# XSTP...Yup..Need An Outside Opinion



## MrSmashem (Aug 25, 2010)

Well, I thought I was an ISTP, but now I think I was wrong. Just so you know, I might hop around a bit in this post...I'm just trying to cover multiple points as briefly as possible.

Little backstory: The past 2-3 years I've spent alone, with little to no social activity. On top of that I had a rough time fitting in when I was younger(I always had a mind of my own and I didn't care about the little posses and groups kids had...I did my own thing and if no one wanted to join me, it didn't bother me a bit...I went ahead and did what I wanted to do anyways), which caused some resentment towards people in general.

I'm thinking because of that(lack of self confidence...being rejected...being cooped up indoors, by myself for so long), I jumped into MBTI assuming I was an Introvert. The more I analyze myself though, I've started to realize a few things that cause me to think I may be an ESTP.

For one, I read that when ESTP's get extremely stressed(which I have been these past few years), they become anti-social and begin devaluing things that people value...both I've been doing a lot of recently.

Another thing, I've found that I'm very instinctive/impulsive and reactive, which has gotten me in trouble a ton. Having said that, I'm not so reactive that I don't understand what I'm doing...I'm just reactive to the point that I don't think things through properly. X happens and instead of thinking it through, I just react...usually to figure out that I should've looked a little deeper than what I could see on the surface.

Also, from what I've read, Ti dom types like to intellectualize their emotions. I don't understand that. I'm not huge on emotions and all, but say I get angry...I show it. I don't separate myself from it...I experience it and act on it.

I can also be very aggressive...the thought of conflict kind of excites me...it gets my blood pumping.

Now, some things that still cause me to think ISTP...

I'm not super talkative and I'm not the biggest fan of talking. I enjoy it, but not for talking's sake. I'd rather go paintballing and talk in between games or something than show up for some social gathering.

I'm pretty cerebral...I can be a deep thinker if something interests me.

I definitely enjoy time alone...although...I enjoy it mainly because I can do whatever the heck I want and not have to worry about being bothered/interrupted, but there are times I like to just sit and think...that's moreso developed with age though.

Let me know what yall think and if you have any questions feel free to post em.


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## LiquidLight (Oct 14, 2011)

> I've found that I'm very instinctive/impulsive and reactive, which has gotten me in trouble a ton. Having said that, I'm not so reactive that I don't understand what I'm doing...I'm just reactive to the point that I don't think things through properly. X happens and instead of thinking it through, I just react...usually to figure out that I should've looked a little deeper than what I could see on the surface.


Definitely ESTP.


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## Enormous Hatred (Jul 29, 2011)

You seem inwardly-focused. I'm actually less convinced you're a Thinking type than an Introverted one.


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## MrSmashem (Aug 25, 2010)

Enormous Hatred said:


> You seem inwardly-focused.


Spend 3 years with little to no social interaction and that'll happen...not to mention you have to focus inwardly to figure out your type.



> I'm actually less convinced you're a Thinking type than an Introverted one.


What makes you say that?

XXFX is about as far off from my personality as you can get.


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## Duck_of_Death (Jan 21, 2011)

I think you're an ESTP. Your communication style is different from the other ISTPs on this site. You're more definitive, surefire. And while you may be down on yourself, your posts display an innate confidence that the average ISTP simply cannot generate.

Your posts commonly display Fe, as well.

And it is odd that you've brought this up; I've recently begun to think the same thing about myself.


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## reletative (Dec 17, 2010)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...................I could see it I guess. You've read descriptions, I'm assuming and identify more strongly with the ESTP descriptions? @xReBoRN7 aren't you like 20 or something? There's a lot of development that takes place in a person from age 18-25. You said you've been isolated? You could very well discover you are an extrovert. especially if you've been depressed the whole time you were isolated.....perhaps you needed an infusion of social stimulus to boost your mood? something to think about anyways.


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## MrSmashem (Aug 25, 2010)

Duck_of_Death said:


> I think you're an ESTP. Your communication style is different from the other ISTPs on this site. You're more definitive, surefire. And while you may be down on yourself, your posts display an innate confidence that the average ISTP simply cannot generate.


Haha, I had no idea.



> Your posts commonly display Fe, as well.


