[Geno]

Hi everyone. I'm new to these forums. I've been rather uneasy about something lately. I was wondering if there might have been any chance that I changed my type during my period of depression. How often can a change like this occur? I've taken the MBTI personality test numerous times before and have always gotten the INFJ result. I've been pretty sure my whole life that this was my type. Though it wasn't until recently that I have taken the test again and yielded the ISFJ result. Given the differences between ISFJs and INFJs I'm wondering if it's really possible that I did change to that type or not. I really hope I didn't. I've been very comfortable with being an INFJ and I don't really identify myself as an ISFJ at all. Lately I've been having a lot of trouble coming up with thoughts due to my condition. My mind is blank, which means I can't verify if I'm still an INFJ or not by thought processes. I've had a lot of symptoms due to my mental illness that have made me more reclusive and distressed overall. I have changed a lot due to this. My best friend has witnessed this. I used to be known as the friend willing to give helpful advice and now I feel like I can't anymore. I can't come up with any ideas. I've been letting people down lately because of this and it has made me very upset. My mind does feel different in some way but I don't know if it has to do with my mental illness or not. I wonder to what extent does all of this influence the results in the personality tests. Does anyone just spontaneously change type? Does anyone have any advice about this? I could use some words of reassurance from you INFJs. If there's anything else you'd like to know feel free to ask.

 

[purplegreen]

No, your type hasn't changed. Though I hope your depression improves.. I suggest keeping yourself busy to stave off the depression.

*AHEM*

Tests aren't exactly accurate(in some cases, vastly inaccurate). This wall of text is assuming you are an INFJ.

Anyways, during a state of depression people are different; their MBTI type does not change, but they do change behavior. This means that their cognitive "goals" are the same(under stress, a person can use their cognitive functions in a jumbled manner, making it seem as if he/she has "changed" type), but the environment has changed leading to different behavior.
As an INFJ(if you are one), you may have experienced the Ni-Ti loop, a loop where you create ideas, shoot them down and create them again, yet only to shoot them down, again and again... You also find flaws in many things and become reclusive.

It would be easier if you could tell us the cause of your depression(and try not to over-dramaticize it if possible), and I/we could possibly give you more details and more information on this "change of behavior". As of now there aren't many details that could offer a detailed reason for your change in behavior, but assuming you aren't mistyped(an INFJ), my conclusion is that stress has led to you using tertiary Ti as a defense mechanism.

If you need more details/explanation, ask.

EDIT : Sorry if I seemed too aggressive...
EDIT 2 : Types can't change in MBTI. (This next part may be wrong)IRL, outside of the MBTI theory, I believe behaviors can change but a person's core "goals" can not change. (e.g. from success in school to success in small, fun things, the goal is still success)

 

[Geno]

No, your type hasn't changed. Though I hope your depression improves.. I suggest keeping yourself busy to stave off the depression.

*AHEM*

Tests aren't exactly accurate(in some cases, vastly inaccurate). This wall of text is assuming you are an INFJ.

Anyways, during a state of depression people are different; their MBTI type does not change, but they do change behavior. This means that their cognitive "goals" are the same(under stress, a person can use their cognitive functions in a jumbled manner, making it seem as if he/she has "changed" type), but the environment has changed leading to different behavior.
As an INFJ(if you are one), you may have experienced the Ni-Ti loop, a loop where you create ideas, shoot them down and create them again, yet only to shoot them down, again and again... You also find flaws in many things and become reclusive.

It would be easier if you could tell us the cause of your depression(and try not to over-dramaticize it if possible), and I/we could possibly give you more details and more information on this "change of behavior". As of now there aren't many details that could offer a detailed reason for your change in behavior, but assuming you aren't mistyped(an INFJ), my conclusion is that stress has led to you using tertiary Ti as a defense mechanism.

If you need more details/explanation, ask.

