Type Theory

*Note to New Readers
This blog explores how to use Jungian analytical type theory for self-reflection and self-improvement. Most of the Q&As are about problems related to type, so I don’t recommend following if you don’t want to hear about problems. Note that some people are mistyped, so beware of taking their experience as representative or generalizing from it. Knowledge of cognitive function theory is often required for following the Q&As. I have provided free and detailed study guides for learning type theory on my blog at mbti-notes.tumblr.com.
There are guidelines for submitting questions on my Contact page. I get more messages than I am able to respond to, so I omit those that are repetitive, irrelevant, or easily searchable. Browse the Site Index and tags before asking. There is already plenty of content available, including: type descriptions, type analysis, cognitive functions, the functional stack, type development issues, relationship issues, emotional or mental health issues, learning issues.
If you need my help with type assessment, write and submit a detailed description of your cognitive functions by following the instructions on the contact page: mbti-notes.tumblr.com/contact. I won’t respond to type assessment related inquiries unless the instructions are properly followed.
Reblog 2020-07-10 · 244 notes
Anon wrote:
Hi, hope you’re okay. Enfj 26/F. I have a dismissive avoidant attachment style. I dont always ‘feel’ positively in relationships or in situations where others would.
I would suggest that you explore attachment style with a qualified therapist, since it probably requires you to dig into your past to properly resolve the negative experiences that produced your unhealthy attachment style. This is not something that can be addressed in a blog post with a stranger.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-13 · 9 notes
Anon wrote: I was hoping to seek your advice with my ISTP father. His inferior Fe is extremely underdeveloped, even though he is in his 60s. He is always starting arguments with my ISFJ (possibly ESFJ) mother and me, his ISFJ daughter. He starts disagreements over the tiniest of things and causes so much turmoil in our household. He leaves for long periods of time without telling us where he’s going, he shows no empathy for our feelings even after us expressing how we need him to change at least once a week, and does not act like he even really needs my mom.. especially like she needs him to be there for her. It’s really hard because we both love him so much, and as an adult daughter, I am well aware of the impact this is having on my mother. Do you have any advice on how to approach him about this? Explaining our feelings and even telling him directly what we need doesn’t work. I just want my parents to be happy and my mom to feel loved. Even if I can’t have the greatest relationship with him myself, I can still love him and know he loves me, but I want him to love my mom how she needs because she has suffered so much emotionally through all of this.. Thank you.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-13 · 7 notes
Anonymous:
Hi, mbti-notes! Recently, I got over a ‘false start’/almost relationship. During this period of sadness (over what could have been), I often found myself thinking of the other person or replaying memories for seemingly no reason. So, my general question is this: what is the difference between ruminating and allowing yourself to feel your emotions? Is it more adaptive to set up a time limit for pointlessly thinking about a person (and by extension, a disappointing situation)?
I think your question comes from not understanding the difference between feelings and thoughts. This distinction is very important for having good emotional intelligence. Ruminating isn’t “feeling”, rather, it’s thinking around feelings, without any good effect. Specifically, the thinking is meant to keep negative feelings and emotions at a distance, in order to blunt their impact on your ego. This is explained in the On Rumination article, please review it.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-13 · 9 notes
Anon wrote: Why will an ESTJ cheat in a relationship? I am a male/28 INTP who dated a male/20 ESTJ for 3 months. We had great dates & sex in a very pressure-free relationship. He was very serious about our commitment and started talking about being together forever in a matter of weeks. I got sceptical when I realised he was flirting with others & eventually caught cheating him red-handed. When confronted, he showed no remorse & absconded without any explanation! Can you rationalise this ESTJ behaviour? The ESTJ put more effort into our relationship. He looked up to me as a father figure - a mentor (he had an avoidant & abusive father). I am flabbergasted how someone who wants a long-term relationship can jeopardise their efforts with casual cheating. Is he too ashamed to talk about it or is he manipulating me into some no-contact rule to reach out later? Or has he given up & gone into hiding since the image he tried to build was uncovered & I saw through the skeletons in his closet?
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-13 · 3 notes
Anon wrote:
hello! firstly, I’d like to thank you for making this blog. it’s been really helpful in understanding mbti theory and taking steps to improve myself. i do have 2 questions though:
I’m glad you find my blog helpful, thanks for saying so.
1) is it possible that a person still undergoes tertiary loop in their mid-40s? i have seen evidence of si-ti loop in my mother, but can’t really reconcile that with the fact that she should’ve probably dealt with this earlier. and i don’t think she’s always been in the loop (as far as i remember, anyways), but has only gotten into it within the last 2 years.
It is more common than uncommon for people to get developmentally stuck. Type development is a very personal or individual process, so, in that sense, there is no “should’ve”. This is explained in the Type Dev Guide, please review it. Every individual is at a different point in development based on their unique circumstances. Anyone can misuse their functions at any time of life for a variety of reasons. If she only started within the last two years, it would be important to understand what circumstances or stressors might have prompted it.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-13 · 3 notes
Anonymous:
I think you talked about attachment styles before, but I have a question about it. I'm an ISTP who was raised by really loving and caring parents and, somehow, I still ended up developing an avoidant attachment style. I start to feel weird about the person I like romantically when they make it clear that they like me and want to be around me, as if I'm being trapped somehow or they're suddenly demanding too much and I struggle a lot to not pull away and start ignoring them/being unavailable. When the situation is ambiguous/platonic, I tend to not be bothered by demonstrations of affection or talking to the person everyday. Is it possible for a child to develop an insecure attachment style despite being raised by really good caregivers? Hope you're doing well.
