What are INTJs like as teenagers and children?

[jtskinner]

I scored as an INTJ for the pass few months and I can't find a reliable resource that describes what INTJs are like as teenagers or children, so just what are they like? Do they fit the nerd/bookworm stereotype like I do? Do any INTJs have Asperger's Syndrome(I scored 42 AQ)?

[Evalind]

I don't have a specific answer for you, but I will share one childhood experience that exemplifies my I and J parts quite well.

On my 9th birthday, I went to the video rental store with my dad and brothers to pick out a movie. It took forever because my dad had to sign up for a new membership at the rental place. While we waited, my brothers and I made plans to play T-ball when we got home, before watching the movie, because it'd still be daylight outside. When we got home I, instead, found my house was full of my future 4th grade classmates. I started bawling because a) my plans had been interrupted and b) I now had to spend time with 10 people I didn't know very well. (I'd only lived in the town for a year at that point.) The way my parents finally got me to calm down was by organizing the girls into T-ball teams. :P

[Zeinland]

Well, Im still a teenager. Im still 14. I like to be ALONE, for a great amount of time. I only have few friend's that I talk with ( Tecnology, Military, Racism, Strategy) that's what we only talk about. Sometimes youl find us, sitting in the benches, reading.... and reading, and reading, and reading some more. I don't talk much, to get me laughing is quite a feat. To get me talking is a miracle.... I only lead, in group's of 3, And when nobody want's to lead. And, when I was taking my social studies class, my teacher told me, what's my opinion on Christianity. I just said " Do you really want to know?". And being the teacher she was, she said "Yes". I told her "To say the truth, we'd be better of without it, There's no scientific proof that Yahve actually exist's, And it was the cause of many war's, so I don't care at all about Christianity, it's just the oil to the fire". You can imagine what my classmates, thought about that...

[thegnat]

Hm. I only had two actual birthday parties with more than one friend.

The others I either a) Didn't have a party or b) played badminton in the backyard with the parental units and my neighbor who was a good friend until she moved.

I never had more than 5 friends at one time.

I was called Curious Cat when I was younger. (as in I wanted to know everything)

I would say I was slightly more social when I was younger yet still a bookworm and very very shy.

edit: I never played with Barbies. I left my two Barbies neglected in my closet. Same with my one doll. I had model horses to play with....silently....unless I neighed....I might make stories in my head though...

[Firelie]

As a child, I spent most of my time playing alone.

In preschool, the teacher convinced my mother that I was going to turn out to be a sociopath or something because I'd play what the other children were playing, but I wouldn't play with them (I was the first child and I was a little odd, so my mom believed her lol)

I liked to play with my Barbie dolls and create long stories to act out with them. I didn't like Barbie, though, just her dark-haired friends. I only had one or two friends at a time, but they never participated in my stories.

As a teenager I had a fairly large group of friends (for me...which is about 6 or 7) and we were held together by being the outcasts. Somehow I was the leader of this group by virtue of being the bravest one of them and the most independent. All of us thoroughly enjoyed being weird and made no attempts to fit in to the rest of the school. Most of my high school days were spent with my nose buried in books...I read a lot of mystery, then I got into fantasy...I went to the library at school so much that the librarians knew my name and would strike up conversations with me.

I don't know about the experiences of other people, though. I doubt my experience growing up is all that close to anyone else's.

[Natrushka]

I read this about children / teens and MBTI a while back, you might find it interesting.

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[generalowk]

I have great parents. When I was young, they generally nutured and humored my INTJ qualities. Looking back, they've often joked that it wasn't really a punishment to send me to my room, since I loved being there alone and doing things in there (reading, listening to music, etc.). I've always been very self-entertaining.

[vulcan]

I was pretty evil and tormented my brothers and parents.

I was alone all the time and loved it.

I tried to reconcile a need for autonomy with the fact that I was a kid with parents as masters.

[thegnat]

I read this about children / teens and MBTI a while back, you might find it interesting.

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Holy Sh*t! The INJ traits list completely described me as a kid! Perfectly. On the dot.
1. They have vivid imaginations yep
2. They're curious about everything, and are always asking "Why?" yep
3. They enjoy spending time one-on-one with others, rather than in large groupsyep
4. They're often off in their own world, and have a dreamlike qualityyep
5. They enjoy art and musicyep, did crafts, made things, drew horses, band
6. They love books, and especially enjoy fictiontotally me
7. They're likely to hang back and watch before participating in a social situationyep
8. They're intensely private, and don't always share their thought and feelings100%
9. They like structure and are unsettled by chaos or unplanned eventsoh definitely
10. They prefer sports that focus on individual performance rather than team sportstennis, definitely
11. They are perfectionistsoh for sure, probably excessively
12. They're serious and intenseyep
13. They often seem older than they are, and may have older friendsyep to both, was told I acted/seemed older a lot
14. They are original and independent, and value their uniquenessyep
15. They're not overly concerned with grades, but they want to completely understand a subject that interests them yes to both, I was never too concerned cause classes were easy

[StJimmy]

ditto

[jtskinner]

Thanks for the resources.

[Firebert]

If I had to fill any role as a teenager, I was the sarcastic asshole friend. If you took me seriously, you hated me. If you spent the time to get to know me, it was generally worth it to both parties.

[Circe]

I was a socially awkward, manipulative little introvert. I only ever wanted to talk about what I was learning or what I could learn, or abstract thoughts I had. I daydreamed a lot and constantly read.

I never played with dolls, only toy animals, and then I would make up some epic story in my head and follow it through. I never had friends over, which my parents thought was weird. In fact, when my parents found out that I never played at recess, only read, they sent a note to my teacher telling her that I wasn't allowed to read at recess- something about "retarding my social development." I read anyway.

As a teen, I've opened up a little- I'm still strongly introverted, but I can function decently in social situations. I get disoriented in large groups, but in small groups I have a very forceful personality. I'm still too blunt, though. I say things I probably shouldn't and take a long time to realize that I offended people. If you get to know me, though, I'm helpful and nice, but sarcastic and not very empathetic.

I often feel like an outcast, though. I have a facade I put on around some other people, so I'm very often misunderstood. The only person who I can truly talk to is my dad, who is an INTJ too- so not always that helpful.

[jtskinner]

I'm a teenager now, and I must say I agree with everyone here. I love philosophy, theoretical science, robotics/electrical engineering, mathematics and computer science. I work myself to the death in school, I'm always nervous about it. I'd rather be the most deformed mutation on earth if I could have an IQ of 200 and be left alone to do research to benefit society(oddly enough). I hate being called stupid, when people say I'm stupid I become self-destructive. Nobody wins arguments with me, I hate authority and rules and would rather we have a society of no government or leaders, we obviously need laws though as long as they're not dumb laws. Plus, I'm the only atheist in a small rural Christian town. I don't know how far I'll go with being a scientist, my IQ is a mere 116. As a child I was talkative, lived in my own world, always reading or examining insects, I always wanted to be a scientist. It wasn't until I was older that I became introverted, mainly because of many depressing incidents and then I saw socializing as useless, I wanted to be a pro-wrestler for awhile and then a game designer. I used to read a book a day back then.

