This is just a topic I need to vent about because I’m so sick of seeing mistypes on certain sites about celebrities and MBTI and other places. By no means do I mean to associate these individuals with each other; they are just the most frequently mistyped famous people who appear over and over.
Virginia Woolf was not an INFP
British author Virginia Woolf was an extrovert.
Many, many wonderful writers are and were ENFP or INFP. Oscar Wilde and Anne Frank were legendary ENFP authors. J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin have created amazing worlds from their imaginations and are INFPs.
Many people love to point out how shy Virginia Woolf was and use this as evidence that she was an INFP. This demonstrates a phenomenal ignorance of how cognitive functions work and also a basic ignorance of Virginia Woolf’s personal history and how it affected her throughout her life.
Sexual abuse is a horrific tragedy and no child should ever experience such a trauma. There is quite a bit of evidence that Mrs. Woolf was molested as a child by her brother or brothers. Starting off life with such trauma and ignoring it is a pretty good guarantee for a life filled with PTSD issues, depression, suicide attempts, and withdrawal from others. It is a known fact that she suffered from many of these symptoms before she took her own life in 1941.
Not only INFPs commit suicide. Robin Williams was an ENFP and hanged himself, most likely over fears about his health. Unstable ENFPs can suffer from suicidal ideation and fits of rage, much like Mrs. Woolf was known to experience. However, since I am not a psychologist and therefore not licensed to make such diagnoses, I will show simpler evidence of her true personality type.
Mrs. Dalloway is a story about a party and a young World War One veteran with PTSD who jumps out of a window while his psychiatrist is at the party. One thing that struck me while reading this book was how easily the entire situation could be set in any realistic setting. Clarissa struggles with reaching her middle age while reminiscing over a lesbian experiment when she was a teenager. Peter Walsh was her wistful suitor in their youth, competing with the affections of wild Sally. Septimus Smith could have just as easily been a local Iraq War veteran who returned without a few limbs and Doris Kilman could be one of the People of Wal-Mart. The story is set in London and its suburbs. It shares some of its more shocking elements with that of a diary of a young ENFP hiding in a warehouse with her family during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Both books are about people and their interrelationships and histories living in everyday settings.
Orlando is a bit more of an engagement of unfettered Ne (Extraverted Intuition), but still revolves around the protagonist’s relationships with the people around him/her over the years. The setting is still mostly just outside London, although there is a trip to Istanbul. Orlando never involves any schools of wizardry like Hogwarts or the Cave of the Three-Eyed Raven. Although many have compared Westeros and Middle Earth to England, and Hogwarts and Diagon Alley are implied to be somewhere in Great Britain, these are all speculations. Orlando does take place in England. Young Orlando met Queen Elizabeth I. Virginia Woolf did not build any worlds in this book. The book is far more like Pride and Prejudice, also known as The Holy Bible for ENFPs.
Virginia Woolf’s books do not occur in fantasy worlds from the inner musings of her mind. They are about people interacting in old-fashioned or modern settings. Based on her writing style and her personal history, Virginia Woolf seems to have been an ENFP.
Adolf Hitler, however, was an INFP
INFPs tend to be harmless, but when they go evil, they turn full-on wicked devil Sith Lord evil. Vlad Dracula and Elizabeth Bathory were both INFPs. That’s how dark they can get. Maybe collective human trauma has ingrained us with a revulsion for leaders of that personality type because of such experiences.
Almost everyone says Hitler was an INFJ (I’m guilty of it from time to time as well) because of material gleaned from a book he supposedly wrote, Mein Kampf. Let’s engage in a bit of fantasy here. Let’s pretend that his INFJ cellmate (Rudolf Hess) ghostwrote the book and quoted his Heidelberg professors verbatim in it, rather than the random chance that two male INFJs happened to share a cell and young Adolf coincidentally and independently came up with identical speeches to those of his cellmate’s professors. Not so hard to imagine, is it?
What do we know about Adolf Hitler before he rose to power and during his dictatorship?
Adolf Hitler had strong beliefs about how to fix everything he thought was wrong with Germany. (Fi)
Adolf Hitler was an unambitious dreamer who fantasized about becoming an architect and glorious times of Teutonic heroism. When the Allies wiped out his Panzer divisions, he behaved as if they still existed. (Ne)
Adolf Hitler was a lazy soldier whose inattention to details like shining his shoes and saluting superiors hindered his battlefield promotions, in spite of being highly decorated. (Tertiary Si with a Se blind spot)
Every German family had a Volkswagon in the driveway and a chicken in each pot, and Germany’s economy had an amazing recovery during the Great Depression. Hitler did get some things done – for a while. (Inferior Te)
Fi Ne Si Te – what’s that spell? INFP
P!nk (Alecia Beth Moore) is an ESTJ – not all pop stars are ESFP
P!nk’s Enneagram results are very revealing.
Much of P!nk’s image has centered on badassery and other 8 wing 7 don’t-tell-me-what-to-do things, which is probably why she shows up on many Ennegram sites as an 8w7. The thing is, 8w7 is not a normal enneagram type for ESFPs. In fact, I have not seen any evidence other than her being a celebrity to indicate her being a Se-dominant feeler.
Let’s analyze a few of Ms. Moore’s songs and resolve this, shall we?
Stupid Girls – a scathing criticism of airheads and girls without ambition. This song is so loaded with Te, it could have been written by Judge Judy Scheindlin.
I Have Seen the Rain is a tribute to her Vietnam War Veteran father. Because traditions and stuff. (Si off the charts here.) Just Like a Pill uses that famous Si compare-it-to-something-else thing as well.
God is a DJ engages in a bit of fantasy and speculation on what God must be like compared to the well-known scenario of a dance floor. Bonus points for Si combined with Ne on this one.
Many, many of P!nk’s songs deal with rage, also known as Quaternary or Inferior Fi, a trait ESTJs and ENTJs share. Don’t Let Me Get Me and Conversations with My 13 Year Old Self both deal with rage over being an outsider trying to fit in as a teenager. ESFPs tend to have a good control over their Fi and are not prone to outbursts like Ne-users and specifically Te-doms.
Conclusion: Alecia Beth “P!nk” Moore is an ESTJ.
Bonus mistype: Donald Trump – common knowledge ESTP
It has been common knowledge for over 30 years that President Donald Trump is an ESTP. My brother and I discussed this when I was in high school in the mid-1980s.
He is not an ENTJ as some sites claim. (His treatment of true ENTJ Jeb Bush during the primary campaign proves him to be the guy who bullies ENTJs for thinking too much.) I have seen some compelling evidence that he might in fact be an ESFP, but nothing that has fully convinced me yet. He seems to use Fe, not Fi.
As an ENTJ, please quit listing him as one of us. He has close to zero Ni and lacks the compassion of an intuitive. It is actually a slap in the face to real ENTJs like Jeb Bush who have been insulted by thugs and bullies like Trump. It’s insulting. Just stop.
In the early 1950s, the United States military commissioned Katherine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, both female INFP psychologists at the time, to design a personality type indicator so they could best delegate duties and career tracks among recruits and draftees. Although the concept was groundbreaking at the time, the original test has some serious flaws that even its creator acknowledged. The test is based on free word association and certain personality trait stereotypes of each type, rather than checking cognitive functions and the person’s actual thinking process like Carl Jung originally intended. All of this so far is common knowledge.
