INTJ - hell bent on survival?

[rocksteady]

INTJ's, we don't experience life, we survive it!

Is it just be or is the behavior of INTJ's like some sort of biological imperative to aggressively advance the evolution our personality type, more so than others?

[Amaranth]

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking, but a big marker in my identity is a desire to survive and adapt. I think that has a lot to do with my childhood circumstances, though. I'd imagine that INTJs who were raised in a sheltered environment and/or with a silver spoon in their mouths might have a harder time getting in touch with their tenacity for life.

[rocksteady]

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking, but a big marker in my identity is a desire to survive and adapt. I think that has a lot to do with my childhood circumstances, though. I'd imagine that INTJs who were raised in a sheltered environment and/or with a silver spoon in their mouths might have a harder time getting in touch with their tenacity for life.

I know that most of my life is focused on surviving and adapting, but I don't think that is true for some other types. Basically I'm stating their is a pronounced difference, and I wonder if it could be due to evolutionary processes at work.

[TruorTupnm]

I am not sure if I understand the question, either. Aggressively advance the evolution our personality type? I am not looking out for the future of unborn I. N. T. J. type people. I am looking out for number one. If I happen to accidentally help anyone out along the way, ah, Yay? Or were you asking more along the lines of: We see what other cool people have done, we learn from mistakes, we attempt to hone skills, stuff like that?

Anyways, yes, I am all about survival. Paranoia is never turned off, really.

[Santana28]

i think its rather an aggressive and almost compulsive desire for advancement in general. we are obsessed with possibilities and all limitations - and we seek to overcome them in every facet of our lives.

at least, thats how it is for me.

[Paul V]

Yes. Survival is what drives my life. The highest goal I have is surviving whatever calamities life throws my way. Other goals are secondary.

[banzai]

Seems like a pretty bleak outlook...

Although I wouldn't say I'm out to suck every ounce of enjoyment out of life, I don't only want to survive, I want to thrive and overcome.

I guess that could be called looking for more ways to throw myself into tough situations so I can prove to myself I can survive those.

[GOD]

INTJ's, we don't experience life, we survive it!

Is it just be or is the behavior of INTJ's like some sort of biological imperative to aggressively advance the evolution our personality type, more so than others?

I can definitely see your angle.

As usual I have my hypothesis on the NT thought pattern. And it didn't evolve first off to be good at Math at school.

Firstly, I believe true type INTJs (and not those that are by default) will have some genetic basis. To me, the contingency planning, the thinking and incessant improving coupled with the intuition all points to preservation. (The contingency planning is a huge marker).

My thinking is clearly of this preservation type. If I wound time back 5000 years I'd be worried about 1) My "family" 2) My extended kin group and be looking to ensure they survived. I'd have to work in a group to hunt the woolly mammoth and so forth.

I'd want to be Alpha male and the scientific thought process would help me get there... project management was just the real hunt.

The whole, advancement while mitigating risk (Battle/Hunt and not dying) I'd say is a huge precursor to the development of the intuitive thinking mind. I'd say the NT woman were back at the cave (maybe on the hunt) directing the NF women who kept everything in order (and ensured group cohesiveness) ;D The ST/SF's did what they were told.... ;D

[BlackHawk]

I can picture that "cave society." Hilarious!

I tend to loosen up and enjoy things when they're smooth, but at the first sign of the s*** hitting the fan, I'm in hyper-alert/paranoid/damage control mode. So yes, I generally see life as survival.

[GOD]

I can picture that "cave society." Hilarious!

I tend to loosen up and enjoy things when they're smooth, but at the first sign of the s*** hitting the fan, I'm in hyper-alert/paranoid/damage control mode. So yes, I generally see life as survival.


Yes, when I was writing that passage I was thinking of a particular movie

CAVEMAN To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Staring Ringo Star.

"In this comedy, Atouck (Ringo Starr) becomes leader of the misfit cavemen. Disgraced and cast out of his tribe for lusting after Lana (Barbara Bach), the mate of tribe's head muscle man (John Matuszak), Atouck stumbles along gathering other misfits and learning a bit about the world outside of his cave. Eventually he and friends Lar (Dennis Quaid), and Tala (Shelley Long) learn the secrets of fire, cooked meat, and how to defend themselves from the brutal, yet very stupid dinosaurs".