[Naokohiro]

It wasn't until I was older that I became introverted, mainly because of many depressing incidents and then I saw socializing as uselessSame here. Am I the only one whose personality is constantly changing? (I'm 17)

[Vayate]

The above link describes me as a child fairly well. I would like to note that I was a latchkey kid morning and evenings, so for five days per week between 7AM and 5PM I was surrounded by screeching kids, being lectured to or both. That resulted in massive stress migraines daily, which persisted until I was 16 and driving. Combine that with never having access to anyone who would ever attempt to make adjustments for my temperament and I was one unhappy kid. :thumbsdown:

[childofforest]

Personally it is very hard to decide myself as an INTJ because of my childhoold memories. I was not extroverted or anything but I had more imaginations and more enthusiastic minded than I am right now. I am very sure that I had high intuitions - I loved reading fantasy literature and poetry, and even enjoyed writing some of my own. I was even into classical music when I was in elementry school - for I loved having my radio on for days.

When I was a teen I did not feel comfortable 'hanging out' with others as the other kids did in middle school. I was very alone at school and decided to concentrate on my studies in order to relieve the isolation I felt in class. Anyway it kinda worked for me and in high school I was still like that, the only difference was that I had more *sincere* friends than back then. I liked having few friends, did not hang out with bunch but only 1-2 friends, and did not socialize fully with all classmates.

[ShaiGar]

INTP, so not your desired polling audience. But this is what I was like as a child and teenager.

As a child I preferred to be alone, and I got a reputation as a Manipulator, Recluse and as a Violent Child.
The recluse I deserved because I spent my afterschool hours in the towns public library alone, or wandering around the golf course alone, or in my bedroom reading alone. I used to do a lot of things alone because in primary school I never had any friends. I did of course have people who hung around during class because I could make them laugh, or they wanted to pick on me, but maybe because they never understood me or I them I only saw them as tools to be used and from there I got the reputation of a manipulator.

I did NOT deserve the reputation of a violent child though, I got that because I never understood roughhousing, still dont really. When I see a fight I think only of the bodies weakspots and where to put the most pressure for the best result (winning no matter the cost), but most of the time I didnt enter fights because I was either scared of punishment or myself, or I thought that the kids were just "roughhousing" and I never saw the bullying for what it was. I got the violent reputation from that because occasionally I'd try and join in a game of "mugby" by knocking a guy down and punching (what they were doing, but feigning), or from being cheated in a game where the other person would get away with something so I'd punch and run off to a library.

Early on, and the few times I have had friends close enough to actually open up to i'd be the highly creative inventor of worlds or of games and of cubby houses. My creativity was pretty damn good and with.. shit this is depressing... with my under 10 friends in my life we'd trapeze off into the bush or a treehouse to create worlds or games.

Oh, and apparently I went on a car trip with my grandfather in Cloncurry once from a town to another town and I was constantly asking questions like why this, how that, what that, and he was answering every one of these patiently with both the why what how, but also with how i could find out more. extremely curious

As a teenager I think I only had four friends; Daniel Moore, Jared Dobbie, Alex from St Francis College, and Shaun Case. I was even more of a shut in then, but I was starting to see the bullying early and would preemptively strike at the cunts fast and vicious in the throat or eyes, and that'd be it for the year. Reputation as Violent, but left alone to read in peace without interference. I was still creative but I since i moved all the time I only ever had one friend at any one place so the chances to create alongside someone was diminished. Again i was Reclusive and Creative, but this time I at least had the chance to talk with bishops or intelligent priests(one of whom is now Bishop of North Queensland) about my ideas or poetry or art. I did overreact a lot as a teenager too.

Sometimes I'd like to go back and punch some sense into me. Thank fuck I've matured. They are not particularly good memories.

INTP Childhood:
Reclusive
Over reactive to childhood stresses
Misunderstanding of Society
Creative
Constant Bibliophile.

INTP Adolescence:
Reclusive (with attempts at social gatherings)
Internally over reactive of stresses
Misunderstanding of society through to disappointed understanding of society
Creative
Constant Bibliophile.

[OneBadMother]

Ouch, that sounds so much like my experience to the letter it's eerie. I've definitely matured since then. They claimed I was ADD in middle school (Angry Depression Disorder?) because I wrote a list of names of people I disliked. When I was 13 I even sat under a table in class because my teacher was condescending and obviously refused to listen to my ideas. Strangely enough, I think online forums helped me to let go and mature a bit, as well as my disastrous two and a half year relationship.

[Tsuru]

As a kid, for as far back as I can remember, I always preferred spending my time by myself as opposed to with other kids. They all seemed like uncouth, threatening barbarians. :P I spent almost all my time doing video games, PC stuff (back when DOS was all the rage, yessss! :3), reading, ect.

I ****HATED**** school with a burning rancor. I felt like I'd been tossed into some bizarre foreign land filled with neanderthals and incompetent and arbitrary adults as its rulers. XD

Teenage years were pretty much in the same avenue, except I added lots of art stuff and started spending a lot of time thinking about, like, things, and all that deep stuff most of the time.

I've never really had any friends that lasted more than 2 weeks for the most part, I just didn't seem able to connect with people and always got bored. (Pretty much the same situation today, wheeee!)


That was my childhood summary i hope y'all enjoyed it *nods*

[StJimmy]

ShaiGar said: "Misunderstanding of society through to disappointed understanding of society"

yeah. the thing with me was it took a while for different things to sink in, and i went through an extremely bitter and angry phase. i'm still passionate about certain subjects but it's generally not worth dwelling on matters over which you have no control.

[ShaiGar]

I think online forums helped me to let go and mature a bit, as well as my disastrous two and a half year relationship.
Same here, 4 years on Planetarion Forums acting like a dickhead, 1 year on ***** acting kinda normally and lashing out like a dickhead, about 4-5 months on INTPU normal, as well as one failed relationship that helped to mould me.

[rasoirviolon]

Although older... still a teenager just like Zeinland. I smiled a little when I saw your reading portion. When I first moved here I never interacted with anyone on the playground and well... all I did was read. And I still do that during lunch break. Usually I keep to myself unless I find something interesting about someone...therefore I open up a little to inquire about whatever tickles my curiousity. There was a period of time where I would sit on the bleachers by my school's baseball field but I ended up getting kicked out of my secret place because that area was supposedly out of bounds to students.

Hmm... just wondering, as children, did anyone's INTJ-ness earn them criticism from others? As for myself, I am constantly chided for my "socially-retarded" behaviour (no I don't have Asperger's) ...but people seem to be convinced there is something definately wrong with me. (i.e. my mum, teachers, sisters' friends etc)

[deicruxified]

I read this about children / teens and MBTI a while back, you might find it interesting.