If you take the test, there is a strong possibility that one of your scores might be tied, since it relies on stereotypes about each type rather than actually checking your cognitive functions. Myers and Briggs provided a handy set of instructions in case this happens:
Because males are always logical and females always rely on feelings.
“Women’s Intuition” and “hysteria” were considered “female things” in the 1950s, whereas math and science and logic and empiricism were considered “things for boys” at that time. Intuitive feelers Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers played right into that stereotype and helped perpetuate it.
1950s Gender Stereotypes
Thank you, Briggs and Myers. I guess not everyone can be blessed to be a stereotype in life, can they?
Actually, several of the “thinker” personality types are among the very most common among females (ESTJ and ISTJ) and some very stereotypical feminine behaviors and careers are actually most often exhibited from logical women. Many male archetypes are feelers. In spite of some very crass stereotypes, those who have the opposite functions can be archetypes as well. Without further ado, I present…
Eight Archetypal Logical Girlie-Girls and their Careers:
INTJ: Makeup Maven and Office Coordinator:
There are a shocking amount of posts dedicated to manicures and breast-feeding advocacy within INTJ female groups online. INTJ girls love their makeup. The few I have met in real life were very into their appearance and often belonged to sororities in college. Not only are they the most rare female MBTI type, but they are probably the “girliest” as well.
Most female INTJs that I have spoken to or met work as office managers or coordinators because of their excellent organizational abilities and many have bragged that they beat out ISFJs (the stereotype for a secretary) when they got their jobs.
INTP: Candy Crush Invites and Stay at Home Mom:
We all know this woman on Facebook, the bored Stay at Home Mom who sends out hundreds of Candy Crush invites. She is an INTP. Want to make them stop? Discuss science or autism with her and she will light up and take a break from her obsessive video gaming. Trust me, it works.
ENTJ: Plastic Surgery Addict and the Hairstylist:
Plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry are always guaranteed to spark up a lively debate in ENTJ Females groups online. Many claim to have done it to advance their careers, and they need to STFU and stop trying to justify it. ENTJs have Tertiary Se and therefore have a vain streak. Cosmetic surgery is expensive. ENTJs usually make a lot of money or can still manage to save it up fast. If you know someone who has had it, she’s probably ENTJ.
Every time I’ve seen that debate come up, the “experts” start chiming in. By experts, I’m talking about hairstylists and aestheticians. Considering how rare this personality type actually is, you would be amazed how many hairstylists are ENTJ females.
As for me, I’m not a hairstylist (although I considered it when I was younger), but I do have another very stereotypical “feminine business” – I own a travel agency. This is another field infested with ENTJ females. Another one of my ENTJ female friends is an Avon Lady. Throw away your stereotypes about the bitchy boss. This is where we are hiding.
ENTP: Tiger Mother and Schoolteacher:
ENTP mothers love their children and want them to learn as much as possible. They will spend every penny they have on educational toys and media to give their children every possible edge. They take a great pride in having intelligent, curious children. They are the active mothers in the PTA (thanks for baking all those cookies, Mom!) or PFLAG (an ENTP friend of mine from high school actually runs her local group). ENTPs take incredible pride in raising their children well.
Did you have a teacher who really inspired you to learn? She is probably an ENTP. ENTPs have a love of learning and an insatiable desire to inspire this in others. Many ENTP girls dream of becoming teachers or professors when they grow up. Many of them end up achieving this dream.
ISTP: Your Yoga Instructor and the Pharmacist:
Society, civilization, and life as we know it would collapse without Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Yoga Instructors. Quiet, Zen, and in perfect harmony with their bodies, an ISTP Yogini is practically a redundant concept.
My nephew adores Jaime’s Disney yoga videos. It would not surprise me if Jaime is an ISTP.
A majority of pharmacists are female ISTPs. This focused, logic-oriented career attracts ISTPs, and is considered a traditionally feminine field.
ESTP: Shopaholic Diva and Your Friendly Realtor:
My ESTP best friend was a major shopaholic. Her closets were filled with items that caught her attention that she absolutely had to have. Many of them did not even fit when she bought them, but ultimately did after her exercise binges.
THAT girl is an ESTP. You know her. The one with the really expensive clothes who constantly chatters about going shopping. The Diva. Glorious excess and extravagance are synonymous with the ESTP. Considering how much this feminine archetype appears in culture, you might be surprised that female ESTPs are actually one of the most rare types.
This leads to the next ESTP Diva problem that must be solved…
Shopping requires money
A fast way for a persuasive ESTP to make a fortune to support her shopping habit is by selling things. What kind of a thing has a bigger commission than a house? Problem solved.
Many ESTPs earn big money selling houses.
ISTJ: Food Babe and Insurance Clerk:
We all know that mother who won’t feed her children any sugar and constantly lives on organic kale veggie shakes, or the neighbor who makes homemade organic dog treats for her pets. ISTJs get serious about their food, and the Food Babe is a female stereotype.
One of the easiest careers for a woman to go into is the insurance / banking industry. ISTJs do particularly well in these fields because of their massive attention to detail.
ESTJ mothers run a tight ship and sports are important in an ESTJ household. If you know a “Soccer Mom” (or Cheer Mom or pretty much any sport + Mom), she is probably an ESTJ. Strict discipline and scheduling combined with a team spirit are hallmarks of the ESTJ.
If you say the word “nurse”, people automatically think “ISFJ”. That is simply not true. Many types work in that profession, especially bossy ESTJs who want to enter a lucrative career that promises big rewards for hard work. ESTJs aren’t happy following – they are willing to put in the time and experience necessary to rise to the top of their career. I had an aunt who was extremely proud of her 47 year career as a Registered Nurse. She was the family athlete and had a sense of humor like Judge Judy’s, so I’m pretty willing to bet that she was an ESTJ.
This young lady has taken the steps necessary to advance her nursing career beyond average.
Eight Archetypal Manly Man Feelers and their Careers:
Highly emotional men also constitute many of society’s stereotypical “manly men”.
INFJ: Social Agitator and Rocket Scientist:
Although the INFJ is not thought of at all as a masculine personality type, no one but an INFJ would fill certain male stereotypical roles in society. Advocates of major social change, whether good or evil, are almost always INFJ males.
The Good: Marijuana advocate and tycoon Gary Johnson ran a highly visible 3rd party campaign for US President in 2016The Bad: 9/11 terrorist Mohamed Atta was passionate about social change and doing anything to achieve it.The Ugly: Possibly the most evil INFJ in history, although he had some fierce competition in 2001.
INFJ males are not only demagogues and dictators, though. Their tertiary Ti and insatiable thirst for knowledge can make them excellent scientists.
Environmental energy and SpaceX tycoon Elon Musk is advocating settling Mars.
ENFJ: Natural Leader and Guru:
ENFJs have natural charisma and tend to have many friends and a great ability to influence people in the public sphere. No one gives a speech like an ENFJ.
ENFJ Martin Luther King, Jr, was a legendary speaker, theologian, and agent of social change.
