Latest Batch of Google Searches

“isfj hard to find”: Um . . . no. We’re supposedly the most common type in the American population. We practically grow on trees (which is why we’re not considered one of the “cool” types). If you’re having a hard time finding an ISFJ, it’s either because we don’t like to call attention to ourselves or we’re mistyping ourselves as INFJs or INFPs to avoid ridicule.

“is isfj phlegmatic”: I don’t think there is a direct correlation between type and temperament, but of the ISFJs I know, they all have some Phlegmatic in them, though perhaps not dominantly. (I’m a Mel-Phleg, for instance.)

“great expectations estella intj”: Probably not. More like ISTJ. The Great Expectations post needs to be overhauled.

“isfj in criminal justice”: Once again, people, this blog is not here to give career advice. If you as an ISFJ want to go into criminal justice, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t. It’s a worthy field.

“entj isfj love”: Uh . . . can’t help you there. I don’t think I know any ENTJs, and if I did, whatever we would feel for each other probably wouldn’t be love.

“infj my brother is an isfj blogspot”: You and your brother probably have enough in common to get along fairly well, since you share your auxiliary and tertiary functions. My brother happens to be INTJ, and we share no functions at all, which can make understanding each other more of a challenge.

“jane an isfj”: There are many Janes out there, and odds are at least one of them is an ISFJ. But I can’t help you if you aren’t more specific than that.

“jane eyre the hunter games”: ???

“isfj characters from percy Jackson”: Having only read the first book in that series and that not recently, I can’t help you on this one. There probably is though.

“tobymac estp”: I don’t type celebrities, sorry.

“self-centered isfj”: Why do people keep searching this one, and how did this idea get started? We’re no more self-centered than any other type. At their best, ISFJs can be quite self-sacrificial.

“how isfj develop ti”: My Ti isn’t as developed as I would like, but the Logic class I took in college was very enlightening. It helped that I liked and shared a basic worldview with the professor. Since my Si and Fe didn’t feel threatened in the class, the Ti was free to learn. Puzzles that require logic also are a way that some ISFJs use as a means to relax (remember, the tertiary function is the “relief” function) and exercise a function they might not use as much.

“mbti bbc sherlock intj molly infp”: Sherlock is not an INTJ. He has no drive to structure, organize, and plan, and he is not motivated by vision for the future. He’s more likely either of the dominant Introverted Thinking types, ISTP or INTP—it’s hard to tell. You could make an argument for either. As for Molly, I see her as more of an ISFJ, but I haven’t seen the latest season and don’t know where they’ve taken her character.

“isfj greek”: There are ISFJs in Greece. There are ISFJs who speak Greek. This blog has nothing to do with either one of those facts.

“isfj antisocial”: As an Introvert (and a former homeschooler), I’ve had this label tacked on me for years. It falls under the “You keep using the word. I do not think it means what you think it means” category. Let’s look at the Oxford English Dictionary. First definition: “contrary to the laws and customs of society, in a way that causes annoyance and disapproval in others.” By extension, “sociopathic,” which means related to “a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior.” Second definition: “not sociable or wanting the company of others.” With their auxiliary Extroverted Feeling, ISFJs are very conscious of social norms and try not to intentionally offend people. I doubt they’re likely to exhibit sociopathic behavior. And while as Introverts, ISFJs are not extremely outgoing and need time alone to recharge, they are not like that one hundred percent of the time. We like people in general (as long as they behave themselves and are considerate of others) and spending time with family and friends. So, in any sense of the word, antisocial is not a fitting description of an ISFJ. And Introverts would appreciate it if society stopped slapping that label on them without considering what it really means.

More Google Searches and Replies

The monthly list of Google searches!

“isfp control freak”: My other sister is ISFP. She claims she is not a control freak, and we have to take her word for it. So, no, probably not.

“istj unhappy”: ISTJness does not necessarily make someone unhappy, nor are all ISTJs unhappy.

“entj admire isfj”: I wish! I don’t actually know any ENTJs in real life, so I don’t know how we would interact, but going by my experience with INTJs, it is hard to get them to respect an ISFJ as an intellectual equal.

“isfj level headed”: I’d like to think so. At least we are until we’ve reached our limit and then we explode. It’s not pretty.

“isfj lovers”: Um . . . not really my area. Please seek answers elsewhere for this one.

“self centered isfj”: Why do people keep searching this one? Are we developing an undeserved reputation?

“captain wentworth entp”: I wish (ENTPs are cool!), but no, he lacks the spontaneity of the ENTP. Mr. Tilney in Northanger Abbey is, however, ENTP, if you’re looking for an Austen hero of that type.

“isfj pride”: As “ISFJs being full of themselves” or “glad to be ISFJ and don’t care who knows it”? I’d say we need a little more of the latter. All the NFs and NTs post all over the Internet about how fabulous they are; we need some representation too.

“isfj apathetic”: Um . . . I’d tell you how I feel about that, but I really don’t care. Meh.

“isfj criminal investigation career”: Sounds fun! This is not the place for employment advice though.

“college essays on isfj”: Not here, alas. My college never assigned such a thing. Tragic.

“rochester entp entj jane eyre”: I’m fairly certain Rochester isn’t a Perceiver, but I’m currently unsure of his type. Will let you know when I finish rereading Jane Eyre.

“reading novels voice types”: Ooh, reading aloud is fun! The key is not to necessarily use fake voices, but to vary your pitch and tone in order to suggest different characters. No idea why you’re looking for such information on this blog, though.

More Replies to Google Searches, Which Have Not Increased Much in Normality

It’s time again to reply to some Google searches!

“isfj self centered”: While this type is not necessarily identified with this trait, I would have to say ISFJs are self-centered, just the same as every other type if you go down deep enough.

