Question, not too sure if this should go here or not...

[Avengardh]

I was thinking on the nature of being an INTP, we act like we are because we are surrounded by the normals.
However, what would happen if the environment we were in celebrated the way we view life? Would we be as rare? Would we be happy and as inclined to saying "There is so few of us in the world"?

Would we really thrive as human beings??

Just wondering what everyone else thought on this.

~*Aven*~

[Vagabond]

Hmm... I don't get any particular pleasure out of our rarity/uniqueness, I don't mind it either... I *wish* I was surrounded by INTPs and INTJs. I wish I was in a ghetto or an isolated island or something where only INTs could grow :D Personally, I only think I would be better balanced, having less issues to face within myself and therefore more capable to concentrate on observing why things happen the way they happen and acquiring knowledge eventually.

[shaytana]

The normals do not interest me all that much, I usually just find myself trying to sift through them, looking for ... well all of you. I can't seem to find you guys out there irl though, it feel like I am the only one looking.

But to answer your question, yes, we would thrive.

[KentOhio]

I very much like being unique, but at the same time wish I knew more people like me. Anyway, I read somewhere that the culture of Switzerland is INTP-dominated. Not that there are more of them there, but the culture is set up around the thinking structure of INTPs. Any chance that's true?

[Melody]

I dunno...something tells me we're not all that rare.

[Jezebel]

I don't really care what the "normals" think about the way I view life, as long as they stay out of my business. In fact, I don't think I could stand being surrounded by INTPs all the time. I think the diversity is good for society. There are so many things that need to be done in a society to keep it going that just don't seem to interest most INTPs. When I'm working in a team, I find that it's good to have a variety of personality types to fill different roles. When there's something I don't want to do, there's another personality type that doesn't mind filling the role instead.

Even in friendship, I like having extroverted friends. Sometimes when I'm around other introverts, I don't know what to say or how to act, and we just end up sitting barely saying anything. I guess I'm supposed to have some kind of understanding with them, but instead I find that I'm not sure how to read their silence. And my extroverted friends have helped me meet many new people and got introductions going, even with other introverts that I otherwise wouldn't know.

I don't think my problems with other people is because of their mbti personality type, but with other aspects of personality I don't like being surrounded by. For example close-mindedness, aggression, irresponsibility, inconsideration, rudeness, constant negativity, and so on. I think that INTPs can have these problems just as well as any other type.

[antireconciler]

I was thinking on the nature of being an INTP, we act like we are because we are surrounded by the normals.
However, what would happen if the environment we were in celebrated the way we view life? Would we be as rare? Would we be happy and as inclined to saying "There is so few of us in the world"?

Would we really thrive as human beings??

Just wondering what everyone else thought on this.

~*Aven*~

INTP's are different, I think, because we form a stronger independence of thought than what other people think. The only way I can think about this is by taking two transparancies, one with INTP's on it and one with the rest of society. The "rest of society" transparancy has 98% of the dots, the "INTP" transparancy has the remaining 2%. The "rest of society" transparancy shows a cluster of dots in the middle, and the "INTP" transparancy shows dots all over the place like stars in the night sky. Overlay the two and we have society. So, now if we take the "rest of society" transparancy and model them like the "INTP" transparancy, we have dots freaking everywhere. Overlay the two and we have your hypothetical society. The lonely dot that was you out in the boonies now has more dots around it ... but are you any less rare? Zoom in. How about now? You ask wheter or not "we" as in "INTP"s would thrive, but "INTP" has no meaning anymore. Zoom out, we are all the same. Zoom in, we are all seperated by an unimaginable void. Take regular society. Same story. You draw the line at a human definition of where the zoom is set and thus is totally artificial. It's all relative. INTP's thrive because they DON'T depend on what other people think. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so different in the first place.

[Avengardh]

INTP's are different, I think, because we form a stronger independence of thought than what other people think. The only way I can think about this is by taking two transparancies, one with INTP's on it and one with the rest of society. The "rest of society" transparancy has 98% of the dots, the "INTP" transparancy has the remaining 2%. The "rest of society" transparancy shows a cluster of dots in the middle, and the "INTP" transparancy shows dots all over the place like stars in the night sky. Overlay the two and we have society. So, now if we take the "rest of society" transparancy and model them like the "INTP" transparancy, we have dots freaking everywhere. Overlay the two and we have your hypothetical society. The lonely dot that was you out in the boonies now has more dots around it ... but are you any less rare? Zoom in. How about now? You ask wheter or not "we" as in "INTP"s would thrive, but "INTP" has no meaning anymore. Zoom out, we are all the same. Zoom in, we are all seperated by an unimaginable void. Take regular society. Same story. You draw the line at a human definition of where the zoom is set and thus is totally artificial. It's all relative. INTP's thrive because they DON'T depend on what other people think. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so different in the first place.