A darker ENFJ male archetype is the Guru or Cult Leader. Russian mystic Rasputin combined a bizarre mix of magical spiritual beliefs, hedonism, and seduction into a cult of female followers. The outrage that resulted helped fuel the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Sex and strong spirituality make a dangerous mix.
Don’t drink the Kool Aid! Cult Leader Jim Jones was an ENFJ.
INFP: Home Handyman and the Truck Driver:
I have a cousin who is an INFP who is married to another INFP. She constantly brags about how handy he is around the house. INFP males love to build models, tinker with their cars, and try to “supe up” things around the house.
One occupation that naturally lends itself to the solitary man who doesn’t mind occasionally tinkering with things and having plenty of time to ponder life’s darker mysteries is that of the truck driver.
ENFP: Womanizer and Entrepreneur:
I won’t mention any former United States Presidents from the 1990s. ENFP males tend to enjoy serial seduction and one night stands. I’m not saying this to be mean – I’ve gleaned it from numerous posts in ENFP groups. That Lothario you know is probably an ENFP, although most personality types are pretty keen on sex. If ENFP comedian Jerry Seinfeld is any fair representation of an ENFP, they tend to go for much younger women, too. Dirty Old Men are usually ENFPs.
Speaking of Seinfeld, we all know that guy who is constantly trying to hustle up businesses without much planning beforehand. (The successful entrepreneur is usually ENTP, that’s a different kind.) ENFPs aren’t afraid to pursue the unconventional and think outside the box.
I’ve never actually met or spoken to this guy, but his website came up when I Googled “wacky entrepreneurs” and has ENFP written all over it. This is the kind of entrepreneur I mean.
ISFP: Mountain Man Survivalist and Elite Military Man:
The rugged outdoors-man and survivalist is a male archetype.
Emotional, sensitive ISFPs take joy in being at one with Nature. Even though people tend to associate ISFPs with very feminine behavior, male ISFPs often take their love of the outdoors to extremes. They have excellent survival skills away from civilization and love camping and other outdoor activities.
Excellent survival skills and a competitive nature make ISFPs stellar candidates for elite military units.
ISFJ: Conspiracy Theorist and Industrial Magnate:
ISFJs have a blind spot when it comes to how and why things actually get done (Te – extraverted thinking). This blind spot tends to result in religious fanaticism (“the God of the gaps”) and an affinity for conspiracy theories.
This was the least brutal of a string of memes of this type.
In all fairness, ISFJs are nearly as good with their money as ENTJs and sometimes even better. Solid people skills and meticulous attention to detail can help an ISFJ quickly rise up the corporate ladder.
Former Bain CEO and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is an ISFJ
ESFP: Alpha Male and Your Boss:
Male ESFPs tend to be Alpha Males
This is pretty self-evident. Their confidence tends to help them rise quickly in the business world.
Mark Cuban has grown enormously successful from confidence, hard work, and living in the moment.
ESFJ: The Jock and the Beer-Swilling Bro:
A team spirit and keeping up tradition are important to ESFJs, leading many to join their schools’ football teams.
Spending time with their pals and relaxing are two priorities for ESFJs. The stereotype male bonding over beer is classic ESFJ-ness.
In a previous blog, I broke down exactly how rare your personality type is by gender. I also did another blog on numbers of geniuses by personality type. For the purpose of this blog, I am assuming the statistics were based on gender at birth, not self-identified gender. (I suspect certain types are more likely to consider themselves transgendered because of their personality traits, such as female ESTJs, who value traditional societal roles, but see “masculine” traits in themselves.)
Perhaps you have joined a social media group for a bundle of personality types (e.g., NF Idealists, Socionics Gamma Quadra, etc.) and are curious how large of a percentage your type constitutes within that group.
Or, perhaps, you are thinking about joining Mensa or another high-IQ group and curious what your odds are of finding like-minded individuals with whom to exchange and share ideas. (Mensa is well-known for its rule about identifying huggers and non-huggers by nametag.) I’ve also broken down the statistics by MBTI group, gender, and Socionics Quadra (the last will be most likely to think on the same wavelength that you do).
Without further ado, here are the charts:
Exactly How Special is Your Snowflake?
You might remember this chart breaking down type rarity by gender (sorry for the pink and blue – it was the easiest way to distinguish everyone) and the subsequent list from the other blog:
The average MBTI type, by gender, constitutes 3.1% of the population
Your type might not be nearly as unique as you thought, now that you see it compared to all the other types. A typical MBTI type by gender constitutes 3.1% of the entire population. With female ESFJs constituting 8.5% of the population, and male INFJs constituting 0.5% of the population, the numbers aren’t as different as a lot of people think.
So You’ve Joined a Few Groups Online…
Most of the MBTI cluster groups on social media are grouped by Jungian groups. The ones I’ve seen tend to have a lot of fighting because half the members seem to think on a different wavelength from the other half. There are real reasons for this. Although Jungian typology divides types up by whether people are “thinkers” or “feelers” and “intuitives” or “sensors”, someone who uses the same cognitive functions you do as their primary functions might actually have letters that are the complete opposite. Socionics is a Russian offshoot of Jungian (and Freudian) psychology that divides the groups up by the four main cognitive functions they use.
The Four Jungian Type-Groups Are:
SJ – The Guardians (xSxJ)
SP – The Artisans (xSxP)
NF – The Idealists (xNFx)
NT – The Rationals (xNTx)
The problem with this system is that it is really quite random. I could just as easily come up with a grouping of like-minded individuals based on other letters, like:
PsychoBabble4U’s Type-Groups:
The Leaders (ExxJ)
The Charmers (ExxP)
The Revolutionaries (IxxJ)
The Artists (IxxP)
Does it mean anything? Not really. A friend of mine attempted to start a group for ExxJ types on Facebook and it basically went nowhere.
Nonetheless, most people do identify by their Jungian Type-Group. So this is how rare your type is within your type-group:
So let’s say you are a female ENFJ and joined an Idealist group on Facebook. The amount of people who really think like you is 14.4%, and males with a similar mindset constitute another 5.8% of the group. (I used ENFJ as an example because there is a marked difference in behavior between male and female.) When you throw in Enneagrams (which are actually pretty consistently 2 among ENFJs, but humor me on this), it becomes more complicated, and then matters of intelligence also figure into this.
The reality is that sparks are likely to fly in such groups, because one half of the group uses one set of cognitive functions, and the other half uses a completely different set. An ENTP (who uses Ne-Ti-Fe-Si) is likely to have ferocious arguments with an ENTJ (who uses Te-Ni-Se-Fi). The 31% of this theoretical group who are ENTPs are also Fe-users, and likely to begin trolling as a pack against the 25% who are ENTJs, or just abandoning the group in disgust. (Reality has shown the latter situation to occur.) This could become even worse among highly emotional NF groups.
Socionics divides the categories up by Cognitive Functions:
Alpha (Ne, Fe, Ti, Si)
Beta (Fe, Se, Ti, Ni)
Gamma (Te, Se, Fi, Ni)
Delta (Te, Ne, Si, Fi)
In a theoretical Delta Quadra group, all the members value action-oriented logic (Te) and brainstorming about possibilities (Ne). They might place different emphasis on these functions, but everyone would still use them. All Alpha Quadra types value introverted thinking (Ti), traditional societal norms (Si), and group harmony (Fe). In short, everyone within each Quadra thinks on the same wavelength.