“isfj not loud enough”: I get this all the time, as if not talking incessantly were a bad thing. Apparently many people’s idea of a good conversation starter is “So you’re quiet/shy?” (“Oh, of course, and obviously I would like nothing more than to talk about that fact. And so you’re outgoing? Dear me. Let’s discuss that flaw next.”)

“isfj appearance”: Sorry, dear Googler, but you’re never going to find hard-and-fast information on what all ISFJs look like. We vary greatly. And no, you probably can’t tell people’s types just by looking at them. Unless you’re very clever and have perfected some sort of Sherlock Scan for types. This blog, however, is not yet on that level.

“istj ballet dancers”: No idea, dear Googler. I don’t think I actually know of any outside of Noel Streatfeild’s (fictional) “Shoes” books.

“isfj persuasion”: So either you’re looking for an ISFJ in Jane Austen’s Persuasion or trying to learn how to persuade ISFJs. In the case of the former, Anne Elliot is an ISFJ, and in the case of the latter, it’s actually fairly easy. We’re unfortunately a type that has a hard time saying no, especially if it’s to a plea for help.

“intj cold”: Um, yes, they can be. But not necessarily always. INTJs don’t lack feelings; they just tend not to place great importance on them and don’t express them easily.

“isfj shadow”: As in the concept of shadow cognitive functions? A very complicated subject. Let us assume you already understand how all that works. In that case, an ISFJ’s shadow functions are, in order, Extroverted Sensing, Introverted Feeling, Extroverted Thinking, and Introverted iNtuition. But if you meant literal shadow, I don’t know how to answer you. ISFJs (oddly enough) are human beings and cast shadows just the same as everybody else. Not much significance in it.

“great expectations versus jane eyre”: Ooh, book battle! Jane Eyre all the way!

“joe in little women infp ?”: Well, since there’s no one by that name in Little Women, he can be any type you like, I guess. However, Jo in Little Women is probably not an INFP, more like an ISTP.

“british monarchs mbti personality”: Whoever you are, dear Googler, bless you for looking this up. We may be the only two who are interested in the subject. Just the two of us against the rest of the world!

“mrs abernathy great expectations”: You have stumped me. I have no clue how these two items go together. There is no such character as Mrs. Abernathy in Great Expectations. But if you meant actual, literal great expectations connected with a Mrs. Abernathy, then this is not where you need to be looking for information.

“sense and sensibility wickham isfj”: Yikes, dear Googler, you have committed so many inaccuracies that it’s hard to know where to start with setting you straight. For one thing, Wickham is a character in Pride and Prejudice, not Sense and Sensibility (which features a similar character called Willoughby—is that who you meant?). And there is not much of an argument for Wickham or Willoughby as ISFJs. We have our faults, but we don’t tend to be charming cads.

“ellen dashwood intj”: Come on, people, do. your. research. Unless you don’t mean the heroine of Sense and Sensibility, it’s Elinor Dashwood, who is more likely ISTJ.

“isfj enfp”: ENFP is my youngest sister’s type. We get along very well. The relationship of ISFJ and ENFP (according to http://typelogic.com/pairs.html and http://mbtitruths.blogspot.com/2012/12/type-interactions-in-relationship.html) is Cohort, which means our reversed dominant and inferior functions ensure that one’s routine is the other’s adventure.

“agnes wickfield infj”: I had thought ISFJ, but this is something to consider next time I reread David Copperfield. Thanks for the idea, and for reminding me to always consider all options before jumping to a conclusion. This is a common mistake: seeing a few traits identified with one type and assuming that someone is that type, even though those traits could also indicate something quite different. For instance, yes, ISFJs are quiet, helpful, affectionate, and have trouble asserting themselves, but these are qualities of all the IxF types. This does not automatically indicate ISFJ any more than, say, “coldness” and impatience for stupidity necessarily indicate INTJ (this could apply to almost any Thinking type, and especially all the NTs).

Continue to Google away, everyone, and feel free to comment. Not sure exactly what upcoming posts will be, but I would eventually like to overhaul the type conclusions for the Oz characters and the Psmith series (including other characters besides the two leads). And maybe I should do an informative post reviewing what the four dichotomies (E v. I, S v. N, etc.) mean and explaining the cognitive functions, which is a relatively new discovery for me but has given one a deeper perspective on how types work. Anyway, we’ll see. Can’t guarantee anything.

People Google the Oddest Things, or This Isn't *That* Kind of Blog

Yes, the big post promised is coming eventually, but in the meantime:

Glancing over some of the Interest search terms that have led people to this blog, I thought I should set the record straight on a few things.

“isfj people kate middleton” Interesting thought, but I really have no idea on this one. I would prefer to avoid typing real-life, still-living people on this blog. Too much potential for error.

“are isfj known to live in their head” Don’t most people? Introverts in particular are known to be very in touch with their thoughts and impressions, “seeing much but saying little,” and ISFJs are as guilty of this as any of them.

“caroline forbes esfj” No idea where this one came from. I actually had to Google this character. Unfortunately, dear Googler, I cannot help you with this type, not being familiar with The Vampire Diaries or intending to become so in the near future.

“dorothea brooke infj” Had to refresh my memory on this one. I’m sorry I have to disappoint you too, dear Googler, but I have never read Middlemarch, though I have seen the BBC miniseries once, and not recently enough to form any definite conclusions. If I ever do, though, it will certainly get a post. In the meantime, assuming you, dear Googler, have read the book, scour it for all evidence and test your conclusion. Perhaps you could do your own blog post about it.

"are sanguine melancholy people weird." Really, my dear Googler, I can't tell you. Go meet some and decide for yourself.

And as a nitpick, it’s Myers-Briggs, not Meyer Briggs. There seem to be multiple Myers; please don’t shortchange them.