It’s been brought to my attention that many ISxJs mistype themselves as their NP counterparts because A) They relate to having all sorts of ideas B) They find themselves creative and C) They don’t relate to all the stereotypes associated with ISxJs.
Well, guess what? Everyone can be creative and have tons of wacky ideas. Even the Ni/Se-Se/Ni people. But ask yourself is that is your main drive in life. Not saying that NP types just run on unrealistic ideas but that abstract connections in the sensory world is usually their default method.
Ask yourself if you exhibit any of these instead:
1. You are very capable of witty, sarcastic rebuttals and usually think of it as your “fun” side
ISxJs when under stress or when they are caught off guard, can easily become real life RuPauls, just spouting off some on the cuff sarcastic (usually pop-cultured) comment to express how they feel about the issue at hand. While this behavior is usually associated with high Ne-users and it makes sense, Inferior Ne users also have this as part of their arsenal when the time comes and are usually proud of it, because it actually demanded a great deal of energy for them to come up with that sick burn and it was all worth it. I’ve always argued that Chandler from Friends is actually an ISxJ because his smart, sarcastic mouth usually comes out when he is under stress and dealing with the irrational. Fun fact but my ENTP friend and his ENFP girlfriend decided this year to buy a real Christmas tree as it is traditional and more “real”. They are getting such a kick out of it, because they too, use their inferior function (Si) for fun.
2. You use Ne to placate all possible negative outcomes
This is really the calling card for ISxJ types. They evaluate a situation, then go Ne crazy under stress and then re-evaluate the situation again from all possible angles thoroughly and meticulously finding a solution to all possible outcomes. Someone hasn’t replied to you on Messenger after 2 days? Maybe they’re busy, so then just wait. Maybe they’re mad at you so then, just wait and if there’s still no reply, confront them. Still no reply after all this time? Maybe it’s time to just cut them loose and move on. In either case, you know you have a strong answer for any scenario. There’s also the possibility that this person will contact you way later down the road because you HAVE been a loyal friend despite whatever beef they have with you and they recognize that. And in this case, you should be more than prepared to handle them.
3. You use Ne to break yourself out of rut or unhealthy routine.
Whether it is something really serious as absolutely hating your job or something way more light-hearted such as being tired of ordering Chinese every Friday night. Ne is there to help you break free of those chains. In the former case, you are a Si-Dom so you know better than anyone what your strengths and weaknesses are. So it’s time to use the latter to look for greater opportunity where you will be seen as extremely valuable. You owe it to yourself. In the latter case, you might wanna check out more “crazy” recipes online and treat yourself. You might actually have fun and a great sense of accomplishment in doing something new that actually works for you.
There’s also the whole unhealthy relationship thing. Please don’t stay with an abusive partner out of blind loyalty, that’s just stupid.
So in short, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having inferior intuition. It doesn’t stop you in the least bit from being creative. Your virtue is being grounded, realistic and loyal. You DO have intuition and it’s there to help in your hour of need. Don’t mistype yourself as INxx because bias tests tell you the latter are superhuman. They have their own virtues for sure, but so do you. Celebrate them. ISxJ also have Tert Fi and Ti which is their constant reminder that they are they’re own rebellious person with their personal quirks, not some drone who just goes blindly with what society asks of them.
Concern for internal and external physical comfort for self and others (”Are you cold? I’m cold… I’m turning the heat up”).
Tendency to want to plan and attend to all related details rather than wing it. (There is no one better to go on vacation with. Everything is provided. Everyone’s physical, mental, and dietary needs are met. Etc.)
Often has a swift emotional response when problems arise. May make momentary decisions based on emotion or impulse. Calms down and becomes rational later.
Sentimental. May preserve, protect, or romanticize their personal past.
Interested in understanding themselves and others, and may adopt certain methods to organize their inner mental process (”Why do I like these things? What do they have in common? What does that say about me?”).
Previous negative friendships/relationships may block new ones from happening organically or, alternatively, set a “standard” of idealism that new people struggle to live up to.
Tendency toward pessimism under stress. Everything can and will go wrong. (This is inferior Ne “freaking out.”)
Swift to protect and defend others, particularly those in their inner circle. May “adopt” certain people and be very protective over them (friends, family, etc). More inclined to defend others before self. Might over-extend self, in an attempt to provide for or take care of other people or meet all their needs; has trouble learning to say “no.”