Still, within each Quadra, certain types are more common than others. A shy, bookish female INTP would be one of only 2.8% of the group, whereas her outgoing ESFJ counterparts constitute 28.4% of the group.
Here is the breakdown by Quadra:
Intelligence Deviations within Type
So you have decided to give up and stick to a group dedicated solely to your own MBTI type and gender? There will still be conflict, because… some people are just smarter than others and some… aren’t. You might be a female INTJ, but there will still be a variety of group members – some might want to discuss the differences between the writings of Kierkegaard and Foucault, and others might just want to talk about their pet cats and desire for alone time to read romance novels.
Contrary to the stereotypes, not all INTx individuals are smart. Although an INTP is 1.76 times more likely to be a genius than a person chosen from a random sample of the population, 96.48% of INTPs are not geniuses. In fact, statistically, about 48.24% of INTPs should have an IQ below 100. (That actual number might vary.)
Say what?
An average Intelligence Quotient (IQ), by definition, means that half of the population falls below that number. Of course, most people do fall within the 85-115 range in intelligence.
Here is a nice pictorial version of that graph:
Since people who read blogs and who research online tend to be more intelligent than average by nature, let’s assume you were tested as a child (or as an adult) and are among the top 2% in intelligence in the population and qualify for membership in Mensa or another high IQ society.
First of all, what are your odds of finding someone with the exact same personality type who likes to discuss the deep topics that fascinate you? Although there is slight deviation by personality type, it is not significant:
IQ by MBTI Type
An INTP is 1.76 times as likely to have an IQ in the top 2% of the population, whereas an ESFJ is one eighth of a percent as likely to have an IQ in the top 2%. Everyone falls somewhere in this range. High IQ (at least two Standard Deviations above the norm, i.e., 130+) is neither excessively high for INTPs, nor is it non-existent among ESFJs.
So your odds of chatting with another genius in your ISFJ Guys group is 0.4%, or 2.76% in your INFJ Females group. Surprisingly, although your personality type might be common, you might not be. The percentages range from 0.014% (INFJ males) to 0.099% (ENFP females) among the general population. Although 8.5% of the entire population are female ESFJs, female ESFJs with high IQs (130+) constitute only 0.02% of the general population. Male INTPs are only 2.3% of the population, but high-IQ INTP males constitute 0.08% of the population at large. In a group of 10,000 people, every type and gender sub-type is represented. In a theoretical school of 20,000 students, there will be 20 ENFP females, and three INFJ males in the gifted program, and each type and sub-type falls somewhere in that range.
Your odds of meeting someone just like you in a medium-sized high school with 2500 students were quite slim, even if you shared gifted and Advanced Placement classes.
So let’s say you still feel really isolated and decide to join Mensa, which requires an IQ in the top 2% of the population (130+). What are your odds of meeting someone just like you at one of their get-togethers? (This also helps to explain why Mensa has the Hugs/No-Hugs rule.)
Actual numbers of geniuses in a group of 100, by type, group, and quadra.
In this theoretical Mensa meeting, one hundred people have shown up. You arrive at the door to sign in, and…
16 people in that room are ENFPs who have gone longer than eight minutes without hugging someone.
However…
Eleven people are non-hugging INTPs.
So you declare whether you’re on Team ENFP or Team INTP on the hugging issue.
Only two in the room…
If you want to discuss your high school glory days, you might find a small audience for your friendly small talk.
Time for some deep discussions. You seek out the other people in your MBTI Type-Group, who understand the unique issues related to being an Artisan or a Rational. In that room, you will meet:
34 Idealists
33 Rationals
21 Guardians
13 Artisans
If you are one of the 33 Rationals, you might soon find your INTJ nerves grated from listening to one of the ten ENTPs in the room, even though you’re both Intuitive Thinkers. Finally, you gravitate to a group of 18 Gamma Quadra types who share your appreciation for art, writing and creativity and your dark sense of humor. The amount of people you will have a pleasant conversation with in this theoretical Mensa meeting are:
40 people if you are a Delta Quadra type (ENFP, ISTJ, INFP, ESTJ)
28 people if you are in Alpha Quadra (INTP, ENTP, ISFJ, ESFJ)
18 people if you are in Gamma Quadra (INTJ, ENTJ, ISFP, ESFP)
15 people if you are in Beta Quadra (ISTP, ENFJ, INFJ, ESTP)
The full breakdowns by type and gender are in the last cluster of charts.
I came up with the name psychobabble4u and have been blogging under this name for over a year. WordPress has been trying to sell me the domain name for a while. Imagine my horror today when I tried to Google one of my old blogs and someone else’s domain comes up under MY BLOG NAME.
Pirating domain names is a really scummy thing to do. The images it evokes is of pornographic filth like a spoofed website of the White House website, or mean-spirited political attack site directed at a former President.
This was a mediocre psychology website with no traffic, purely looking for a way to get more hits on it, so they stole my blog name, pure and simple.
One does not randomly come up with a domain name like psychobabble4u. One steals it.
If your writing is so pathetic and lame that you can’t even come up with an original domain name for your blog, I’m guessing that your blog and advice for your clients is on the same level. In fact, if I were your client, I’d be making a call to my insurance provider right about now to check on your qualifications to make sure they were legitimate. You can never be too sure these days. The kind of person who steals a domain name is surely capable of faking professional credentials. Having worked in the health care industry for a number of years, I’ve seen it done before.
And rest assured, I do not endorse psychobabble4u.com – I had the name first and they swiped the domain name when they saw it was available.
And if you are the owner of your newly purchased piece of slime, rest assured that you have made yourself an enemy. Feel free to peruse through my blog and if indeed you are a psychologist, you might know what kind of a person you have crossed.
Just a little update… after a little poking around online, I have learned that my little pirate has been claiming to be a psychologist on his blog, when in fact he is only an LCSW. The plot thickens…
Your website says that you do not bill insurance directly. One too many scuffles with the insurance company over unpaid claims, perhaps? Mental health providers always do tend to be the nervous types when it comes to requesting payment for claims…
I was told by the membership director of Mensa that IQ and MBTI are not correlated. Many people have seen the following chart, which seems to suggest the opposite:
IQ by MBTI Type
Also, having grown up being part of the Advanced, Honors and Gifted Program in the American Public Schools, I have noticed a peculiar phenomenon among many of the friends I have kept touch with over the years. Many of them seem to be INFP or ENFP personality types. My friends in school seemed to over-represent certain personality types compared to the general population (ISTP females, ENTJs, ENTPs, etc.). Very, very few of my friends in school were ESFJs. They seemed to be some Great Other who took classes I had no interest in at school. I’m not saying that all people on one side of the chart are stupid – when I think of ESFJs, actually, the first person I think of is one of my friends from my advanced Latin classes in high school, but I just did not know many in school. So what is actually going on? Are there more geniuses among one type? Does that chart mean that INTPs are twice as smart as ENTJs, or that ESFJs have really low IQs?
No.
