[vocalist]

What is your gift-giving style? Also, what kinds of gifts do you like to receive, and how do you tend to react to a gift that you like versus one that you dislike?

I am doing this for all the types...eventually...

Anyway, I have a few thoughts on the INTP based on functions (and from observing my INTP husband), but I am interested in feedback from actual INTPs. Please add your own thoughts along the way, as my description is certainly not meant to be definitive.

The INTP giver will have lots of ideas, but will need input from the recipient or some like-minded individual before committing to a gift. Being logically-minded, the INTP will have a hard time picking up on subtle hints; but tell him exactly what you want and he will do his best to oblige. But be aware: If you first suggest one thing, and then later suggest something else, don't be surprised when he goes with the first idea because it was already cemented in his mind.

 

[nothingnew]

What is your gift-giving style? Also, what kinds of gifts do you like to receive, and how do you tend to react to a gift that you like versus one that you dislike?.

My style is wait until the last possible second, then buy impulsively from whatever store is open. I expect little, and cherish any gift I get. I still have 3 year old B-day cards in this desk I'm at somewhere. My reaction is nothing but endearment for anyone who thought enough of me to give me a gift. The item itself is kinda irrelevant. I can buy any practical item I really need or want. I got tickets to Las Vegas one year for my B-Day and that was a gift I really enjoyed.

I guess the one's I like most are similar to hand made art. You cannot put a price on that kind of stuff. I have some metal art my grandmother made for me decades ago that I value the same now as I did then.

 

[CrazyGlitch]

It depends. Sometimes I'll wait until the last minute, but if I'm randomly out and about and there's a store nearby I'll pick up something.

 

[Just_Some_Guy]

My ideal gift (to give) is one that is meaningful. I often buy things for those I care about because I know they will appreciate it. If it is someone's birthday or something and I can't find something meaningful, it's a gift card. Then, they are burdened with the onus of locating meaning.

 

[Molock]

I don't give gifts to people unless they ask for them. I don't like receiving either because people then assume that I will reciprocate (which I most likely won't).

:dry:

 

[Turelie]

I only buy a gift if I happen to come across one that will suit the giftee. If I happen to find it near a holiday or their birthday, I'll give it on that occasion; otherwise, I just give it when I buy it.

My best friend and I agree every year to not buy anything for each other on Christmas (as we feel it detracts from the holiday's purpose), but we often send a small gift on birthdays.

I don't like people getting me a gift because they feel pressured to do so because of a societal expectation or tradition. I prefer small, meaningful presents.

 

[Nitou]

What is your gift-giving style?

Meh. I hate the Christmas rush where everyone is stressed out trying to buy a bunch of crap for people who expect it, only to have it returned because they don't like it. It's stupid. I do most of my Christmas shopping at the grocery store or out of a bargain bin. Most of my family don't take the holiday season too seriously either, and we exchange little stuff, treats, etc.

Also, what kinds of gifts do you like to receive, and how do you tend to react to a gift that you like versus one that you dislike?

If someone remembers that I said I wanted/liked such-and-such and gives it to me, that is awesome. I am not very good at remembering stuff like that myself. I like stuff I can use, especially if it is beautiful and functional or if it attaches to my computer. (My parents give gifts like this.) I like gifts that are personal/hand-made too. If I don't like a gift then I politely say thank you. What else would I do?

One of the best gifts I ever received was from a friend who decided one year to gift-wrap all of the books she had borrowed and give them back to their owners. I laughed my ass off. Another friend and I would give each other stuff like a jar of marshmallow cream in a box wrapped with duct tape. We would try to outdo each other with the absurdity of the gifts. One time I gave another friend a money-holder card with instructions to fill it and give it back to me. I had long forgotten, but he remembered and told me he appreciated it. These kinds of gifts are fun.

The INTP giver will have lots of ideas, but will need input from the recipient or some like-minded individual before committing to a gift. Being logically-minded, the INTP will have a hard time picking up on subtle hints; but tell him exactly what you want and he will do his best to oblige. But be aware: If you first suggest one thing, and then later suggest something else, don't be surprised when he goes with the first idea because it was already cemented in his mind.

This is true.

 

[honestfi]

Dunno about anyone else, but I am terrible with birthdays.

 

[RiverINXP]

I've never felt like I'm good at choosing gifts. I always want to give something meaningful, but usually have no clue what to get. I often end up buying several things in the hope that the recipient will like at least one of them.

Gift receiving - I love thoughtful presents (who doesn't?), but I'm truly grateful for whatever I get. I'll always say I like it, even if I don't. I'd rather have something I'm not crazy about than risk hurting someone's feelings.

 

[Mason117]

I agree with Molock. I do not buy people gifts unless they ask for them and none of my friends are so presumptuous as to ask me to give them a gift. If it's a birthday party I'm going to I might give them some money. If asked by a friend what I want for a event such as my birthday I will staunchly refuse and tell them that most things that I want have yet to be invented and if they have already been invented they would hardly fit into a gift budget. I'm always open to gifts of money though. :tongue:

 

[Nipi]

I like to give a gift when I found something perfect for a recipient. If I cannot find a good gift, I settle for a gift certificate or money. An INTP woman friend once gave me something out of a blue because she thought it was just perfect for me. I have the same urge for a random gift giving when I find a perfect gift, but I usually save it until a birthday or Christmas.