Excellent at the details involved in a project. Has a reasonable idea of how much work is involved, which influences the decision to begin or not.
Meticulous and studied in their conclusions and arguments. Prone to infrequent exaggeration on emotional terms, but not in factual terms.
Becomes progressively more of an “expert” over time, at whatever they are doing, because repeated exposure to the same thing improves with repetition (ISTJs and NPs can also do this, though NPs may not stick with the hobby long enough to perfect their skill).
Bottles up emotions but feels better once “airing” them.
Good at listening to others’ problems, affirming them, and general politeness. Often reluctant to correct others or offer criticism that is not coached in overall supportive dialogue (”You have a problem with this, but in these five other areas, you are exceptional!”).
Tendency toward resistance to change or new, unproven ideas. Skeptical toward idealism, and sometimes prone to over-exaggeration.
Finds lack of details frustrating and leaps to conclusions that may be incorrect when they don’t have all the information to get a broad view of what happened.
May, when young or unhealthy, be prone to over-enthusiasm and gushing, to make people feel better.
Tends to hide personal feelings behind a smile, and pretend nothing is wrong.
Open to change if it does not threaten personal memories or involve past experience triggers (”The last time this happened…”).
ENTJ: You are an amazing lightning-calculator of optimal allocations of capital and labor resources in grand global corporate or military undertakings. Your only weakness is that you are just so amazing and competent at everything that you often lose track of your ~feelings~
ESTJ: You can be middle-management of an assembly line or a construction foreman or something.
INTJ: You are a strategic mastermind, quietly manipulating the course of external events from the shadows, smirking as your enemies trap themselves in your cleverly-laid invisible snares. Your mind is a labyrinthine complex of contingency plans and flexible strategies that allow you to overcome any challenges or obstacles.
ISTJ: You like to follow rules and you can organize calendars or whatever.
ENFJ: You are a giver, a wonderful friend, a diplomat using his intuitive understanding of interpersonal relations to manipulate the feelings of individuals and crowds for the greater good.
ESFJ: You’re good at organizing office birthday parties and book clubs.
INFJ: You have the righteous introspection of Jesus, the charisma and principles of Gandhi, and you are amazing at internalizing the pain of others and empathizing with their true struggles. The only dark side is that you might be so good at this that you become HITLER because you’re so devilishly smart and amazing.
ISFJ: You can bake cookies and take care of gardens.
ENTP: You are a clever, quick-witted inventor, endlessly creative with loopholes in systems of logic and always fast with a joking retort during a debate. You’re a whiz-bang lawyer or a famous entrepreneur, following your amazing vision.
ESTP: You can do x-treme sports and be a club promoter.
INTP: You can be an Einstein, a Darwin, a Dawkins, an amazing thinker, producing a formidable corpus of thought and theory that will influence science and philosophy for generations to come.
ISTP: You can fix cars.
ENFP: You are an inspirer, extremely perceptive of others’ thoughts and feelings, a revolutionary champion of the downtrodden, able to bring the best out of everyone, able to get people to open up like no other.
ESFP: You can party and dance.
INFP: Your richly developed inner values can blossom forth in an explosion of extraverted intuition to create new worlds and universes of indescribable beauty, and reveal an understanding of the workings of human feelings and ethics that is unrivaled. You are a beautiful soul that few can understand.
ISFP: You’re really sensitive and you can paint pictures :)
I think it does a good job of pointing out the flaws of how most MBTI descriptions are written, and I personally found it really funny. Of course, as you brilliant Sensors can attest, none of it is true. :)
Healthy Sixes trust their
own experiences and are okay with being unable to predict the outcome. They are
productive, logical thinkers who organize their thoughts and actions around
what is most advantageous for the common good. Astute judges of character, they
are honest, loyal, reliable, and positive.