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Holy Sh*t! The INJ traits list completely described me as a kid! Perfectly. *On the dot.
* 1. *They have vivid imaginations yep
* 2. They're curious about everything, and are always asking "Why?" yep
* 3. They enjoy spending time one-on-one with others, rather than in large groupsyep
* 4. They're often off in their own world, and have a dreamlike qualityyep
* 5. They enjoy art and musicyep, did crafts, made things, drew horses, band
* 6. They love books, and especially enjoy fictiontotally me
* 7. They're likely to hang back and watch before participating in a social situationyep
* 8. They're intensely private, and don't always share their thought and feelings100%
* 9. They like structure and are unsettled by chaos or unplanned eventsoh definitely
*10. They prefer sports that focus on individual performance rather than team sportstennis, definitely
*11. They are perfectionistsoh for sure, probably excessively
*12. They're serious and intenseyep
*13. They often seem older than they are, and may have older friendsyep to both, was told I acted/seemed older a lot
*14. They are original and independent, and value their uniquenessyep
*15. They're not overly concerned with grades, but they want to completely understand a subject that interests them yes to both, I was never too concerned cause classes were easy

ditto... i had a motto way back: i don't care if i failed a subject as long as i learned something from a good teacher than get high marks from a gullible, incompetent teacher.

perfectionist... yes as a kid i am! i love the trash can and 90% of my sketches always land there. when i was studying guitar, i stayed til 3am just to get stuff perfect... when i buy stuff at the mall, i scout for 5 malls (the mall i used to go to are next or adjacent to each other) for the cheapest price. my mom's always pissed off everytime i buy something but i always say, "walking is good for you."

my sports -- swimming, tae kwon do, aikido, racing, cycling... i hate team sports

[Natrushka]

I read this about children / teens and MBTI a while back, you might find it interesting.

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Holy Sh*t! The INJ traits list completely described me as a kid! Perfectly. On the dot.
1. They have vivid imaginations yep
2. They're curious about everything, and are always asking "Why?" yep
3. They enjoy spending time one-on-one with others, rather than in large groupsyep
4. They're often off in their own world, and have a dreamlike qualityyep
5. They enjoy art and musicyep, did crafts, made things, drew horses, band
6. They love books, and especially enjoy fictiontotally me
7. They're likely to hang back and watch before participating in a social situationyep
8. They're intensely private, and don't always share their thought and feelings100%
9. They like structure and are unsettled by chaos or unplanned eventsoh definitely
10. They prefer sports that focus on individual performance rather than team sportstennis, definitely
11. They are perfectionistsoh for sure, probably excessively
12. They're serious and intenseyep
13. They often seem older than they are, and may have older friendsyep to both, was told I acted/seemed older a lot
14. They are original and independent, and value their uniquenessyep
15. They're not overly concerned with grades, but they want to completely understand a subject that interests them yes to both, I was never too concerned cause classes were easy

ditto...

Yeah, I would have liked to have read this when I was a teen. It would have helped a lot.

[cielo market]

Question: Even though we all know that INTJs were perfect angels... :shhh:
What were you guys usually scolded for as a child?

I had a habit of disecting my toys, and trying to make my own. I can remember my mother saying this phrase at least twice a week: "Ayy niña, tu y tus inventos!". Translated, it means "Ohh little girl, you and your inventions!"

::)

[thegnat]

Things I've been yelled at/given shit for my whole life, I was never just "scolded":
not being social/being shy
handwriting (guyish)
losing tennis matches/playing like shit
not caring about fashion
not liking to shop
not wearing my contacts enough
not wearing make up (once i got it)
not having a boyfriend

[cielo market]

not being social/being shy

I've had to deal with this as well. I recall during middle school, I once asked my mom if I could go to the movies with some classmates. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree as she enthusiastically said "Yes! Yes, please!"

:thinking:

[Iannus Quirinus]

Question: Even though we all know that INTJs were perfect angels... :shhh:
What were you guys usually scolded for as a child?

I had a habit of disecting my toys, and trying to make my own. I can remember my mother saying this phrase at least twice a week: "Ayy niña, tu y tus inventos!". Translated, it means "Ohh little girl, you and your inventions!"

::)

that's why I loved my lego blocks. :D

if I could have an IQ of 200 and be left alone to do research to benefit society(oddly enough).

shhh, don't tell anyone, but I still dream about that. :) that's why I'm in college for physics. the human society just seems sooooo unorganized to me, and they (we? xD) look like we could use a good intj's (=god's) touch and inventions to help us. ;)

don't worry about your iq. iq is a bad bad thing, it doesn't say much. (though you shouldn't completely discard it either) if you really wanna increase your abilites/intelect, just engage in a lot of different acitivites (go take lessons for a new language, sports, dancing, reading, socializing with people, etc.), stimulate your body and brain. that worked for me at least.



as a kid I was very shy, but generally very nice towards people - too nice to tell the truth (so I suffered a lot of times for that).
I had this idea that I *must* be on good terms with everyone (or be their friend), so I had enough friends.
all the kids would make fun of me and tease me to death (bullying), so I really hated that - it traumatised me and increased my introverted side. I did solve much of that bullying later.

I absolutely loved beeing alone and playing by myself, prefferably in my imaginative world. but I did socialize enough. I guess people did find me a bit weird, but that's mostly becouse of my shyness, rather than anything else. (well I did look like a zombie - very very pale and skinny - I like to think I'm above avereage looking now ;) )

I got a bit more open in high school, I had a burst of intelligence in the second year of high school together with increase of ability in all fields of my person, that was really plesant (I still think that I was way more intelligent and everything than I am now; that was probably becouse I had *a lot* of activites that tickeled my brain and body, and made an absolutely great use of my abilites) and later on when I got to college, I changed a lot (to the better), especially becouse I study physics, so there's plenty of people there that are much worse than me at all the "social" things and stuff. and I guess the new surrounding, having to take care of myself and college put my intj skills at work again, so it all "clicked" pretty well.

trough all my childhood, I had the great luck that all my physics/math/chemistry teachers were exceptional, and I really love them for that. they helped my develop and use my mind and helped me towards my dream of becoming a scientist, and I'm eternally grateful to them.


could write a lot more, but this seems a bit off topic, as it's ressembling more my life story than my childhood. but yeah, I'm borderline T/F and J/P, so I guess there could be some difference.

heh, a long post sry. ;)

[aude]

I am probably the one intj who went through hell due to his personality issue.

I was a highly gifted child that no one cared about. A child that know one knew why he hid him self from the world. A child who did not know the meaning of love, could never be able to show it. A child who was told that he did every thing wrong in school( My 3rd grade teacher ripped up all my work that i completed due to the fact i knew what i was doing. Finished all the home work in every book i got within the first 2 months of school) A kid who spiraled into heavy depression, knew of suicide since the age of 8. A teenage who had no one to turn to. A teenage that was thrown into a mental institution cause a doctor thought this teenage had schizophrenia. A teenage and a child who was thrown away to be disregarded. That was my past and all i can do is use what i can from it to push my self further. Man that brings back memories of all the damn freaking drugs that doctor gave me and what they did to me. What kind of doctor gives a teenager, drugs that are not recommended for people under 18 or even ones that are notreally out there for general use. O well last i heard that doctor has severe cancer and i couldnt be more elated

[Bossy Mom]

I was an odd child - and disappointed my parents. I was shy, read constantly, and had an addiction to history and constant learning. I read history books and made notes (and this was not for class - this was on my own). They thought I should be a "normal teenager" and look forward to the prom, etc. They also thought it was odd that I loved learning about the universe, atoms, and the microbial world. I was also always arguing politics with my father, who was a Democrat. I couldn't understand how he could vote for those people. He had taught us hard work, personal responsibility, etc., and he voted for socialists! I could never understand that type of thinking. I wasn't rebellious, just a rational thinker.

