# Are NTs insecure about their intelligence?



## Agelastos (Jun 1, 2014)

Ballast said:


> My problem is that if I don't feel I am a total expert in something, I am secretly insecure someone will come along and poke holes in my statements like I'm an idiot for not having known this or that. It's like Ni forces me to consider the potential of all I don't know. I don't get to rest in my laurels very much.


I don't think that's a Ni-thing, because I used to be the same way (and I still am, on occasion).


----------



## moltobene (Feb 16, 2014)

Insecurity about knowledge or skill (competence) has nothing to do with confidence about your intelligence. Inteligent people do ignore a lot of stuff they have not yet learned, obviously.

The generic cognitive power of an individual is, say, the combination of intelligence, ingenuity, imagination, future projection, memorization, practice, focus, motivation and goal prioritization.

Shortcomings on one or more of those others is hardly a case for insecurity about intelligence specifically.


----------



## Ninja_dude (May 31, 2014)

Now before i start let's define stuff:
-knowledge: in this thread i mean knowing an information. You can be dumb but know something(like lyrics)
-intelligence: sort of a measurement for person's ability to be rational, find creative solutions etc(kinda like what IQ tries to measure)

Now as many said most NTs were praised for their brains and since humans use our qualities to identify ourselves we try to preserve that status. Now unlike some people who are arrogant and say that they're smart(or any other quality)no matter what, we are often the opposite. Especially NTPs. If we don't get something or couldn't come up with a perfect solution that means we're done. We don't care if we have a lot of knowledge as much as we care if we're intelligent. One little screw up, one little thing that shows we're not smart and it turns into a depressive loop of:"Damnit p! I'm dumb, incompetent. There are people who understand it, but i can't! My IQ is probably -15 and i'm stupid". I'm basically confirming(quoting) some previous posts. 
Personally i'm insecure about it. Always told tha i'm smart but always think and scared of being "average", and set my standards really high.(or maybe i'm exaggerating and dramatizing to justify my lack of intelligence) (damnit the loop is back again!!!!


----------



## Serenade (Sep 9, 2014)

lookslikeiwin said:


> I think NTs ARE insecure sometimes. The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure most of us also struggle with pride in our intelligence  For instance, I will waver between thinking everyone else is so much smarter than me and I'm an idiot for not catching a single reference that I had no way to know in the first place or something, thinking I am absolutely AWESOME and its just simply that no one recognizes how much of a genius I am, and also just thinking everyone is intelligent in different ways so although some might be smarter than others overall, it is difficult and unfair to measure one kind of intelligence against another. Logically, I assume the latter, but it is hard to think that way at times.


Can totally relate to this.

Sometimes I think I'm stupid. Other times I think I'm the smartest person in the world because I observed something others haven't, and I keep it in my head like it's a big secret. 

But most of the time I think I'm pretty dumb. Maybe it's because I don't have any other people that I know of who are on the same wave length as me to discuss a bunch of smrt ppl topics.


----------



## Amine (Feb 23, 2014)

If my intelligence were translated into penis size, I think I'd have about a 7 incher.


----------



## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

I am pretty confident in my ability to reason in a more abstract sense. I am insecure about things that tend to resemble past events where I have fucked up, and I have always had some kind of fear of incompetence that I have yet to fully get over. I guess it's a Te thing, to link "doing things right" with intelligence. If I make a mistake I didn't account for, I get insecure about my ability in that area and hence my intelligence. (If I plan for error I'm usually fine.  )

Basically, I am more insecure of a situation/issue where I feel I've "screwed it up" - even if I'm knowledgeable about it overall - than with a novel situation/issue I know nothing about, but feel like I "get it."


----------



## lookslikeiwin (May 6, 2014)

Serenade said:


> Can totally relate to this.
> 
> Sometimes I think I'm stupid. Other times I think I'm the smartest person in the world because I observed something others haven't, and I keep it in my head like it's a big secret.
> 
> But most of the time I think I'm pretty dumb. Maybe it's because I don't have any other people that I know of who are on the same wave length as me to discuss a bunch of smrt ppl topics.


Yeah I felt like a genius in college because I had a good high school education, apparently (hilarious, since I never did anything in high school), but then I moved back home, which is a college town, and so I feel stupid again, especially measuring up against my much more socially capable ENTP family members.

Thankfully, I found an INTP friend (one who made me realize that I too, am an INTP) and we can talk about stuff. There's a nice level of understanding haha. Its funny because she did really well in high school, but got lazy in college. I was lazy in high school, but did more work in college  but I didn't go into science like she did.

I pretty much only feel smart when I'm talking about one of my INTP obsessions though. Thankfully, I can share at least two of them with my friend.


