[bank of asantewaa]

The title is self-explanatory; please prepare yourself for irrelevant information, however. : |

I was raised by nerds as a child, my family was incredibly lenient and open with me and I was likely shown things most parents would've avoided at all cost; I could normally ask any given person a question and they'd be able to answer it. Variety was pretty big in my family—from religion to general race, so I was able to dabble in a variety of things and get perspectives from a lot of different places.

Looking back on my childhood and comparing it to how and who I am today, I notice that a lot of things have played a large role in terms of how I've molded into a person. I could go on and on about who I am and what could've lead to this, but I'm here to hear about you guys—

Look back on the way you were raised and see how key things from your childhood aided in making you who you are today. Did this help in "typing" you as an INTP? Go as far as you want—from the movies you watched as a kid to the people that influenced you.

I'm not sure if this is really intriguing enough to get a shit-ton of you going, but I thought it was interesting. And I'm proud of myself, I actually managed to stay on one subject.

... I'm feelin' tacos.

 

[Ti Dominant]

Look back on the way you were raised and see how key things from your childhood aided in making you who you are today. Did this help in "typing" you as an INTP? Go as far as you want—from the movies you watched as a kid to the people that influenced you.

No. I feel as though I was born an INTP, at my fundamental core. I don't really attribute much of my personality to the environment. Surely there are certain minor external facets which have been shaped by my environment, but they are very nuanced and subtle. At my core, I was born an introverted thinker. I can remember using logical reasoning as far back as I can remember, constantly conceptually distinguishing between various ideas and concepts, wondering what lies beyond and how the world works. In my teens, I developed my Ne and became much more inventive, looking to Thomas Edison as a childhood hero (until I grew up and realized he was a scheming opportunist who dicked others for personal profit). I even attempted to make a phonograph once, and it's still my personal favorite invention of all time. I enjoy the idea of recording sound mechanically. In my late teens, I learned of Nikola Tesla (Edison's rival inventing nemesis) and have been a giant fan ever since. Telsa was an Ne dominant of the highest order.

So far, I've been waiting for my Si to start kicking in, but I'm mostly just a giant Ti mind with an Ne struggling for control.
I often feel like a creative robot.

So yeah, I've been a Ti Dominant my whole life. I can't really say how the environment affected me.
Maybe it made me more pissed off, less brutal and inhumane, or more introverted than ever.
I can't really say. I just don't think the environment has a huge impact on personality.
I think genetics are the most fundamental factor in the entire matter. And I'm sticking to that.

 

[The Phantom]

Well, my parents divorced when I was 5. I moved away from London to Wales, where me and my two brothers were the only black kids around. Honestly to the locals in a small west wales town called Aberaeron it was like some aliens had landed. We'd be ogled at whenever we walked down the street. We'd get racism to begin with from kids brought up in ignorance. We;d deal with them in our own way so in my early years I got in a little trouble for punching other kids. Growing up people got used to us but I still feel there was an underlying thing where we didn't quite belong, like we would always be the odd ones out. I think growing up there gave me a slight complex but I also fine tuned my racism radar. :crazy:
My mum raised us pretty well, although she drank alot and broke alot of promises because of that. My childhood then was pretty unstable, constantly moving house and apart from going to a good school and being amongst nature there wasn't alot I enjoyed about living in Wales because I missed my father alot and yearned for a normal family like most other kids around me. Although living in the country and good schooling helped me to be well mannered, have a decent education and am Spiritually sound. (Although the spiritual part I owe much to my father, the country and being among nature perhaps helped my cognition of truth).
My mum was a nice woman, she was extremely lenient with me and let me do pretty much whatever i wanted and left it up to me to decide on the things I wanted to do. She wasn't religious so I never went to church thank 'god' lol so I was raised with a clean slate mentally. Aberaeron was a religious town too, singing about Jesus in assembly and all that but from a young age things never really added up in the most basic of bible stories so I rejected the idea early on.
My dad opened my eyes to the truth when I used to visit him. He although wanting us to do well at school and achieve greatness, he was also open to what we wanted to do and choose. the only thing he stressed to us was how we needed common sense in a world with none and how we need to switch on whenever we were in the city. He'd shout alot when we didn't use our common sense he was a bit of an ass sometimes in the same way my mum was an ass choosing alcohol over us. In a way I like many things about both my parents but they both have an achilles heal that made me dislike them alot at times.
Overall though, I like both of them, but at the end of the day they're not my best friends they're just my parents. I think I have been influenced by my mother indirectly in the fact i have little tolerance when women become carefree and kinda ignore what I'm feeling although they're not to know. I also have a natural skill at talking to them from spending alot of time around my mum and her friends. My dad influenced me spiritually and taught me much about women too! He's quite synical about them because he hasn't had much luck which made me a bit synical until I realised that my dad is still single. So I learnt that being synical and intolerant doesn't do much for ones love life.
Apart from that i think I was always a bright young kid, but as reality and corruption and faults of human beings close to me dawned I became a little colder as I grew up. Probably as to not get hurt by other peoples selfishness. I definately think that my upbringin and my mums lack of care when it came to getting drunk instead of being with us may have shut off the emotional part of me, and I have become quite callous as a result.