EDIT : Sorry if I seemed too aggressive...
EDIT 2 : Types can't change in MBTI. (This next part may be wrong)IRL, outside of the MBTI theory, I believe behaviors can change but a person's core "goals" can not change. (e.g. from success in school to success in small, fun things, the goal is still success)

Thank you for your extended reply and good wishes purplegreen. It was very helpful. You seem to know a lot about this. If possible I'd like a more detailed explanation about the Ni-Ti loop and how it works, and also about that tertiary Ti that you mentioned. I'm not sure what that is. Well I'm not really sure about the cause of my depression either. It all started at the end of 2014. I've always been very shy and reserved about the way I feel and think. This has caused me to have feelings about being misunderstood and lonely, and then I slowly became more melancholic and reclusive. I felt like no one really knew me. It wasn't until I opened up about how I felt to my parents that they knew what was going on with me. From this point on I couldn't help but feeling sad all the time. I also had a phase where I was constantly irritable and upset about everything. A few months later I started having panic attacks and these crazy feelings of irreality. I felt detached from my own body. Like I was in some sort of dream. Then I felt like my head couldn't stop spinning with thoughts about everything being unreal. I felt like I was going crazy which made me constantly anxious. Shortly after at April I started seeing a psychiatrist. I explained to him everything that went on with me and so he got me started with medication. My health started improving significantly after the first few months. I started feeling more like myself, but then I had a relapse. I was witnessing side effects from some of my medication. We then made some adjustments to the medication, and saw an improvement, but then I started feeling irritable again. I felt the constant need to scream and attack something. I was constantly in a bad mood around everyone and my friends witnessed this. Then one day I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I felt ashamed of the way I felt so I started repressing my own feelings. It got to a point where I started feeling empty. I had difficulty feeling my own emotions and listening to my own thoughts. It's like I could no longer establish contact with my own psyche or internal self. All of this made me very uneasy and anxious. I felt like my mind stopped working. I then started feeling like everything bothered me and life was hard. Everything I did required a lot of effort. I was constantly tired and discouraged about everything. Depression was it its worst at this point. I then started to feel like concentrating was a difficult task. I constantly forgot things and struggled with any minor task. I've also felt indifferent towards everything. Nothing interests me anymore. I used to be willing to do a lot of things but now I feel drained and exhausted. I feel emotionally unstable. All of these symptoms have left me crippled ever since. Now I feel like I can't function properly. My quality of life has been at its worst ever since. All of this has been a heavy burden to me. Life is hard and the everyday demands exceed my poor capabilities. I can no longer do what the average person can do. My mind doesn't let me function and much less enjoy the simple pleasures of life anymore. I feel like I'm barely living. No medicine has helped me. In fact, I feel like it has only worsened me. I've tried being patient with my recovery but it seems things are only getting worse and not even my psychiatrist or psychologist can even begin to understand what I'm going through no matter how many different ways I try to explain it to them. No one understands my pain or my limitations. I wouldn't wish my condition on anyone. I'm at the worst I've ever been in life. I don't feel like I have anything positive going on for me. I feel like during the whole process I've lost myself and all sense of who I am. I feel like I can't identify myself as an INFJ anymore or any other type for that matter. I'm living a nightmare. I wish things could go back to the way they once were. Forgive me if I sound too aggravated but it's just that I can't take it anymore. At this point I'm desperate and I really needed to vent. But anyway at this point I'd accept any form of advice that anyone could give me. Any form of light on this matter would be much appreciated. Once again thank you purplegreen for your help. I'll await your answer.

 

[mostlyvoid_partiallystars]