----------



## moltobene (Feb 16, 2014)

What you guys describe have more to do with attachment to the outcome than intelligence itself. It is very common, specially among NTs but it says nothing about your intelligence.

I have typed some passages from my copy of "Please Understand Me II". It is Keirsey so take his tendency towards caricatures and lack of split between type and motivation with a grain of salt, but he is always interesting nonetheless:



> Rationals demand so much achievement from themselves that they often have trouble mesuring up to their own standards. NTs typically believe that what they do is not good enough, and are frequently haunted by a sense of teetering on the edge of failure. This time their achievement will not be adequate. This time their skill will not be great enough. This time, in all probability, failure is at hand.
> 
> Making matters worse, Rationals tend to ratchet up their standards of achievement, setting the bar at the level of their greatest success, so that anything less than their best is judged as mediocre. The hard-won triumph becomes the new standard of what is merely acceptable, and ordinary achievements are now viewed as falling short of the mark. NTs never give themselves a break from this escalating level of achievement, and so constant self-doubt and niggling sense of impeding failure are their lot.





> [...]others might shrug off mistakes, but not Rationals. In other words, just as ingenuity is the NT's pride, so lack of it is their shame, and when they see themselves as slow or second-rate in any activity they are merciless in their self-condemnation, calling themselves "klutz","idiot","numbskull","turkey," and other pejoratives. Such recriminations are not mere critiques of their performance, but are also likely to be scathing self-denunciations, with each term indicating the unforgivable crime of stupidity.


----------



## Serenade (Sep 9, 2014)

lookslikeiwin said:


> Yeah I felt like a genius in college because I had a good high school education, apparently (hilarious, since I never did anything in high school), but then I moved back home, which is a college town, and so I feel stupid again, especially measuring up against my much more socially capable ENTP family members.
> 
> Thankfully, I found an INTP friend (one who made me realize that I too, am an INTP) and we can talk about stuff. There's a nice level of understanding haha. Its funny because she did really well in high school, but got lazy in college. I was lazy in high school, but did more work in college  but I didn't go into science like she did.
> 
> I pretty much only feel smart when I'm talking about one of my INTP obsessions though. Thankfully, I can share at least two of them with my friend.


Haha! That's funny because people think I'm a good student too, but I don't put much effort into high school right now xD

I wish I could find an INTP friend IRL. All the ones that I did know of I met online. I terminated all my contacts because I was like, "F*** it!" (I was in one of my depressive moods) and then I deleted my email, Facebook, Skype and twitter accounts so they couldn't contact me again :crazy:

What are you in? When I read "Careers for INTPs" it's all science and math related, which I'm mediocre at and I'm not considering any careers in those fields. 

YES! "INTP advertiser mode" as some people call it. I rant about topics of interests to anyone who will listen (usually my INTJ bro). I do it quite loudly, too, so then all the bystanders can eavesdrop easily and increase their knowledge >


----------



## lookslikeiwin (May 6, 2014)

Serenade said:


> Haha! That's funny because people think I'm a good student too, but I don't put much effort into high school right now xD
> 
> I wish I could find an INTP friend IRL. All the ones that I did know of I met online. I terminated all my contacts because I was like, "F*** it!" (I was in one of my depressive moods) and then I deleted my email, Facebook, Skype and twitter accounts so they couldn't contact me again :crazy:
> 
> ...


Haha that's great. I think I'll call it that from now on. I rant to my husband usually. My mom and brother are good at making it clear when they are tuning me out, which is bothersome, of course. My husband does too, but it isn't as bad. I try to keep it to my friend and a couple ENFP friends I have  My INFJ friend also thinks its okay. I found the INTP quite by accident. I met her in high school, but I really didn't get to know her very well until last year.

I have two main obsessions and two minor obsessions at the moment. One of my main obsessions is personality theory because every new person is a new puzzle so I can't help myself. My other one is stories. I like coming up with story ideas and making them plausible in ways that matter to me (they're all fantasy, so not totally plausible, but I do like to make sure characters and stuff make sense, and honestly most of my fantasy isn't very magic-y in general. More surreal or alternate universe stuff.) I enjoy role-playing with my friend - we like to do crossovers so our characters interact and we figure out what they'll do in each other's worlds and all that. It kind of forces us to come up with certain things, too. I need to research why ice formed in the places it did on planet earth so I can simulate it in my fantasy story now  Its an ice age, so it matters.

My minor obsessions are ancient history (anything pre-renaissance I find really interesting) and anything Judeo-Christian. I guess I like religion in general, but I'm a Christian so naturally my own religious stuff would appeal to me the most.

So yeah, no math or science for me! Though I liked them both. Just wasn't confident enough to pursue or enjoy either of them.


