Ask an INTJ Anything

Ace INTJs: Hamlet

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“Hi, ‘nuther asexual here. You did a post about Sherlock a while back (sort of). Do you also have a theory you endorse for Hamlet? (I know it’s widely debated, but he strikes me as an asexual too).”

I agree with you. Hamlet has plentiful sexuality-based themes in it, and none of the ones that initially relate to Hamlet himself strike me as allosexual. Historically, the bedroom scene with Gertrude wasn’t always played sexually –actually that didn’t develop until well into the film-version years of Hamlet.

As far as we’re aware, this is merely an interpretation that has been adopted by a large number of people as the years have gone by.

The only other person that could have been of sexual interest to Hamlet was Ophelia, and I personally don’t think he felt that for her. Any sexual comment he makes is either to call her a whore or to make fun of sexuality.

On the other hand, this doesn’t discard the reality that he was probably romantically attracted to her.

Are INTJs Really Master Planners?

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Anon asked: “i know fictional INTJs are supposed to be master planners but how far in advance to real life INTJs plan?”

Well, for starters, I’ll first state that the answer to this question is highly subjective to what type of plans we’re referring to, and which INTJ you’re referring to. So, instead of answering the question directly, I’ll just give a few examples of what types of plans I’ve made and what types of plans I do not make. Various plans that I have made….

Wilderness Survival

At one point during my teen years, I fell into an obsession with wilderness survival and disaster preparedness. What would I do if all hell broke loose and we humans lost all of the things that we are so heavily reliant on (immediate food, clean water, entertainment etc.). Naturally, I decided to plan ahead.

  1. I learned how to navigate in the wilderness using a compass, the stars and the sun.
  2. I memorized all of the poisonous and edible plants in my local area and learned the proper ways to prepare them if I needed to eat them.
  3. I learned first aid procedures, how to treat for shock, split broken limbs and transport an injured person.
  4. I learned how to purify water using over 5 different methods and practised drinking lake water during my hikes in the mountains.
  5. I learned how best to build shelters in different types of weather, what types of plants make for the best insulation and which ones will give you the best shade in the sun.
  6. I keep a 30-pound pack in my closet, housing a sleeping bag and all the ten essentials.
  7. I also keep 30-pound buckets under my bed that are filled with food-storage supplies to last up to a year.
  8. I’ve read aeons of books about survival mentality and wilderness survival skills.

Extensive enough for you?

Death

This was more recent, but I have an extensive logical and emotional plan for how to deal with dying. When I say that, I don’t mean someone else’s death, because I don’t think you can ever be prepared for the death of a loved one, but when it comes to your own death, it’s a completely different story. I won’t get into detail, because the depth to which I’ve gone with this particular plan would probably freak you out, but I will say that I know exactly how I would respond to finding out that I had a day left to live. I know exactly what I would do with that one day, and I would be perfectly at peace with dying. I would also be perfectly at peace with knowing my loved ones would have to suffer the more for it –but it took me a long time to get to that point. When it comes to a loved one dying, I’m relatively well prepared. I have a logical plan in place, but at the same time, one never knows how they will react to a loss like that. Even so, it never hurts to plan –I just, can’t tell them that I have planned for that. As you can see, we’re a bit obsessive. Now, on to the types of plans I don’t make…

World Domination

This falls under the category of INTJ stereotyping, but contrary to popular belief, I do not sit around in a cave devising clever ways to take over the world. If all real INTJs did that, we would have a massive problem on our hands, because INTJs don’t just make plans (ever). They make plans and carry them out with precision. So…I think it’s safe to conclude that all the INTJs who are plotting world domination are either already attempting it, or are lacking in resources to carry out their plans. On the other hand, I do have plans to make a difference in the world. In my case, that means writing books that teach people things that I could never teach them by talking to them (because I can’t talk to people in general). The book plan is so frighteningly extensive, however, that I won’t into detail about it. I will say, however, that there have been times when my bedroom has turned into what appears to be a criminal hole, the walls plastered with papers of suspicious nature, but that all happen to relate directly to the novel in question. Hope that answers your question.