Barbara Bach was a babe thats for sure... She looked real good in skins..

GOD added, 7 Minutes and 12 Seconds later...

I tend to loosen up and enjoy things when they're smooth, but at the first sign of the s*** hitting the fan, I'm in hyper-alert/paranoid/damage control mode. So yes, I generally see life as survival.

One thing though, if I assume correctly... is that INTJs are the most adept at handling unstructured problem solving situations..

That’s why I don't get too stressed.. Basically I've covered the various contingency permutations and I know everyone else will crash and burn before I do...

Sometimes I think INTJ types are more likely to end up in "paralysis by analysis" because they can see all the potential pitfalls of a scenario rather than say the Ps who'll just jump and hope they bounce.

[Rick]

From looking at the title of this forum, I wasn't sure what the subject would entail.

I am definitely "survival" minded...to the extent that I expect our society to fall apart during my lifetime and am continuously watching and contingency planning for just such an eventuality. I don't want this to happen, but see it heading in that direction. So, yeah, I have a growing supply closet of basics and plans. I have a list I'm working on that addresses food, water, shelter, warmth, and clothing for long term situations.

As far as day-to-day living goes, I've become much more pragmatic. Everyday, there are crises I can jump into and solve. As I've gotten older, I have become much better at picking my battles. I have absolutely no need to solve problems anymore just to prove to myself or someone else that I am able. My experience has been that, if I take on that role at work, people begin to expect it all the time. The result is that I make more work for myself (and less for others) without any additional compensation. Nothing but frustration there. Additional effort with no additional payoff - no thank you.

As I've aged (or matured, if you will), I've grown to value independence more than anything else. How do I achieve it? How do I reach the point where I do not have to compromise or explain myself to others who just don't have the ability to think logically and reach conclusions in that way (or, at least, to put feelings aside and argue things rationally)? When I hear someone begin a statement with "I feel", I just cringe inside, because that means I have to overcome this alien concept before getting onto the meat of the matter. The chameleon aspect of being an INTJ is getting old.

So, are INTJs hell bent on survival? Yes. Logical superiority is natural for us INTJs. We think all the time.

[GOD]

From looking at the title of this forum, I wasn't sure what the subject would entail.

I am definitely "survival" minded...to the extent that I expect our society to fall apart during my lifetime and am continuously watching and contingency planning for just such an eventuality. I don't want this to happen, but see it heading in that direction. So, yeah, I have a growing supply closet of basics and plans. I have a list I'm working on that addresses food, water, shelter, warmth, and clothing for long term situations.

One thing that did scare me, is that we had a petrol tanker strike a few years ago, and basically London had almost panic buying as people bought up at supermarkets... Its like, big cities are days away from absolute chaos at any point.


As far as day-to-day living goes, I've become much more pragmatic. Everyday, there are crises I can jump into and solve. As I've gotten older, I have become much better at picking my battles. I have absolutely no need to solve problems anymore just to prove to myself or someone else that I am able.

Yes, only argue on points of fact, and not points of principle...


My experience has been that, if I take on that role at work, people begin to expect it all the time. The result is that I make more work for myself (and less for others) without any additional compensation. Nothing but frustration there. Additional effort with no additional payoff - no thank you.

When people help you at work, return the favor. Work on the "TIT for TAT" basis.

If you have good ideas, keep them to yourself unless you are in the absolute position to reap the reward. Otherwise people in the same company just rip them off as their own.


As I've aged (or matured, if you will), I've grown to value independence more than anything else. How do I achieve it? How do I reach the point where I do not have to compromise or explain myself to others who just don't have the ability to think logically and reach conclusions in that way (or, at least, to put feelings aside and argue things rationally)? When I hear someone begin a statement with "I feel", I just cringe inside, because that means I have to overcome this alien concept before getting onto the meat of the matter. The chameleon aspect of being an INTJ is getting old.