Six Traits
Sixes imagine and plan for the worst
Sixes distrust and authority figures
Sixes are sharp, analytically-minded
troubleshooters
Sixes are the ultimate devil’s advocate
Sixes are funny, understanding, loyal, and
compassionate
Sixes suffer from almost-constant low-level
anxiety
Sixes are quick and competent in a crisis… then
fall apart
Sixes wait for the other shoe to drop
Sixes are rarely sure they’ve made the right
decision
Fear influences all of the Six’s life choices
Sixes hate unpredictable situations and prefer
order to chaos
Sixes distrust flattery or too many compliments
Sixes are slow to open up but then never leave
you
Sixes are skeptical of the unknown and ask hard
questions
Sixes see two sides to everything and doubt
themselves
Sixes turn their anxiety into self-depreciating
humor
Sixes often forget their past success and take
on too much work
Enneagram Wings
6w5: are intellectual, cautious, self-controlled, introverted,
and seek security through an authority figure; they feel safest in groups
that share their values or belief systems; they protect their personal
information and seek alone time, which exacerbates their fears; often,
they over-analyze instead of act.
6w7: are entertaining, adventurous, and playful, willing to
take risks for their loved ones, but always careful to have a backup plan in
case the mission fails.
Phobic: these Sixes obey the rules and are loyal to authority, in
whom they place their trust, are deferential to their boss and avoid conflict.
They do not challenge their fears and instead stay inside ‘safe zones.’
Counter-Phobic: these Sixes are less compliant and agreeable, more
inclined to actively challenge authority to provoke a counter-attack (and
reveal the truth about the ‘authority’). They try to identify, target, and defeat their fears.
Under stress: Sixes act like unhealthy Threes (become
workaholics, pursue material success, and hoard resources to make them feel
more secure); they put on a facade of competence to dull their anxiety and
impress others with how ‘together’ they are, but refuse to do anything they
doubt they can succeed at or take unnecessary risks.
When feeling secure: Sixes move to the positive side of Nine, less
likely to have panic attacks about what could happen, stop planning for
disasters, and have less general anxiety. They become amusing, flexible, enigmatic,
and energetic, and less narrow-minded or rigid in their beliefs, able to trust
their instincts about other people and become less jaded.
Advice for the 6: doubt
yourself less, and trust yourself more. You have more courage and strength than
you know. Believe and trust in something bigger than yourself. Believe that whatever
happens, you can always find a place of safety, and you can trust your friends
to have your back. Consider prayer or meditation to calm your mind. Rebel when necessary, not out of fear. Record your successes and read them often, to
remind yourself that you can make good choices alone. Be positive about others’
ideas, instead of tearing them apart. Limit your exposure to the news. Learn to
recognize the difference between legitimate fear and free-flowing anxiety.
Influences on MBTI Types:
ISTJ: relies on
extensive knowledge and research to prepare oneself for the worst, motivated
through inferior Ne fears of “the great unknown”; unlikely to take risks,
semi-aggressive in pointing out logical flaws; may become rigid in their belief
system and traditionalist in their views.
ESTJ: a
safety-first decision-maker and reluctant leader, who prepares for all possible
negative outcomes and does not move forward until certain of success; may
distrust and push away from their emotions, fearing they might be a source of “weakness,”
leading to poor inferior Fi development (and insecurity in their relationships,
which causes additional anxiety); prone to traditionalist or nationalist
thinking (their ‘safe’ zone).
ISFJ: relies on extensive knowledge and research to prepare oneself
for the worst, motivated through inferior Ne fears of “the great unknown”;
unlikely to take risks, desperate to form emotional connections but hesitant to
reveal too much personal information; extremely loyal and care giving toward
those who win their trust, often uses self-depreciating humor to amuse others,
but semi-detached from their feelings (over-reliant on analyzing and
problem-solving with Ti).
ESFJ: takes on a
mothering role in protecting and shepherding their loved ones / trying to
anticipate and problem-solve any potential issues, eager to avoid risk, feels
safest in familiar territory and/or with others who share their values; low Ne
issues of paranoid suspicions, indecisive and second-guessing of their
decisions (low Ne issues + 6 fearfulness); strong reliance on inferior Ti, but
insecurity about its blind spots.
INTJ: distrustful
and secretive, prone to negative idealization and/or may face high Ni conflict
with 6 in trying to identify and eliminate problem areas as they go; may have
trouble identifying a safe zone, and involve themselves in a rigid ideology to
feel safe; pushes away from inferior Se / risk taking, overestimates how much
they can accomplish at once; due to indecisiveness, may mistype as a Ne or Si
type.