So I shall break down exactly what those statistics mean, and how many smart people there are based on them.
First of all, it just means that, based on IQ test results, if you have a group of 100 INTPs and a group of 100 people of all types, the INTPs will probably have four geniuses in the group when the other group has two. Conversely, if you have 100 ESFJs in the group, chances are, none of them will have an IQ above 129.
Based on statistics that I posted in a previous blog (which were based on a number of different sources) and the bar graph above, here are the statistics for how many people place in the top 2% by IQ based on each personality type:
The Bar Graph combined with “How Special is Your Snowflake?”
Finally, I sorted the data based on the total amount of geniuses to find out who has sheer numbers in the genius category.
ENFPs taking over the world
It turns out, in terms of sheer numbers, a person with a genius IQ is most likely to be an ENFP.
In a meeting room with 100 members of Mensa, you will probably run into sixteen ENFPs, eleven INTPs, eleven ISTJs, and ten INFPs. (This explains the reason why you must state in advance whether or not you are into hugging!)
Someone asked me last night exactly how rare our type (female ENTJ geniuses) would be (about two out of the five ENTJs) in the theoretical Mensa meeting. To fill up a meeting with 100 geniuses would require 5000 people, considering that the required IQ is the top 2% of the population. That’s about enough to fill two medium sized high schools.
Finally, there are other levels of intelligence that need to be measured in order to determine a person’s success in life. This bar graph from Business Insider provides an important contrast to the previous one:
From a Business Insider article on September 16, 2016
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is another measure of one’s ability to fit into society and exhibit empathy. A score between 30 and 80 is considered normal. A score lower than 30 is considered to be on the autism spectrum and cause for concern. Newer IQ tests generally do not incorporate these tests into IQ scores, although they do have positive effects, such as prevention of bullying in schools and at the workplace. My own Stanford-Binet test in Seventh Grade did include sections for evaluation of leadership abilities and hobby interests. I do remember that the school district changed over to a different test within several months by the time my younger sibling was tested.
So three days into his Presidency, we have a few Executive Orders, some Cabinet appointments, and essentially an Inauguration Speech to go on. Is it fair to draw any comparisons yet?
I say it is. Not only was there a President very much like Donald Trump in the not-so-distant past, but there was one very much like his predecessor. Yes, I am talking about Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover.
The Barack Obama-Herbert Hoover Connection:
President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover
President Hoover was an Intuitive Thinking (INTJ) President who was elected during a time of massive economic turmoil in order to restore economic prosperity to the nation through radical means. He was an intellectual (a former Stanford University professor) with ties in East Asia (China) who decided to use untested Keynesian economics to fight the stock market crash of October, 1929. In spite of a scandal-free Presidency, growing poverty and ecological crises (the Dust Bowls and heat waves) marred his Administration and he ranks among the most hated of all Presidents.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
President Obama was also an Intuitive Thinking (ENTP) President elected shortly after the second worst economic meltdown in 100 years. Also an intellectual (a former Harvard Law Professor) with ties to Asia (he attended elementary school in Indonesia), people hoped his fresh approach to politics would restore integrity to government and rejuvenate the US economy. Although statistical economic indicators showed that the economy had rebounded and his Administration was squeaky clean, true poverty in America increased by close to 50% and racism cannot be dismissed for the massive hatred and contempt many people expressed toward the Obamas. It did not help matters that President Obama did little to change the hawkish policies of the previous Administration that he promised to eliminate when he was elected. The Obama Administration will most likely not be remembered fondly.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Populist
FDR, American Populist
Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s was not the politician we read about in history books, the one who delivered inspirational speeches as America was attacked at Pearl Harbor. FDR was a rich New Yorker who belonged to a political party mostly populated by… let’s be blunt here… poor white trash from the South.
He was brash and impulsive and disobeyed orders from President Woodrow Wilson (the head of his party) not to run for U.S. Senate in 1916. (He lost that race, by the way.) He was a womanizer whose wife hated the spotlight (but could masterfully manipulate the media when she put her mind to it).
Does this sound like anyone?
Trump’s Inauguration
FDR, Techno Junkie
In 1930, radio was a brand new technology and the majority of households in the United States did not yet own one. In spite of its reputation as a decade of poverty, the 1930s saw an explosion of technological advances in the realm of crystal radio technology and even television broadcast technology. By the end of the 1930s, most American households owned at least one radio.
President Roosevelt took advantage of this new technology to disseminate his propaganda directly to the American public live on the airwaves via his Fireside Chats.
FDR Fireside Chat
Eighty years later, what would be the equivalent of a fairly new technology like AM Radio? Perhaps…
Window-side Tweets
FDR, the Family Man
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was not afraid to involve his children in his Administration. His son, James Roosevelt, often walked him to the podium when he delivered historically significant speeches, such as his “Infamy” speech on December 8, 1941.
President Franklin Roosevelt leaning on son James Roosevelt’s arm
President Trump has left the care of his business affairs to his eldest son, Donald Trump, Jr., and speculation is that the formal duties of First Lady will be left to his eldest daughter, Ivanka Marie Trump-Kushner, so that his wife can devote her full time to taking care of their youngest son.
FDR, the Hate-monger
Don’t say you didn’t see this one coming. In 1942, President Roosevelt ordered the internment of all civilians of Japanese descent, including women, children, the elderly, and even babies.
Internment of Japanese Americans
This marked one of the worst civil rights periods in America since the end of the Civil War. Although some German immigrants were also interned, the government was quite a bit more selective about whom it locked up, basing policy purely on immigration status, rather than on racial traits.
Perhaps President Trump was looking at this model as a blueprint when he decided to offer a wall between the United States and Mexico in his campaign speeches.
What Does All of This Mean?
I think I have thoroughly made my case documenting why Donald Trump, intentionally, or unintentionally, will be very similar to Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a President. I am talking more about pre-WW2 FDR, not hawkish Roosevelt, so don’t start thinking apocalypse and nuclear war.
President Roosevelt was not really a very good Chief Executive. He pitted his Cabinet members and staff against each other like a competition and nothing really got accomplished.
Because of FDR’s isolationist policies, the Depression lasted much longer than it needed to. One only need look at The Netherlands or Nazi Germany (reprehensible as that nation was) to see how quickly other nations rebounded from the stock market crashes in the 1920s. President Trump has already stated in his Inauguration Speech that he plans to repeat such isolationist policies in his Administration.
FDR borrowed a lot of his predecessor’s failed policies and re-branded them as his own (like the New Deal). We can already see that Trump plans to do this with Obamacare.
FDR did take advantage of Great Britain’s military/economic crisis at the advent of WW2 to loot their economy, bringing prosperity to the United States. We might see a similar situation with one or more major European nations if the European Union dissolves.
President Roosevelt managed to keep the United States out of WW2 for nearly three years while it raged on in Europe and longer in Asia. Do not assume that President Trump will be a war hawk.
It is easy to look back at trends from history and see them repeat in the future. Life is not that mysterious when you know what you seek. It is pretty predictable.
I reveled in my weirdness and trolling teachers I did not like in high school, but my experience at my first university was a bit different. Fitting in was not so easy, and when we were tested for MBTI in a communication/psychology class my sixth semester, my uniqueness seemed to be confirmed in black and white (or was it black and manila?) when I found out I was the only ENTJ out of about 100 students in the class.
