Those roles are really silly.

 

We're the S-pieces in tetris. Most people hate S-pieces, but they're a valid 4-piece tetrino. They may hate all they want, but we fit in places they can't fit in... Especially fill holes and cracks they won't be able to cover up... Not without a lot of extra work, of course.

That's not saying much right? I mean... coming from a topic about roles in society and I'm comparing to a game like tetris. That doesn't make any sense, does it? Have I derailed this thread enough? I'm not sorry we're that awkward fucking S-piece which can never make a Triple nor Tetris clear.... Oh no... at our very best, due to the nature of the game, we can do a double. But without us, they cannot unlock the > achievement. Think about it.

 

 

Well those are more "stereotypical roles types fill" more than they are truly defining. Interesting question though; I'd suggest the INTPs "stereotypical role" in society is to question things. While this has obviously resulted in some scientific findings (i.e. Einstein's work), the root of even the scientific findings are simply playing devil's advocate.

Even if none of us were successful in the actual invention or creation of science and theory, we still provide society with an incessant nagging: "are you sure about that?"

 

We're useless.

 

 

 

We're just Marvin

useless depressed and depressing robot, would it be a valid business?

 

You know what? Maybe I'm an INTJ...

 

l regret to inform you that the only role you could ever successfully fill, being ''The Janitor'' from Scrubs, has been taken.

However, an opening for our Assistant Troll position has become available.

 

Assistant? Who would I be assisting?

 

This idea was brought up in my thoughts because of a web comic I saw about the types. The scene involved each of the NT types exclaiming its ability to contribute to the current problem at hand. It went kinda like this

ENTJ: I will organize and head the group that will be the ultimate solution to our problem.

INTJ: I will develop the technology to implicate our ideas.

ENTP: I shall devise a campaign to get us funding.

INTP: I will write down all that happens.

Paraphrasing pretty hard here but this just made me think that a practical application of my abilities into society sounds rather difficult.

 

I doubt an INTP would write anything down.

 

Ummm.......a writer?

 

If only writing as a career wasn't so hard to get into. It'd be the perfect job for me.

 

Careers for INTP Personality Types

 

We're good at most things as long as it doesn't involve too much interaction with people. Customer service is bad, sales is bad, etc.

I think the most important thing for us is variety with not too much nuisance interaction. Apparently being a university professor is a common choice. I may try to go that route, but I'm yet to overcome my fear of talking in front of large audiences...

A lot of MBTI websites recommend being an outdoors person, like a park ranger or outdoor adventure guide. I could easily see myself doing that. Even if I were doing similar activities each day, the feel of being outside would be all the 'variety' I needed. The good thing about it would be the relative autonomy. Same goes for being a photographer.

As far as our true value in a perfectly executed society, we certainly are the thinkers, philosophers, and general solvers of complex problems. But unfortunately is society isn't perfect, so we have to abide to a fucked up system where 95% of the population don't get to make use of their real potential. It's not just INTPs who are thrown on the pile.

I personally have made the choice to do whatever shit (or good) job I can find, and in my free time do what I enjoy or am good at. That way, maybe some day the two sides will merge and I'll end up in one of those lives where every day is a joy. The problem these days is that people don't want to grow or push themselves for what they want. Everyone just goes to their shit job then sits at home complaining that they think they deserve better. I'm in South Korea at the moment and have learned a serous nugget of wisdom from their culture. Laziness is thoroughly disapproved of here. In their free time, Koreans actively do the things they want, whether it's to better their future or for the joy of doing it. So I'm trying to take a leaf from their book. Work might be shit, but the future is always bright, as long as I aim for it. (Which in my case means joyful amounts of self-study in my free time, which I seem to enjoy far more than I could have ever expected).

 

We're good at most things as long as it doesn't involve too much interaction with people. Customer service is bad, sales is bad, etc.

Depends! I started my career in retail a few years after I had gotten interested in cognitive functions and MBTI, and after I had identified and started understanding my own type and its strengths/weaknesses. I went into it thinking I would be terrible and that it would be an awful experience all around, but it has actually ended up being the most fulfilling career path I could ever imagine.