ENTJ: often
builds their own system which enables them to feel safe, or distrusts authority
other than their own; uses Se to deal with problems as they happen, but has a
negative outlook on life and always prepares for the worst; may be indecisive
and self-doubting, has inferior Fi issues of feeling anxious in their
relationships, which combines with Ni ‘reading’ between the lines / into things
overmuch.
INFJ: distrustful
and secretive, prone to negative idealization and/or may face high Ni conflict
with 6 in trying to identify and eliminate problem areas as they go; may have
trouble identifying a safe zone, and involve themselves in a rigid ideology to
feel safe; pushes away from inferior Se / risk taking, desperate to form
emotional connections but hesitant to reveal too much personal information;
extremely loyal and care giving toward those who win their trust, often uses
self-depreciating humor to amuse others, but semi-detached from their feelings
(over-reliant on analyzing and problem-solving with Ti).
ENFJ: takes on a
mothering role in protecting and shepherding their loved ones / trying to
anticipate and problem-solve any potential issues, eager to avoid risk, feels
safest with others who share their values; uses Se to deal with problems as
they happen, but has a negative outlook and always prepares for the worst;
strong reliance on inferior Ti, but insecure about their relationships; may
fall into a narrow ideology (Ni) to feel safe.
ESTP: far more
risk-adverse and more analytical than other ESTPs, may mistype as an ISTP due
to reliance on Ti, with inferior Ni struggling to identify future negative
outcomes; prone to a lot of negativity about the future (and singular
conclusions about it); less self-assured about their ability to wing things,
prone to low-level anxiety over tert-Fe (the desire to connect to others, but
uncertainty and suspicion causing detachment issues).
ISTP: intensely
analytical, with frequent Ti/Ni loops (predicting the worst and preparing for
it), not inclined to risk-taking, low NiFe desire to connect to a larger
ideology or group who can provide security in being “right”; especially good at
pointing out logical fallacies, and trusting of their ability to ‘read into’
authority figures’ motives.
ESFP: more covetous
of traditionalism and rigid ideology than other ESFPs, prone to knee-jerk
reactive (and often competent) impulses; less emotional and more driven to arm
oneself with Te facts / logic / strong decision making, but struggles with
continual self doubt, waffles on decisions once made, and feels insecure about
going out on a limb alone; may cling to an ideology of the future that makes
them feel safe (Ni).
ISFP: less
emotional and more reliant on logic than other ISFPs, prone to Ni-looping (fear
of singular negative outcomes, and then uses Te to try and effectively head
them off); hard-working and responsible, but does not like additional
responsibilities; may distrust their logic center, and feel safer when others
agree with them. Prone to negativity and becoming secretive and withdrawn when
anxious.
ENTP: quick to
read beneath the surface and assign motives to authority figures, or point out
flaws in proposed ideas; often indecisive, self-doubting, craves external affirmation
and reassurances about their logic (tert-Fe needs); may be safety-conscious and
reluctant to abandon old belief systems that root them into ‘feeling’ safe about
the unknown (inferior Si); less risk-taking than other ENTPs, and more traditional
/ covetous of finding something, anything to cling to that seems “true.”
INTP: super-analytical
and detached, wants to connect to a community through shared values (low Fe)
but suspicious, distrustful, quick to read beneath the surface and assign motives
to others or second-guess their relationships, often loyal to former ideologies
or belief systems (faith, science, nationalism, family, etc) as their security
checkpoint; will read up on many different things in order to “arm themselves
for the worst.”
ENFP: quick to
read beneath the surface and assign motives to authority figures, or point out
flaws in proposed ideas; often indecisive, self-doubting, and distrustful of
their Ne (they may not feel it is ‘practical’ in the real world) – which means
over-reliance on tert-Te to problem solve, point out rational flaws in proposed
ideas, and come up with worst-case scenarios instead of the usual Ne-dom
optimism; may be detached from their emotions as a result of continual Ne/Te
looping; may be safety-conscious and reluctant to abandon old belief systems
that root them into ‘feeling’ safe about the unknown (inferior Si); less
risk-taking than other ENFPs, and more traditional / covetous of finding
something, anything to cling to that seems “true.”
