Clumsiness and its relationship to type

9873 Views 28 Replies 23 Participants Last post by Fish Launcher, Apr 3, 2013

SapphireSarah

Discussion Starter · Aug 1, 2011

So, this may come as no surprise, but I'm naturally a very clumsy person (ironically people have also called me "elegant" too - GO FIGURE!).

According to the forum posts I've read, a lot of NFs/ENFPs in general tend to be pretty clumsy as well! If you've ever seen the bubbly/bouncy/happy/magical anime girl heroine stereotype, you'll know what I'm talking about.

But is this part of the stereotype of our type? I can imagine extraverted intuition makes us all over the place with our thought processes. Head up in the clouds = not watching the feet. But apparently, as cognitive processes go, I have very strong Ni too, so shouldn't that make me more focused on where I walk?

And until I avidly read MBTI forums, I always heard a different explanation for this lack of coordination! My family always told me that I inherited my klutzy streak from my father, who is - surprise! - an ISTJ. Completely, totally, methodically, and computationally 100% an Introverted Sensing Thinking Judger.

So DADDY'S head is NEVER in the clouds: it's so down to earth that it bugs me sometimes with how many little details he picks up out of nowhere, then points out to me. And yet he trips and breaks things constantly too. He's never mad when I destroy something by accident because more than likely he would've done the same thing before long (LOL).

AH! What's the deal?! Please note, we both try to stay active and are both naturally pretty athletic. I'm getting better at telling apart my left and right now that I'm taking up my newest favorite sport, but telling the two of those apart has always been the downfall of me. ;____;

So?
Any ideas as to how clumsiness and type are related? What would the clumsiest type be?

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Eloise

· #2 · Aug 1, 2011

Well, I don't know how it's type related, but I certainly tripping over anything and everything. A lot of times I just lie down on the floor and give up, because the gnomes keep tripping me when I'm not looking.

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Fenrir317

· #3 · Aug 1, 2011

I am often called clumsy and have never been very good in sports, at least the ones mandatory in gym class, that doesn't mean I'm not physically fit in fact I exercise often. When not engaging in a physical sport or activity my "head is in the clouds" and all and I'm in my own little world making it easy to stumble and fall when you are not focused on your soroundings and when I am engaged in such activites because I don't usually do so my energy levels get extremely high and I focus less on my self and more on the feel and rush so I either perform exceptionally well and make it seem like I know what I'm doing or I lose even more coordination and trip and stumble more often. Yet I have also been told I sometimes have a noble air and grace in my maneurisms. I think clumsiness is a likely common trait in ENFPs as the Ne dominance may make us rather "absent minded" and dreamy and less focused on the present and being that we often have Se as our last function we aren't the best at being physically quick and responsive on command.

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SapphireSarah

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 1, 2011

Isn't Si our last function if and ENFP typically fits the bill? Ne - Fi - Te - Si?

My dad is exactly the reverse, so that's one way I remembered.

CupcakeQueen

· #5 · Aug 1, 2011

Yes, this is true. I can confirm my clumsiness. I'm a VERY clumsy person by nature, not sure if it's a ENFP thing,
but I AM a clumsy gal

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Eerie

· #6 · Aug 1, 2011

I'm not clumsy, my walls just keep moving because they are sadistic and want me to walk into them.

duh.

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saffron

· #7 · Aug 1, 2011

If I'm in my head I'll bump into furniture or pour iced tea all over the counter and myself etc... (happened yesterday) Honestly I think all types are in their heads off and on, they're just focused on different stuff. My ISFP mom is one of the clumsiest people I've ever met.

Tad Cooper

· #8 · Aug 1, 2011

Eloise said:
Well, I don't know how it's type related, but I certainly tripping over anything and everything. A lot of times I just lie down on the floor and give up, because the gnomes keep tripping me when I'm not looking.

Gnomes get you too?! They trip me up, knock me into things and steal my stuff D:< (I said gnomes took my essay to my teacher and she didn't get the joke...)

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Nafatali

· #9 · Aug 1, 2011

Oh man... clumsy is my middle name.

MuChApArAdOx

· #10 · Aug 1, 2011

Nafatali said:
Oh man... clumsy is my middle name.