Si users – How to talk to INxJs

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Itae asked: In your latest posts, and comments beneath them, the problem of Si vs Se communication has been brought up. As an INxJ-surrounded INFP (dancing on the edge of Fi-Si loop for most of my life) I want to ask you for some sort of advice. How do I effectively talk about past with INxJs? Somewhere in the comments it’s been mentioned that Ni users always have to adapt their communication style to Si users, not vice versa, and that’s pretty unfair. ;)

I now feel properly guilty for having never expected to get a question like this. I compliment your open-mindedness.

First, I do think it worth mentioning that because INxJs are Ni I dominant, we tend to think about the past in relation to the future and present. Experience can influence how accurate intuition can be, meaning that the more we’ve seen a pattern of events play out repeatedly in life, the more likely our Ni is going to pick up on and predict outcomes in the present and future.

This can mean that INxJs who have Anxiety or PTSD get caught in cycles of being afraid that negative events of the past are also going to happen in the future. However—under actually dangerous circumstances, that same trait can save our lives (it certainly has for me).

All that said, there are a couple ways you could approach talking to us about the past. You could engage us in a conversation about patterns of human behavior. Get me talking about the way history repeats itself and you’ve got a conversation that I’ll be hooked on for (sometimes for hours). This could also be a conversation about how we think people today will behave based on what we know about the past.

I also recommend allowing INxJs to share their (sometimes socially deviant) opinions about the past without judging them. One thing that always puts me off talking to some (not all) Si users is when they correct me on the socially traditional or generally accepted way of viewing things. What they often fail to realize is that I’m perfectly aware of what most people think about X topic and have thought through why I think what I do. Hear us out before you shut us down. Let us be outliers and we’re more likely to actually share our opinions with you.

INTJ: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Arvid Walton 8 Comments

This post is dedicated to my readers that want to understand INTJs, but are less familiar with Jungian cognitive functions. I understand that the functions are difficult for newbies to navigate, so I’m making your life easier.

Fact #1 People empty us.

When I say this, I don’t mean that we don’t value human companionship. In fact, I would argue to the contrary. However, our introversion causes us to drain our energy as we attempt to socialize. Our energy stems from within ourselves rather than from being with other people. We value solitude, silence and thought.

To us, silence truly is golden.

As a result, parties are definitely not our favourite place to be and when forced to be in such an environment, we tend to stick to the sides of the room rather than gravitating toward the centre. We are extremely conscious of our personal space and absolutely hate being touched (in any way, shape or form) without our permission. Likewise, incessant noise drives us mad, prevents us from thinking and makes us want to scream at everybody to “shut up.”

We find it astounding that some people can manage to say the same thing three times in different words or that someone can fill an hour of time with words that mean nothing. We value conciseness when it comes to speaking, such that we say nothing more than what needs to be said (and sometimes we can’t even say that much).

Continue reading →

My Favourite Characters from Each Type

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“So, this is a weird question, but do you have favourite characters for each type so far?”

Oooh. Not fair. Absolutely not fair.

I’ll do my best. I’m assuming only fictional characters? And I’ll limit myself to two per type.

INFJ: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars), Gandalf (Lord of The Rings)

ENFJ: Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)

INFP: the 9th Doctor (Doctor Who)

ENFP: Jonathan Strange (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell)

INTJ: Ender Wiggin (Ender’s Game)

ENTJ: Loki (Thor)

INTP: Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter), Death (Discworld)

ENTP: The Joker (Batman)

ISTP: Han Solo (Star Wars)

ESTP: Viola (Twelfth Night), Jack Harkness (Doctor Who/Torchwood)

ISTJ: Edmund Dantes (The Count of Monte Cristo), Brienne of Tarth (Game of Thrones)

ESTJ: Princess Leia (Star Wars), Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

ISFP: Claire (Outlander)

ESFP: Donna Noble (Doctor Who)

ISFJ: Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)

ESFJ: Danielle de Barbarac (Ever After)

Character Driven vs Plot Driven Stories – My Take

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INeverForgetPromises asked: if you were reading a literary work, what would hook you more, a plot-driven story or a character-driven story? Do you prefer complex plots with subplots in them or a simple plot with something deep underneath (take hills like white elephants for example)?