----------



## Serenade (Sep 9, 2014)

lookslikeiwin said:


> Haha that's great. I think I'll call it that from now on. I rant to my husband usually. My mom and brother are good at making it clear when they are tuning me out, which is bothersome, of course. My husband does too, but it isn't as bad. I try to keep it to my friend and a couple ENFP friends I have  My INFJ friend also thinks its okay. I found the INTP quite by accident. I met her in high school, but I really didn't get to know her very well until last year.
> 
> I have two main obsessions and two minor obsessions at the moment. One of my main obsessions is personality theory because every new person is a new puzzle so I can't help myself. My other one is stories. I like coming up with story ideas and making them plausible in ways that matter to me (they're all fantasy, so not totally plausible, but I do like to make sure characters and stuff make sense, and honestly most of my fantasy isn't very magic-y in general. More surreal or alternate universe stuff.) I enjoy role-playing with my friend - we like to do crossovers so our characters interact and we figure out what they'll do in each other's worlds and all that. It kind of forces us to come up with certain things, too. I need to research why ice formed in the places it did on planet earth so I can simulate it in my fantasy story now  Its an ice age, so it matters.
> 
> ...


My ENTP mother always tunes me out. My INFJ father does on it occasion, too. At least he doesn't interrupt me. 

The obsession of personality theory passed within two years for me. Wonder how long'll it take for you. 

I also write stories, but I'm not obsessed with them. I don't have any current obsessions right now  Have you ever read/watch Game of Thrones? I have and they're _so_ amazing! I love fantasy so I read any genres in it and attempt to write stories, as well, but I don't roleplay. I always wanted to LARP, though. Seems fun! Writing is fun because it can be fictional or nonfictional with made up characters and nonfictional like based on real events in the past. 

History is also my favourite subject. I don't have a specific time-era, but I guess anything before the 21st, mid-20th century. Anthropology and religion are very interesting, too, because if you study indigenous groups and their mythology, you could base fantasy-like elements in a fictional world from that.

I don't like math. I liked science. But it had math in it, so I ditched it and pursued all these lawyer-ish courses like Law, Philosophy, History, English etc. (I want to be a lawyer:happy


----------



## Theology (Apr 2, 2014)

If other people weren't so stupid I would consider myself an idiot.


----------



## Grandalf (Jun 7, 2014)

a thousand times more when they learn about MBTI. 

The previously high standards will skyrocket once they learn their NT status. Its possible they'll be even more furious when they don't achieve their high objectives, maybe so far as saying they're no longer NT's.


----------



## lookslikeiwin (May 6, 2014)

Serenade said:


> My ENTP mother always tunes me out. My INFJ father does on it occasion, too. At least he doesn't interrupt me.
> 
> The obsession of personality theory passed within two years for me. Wonder how long'll it take for you.
> 
> ...



That's hilarious you have an ENTP mother and an INFJ father. I probably already mentioned my mom is an ENTP (I don't feel like checking). My dad is an ISFJ  Though he has some really highly developed Ne, I'm pretty sure. He is so weird. And he's too nice to be an inferior Fe, and kind of S-like in general. So I'm pretty sure he isn't an INTP, otherwise I'd have considered it. Which would have been hilarious, of course. But anyway.

I haven't read "Game of Thrones" yet. I'm currently reading "The Martian", partially to temper my brother's ENTP version of advertisement mode, and partially because it's actually really interesting and funny. I also am reading "The Case for Christ", but "Game of Thrones" is on my audible wish list.

I think I started developing stories around age 13, and I was embarrassed because I thought it was weird so I didn't share them until I was 15 or so, but I didn't even share much then. No one could have told you more than about 2% of my stuff until this year. Now my friend knows at least 60% total, and probably just about everything regarding a specific story (which is great, because that's my baby). I kind of love and hate the roleplay. We don't do it like normal people (I've looked up how normal people do it, and its weird. And kind of creepy how many people want to play out inappropriate stuff). We just text back and forth, reactions, thoughts, etc. Its not very good to practice writing, but it's great for getting story elements down, which I desperately need. I'm much more directed now in what I need to learn before I can tell my story effectively. I really really really need to research polar ice formation T_T I keep putting it off because its effort. 

Once I get through that, I intend to read up a lot on world history, which is a lot more entertaining, as we both surmised  While anything pre-Moses doesn't matter all that much for me to read, I need to go through most of the Bible, and simultaneously a world history book so I can develop my alternate world. It IS fantasy, but there's still stuff based off of real religions and conflicts. Like you say, that's the interesting stuff. Again, I focus most on Judeo-Christianity, obviously. Anyway, that was kind of my own little INTP advertisement mode. Sorry! I can't help it. I can't even bring myself to delete it!