[LadyHuna]

I've posted a little bit about this before but I'd like to go into it some more. Since being a twin is so utterly defining in itself, one's own personality seems secondary to the "big picture" of the twin couplet. Growing up that was the truth, today its slowly washing away.
I was adament about having seperate friends from her. To her dismay, I guarded my group jealously and showed no pity towards her diminished circle in middle school. Ironically my need for approval in middle school (which ofcourse was at some level considering the age) was no where near her desperation to fit in and to not be seen with so little friends. But as it worked out, I was strategic about gaining friends, while she was emotional and invested in her friends (she therefore keeps up with many people from K-12 while I've dropped almost everyone).
Then to highschool, slowly I relented to incorporating her into my group. What has seemed so illogical all this time was my desperation for my own friends- but as I view it from an INTJ perspective, it was really the desire for my independence from her (and, I think, friends were the status symbol from her emphasis, not my own). And that is probably the root for all of my anger and frustration with her because I was especially frustrated to be aligned with an ENFP.
So my childhood cannot be seperated from my views of who I was in relation to who she was. I think our mutual friends viewed me as coldhearted and edgy and her as a true friend who understands and cares for people.
An interesting point was brought up earlier about grades vs. comprehension. I can definitely relate- I got mostly high scores for HS math exams but never did/turned in homework which always left me with low B's.

[dayguard]

As a child, I felt different from others. I needed very much to be emotionally validated by my parents. Didnt help that my brother, one year older than me always got the attention.

I would wish that I would enter to a entirely different world whereby people understood me(very much like this forum) every time I leave the cubicle of my school's toilet.

I did not know what to do during break times. I would pretend that my shoes were untied and occupy myself by tying up my shoe laces.

I was a joy to teachers. Quiet and obedient. Always top 3 in class, without really trying. I remember distinctly when I was 12, "So what's next for me? Go into secondary school, then university, then what?" The typical education route seems mundane as I was without a purpose.

Going into my teenage years, I deemed myself incompetent as a human being due to my obvious lack of social skills. Spent most of my teenage years trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Got into depression and dropped out of school.

Only recently learned that I will be weird to others no matter what. Writing/blogging is good therapy. Conveying what I really want to say is still hard but I am still learning. Social interaction is still an Achilles heel that I must overcome.

[thegnat]

I was an odd child - and disappointed my parents. I was shy, read constantly, and had an addiction to history and constant learning. I read history books and made notes (and this was not for class - this was on my own). They thought I should be a "normal teenager" and look forward to the prom, etc. They also thought it was odd that I loved learning about the universe, atoms, and the microbial world. I was also always arguing politics with my father, who was a Democrat. I couldn't understand how he could vote for those people. He had taught us hard work, personal responsibility, etc., and he voted for socialists! I could never understand that type of thinking. I wasn't rebellious, just a rational thinker.

Ah yes that reminds me - my parents always thought I should go to prom and all that be more "normal". This wasn't helped by my cousin being the *Classic* "normal" girly girl, boy crazy shopaholic, went to every school dance.

Gah! Democrats aren't socialists! But that's a different story and I hate getting into arguments over politics. Unfortunately I do care though.

The whole politics thing - I was just a rational thinker but went the opposite direction you did. The more I learned the more liberal I became. I started out conservative (honestly, when I look back on things I was conservative for a time) and the more I looked at both sides the more the liberal viewpoints fit my true values. It's really hard for me to see the "logic" of the other side on environmental issues.

[imoutofhere]

As a child I was more accepting of the people around me, and very incredibly INTJ. Early on, they thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't socialize or pay attention to the teacher, even though I still did my work without any problems. They tested me for ADD or something, but I showed their ignorant buts when they tested me and a handful of other kids for it.

In sixth grade, my teacher put me and the then best friend in a special program intended to draw introverts out. I guess that shows progress in that school towards understanding and accomodating introverts. From being mislabeled ADD, to getting it right but still thinking it can be cured... Of course, no later public school even tried in the slightest. Public jr. high and high school have zero care or tolerance for the individualization of students, if you stick out it annoys them. The teachers will mostly like you, but if you get a vice principal like the one's where I live, they won't care much for you and may even threaten to kick you out just for being different. I was a slacker out of depression, but there were even kids with high grades getting the same treatment, and I had test results that should have made the school look good even if my grades didn't.

As a teenager I became more F (that's the girl lifestyle afterall), which I largely attribute to my friends who started pushing me to hug them in the seventh grade leading to my being more emotional and caring. But, as loving as I became, I only got heartbroken quite a bit for it and continued to be odd and hard to understand, so I started working back towards detachment. I'm not saying I switched from INTJ to INFJ then back, but I was more openly affectionate and started to care for other people... More that the F was developed after they showed me that it was pleasant, and then that I'm now puting it aside because it has little use and because I learned the value of reserving my emotions for more deserving individuals. Hugs don't have the feeling to me now that they did as a teen, since it's still those old friends more likely to be hugged, and I only do it to be polite.

I may be the only INTJ in my family, but there's a lot of Thinkers in my family, so if I never had more extraverted friends, I never would have developed any Feeling.

[jtskinner]

Also, I have my whole future planned up. Do any other INTJ teenagers do that? Plus I get really angry, sometimes so angry I destroy whole friendships.

[imoutofhere]

Also, I have my whole future planned up. Do any other INTJ teenagers do that? Plus I get really angry, sometimes so angry I destroy whole friendships.


Some probably plan out their future, but I didn't and I'd imagine I'm not alone in taking my time to find my place.

And, on the anger part... Uh... Maybe you should go look up such things as Borderline Personality Disorder (which I have, so don't feel too bad), and... I can't remember... Mood swings like Borderline, but they last a lot longer... -.- Much more known than my own disorder making it weird not to remember... -.- *resorts to looking it up* Bipolar! Maybe your Borderline or Bipolar. I don't know of any other mood swing disorders, but there could be others, too.

[jtskinner]

How many INTJs are libertarian socialists aka anarchists? Down with government, let people rule themselves! I'll check that Borderline Personality Disorder out. I just checked it out and from what I read I probably have it, since I am prone to depression without reason, nervous breakdowns, I have a bad temper, etc.

[thegnat]

Also, I have my whole future planned up. Do any other INTJ teenagers do that? Plus I get really angry, sometimes so angry I destroy whole friendships.


Some probably plan out their future, but I didn't and I'd imagine I'm not alone in taking my time to find my place.

And, on the anger part... Uh... Maybe you should go look up such things as Borderline Personality Disorder (which I have, so don't feel too bad), and... I can't remember... Mood swings like Borderline, but they last a lot longer... -.- Much more known than my own disorder making it weird not to remember... -.- *resorts to looking it up* Bipolar! Maybe your Borderline or Bipolar. I don't know of any other mood swing disorders, but there could be others, too.

There's of course Manic and Depressive Personality Disorders. Manic and Depressive are like halves of Bipolar. So if you swing one way or the other, and don't really have any happy or sad swings respectively, then you might be depressive or manic.