Hey there, hope you're hanging on strong. Depression/mental illnesses sucks man, I've been there as well. I know I'm just a random stranger on the internet to you, but feel free to pm me. I'd be glad to help out a fellow person.
I pretty much agree with @purplegreen. When you're under lots of mental pressure, your behaviour is naturally going to change a bit as well as you try to cope. Obviously, this varies from person to person.
For me, I went into a Ni-Ti loop, where I obsessively analysed everything and my social perceptions were extremely skewed. I became extremely paranoid and I thought everyone was malicious and out to get me. I was very morbid and overly fascinated with death. I ignored my feelings and decided that I didn't need any human interaction whatsoever. I was extremely self-absorbed and fancied myself as a martyr. I was numb and empty on the inside, with no motivation whatsoever.
When I look back, I realise I was acting very "out of character" for an INFJ. Even though I'm in a much healthier mental state now, my personality has changed a bit, cos I went through that shit. But I didn't change personality type. I think there's like a 0.000000000001% you can change personalities, but it'd have to be an extremely severe and debilitating mental disorder.
You may have just mistyped when you were depressed though. The tests aren't reliable and are really subjective, so there's a possibility of that. Also maybe look into your Enneagram type? That can also influence your behaviour when you're under stress. I found that my enneagram (5w4) was much more helpful in figuring out my psyche when I was depressed than my MBTI type.
Well, that's just my take on it. Hopefully that was helpful to you.

TL;DR - You probably didn't change types, MBTI tests are unreliable and maybe try looking at your enneagram type.

 

[Geno]

Hey there, hope you're hanging on strong. Depression/mental illnesses sucks man, I've been there as well. I know I'm just a random stranger on the internet to you, but feel free to pm me. I'd be glad to help out a fellow person.
I pretty much agree with @purplegreen. When you're under lots of mental pressure, your behaviour is naturally going to change a bit as well as you try to cope. Obviously, this varies from person to person.
For me, I went into a Ni-Ti loop, where I obsessively analysed everything and my social perceptions were extremely skewed. I became extremely paranoid and I thought everyone was malicious and out to get me. I was very morbid and overly fascinated with death. I ignored my feelings and decided that I didn't need any human interaction whatsoever. I was extremely self-absorbed and fancied myself as a martyr. I was numb and empty on the inside, with no motivation whatsoever.
When I look back, I realise I was acting very "out of character" for an INFJ. Even though I'm in a much healthier mental state now, my personality has changed a bit, cos I went through that shit. But I didn't change personality type. I think there's like a 0.000000000001% you can change personalities, but it'd have to be an extremely severe and debilitating mental disorder.
You may have just mistyped when you were depressed though. The tests aren't reliable and are really subjective, so there's a possibility of that. Also maybe look into your Enneagram type? That can also influence your behaviour when you're under stress. I found that my enneagram (5w4) was much more helpful in figuring out my psyche when I was depressed than my MBTI type.
Well, that's just my take on it. Hopefully that was helpful to you.

TL;DR - You probably didn't change types, MBTI tests are unreliable and maybe try looking at your enneagram type.

Thank you mostlyvoid, I greatly appreciate your help and support. You've given me hopes during this difficult time. I wonder how you got out of depression though. That's a story that I'd like to hear. I can imagine how that experience changed you. There's only so much a person can take without changing. Once again, thank you. I'll gladly take your advice and look at my enneagram type now.

 

[mostlyvoid_partiallystars]

Thank you mostlyvoid, I greatly appreciate your help and support. You've given me hopes during this difficult time. I wonder how you got out of depression though. That's a story that I'd like to hear. I can imagine how that experience changed you. There's only so much a person can take without changing. Once again, thank you. I'll gladly take your advice and look at my enneagram type now.

No worries, I'm glad to be of any help. As for the depression, I feel like I got lucky. I have no idea how I pulled myself out of that hole. When I went through depression, it made me look at things from a really different perspective and forced me to face reality. So, I'm now determined to learn from the things I experienced and become a better person.
I'm glad to give you some hope. I think depression is a bit like a long winding dark tunnel. When you're in it, it consumes you and warps your senses. It feels like numbing agony won't ever end. But one day, you'll see a glimpse of light from the other end. And when you emerge from the tunnel, suddenly you'll see the world around you again. And that'll be you one day, you just have to keep fighting.
That was oddly poetic, but I hope you get my analogy. Good luck :smile:

 

[purplegreen]

I also advise looking at your Enneagram type, but chances are it'll be rather warped when you're depressed. Look at core motivations instead of behavior, as a guideline :3

Sorry I couldn't reply soon, my WiFi was screwed up in more ways than one, and my original response may have been too direct...
Anyways, any type can vastly differ from another person of the same type, and even if you don't stereotypically fit a type, you can still be that type(Enneagram also affects this, and tritype to a lesser extent)

I'm on phone right now so I can't provide too much information...

