Hello all! Assistance required: am I INTP or INFP?

shameless said:

School subjects not related much to mbti

My INFP daughter does resemble INTPs quite a bit.

She is best at Math & Science in school, and in robotics. She also enjoys art.

Why is she INFP instead of INTP?

The big distinguisher is her Fi function. She lacks Ti function.

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Thank you for your advice -- I'll do more research on functions.

I took a test which scored 95% on Ti and 65% on Fi. Overall, it said my type was unclear.

It seems like the tests which type by behaviour type me as INFP but the ones which test cognitive functions type me as INTP. Interesting. Your profile says you're STP -- what was it like for you discovering that? Did you come across any discrepancies like I did or was it clear cut? How much did it help with a sense of peace and understanding? (Sorry for the question overload -- people are awesome and fascinating and I want to learn more about them)

Have a wonderful day and thank you again for the insight ^^

shameless said:

Funny thing

I mistyped originally as INTP before knowing functions. Which does make sense even though it sounds crazy for an Estp to mistype as INTP.

Reason was because I did not know the difference between Ne & Se & the letters mbti stuff just asks dumb stuff like … are you shallow or deep? Can you think abstract? Or do you only think literal

So with such comprehensive tests for the mbti portion to distinguish N vs S lol. Who the hell is going to answer yeah I am shallow, I am literal, and I cannot see between any lines lol

Anyways later when I understood more about functions I realized I was in fact Se

When I took the real mbti assessment (not online quiz) at university I got ISTP

Me typing as ISTP does makes sense I am not that socially extroverted. However I recognize I am more than likely Estp because of my function orders. I am more likely inferior Ni. I tend to show a more polished use of Fe than I do Ni.

My Ti function has NEVER been in question. It tends to be apparent. Which makes sense often our second function can stand out and be predominant as it is more conscious than our first which is inherent and subconscious

Anyways I often tell people when in doubt consider their inferior function. And their weakest traits. It is easy for me to see I suck at Ni.

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Glad you figured yourself out!

I've done some more research. Se is my weakest function. My Ni and Ne seem to be equally strong. And Fe is a bit more prominent than Fi. I don't know enough about the functions yet to draw a firm conclusion, but I took a few more tests on cognitive function and I keep on getting either INTP or INFP in the top results. Still baffled but happy to have made headway ^^

Freyz said:

As others have suggested, you need to learn more about cognitive functions and determine whether your dominant function is Ti (Introverted Thinking) or Fi (Introverted Feeling).

Ti and Fi are pretty similar at its core, but they differ in how they process information. Ti users have their own logical framework for understanding the world. They enjoy analyzing things logically, but their logic is subjective and personal. This contrasts with Te (Extroverted Thinking) users, who base their logic on objective data and facts. Te users are known for being efficient because they can think quickly without having to examine everything in depth.

Fi users have their own emotional framework for evaluating the world. They value their feelings, emotions and moral code. They like to explore their feelings in depth and understand themselves better.

So the question is whether you live your life through logical, or feeling lens:

- Do you have your own logical explanations to everything you experience? For example you might use your Ne to find abstract connections, you then logically examine these connections to your logical framework for your own understanding.

- Or do you have your own sets of personal values, things like "wrong/right" and "bad/good". It is a judging function and they might be stubborn in some ways, but if they're healthy they can achieve a lot in life following their own sets of personal values/morals no matter what. Also, due to their emotional depth, they can be very creative, combining both abstract connections through their Ne and using Fi as the emotional depth.

Of course, this is some generalization, you have to research more on these cognitive functions concept.

Also, I'm not trying to make you doubt yourself, but please consider and take time to understand all cognitive functions, as you said that you're pretty new at it, because I'm assuming you took MBTI test, not Cognitive functions test

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You're right to assume I took the MBTI test and not the cognitive function test -- great insight! Thank you for your detailed response and advice.

Following your advice, I took a cognitive function test. In order of percentage strength, TiNiSiFe. (But my Ne is only five percent less than Ni.) Since this is the first time I've ever taken this kind of test and don't know much about functions yet I can't interpret the results properly. Another cognitive function test put my top two most likely types as INFP and INTP.

To answer your questions:

- I have my own sets of personal values. Be kind, but not always nice since sometimes it is kinder to be blunt or to set boundaries. If a behaviour does not harm anyone then it is rude to judge anyone for it even if you personally find it repulsive. Things like that. And while peacekeeping is important, sometimes it is best to make a fuss to ensure peace in the long term, not just the short term. I don't like playing the devils advocate, but I do like understanding why someone would think the opposite of what I do and perhaps write about them. (Another personal value I have is the importance of understanding those different from yourself.)