The parent-child relationship is arguably the most difficult relationship to understand because there are so many factors that influence its development. Psychology is never as simple as “parents do this, then kids are like that”. When you get into the finer details of attachment theory, you’ll see how complicated it really is.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-06 · 51 notes
Anonymous:
I like to get your help on a character. I'm sure of ENTJ cos they have many plans, always commanding, aggressive, and accomplish very much in a short time. But there is one thing I have trouble with. They are very incompetent in their romance. In front of their lover, they appear so weak and easy to manipulate. I guess it is linked to inf Fi but I don't understand it in detail. Would you help explain it?
The way people perceive, relate to, and understand their inferior function is quite naive and unsophisticated at the best of times. Unless someone has taken great pains to grow their inferior function awareness and address its problems properly, they will be prone to using the inferior function very childishly, especially when they find themselves in shocking, difficult, challenging, or stressful situations and have very limited time and mental energy to process information (as is often the case in relationship conflicts). Furthermore, don’t forget that the dominant and inferior functions are directly oppositional. The more you push someone to use their inferior function, the more you put them at risk of losing healthy dominant functioning.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-06 · 8 notes
Anon wrote: Hello. (19/F) ENTP looking for advice (more like closure). I dated a (19/M) INFJ and we went out on ab 3 dates. We met online and initially met up with very platonic intentions. The first time we hung out we talked for about 6hrs straight and I hadn’t really been interested in him but there was chemistry there and he seemed very gentle and interesting. While talking he would compliment me on my appearance and tell me how comfortable I made him and I took it as being friendly.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-06 · 9 notes
Anon wrote: INTP here. What can make a capable and ambitious (school) student suddenly change into a depressed, uninterested and confused college student and then a graduate who doesn’t have energy and motivation to find a job in a related field? I am that person. I was a good student and my teachers thought I was going to get accepted in a good college and would have a bright future.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-05-06 · 13 notes
Anonymous:
Are you familiar with Thom Yorke’s music? He seems to be regarded as an INFP generally but reading your post about Björk made think INFJ suits better regarding at least his lyrics. What do you think?
I’m not very familiar outside of a few Radiohead songs, but I think INFJ is a strong possibility just based on the high degree of abstractness in the musical style and lyrical content.
Reblog 2022-05-06 · 0 notes
Anonymous:
Being as you've studied different religions, I'm curious what you think about renunciation. Do you think it should play a role in personal development? Ex. Is it necessary to give up some things for growth?
To be precise, I studied the philosophies of world religions in school, but it wasn’t my specialization. Philosophy of religion extracts the fundamental ideas of religion and explores their implications. This is different from religious studies, which focuses more on the content of texts and the practice of rituals. I grew up in a diverse place where the people around me practiced a wide variety of religions. Despite being heavily exposed to religion, I never adopted one myself, but I do believe that some form of spiritual practice is necessary for well-being. That said, I can speak on renunciation as a concept.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-04-29 · 32 notes
Anonymous:
I was recently abandoned by five friends. I did nothing wrong, but they found me burdening because I was going through a miscarriage and labelled me as a 'slut'. I felt overwhelmingly betrayed and was cynical and depressed for a long time. What would you recommend for me to reconcile and come to terms with the situation. What should I do to restore trust and develop Fe again?
[con’t: I am an INFJ. I think my Fe is very unhealthy because of what I have experienced. I am cynical, cold and more manipulative. Moreover, one of my friend’s is a ISTP who ghosted me and just told me they don’t want to care because they found feelings to be almost physically uncomfortable. I understand that I should move on, but I learn a lot from that friend and I want to know what I can do to reach out to this particular friend again.]
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-04-29 · 30 notes
Anon wrote: hello, mbti notes. My boyfriend is either Intp or entp. I have this insane circle in which we are ok, we laugh a lot together, have great times, spend time playing videogames, and such. We get along just fine. As time passes, my emotional needs arrive. I want him to also do things with me and that those things come from him. I want him to take initiative and say “hey lets read together” or “lets paint together” because i like doing those things, and i know he likes it as well. just the same, i like playing games but i do it more because i know he likes it a lot. I care about him and want to do things he likes, but when it is about me, it seems like he just pretends sometimes.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-04-29 · 11 notes
Anon wrote: I have observed a thing in me, I’m Infj and sometimes i get really hostile and too questionable and challenging in arguments. Or even to explain an issue i use personal examples and correlations that might not need to be connected but seem logically similar to me. The problem is i don’t want to be harsh, hostile i want to be able to gently reason like Jane Goodall as you typed her Infj.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-04-29 · 9 notes
Anon wrote: Hi MBTI-notes, thank you for such informative and helpful blog! Im still new to mbti and struggle to type myself, so Id like to ask for your insight, if possible. Im pretty sure I can narrow down to IxFJ - Im people-oriented, sometimes dependent on others` opinions, easily become critical/stubborn and believe only what makes sense to me. I also tend to closure, chaotic during stress and feel unnerved by incompleteness. The problem is Im not sure about my perceiving functions, one of which is supposed to be my dominant. Thus, Ill provide arguments for both ISFJ and INFJ.
Keep reading
Reblog 2022-04-29 · 8 notes

1 of 333Next page »

*Note to New Readers