As you get older you'll just care less about proving your right. Don't forget people can be very intelligent and "feel" that something is right.. its their beliefs... Thats why you argue on points of fact and not principle.


So, are INTJs hell bent on survival? Yes. Logical superiority is natural for us INTJs. We think all the time.

I don't think all are. The enneagram test is quite good. You'll score a 3 7 or 8 I believe. I'd be surprised if you scored the 5.

[ps646566]

The veneer of civilisation is very thin, even in the developed world. Remember what happened after the hurricane hit New Orleans ? People of this personality type probably more than most/any other are aware of this, consciously or unconsciously, and therefore do prioritise 'survival' in a variety of situations. It's all part of enhanced realism/pessimism. based on heightened awareness of what can go wrong, and the ability to face up to it.

[Rick]

On the mark. The word "Realiism" in your response stood out to me more than anything.


The veneer of civilisation is very thin, even in the developed world. Remember what happened after the hurricane hit New Orleans ? People of this personality type probably more than most/any other are aware of this, consciously or unconsciously, and therefore do prioritise 'survival' in a variety of situations. It's all part of enhanced realism/pessimism. based on heightened awareness of what can go wrong, and the ability to face up to it.

[toonia]

INTJ's, we don't experience life, we survive it!

Is it just be or is the behavior of INTJ's like some sort of biological imperative to aggressively advance the evolution our personality type, more so than others?
I focus on survival. It is a challenge to develop a system of living that can adapt and respond to the unpredictable scenarios of life. Survival was a big issue for my family as a child. I tended to feel responsible to help provide. I think personality and experience drives my sense of survival, but yes, it is the central framework for how I live. It is why I value adaptation and the path of least resistance, and energy conservation.

[blueeyedsusan]

I am a survivor and when I am most at stress surviving becomes of paramount importance.

[Tokey41]

If by survive you mean do everything possible to gain an upper hand for myself individually (screw everyone else) then yes, surviving is what I do.

[Zilal]

I'm very survival-oriented, to my detriment, I think, because the behaviors that allow somebody to survive in tough situations are not really adaptive behaviors for everyday life. When I encounter difficulty I have a tendency to put my head down and just force myself to get through it or endure it, which might be great if you're lost in a blizzard, but not so great if you're, uh, dating someone who's not right for you, or something.

I'm also obsessed with picking up information that might help me survive. Every time my eyes come across something about, say, what to do if you get a rip in your spacesuit, I have to read it, despite the fact that I will most likely never own a spacesuit, let alone get a rip in it. I'm going to Arizona later this year. Today I heard that Arizona has a couple poisonous scorpions. I thought, oh, I should look those up before I go.

Not because I'm worried about scorpions. Just because, why the hell not? If I beat the 1 in 1000 odds and wake up with one in my sleeping bag, why not know what to do about it?

[Uytuun]

Have any of you ever noticed that you have a talent for crisis-management?

I appear to be extremely level-headed and calm, steering all the freaked-out people around in crisis situations. I immediately start thinking strategically and produce new contingency plans. In fact, it's fun...

I've always felt that thè job for an INTJ female is queen, I'm thinking of the times when they actually still had power. :p

Survival, yes, definitely. Perhaps this can be linked with INTJ sleep issues.

This might sound rather weird, but I sometimes think INTJ is the next step in human evolution. I don't know if it's a step in the right direction.

[Zilal]

Have any of you ever noticed that you have a talent for crisis-management?

I appear to be extremely level-headed and calm, steering all the freaked-out people around in crisis situations. I immediately start thinking strategically and produce new contingency plans. In fact, it's fun...

I think of myself as terribly untalented for crisis management, partly because of some of the qualities you stated. I do stay very calm, in fact I tend to be inappropriately calm and more interested in observing what's going on than doing something about it. Here I'm talking about "crises" like something was spilled, something's on fire, we're terribly lost, etc... when someone was having a possible heart attack in front of me, I made myself react. I do find strategic thinking fun. But my curiosity is so damn strong it usually wins out.