INTP Inspiration

[hereandnow]

If at a point in your life a book, person, or article had a profound effect on how you understand the INTP type, what was the book/person and why did it effect you?

[Rajah]

Years ago, I used to play acro on IRC quite a bit. There was an INTP woman who recognized I was an INTP, and she and I would talk in depth about it. So, I wasn't just gleaning textbook information from her (Please Understand Me I and II, both good, Gifts Differing, okay), I was learning about being an INTP just by observing her interactions.

[bluebell]

http://www.personalitypage.com/INTP.html

and

http://www.intp.org/intprofile.html

I only really discovered MBTI and INTPness about a month ago, so I haven't bought and read any of the books yet.

The effect has been profound. Self acceptance, less self-hatred. Noticing strengths and weaknesses and accepting both. The continuous background of anger melted away as soon as I stopped trying to be someone I wasn't. This is me.

[Prothero]

I suppose it would have to be the instructor who administered and counseled us on our results. It was 13 years ago and the MBTI was just one part of several weeks of training on understanding objectives, obtaining results, efficiency and various aspects of personalities in daily interactions. I had challenged several of the group exercises as we were diverted and led into delivering the results the various instructors needed to make their points. I even refused to participate in such games for 3 days, causing my teammates to question whether I was acting as a setup to test their ability to bring me back into the fold. The instructor thought it was something to consider for future classes, but assured them that I was not working on his behalf.
After the MBTI was administered, each person was given 10-15 minutes in private to have their results explained to them, along with recommended resources if they wanted to learn more. I was skipped until the next day. It turned out that he wanted to insure he had sufficient time for our discussion.
Our talk began with him saying "I should have known," and then adding, "You're the first INTP I've tested."
He said my results were extreme, but then began to explain that he didn't see it as a negative, but merely that I was less likely to vary my type over time than the others. It clarified for him that my challenges and protests weren't from a negative attitude, but a real desire to understand why we were being manipulated for the activity sessions and why I would consider the results invalid under the circumstances. I think we discussed, and debated, for at least 2 hours, but it may have been longer.
The reason he impresses me to this day is that, along with the other instructors, he had sometimes reacted poorly to the points I had tried to make, yet after the MBTI results, he showed genuine interest in what I had done, a deeper understand and respect of why I had to do it, and even allowed that the tests were meant to create an effect on the group, even if it meant ignoring the individual responses. He even suggested that he might move the MBTI forward in the syllabus so that he could talk to future INTPs before the group activities, in hopes of gaining their cooperation. I assured him they would probably agree to help him as they would enjoy understand how the manipulation was applied and the results it achieved.

I sort of ignored the INTP bit for a decade, but appreciated that I was not alone in the world, even if INTPs can be radically different how they apply their type to life.

[SolitaryWalker]

I'd say my idea of what it means to be an INTP came mostly from my own thinking.

Surely I collected information from a variety of sources, but in the end, when I came to have my own opinion, it wasnt heavily influenced by one particular thing for the most part it was all about how all of those ideas relate to what I think and what in the end I wanted to accept as the truth.

[Rice-Tactics]

Probably this http://www.intp.org/intprofile.html

It was the first description that I found that was 85% me.... Which is impressive.

[nittanylion302]

Read Einstein, Russell, Sagan

feeling so at home with these people sort of instantly defines the actualized INTP

[Dr. Haight]

If at a point in your life a book, person, or article had a profound effect on how you understand the INTP type, what was the book/person and why did it effect you?. . . an INTJ professor.

As for why he affected me: He saw things in me that no one other than myself could see. He gave me confidence. He pushed me to do stuff. And he challenged me - which was a first for me at that time.

[booyalab]

http://greenlightwiki.com/lenore-exegesis

especially this, I think Lee showed it to me first. http://greenlightwiki.com/lenore-exegesis/King_on_the_Mountain
Ti vs. Te (the simulated debate...the rest is about Te)

[paulwhy]

Probably this http://www.intp.org/intprofile.html

It was the first description that I found that was 85% me.... Which is impressive.
I also was stunned by the Paul James profile. Apart from the classical music stuff and the photography stuff it all applies to me. As I thought of myself as a unique one off, it was pretty stunning for me to be so accurately portrayed.