Im sorry if I’m asking too many questions, its just that I want to pick at your brain a little bit. Plus, you kinda remind me of my INTJ best friend :)

 

Continue reading →

Ender Wiggin as an Asexual Character

Arvid Walton 9 Comments

I promised these posts over two years ago…here they finally are.

Ender Wiggin As an Asexual Character

Sexuality as a theme is often ignored in the Ender’s Game series, but from the Piggie’s reproductive cycle to Ender’s perpetual lack of sexual relationships, the theme is ever present. One by one, I’m going to analyse each of the relationships between Ender and other people that showed potential for romance or sexuality and discuss how Ender acts as a perfect example of an asexual fictional character. Continue reading →

Book vs Movie Characters

Arvid Walton

 

Grace asked: When books get turned into movies, do the characters sometimes change types? If they do and you type them, do you go by the book or movie?

broadchurch gif

I will direct you to my About page, which explains my typology method, including how I handle book/movie conundrums.

The SF Type Who Thinks He’s an INTJ

Arvid Walton 6 Comments

Jannelle67 asked: I often meet people claim to be INTJs who really aren’t when you get to know them (as opposed to people who seem more like INTJs once you get to know them). Which types are most likely to be INTJ posers like this?

oscar wilde gif

Really, any type could try to pose as an INTJ, and could probably convince themselves they were an INTJ if they ignored the evidence well enough. The gal who writes funkymbtifiction did this for years (and then moved on to consecutively convince herself that she was every other type as well). Continue reading →

Can INFJs use Ti more than Fe?

Arvid Walton 5 Comments

Kerissa asked: Is this situation possible, or am I misreading myself? I think that I’m an INFJ, but that I rely on my Ti more than my Fe. I’m still fairly young and I read somewhere that Fe develops later than some other functions. All the tests type me as an INTJ, but I’m almost positive I use Ti and Fe. According to function stacks, I can’t use Ni as my dominant function and Ti as my second one, but that’s how I would think I think.

Always trust your self knowledge before you trust the test.

What you’re describing is a function loop, where you get stuck using either your two introverted functions or your two extraverted functions and neglect the other two. Stop doing that. It’s not good for you.

The best way to get out of it is to focus on using the two functions that you’re not using as much more often. This will help bring you into a more balanced state.

Canonical INxJ Friendships

Arvid Walton 13 Comments

Anonymouslemer asked: “Are there any canonical examples of an INTJ/INFJ friendship?”

Look no further than House M.D. House and Wilson are a perfect example of a relationship between unhealthy INxJs. Let’s just say they’re the type of friend-pair that will feel perfectly comfortable sitting and problem solving in a room with a random comatose grandpa that they’ve never met. They both toss around Ni, understanding each other’s deepest motivations and secrets without having to ask. Both of them are gifted at figuring out other people’s deepest secrets, but House does i Continue reading →

Se-users: Do you talk with your Hands?

Arvid Walton 29 Comments

ComradeJocasta asked: Is it possible that upper-Se users might be more likely to gesture a lot when they speak?

I haven’t actually found much research on this topic. However, I’ve given it a bit of thought, and I’d like to hear everyone else’s thoughts as well.

My ESFP sibling definitely is NOT a hand talker. However, he does have a strong need for touch and physical contact with people he’s comfortable around. Same goes for my ISFP roommate.

Out of anyone in my family or friend group, I’m actually the one who talks most via my hands. However, I don’t necessarily attribute this to my Se function so much as to the fact that I’m relatively fluent in Sign Language. Before I learned Sign Language, I didn’t gesture at all when I spoke, but now talking and gesturing practically go hand in hand for me (wow, that was a terrible pun).

It’s the same with any language. As soon as you’re fluent in more than one language, and especially if you know more than two, it’s hard to force yourself not to blend the elements of each. At the same time, you also keep many elements very separate as well (for instance, I swear a lot more in German than I do in English).

Upper Se-users. Now is your time to talk! I’m interested to hear whether you talk with your hands.