 

[nothingnew]

I have tried to narrow this thought before, but I cannot locate anything specific in my younger environment. My parents were both blue collar workers and there is nothing remotely nerdy about them. They were divorced when I was very young and I grew up largely on my own. My mother and step father both worked nights, and from the time I got off the school bus until I went to bed at night I was a solo act. That may have played a factor, or the divorce, but I just hung out with my friends all night. I was pretty social and had many friends, and I cannot say I was unpopular. I was arrested at 15 for alcohol possession and curfew violations. I got a DUI at 16; the year I got my drivers license I used to push my car out of the driveway to sneak out and try to talk girls into doing the same; usually on school nights. Not very nerdy I think, more of a stupid dumbass kid I guess. How embarrassing to think about that now. I am glad I don't know you people in real life:crazy: So then my nature goes back further.

I can remember being a very young kid in my baby bed. I remember taking my first steps as a baby. I remember thinking about the nature of lightning and thunderstorms when I was that young; wondering if monsters were making the noises. I saw my dad driving away and thought where is he going? My first complete sentences were likely questions. I have always looked for deeper meanings since I was born I believe, or I developed my thought processes very early in life.

 

[Sed Non Satiata]

My dad always encouraged me to read, and my mom also helped by taking me to the library and buying whatever books I wanted. This helped developed my love for reading and creative imagination.

However my mom is very emotional while I am more of a thinker. She has done a lot of demanding and commanding without giving me good reasons. Both parents worked so I didn't get to go out and play with other children very much. I think this helped to push me more to the introverted, stubborn, individualistic thinker that I am today.

 

[chilidog]

It all started one fateful weekend. I was at boy scout camp for the weekend, and the scoutmaster took us snipe hunting. I was left alone in the night, with the 3 other guys in my little group, armed with my flashlight, my trusty swiss army knife, a long stick, and a burlap sack. I was determined to bag me a snipe, and become the heralded one of my pack.

I utterly failed. After hours of searching in the dark to find me a snipe, I admitted defeat. I hung my head low, and begin to weep. I found the nearest tree. Going with true Bear Grylls-style, I fashioned a trusty shelter out of pinecones, vines, and banana leaves. I prepared a fire, and roasted some awesome insects that I had found along the forest floor. They weren't too bad; tasted like chicken.

The next morning when I awoke, I found my scoutmaster, along with the rest of my pack, huddled around me in a circle, mouths agape. My scoutmaster was pointing to my burlap sack lying next to me. There was a noticeable mass inside the sack. Hiding my excitement, I shrugged it off. He grabbed my burlap sacked, reached in, and pulled out a small animal by its' tail, and glared first at it, than at me. I had no idea how, but I had caught a snipe! Perhaps it had fallen for my clever ploy of putting some of my leftover dinner from the night before into the sack, to save for later, in case I was hungry again. Regardless - I had conquered my task at hand. I was the heralded one. I showed them.