-I want to have a logical framework for everything but I don't. Not understanding things fully can be quite painful, but as long as I understand the world well enough not to harm people then the lack of knowledge is tolerable. Science fascinates me, and I love researching random, irrelevant things even if it has no practical use. (Do you know Carcinization is a form of convergent evolution where lots of animals who were not crabs evolved into crab like beings? Apparently crab is simply the ideal form XD)

I think that even though I value logic and understanding the world, caring for others is more important to me. The way I care for others is quite methodical though -- I'm autistic and can almost never trust my instincts, and sometimes my emotions are too faint for me to interpret, so I have to think if I want my care to be beneficial instead of harmful. "Do onto others as you want them to do unto you" would mean I'd seem callous and be rude to a lot of people. (If I'm stressed, I usually just want to be left alone or for people to try and solve the problem without talking about feelings whatsoever.) I'm used to acting in counterintuitive ways. I wonder if I'm an INFP who had learned that emotions are not always reliable or an INTP who's on the soppy side.

Right now I'm using my novel and my characters as a framework for understanding. I want the characters to feel real and I want to challenge myself, so I have to understand psychology and the mechanics of human behaviour. (And inhuman behaviours since some of my characters are aliens.) I want to make the fictional world feel real as well. I'm glad that learning about real world science (like linguistics and tectonic plate action) can be incorporated into the book. It's reassuring to have one place where all my understanding of the world can be explored.

Thank you again and have a wonderful day! Have a sea bunny.





Going by cognitive functions, I seem to be more similar to an INTP than an INFP, but not by much.

Necrofantasia said:

Programming is not an uncommon pursuit for INFP. If you were to look at me and my partner he resembles the stereotypical INTP more, down to having a much better relationship with numbers and keeping tabs on what technology people use ... possibly judging them silently...

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Good to know! Also love your description of him and his silent judgement XD

goodvibe said:

INFPs are not rare in STEM fields.


Hmmm..,I would expand on this, because at first glance, this doesn't sound like Fi dom to me, it sounds more like Fe.

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Thanks for your input!

I think I am Fe dom instead of Fi dom. I sometimes value Fi more, but I usually have to go against my "do not disturb anyone" instincts to act like that. I've always wanted to fit in, and it took a long time to accept the parts of myself that were nonstandard. It has to be a very important truth for me to say it even if it will upset people, otherwise I hide what I think.

Those instincts might have come about as a result of being ostracised/bullied however. I remember telling the truth and no good coming of it. That being true to myself was often not worth the trouble. (Like telling a teacher that I needed to study something simpler because I had been out sick -- I needed to learn the basics to understand the more complex subject but she said I was just interrupting and that I should study the thing I didn't have the base knowledge to benefit from. I was marked down as disruptive for wanting to learn properly)

In my earlier memories, I said what I thought even if it made people a bit miffed. I told other kids that Santa wasn't real because he'd have to travel at light speed to deliver all those presents and the friction would burn him up XD

I stopped as soon as I realised people were getting miserable though -- I think I cried when another kid started to cry.

Do you think that's Fe or Fi dom?

wjoy said:

id recommend you to take a look at this guy’s content, maybe it would be helpful -

i haven’t watched this exact video, but i find his explanations pretty useful. also, have you considered ixfj types? because, for an example isfj and intp get mistyped pretty often. infj is also an intuitive introvert but they often tend to be very logical due to their tertiary ti, same for isfj

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Thank you! Will give this a watch.

1st part: Is your framework based on logic or personal values?

I'm a bit confused by the dichotomy of building a framework of the world with your values versus your logic. I value both. think that having good intentions and kind thoughts is amazing, but it can be harmful or shallow if you're not willing to question your values thoroughly (what you feel is best won't always be best). Building a framework from logic alone is admirable and usually accurate (sometimes logic can get pretty scuffed), but it can lead to a worldview that's a bit too dispassionate.

I think I understand why I'm so split. In a test for cognitive functions, my Ti and Ni have identical high scores. (95 percent)

If I had to choose between the two, I think values based wins, but it doesn't win by a lot. I strongly prefer a framework that's an even mix of logic and personal values.

How thoughts are presented

It says that INTPs usually present their thoughts in a more linear, easy to follow fashion. I adore writing like this because it gives a clarity that my mind usually lacks. My thoughts usually don't have coherence and it's a big effort to order them. The draft of this was very messy and had lots of typos and blunders/trailing ends. It had no sections, just an idea dump to later be sorted into something that actually made sense. I've never liked poetry much, especially abstract poetry, because the vagueness hurt my brain. I'm glad that other people can appreciate the vibes though. Ti wins by a landslide due to my preference for clear writing that makes sense.

