How can I become more like an INTJ?

SeanSquared said:
That I am. :)

Edit:

I'd encourage growing INFJs to work towards becoming more rooted in their tertiary Ti for many different reasons. Secondary Fe can be so...easily persuaded and almost emotional (in my opinion). So if you (as an INFJ) are looking to connect with an INTJ who really enjoys using their secondary Te in discussions. Knowing where and why you stand on certain issues, the purposeful motives behind, the organization therein, the structural reasoning within your head, etc. can be very helpful when connecting with such a person.

I always try and remind myself that they're not cold people. They just like to look at a problem or idea from multiple perspectives and systematically analyze it with objective logic, discarding things that turn out to be problematic, and evolving their own understanding of something when new information turns out to be useful.

I mean, I don't have secondary Te so I'll never fully understand. But being more rooted in my tertiary Ti and knowing my own reasoning behind things...has been very helpful to me personally.

I hope this helped better explain my reasoning.
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Sorry to put you on the spot. You come across as having a strong thinking mentality and you don't disclose your type so I had to ask.

I couldn't agree with you more on developing the Ti function. I'm very balanced in my F/T dichotomy and in fact was an INTJ at one point in my life.
 
"Ideally, midlife for INFJs is accompanied by a positive, progressive integration of inferior Extraverted Sensing, and along with it tertiary Thinking. This unfortunately does not occur for all aging INFJs."
– Naomi Quenk. (MBTI expert)
---------
"...By the age of 30, the INFJ will feel the tension to continue growing, firstly to start developing the tertiary function Introverted Thinking.
The INFJ may start to use objective and logical thinking to approach situations that they used to take a personal stand on. They may also start to learn the value of being straightforward and frank in their language when the time is necessary."
and
"From midlife onward, the INFJ’s focus turns toward the inferior function, Extraverted Sensing.
In midlife, there is an unconscious shift and desire to develop that inferior function in order to achieve wholeness and continual growth. It is an uncomfortable but necessary transition."
– http://www.personality-central.com/INFJ-development.html
-----------
Information on the stages of function development:
http://www.darionardi.com/functions.html
 
Asa said:
"Ideally, midlife for INFJs is accompanied by a positive, progressive integration of inferior Extraverted Sensing, and along with it tertiary Thinking. This unfortunately does not occur for all aging INFJs."
– Naomi Quenk. (MBTI expert)
---------
"...By the age of 30, the INFJ will feel the tension to continue growing, firstly to start developing the tertiary function Introverted Thinking.
The INFJ may start to use objective and logical thinking to approach situations that they used to take a personal stand on. They may also start to learn the value of being straightforward and frank in their language when the time is necessary."
and
"From midlife onward, the INFJ’s focus turns toward the inferior function, Extraverted Sensing.
In midlife, there is an unconscious shift and desire to develop that inferior function in order to achieve wholeness and continual growth. It is an uncomfortable but necessary transition."
– http://www.personality-central.com/INFJ-development.html
-----------
Information on the stages of function development:
http://www.darionardi.com/functions.html
Click to expand...

Yep, my T functions developed in a very dramatic fashion in my early 20s as I pursued a career in IT. A profession I have spent over two decades growing. It took me awhile to start developing my Se function but have found it to be the most enlightening and truly has given insight to understanding the unexplained. The Se function fuels the insight to beauty in the world and guides the INFJ through things that are extraordinary.
 
What general age are you, @FreeSp1r1t? (I'm in my 40s.)
Older people are harder to type because we (hopefully) develop our functions in layers as we grow. It's valuable to do so, for reasons both you and @SeanSquared touched on. It also seems to complete the INFJs mission (since our most notable trait is empathizing with others) to do so.

It's kind of tricky, because when we're in the grip we rely on those functions, too, which is not the same thing, as you know.
 
Asa said:
What general age are you, @FreeSp1r1t? (I'm in my 40s.)
Older people are harder to type because we (hopefully) develop our functions in layers as we grow. It's valuable to do so, for reasons both you and @SeanSquared touched on. It also seems to complete the INFJs mission (since our most notable trait is empathizing with others) to do so.

It's kind of tricky, because when we're in the grip we rely on those functions, too, which is not the same thing, as you know.
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I'm a highly tuned ESTP when in the grip. Stress heightens my sensory awareness, thinking mind, and I perform almost machine like. So much so it saved my daughters life when she had a brain aneurism burst as a teenager. When most people get stressed they panic, when I get stressed I focus and everything slows. My awareness of the environment becomes highly tuned and my decisions are attuned to many similar stressful moments in the past and how to best approach that specific moment. My body remains calm and my mind starts acquiring every resource and person who can assist in that moment. My statements and question take on a very methodical and precise nature. Yet, I still have an intuitive function that can still read people's motives (which seems unusual now that I think about it.)

I believe this happens because I've been in so many stressful situations that it's become second nature. However, when I come back to normal state (INFJ) it is then emotionally overwhelming. Especially to think what could have happened and where I would be if the results had been different.
 
