Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Even if we have a preference for one type, is it possible develop traits other personalities have? Like an F learning how to think more like a T. Or an N learning how to focus on their senses like an S? INFPs, for instance, tend to have one the hardest times finding a career. So, can they train themselves to be more like an ENTJ?

I've learned how to be an extrovert when called for. It can be tiring, but I can do it. I'd say you can learn anything, but I'd also say not to get so caught up in your personality type so as to use it as a guide to living or worse as an excuse for not living. Humans seem extremely adaptable, and adaptability is a great thing to be good at imo.

Of course, the types just indicate preferences.

To develop T you need to become less agreeable; practice debating with people. Learn more about cognitive biases, and work on understanding a variety of mathematical models.

Get a math/science text book and do some problems on a regular basis if you want to improve your analytical skills.

To become more J like, practice saying "That's a 'Yes' or 'No' question." to people, instead of waiting for them to give a longer, more considered, response, especially if you want to see what the easy-going ENTP female you are dating looks like when she suddenly flames out as F and throws down a bit of her own J too.

If you think of Myers-Briggs in terms of innate preference where people can still grow and mature over time, I think it offers a lot of value in understanding people. If you try to treat it like a series of personality walls where everyone is neatly sorted I think it falls apart. That's what happens when you let INTJ's lead the discussion.

Personally, I'm INTP. But the single best way I've learned to understand and even act like other personality types is to be a consultant. Pitching an idea to a room of INTJ engineers is a lot different than to a group of ESFP marketers. That will never be me, but I've absolutely learned how to step up and be the "E" in the room when necessary or express my ideas in terms that different groups understand. It really just boils down to being an empathetic communicator.

I'm starting to doubt the value of my experimentation with extraversion. Conversation either ends with boredom or misunderstanding. Anything worth saying is best written down; preferably with embedded mathematics.

@daylen - Ha! I've done similar experiments in the past with similar results, eventually realizing that being outgoing is hard work for little apparent (as far as I'm concerned) reward. Paul Graham's nerd essay explains what's going on: http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html

Trying new things, fine. Learning new things, fine. Being new things, uh uh.

Anytime I have taken advice that goes against my basic grain i.e. "You should go talk to her!!!" it has inevitably ended up in unmitigated disaster.

How many times have you seen someone get promoted who was the most productive specialist and yet completely suck ass in a managerial position? If you pay attention to professional sports, it's unusual for a pre-natural talent to become as an effective manager, instructor, or administrator as he/she was as a talent. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but its amazing how "the those who can't do, teach" oftentimes is actually true. Ted Williams was arguably the greatest baseball hitter who ever played. When he was a manager, he just stood up in front of everyone swinging at invisible pitches at a loss for why it didn't help anyone. He gave up and went on to become arguably the greatest fly fisherman who ever lived. Another solitary endeavor. Not all tendencies are worthy of development.

That's why, generally speaking, I follow the "stick to your knitting" philosophy.

I feel like I am really on a roll now that I get that Introverted Thinking does not equal Exploring New Ideas While Alone in a Room. Every time I need to make a decision, I ask myself "What choice keeps me in integrity with my principles?" and then review my options in accordance with the 12 Principles of Permaculture (which is basically the same thing as applying ethical systems analysis.)

Of course, developing your latent theoretically second strongest skill is different than attempting to operate from truly weak side. Also, since I am a generalist's generalist, integration of Advanced Beginner level skills in entirely new realms comes more naturally than Mastery beyond the sweet spot of any curve.

how to learn to end tasks as INTP :-DDD?

What kind of tasks? Physical tasks requiring anticipation of how external objects move(*) should be hell if done for too long (Se). Repetitive tasks that only require moving static external objects (Si) should be interrupted by sparks of curiosity/inspiration (Ne). OCD-like behavior can result from sub-optimal Ti processing coupled with Si-like task repetition. Sub-optimal in the sense that iterative parsing is not resulting in novel rephrasing. In this state it feels as if time is passing by very slowly and that you are not really in control of your thoughts. Occurrence of such states is partially dependent on dopamine levels (more likely during depressive episodes).

So, basically if an INTP feels like a robot going through pre-programmed motions then they may want to shake things up. I usually do this by going on a walk and engaging intuition (both Ne and Ni). This state can work to your benefit, though. When engaging in a meaningful task that challenges Ti, such as reading, this can become a flow state.

(*) Se is also engaged when navigating new terrain.