Anyone Making Progress in "INTP Lack of Common Sense" dilemma?

[David Carolina]

I'm book smart based on grades, and tests, but I recently had to admit that I've excercizes very little common sense all my life.

Since realizing this dilemma, I've tried to change this weakness and make it a strength.

Some of the ways I've screwed up my life with poor common sense:

1. Quitting jobs impulsively
2. Being exclusively unmaterialistic to the detriment of my daily life.
3. Raging in anger when I "felt like it" no matter what the consequences
4. Trying to make INTP's out of non intuitive types
5. Dating people for emotional reasons with no potential for longe term success
6. Rocking the societal boat when bypassing it would be easier
7. FIghting big brother instead of avoiding him

Im curious if others of you are battling the classic INTP without a shred of common sense thing' Please be specific in naming ways you have excercised poor common sense.

[Nighthawk]

I'm book smart based on grades, and tests, but I recently had to admit that I've excercizes very little common sense all my life.

Since realizing this dilemma, I've tried to change this weakness and make it a strength.

Some of the ways I've screwed up my life with poor common sense:

1. Quitting jobs impulsively
2. Being exclusively unmaterialistic to the detriment of my daily life.
3. Raging in anger when I "felt like it" no matter what the consequences
4. Trying to make INTP's out of non intuitive types
5. Dating people for emotional reasons with no potential for longe term success
6. Rocking the societal boat when bypassing it would be easier
7. FIghting big brother instead of avoiding him

Im curious if others of you are battling the classic INTP without a shred of common sense thing' Please be specific in naming ways you have excercised poor common sense.

Hmmmm ... I had a heavy dose of SJ indoctrination early in life, so I haven't had too many big lapses in common sense (outside of relationships). Although I've quit a lot of jobs, I've always lined up something else first. I have dated (and married) some first class losers. Finally got my relationship common sense together in my 30's and produced a good marriage.

I rocked the societal boat a lot and fought big brother a lot when I was younger. In the military, I sometimes refused to follow stupid orders or listen to stupid superiors. It sometimes cost me dearly ... in terms of career advancement or even personal liberties. In retrosect, it seemed to be a lot of wasted energy. Nowadays, I try to place myself in situations where I do not have to rock the boat or fight. Being a software engineer has helped, because people expect you to be somewhat different and a bit of a loner. Also, there are more people like me in that particular sub-culture.

[Madrigal]

5. Dating people for emotional reasons with no potential for longe term success

I don't think the list was negative, except for this one. But then, most people do that.

[Snowflake]

What is common sense?

[the_stumpycat]

5. Dating people for emotional reasons with no potential for longe term success


I get accused of exactly the opposite - ditching people for purely unemotional reasons - and I would say my trait is worse.

Apart from being told I am totally detached, and can be very aloof when doing it, my usual phrase is something like "It will never work, you are too far away / old / young / energetic / demanding and there will never be a long term future to it. If there is no long term, it makes no sense carrying on with it now. Goodbye".

[waxwing]

Funny, but I never thought of myself as lacking common sense. I think we need a definition. Your list sounds more like impulsiveness.

[Nighthawk]

Funny, but I never thought of myself as lacking common sense. I think we need a definition. Your list sounds more like impulsiveness.

A couple of my past relationships were definitely due to a lack of common sense ;)

[headfonez]

What is common sense?

Yeah.

[ptGatsby]

1. Quitting jobs impulsively


Never done. The best way is to deal with it like anger therapy. It is an F impulse - Count to ten, stay with status quo, then think about it. You know the logical thing is to find another job first. Do it! Flair doesn't pay well.



2. Being exclusively unmaterialistic to the detriment of my daily life.


Make it an advantage. Save money. Works fairly well with me. It is seperate than motivation to do something (like earn money). If that is an issue, you need to find a way out of the funk.



3. Raging in anger when I "felt like it" no matter what the consequences


Immature F - learn to control it. I had a hard time with this one... I use to keep old magazines so I could rip them up when I needed an outlet. I think, for the most part, life expierence teaches you better ways of dealing with anger... well, sometimes, anyway.



4. Trying to make INTP's out of non intuitive types


I still try doing this, no matter how much I accept that people aren't like me. The only way I get out of it is going "Right, you are a J!".

So long as you keep in mind that all types are necessary and only different, it seems to work. Sometimes I do get all superior, but... not too often... anymore.



5. Dating people for emotional reasons with no potential for longe term success


I was wayyy too T for this. I never dated anyone for emotional reasons. Not even my current GF, which I can definately say is all emotional now.



6. Rocking the societal boat when bypassing it would be easier


"Let's see what happens!"... Yah, I still do that, sometimes. I had some doozies when I was in highschool. Cost me some good friends, at that.



7. Fighting big brother instead of avoiding him


By omission, like not filing my taxes...

However, I've gotten practical now. Raging against the man isn't a very productive thing and I have other concerns (this seems to be a very Fi point for INTPs. We can take it too far, rather than realise that the injustice of it isn't really all that personally important).


Count to ten, heh. Most INTP problems can be solved by counting to ten, or a hundred, or a thousand... since most of our mistakes seem to come from letting our F out of its cage. We later T justify it, but... the source seems to be our damn Fs.

[Darkness]

What is common sense?


Common sense is NOT common enough? Does that make any sense? ;)

[Nighthawk]

What is common sense?

To me ... it is just having the sense and/or experience that the average person would have, not to get into bad situations.

[Will]

I'm book smart based on grades, and tests, but I recently had to admit that I've excercizes very little common sense all my life.

Since realizing this dilemma, I've tried to change this weakness and make it a strength.

Some of the ways I've screwed up my life with poor common sense:

1. Quitting jobs impulsively
2. Being exclusively unmaterialistic to the detriment of my daily life.
3. Raging in anger when I "felt like it" no matter what the consequences
4. Trying to make INTP's out of non intuitive types
5. Dating people for emotional reasons with no potential for longe term success
6. Rocking the societal boat when bypassing it would be easier
7. FIghting big brother instead of avoiding him

Im curious if others of you are battling the classic INTP without a shred of common sense thing' Please be specific in naming ways you have excercised poor common sense.


can't relate


.

[Nighthawk]

I'm not sure lack of common sense is an exclusive INTP domain. My daughter is an ESTP/ESFP and has the common sense of a grape. She recently canceled the insurance on her car (by failing to pay) ... and then promptly totalled the vehicle. Now she owes $16,000 on the loan. Guess who will pay? That's right, her co-signer mother (ISFJ) ... whose common sense I am also questioning for co-signing a loan with somebody.

[cjs55]

I suppose lack of common sense does manifest itself in various ways across the MBTI spectrum. SPs are the worst when it comes to guaging temporal/physical repercussions, SFJs at being manipulated, NPs at being partially clueless towards everything in the physical realm, NJs at being totally clueless about one thing, etc.

Although STJs probably do reign supreme when it comes to the subject. They also reign supreme in being unlivable with.