I believe Bipolar disorder can be controlled with medication. I know friends of friends have taken meds for Biopolar disorder and I know these meds exist because one of my meds is also used for bipolar disorder. So I always joke it keeps me on an even keel.
Though it probably doesn't help that much at all...

I didn't plan my future at all. The only thing I knew is that I didn't want to be a doctor. I was actually thinking I'd go more molecular biology, bio, bio chem, pharmacology, orgo. But I found out that I dislike biology and hate orgo and disliked the biochem preview I got with orgo. And I found out I thoroughly enjoy the inorganic/physical side of chemistry.

[jtskinner]

Chemistry's cool. I'm top in my class in Biology.

[aelan]

I never played with dolls, only toy animals, and then I would make up some epic story in my head and follow it through. I never had friends over, which my parents thought was weird. In fact, when my parents found out that I never played at recess, only read, they sent a note to my teacher telling her that I wasn't allowed to read at recess- something about "retarding my social development." I read anyway.
In 5th grade I had this brilliant revelation when I realized that I was so into the books that I read, so connected to the characters, that they were like having friends, therefore I could just read on the playground instead of playing with the other kids- and still have a "social life". *[smiley=idea.gif] *Unfortunately, my teacher didn't see it that way, called a parent-teacher conference to discuss her concern at me not developing my social skilled, and banned me from bringing books on the playground. *(I didn't connnect these two events at the time, but shortly after I became obsessed with the idea that I was a loser because I wasn't "popular", and thought that without popularity I would never have any self-worth.)

Question: Even though we all know that INTJs were perfect angels... :shhh:
What were you guys usually scolded for as a child?
fighting with my younger sister (it was always my fault, even when it was self defense because my sister attacked me), the house being a mess, not practicing sports (I was a bench-warmer anyways, what was the point?), not getting straight A's (I wasn't exactly scolded, but it was made known that I wasn't living up to my 'full potential'), etc.

[Santana28]

I was an only child and i had a handful of "casual" friends who i never went anywhere with or did anything with... they simply came over from time to time (usually to take advantage of the lifestyle i had and they did not, in one way or another).

My dad told me once when i was 17, that he and my mother had thought i was gay because of my complete lack of interest in dating. Now of course, i was interested in the occasional boy... but logically i knew i was too young to be dating anyone so i didn't pursue it. That, and i was totally socially backwards anyways :)

My teenage years were spent for the most part in my bedroom watching historical programs or old WWII movies, or in the basement on my computer. We got the internet when i was 14 and that was pretty much where the next 4 years of my life were spent.

Now keep in mind i was completely depressed and lived in a very unhappy home.... i would stay up til 5am and sleep in til 6 pm during the summertime... just to avoid everyone. I was pretty much a complete hermit.

I HATED school with a fiery passion.... and despite my lack of effort, i still aced every test put in front of me so i never had bad grades. By Junior year i was dating someone who had been pursuing me for years... basically because he had a car and could give me a ride to school and back. I also had a crush on his best friend so i used him to get closer to him. That was basically the extent of our relationship... i was never attracted to him...

My parents encouraged me to do things with people but i never wanted to. They too had that "Oh my god!" moment when i actually chose to leave the house with a "friend." I never went to Prom, nor any social event. I dropped out of band because i didn't want to play at football games in marching band. I was in a few clubs... Electronics..Computer... Science... LOL. But we never really did anything and there was only a handful of people.

So basically, i gave my parents ZERO typical teenage problems... but a handful of other concerns. But i turned out just fine ;) I think.

[jtskinner]

As a child, I came up with the theory that there were many universes and they were all sandwiched on top of one another. I used to make epic adventures, sometimes I pretended my life was a book and most of my friends were imaginary I knew they weren't real but I liked to imagine having conversations with people like me in my head.

[Obstinate]

Also, I have my whole future planned up. Do any other INTJ teenagers do that? Plus I get really angry, sometimes so angry I destroy whole friendships.

Definitely. I spend hours thinking about my future, and I often wonder why I'm so anxious for it when college is at least 2 1/2 years away. I've got way too many casual friends, and I often try to get rid of the ones that make me feel really sad more than they realy should. I'd say I have about 8 really close friends, and I mostly spend my time playing things or guitar. I also have a bit of an obsessive quality in my nature, as once I really like something I become a bit obsessed with it, like listening to a song with a beautiful melody that's two minutes long for over an hour, the same song. Same goes for Scrubs, I watch that almost constantly. But I'm definitely not the INTJ scientist type, I'm not that much of an introvert I think.

[King K]

I'm 15 years old, I don't know if I'm a good example of a teenager INTJ.

I'm extremely introverted (I scored 100% introvert in the MBTI test, this does not surprise me), I hate to show my feelings, I barely smile, laugh or anything like that, even my face hurts when I smile, I'm serious.

I was often called a prodigy, I learned to read by myself with a "talking book" when I was 2 years old, learned the name and capitals of most countries in the world when I was 5, learned the nomenclature and composition of hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, etc...) when I was 6, but school ruined it for me.

I was constantly teased and called a nerd by everyone, this caused me to become a retard just to fit in society, I also got diagnosed with ADHD and OCD afterwards, but I got a bunch of friends this way.

So, I was a retard until middle school, that's when I decided to have my own way and ignore what everyone said, fortunately, the guys in my middle-school were mature enough to not to tease me, I actually had the best friends in my life.

It was just until 2007 when I really got into computers, I did everything just to learn more about computers.

I don't care too much about school grades, I only care about learning stuff, for me, school is just a "guide" and not my teacher, so I don't care too much about school, but it seems that I'm the kind of guy who doesn't put any effort to anything and gets perfect results, this has both its pros and cons.

My entire family is very talkative and extroverted, I can't stand the company of extroverts and those that are guided by feelings instead of reason, so I prefer to be alone in my room using the computer than to be with them, my traits and interests are much different than theirs, I'm all into computers, electronics and all that, while they simply prefer to be doing "fun" stuff.

For me, drawing, programming, designing stuff, 3D modeling, making websites, and all that is fun, but the rest of people think that I have no life and all that.

Sorry for my English, it's not my native language.

[yondyr]

lol, King, that's a damned good non-native language.
As a kid I was sooo lost, considered uneducable - turns out it was true..in a classroom situation. What's in my head, I put there, learning by myself, following interests, though the downside is I have vast voids where curiosity didn't lead me.

[Oica]

As a kid, for as far back as I can remember, I always preferred spending my time by myself as opposed to with other kids. They all seemed like uncouth, threatening barbarians. :P I spent almost all my time doing video games, PC stuff (back when DOS was all the rage, yessss! :3), reading, ect.

I ****HATED**** school with a burning rancor. I felt like I'd been tossed into some bizarre foreign land filled with neanderthals and incompetent and arbitrary adults as its rulers. XD

Teenage years were pretty much in the same avenue, except I added lots of art stuff and started spending a lot of time thinking about, like, things, and all that deep stuff most of the time.


This sounds like a summary of my life until now but beginning in 1991.

Fortunately, i have a group of friends (about 8) that i've been able to stick with for 3 years.

