INTP
I think tests like this are more accurate than some, simply because all of the answers are based on your preferences, i.e., your personality. All completely subjective, no attempt to say whether those tendencies are innate or learned or whatever. It just asks what you like and then tells you what you said.
*First of all, this is more a response to the topic itself, rather than to you. I quote you, however, in order to make these points. Feel free to read it or not.
🙂*
I don't know about that (what you've said). Alot of what it said for me can be applied to actual situations that have transpired, like on this site for example.
I'll quote some passages, and then give an example, from this forum or TMF, of how that passage is true and practical and not merely an observation of my character, but a working truth in my online life here.
"To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence.This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age."
I have been credited as being self-confident as well as arrogant in many situations and the two are often mistaken for eachother by people not understanding where I'm coming from or not being in a place to understand it. This "specialized knowledge system" is something I can rely on that they may not have, since they are nowhere near as thorough by choice, so it makes them feel either threatened and they interprete things I say as pure arrogance in order to distance themselves or dettach, or they realize the opposite and drawn closer to me, which is just as much the case as it is with the misidentification.
"It is in their abilities that Masterminds differ from the other Rationals, while in most of their attitudes they are just like the others. However there is one attitude that sets them apart from other Rationals: they tend to be much more self-confident than the rest, having, for obscure reasons, developed a very strong will."
I am, perhaps, the most vocal person on this website in regards to my own abilities. I'm often making a remark (usually inflective, but outloud) about where my current abilities stand or where I feel I am with them. Whether I'm patting myself on the back or merely stating a fact, this is something I do that others are only willing to do if enough of their fans tell them they're good. My sense of self-worth is not built upon or taken away from by the remarks of others. I had always been a child that was not susceptible to hurtful remarks. When I was younger sometimes I'd get teased because I was and am a thin person, for example. So some of the kids would try and break me down (mentally), but it only made me stronger, rather than a recluse or complete introvert like alot of people tend to become after prolonged exposure to similar treatment. People on the opposite end of the same situation tend to become bashful, apologetic, needing people's approval versus wanting it, and not willing to give themselves credit for the good that they do that they only deserve. They are far less vocal, and feel as though they need permission before they can speak what they're really feeling.
Their sentences usually start with "with all due respect", "correct me if I'm wrong", and "no offense meant, but.." They feel the need to mentally prepare themselves for resistance and put themselves immediately in a position of allowing themselves to be corrected when they haven't even said or did anything wrong yet. They already anticipate they'll be apologizing for something which demostrates their lack of confidence in their own convictions, as well as mirroring any past abuse they may have suffered at the hands of others.
"Natural leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command of projects or groups, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once in charge, however, Masterminds are the supreme pragmatists, seeing reality as a crucible for refining their strategies for goal-directed action. In a sense, Masterminds approach reality as they would a giant chess board, always seeking strategies that have a high payoff, and always devising contingency plans in case of error or adversity."
Just recently, on the TMF, we had a discussion about "cack" art. While I was at the forefront of this discussion, I intentional held back and allowed others who had ideas to step forward and explain how they would work. Laughinggaszone carried the conversation a majority of the way, and he has plans for creating drawing tutorials. I'm confident he knows what he's doing, and I don't feel I need to be a leader, merely a participator/contributor.
I admited to him that because I'm completely self-taught, never having educated myself with book knowledge and relying on innate ability, I am not a good candicate to be leading this effort. My INTJ profile explains this: "When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know."
As that suggests, I told him I'd be better at critiquing than putting up a tutorial of my own. Its not that I cannot do it, its just difficult, as I didn't learn traditionally or through education. If I did make a tutorial, some would get lost in my instructions and would be confused by them because of their unorthodox nature. I wouldn't be teaching in a cookie-cutter manner. I might be all over the place and TOO discriptive and detailed to be reasonably followed. My lack of ability to discribe how to do it in ways that will seem easy and practical to others is difficult to handle. I can draw something and show you how you need to do it, but it will just be a picture not actually showing you or telling you how its done aside from sidenotes that may discuss something as an idea or goal, but only in a vague way, since I'm assuming you understand that much.
Alot of art books are like this, where there are only pictures and not step by step instructions. These books are usually meant for people like me, who would learn naturally just by looking at completed pictures, whereas step-by-step books are usually aimed at teaching people who need to start with the basic fundamentals and building blocks. Knowing I'm not good at discribing the basic fundamentals, by lack of definitions for them, I'll have to help another way.
"INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest."
I'm sure some of you notice I edit my posts alot. Some of you never see the posts before they're editted because I edit them within seconds of the original post going through. In other words, I caught a typo or sentence or paragraph that I didn't like in that order, so I go in and change it.
Sometimes you'll notice my posts get longer than they originally were. These are additional thoughts I wanted to work in earlier but omitted.
Sometimes (though not as often) you'll see my posts get smaller. Sometimes I'm able and willing to condense what I've said into a single paragraph or two, as opposed to the usual four or five (sometimes six or seven if its a conversational topic).