So what was my adolescence like as an intuitive? From what I’ve heard from other ENTJs, a lot more comfortable and happy than that of most other ENTJ females. I had the coaching and guidance of an ENFJ father, who told me even his very popular ESFJ sister, as well as his very popular girlfriends, would come home from school crying every day when they were my age. (Mind you, I knew nothing about MBTI or letters or any of this psychology stuff as a teen, other than a few things like OCD and a few books I had to read in seventh grade gifted class about crazy people – I’m typing based on what I know now.) I had academic mentoring and nerd empathy from the womb from my ENTP mother, to the point of irritation at times. She was the kind of mother who would brush off things like cheerleading and pep squads as “frivolous” and “bimbo” activities. Participation in drama and foreign language clubs were heavily encouraged instead, and I had no objection to that.
The Rational (NT) Moms have gone crazy over this retooling of a Girls’ Life cover recently and that’s exactly the kind of stuff my mother would do when I was a teen.
I’m older now. I’ve seen how my high school classmates have turned out because we have all kept in touch over the years. I do not have children of my own, but my siblings do. My friends also have kids. Each of them is unique. Young people are diverse and celebrate it nowadays. Some teens have sexuality or gender diversity and celebrate that. Some teens are on the autism spectrum and find others like themselves to connect with so they don’t feel so alone. I even know one young person who fits into all of those categories. However, there is still kind of a standard in schools of what is considered “normal” and what is considered “bully-able” behavior, and bullying is much worse these days than it was when I was a teen. I have heard the horror stories.
So when I make this list, I do so in a spirit of comedy, and if you see your personality type on a list that offends you, make the best of it and keep in mind where this author’s falls and realize that no one was spared from deprecation, not even herself. Celebrate what makes you unique and don’t let the bullies get the best of you.
How weird were you in school? Here are the sixteen types divided up by magnitudes of strangeness. As you can see, I did not even spare my own type, so I’m being 100% fair.
I hope you realize this is a joke, but in case you didn’t, I’m kidding, okay?
Personality typing is far more complex than MBTI tests, especially the low-quality ones you take online. There is another test available that tests for levels of neurosis versus calmness (The Big Five). Surprisingly, you might be better at certain fields if you are “a weirdo” than others who are “normal”. My father often told me the story of Barbara Streisand, who used her very ethnic nose as her trademark in show business. (Apparently Jennifer Grey’s father never told her that story, and we haven’t really seen her in movies since Dirty Dancing.) What might appear initially as a disadvantage can become a unique asset. Use it as such.
You might be wondering why I have not written about The Big Five test before. It is because there is already plenty of information available on this test online. It is a good test and I like it. End of story.
And it will tell you legit for real if you’re weird.
This is a popular discussion on ENTJ discussion boards – Who is Not Really an ENTJ. As one of the Real ENTJs who was actually tested in college with a Real MBTI II by a Real, Licensed Tester, I find those discussions amusing. Most of the pretenders are Fe-users who are trying to “become more J” and do not share any of the same cognitive functions. The differences are very obvious. An ENTP who uses a day planner is nothing like an ENTJ. My own mother was one such ENTP (not particularly with that motivation) – very organized with her finances, but to the core very fascinated with introverted logical things like astronomy and Napoleonic history and very much the Ne-dominant user in many different ways.
The real witch-hunt, however, is for ESTJs hiding out among the ENTJs. This would seem to be an easy task. ESTJs tend to have short-range plans, no longer than a month in advance, and rely on introverted sensing, not the long range introverted intuition and extraverted sensing that ENTJs use. But then, once in a while, one runs into a rare ESTJ with extremely well developed extraverted intuition, and things become a little more complicated. Te-Ne-Si-Fi shows up on a low quality test as ENTJ and brings with it all the bragging rights.
Petyr Baelish from Game of Thrones, ESTJ or ENTJ? ESTJs with high intuition visualize the picture and then manifest it into reality. ENTJs use patterns to predict trends.
You can watch the full scene from Game of Throneshere.
I must admit I mistyped him as ENTJ as well in a previous blog. When I saw this scene, it jumped out at me as pure ESTJ. This quote is pure Ne/Si ESTJ visionary talk. Petyr Baelish does not really care about winning over the loyalties of the other lordships or fealties he will need to rule the Seven Kingdoms on the show. He only wants the Iron Throne itself, which symbolizes the authority and its position and therefore is to be respected. It is the institution itself that carries the respect. Again, this is an ESTJ sentiment, not an ENTJ sentiment.
Another example of an ESTJ with well-developed Ne would be Mrs. Beauvais on the infamous episode of Wife Swap when they matched a family of Arizona millionaires who literally visualized their dreams into reality with a family of Indiana Welfare recipients.
In both examples, these “ENTJs” used their intuition to visualize outlandish possibilities, i.e., extraverted intuition (sitting on the Iron Throne, building up a multi-million dollar enterprise based on selling empowerment books) that are also built on a traditional family foundation (marrying Sansa Stark despite being lowborn, an infertile couple having two children, respectively). These outlandish dreams were built upon memories (introverted sensation) of deprivation earlier in life. These are actually simply ESTJs with extremely high Ne that allows them to function in the long term like an ENTJ. Their goals are still very narrow and traditional, like an ESTJ.
True ENTJs use Ni (introverted intuition) to project future trends by creating patterns from known data. Because of our high level of Se, or extraverted sensing (use of the five senses), we live in the moment and can be thrill seekers or highly sensitive, although not to the degree that ESxPs or ISxPs are. Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones would be a perfect example of an ENTJ (except for her twincest). She does not hesitate to act when it is necessary to achieve her means and seizes the moment to achieve her goals.
So now you know how to spot the mistypes. In the mean time, however, it is fun to watch the witch-hunts. Speaking of which, I think I smell some popcorn burning in the microwave downstairs.
I apologize in advance if the title offends you – it does seem to make light of a very serious topic. However, in a world where potentially damaging psychiatric medication is promoted on television like Sarah Lee pastries (no endorsement payment for the mention) and your nearest fast food franchise, who is actually making light of the topic? I am going to challenge you to take a proactive Jungian approach to your mental health and tailor it to your individual personality type, rather than blindly ask for antidepressants because you saw an advertisement that said they would make you happy again. You might need to do some introspection, you might need to engage in some hobbies, you might need to hire a therapist for talk therapy, and that therapist might suggest a psychiatrist to prescribe medication. You should follow your therapist’s advice if they deem this appropriate. However, some “crazy” behavior is in the range of normal for each personality type.
Please seek professional help immediately if you feel you are a danger to yourself or others.
If your problems are not listed under your personality type (and you know you are not mistyped), definitely seek professional treatment. This is a clear indicator that you have organic psychiatric issues or a chemical imbalance.
It will be helpful if you know your Enneagram Type, as each Personality Type has subtle shades within it that differ according to Enneagram Type. The only types that are almost universally one type are ENFJ (Type 2) and INTP (Type 5). Of course there are always exceptions to every rule, but for the sake of expedience, I will address the most common types in this blog.