That being said, I have spent 95% of my retail career in management, where I get to do fun things like taking the company's forecasted sales goal, figuring out how many payroll hours that gets me based on the applicable grid, taking into account our traffic/sales trends to adjust to make a NEW forecast that will get us a NEW number of hours allotted(sometimes more, sometimes less), then come up with a schedule that puts the correct salespeople with the correct selling style("sprinters" vs "marathoners") in the right place to get us the right coverage depending on our average traffic per hour(plus trend) while still taking into account their individual availabilities. I'm constantly referencing multiple systems and frameworks and playing with so much new information that every day is a new puzzle. My brain LOVES it.

When I started my retail career I tried to look at it like one big experiment; I looked at coworkers who seemed successful in social situations and people-ing(shudder) and mimicked their vocal patterns and enunciation bc I figured if I did I would get similar results. It worked miraculously and I was somehow able to fake my way into being perceived as an amazing, friendly, outgoing, People Person. This plus my brain, the INTP's pride and joy, made it super easy to move up quickly and I have consistently been in management at increasingly large volume companies ever since. At my current gig, managers one level up from me get flown around several times a year for conferences. Two of them just came back from a week long paid conference in Cancun. In other words, I am one promotion away from getting annual paid trips to Mexico(on top of the conferences and events in the same country they go to).

So tl;dr version: Retail sucks if you go into it thinking it's going to suck. If you go into it knowing the full potential of what your brain can do and with an experimental mindset, hold onto your socks because you're going to go real far real fast.

 

In a perfect world, I think the INFPs and INTPs would work together as legislators.

 

In a perfect world, we wouldn't need legislators... ��

 

Role as in 'All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players'? Why we're the omniscient offstage narrators of course.

 

We're a unique blend of asceticism, rationality and estrangement; the town Cynic, that is. Our chief role is that of the alleged “misfit” whose lack of participation extends to halting before the cliff while the rest walk off; hence our usefulness, and our worthiness of being considered to have a “role” at all.

In short: we're here to lead the defense against unnecessary stupidity.

 

In short: we're here to lead the defense against unnecessary stupidity.

I've tried.

Dozen of times.

Doesn't work.

Stupidity is a force one cannot take on expecting to win, ever

 

The role is to observe it and let the people go about their stuff and wallow in their sh*t if they want to (and they do every once in a while), unless it becomes so nasty that even INTPs have to move their passive smart *ss and do something to put an end to it.

 

We could always be the people's personal walking and talking dictionary. (like we already are)

 

If only there was some way we could make a living by doing nothing all day(other than mooching off parents or the government). I guess ideally I'd like to be a literary critic, though that takes education(something I'm not really too keen on investing in).

 

When I was in grade school and even into high school, I was asked what I wanted to be and I couldn't answer because there is no profession that involves not working.

 

 

we can prove that men don't have to be useful to exist XD (nooooo

 

Reviving a five and a half year old thread to say that?

Sometimes, I really wish this forum had an option for downvoting stupid posts.

 

Wasted potential reference for society. Also widening it's perspective.

 

I think it's to ask insightful (and uncomfortable) questions. To keep people from following what's been done before just because "that's the way it's always been." I think we need you all to keep people on their toes and ask the uncomfortable questions to help people reflect on their own beliefs and ideas and to show them patterns they might not have seen before. It's also kind of a super power (I think) that you all aren't as swayed by social niceties and "rules." There's tremendous freedom in that and a way to be more objective and accurate when you're not always as concerned about everyone else's feelings. (good and bad, lol)

 

I think we need you all to keep people on their toes and ask the uncomfortable questions to help people reflect on their own beliefs and ideas and to show them patterns they might not have seen before.

Who listens to INTPs though

 

Inconspicuous trolling. We’re incredibly good at that.

 

I just spend 8 hours a day being an office worker just to put food on the table and spend the other 16 hours being a useless thinker.

 

From a mythological perspective, the INTP's role in society is to serve the xNFJ kings. It is in opposite of the xNTJ tyrants. It's similar to Yoda in Star Wars. The wise professor that teaches the hero to win against evil or at least keep evil in check. The other types don't fit this role because of their lack of cleverness, so they cannot win against the xNTJs who are extremely clever. Society helps the wise professor by making him part of the whole (society) to prevent self destruction (e.g. nihilism). The INTPs are the types that have very high prestige but work at the very bottom of society.

 

Society helps the wise professor by making him part of the whole (society) to prevent self destruction (e.g. nihilism).

I like the idea of the INTP's role being to keep humanity from destroying itself.

If it were actually the case, might go a way in explaining why we come so close so often. :tongue:

 

My favorite role in society would be to find a way out.