[Maitri1970]

I scored as an INTJ for the pass few months and I can't find a reliable resource that describes what INTJs are like as teenagers or children, so just what are they like? Do they fit the nerd/bookworm stereotype like I do? Do any INTJs have Asperger's Syndrome(I scored 42 AQ)?
My mother tells me I was very willful, highly observant, but also withdrawn. Every photo I see myself in as a child, I look like a total clown. No color coordination whatsoever. When I asked my mother about this, she told me I was so willful that I wouldn't let anyone dress me. She decided that as long as I was comfortable, I could wear whatever I wanted. I also had a habit of running around without underpants on and peeing in the backyard but that's another story. I was an odd duck.

I wanted to check out a book on death when I was in the 2nd grade. The librarian immediately wanted to help me pick out a "happy" book. I didn't want a happy book. I wanted to read the book about death. I didn't think there was anything wrong with that and thought the librarian was trying to mother me. I resented that.

[Hdier]

Well, Im still a teenager. Im still 14. I like to be ALONE, for a great amount of time. I only have few friend's that I talk with ( Tecnology, Military, Racism, Strategy) that's what we only talk about. Sometimes youl find us, sitting in the benches, reading.... and reading, and reading, and reading some more. I don't talk much, to get me laughing is quite a feat. To get me talking is a miracle.... I only lead, in group's of 3, And when nobody want's to lead. And, when I was taking my social studies class, my teacher told me, what's my opinion on Christianity. I just said " Do you really want to know?". And being the teacher she was, she said "Yes". I told her "To say the truth, we'd be better of without it, There's no scientific proof that Yahve actually exist's, And it was the cause of many war's, so I don't care at all about Christianity, it's just the oil to the fire". You can imagine what my classmates, thought about that...

I'm 14 as well, and apart from better apostrophy usage, I'm basically the same. The only difference is that it's easy to get me talking in a one-on-one situation, if it is the right topic. Also, I hate organized religion, but not religion itself.

Also, I love showing off my expertise (or at least, that's what I make it seem to my peers) whenever I get the chance. Word choice, I have found, can be much more affective than actuall knowledge. Though, in the subjects that I don't specialize in I rarely put more that three words together.

[Danisty]

I ****HATED**** school with a burning rancor. I felt like I'd been tossed into some bizarre foreign land filled with neanderthals and incompetent and arbitrary adults as its rulers. XDMy entire childhood was full of incompetent authority figures. My parents had to fight with the school many times over the things teachers had said or done. Actually, I think my life is still filled with incompetent authority figures. In elementary school, I made a couple of friends, but found out after a good bit of heartache that they were really just using and manipulating me for their own entertainment. I stopped trusting people. I hated sports and the community I grew up in was very sports-oriented. I think the only decent friend I had in elementary school was a boy who was as fond of science as I was. It didn't take long for that to start having adverse effects on my life as well since people made all kinds of weird-ass assumptions about why a white girl was playing with a black boy.

When I got into middle school, I made some acquaintances but kept them all at a distance. The friends I did start making were all at least 2 grades ahead of me. Middle school was probably the worst time in my life. At least in elementary school, I was ignorant of what other children were doing, but in middle school I was aware enough to see the nasty games they were playing. I can't tell you how many times I ended up in the counselor's office being told that we should "all just try to get along" after some incident where someone stole something from me or bullied me, or whatever. I'm still not sure why I should try to get along with such people. :rolleyes:

High school was much better. I found my group of losers. All of the misfits and rejects banded together and like someone else mentioned, I ended up being the leader simply because I was bolder than everyone else. Basically, I had gotten sick of being pushed around and found that scaring other people was a really effective way of getting them to leave me alone. So I had my freak friends and everyone else just hated us and we didn't care. In high school, I got very adventurous despite my introversion. I was no longer afraid of standing out (and if anyone said anything about it, I'd just verbally tear them to shreds...it actually became quite fun to "break" people mentally). I was also sexually adventurous and basically the most "perverted" chick in school. I was always one of the guys but perfectly willing to remind them that I wasn't really a guy. I was more popular with the unpopular guys because I was more open to things that interested them like comic books, roleplaying, video games, and porn.

I was basically a perfect child until I hit 15 and then I was hell. I even ran away with the carnival once. When I was 17, I threw myself at a 29 year old suicidal, alcoholic ex-marine who I met at a live audience-participation viewing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show...lol. I don't regret any bit of it at all. In fact, those years might be the only years from my childhood that I'm proud of.

[Antares]

1. They have vivid imaginations yep
2. They're curious about everything, and are always asking "Why?" +
3. They enjoy spending time one-on-one with others, rather than in large groups+
4. They're often off in their own world, and have a dreamlike quality+
5. They enjoy art and music - No, I don't enjoy art. I love music though
6. They love books, and especially enjoy fiction ... Books, sure. I hate fiction.
7. They're likely to hang back and watch before participating in a social situation +Most of the time
8. They're intensely private, and don't always share their thought and feelings100% + Totally
9. They like structure and are unsettled by chaos or unplanned events +
10. They prefer sports that focus on individual performance rather than team sportstennis, +
11. They are perfectionists + I'm obssessive...
12. They're serious and intense +
13. They often seem older than they are, and may have older friends + lol. People say I'm premature.
14. They are original and independent, and value their uniqueness + Of course
15. They're not overly concerned with grades, but they want to completely understand a subject that interests them - I love my grades and I'll be devastated if I get a bad grade, but they're not of absolute importance

+ is affirmative
- is negative

I'm 14 right now. I have a rebellious streak and like to question everything I'm told. Not to sound arrogant, but to me, if you want me to trust you, you have to earn it. It's the same with respect. In my parents' culture, you are to pay absolutely reverence to your parents and utmost respect to your elders, but I find that quite difficult to do. Most adults I know are... Unworthy. Most of them are irrational, undisciplined and have little self control. Many of my mother's colleagues have no purpose in their lives except work during the day and drink themselves silly at night. They don't think about the world and have no interest in issues bigger than their wallet. They make despicable errors that I imagined could only come from fools. I'm frank and blunt and give a little if my criticisms are unwelcome in others' ears. I know so many people who told me to criticize their work and respond with denial after I did. They only know what they want to hear, and not what they need to hear. I guess I'm your typical teenager. As of now, I think most of the world is shallow and superficial. Sorry for being pessimistic, but that's what I think. Let's move on to other aspects...

I believe in reason over feelings and value justice higher than mercy, but fairness to me is the most important. I'm goal-oriented and have a clear idea of who I want to be (regardless if I make it). Success gives me a great satisfaction and failure easily damages my ego. I don't believe in wearing your heart on your sleeves. I love to be right (even though that's probably a bad trait) and I love to argue, but I lose gracefully if I do and admitting that I was wrong is the first thing I do. I like those who can admit their failure or ignorance readily and I do not believe in indulgence. I find temptations hard to ignore sometimes but I'm working to overcome them.

My social circle consists of two to three dozen friends (and about ten are quite close), but with only two do I feel particularly in sync with. I like to discuss 'big' issues with my friends and I often run out of people who would listen to me because I was 'boring' and 'ancient'. I only really value two or three of them as my 'true friends' because they are the only ones I truly enjoy being with.