 

[purplegreen]

My Ni-Ti loop was rather different; it was more of simply being disconnected from Fe. I obsessively ignored any form of subjective data and used Ni only to aid the analysis(though I would end up hyperstressing myself). I stood up for the truth over all, and psychoanalyzed the negative traits of everyone around me, becoming rather, too goal oriented and pragmatic; looking at everything from a logical basis, even factoring the feelings of others as a calculation rather than a consideration. It wasn't a good experience; I lost most of my friends.

I'm going to add in I'm A LOT younger than how I actually seem now.
A WHOLE lot younger.

 

[Geno]

No worries, I'm glad to be of any help. As for the depression, I feel like I got lucky. I have no idea how I pulled myself out of that hole. When I went through depression, it made me look at things from a really different perspective and forced me to face reality. So, I'm now determined to learn from the things I experienced and become a better person.
I'm glad to give you some hope. I think depression is a bit like a long winding dark tunnel. When you're in it, it consumes you and warps your senses. It feels like numbing agony won't ever end. But one day, you'll see a glimpse of light from the other end. And when you emerge from the tunnel, suddenly you'll see the world around you again. And that'll be you one day, you just have to keep fighting.
That was oddly poetic, but I hope you get my analogy. Good luck :smile:

Well I'm glad you got out of depression somehow and that you're so determined to learn from such a horrible experience. So how long were you depressed? I can only imagine how much more I can take of this. Everyday has been a struggle to do even the simplest things. I sometimes question why things happen to me when instead I should be asking for what purpose do those things happen. So far this experience has drawn me closer to my religion. I realize how much help I need from all sources and this includes surrendering to a higher being. At least this has been my case. By the way I already took an enneagram test and got results. I got a chart with my types on some sort of graph:
Type 1: The Reformer: 2
Type 2: The Helper: 7
Type 3: The Achiever: 3
Type 4: The Individualist: 7
Type 5: The Investigator: 4
Type 6: The Loyalist: 6
Type 7: The Enthusiast: 1
Type 8: The Challenger: 0
Type 9: The Peacemaker: 6
I'm not sure about what all of this tells me or if I took the right test. Please do explain to me and tell me what you think about this.

Thank you for being so kind and showing that you care. I really appreciate your help. Your analogy has given me hopes to keep on fighting.

 

[Geno]

My Ni-Ti loop was rather different; it was more of simply being disconnected from Fe. I obsessively ignored any form of subjective data and used Ni only to aid the analysis(though I would end up hyperstressing myself). I stood up for the truth over all, and psychoanalyzed the negative traits of everyone around me, becoming rather, too goal oriented and pragmatic; looking at everything from a logical basis, even factoring the feelings of others as a calculation rather than a consideration. It wasn't a good experience; I lost most of my friends.

I'm going to add in I'm A LOT younger than how I actually seem now.
A WHOLE lot younger.

Interesting to know. Thanks for your help. I can't relate to that Ni-Ti loop though. Something bizzare and different is going on with my head that's hard to put into words. I really can't imagine what you went through with all of that. I'm sorry that you loss most of your friends. I hope you could make up for it with people that you care about.
I already posted my results to the enneagram test that I took above. I'm not sure I understood you perfectly. You told me to look at core motivations instead of behavior but I'm not sure which is which.

 

[Geno]

My Ni-Ti loop was rather different; it was more of simply being disconnected from Fe. I obsessively ignored any form of subjective data and used Ni only to aid the analysis(though I would end up hyperstressing myself). I stood up for the truth over all, and psychoanalyzed the negative traits of everyone around me, becoming rather, too goal oriented and pragmatic; looking at everything from a logical basis, even factoring the feelings of others as a calculation rather than a consideration. It wasn't a good experience; I lost most of my friends.

I'm going to add in I'm A LOT younger than how I actually seem now.
A WHOLE lot younger.