LOL.

While I grew up with both parents at home, I'm sure it was your average dysfunctional family. For the most part, I did not exist to my parents, so I was left up to my imagination in order to fulfill my childhood fantasies and natural curiosities. It was a very strict home, so I was not a bad child. I just had an extremely active imagination. I think it's where my wondering-mind comes from now. When raised out in the middle of nowhere, with very few friends, and little family support, one does what one has to do.

 

[Ti Dominant]

chilidog, that was nice. I enjoy your writing style. It flows.
I read a few lines and was instantly caught and engaged. :tongue:

 

[chilidog]

Thanks It's a passion of mine. If I weren't so lazy, and could actually finish something that I started, I could one day fulfill my dream of being a published author. Until then, I make due with my day job - web design.

 

[ethylester]

I hope it's ok if I answer this question regarding my husband because I think it's interesting.

His dad was really meticulous and controlling, had quite a temper. Everything had to be done RIGHT or else he would flip out. Instead of teaching the kids how to do something, and letting them experiment, he would just grab it and do it and tell them that they were doing it wrong. You basically had to walk on eggshells around him and never screw up or you'd get yelled at.

On the other hand, his mother was very accepting and encouraged his freedom and exploration. She trusted his abilities. He lived on a farm and had lots of land to roam around in. His parents weren't strict and let the kids explore wherever and whatever they were interested in. They also didn't have any neighbors, so they were alone a lot and had to use their imaginations. He had permission to be curious and all the time in the world.

So, in my amateur opinion, my husband's environment helped shape him to be an INTP because he had freedom to explore but also someone telling him he was doing everything wrong, therefore challenging him to make sure he did it RIGHT. He rebels against his father a lot, they really don't believe the same things at all. My husband is very logical and into science and concrete facts. He's also very laid back and accepting of others. His dad is all over the place irrational/judgmental. I think it's my husband's way of proving to himself that is smart and logical, something that his dad never acknowledged or was. Also, I think the temper of his father helped shape his introversion. If you just don't talk, you don't get yelled at. But if you do talk, you better be prepared to back your facts up in case someone challenges you. Therefore, read everything you can!

oh and one more thing - he has a twin sister and I think that really makes a you learn the differences and similarities between the sexes. I think it makes each twin more androgynous, if I may say so. His sister is a total sports jock, and he loves poetry and music. He's doesn't give a crap about appearing manly and she's quite a tomboy. They are both comfortable with their sexuality and gender identity. I actually wouldn't be surprised it she was INTP too.

 

[Trainwreck]

Lol, we all give such long responses...

 

[Critix]

Not sure aboute Nature but the environment certainly helped. Both parents are strong T types and I was left alone for long periods of time (poor-ish family and not much money for childcare) where I essentially only had books and my imagination. I loved the dictionary and to read about Dinosaurs and learnt how to categorise the different species and the epochs they belonged to early on. By Grae 6 (age 11-12) we were given the option of making a project of our choice. I wrote 2K words on what I understood on Atomic science (read: Fusion, Fission, the make up of the nucleus, electrons and shells, charges, ionic bonding). Suffice to say everyone else did spice girls and sport teams.:dry:

At 14 I attempted to write and completed a novel length fantasy story. Still have it, still can't be bothered editing it. :bored:

Throughout I was rewarded with praise for intellectual pursuits and perhaps this helped encourage those tendencies.

 

[bank of asantewaa]

I'm really noticing a pattern here—it seems like most of us spent a good portion of our childhood by ourselves and/or had parents that were "environmentally" open-minded. It also seems like differences between parents are common, one striving for greatness and one being sort of laid-back.

 

[thedoctorlies]

I follow the common theme here of spending a lot of time alone as a child and having a very active imagination to help me cope with the isolation. My parents were not educated and void of any intelectual curiosity. Their only quest in life was to work and try to prosper. I was basically ignored for the most part as they were followers of the children should be seen and not heard philosophy. I grew up in rural eastern KY. with a piss poor education system and absolutly no drive of my own to do anything but daydream. My poor parents has no idea what to do to motivate me other than threats which of coarse had no effect on me what so ever. Looking back I must wonder what I might have been or achieved if I had grew up in different cirrumstances, a more urban area and parents and schools that understood how to deal and motivate an INTP child. I'm not blaming anyone but myself for being so lazy and unmotivated and such an underachiever at that time. I just question if it could have been different with the right guidance.

