Analyzing Different S Type Personalities in My Life

Here Is compare the different people close to me who i suspect have S type personalities. An ISFJ, ISFP, and an ISTJ. If I compare them by their cognitive function stack it looks like this: 

ISFP: Fi > Se > Ni > Te

ISFJ: Si > Fe > Ti > Ne

ISTJ: Si > Te > Fi > Ne 

For the sake of privacy, names have been changed. I'll call ISFP Marie, ISFJ Nora, and ISTJ Kris. 

Nora and Kris have a history of tension, especially when it comes to making plans.  Nora has auxiliary function Fe which is related to valuing and maintaining group harmony (even if it overrides her personal preference). Kris is Te auxiliary which is related to maintaining objective rules/organization/planning. After looking at their function stack I suspect this difference is the main reason they have such a hard time planning things with each other. Similarly their tertiary functions are opposite - Kris's Fi helps maintain personal values/authenticity while Nora's Ti deals with her internal logic. Add to this that they both have Ne as their inferior function which is often the one that comes out during stress. Ne deals with making connections about the external world and can manifest as "suspicion" or doubt about meanings. So when Kris and Nora try to make plans one is trying to uphold an objective set of rules that aligns with their personal beliefs and the other is trying to create/maintain harmony that aligns with their inner logic. Both are suspicious and doubting the meaning of each others communication, potentially drawing conclusions or making connections that aren't really there and "reading between the lines" (I have witnessed it first hand haha).

Comparing Marie & Nora

Fi dominant Marie leads from a feeling of authenticity (does this align with my values?), auxiliary function is Se which relates to seeing the world as is and appreciating via senses (she's very nature oriented, likes fancy things, good at art and diy). Ni is about how you interpret the relationship/meaning of what you perceive according to your own internal perspective (like your own mental map), and Te is external organizing. Si dominant (Nora & Kris) lead from a place of "what's familiar, what works - tried and true, tradition, and remembering details of the present moment". This is probably why Marie seems more open to change or more independent minded than either Nora or Kris, and why she might perceive the others as controlling/rigid. Nora is much more family and business oriented than Marie.  While they're both very reserved, often altruistic, and very perceptive about details in the present moment (like cleanliness, fashion), Nora adheres more strictly to tradition and family values, and seems more rigidly tied to those values. Her choices very often consider "what will others think", while Marie is a "free spirit".

I recently went on two separate vacations to the same destination, one with Nora and one with Marie. The difference between these two people in the same environment inspired this analysis. Previously I was certain that both people were "F" types (but on the fence about the J/P dichotomy), but how that F shows up according to the function stack is very different (and it I think my experience reflects this). Nora (Si > Fe), albeit less familiar with the vacation destination often seemed uneasy or uncertain about trying new restaurants and activities, but she always went along with the group if we expressed that we wanted to do those things. Every morning she asked, "what's the plan?" And I'm reluctantly accepted "we'll see, were on vacation" (we probably caused her more stress than we realized).

Next trip was with Marie, who I had typed as an F, but did not consider the function stack. I actually assumed her and Nora were the same type because they have many similarities, despite a few obvious differences I could never quite put my finger on. I assumed Marie's judgements were Fe based, so I was surprised when she made several decisions that I felt were inconsiderate. A couple mornings during our vacation we discussed our plans for the day, and I made sure to communicate our whereabouts so we could meet up and go for lunch or do activities together. Several times (multiple days) I sent messages to check where Marie was only to discover she had gone ahead with a different plan (already had lunch somewhere else, decided to go somewhere different or do a totally different activity) and had not communicated that to me. We ended up doing many more things separately than together. Technically Fe is not in her stack despite being F (although I still suspect it's a strongly developed shadow function for her). She makes decisions first according to how she feels, whereas Nora would make the decisions first by what's familiar to her supported by how she thinks the group feels.

Interestingly, I realized that Marie (Fi > Se > Ni > Te) and her husband (married for over 45 years) share the same cognitive functions but in different orders. He is INTJ: Ni > Te > Fi > Se.

Nora (Si > Fe > Ti > Ne) and her husband (who I suspect is ESTP: Se  > Ti > Fe > Ni), also married for many years, have inverted functions of the same type.

 I suspect Kris's  (Si > Te > Fi > Ne)  husband is an ESTJ: Te > Si > Ne It's interesting to note that if I'm correct then they also share the same functions but in different order.

Maybe I should become a match maker based on MBTI? Wouldn't that be a grift.

After doing this analysis I feel like I have gained some insight on these three people and their chosen behaviors. I think the most important part of learning MBTI is not whetherit's accurate, but that it helps people gain empathy for ourselves and others through imagining and describing how other people might think and make decisions.

MBTI Binaries

This entry is inspired by this Reddit post: 

https://www.reddit.com/r/mbti/s/ufZUb7wvcc

I've been thinking about this post for awhile now.

I think all my family members (myself, spouse, and kids) are ANTD

Ambiverts, N dominant, T dominant, D (balanced J/P)

We could be: 

INTJ : Ni > Te > Fi > Se

INTP: Ti > Ne > Si > Fe

ENTJ: Te > Ni > Ne > Fi

ENTP: Ne > Ti > Fe> Si

Using this tally pointing system (1 point for dom, 0.75 aux, 0.5 3rd, 0.25 inferior) based on where the cognitive functions like in each stack:

Ne: 3 = 2.25

Ni: 2 = 1.75

Ti: 2 = 1.75

Te: 2 = 1.75

Si: 2 = 0.75

Fi: 2 = 0.75

Fe: 2 = 0.75

Se: 1 = 0.25

Translated to cognitive function stack: 

Ne >= Ni = Te = Ti > Fi = Fe = Si > Se

That actually lines up really nicely with these results for myself:

PocketDyno Grip Strength Device with App

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2025 Vision Board Exercise

 

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The F vs T Co-trainers Story

This story explores the influence of differences in judgement type (T vs F) . Here I compare myself (INTJ) to an INFJ friend. This happened while we were both in university and before I had delved into MBTI more seriously. 