:crazy:

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Nafatali

· #11 · Aug 1, 2011

MuChApArAdOx said:
:crazy:

Thaaaaats about right. lol!
The other day I accidently opened my register drawer on my Boss's head... XD. (I still maintain that it was his fault because he was taking too long trying to find someting in the cupboard under the register!)

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pericles

· #12 · Aug 1, 2011

Don't think it's type-related. ESTP with hardcore Se here and I'm clumsy. I think it is because I'm left-handed in a right-handed world. Im good at sports tough.

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MuChApArAdOx

· #13 · Aug 1, 2011

Nafatali said:
Thaaaaats about right. lol!
The other day I accidently opened my register drawer on my Boss's head... XD. (I still maintain that it was his fault because he was taking too long trying to find someting in the cupboard under the register!)

ahahahahaha!!...why can i picture that

..and of course it was his fault ;-)...if that happened with me, i would have been laughing so freaking hard inside =)...IDK, when i do stupid things i can't help but laugh at myself. XD

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Zerosum

· #14 · Aug 2, 2011

I was definitely going to say i wasn't clumsy! Im normally pretty co-ordinated with sports and stuff, but then i remember how i quite often notice that im bleeding or got weird cuts on my arms,legs and hands with no idea how they happened! lol

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The Sundancer

· #15 · Aug 2, 2011

I either fight crime in my sleep or I am secretly (so secretly that even I don't know about it ) an evil mime burglar at night. These are the only two possible things that can explain my mysterious bruises and cuts. That or objects like to attack me when I am not aware.

(In normal people terms: yes, I am indeed VERY clumsy)

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hoom

· #16 · Aug 2, 2011

The Sundancer said:
I either fight crime in my sleep or I am secretly (so secretly that even I don't know about it ) an evil mime burglar at night. These are the only two possible things that can explain my mysterious bruises and cuts. That or objects like to attack me when I am not aware.

Interesting that you mention mysterious bruises and cuts

. I did a massive survey regarding MBTI at my school this year, and one of the questions was whether or not the people involved had found bruises and cuts on their bodies and had literally no idea what caused them, sometimes even fresh, bleeding wounds (though others could've been there for a while)...... as it turns out (or at least what my data yielded), this is a quality characteristic of iNtuitive types. Not all intuitors said they had this problem, but a significant percentage did (I think somewhere around 33%-50%) versus a next to zero percentage from the surveyed sensors.

My own personal story for this phenomenon is having woken up, entered the shower, noticed that my leg hurt, looked down and found a gigantic red scab from my knee to my shin about 1.5 inches wide... on two separate occasions; I have no idea how either happened. I've also had this phenomenon manifest in less ghastly and surprising formats

.

For what it's worth, as an INTJ, I don't consider myself to be a clumsy person, but I thought I'd share this interesting data

.

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FlowerChild

· #17 · Aug 2, 2011

I'm not really sure, but i'm an infp and really clumsy too. I trip over my own feet, and drop everything. I can't seem to grasp things very well, and it might have something to do with me not paying enough attention to hold onto it tight enough. I'm not sure, it could just be a lack of coordination.

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nottie

· #18 · Aug 2, 2011

I used to be terribly klutzy, but it got a lot better after I took up figure skating. I still suck, but it's less noticeable. xD Weirdly enough I was naturally graceful at figure skating though that should be harder to balance..

I'm always finding random cuts and bruises everywhere, too, with no recollection of how I got 'em.

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Agelaius

· #19 · Aug 2, 2011

I'm pretty sure it's common for most to be clumsy with particular things, such as myself with sports, stairs and flat surfaces. However, when it comes to random movements, jumping and climbing things, and basically doing stuff that's borderline parkour I manage to have some really good balance.

nottie said:
I'm always finding random cuts and bruises everywhere, too, with no recollection of how I got 'em.

This happens more often than I'd like to admit...

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shampoo

· #20 · Aug 4, 2011

or maybe it is an ENFP thing!!
I am the clumsiest person I can ever know..my clumsiness is off charts!! Seriously...
I trip over my pajamas...drop glasses...drinks naturally start overflowing when im pouring....n i trip over anything and everything, maybe were earth core magnets...n me too....i find random cuts and bruises outta nowhere!

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