[Functianalyst]

I watched Stephen King’s “The Langoliers” for the umpteenth time last night, not because I enjoy the movie that much but I wasn’t really into watching a football game and was too lazy to do anything else. I picked up on something after all of the times watching the movie, claimed by the character Nick Hopewell (played by Mark Lindsay Chapman), describing himself as a mechanic for “Her Majesty’s Secret Service”.

I always considered that if I were in a similar situation, most would say I would come closer to being in a similar roles as his as a no non-sense, let’s just do it type. But after hearing this at the beginning of the movie, I watched his manners and would consider him the quintessential ISTP type. I also started thinking about his usage of the word “mechanic”, and see the term, and that of “operator” in a different light. Although generally we find definitions of the word relating to someone working on machines or tools, am I being too general in my thoughts that when the word “mechanic” is used to describe ISTPs, they’re actually referring to:

3. (used with a pl. verb) The functional and technical aspects of an activity: The mechanics of football are learned with practice…. Or 4. the technical aspects of something the mechanics of poetic style….

I googled ISTP and “mechanic”, and although many of the hits referred back to the forum, I did see a description that I had read more than once from personality pages:

ISTPs are natural mechanics, athletes, musicians, technicians, and engineers. They excel at tasks that require a great deal of tactile mastery, as well as quick, logic-based action. ISTPs are most comfortable using their known skills, rather than being thrown into situations with which they have no personal experience. The nuances of variation in each individual situation will bring a sense of newness and freshness to the experience for the ISTP. ISTPs often resist and rebel situations that are entirely new, or that require a great deal of structured planning and thinking. This way of thinking is foreign to the ISTP, and therefore uncomfortable. When someone tries to push or control the ISTP into these situations, he or she is likely to "walk away" from that person without looking back.

In the spirit of the body of language, I think the term “mechanic” also coincides with the definitions posted. Is this a leap?

 

[Galldune]

I'm pretty sure the same concept was explained in another post. By me and a few others. But no Its not a leap we are natural problem solvers, "mechanics" if you will. We see systems and like to fix broken ones, and that's what mechanics do..

 

[Functianalyst]

Not sure of the thread(s), but generally when I see threads on the subject we're generally refuting the association of the word "mechanic", claiming we're not necessarily mechanically inclined instead of connoting the word, and how it can and may be actually used to explain ISTPs. However I do not want this to be some sort of subjective perspective on my part and the majority of ISTPs disagree.

 

[DJArendee]

If mechanic is synonymous for kinesthetic learner, then count me in. I'm a kinesthetic genius. I can still play my 3 favorite songs that I learned on piano when I was 10, blindfolded.

Then put me in school and open a book before me and I become a near dyslexic.

 

[ThoughtProcess]

Like DJ, I can easily play songs I haven't played in years and can also learn songs faster than most musicians I know.

 

[madhatter]

Makes sense. We generally look at the word "mechanic" very literally, which seems to be part of our nature. It explains my abilities to so easily dissect and comprehend the "mechanics" of grammar and language systems. Certainly puts things in another perspective.