[Ryno19]

Is it possible for an ISTP to be tactful? Most of what I have read around here is that they are very straightforward in their responses, won't sugarcoat anything, and generally lack tact.

I've taken multiple versions of the MBTI and almost all of them indicate I am an ISTP. Upon reading the description and browsing old threads in this forum, I tend to agree. That said, I'm still not convinced. While I can be fairly blunt and straightforward, I can't say that's always the case. If I do not know how someone will react, or if I know they are more of a "feeler," I will generally try to respond tactfully (but truthfully). Part of me wonders if this is because I'm more of an 'F' than a 'T', despite the fact that I'm generally considered emotionally-detached by friends and family.

Could it be argued that ISTPs, as logical people, employ tact as a way to strategically avoid dealing with any potential emotional response from others? Or am I just trying to rationalize the feeler within me?

 

[Erbse]

Hm, my latest facebook message reads as follows;

What the fuck? I just wanted a program I could fill in. I was wondering if you knew of one.

Take your head out of your ass, skip the hypocritical advice, skip the essay, skip the explanation of how you can't be bothered to do 'a', 'b', and 'c', and just politely say you dont know of one but wish me luck.

Take a guess.

:mellow:

 

[Duck_of_Death]

Ha, ha, ha!
No.

 

[Ryno19]

Hm, my latest facebook message reads as follows;



Take a guess.

:mellow:

Haha. Ambiguous - yes. Tactful - A resounding, "no."

 

[chrisu]

sure, i am (sometimes) able to. but usually it's wasted effort on strangers and i don't befriend people who can't take honesty without sugarcoating.

edit-add: it's a simple calculation. if the effort of being tactful is smaller than the effort of discussing/trouble caused by tactless honesty: be tactful. or just shut up.

 

[JamieBond]

i can be tactful.
i don't particularly like to be tactful.
then again, i sort of know what's expected of me in certain situations (alter server at my church) so i probably come across as "nice"

 

[Dalton_C]

What exactly are you getting at here? You know what, fuck you.

 

[Ryno19]

What exactly are you getting at here? You know what, fuck you.

I see what you did there. :happy:

I have to say, I agree with Chrisu though (nicely put). I may be tactful to spare one's feelings, but often times it's more a calculation of which is going to be easier - using tact and moving on or being brutally honest and dealing with whatever fallout may occur. Often times tact wins out.​

 

[U-80]

Could it be argued that ISTPs, as logical people, employ tact as a way to strategically avoid dealing with any potential emotional response from others? Or am I just trying to rationalize the feeler within me?

I can be tactful in situations that require diplomacy. Normally though, I prefer to say what I really think, for the sake of my own self-respect.

 

[sofort99]

sure, i am (sometimes) able to. but usually it's wasted effort on strangers and i don't befriend people who can't take honesty without sugarcoating.

edit-add: it's a simple calculation. if the effort of being tactful is smaller than the effort of discussing/trouble caused by tactless honesty: be tactful. or just shut up.

^^^^ This.

Again, everything an ISTP does can be broken down to a cost / benefit analysis.

 

[Dalton_C]

I see what you did there. :happy:

I have to say, I agree with Chrisu though (nicely put). I may be tactful to spare one's feelings, but often times it's more a calculation of which is going to be easier - using tact and moving on or being brutally honest and dealing with whatever fallout may occur. Often times tact wins out.​

Precisely!

 

[reletative]

I'm tactful usually. Although in the last year or so, I've noticed a tendency to be more crotchety. I guess I'm a grumpy old lady now.

 

[Ryno19]

I'm tactful usually. Although in the last year or so, I've noticed a tendency to be more crotchety. I guess I'm a grumpy old lady now.

I know what you mean. Now that I'm in my late 20s, I've noticed I'm certainly more crotchety than I was in my teens. No idea where I'll be in 30 years. I imagine over time, I'll simply turn into my grandpa (huge ISTP....very little tact).

 

[JamieBond]

What exactly are you getting at here? You know what, fuck you.

pfffff you wish!

 

[Erbse]

Haha. Ambiguous - yes. Tactful - A resounding, "no."

Well, I took the advice received there to heart of course, and my response was the following:

Nope.

Anyway, good luck and stuff.

Thus I must have been tactful, as I have done as I was told.

This means we're capable of learning and improving!

 

[CallSignOWL]

the ISTPs I know are only tactful when they want to be

 

[Coldplayer]

I work with younger kids... Im learning and working on it :dry:

 

[thunder]

I can be tactful. I think being a 9w1 helps a lot.

 

[TazMadISTP]

My mother is Ni-Te. Growing up, I would drown under the weight of her concerns, which included my difficulties with making friends and socializing.

She did give good advice, and ultimately I learned tact by applying her advice to my social life. I still think through, edit, and filter thoughts often before speaking (or posting!).

 

[ThoughtProcess]

Tact is for people who aren't witty enough to be sarcastic.

I'm can be diplomatic when it matters. Of course, I learned that through trial and error.