptions rampant on the internet, and instead concentrating on the individuals actual cognitive stack. It’s easier to approach it that way for me anyway.

Also T/F dichotomy can be a victim of gender roles and societal pressures. Males will view Feeling as inferior to Thinking and less masculine, while women generally are expected to be the arbiters of emotions and social skills; This is a common misconception. T’s are no more intelligent than F’s, they just approach things differently. Feelers use a more subjective system of Right vs Wrong, whereas Thinkers go with what they perceive as a more widely accepted objective system of True vs False. Both systems are inherently subjective by the way. Ethics are an important counterbalance to the cold calculating nature of T’s. Any ‘Thinker’ who concludes that emotional intelligence or ethics are inferior to their own system is a fool. Just like how J’s are people of action and P’s are people of a planning/philosophical nature, the balance of IQ and EQ is of equal importance. Mind you, we’re speaking in generalizations and extremes to better illustrate the differences.

TLDR; In a situation where you're not dealing with an individual you are close to or they present themselves in a manner that contradicts their inner nature, I found that the core question that a type will ask is one of the best tools for ultimately identifying their type. Of course start with each cognitive function and ordering the stack, but this may get you there a little quicker. 

INTP asks 'Is this true?' 
INTJ 'Will this work?'
INFJ 'Is this good for people?'
ENTJ 'How can this be best put to use?'

And so on. 

Can you other types chime in with the core question your type asks?


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## Recede (Nov 23, 2011)

Here are some of the questions I ask, as an ISTP. They are in order from most natural to least natural. The last three feel quite different from my natural state, and they are a skill I've only recently started learning. 

"What logic is being expressed?"
"Is this necessarily true?"
"Does this make sense?"
"Do I have any actual evidence?"
"What do I know for certain?" 
"Does this seem right?"
"Will this work?"
"What will it take for this to be solved?"


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## westlose (Oct 9, 2014)

I feel like I'm more asking questions like :

"What is the meaning of this?"
"Why does this person act this way?"
"What will happen next?"
"What should I do?"
"What is the truth?"


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## Retsu (Aug 12, 2011)

"Why?" 
"Why are you doing it that way?"
"Why?"
"What are you doing, it's easier to do it this way?"
Etc...
Main question I ask is why.


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## giraffegator (Dec 28, 2014)

I think ISTJ is 'what is the most efficient way to do this?'

Jury's out on whether I am an ISFP or an INFP but I'm going to say my biggest questions are
"Who am I?"
"What is my purpose?"
"How can I best experience life/the world?" or rephrased that might be "how can I be fulfilled/happy" or "how do I find joy?"


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## Lunaena (Nov 16, 2013)

Who am I?

- INFP.


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## Meltboy (May 14, 2013)

"What would you do if..."
"Why do you believe...."
"What if..."


Questions I mostly ask begin with What + Why.


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

For me, it's any question that begins with "I wonder..." and ends with a question mark for the most part. 

Or just, "Where/what is the idea?" 

I often find myself asking what is truly real in front of me - but actually that is because I'm looking for what could be. 

It's hard to frame perception into a question.


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## skackjellington (Jun 8, 2015)

Well there's one single core question that each type asks. This question is subconscious and the overarching theme for how a type will interpret and then process information. 

So, Westlose, those are questions that you consciously ask, but like I said above, there is question that captures the theme of how your personality works. For an INFJ, harmony is of the utmost importance and the question of 'Is this good for people?' showcases this.

For an INTP, at the heart of everything we do we are asking a subconscious question of 'Is this true?'. 

Source: personalitycafe.com/infj-forum-protectors/7415-infj-intp-relationship.html

Edit: As far as I know there's no handbook on this 'question'. From what I've encountered studying the various types, the experts of a type find that this question is encapsulates a type in its simplest form. I've seen this 'fundamental base question' in other articles as well. It's most readily apparent in problem-solving. What drives an INTP, for example, could not be more accurate than 'is this true?'. Those three words sum up how I work. I want to know what the truth is and the rest I don't care about. If I find out how something works I'm no longer interested. We seek knowledge for the sake of curiosity. An INTJ is an expert with systems and paradigms. Their drive is to understand that system and determine if this system truly works. 

To illustrate in a different way here are four types working as a team to solve a political issue: An INTP would figure out what the problem actually is, not simply what it appears to be, the INTJ would devise or utilize the best system for this solution, the INFJ refines that solution in the best social context, because let's face it, the INTP/INTJ duo won't have a clue about the true implications and their impact on actual people, and the ENTJ will know how to take this solution out of theory-land and expertly put it into action.