Well, I never really thought about or noticed this but I could see where some Fe seeps through...at least with my more recent posts. I gave up posting for awhile just because I was a bit tired of sitting around on my PC all day typing crap...recently I've got back on but never really took the time to respond to anything unless I was bugged by something written in a post...which recently has been more Fe related stuff, I s'pose. If I am an ESTP...this would be the time(turning 21 soon) for Fe to start developing...so maybe that's what's going on. Can't say I value it a whole lot though...harmony/togetherness/social standards and all that jazz isn't really on my priority list.



> And it is odd that you've brought this up; I've recently begun to think the same thing about myself.


 Can't help ya a lot on that one. I can say I've noticed that your communication style isn't really typical for ISTP either. It's more direct and matter-of-fact. Also as you mentioned with me, it's more definitive and has more confidence in it than other ISTP's I've seen.

Off the top of my head, I could see you being an ESTJ(which shadow is ISTP). You'd know better than I would, though. I definitely have a hard time seeing you as an Introvert though...you _seem_ too assertive/outspoken to be an I.


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## Enormous Hatred (Jul 29, 2011)

xReBoRN7 said:


> What makes you say that?
> 
> XXFX is about as far off from my personality as you can get.


More of a hunch than anything. I don't know much else about you, obviously. Fi and Ti work in fundamentally similar ways, and I got a bigger impression of the former. "Instinctive, impulsive, reactive" judgements just sounds more like Fi than Ti's systematic, "cold" analysis. Plus, you did say you didn't identify so well with parts of Ti, so as much as it could be it's not your dominant function you may just not have it in your type at all.


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## MrSmashem (Aug 25, 2010)

@Khys I have a hard time with the typical, "ESTP is a social butterfly" portion of descriptions, but everything else I strongly relate to. Like I wrote above, socializing isn't something I want to do outside of an experience...standing around and just talking for the sake of talking is boring.

Also, good call on the depression bit. I never even thought about how being isolated made me feel...now that I think about it...that might be a big piece of why I've been so depressed these past few years. Too much being cooped up indoors all by myself.


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## thunder (Jun 15, 2011)

xReBoRN7 said:


> Also, from what I've read, Ti dom types like to intellectualize their emotions. I don't understand that. I'm not huge on emotions and all, but say I get angry...I show it. I don't separate myself from it...I experience it and act on it.


I intellectualize my emotions all the time.



xReBoRN7 said:


> Now, some things that still cause me to think ISTP...
> 
> I'm not super talkative and I'm not the biggest fan of talking. I enjoy it, but not for talking's sake. I'd rather go paintballing and talk in between games or something than show up for some social gathering.
> 
> ...


Being an extrovert doesn't necessarily mean you love to talk or that you can't stand to be alone or enjoy being alone. I could see how there could be that swapping of cognitive functions order between ISTP/ESTP. 

I did a quick search on ESTP cognitive functions, and I felt like the following two quotes echo what you've written very well (unless you're echoing them in your research on the question of ESTP-vs-ISTP) --

In the functional analysis section of this article, http://typelogic.com/estp.html:



> [Ti-aux] readily yields to allow Sensing[Se-dom] to savor a special moment


And, from simulatedworld's ESTP: A Jungian Cognitive Function Analysis from personality nation.com (I can't seem to paste the url):



> In lesser moments of clarity, excessive Se may use argumentation as a means of proving its bravado or physical presence, its immediate influence on the perceptions of the surrounding audience. Talk is cheap--actions will _always_ speak louder than words.





xReBoRN7 said:


> I have a hard time with the typical, "ESTP is a social butterfly" portion of descriptions, but everything else I strongly relate to.


To me, relating "typical" action to type can be a bit distorting, because then it almost becomes a stereotype. It's like saying "ISTPs, despite being introverts, are often very social at parties" which I would say does not apply to all ISTPs, myself included. 

Rather, I would put legitimacy on what each cognitive functions means in the orders they stand for each type.


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## reletative (Dec 17, 2010)

xReBoRN7 said:


> @Khys I have a hard time with the typical, "ESTP is a social butterfly" portion of descriptions, but everything else I strongly relate to. Like I wrote above, socializing isn't something I want to do outside of an experience...standing around and just talking for the sake of talking is boring.
> 
> Also, good call on the depression bit. I never even thought about how being isolated made me feel...now that I think about it...that might be a big piece of why I've been so depressed these past few years. Too much being cooped up indoors all by myself.