Moral dilemma

I think the best solution isn't to kill or spare but to put the villain in a high security prison instead. This way no lives are traded and the villain is prevented from harming others. I really don't want to have to make a choice between the two presented options though: I view murder as something that's inherently bad but sometimes the least terrible option. (Used to think it was always terrible but then I learned about war criminals, serial killers, how you can't always guarantee that self defence will be non lethal, and how the law can sometimes be corrupt so jail isn't always a viable, safe option.) I think I'd be able to do the logical thing if there was no third option but I'd never stop feeling guilty about it, even if it was technically right. It would also be VERY easy for me to be tricked into sparing the villain. All they would have to do is say something like "I want to do better" and I'd be unable to kill them because there's a chance they won't cause harm in the future. I think Ti wins out but not by much.

Not going to write more since I don't want to overwhelm you.

I'm still confused but the video was wonderful. Thank you and have a great day ^^

Here's a nudibranch of gratitude

Freyz said:

@Space_Ace_Android

There's a chance that you might be an IxFJ instead, assuming that you're an introvert.
From what I've seen so far, your feeling and thinking preferences seems to be 60/40, and that's what usually happens for IxxJ and ExxP.

You're not Te valuing as well, so that's off the mark now.



This ^ is giving me Ni dominant-Ti tertiary vibes. I know its subjective, but a Ti dominant people usually isn't like this, they often have a clarity of thought and follows in a linear logical processes. You might be either Ni or Si dominant, but I'm not sure.
You seemed to care a lot about what other people think, and what you thought that "personal values" is more or less like Fe for me, you care about the external values of people outside of yourself.

Now to figure out whether you value Ni or Ne is a little difficult, but I'll try:

Which can you relate more?

a. You love to ponder and reflect. You like to give meaning to something you experience, as your mind becomes flooded with abstract patterns and connections. You might or might not realize that everything is interconnected in the grand scheme of things.
Sometimes your mind feels like its processing abstract information behind the scenes. It's always automatic, you cannot seem to stop but perceive everything in an abstract/meaningful way, and it connects to your subjective framework of everything. You often to "realize" things and reaches an insight out of nowhere.

b. The world is endless. You are swimming in an endless sea of possibilities about what to do/experience/think about next and I want to try them all. You're creative, you have many ideas and projects that you wanted to achieve. You might be quick witted and often connects things in an unrelated way.
You like possibilities, it fascinates you. You love to experiment a bunch of things.
Your ideas are expansive, and keeps moving on and on.

Again, this is a generalization based on my current understanding of Ne and Ni. I might be biased towards Ni since I'm an Ni dominant, so for sure I understood it more :v
Please do more research and confirm the validity incase I'm wrong in some areas.

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Thank you so much for the insights and thoughts.

Sorry if I was late to respond -- a bit overwhelmed with all the feedback!

For Ti -- I'm autistic and often struggle with executive dysfunction/burnout. Sometimes my thoughts are extremely coherent and linear but it's rare -- usually it's a mess of exploring three or so ideas at once and sometimes not in order. It used to be a lot more coherent before burnout.

I took a test on cognitive functions -- both my Ti and Ni are very high.




a) I often get lost analysing theoretical situations I'll never be in/experience. I only get random bursts of insight when it comes to my writing, otherwise nada.

b) I think this is a lot more accurate, and it's a beautiful way of describing this manner of thinking. Thank you for sharing. I'm writing a novel about alien mermaids with an eclectic bunch of main characters because I want to explore as many ideas as I possibly can. We've got: an undead, autistic diplomat, a drag queen who's great with throwing knives, and a more standard archetype of an arrogant Royal (Even though she fits a cliché she has hilarious interactions with the other characters and has a great deal of depth and honour despite her screwed up beliefs/sense of superiority.)

Here's a drawing of Lumin (I tried including Asran as well but he made my browser crash XD).

Have a nudibranch of appreciation as well.

goodvibe said:

I think what you describe is more Fe axis than Fi. This does not necessarily mean that your Fe is above your Ti though, I sense you are more likely INTP than anything. The things you bring up...it is not because they happened to you..but in how you are experiencing them appears like a Ti/Fe lens to me, much more so than an Fi lens. As an INTP, I can relate to a lot of what you are saying as well. As a child, the tug of war between Ti and Fe., and the lack of Se making you retreat even further.

I would also check into Enneagram 9, which would help explain your defense mechanism of holding back your critical Ti views in order to keep the peace.

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Thank you for your insights! I'm guessing that INTP might be accurate than INFP. Since I often get INTP when it tests the cognitive functions and INFP when it's focused on behaviour, I think I might be INTP who often acts like INFP due to personal experiences, not because that's always the most natural way for me to act.

I hope you're no longer retreating into yourself and are comfortable with who you are now. Sending digital hugs and this nudibranch.