I kinda understand wanting to avoid math  I like math for some reasons and dislike it for others. Math is nice because one can listen to music while solving it. I find this puzzle-solving very relaxing. I don't like math because... I feel like I'm wasting time. And it has nothing to do with stuff I would RATHER puzzle-solve. I could never be a lawyer (too much of an HSP for that), and politics depress me so I need the opportunity to escape them. But still, the things you list are definitely things I can appreciate XD After all, everything is tied into a story for me, and I'm sure someone will be a lawyer at some point, and therefore, I'm interested.

Okay, </rant>


----------



## Serenade (Sep 9, 2014)

lookslikeiwin said:


> That's hilarious you have an ENTP mother and an INFJ father. I probably already mentioned my mom is an ENTP (I don't feel like checking). My dad is an ISFJ  Though he has some really highly developed Ne, I'm pretty sure. He is so weird. And he's too nice to be an inferior Fe, and kind of S-like in general. So I'm pretty sure he isn't an INTP, otherwise I'd have considered it. Which would have been hilarious, of course. But anyway.


That's too funny! Maybe ENTP parents are likely to have INTP kids. Why don't you give a questionere to your dad? I made everyone in my family take the test > 



lookslikeiwin said:


> I haven't read "Game of Thrones" yet. I'm currently reading "The Martian", partially to temper my brother's ENTP version of advertisement mode, and partially because it's actually really interesting and funny. I also am reading "The Case for Christ", but "Game of Thrones" is on my audible wish list.


Game of Thrones is a masterpiece series. I normally hate a change in perspective, but the author does it really well because he makes you love his characters or interested in how they see the world. Worst book that did this was Dearly Departed. It had a wonderful world, storytelling and settings and was very imaginative and creative, but the authoress changed the POV too much that I quit the book when it switched from the two main characters to a minor character's perspective. Is Martian a science fiction book?



lookslikeiwin said:


> I think I started developing stories around age 13, and I was embarrassed because I thought it was weird so I didn't share them until I was 15 or so, but I didn't even share much then. No one could have told you more than about 2% of my stuff until this year. Now my friend knows at least 60% total, and probably just about everything regarding a specific story (which is great, because that's my baby). I kind of love and hate the roleplay. We don't do it like normal people (I've looked up how normal people do it, and its weird. And kind of creepy how many people want to play out inappropriate stuff). We just text back and forth, reactions, thoughts, etc. Its not very good to practice writing, but it's great for getting story elements down, which I desperately need. I'm much more directed now in what I need to learn before I can tell my story effectively. I really really really need to research polar ice formation T_T I keep putting it off because its effort.


I also started making my own worlds in my preteens. I had a wild imagination and a love of reading, so my daydreaming younger self picked up a pen and a notebook and started drawing and writing everything out in my fantasy world before that childish imagination disappeared. (But INTPs can still be childish, right? :tongue I'm a very private person, so I don't share anything with anyone. I do write fanfiction because I like to see the views from strangers on my writing. But those are just side stories that I mess around with, not my prominent story, which is hidden away and locked in a safe.  And yeah, I know what you mean. Getting lazy for something that you need to do. :bored: I've never looked up roleplaying, btw. I did want to do cosplaying, but I don't think I can bring myself out to conventions because I absolutely hate crowds, and I'd just be confused and lost there. And I don't think I can find anyone else who wants to LARP in the park under public scrutiny, lol.



lookslikeiwin said:


> Once I get through that, I intend to read up a lot on world history, which is a lot more entertaining, as we both surmised  While anything pre-Moses doesn't matter all that much for me to read, I need to go through most of the Bible, and simultaneously a world history book so I can develop my alternate world. It IS fantasy, but there's still stuff based off of real religions and conflicts. Like you say, that's the interesting stuff. Again, I focus most on Judeo-Christianity, obviously. Anyway, that was kind of my own little INTP advertisement mode. Sorry! I can't help it. I can't even bring myself to delete it!


Yup. Defintely INTP advertisement mode there. It's okay, I do it too! xD Unlike some people, I shall respond! 
My dad wanted his kids to be Christian, but my mom got us out of church to learn something more "useful" than standing/sitting and listening to a priest in the morning. That's why I grew partially agnostic, but I do want to believe in a religion. Reading religious texts are interesting because they teach people values and morality. Sometimes I wonder if it is true, and I do hope it is, but my scientist friends and instructors are like, "EVOLUTION PROVES THE BIBLE WRONG" and I feel guilty that I sometimes believe them  



lookslikeiwin said:


> I kinda understand wanting to avoid math  I like math for some reasons and dislike it for others. Math is nice because one can listen to music while solving it. I find this puzzle-solving very relaxing. I don't like math because... I feel like I'm wasting time. And it has nothing to do with stuff I would RATHER puzzle-solve. I could never be a lawyer (too much of an HSP for that), and politics depress me so I need the opportunity to escape them. But still, the things you list are definitely things I can appreciate XD After all, everything is tied into a story for me, and I'm sure someone will be a lawyer at some point, and therefore, I'm interested.