 

[nothingnew]

I follow the common theme here of spending a lot of time alone as a child and having a very active imagination to help me cope with the isolation. My parents were not educated and void of any intelectual curiosity. Their only quest in life was to work and try to prosper. I was basically ignored for the most part as they were followers of the children should be seen and not heard philosophy. I grew up in rural eastern KY. with a piss poor education system and absolutly no drive of my own to do anything but daydream. My poor parents has no idea what to do to motivate me other than threats which of coarse had no effect on me what so ever. Looking back I must wonder what I might have been or achieved if I had grew up in different cirrumstances, a more urban area and parents and schools that understood how to deal and motivate an INTP child. I'm not blaming anyone but myself for being so lazy and unmotivated and such an underachiever at that time. I just question if it could have been different with the right guidance.

I always felt that way. I would not trade my parents for anyone's; they make me who I am. But I would have liked any form of intellectual stimulation beyond television or books. Thank god for the internet. I would love to this day to have intellectual conversion with my parents, but I have learned to adapt and so have they. I like helping them with their rental property and they enjoy my help. I say things like,"It is going to be a high of 72 degrees today with a 25% chance of rain."

If my parents were both doctors, I would be a doctor. I have no doubt in my mind. I would have had the benefit of a live in mentor and tutor. I am studying psych atm and my parents say things like,"You won't get a job doing that" and "the post office is hiring" = not the support I am after. That is the illusion of America, people are told they can do anything, but that is a myth for most. If you only know one of your parents, and that parent is addicted to drugs, I believe you have achieved much if you own your own place and hold a position at the grocery store for more than a year.

Most successful people I know come from stable and supportive homes. Most strippers I know say the opposite. I would bet that most people in prison come from unstable homes. I know being male and from a lower income household plays a big part in juvenile crime. I don't know of any classes in school or processes in place to allow them to break the cycle. I would say luck has a huge factor(what neighborhood kids are around, what interests you, if any stable adults take interest in you, etc.)

The urban schools in my city blow. You are considered a success if you just survive. I believe someone would have a greater understanding of cultural diversity from an urban school, but beyond that I don't know the benefit.

 

[thedoctorlies]

"Thank god for the internet". If only it has been around in my childhood and teen years. It has really a godsend for me. Hell, we had B&W tv when I was a kid and three channels. But I sat there all day glued to it watching Alan Shepard and John Glenn go up. Thinging about that now makes me smile knowing now why a four or five year old would sit and watch a rocket sit on the pad for hours and hours just listening to people talk about stuff I shoulden't have understood or even cared about at that age.

 

[nevermore]

My husband is very logical and into science and concrete facts.

You sure he's INTP?:tongue:

 

[lilette]

I was just talking to another INTP about this who suspects (and now I do too) that I am actually an INTP. My parents spent the first few years of my life training me to act differently than my personality (they are both feelers) because they thought I would be more "normal". I have a hard time not acting that way even though I feel a lot of times like the way I behave is not true to my personality which I suspect may be an INTP. So I think my childhood may have taught me masks to hide my personality.

 

[Monsteroids]

Lets see:
-Deaf 'till age 3. Learned to talk properly rather quickly after an ear operation. Many operations later I'd suffer a more long-term hearing loss.
-Combined with deafness and little interest in social workers I flunked a kids aptitude test and was apparently written off as Mentally Retarded 'till I moved to Canada.
-Canada demanded that I be re-evaluated.
-On oxygen 'till ...like 4 or 5 or something.
-Lead a "gang" of neighborhood kiddies back in New York when I was 'round 5. I was a hip cat, a gangsta, didn't you know? :tongue:
-Loved video games intensely from youth, playing my sisters N64 whenever I could and Pokemon was all the friggin' rage.
-Mummy had an open mind and I often had some friends, but the relationships were always somewhat detatched. That's not to say I didn't feel bad when rejected socially. Just not as bad.
-Divorced parents
-Vivid Imagination
-Blunt and sarcastic speaker since birth
-Didn't cry much