Because conversation is so important to me, I like doing what I can in expressing myself to the full. I don't feel satisfied if I left out something I thought was viable. Others call this being longwinded, but its not that I am that way, especially not in the real world, its that I want as many of my thoughts out on the table as possible (a trait of the INTJ), not that I cannot control it. The more thoughts there are the more potential discussion there is (strategies and options, more of the INTJ). Given the chatty-chat one line response nature of the internet nowadays, people cannot tolerate this, often losing interest in someone's post if it is any longer than a paragraph, regardless of the points they're making.
The internet is fast becoming a place where intelligent thought and conversation is replaced with nonsensical rubbish and incoherent speak. Much of this is intentional, and not merely the product of a failing school system.
"INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect"
Some of you have been around long enough to know that whenever we experience a reoccuring problem (like excessive spam and banter threads) I am usually the first person criticizing both the people responsible and the staff for not acting agressively enough or in a manner or by existing suggestions that would largely solve the problem. I come up with ideas that sound like they won't work on paper, but in reality would probably do very well after several test runs and changes. I have, at times, gone so far as to question some of the moderators' ability to lead, sometimes stating that if I was in charge, I could do alot better. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen. I will have been an administrator already by now, had I not been removed as a site moderator. The current adminstrators would therefore be my peers, not my superiors. I feel the difference in our authority is relative and a formality, but not an absolute. One's opinions, worth, and abilities do not degenerate because of position, whether increased or decreased.
Again, some see that as arrogance, when its merely a confidence I possess which is based on a thorough evaluation of the options, the potential outcomes (good and bad), and the likihood of success in any of several scenarios, both favorable and ones that would be an uphill battle. I believe in making things better, not just insuring they run.
Someone of an opposite personality type might say the opposite "if its not broke don't fix it". These people don't see beyond the here and now alot of the time, they're not creating countermeasures, they're not all that good at discerning truth and facts from personal opinions, and they cannot be counted on in a fix. Because they've lived by a motto of "fix it when it breaks" many people are unprepared to fix it when it does break and don't see the genius of creating options far in advance to spare you the trouble of getting caught with your pants down.
This may all seem like heavy-handed talk on what is only a website, and a fetish one at that, but if problem-solvers were not necessary it would be because there are never any problems. Because we know thats not true, problem solvers exist within any given community. Their eagerness to see something done, even before it's necessary can be annoying, but you've got to remember they're thinking several, if not many, steps ahead of you, and its just as aggrivating to them to not be able to use any of these ideas as it is for you in having to tolerate them talking about it. They often look as though they think they know better than you when they're really just thinking more deeply. Other personality types are/may be more concerned with the superficiality of things rather than their inner workings. They only care to look at the inner workings when something fails to operate correctly.
Its like Mechanic A seeing his fancy new car is fancy and new, and so doesn't bother popping open the hood to check things until he notices his new car is reacting more slowly. He only THEN opens the hood to find out theres a loose cable, or something needs fixing or maintenance. Because he waited too long and only acted when the problem was no longer subtle and growing subtly, but is now obvious, the damage to the car's component is worse than it would have been had he been checking in on it routinely. He would have seen the problem before it had a chance to overtake his car.
Mechanic B is always looking under the hood and insuring that his fancy new car stays as fancy and new for as long as humanly possible. He doesn't think about what is right with the car as thats only obvious when he drives it, he thinks about what could go wrong, and he acts accordingly based on his double-checking. The components of his car stay in better condition longer, and he gets more life out of them than Mechanic A. Mechanic A is more likely to have to spend more money on replacements more often than Mechanic B and is squandering his money by not taking better care of his investments. Mechanic B can rest easier than Mechanic A, knowing he's done everything he could to insure the best outcome. Because he involves himself so much in probabilities, he's well exposed to them when they occur, and less likely to be frantic or worried in the face of an obstacle. He knows what the problem is, and he's confident in it's resolution as he's already taken care of it.
In the end, if the majority of a people are not compatible with an INTJ, the INTJ is overextending him/herself and their capacities are going to waste. If a majority feels nothing ought to be done, then an INTJ is misplaced and has little or no value in a group or society that is not looking out for itself in a way he could benefit it.
It is like a misplaced guardian type personality (ISFJ) not having anything to guard or protect, or failing to do so. They're just as obsolete as the INTJ, and thats unfortunate. A mastermind should always have a place, and a guardian should always be a mainstay.
Ah well. Thanks to those who read all of this. Please note that it not necessarily meant to be responded to, merely read. If you read it and have a problem with something I've said, I'm likely not going to respond, as this isn't a debate about our individual characteristics, merely a talk about them.
Timewarp said he wanted us to discribe our results, so I feel I did that rather than the typical "its just a test, it doesn't represent anything, etc" indifferent response. I'd really appriciate it if others went to this length to as well, so we can get a personal view and perspective, from yourself, about how you percieve yourself, based on the results you got and then discribing it in relation to this website (since talking about your personal life cannot clue us in on anything tangible, whereas things here can).
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