I always listen to music whenever I work. I can't do it with math, though, because it requires all my concentration to understand something that I don't understand. Like polynomial long division T.T Ugghhh...I'll try to learn everything I can about it over the weekend, though, 'cause I get some enjoyment whenever I solve a problem and feel somewhat accomplished when I figure it all out and everything pieces together. It's like watching TV or reading a book for fun, but better because it's productive! 

What's HSP? 

And yeah, I rant too


----------



## aendern (Dec 28, 2013)

Of all the things I'm insecure about, my intelligence is not one of them.


----------



## lookslikeiwin (May 6, 2014)

Serenade said:


> That's too funny! Maybe ENTP parents are likely to have INTP kids. Why don't you give a questionere to your dad? I made everyone in my family take the test >


I did actually hahaha, but my dad couldn't land on a solid type XD He kept testing as different things and was just listening to what everyone else suggested about his personality (so Fe). I decided ISFJ made sense, especially since mirror relationships can work out really well. My brother never took the test, but he's basically a copy of my mom's brain so that was easy.




Serenade said:


> Game of Thrones is a masterpiece series. I normally hate a change in perspective, but the author does it really well because he makes you love his characters or interested in how they see the world. Worst book that did this was Dearly Departed. It had a wonderful world, storytelling and settings and was very imaginative and creative, but the authoress changed the POV too much that I quit the book when it switched from the two main characters to a minor character's perspective. Is Martian a science fiction book?


Yes, The Martian takes place about 50-60 years from now. It's about a guy who is on the third manned mission to mars, and he gets stranded there without a radio. Thankfully, he was the team's engineer. He is a really amusing character (so clearly an ENTP), and its basically all about how he survives. When a particular science term has just too long of a name in his opinion, he renames it to "pirateninja", so you know. He needs ____ pirateninjas to do some random sciencey thing. That's a random example, but yes. It is a great book. Apparently really well researched, so most of it is highly realistic. I haven't looked into that myself, but my brother has pretty good judgement.



Serenade said:


> I also started making my own worlds in my preteens. I had a wild imagination and a love of reading, so my daydreaming younger self picked up a pen and a notebook and started drawing and writing everything out in my fantasy world before that childish imagination disappeared. (But INTPs can still be childish, right? :tongue I'm a very private person, so I don't share anything with anyone. I do write fanfiction because I like to see the views from strangers on my writing. But those are just side stories that I mess around with, not my prominent story, which is hidden away and locked in a safe.  And yeah, I know what you mean. Getting lazy for something that you need to do. :bored: I've never looked up roleplaying, btw. I did want to do cosplaying, but I don't think I can bring myself out to conventions because I absolutely hate crowds, and I'd just be confused and lost there. And I don't think I can find anyone else who wants to LARP in the park under public scrutiny, lol.


I actually never got into fanfiction. I did want to do cosplay just for the sake of wearing cool costumes, but I always wanted to wear stuff that matched my own stories more than other people's. I never thought I was good enough at drawing to get very far with that. Honestly, I'm okay. But it was never good enough haha. And also, its more anime-ish, and my stories simply don't work very well with that. Some of them do, but not most. There's one that is kind of fairy-tale-esque, and then a sci-fi-ish one, one thats sort of a combo of everything I like because its about an entire alternate world (my baby), one that's really psychological and abstract, one that's more like horror, and then I have one that's kind of... LOTRish, I guess? But yeah. I can't explain most of them because they are too complicated and I don't feel like I can come up with a good overview. I'm terrible at summarizing.



Serenade said:


> Yup. Defintely INTP advertisement mode there. It's okay, I do it too! xD Unlike some people, I shall respond!
> My dad wanted his kids to be Christian, but my mom got us out of church to learn something more "useful" than standing/sitting and listening to a priest in the morning. That's why I grew partially agnostic, but I do want to believe in a religion. Reading religious texts are interesting because they teach people values and morality. Sometimes I wonder if it is true, and I do hope it is, but my scientist friends and instructors are like, "EVOLUTION PROVES THE BIBLE WRONG" and I feel guilty that I sometimes believe them


Ugh I've had a little bit of that kind of teaching, but it was more subtle. For example, in high school when we learned about religions, they were like, "Oh and everyone knows about Christianity so we'll just spend a day on it." But honestly, from that day, I didn't really get the sense that even the teachers knew much about it, truly T_T I've been reading "The Case For Christ", which was written by the legal editor of the Chicago Tribune (I guess that's his title? I don't feel like looking it up), who was an atheist, but he decided to go meet up with a bunch of historians and archaeologists etc to see if he could find any evidence or see how these people answered his questions. Its really fascinating to read analysis of documents and stuff. That book only really talks about the New Testament - basically, looking at the evidence for Jesus' existence, his divinity, the origin and validity of the Bible and other documents that mention Jesus etc. But I've been provided with far more pro-God evidence than anti-God evidence, but it's also always been my area of interest. I really want to read the stuff the author referenced now! But first I kinda feel like I should read the Bible more thoroughly. I know a lot about it and what's in it, but I still have never read through it. Its kind of a task, and no one has put together a chronological audiobook version yet.