I had asked my friend to help with a volunteer leadership role (as co-leader). She agreed, but we were both very busy in university so we "kind of forgot" about it until the night before the first session. I realized we were unprepared so I stayed up late that evening to create a plan. I was worried we would come off unprepared and lose the respect of the group we were trying to lead.

The next day went well. I introduced us both and did a basic orientation. People seemed to enjoy it, but afterwards my friend started giving me the cold shoulder. It came as a total surprise to me. I had no idea what I had done wrong. I confronted her directly to ask if she was mad at me about something. Turns out my friend was angry that I hadn't included her in the planning process. I tried to explain my rationale (after all, if I hadn't had planned something quickly the night before, we would have had to improvise on the spot and who knows how that would have turned out). Going forward we set up a meeting to plan together before each season. It turned out our "styles" were very different (mine was task oriented, hers was feelings oriented - with lots of group check ins). I think we both felt like we were compromising on our vision of these sessions. It was a learning experience to say the least, but ultimately I think our different approaches and reactions to the situation were a result of the T/F difference. I still feel if the situation had been reversed I would have felt relief that the other person had stepped up and we didn't show up totally unprepared. My feelings would not have been top of mind, and obviously when I made the decision to go ahead with my plan I had assumed (wrongfully) she would have the same reaction. Perhaps at the end of the day, it benefited the group to have exposure to two different styles of coaching. 

Admittedly, my task oriented style of training could have used a bit of tweaking to accommodate the feelings of participants (especially once I moved on from university students to special populations and the general public and earned the nickname "the task master"). My  INFJ friend eventually became a therapist, and I believe she chose the absolute perfect profession for her personality (she seems to be thriving!). I ended up going back to school and becoming a software engineer (a bit of a pivot from our kinesiology roots).

The S vs N Pool Story

This post is a slightly adapted version of a post I made on Reddit hoping (erroneously) for some engagement exploring practical examples of cognitive function types: https://www.reddit.com/r/mbti/s/VgvCvppnj7

I find it very intriguing, even fun, to analyze various situations in my life and how the different people involved reacted from a personality theory perspective. I'm also a fan of practical examples of theory.

Recently I experienced a situation that to me exemplified sensor vs intuitive preference. I try to take an objective approach in delivering this story in an attempt to avoid "type bias" that seems to prevade many MBTI spaces on Reddit.

The story: 

4 adults and 2 kids (including me) entered a swimming pool. The first thing we saw was a posted sign on the hot tub that said "closed for cleaning". The hot tub was empty of people, but still filled with water, and there was a small blue and yellow object floating in it. 

No one said anything at that moment. We went on to swim in the cool pool and later sat in a different hot tub. It was only then that a member of the pool staff approached us holding the blue and yellow thing that has been floating in the closed hot tub earlier. The staff member asked if it was ours, then gave it to us. It was a kid's toy - a little blue octopus with yellow tentacles. We said it was not ours but the kids were happy to play with it anyways. The adults immediately started discussing what they thought that thing was when we had first entered the pool. Two of us are N type and 2 are S type. Both N types had thought it was something related to cleaning the hot tub (a pH tester, or a chemical dispenser). Both S types thought it was a pool dart left behind by a kid. I thought it was very interesting how the N type thinkers unconsciously looked for connections between the wholistic picture (assuming the object was somehow related to the cleaning sign), while the S type people studied the detail of the object in the present moment coming to a conclusion about that specific object separately from the things around it. 

You can see how both styles of thinking could be beneficial or not in a given situation. In this situation the N types were less accurate in assessing what that object was, making false assumptions, but had it been a different scenario where context was important (perhaps a safety scenario), it could have been beneficial to make the connection. The S type's assessments were closer to reality in this case.

Welcome to INTegrated JuXtaPosition (iamtbot 2.0)

I have left the previous posts intact as a momento. As you can see they're over a decade old, and as you can imagine, a lot has changed. That being said, if you're an MBTI enthusiast like me, you might suspect that the foundational undercurrents of life that brought me here, remain strong. Hence the new name: INTegrated JuXtaPosition.  At first, it seems contradictory. Juxtaposition emphasizes separation and contrast, while integration emphasizes unity and cohesion. Together, "integrated juxtaposition,” describes a purposeful bringing together of contrasting elements in a way that forms a cohesive or meaningful whole. In this blog, I will explore life from varying the perspectives (often considering the interplay between the logical me and the creative me, or other seemingly opposite selves), and often through an MBTI lens.

Why blogging?

I decided to revisit blogging because it turns out creative expression continues to play an important role in my life. Even when I attempt to limit social media (due to the endless scroll of distractions), I always seem to find my way back to it in some form, because it provides an outlet for my thoughts. Sure, I could buy a journal (and I have. Many actually...), but the convenience of apps (almost always available at my finger tips) and ease of typing makes it much easier to journal digitally. I have even tried adapting note taking apps as journals, but there's something a bit motivating, endearing (and challenging in terms of writing style) about the idea that someone might come across this and read it, if it's published online. As a late adopter of Reddit, I thought it might be a sort of middle ground between journaling and other social media styles (yelling at length into the void vs. short, concise yelling into the void), but I quickly discovered that's not exactly how it plays out. However, I also discovered a couple intriguing communities, especially the MBTI subreddits where people post interesting questions. I found myself wanting to reply, but realized my answers were much more journal like than "answers", straying off topic onto tangents often. I decided to try using Reddit questions as journal prompts and answer them here.