[Pinkie]

Am I the only INTJ who actually loved school? I really did! I mean, primary school wasn't easy, because children are, by and large, evil, but I enjoyed learning things so it was never a problem. I wasn't ever lonely, even when no-one talked to me, because I was making things up in my head, or reading in the library. And once I got to grammar school I found some friends who didn't understand me, necessarily, but accepted me anyway, and again, I loved the learning! I loathed the incompetent teachers, but there weren't very many of them, and I ignored anyone else I disliked.

I think I'm just lucky. My family are all IXTX, so I've always had that sort of background which allowed me to feel confident in myself and so not care what other people said.

[ushop]

I was so quiet my parents made rounds of the apartment to make sure I was still there. I never understood why kids my age were so loud; I always chose to sit alone with books or drawing materials to pass the time.

I guess that made me an easy target for bullying. I fought back a bit in junior high, but I couldn't say much - I was so scared of drawing attention that I wouldn't ask for a bathroom pass or to use the water fountain. In HS, I eventually decided 99.9% of people weren't worth my time. And despite being depressed and lonely those years, the worst cry I ever had was over a class conflict that forced me to choose between AP Italian and AP US Govt and Politics.

[Antares]

Am I the only INTJ who actually loved school? I really did! I mean, primary school wasn't easy, because children are, by and large, evil, but I enjoyed learning things so it was never a problem. I wasn't ever lonely, even when no-one talked to me, because I was making things up in my head, or reading in the library. And once I got to grammar school I found some friends who didn't understand me, necessarily, but accepted me anyway, and again, I loved the learning! I loathed the incompetent teachers, but there weren't very many of them, and I ignored anyone else I disliked.

I think I'm just lucky. My family are all IXTX, so I've always had that sort of background which allowed me to feel confident in myself and so not care what other people said.

I actually like school, if I didn't have to encounter so many evil teachers :D I was largely bullied in elementary school, found myself a loner for the best of middle school when work was easy and now in high school I find myself harboring a great resentment to my English teacher, although it should be known that I've never had a good English teacher in my life. My French teacher last year was a disaster. No one liked her, which probably says something about how fair I am in my judgment. I was one of the only ones who actually stood up to her though, and I weaseled my way out of punishments and detentions , which was surprising (because, even though my accusations and my anger are likely to be justified by any of my sane peers, she would have found a way to punish me anyway).

My social life is, and always will be a disaster. Even though I'm by no means lacking friends. In fact, I have quite a lot of them, but what's the point of having friends if you can't bring yourself to like them? What's the point of friendship when you can't even be yourself? My friends are like that. If you try to go into 'deeper' issues, they turn their heads on you and you're pretty much out of the conversation.

You weren't joking when you said you're lucky! My dad's an ESFP, and my mother's an ISFJ and I have a hard time understanding them sometimes.

[Danisty]

Am I the only INTJ who actually loved school? I really did! I mean, primary school wasn't easy, because children are, by and large, evil, but I enjoyed learning things so it was never a problem. I wasn't ever lonely, even when no-one talked to me, because I was making things up in my head, or reading in the library. And once I got to grammar school I found some friends who didn't understand me, necessarily, but accepted me anyway, and again, I loved the learning! I loathed the incompetent teachers, but there weren't very many of them, and I ignored anyone else I disliked.

I think I'm just lucky. My family are all IXTX, so I've always had that sort of background which allowed me to feel confident in myself and so not care what other people said.I love learning, but school itself? It sucked. The teachers were idiots, the other kids were idiots, the principals were idiots. If I could have been home schooled, I would have been the happiest kid on the planet. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option when I was a kid. Nobody was home schooling and we couldn't get the board of education to approve it. We were told I had no choice but to go to either public or private school.

[ThrowerMatt]

This is amazing. I almost perfectly fit into every single one of those categories!

[Learning]

I didn't like school. I loved playing/exploring outside in the dirt, mud, plants, etc. One of my favorite subjects was Science, but I hated school. Montessori probably would have been GREAT! That list that was posted...ding ding ding! That's got it.

[Cuivienen]

When I was younger (now I`m nineteen) I always used to have 2-3 friends who were basically the only ones I would talk to. I was extremely nervous talking to anyone else (my age) and used to be upset when I got into classes where I didn`t "know anyone". When I was in the first 8 years of school or so I never used to really notice, I always loved to read or make up stories and I had my close friends, so I really didn`t care.

Many of the other students at my school were very upper middle class and spent a great deal of their time talking about money, expensive clothes and later, cars, so they were basically not worth my time and respect. Somehow grown-ups, especially educated ones, usually like me and are impressed with me, though.

School was basically boring most of the time, even though I went to a preppy private school most subjects weren`t interesting enough for me to bother putting up a real effort and I was usually better the higher the difficulty level was; I got good ór very good grades I never cared about even if I didn`t do my homework, so why the hell should I spend my time studying for subjects like Religious Education and Social Studies? I prefered to spend my time reading literature of all kinds and finding out everything about things I was interested in.

When I was 13 puberty happened and I had a 2-3 year long "F"-phase" and started being upset with myself for being so shy. People told me that I never looked people in the eye when talking to them and I know I was often reallý nervous when talking to classmates, which of course they noticed. I noticed that I was different but didn`t quite know how and why. It also didn`t help that I really didn`t care for gossip, fashion, boys or soap operas.

Then, in tenth grade, I went on a week-long cross-country skiing trip with a teacher and a bunch of my yearmates (+ my best friend). In the course of that trip we got to know 3 or 4 other students I had never previously noticed before. When we got back home we met on a weekend, they brought their friends and we brought ours and we all got along well. Since then our group has widened, by now we`re about 18 or so (boys and girls), and among them are some of the most interesting, intelligent, different people I know (among them are a few NTs whom I like talking to and debating with especially).

The fact that I now knew more people improved my social skills and let me enjoy the last couple of years. They were rather similar to me in many ways and accepted me the way I was. Somehow I always seemed to be closer to the boys than the girls though: When there is a party at somebody`s house you will usually find me with 3 or 4 of the boys, debating politics, philosophy or literature while the other girls talk about shopping.

By now I like spending time with (some) people, but when I do I am usually exhausted afterwards and have to spend at least as much time alone to regain new energy, usually behind the closed door of my room or now appartment. Luckily my introvert parents (INTP and INFJ) could relate and never made me feel weird for being me.

[HarleyQuinn]

As a child, I was quite happy engaging in social activities (as long as the groups were small. Up to say 5-6 people) but I also had a strong love of sports and would quickly throw myself into games going on (even playing with kids a grade higher than me).

I was somewhat introverted (I'd eat lunch with my best friend and we would trade lunches) but not always. I often had a group of friends around me, usually 3-4 kids. In pre-school, my friends and I got the nickname of "The Three Musketeers" because we were always together. I do remember spending recesses in 3rd grade just talking with my teacher and picking his brain while the other kids would be playing outside.

School was alright, although up until Sr. year of high school I was a total slacker and didn't put it any effort because I either didn't care for the class or got an A without trying. It started getting to the point where my mother was asking if I had any desire to go to college b/c of my apathy (I disliked history and science which were required).