Serenade said:


> What's HSP?


HSP stands for "Highly Sensitive Person". Basically means I'm always tired because every single effing thing is too overwhelming for me >:[ Okay, not that dramatic. But seriously, I always feel tired! It makes me seem even more introverted than I already am. What happens, essentially, is that I receive too much sensory stimuli from my physical environment. Oddly enough, this results in me seeming kind of spacey, because its really _too_ much for me to handle. It also forces me to be a lot nicer than I probably would be otherwise, so that can go either way, depending on your perspective. Makes my Fe kind of go into overdrive and I will literally start to feel the same way as the person I am talking to (assuming we're in a quiet enough location for me to connect). If someone gets mad at me, for example, I will also get mad. Or if they are mad about something else, I will also get mad about that. If they are sad or relaying some kind of upsetting story, it might even make me cry T_T absolute horrors for the average INTP. Hence why I thought I was a feeler for a long time. I also get overwhelmed by bright lights and loud noises faster than anyone else I know. My mom thinks I'm just wimpy. Its really awful.

It does have benefits though. I apparently get to enjoy stuff more than the average person as well. That makes sense because I get way overly attached to artistic stuff (especially music). I get so moved by it though, that I used to wonder how other people didn't feel the same way, and I just couldn't get it. It makes so much more sense now though. Its kind of a relief to know I'm not crazy. Maybe. Oh, and I'm also too sensitive to pain and hunger, which affects me frequently. The great part is that it'll get worse with age XD No seriously, I like being moved by the arts and things. There are good things about it. It helps me connect with my own stories better, and also allows me to understand where other people are coming from more easily. A good thing, overall. Just really hard to live with.

More info: The Highly Sensitive Person –

Sorry that was even longer!


----------



## O_o (Oct 22, 2011)

it's a very bipolar thing. I either feel very smart and capable or a fucking idiot and good for nothing if I'm surrounded by some genius. 

I'm definitely not insecure about "book intelligence" involving memorization, trivia of any sort, fitting together information, analyzing etc. So regarding this as intelligent, being able to pick up information, piece it together and sustain it then I've never been insecure about that.  

"social" intelligence, on the other hand, improvising in social situation, street smarts, etc, is a very different story.


----------



## Nordom (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm secure with my non-intelligence.


----------



## starscream430 (Jan 14, 2014)

In regards to academia, I am both smart and stupid. 

To be frank, I have become quite insecure about considering myself intelligent ever since I entered college. I consider myself quite good in the areas of writing, presentation, and (strangely enough) the subject of history. My weak-points in academia (I don't consider myself bad at a subject, but they are not the strongest subjects in my repertoire) are in the areas of math and science - something that I find ironic considering that my MBTI is stereotypically classified as The Scientist. 

The insecurity is due to the fact that I am trying to pursue a career in medicine - a move that is partly due to the fact that the medical field is one of the last secure jobs thus far and the fact that my parents have heavily educated me in the machinations of the medical world (my dad is a physician and my mom is a medical technician).


----------



## Serenade (Sep 9, 2014)

lookslikeiwin said:


> I did actually hahaha, but my dad couldn't land on a solid type XD He kept testing as different things and was just listening to what everyone else suggested about his personality (so Fe). I decided ISFJ made sense, especially since mirror relationships can work out really well. My brother never took the test, but he's basically a copy of my mom's brain so that was easy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's okay. I write long responses, too. x)

My family is weird because all our types are related in some way to each other. I'm INTP. My mom's an ENTP. My dad's an INFJ. My sister's an ENFJ (although she kept testing as ENTJ for the longest time!). My bro is an INTJ (very compatible with me. But he can be a smartass sometimes and it annoys me with his arrogance!) My sister is an ENFP. We're all N's :crazy: (everyone misplaces things in our house, lol!)

Is The Martian a comedy? I'm not too fond of science fiction because I don't like science in general. Nerds are said to either like sci-fi or fantasy and maybe even both. Since fantasy is usually based on Medieval Times, I prefer fantasy since I'm more of a history nerd than a science nerd. And if you ever do want a good comedy, I highly recommend The Rosie Project. I think the main character's MBTI is INTJ, and he also has mild Asperger's, so everything he does is amusing because he takes everything in a literal sense. The romantic interest is an ESFP, which, like you said, is the opposite of him, and they're a perfect match! ^.^ Very funny, entertaining read, and the sequel's out! 