INFP: less
emotional and more reliant on logic than other INFPs, quick to read beneath the
surface and assign motives to authority figures, or point out flaws in proposed
ideas; often indecisive, self-doubting, and distrustful of their Ne (they may
not feel it is ‘practical’ in the real world); strong Si-roots (areas in their
thought process they refuse to question, challenge, or second-guess); may
distrust their logic center, and feel safer when others agree with them. Prone
to disappearing when anxious.
so can an ISFJ resemble extroverts with their Fe? i have a lot of extroverted qualities but i personally feel that i’m an introvert deep down. so how can you tell the difference between ISFJ and ESFJ? also side note do ISFJs also define themselves by external standards and care what others think like Fe doms do?
I have seen my ISFJ best friend ‘turn on’ Fe and act like an extrovert in a social group … but at the end of the day she still wants to go home and crash. After being out and about and social for that long, she winds down and needs to sleep it off or go into her room for awhile. She dreams about long weekends with the house all to herself.
Extroverts get bored of that very quickly and start texting all their friends, if they can’t call them or see them in person or have nothing to do. :P
I’ve done four comparisons of these two types in the ESFJ x ISFJ tag.
Would you say your flaw is not considering all possibilities and/or feeling threatened by multiple perspectives (inferior Ne) or a dislike of detaching on an emotional level and analyzing your loved ones ruthlessly (inferior Ti)?
Under stress, do you turn into Rory Gilmore and think about the 453 ways this could ruin your future (ISFJ) or do you become like Caroline Forbes and wail, “WHY? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING???” as you try desperately to understand it instead of just dealing with it (ESFJ)?
Stereotype: shallow, people-pleasing, with no morals of their own.
Reality: strong-willed, opinionated, in harmony with the group, strong ideas about right and wrong based on how it impacts everyone involved.
Extroverts can and do need time alone, but the difference between them and an introvert is that the introvert needs a longer period of isolation to recharge whereas the extrovert can power down / back up and be ready to socialize again in a shorter amount of time. Think of it as the extrovert needing a couple of hours alone after an event, vs the introvert needing a couple of days alone.
ESFJs are far more social and vocal about their views than ISFJs. ESFJs tend to want to address issues as they happen (Fe-dom) so they are often assertive in handling situations as they unfold and do not shy away from conflict, in the sense that if they feel it needs addressed, they are going to address it. The ISFJ is less comfortable doing this and less in tune with their own feelings, so they may delay, rationalize, hide out, and/or avoid this discussion for awhile, until Fe demands they clear the air. ESFJs are quicker to take action, more likely to pronounce an instant Fe-judgment, and have greater and easier access to tert-Ne, which makes them interested in many things and/or ideas; ISFJs are perceiving dominants, which means they are much slower to decide, and all their judgments are based on their personal subjective sensory experiences and what they are familiar with, rather than on objectivity (unlike Fe-dom) based in social standards of appropriateness; they also have more Ti, which means they want to build an idea in their mind of how the ‘system’ of reality works, and have a stronger capacity to do this than ESFJs.
Under stress, Fe-doms become obsessed and/or distracted by the WHY – why is this happening? what caused it? etc. This can prevent them from actually focusing on FIXING IT or DEALING WITH IT. This is their inferior Ti, glitching. Under stress, the ISXJ goes into Ne, which imagines a bunch of different situations they cannot control, mostly negative, about how this is going to ruin everything, which takes them out of their comfort zone. This is inferior Ne glitching.
I have two friends, an ESFJ and an ISFJ. The ESFJ is never home, because she’s out socializing, and within 10 minutes of knowing her, I knew ALL ABOUT her likes, dislikes, what she thinks is wrong with the world, etc. If she comes over, she only leaves under duress / when it gets late, and when I’m at her house, she begs me to stay another hour. The ISFJ comes home and crashes after work, she does “alone” projects such as knitting, and she doesn’t e-mail me for weeks on end because she doesn’t feel like socializing. I’ve found out her likes and dislikes a little bit at a time, over 15 years.
Often the sweet ‘girl next door’ heroine in romantic comedies, or the ultimate ‘nice guy’ hero in other romantic comedies, the ISFJ character is loyal, hard-working, and doesn’t much care for change, but blossoms with inferior Ne when someone new and/or exciting shakes up their world (turning them to writing, introducing them to the arts, and/or urging them to experiment outside their comfort zone). They are sometimes the best friend of the more flamboyant heroine or hero and, on occasion, the tormented, people-loving vampire.