Here is a chart listing the most common Enneagram types for each Personality type:
If you have not yet taken the Enneagram test, you can learn about it and take it here.
So Let’s Begin, Shall We?
What Is Each Type Like Under Stress?
SJ – The Guardians
ESFJ – ESE/ESFj (Type 2, Type 6) When healthy, you are the helpers and traditionalists, usually the popular kids in school, adults who love having get-togethers. A strict schedule gives you a sense of control over time. Under stress, ESFJs become filled with regret and melancholy about what might have been. Type 2 helpers become very controlling and Type 6 traditionalists become greedy and materialistic. Solution: No one wants to be around a sentimental bore. Try throwing your energy into arts and crafts to make your next get-together even more spectacular, so you have new memories to look back on.
Snow White’s stepmother probably married for money and regretted it later in life – a classic stressed ESFJ scenario
ISFJ – SEI/ISFp (Type 2, Type 6, Type 9) When healthy, you are the helpers, traditionalists and peacemakers, keeping things organized behind the scenes. You are prone to anxiety attacks. Type 2 helpers become very controlling. Type 6 traditionalists become very materialistic. Type 9 peacemakers become hardline traditionalists. Solution: Small pets can do wonders for helping with anxiety if you aren’t prone to allergies. Consider a Sphynx cat or Yorkie or poodle if you do have allergy issues. If you are concerned about claws or if the anxiety attacks are frequent and debilitating, you may want to consider enlisting the aid of a therapist. There is no shame in that.
ISFJ Mallory Keaton has an anxiety attack at Princeton on Family Ties episode “Go Tigers!” after seeing her boyfriend cheating
ISTJ – SLI/ISTp (Type 6, Type 5, Type 1) When healthy, you are the traditionalists, the scholars, and even the crusaders for change in society. When stressed, you suffer from lack of sleep, lack of appetite, and become irritable about the state of society. Type 6 traditionalists become materialistic, Type 5 intellectuals become hedonists, and Type 1 reformers become lost in themselves and retreat to an inner world of daydreams and eccentricity. Solution: Clearly a change in environment is called for so that you have more control over your surroundings. You probably love to cook, or if you haven’t tried it yet, will find that you do, so check your local community college or culinary school for classes. Beyond that, the manifestation of your stress symptoms is dangerous, so professional help is obviously warranted. If you are a veteran (many ISTJs are), you can probably obtain help through the V.A.
I pulled this meme straight off my favorite stressed ISTJ’s Facebook page this morning. When you are irritable, you probably flood Facebook or other social media with these kinds of memes.
ESTJ – LSE/ESTj (Type 3, Type 6, Type 1, Type 8)
When healthy, you are the achievers, the traditionalists, the reformers and the leaders. When stressed, you suffer from psychosomatic illnesses and tend to nitpick at your loved ones. Type 3 achievers become sycophantic and will keep the peace at any cost. Type 6 traditionalists become materialistic. Type 1 reformers retreat into themselves and become reclusive eccentrics. Type 8 leaders become reclusive intellectuals bent on acquiring knowledge for its own sake. Solution: Coping with autoimmune disorders at the height of your career can be difficult, and talking about them incessantly can drive away your friends that you need the most while you are under stress. No one likes a complainer. Find something you like on television, whether it is comedies or sports, and cheer yourself up while you restore your health or at least rest. If you can sing, you might want to consider purchasing a home karaoke machine. You may want to consider seeing an osteopath (D.O.) and a nutritionist about making lifestyle changes so that you can return to your former active self. Depression is a serious issue – please do not feel ashamed to seek professional help if you need it.
ESTJ Lucy Van Pelt nitpicking at one of the other Peanuts – one of the most infamous ESTJ images ever!
SP – The Artisans
ESFP – SEE/ESFp (Type 7, Type 2)
When healthy, you are the adventurers and the helpers. When stressed, you regress into self-destructive, immature, regressive behavior. Type 7 adventurers become crusaders for causes, and Type 2 helpers become angry and controlling. Solution: There is a reason your personality type is called “The Performer”. Find your roots and get involved in the arts, whether it means singing karaoke or auditioning for part in your city’s local theatre district. Dance. Sing. Juggle. It sounds like common sense, but those little things can make you feel happy again and before you know it, you’ll be back to your old self. (By the way, studies have shown that juggling can actually make your brain grow, so that’s a second reason to do it.)
If you find these kinds of selfies on social media after a party, it might be time to check into rehab – singing karaoke might not be enough! #selfdestructiveESFP
ISFP – ESI/ISFj (Type 4, Type 9, Type 5, Type 2)
When healthy, you are the quiet individualists, the peacemakers, the creative artists, and the helpers in society. When stressed, you engage in thrill-seeking and blaming others for your bad behavior. Type 4 individualists become neurotically helpful, Type 9 peacemakers become staunch reactionaries, sometimes even espousing fascist and neo-Nazi groups, Type 5 artists become hedonistic thrill-seekers, and Type 2 helpers become angry and controlling. Solution: Even though it goes against your very private nature to do so, please seek help immediately if you are feeling stressed. The prisons are filled with ISFPs. I personally know a few ISFPs who have served time because of stupid things they did under extreme stress. They seem like the last people you would expect to commit crimes if you met them in person, too. To keep your stress levels down, draw, paint, play music, and, of course, commune with nature.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, it was… that LAUGH… he had it coming, he really did.
ESTP – SLE/ESTp (Type 7, Type 3)
When healthy, you are the adventurers and the achievers. ESTPs really do get an unfair reputation in my opinion. Most ESTPs are not sociopaths. ESTPs can make the most loyal friends and family members of any of the types. Unfortunately, if you are a stressed ESTP, you can become impulsive or even abusive toward others. Adventurous Type 7 ESTPs become bent on proving some cause at all costs, and Type 3 achievers become sycophantic and subservient. Solution: ESTPs tend to become a danger to themselves when stressed. Please seek professional help when you feel stressed, whether or not you think you need it. Although people tend to self-diagnose as bipolar way too much nowadays, this doesn’t mean that people never suffer from the disorder. Highly risky, impulsive behavior can have lethal consequences. Don’t find out the hard way.
This photo was rated one of the World’s Most Dangerous Selfies. I lost an awesome ESTP best friend who died doing a dangerous stunt on a moving train.
ISTP – LSI/ISTj (Type 5, Type 6)
When healthy, you are the intellectuals and the traditionalists. Under stress, rage takes over and your destructive outbursts are directed at whomever is convenient, guilty or innocent. They might take the form of intellectual, logical evisceration, or your rage might turn your nearest target into a literal human punching bag. Type 5 intellectuals become hedonistic and Type 6 traditionalists become very materialistic. Solution: Unbelievable as it sounds, your rage can be dangerous and has the potential to ruin lives and injure or kill people. Do not allow your stress levels to reach that point. Take some anger management classes and learn to manage your anger like you can control your body before it ever becomes a problem.
ISTP Arya Stark on Game of Thrones is out of control in this scene. She was later chastised by her mentor for killing the wrong man.
