Clarissa's Blog

9 responses to “I’m Not Normal”

1. 

   methylethyl

   November 10, 2022

   “Oh, that’s an interesting and complex thing I know nothing about, I think I’ll stop eating, bathing, and talking to other people and learn how to do it this week”

   What’s not normal about that? Are you saying everyone doesn’t do this?

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   1. 

      Clarissa

      November 10, 2022

      I feel very understood.

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2. 

   methylethyl

   November 10, 2022

   I remember one time when I was about seventeen, I had half a can of leftover white wall-paint, and a bottle of liquid acrylic in dark green. Decided I was going to paint something. Skipped dinner, stayed up all night, made a life-sized naiad in profile on the side of my bookcase (lacking any other suitable canvas). Terrific fun. My sister still has the bookcase– I of course can only see all the rookie things wrong with it, but she likes it a lot, and “the green lady” has achieved a certain family legend-ish quality. Most of the other stuff I’ve painted (mostly furniture– the mermaid chair, the cloud desk, the cells chair…) has ended up at the thrift store in one move or another, though I did get paid to do someone else’s wardrobe once. It’s always fun in the project stage, but once it’s done I get bored with it quickly.

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3. 

   Post Alley Crackpot

   November 10, 2022

   The first rule of Introverted Intuitives Club is that we do not talk about Introverted Intuitives Club.

   We’re too busy reading.

   Mycroft Holmes was on to something with his Gentleman’s Reading Club, wasn’t he?

   Pity he was open to being mocked via sign language and had to speak out against it. 🙂

   Seriously though, you wouldn’t believe how completely not universal and personality dependent this behaviour happens to be.

   INTJ, INFJ, INTP, INFP, and that’s pretty much the lot.

   The extraverted variants are too busy interfacing with all of the “sensing” people to be of much help, and as for the “sensing” people, they will only barely understand even a single thing you’re talking about until they see the final product, at which point it’s neatly wrapped up as an “experience” from which they move on after getting only the barest of basics from it.

   You only think that’s a harsh caricature of the situation until you’re experiencing such things as dealing with an ISFJ who absolutely will not go deep even when there’s every effort to make appearances resemble that outcome.

   Now I just walk away mumbling something about the thing speaking for itself (in Latin, naturally) and how that person will get a better grasp upon completion of the final product.

   Also, have you ever looked at pie charts of the population distributions of the MBTI personality types?

   You really should do that.

   Again, you wouldn’t believe how small that audience you’re talking to happens to be.

   You’re into quotes now, so here’s a paraphrased (and translated) one for you:

   “Make no attempt at small plans.”

   This comes originally from Andrea Palladio, whose architecture didn’t consist of small plans.

   Daniel Burnham echoed the sentiment in American architecture and it’s been repeated by Americans ever since.

   So typical: Burnham repeated the wisdom of a distant place and time, with the result being thought to be original and clever.

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   1. 

      methylethyl

      November 11, 2022

      I have no faith in the MBTI. Every time I take it, I end up with a different type. It can’t ever quite decide whether I’m an INTJ, INTP, or ISTJ. What use is that? Anybody who’s ever met me can confirm the “I”.

      On the other hand, every forum and combox I’ve ever participated in for a long time… when the conversation turns to the MBTI, it turns out 90% of the commentariat are INTJs. So apparently that actually means something, and those folks are my tribe because even though we make up a tiny sliver of the general population, we repeatedly and consistently self-sort into the same internet forums.

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      1. 

         cliff arroyo

         November 11, 2022

         ” I’m an INTJ, INTP, or ISTJ. What use is that?”

         that’s the idea… it’s not discrete all or nothing measurement you need to look at the individual components… I’m strong IN but closer to the line in the last two… It looks like you’re strong IT but closer to the line on the other two…

         it’s like Hostede’s model of cultural differences… degrees matter more rather than the superficial classification into A or B

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         1. 

            methylethyl

            November 11, 2022

            Ah, I guess that makes sense. Still not going to consult the MBTI when making life decisions or applying for jobs.

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            1. 

               cliff arroyo

               November 11, 2022

               “not going to consult the MBTI when making life decisions”

               I have a colleague who swears by it for helping to deal with people especially those who you have to deal with, like bosses. The idea is if you know that person’s MB type you know what is more or less likely to work in communication with them. For example with one sub-category start with what is known and then you can move to speculation (with another you can speculate from the beginning).

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               1. 

                  methylethyl

                  November 11, 2022

                  That’s too complicated for my stunted social skills. Using a wolf-pack/goat-herd animal hierarchy model is easier for me, and also works 😉

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