I dont think being an extrovert means you have to "love talking nonstop". It just seems you draw energy from engaging outside your mind. (that's how i would sum it up anyways) If you've been locked up in your own head for years and were depressed because of it, and are now engaging outside your head and being energized by it, then I would say you are Se dominant.

That's just my 2 cents.

edit: personally, while engaging outside my own head will energize me for a short burst, i get very drained by it and always have to retreat to charge my mental batteries. Whereas being alone to mull things over and think and daydream makes me super energized and stimulated.


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## MrSmashem (Aug 25, 2010)

Enormous Hatred said:


> More of a hunch than anything. I don't know much else about you, obviously. Fi and Ti work in fundamentally similar ways, and I got a bigger impression of the former. "Instinctive, impulsive, reactive" judgements just sounds more like Fi than Ti's systematic, "cold" analysis. Plus, you did say you didn't identify so well with parts of Ti, so as much as it could be it's not your dominant function you may just not have it in your type at all.


It's not that I don't relate to Ti...I strongly relate to it...I just don't relate to some of what I've read about being Ti Dom.

Also, Se is impulsive, reactive and instinctive.

Just trying to figure out which one is my dominant function...Se or Ti.


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## reletative (Dec 17, 2010)

I'm a little rusty on my functino interaction since it's been a while since i picked up the books, but...

Doesn't your secondary function sort of balance out your dominant function? For me, Se definitely balances out my Ti and keeps me from getting out of control. It sounds like for you, Ti balances out your Se and keeps it from getting out of control....amiright? I think you're Se dominant, yo


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## MrSmashem (Aug 25, 2010)

@Khys Can you clarify on what, "engaging outside your head" means.

When I read that, I'm thinking everything external...I.E. movies, video games, sports, outdoors etc. If that's the case, then yeah, those things give me energy. I can't spend too much time in my head before I get bored and have to jump right in again. It bores me to "reflect" on anything too long(unless it's a serious issue...then I can spend an hour or 2 on it here and there). And when I say too long, I mean more than 5-10 minutes pains me without jumping right back in(if the option is available).

I've also noticed if I just sit without any external stimulus for too long I get antsy. I can't just sit in my room with just the light on and think for very long without scrambling to find something to do.

Edit: And yeah, Aux balances out your Dom function.


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## LiquidLight (Oct 14, 2011)

Basically if your first instinct is to react outwardly, you're an extravert if the choice is between Se and Ti. Ti-doms under stress actually become uber-logical and hypersensitive (because of Ti and inferior Fe). Ti is their dominant mindset so when everything begins to fall apart people will first look to their dominant function to bail them out (ISTP would withdraw into Ti and ESTP would express through Se). ESTP's under stress become physically reactive, confused and begin to attribute all kinds of wonky meanings to things and nonsensical reasonings for why something might be occurring (Inferior Ni).


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## MrSmashem (Aug 25, 2010)

Yeah, I'm thinkin I'm an ESTP.


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## reletative (Dec 17, 2010)

LiquidLight said:


> Basically if your first instinct is to react outwardly, you're an extravert .


you just said it way better than i did lol


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## MrSmashem (Aug 25, 2010)

Well, I aint givin up the ISTP forum.

That place is still my home as far as I'm concerned! XD


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## Duck_of_Death (Jan 21, 2011)

xReBoRN7 said:


> I have a hard time with the typical, "ESTP is a social butterfly" portion of descriptions, but everything else I strongly relate to. Like I wrote above, socializing isn't something I want to do outside of an experience...standing around and just talking for the sake of talking is boring.


It won't be when you've developed strong, inner confidence and the surrounding people hang on every word you say. Trust me.



> Also, good call on the depression bit. I never even thought about how being isolated made me feel...now that I think about it...that might be a big piece of why I've been so depressed these past few years. Too much being cooped up indoors all by myself.


I know several ESTPs and most of them are indeed naturally reserved, easygoing and quiet. But unlike an ISTP who uses inaccessibility to hide his "true self", an ESTP usually puts on a charismatic social persona to do so. And conversely--like ISTPs--many of them suffered childhood shyness issues and developed the gregarious persona during their formative years. 

And I absolutely agree that your depression stems from inactivity. High Se types are not meant to be inactive or reclusive. It's slow death to the soul.

Trust me, I've been there.


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