 

[Protagoras]

Well, my parents are both healthy IxTJ types (my dad's an INTJ and my mom is an ISTJ) which means I have been raised in a very structured environment and have constantly been stimulated to read books, intellectually develop myself and otherwise grow as an individual. However, I have also grown up to be somewhat estranged from other kids of the same age as I am. Especially when I was in elementary school this became a major problem... I was so different from the other children that I couldn't really have any meaningful friendships until I was about 10-11 years old. This also led to me being alienated from the group and being bullied at times, even more troublesome was that my homeroomteacher started to side with the bullies when she couldn't handle my stubborness. She eventually rejected my application to the school's chess team because she said I was 'too young', chose to change the 'constitution' of the children's parliament of the school in order to prevent me specifically from becoming the prime-minister of it and she even physically abused me one time. Luckily, I was replaced in another class in the last year of elementary school because my parents had threatened to send me to another school if she kept on being my homeroom teacher. The years in elementary school were tough on me, but they also made me into an extremely confident person who is used to fight against the unjust usage of authority when others don't have the guts for it.

My dad has probably been the most influentual rolemodel in my early life and even now he's a man whom I greatly respect. He is a wise man; one of the few people who understand me and his drive to make somthing out of himself has always inspired me to become a more motivated and less lazy person myself. My mom and I have a strong bond, but we don't always get along as well as I would like. Because she's an ISTJ she is very much focused on pragmatism, duty and order; in some ways this has been very good for me because she's always there for me and will always make sure I will do the right things, makes me remember that personal hygiene and appearance do count in some situations and she always listens to what I have to say. However, at other times her life goals and perspectives are too different from my own... Like we're living on different planets. My mom and I love each other as family, but don't always connect that well emotionally and intellectually. And then there's my twinsister who is an ENTJ and with whom I have had a very compatitative relationship until just a few years ago, but we have always cared for eachother when it was really needed. We also are very good at knowing exactly what the other thinks or expects of us, maybe it's because we're twins but we share a very fudemental bond... even when we have been in a terrible fight we wil be there for eachother instantly when one of us is in need of help.

So I guess my childhood has mostly been a positive factor in my mental growth as a human being... Even most of the bad things have had a strengthening effect on my personality... Perhaps Nietzsche was right about 'anything that doesn't kill us'.

 

[bank of asantewaa]

I'm going to revive this again for a moment.

I've been re-watching some of the movies I watched as a kid and remembering the first few books I read—what books and movies entertained you as a child? How do you think these molded your likes, dislikes, and general personality? What about the first few songs you remember listening to and liking?

I've been noticing that my favorite genres in music subconsciously tug at nostalgic feelings, the same goes for what I like in movies. The earliest book I remember reading was Where The Wild Things Are and looking through various comics and large-print books as if they were picture books. There was one huge book I would always sit out and doodle from, it was some collaboration between Ralph Steadman, Maurice Sendak, and a few other artist including Walt Disney... it also had a shit-ton of text. Also, most of the paintings that were littered around my house have played a huge role in how I portray myself as an artist—lots of weird, usual things. Ones that stick out are the crap-ton of sad clown and Joseph Grimaldi paintings my grandma had in the hallway, the morbid "God's hand turning into a tree" picture that was near the kitchen, and the Japanese horror posters that depicted a demonic woman lashing out towards something or other.

Damn, my house wasn't child friendly.

And... this might just be me, but did any of you avoid the internet for a good portion of your childhood and simply stick to "simpler" things on computers? Most of the time I played computer games and messed around MS Paint for hours creating random things. I didn't really get into the internet until I was eight, but I used computers since the embryonic phase. Typed right through Mom's stomach. My first video game, also, was Tomb Raider, not noting playing Final Fantasy from the passenger seat and a few other computer games on the side.