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## skackjellington (Jun 8, 2015)

Draumande Romvesen said:


> Who am I?
> 
> - INFP.


I've seen that elsewhere too. That or something like 'What's my purpose?'


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## Recede (Nov 23, 2011)

skackjellington said:


> Well there's one single core question that each type asks. This question is subconscious and the overarching theme for how a type will interpret and then process information.
> 
> So, Westlose, those are questions that you consciously ask, but like I said above, there is question that captures the theme of how your personality works. For an INFJ, harmony is of the utmost importance and the question of 'Is this good for people?' showcases this.


INFJ is primarily an Ni type, and only secondarily Fe. It's inconsistent to assume INTPs will ask Ti questions and INTJs will ask Ni questions, and then assume INFJs will ask Fe questions.


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## Coburn (Sep 3, 2010)

ESTJ:

Why?
What do you want?
What do you want me to do about it?


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## westlose (Oct 9, 2014)

skackjellington said:


> So, Westlose, those are questions that you consciously ask, but like I said above, there is question that captures the theme of how your personality works. For an INFJ, harmony is of the utmost importance and the question of 'Is this good for people?' showcases this.


Well, I feel like people overestimate INFJ's Fe. We are Ni-dominant after all. Our first priority is to perceive the stream of events, their origin and consequences. We want to understand the causality of the world.

Fe is more like a tool, or a secondary goal.


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## Ninjaws (Jul 10, 2014)

"Why?" is my favourite question. If this cannot be answered, I tend to ignore everything that was said before it. Every action should have a reason behind it.


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## AdroElectro (Oct 28, 2014)

What do I think about this?/How does this relate to me? 
Is this interesting? 
How does this relate to other things I know?


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## FourLeafCloafer (Aug 5, 2014)

Why is this happening?
Why do people react like that?
Is this idea solid?
Is this idea complete, or is there more to it?
Can I help in some way to improve this situation?
Who is being the idiot here?
Is this doing anything good, fun or interesting?
How does this work?
What deeper disagreements lay under this argument?
What did I set out to do again?
Did I have lunch already? (Never mind, I'm hungry so I eat)
Am I hindering others by going off topic all the time?


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## Schizoid (Jan 31, 2015)

Whenever I encounter a problem in life:
Why did this happen?
How do I solve this problem?
How about trying out Solution X? 
What is the pros/cons of this solution? 
What will be the long-term consequence if I were to go for this solution?


Whenever I encounter people who are rude toward me: 
Why did they react like this? What is the underlying reason behind their reaction? 
What did I do wrong that causes them to react this way? 
Is it me who did something wrong?
Or do they have anger issues or some other psychological reasons for reacting that way? 
How do I change my words/actions to prevent the same thing from reoccurring again in future?


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## FourLeafCloafer (Aug 5, 2014)

Meltboy said:


> "What would you do if..."
> "Why do you believe...."
> "What if..."
> 
> ...


So in short it is:

What? Why?

Which is also my main question when someone asks me to stop eating their food.


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## Water_Beatle (Jun 19, 2013)

INFP

'Is this the right thing to do?'


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## Captain Mclain (Feb 22, 2014)

Why? Whats this? Whats this for? Whats the purpose? Why this?


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## Ghostsoul (May 10, 2014)

Ni: How?
Si: When?
Se: Where?
Ne: What?
Fe: Who?
Ti and Fi: Why?

Not sure about Te.


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## EndsOfTheEarth (Mar 14, 2015)

INTJ 

Why did I bother?


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## mushr00m (May 23, 2011)

Fi dom

What's the significant meaning to this?
How much value does this hold?


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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

ENTJ : "Will it make me money"
ESTP : "How do I steal their money"
ESFP : "How do I fit more money in my g-string"
INFP : "Who am I and what is money"
ISFP : "Who am I and what is money" looks into the sunset*


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

skackjellington said:


> INTP asks 'Is this true?'
> INTJ 'Will this work?'
> INFJ 'Is this good for people?'
> ENTJ 'How can this be best put to use?'
> ...


is that true? 

yeah, it's a close call between "is this true?" and "why do one of my socks always disappear when I put them in my dryer?"...I kinda lean towards the first, unless it's cold outside and I need two socks, then...


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