Interesting to know. Thanks for your help. I can't relate to that Ni-Ti loop though. Something bizzare and different is going on with my head that's hard to put into words. I really can't imagine what you went through with all of that. I'm sorry that you loss most of your friends. I hope you could make up for it with people that you care about.
I already posted my results to the enneagram test that I took above. I'm not sure I understood you perfectly. You told me to look at core motivations instead of behavior but I'm not sure which is which.

 

[purplegreen]

Core motivations are *why* you do things, on the most basic level of your psyche; what motivates you on the basic level. Core motivations define your behavior, but the way behavior is expressed varies vastly among even people of the same type.

My Enneagram type is 9(9w8 SX/SP), and my basic fear is conflict; inner conflict and I try to avoid it(a basic motivation that defines my behavior).
MBTI type, enneagram wing, tritype and instinctual stacking can affect behavior a LOT as well(as in my case).

MBTI = How you perceive and judge information
Enneagram = What your core motivations are

EDIT : Fear is the easiest-identifiable core motivation; you can start off with that.

 

[Geno]

Core motivations are *why* you do things, on the most basic level of your psyche; what motivates you on the basic level. Core motivations define your behavior, but the way behavior is expressed varies vastly among even people of the same type.

My Enneagram type is 9(9w8 SX/SP), and my basic fear is conflict; inner conflict and I try to avoid it(a basic motivation that defines my behavior).
MBTI type, enneagram wing, tritype and instinctual stacking can affect behavior a LOT as well(as in my case).

MBTI = How you perceive and judge information
Enneagram = What your core motivations are

EDIT : Fear is the easiest-identifiable core motivation; you can start off with that.

Oh that's nice to know. Thank you. Where did you take the test to get your enneagram type? Is there a typical enneagram type for INFJs or do they vary??

 

[purplegreen]

The common enneagram types for INFJs

Type 4(most common)

Type 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 are the other common Enneagram types, not in any order whatsoever, though I think 2s and 5s are more common of the second group

I didn't take the Enneagram tests as they're mostly inaccurate, though the PSTypes site's Enneagram
Personality Types: PSTypes Enneagram Test - Enneagram and Myers Briggs is probably the most accurate test(also rather in-depth)

EDIT : I think you're a 4w5 SO from what I've seen so far; you'd have to delve into the depths yourself to uncover the truth(I'm not being lazy, swear ;-

 

[mostlyvoid_partiallystars]

Well I'm glad you got out of depression somehow and that you're so determined to learn from such a horrible experience. So how long were you depressed? I can only imagine how much more I can take of this. Everyday has been a struggle to do even the simplest things. I sometimes question why things happen to me when instead I should be asking for what purpose do those things happen. So far this experience has drawn me closer to my religion. I realize how much help I need from all sources and this includes surrendering to a higher being. At least this has been my case. By the way I already took an enneagram test and got results. I got a chart with my types on some sort of graph:
Type 1: The Reformer: 2
Type 2: The Helper: 7
Type 3: The Achiever: 3
Type 4: The Individualist: 7
Type 5: The Investigator: 4
Type 6: The Loyalist: 6
Type 7: The Enthusiast: 1
Type 8: The Challenger: 0
Type 9: The Peacemaker: 6
I'm not sure about what all of this tells me or if I took the right test. Please do explain to me and tell me what you think about this.

Thank you for being so kind and showing that you care. I really appreciate your help. Your analogy has given me hopes to keep on fighting.

To be honest, I'm not sure when it began and ended. I wasn't a healthy individual growing up, and didn't have any real friends until I was about 9 years old. If I had to pin a date I would say when I was 11-13 years old and then I almost had a relapse last year, but that's a whole different thing. Sadly, there's no set "time" for it. Some people have an epiphany one day and voila! They're better again. But I think for most, it's a long process to getting better.

Also, the test may not be accurate. It's much easier to type yourself by looking through the individual descriptions one by one. The core motivations are what you particularly want to look at. Since I've been a fairly unhealthy individual most of my life, I looked at the unhealthy levels of each of the enneagrams and went from there. So, maybe try that?

No worries, I'm glad to help in anyway.