NT – The Rationals
ENTP – ILE/ENTp (Type 7, Type 3)
When healthy, you are the adventurers and the achievers. Under stress, panic attacks and feelings of inadequacy take over. You can become stubborn over inane matters. Type 7 adventurers become obsessed with causes, and Type 3 achievers become sycophantic and obsessed with keeping the peace at all costs. Solution: Charge your spiritual batteries. Go dancing. Sing in front of a group. Try out for a play or a part in a performing dance troupe. Paint pictures. Learn a new language. Travel. The world is full of possibilities.
Socrates, once the adventurer of the mind for Athens, became hell-bent on proving his point of free-speech once he was censored by the majority, rather than listen to his advisors and move elsewhere. A great voice was forever silenced when he stubbornly drank the hemlock.
ENTJ – LIE/ENTj (Type 8, Type 3, Type 6)
When healthy, ENTJs are leaders, achievers, or traditionalists who are unafraid to think outside the box. Under stress, in short, OCD takes over the ENTJ. Type 8 leaders become obsessed with studying and learning, Type 3 achievers become sycophants obsessed with keeping the peace at all costs, and Type 6 traditionalists become very materialistic. Solution: This really depends on how severe the OCD becomes for the ENTJ. There is nothing wrong with a few cleaning binges, but OCD encompasses quite a bit more than that. Anorexia nervosa can be a lifelong struggle with fatal consequences. So can cocaine addiction. I personally know ENTJs who struggle with each of those issues. Even simple OCD can interfere with everyday life when it gets to a certain level. ENTJs do have a good sense of when it is time to seek professional help for these things. In the mean time, exercise and music (whether playing an instrument or just dancing to your favorite tunes) are great stress reducers.
OCD much? Check. (Love the gloves!) Creative? Check. Verbally abusive? Check. One could make a good argument for Melvin Udall being an ENTJ. I do hate self-disclosure, but I have been known to wash my hands with antibacterial soap after handling the Cheagle. More than once.
INTP – LII/INTj (Type 5)
When healthy, you are the intellectuals and consultants called upon to provide expertise for others. Under stress, your creativity falters and you suffer from writer’s block, stage fright, or other types of lack of confidence of that nature. You become hedonistic as your confidence plummets, perhaps binge-eating or binge-drinking. Solution: Maybe a “stay-cation” is warranted to recharge your batteries. See if you can get a few days off work just to stay home alone and read or play video games or do whatever you want. Albert Einstein periodically had his doctor give him notes to take time off from school for “nervous rest” so he could recharge… and look at what he was able to accomplish.
Albert Einstein sometimes took mental health breaks from school to keep his creativity fresh.
INTJ – ILI/INTp (Type 5, Type 6)
When you are healthy, you are the intellectuals and traditionalists who work behind the scenes to run the machinery of society. Under stress, you are prone to anxiety attacks. Type 5 intellectuals are prone to drinking binges and Type 6 traditionalists can become very materialistic. INTJs are also particularly prone to Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild type of autism. Solution: Obviously, Asperger’s Syndrome is far too complicated to discuss in a blog and requires extensive, long-term professional care. Highly introverted INTJs need a lot of alone time to read and play video games. Soft, furry animals like cats have often proven helpful in reducing the stress that triggers anxiety attacks, and adopting one from a local shelter can save the creature from a great tragedy. As is the case with ESFPs, self-care only goes so far – rehab is in order if the substance abuse gets out of hand.
INTJ Martin Luther suffering an anxiety attack during fervent prayer. (Luther, 2003)
NF – The Idealists
ENFP – IEE/ENFp (Type 7, Type 4, Type 2)
When you are healthy, you are the adventurers, the individualists, and the helpers in society. You are unafraid to express your creative and yet pragmatic self in your own unique way. Under stress, a surreal feeling takes over and ENFPs tend to become somewhat paranoid. Type 7 adventurers become crusaders over particular causes. Type 4 individualists become obsessed with helping others. Helpful Type 2s become dictatorial and controlling. Solution:You should seek professional help if you feel like you are losing your grip on reality, your sudden controlling behavior is giving you violent tendencies, or if you feel like you might be a danger to yourself. Like ENTJs, most ENFPs seem to know when it is time to check into rehab, if that is in order. There are ways of coping with ADHD that do not necessarily involve medication if you are determined (breaking up study sessions, regimenting where you put things, drinking coffee, etc.). You have a good handle on logic, so use it to manage your own mental health.
The Daily Mail UK reported that ENFP Robin Williams was extremely paranoid before he committed suicide. This is a classic sign of extreme stress among ENFPs.
INFP – EII/INFj (Type 4, Type 5, Type 9, Type 2)
When you are healthy, you are the unique individualists, the intellectuals, the peacemakers, and the helpers in society. Combined with your rich inner dream world, you can create beautiful literature and bring spiritual healing to many. Under stress, you can become catatonic and your language becomes too ethereal and symbolic for others to follow and you fall into a downward spiral of complete isolation. Individualistic Type 4s become chronic helpers, intellectual Type 5s become extreme hedonists, often engaging in addictive behavior like gambling, alcoholism, sexual thrill-seeking and gluttony, Type 9 peacemakers become staunch reactionaries and espouse controversial groups like the neo-Nazis on one end or Femen on the other, and Type 2 helpers become angry and controlling. Solution: Please seek professional help immediately. INFPs have a higher risk for suicide and suicide attempts than other personality types. Not all INFPs are suicidal, but it would be better for a professional to make that determination on an individual basis.
Stressed INFPs often engage in sexual thrill-seeking, including working in jobs in the sex industry.
ENFJ – EIE/ENFj (Type 2)
When you are healthy, you are the highly empathic helpers in society, willing to share of yourselves and make the world a better place. Under stress, you fall prey to psychosomatic illness that manifests itself with very real symptoms, then become very angry and controlling of others. Solution: Sometimes when you give so much of yourself, you can lose your own persona in the process. You might benefit from a reality check through some talk therapy with a professional, especially if you have been through a lot of trauma as a child.
ENFJ Vivi Walker was rather demonized after the movie version of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood was released. She was a very flawed and traumatized human being, just as most people, and of course parents, are. Daydreaming and engaging your Ni will not land you in a mental institution for six months, but beating your kids half to death might. If you were traumatized in the past, make sure to deal with your PTSD so that you can stay present with your family and not snap like Vivi.
INFJ – IEI/INFp (Type 4, Type 5, Type 6, Type 2)
When you are healthy, you are the individualists, the intellectuals, the traditionalists, and the helpers in society. You seek out injustice and expose it. Under stress, you suffer from dissociation. Type 4 individualists become overly helpful. Type 5 intellectuals indulge in substance abuse and other hedonistic pleasures. Type 6 traditionalists become materialistic, and Type 2 helpers become angry and controlling (the infamous “INFJ rage”). Solution: Try relaxing and making sure that your environment reflects the peace that you crave. Seek out a therapist or life coach that is congruent with your values and belief system. Indulge your hobbies like music, whether playing an instrument or singing. Volunteer work can also help you feel like you are making a difference in people’s lives.
Here is a classic example of a Type 2 Helper INFJ under stress. First she seems to dissociate as the Khals discuss gang raping her, then she snaps back and takes complete control of the situation. She is the Daenerys the Unburnt. From GoT.
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