Thanks Anti, this was the kind of answer I was looking for. And I understand your point, I just wanted to know what everyone thought. Just something to talk about ^^

[NGene]

are you any less rare? Zoom in. How about now? You ask wheter or not "we" as in "INTP"s would thrive, but "INTP" has no meaning anymore. Zoom out, we are all the same. Zoom in, we are all seperated by an unimaginable void. Take regular society. Same story. You draw the line at a human definition of where the zoom is set and thus is totally artificial. It's all relative.
That is so very well said. *applause*

BTW, this thread fits in the People and Psych category.

[cloakable]

The M-B test results have indicated that there may be some possibility of a cultural influence in determining the Introversion/Extroversion preference, since the Australian MBTI statistics indicate there is a preference towards Introversion (60% Introversion, 40% Extroversion) while the American statistics display a preference towards Extroversion.(60% Extroversion, 40% Introversion).

Thus with this statistical information, there are more INTP's in Australia than there are ENTP's, thus making the ENTP's the rare typology in Australia ..... I guess everything is relative.

Yeah, but America as a society values Extraverted Thinking, with Extraverted Sensing coming close behind. Children (particulary male ones) are encouraged to exhibit these traits.

This can have negative effects on people who do not have these traits, but develop them, at the expense of their natural traits. I'll post up some more info on it, when I can find it.

[cloakable]

But, according to some documents a friend gave me, if a person develops traits at the expense of the dominant function, the result is a disorder that is being called PASS (Prolonged Adaption Stress Syndrome) that has the following symptoms:

Short term:
No joy
No satisfaction

Medium term:
Mild depression
No joy
No satisfaction
Immune system suppresion

Long term:
Severe depression
Suicidal tendicies

This is not a complete list, and as I will not have the documents for about two more weeks, I cannot give you a complete list at the moment.

However I do know that it has something to do with the way that the ways the different types use their brains - T is based in the frontal left, N is based in the frontal right, S is based in the basal left, and F is based in the basal right. Our Introversion/Extraversion level is governed by the RAS, which governs how much information we take in. Our prefenence for P or J is governed by the highest extraverted function - if it is a decision making function, such as T, the person will prefer Judging, while if it is a information gathering function, such as N, the person will prefer Perciving.

Also, the dominant function will differ in function in that persons brain - it will be much more economical, energy and oxygen wise, than other parts of the brain. This is not a small amount either - it is a factor of 100x, so a brain which is not using the dominant function is using 100x the amount of oxygen and energy of a brain which is behaving 'true to type'. This starves the body of resources, causing lethargy, tiredness, and lack of stanima.

I will post up further info, when I get it, if anybody's interested.

Also I just rememberd the name of the person responsible - Katherine Benziger, at here (http://www.benziger.org/)

PASS is also explained here (http://www.benziger.org/pass.html)

[paladinoflunaria]

This is a question of geographical moral parsimony. ;) I think that INTPs might have very subtle differences in an INTP community, but the INTP definition stays the same. I would love to claim Greenland as the INTP island-continent, but I'll survive where I'm at, too.

[Star Cannon]

I like diversity. I am an INTP, but I different from other INTP's. I will the only Star Cannon. But I myself fluctuate between introversion and extroversion.

(So therefore, why not just use numerology and strive for balance? :D )

As for the question of INTP's thriving... I can't say either way. Why don't you buy an island off the coast of Florida and invite every one who IS INTx to live there for oh... say.... six months(?) Then tell us about it!

[Clara]

Okay, I landed on this by a glitch (computer must be feeling slightly strained, with all the upcoming festivities, too - ? hahaha j/k)

So, we definitely don't believe in signs (quoting/ some philosopher)... but we do seize occasions. Or, one little guy in the back, does - And, we reread books, don't we? And books we discover, that we hadn't known were in the house?

[tragula]

Most people are "sheep" therefore if you control the shepperd you control the herd. That may be hyperbole, but it's amazing how people just believe something because someone cool or important says it is true. So I think society could be steered into more INTP territory with the right trend setters and the right leaders. Not exactly heading in the right direction right now...

However, since INTP relies on the truth, then theoretically sociological studies about happiness, material wealth, stress, etc. should all chip away at SJ majority blindspots and bring them closer to our worldview?!?