Yeah...fanfiction writers can be crazy and write out their own fantasies for self-fulfillment needs. I just write on there to gather a sense of what others think about my writing. Maybe I should go on fictionpress or wattpad, but I'm more insecure about my real stories rather than my little fanfics. xD I've always wanted to cosplay as Princess Zelda from Twilight Princess (idk if you've played it, but good game!) because people say I look like her if I had blue eyes. I don't have blue eyes and I hate eye contacts, so scratch that idea! I can draw anime-ish and realistic. I prefer anime-ish because I admire the art style despite it being horribly disproportionate. 

You sound like a talented writer! Could you perhaps give me some creative writing tips? (I've never taken a class before in English for creative writing. For essay writing I'm good at it, but it sucks because my narrative writing sounds like an essay and I'm like, UGH. Can you get anymore rigid and structured!?)

In my philosophy class there's an upcoming assignment based on our opinions' on God and religion. I haven't been to church since I was eight, and I've been taught about evolution and all those wonderful scientific facts. i'd still like to believe that there is a God, though. It's nice to have a faith in someone/something, and someone in my class blurted out that Christianity and religion is basically a tool to be used to control society and morality. That could be true. I'm more on the fence for that topic, but I sometimes lean towards the "there is no God" argument and sometimes the other. One thing I dislike is when people try to shove religion down other people's throats. I think it's up to the individual to decide. Could you give me some pro-God evidence? I've never found any before.

Ohhhh....HSP. Yeah! I read about that somewhere in my psychology textbook. It said it's more common in introverts, but the link you gave me said it can happen in extroverts, too. Maybe the extroverts turn shy because of HSP. I don't know if I have it. I don't usually feel empathetic towards others, and I don't have any psychic bond and feel their emotions when I'm talking to them or near them. However, that does happen to me when I'm with someone that I'm close with. just not with strangers. I've also mistyped myself before. I've considered myself an INFP once because I get emotional easily and inspired whenever I see a beautiful piece of art...especially when I see masterpiece films because it's usually a combination of sound and sight. I go all tingly and get goosebumps. xD And I get panicked easily if a sudden loud noise bursts or a random change in lighting. Changes and flashes in lighting (like sirens) makes me feel dizzy, and once I thought I was epileptic because of that. (Thankfully I've never had a seizure before, but it feels like I'm about to because I get dizzy). I can go without food for long periods of time easily, but I have a very low tolerance to pain. Stub my toe and I'll cry. x(

I suppose HSP has its pros and cons. If I did have it (I don't know if I do, btw) I'd try to look at the positive sides of it and appreciate the beauty in life more. People get bored whenever they stare at a painting for too long because the brain becomes familiar with it and we register it as part of the common environment, so its aesthetic appeal diminished. Same with everything else, too. If you eat too much ice cream, you'll realize the flavour is bland. If you listen to the same song over and over again, you lose interest.


----------



## lookslikeiwin (May 6, 2014)

Serenade said:


> Is The Martian a comedy? I'm not too fond of science fiction because I don't like science in general. Nerds are said to either like sci-fi or fantasy and maybe even both. Since fantasy is usually based on Medieval Times, I prefer fantasy since I'm more of a history nerd than a science nerd. And if you ever do want a good comedy, I highly recommend The Rosie Project. I think the main character's MBTI is INTJ, and he also has mild Asperger's, so everything he does is amusing because he takes everything in a literal sense. The romantic interest is an ESFP, which, like you said, is the opposite of him, and they're a perfect match! ^.^ Very funny, entertaining read, and the sequel's out!


I'll have to check that out some time! I have an INTP Asperger's kid (I think) in a story I'm going to write, so might be good to look into. I've been doing audiobooks lately though, so I shall have to check on audible. The Martian is... a weird book, haha. There isn't as much politics and it isn't as far in the future as most science fiction. It isn't _all_ about the tech and I zoned out sometimes when it got too much that way. But mostly it was just kind of fun to hear how he dealt with things and survived. You can get the basics without needing to know all the details of what he's talking about. But yeah, I'm typically more into psychological stuff and fantasy. Ever read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell? Its turning into a BBC show this year (not sure when specifically). It was one of the best books I've ever read. I was so excited when I found out they were putting it on screen with BBC! The first part is a bit boring, when it's just Mr. Norrell, but once Strange comes in everything picks up. I'm not sure what types they are, but my best guess is INTJ for Norrell (mayyybe ISTJ) and ENTP for Strange (mayyybe ESTP). Its been a while since I've read it though, and I haven't since learning typology.