FreeSp1r1t said:
Sorry to put you on the spot. You come across as having a strong thinking mentality and you don't disclose your type so I had to ask.
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It's no problem. :)

Asa said:
"Ideally, midlife for INFJs is accompanied by a positive, progressive integration of inferior Extraverted Sensing, and along with it tertiary Thinking. This unfortunately does not occur for all aging INFJs."
– Naomi Quenk. (MBTI expert)
---------
"...By the age of 30, the INFJ will feel the tension to continue growing, firstly to start developing the tertiary function Introverted Thinking.
The INFJ may start to use objective and logical thinking to approach situations that they used to take a personal stand on. They may also start to learn the value of being straightforward and frank in their language when the time is necessary."
and
"From midlife onward, the INFJ’s focus turns toward the inferior function, Extraverted Sensing.
In midlife, there is an unconscious shift and desire to develop that inferior function in order to achieve wholeness and continual growth. It is an uncomfortable but necessary transition."
– http://www.personality-central.com/INFJ-development.html
-----------
Information on the stages of function development:
http://www.darionardi.com/functions.html
Click to expand...

This is perfect. Thank you.
 
WadeINFJ said:
So I've read that a lot of INTJs are known as the mastermind personality type. I feel they are way way smarter than us INFJs. I also have two friends who are INTJ and they are super smart, always have very logical kind and sophisticated conversations where I just almost feel like an idiot being around them when they do sometimes. They both have very, successful Instagram pages which have led to to Businesses and blogs. They make music and work with photographers it feels like everything they think or want they do and I struggle with executing my ideas like they don't. So I feel like if I could start thinking like them and stop feeling more like an INTJ I may learn this skill or trait. I can't find info on this anywhere. For the record I have tested once as INTJ but I'm clearly an INFJ.
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I'm an INFJ... I dated an INTJ.. we were similar in levels of intelligence and though he wrote, I wrote and am a photographer.. was a bit more creative. INFJ's are "dreamers AND doers" if we are really driven by that dream. Perhaps you are just seeing that sharp logic of the INTJ as hyper-intelligence when in reality, they just plan more logically than we do and live less with their heads in the clouds. ... Oh.. yeah, if you really want to cross the F border to the T side... you might also want to consider learning to correct peoples typos.. #grammarpolice101
 
@WadeINFJ

I'm not sure whether suppressing feelings makes you smarter--it can, to an extent, but if you do it too much you lose motivation, and even if you can think more clearly, you will find it harder to focus in some ways. This isn't something I'm 100% sure of, but I do have some experience in the area.

The key to suppressing emotions is pretty simple, though. You just have to stop acting on them for a long time, in my experience. However, that's a very tough tightrope to walk, because you could also lose feelings you want.

To become smarter...it's unclear whether this is possible, but exercise helps, as does the removal of distractions and clutter from your life. Find stupid shit that you do (I watch political youtube that doesn't necessarily give the most detailed commentary ever as a calming mechanism), and do other things instead.
 
Eventhorizon said:
One of the first things you might want to do is realize that mbti is only part of the story. I dont think it plays much into whether you will be successful in what you are interested in. For myself I have wide ranging interests. So much so I have never been able to find something I am interested in spending the rest of my life pursuing giving up all other interests.
Focus on what you are interested in
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We actually agree on something!

WadeINFJ said:
So I've read that a lot of INTJs are known as the mastermind personality type. I feel they are way way smarter than us INFJs. I also have two friends who are INTJ and they are super smart, always have very logical kind and sophisticated conversations where I just almost feel like an idiot being around them when they do sometimes. They both have very, successful Instagram pages which have led to to Businesses and blogs. They make music and work with photographers it feels like everything they think or want they do and I struggle with executing my ideas like they don't. So I feel like if I could start thinking like them and stop feeling more like an INTJ I may learn this skill or trait. I can't find info on this anywhere. For the record I have tested once as INTJ but I'm clearly an INFJ.
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Your toon clearly needs a new specialty: For example, a Fire Mage would be a feeler (fire brings warmth OR wrath...clearly a feeling specialty). A Frost Mage is cold, so by extension, frost is synonymous with thinking. Logic is cold and hard..simple.

Airtight.
 
ENTJcommanderbackground01edited.png

Not more like us?
 
Pin said:
I imagine that she must have the highest of expectations and the noblest of intentions.
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Yes... But it was still quite hard. I love her, just the same.. She had a lot of bitterness.. which in addition to the ENTJ type made life arduous. But yes.. she loves me a lot..
 
Pin said:
What did she do to make things arduous? What situations?
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She was harsh.. She was overly critical. She had mood swings and I could never be perfect enough.. for starters.
 
Pin said:
That's unfortunate; I hope things are better for you now.
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I'm grown now.. I love her.. accept her bitterness as a result of her own pain that she did not know how to properly handle at the time.. and forgive. :)
 
WadeINFJ said:
So I've read that a lot of INTJs are known as the mastermind personality type. I feel they are way way smarter than us INFJs.
Click to expand...

Some INFJs are smarter than others and some INTJs are smarter than others. I do not think MBTI type determines intelligence and people with the Ne function amongst the first four commonly used functions tend to score better on certain IQ tests if I remember correctly anyway (if one thinks IQ tests can even measure intelligence).

I do not find all the INTJs I know especially smart or intelligent even though they are intellectual, frequently knowledgeable and very, very confident in their abilities.The confidence that they have can overwhelm others who are less confident than they are regardless of abilities. Te types often convey confidence even arrogance regardless anyway it seems.
 
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