I usually try to study a recipient carefully before choosing a gift. I may ask nonchallant questions about what he or she might want/need, and I tend to surprise others for finding a good gift. I tend to expect others to do the same for me, and people score big points with me if gifts are well thought-out. I would rather not receive anything I have no use for, even though I still thank the giver with painfully faked enthusiasm. I happen to enjoy gifts from intuitors more often than those from sensors.

I personally dislike greeting cards because they are waste of paper and money, but I still give them to people who send cards because they are like social pleasantries and simply convenient when I cannot come up with much to write.

 

[NostalgiaFreak]

I actually take pride in my ability to work out a gift a person would really love to get. For the most recent Father's Day, I didn't even spend a cent on my present. My non-tech-savvy ISTJ Dad is really into political humour so I sourced some sites on this topic that he would find funny but would have never been able to find himself. I printed the titles of these sites and their links on a piece of paper and titled it 'Five Sites that Will Provide You with an Endless Amount of Entertainment Unlike Regular Father's Day Gifts'. He received the usual clothes and books etc. but loved my present and showed all his relatives and friends and has since spent ages on the computer on those sites.

Nipi is right - sensors aren't very good at giving gifts that the recipient will really like.

 

[myexplodingcat]

I see gift-giving as a challenge to come up with a creative solution. In a way, it's more the creativity that's the present. I like to give interesting things, or unexpected things, rather than be told what to give, and I usually put a lot of thought into it even if it's not sentimental.

Other people giving gifts: "I made this clay plaque for you. It says 'Life is Beautiful.'"
Me giving gifts: "I found you this weird medical book from the 1800s. The spine's torn off, but the diagrams are still there!"

(Yeah, I know your brain went straight there.)

 

[Tom Soy Sauce]

I like to take risks when it comes to gift giving and experiment. People are often surprised because I might mentally note something they showed interest in offhandedly that I remembered. For example my mother is a casual jazz fan and listens to these TV channels that play jazz all day, but she isn't artist specific. So this year I went out and bought her some "essential" jazz like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and now she's a huge fan so I'm set for years now with a gift to get her every now and then.

When it comes to receiving gifts I usually don't like when people go out on a limb and get me a gift. Nobody really knows me that well where I think they could accurately assume I'd enjoy something. I enjoy practical gifts or gift cards where I have options. My family is honestly baffled that I openly detest birthday/Christmas cards because I think they are a scam.

 

[islandlight]

Even as a child I hated receiving gifts. Mostly I still don't like to give or receive them, especially the obligatory kind, like "Oh I have to find something for so-and-so because it's her birthday soon." If I HAVE to give someone a present it's usually money or a gift card (for something practical like groceries or gasoline, not lingerie). On someone's birthday I might send a short email or text. For children I usually stumble on something inexpensive that they'll appreciate. One Easter I was driving in the country and saw a 3-foot rabbit made of hay and wire ($18); I bought it and left it in my 3-year-old granddaughter's back yard without saying anything. Magic! She thought it really was the Easter Bunny. The best gifts are for no reason, when you run across (or receive) something that just seems right. As for Christmas, forget it! I just hide until January.

 

[Ecky]

I tend to be generous in sharing what I have but I dislike both giving and receiving gifts. 2 years ago I burst into tears when my S.O.'s family threw a surprise party (birthday) and gave me some admittedly really practical and useful gifts.

I suppose I feel like gifts to me place some kind of social pressure for me to return the "generosity".

 

[grandpa2390]

What is your gift-giving style? Also, what kinds of gifts do you like to receive, and how do you tend to react to a gift that you like versus one that you dislike?

I am doing this for all the types...eventually...

Anyway, I have a few thoughts on the INTP based on functions (and from observing my INTP husband), but I am interested in feedback from actual INTPs. Please add your own thoughts along the way, as my description is certainly not meant to be definitive.

The INTP giver will have lots of ideas, but will need input from the recipient or some like-minded individual before committing to a gift. Being logically-minded, the INTP will have a hard time picking up on subtle hints; but tell him exactly what you want and he will do his best to oblige. But be aware: If you first suggest one thing, and then later suggest something else, don't be surprised when he goes with the first idea because it was already cemented in his mind.

Gifts are awkward. And I speak of gifts in all shapes and sizes. from birthday, to "that Hot n Spicy is on me". Even favors. there is a cynical side of my mind that wonders, what is this person expecting it return. And I have had people do that. I have had people try and guilt me into doing stuff because they gave me gifts are did me favors. Now I am not selfish with my time or money when I have it, but sometimes people ask me to do things that I can't do, or would be very difficult and painful for me to do. And then I get mad.

 

[sehvral]

I've trained most of my family to not bother with gifts for me. My uncle usually will take me golfing or out to dinner, but physical presents are avoided. For the few who keep insisting on it, I usually stop off at Goodwill on my way home and donate things.

A few people will give me practical stuff, like a gift card to the grocery store I shop at. My best friend this year gave me a preloaded NYC metro pass for my birthday. I live in Florida. A rather useful present, actually, since I'm usually up there once or twice a year.

As far as giving goes, same thing. I avoid giving physical presents, and usually only give gifts to a small group of people who I am especially close to. Typically I prefer to give experiences instead of items. Something like booking a helicopter tour of downtown for a friend who had always wanted to go up in one.

I don't like presents, I feel uncomfortable receiving them and never know how to react. Besides, birthdays and Christmas are just arbitrary days, it has no more meaning than wishing me a happy seventh of August.