Serenade said:


> Yeah...fanfiction writers can be crazy and write out their own fantasies for self-fulfillment needs. I just write on there to gather a sense of what others think about my writing. Maybe I should go on fictionpress or wattpad, but I'm more insecure about my real stories rather than my little fanfics. xD I've always wanted to cosplay as Princess Zelda from Twilight Princess (idk if you've played it, but good game!) because people say I look like her if I had blue eyes. I don't have blue eyes and I hate eye contacts, so scratch that idea! I can draw anime-ish and realistic. I prefer anime-ish because I admire the art style despite it being horribly disproportionate.


I can't draw all that well (depends on the day), but when I do it is usually kind of anime-like as well. I wish I could illustrate my stories. I did start trying to do a manga, and it was better than a lot of manga I've seen, but really just kind of tolerable haha. I decided it wasn't worth it. I never got into fanfic mostly I think because I just don't get into other people's characters! Its horrible of me, I know. But I simply don't. Well, it'd be wrong to say I'm _disinterested_. I just don't like copying people. I only like getting into the heads of my own inventions. And I don't actually get new ideas all that often. I just collect them. So I can't even do short stories, because everything ends up connected to itself. Its kind of Ni-ish, actually. But it isn't Ni. It's just because I never had anyone to geek out at until this year.



Serenade said:


> You sound like a talented writer! Could you perhaps give me some creative writing tips? (I've never taken a class before in English for creative writing. For essay writing I'm good at it, but it sucks because my narrative writing sounds like an essay and I'm like, UGH. Can you get anymore rigid and structured!?)


I _hope_ I'm good, but I don't usually feel like it. I feel like my writing is stale and boring. But I'm also bad about going back and rereading stuff I wrote. Partially because I get distracted with reading and forget to evaluate it. I don't think I'm very good at assessing things though. I can't write essays all that well either, because I'm not very formal. I can write quirky really well, but I struggle when it gets into deep, emotional things (low Fe haha) and I struggle when I need to describe an environment (tertiary Si ). I can describe the environment, but it doesn't always sound good. I think I have a better chance at improving that than my emotional stuff. The problem partly is that I see a lot of emotional stuff as melodramatic, so as I'm writing it, I'm like, "This sounds silly!" but then the thing is, in a lot of my stories I have Fi/Te users who wouldn't think it sounded silly at all and would relate, so somehow I need to write like them... hmmm... at least for one story. The main character is an ISTP, so that's easy, but part of the story is flashbacks from the perspectives of an ESFP and an INTJ so that's going to be harder. And both of them go through a ton of stuff so its kind of difficult to tell. Thankfully, I can get an INTJ okay just because we're both NTs and ESFPs are some pretty easy functions to get ahold of, especially for this particular character.

What's your primary language? I can't even tell you don't speak English natively 



Serenade said:


> In my philosophy class there's an upcoming assignment based on our opinions' on God and religion. I haven't been to church since I was eight, and I've been taught about evolution and all those wonderful scientific facts. i'd still like to believe that there is a God, though. It's nice to have a faith in someone/something, and someone in my class blurted out that Christianity and religion is basically a tool to be used to control society and morality. That could be true. I'm more on the fence for that topic, but I sometimes lean towards the "there is no God" argument and sometimes the other. One thing I dislike is when people try to shove religion down other people's throats. I think it's up to the individual to decide. Could you give me some pro-God evidence? I've never found any before.


I'd be happy to. What do you want to know?

I don't think Christianity is a good example of a religion trying to control morality or society because of the way it began. The Catholic Church may have turned into that at some point (and now in America, some protestants), but the way it started, there's no logic behind an argument that it controlled anyone. For one, everyone died for it  not exactly the best way to control people: "Hey look! This guy died for this, and now you're going to die for it too!" You could argue that they were all insane, but I can't think of any better argument than insanity, and the way the books were written doesn't really sound like insane people to me. No one had any reason to become a Christian unless they truly believed in it. I'm sure that doesn't answer many/any of your questions though, so feel free to ask more.



Serenade said:


> Ohhhh....HSP. ...you eat too much ice cream, you'll realize the flavour is bland. If you listen to the same song over and over again, you lose interest.


You might have it, or at least a more mild variation than myself. I think INTPs also DO get kind of emotional sometimes BECAUSE we have low Fe. We just don't always know how to deal with it. But getting easily inspired and stuff seems more HSP than traditional INTP. I get inspired by so much stuff, and I definitely appreciate that. Day to day life, however, is really hard for me


----------



## foodcourtfrenzy (Aug 14, 2014)

I'm not insecure about it at all; I know I'm objectively intelligent. Maybe when I'm in the presence of someone _incredibly_ smart, I get this sense of identity crisis, but it's sharp and quick. I find it difficult to acknowledge someone is much smarter than me, but that's just because I'm pigheaded more than anything.


----------