As far as emotions... I totally wore my emotions on my sleeve and kinda still do sometimes (although I've become far less open about displaying them). I'm quick to smile but I remember I'd be just as quick to cry or complain to somebody else if I was excluded from an activity. I remember, one instance in middle school where I openly started crying in gym class because somebody cut in line in front of me (in my defense, we were trying out the uneven bars). Although I also remember it was more out of frustration because I couldn't rectify the situation.

Like others, I was extremely independent in terms of choosing what clothes to wear, etc. I cringe when I look back at old family pictures.

I too got teased although I got along with most people. I mostly got teased for avoiding people and one year I was appointed to do the school announcements with another classmate. We're walking through the halls (he's talking to 2 girls) and I'm well ahead of them and he said, "Dave, why are you walking so fast? Scared of us?" teasing me about how fast I walk. I still walk fast due to habit (I don't like being "slow" in general) and because it minimizes the time to interact with other people. I was never physically teased but just verbally.

I was also fiercely loyal to my friends. Fierce to the point that I'd step up to bullies if my friends were being targeted just because of my attitude of, "Fine to mess with me but look at a friend wrong and there will be hell to pay." The most heartbreaking thing I can remember is that I was talking with my parents about my best friends back in Mansfield. It had been about six years since I moved to Sudbury (moved there when I was 10) and my father was telling me how they were still being bullied (they were in high school) and one of them got threatened with a knife. The only thing I could think was, "I wish I was there to stand up for them" even if it meant getting harmed myself. I hadn't been in contact with them at all since I was 10 but I still felt this anger that someone was trying to hurt my best friends.

It's burning me up just thinking about it... Anyway, that was me as a child (and largely as a teenager).

[Anges]

It always amazes me that a test can be so accurate. Each and every one of those fifteen points fit me perfectly when I was younger, and even now.

[Oath]

Although I have occasionally questioned the accuracy of my INTJ designation, I have consistently tested as such over the past two years.

By the way, I just turned 17, so I should be able to answer this question pretty accurately..

I have few substantial memories from my earliest years (<5), but my mother has described as one who even then was very reserved and diligent. I drew and colored pictures, played with action figures, endured a love for the Power Rangers, et cetera. I'm not sure whether INTJs are typically classified as 'indoorsy' types, but I certainly wasn't: I loved running around and playing on my jungle gym (again, not sure if that's really an oddity).

Mid-Childhood (5-10) encompassed my obsession with Pokémon (which was typical of the time period: late '90s-early '00s). I guess it's telling of my INTJ nature that I loved the organization and specification of different types of Pokémon, the fact that they were put in numbered order, and so on. I played a lot of video games during this time in my life - Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 were (and still are) two of my favorites. :D

I was definitely much more open to socializing during this era than in my pre-teen years. I wonder from time-to-time if there was some definitive moment that caused me to close myself off from a substantial chunk of my peers during middle school, but I've yet to pin-point an event..

Anyway, during my mid-childhood I was pretty receptive to others, but I was definitely always considered the 'smart' one that was the most reserved. Despite that label, I had a substantial amount of friends.

It was during middle school (when I was 10-13) that my INTJ personality really became apparent. While I still maintained a small group of neighborhood friends during this time, I knew that the majority of them did not relate well to me and we weren't really 'compatible,' so to speak. I pretty much lost all contact with any other friends I had in elementary school... I spent a lot of time on the computer, and basically posted on anime forums (where I made a lot of online friends). I did find some kids in school with the same interests as me, however. For the record, I maintained top grades during this era (I wasn't one of those kids who was trying to drop out of society or whatever).

My teen years (14-present) have been vastly different from my awkward, onset-of-puberty phase that I experienced during middle school. I maintained top grades in honors and AP classes and was ranked in the top ten of my class, captained the Varsity Cross-Country and Track teams, was a National Honor Society board member, and so on. In many ways, I'm the stereotypical high school overachiever. I'm unsure whether this behavior is typical of the INTJ (from other posts I've read in this thread, it doesn't seem that way).

By the time I was in 10th grade, I had found my 'niche group,' and definitely opened myself up socially the most I had since my childhood. I guess a good way to place an image of my 'status' in high school is by describing the Senior Superlative I won: Best-Kept Secret. "Best-Kept Secret" is someone considered 'cool' to hang out with, but not necessarily the most well-known.

Still, I recognize that I'm naturally more introverted than extroverted, although I am increasingly considering myself an ambivert. I definitely possess the cool rationality of the INTJ and absorb information like a sponge. I analyze EVERYTHING to no end, and I'm not exactly proud of it.

While I'm still young, I think I've begun to develop my extroverted and feeling sides more, but I realize I'll probably never get them to the point of my natural functions. I mean, the fact that I'm even posting on an online forum is telling of the traits I hold at my core.

[The Many]

Interesting topic, I've been intending to post it myself actually.

As a child I was pretty much like most other children, even though I was noted for knowing a lot of things even back then - my first "knowledge system" as these MBTI tests will say INTJs have was cars, which later turned into animals (especially dinosaurs and various kinds of fish - in fact I have only recently started to re-discover the beauty of nature) and then sports, which I quite enjoyed until I became ten years old or so. Then my interests turned inwards and I got more interested in books, especially fantasy, and I started losing my childhood friends. It was also during that period that the abilities of my mind started to show even in school, which made me even more differentiated from other kids. Of course, being as private as I was didn't help either.

Then my areas of interest progressed into all kinds of nerderies in my early teen years, I got into playing Warhammer (I even designed a new fantasy miniatures game, complete with a world to set it in at 14), I read other fantasy stuff, played computer games and such things all the time. I was essentially a fat, spotty and obnoxious teenager entirely without social skills and any understanding of people whatsoever, so it quite amazes me that I didn't get teased about it. I was quite arrogant, self-confident (or rather self-aware, since I did better in school than most everyone else as well) and verbally vicious though, and not that bad at sports, so I was probably never seen as weak enough to bully. Fortunately. However I was also essentially friendless, as is quite easy to understand in hindsight, which was driving me into my first bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts.

Suddenly, at 15, I started wondering why I wasn't doing anything more real-world constructive with my time than living in fantasy worlds, so I sold all my Warhammer models and I started getting more interested in music as well as in the real world. I was a total metalhead in my mid-teens, I spent a lot of time on forums, but I managed to find some friends in real life too, as well as getting involved in a couple of stories with girls (some of which are quite hilarious and may deserve a thread of their own). I was never particularly happy about anything though, and even suffered through some longer periods of depression and being suicidal, especially after a strange story with the one girl I actually fell in love with.

All the time I kept my grades high, and my last year in high school (I'm 19 now, graduated last year) I spent a lot of time reading philosophy and essentially paying deep attention to the outside world. I have also taken quite an interest in art and have been involved in a drama/theater group, which has been a very nice experience. In the end I was even awarded a stipendium when graduating due to my high grades (I made that one of my long-term goals early on) and "development of knowledge", as they had it - most of which was never due to school. The depressive periods also seem to have ended with my deeper understanding of things, due to the confidence I have found in my understanding. I even think that having spent all my life as a depressed outcast has made me appreciate things a lot more than the more well-adjusted people would. I still don't have many friends, but I can live with that - after all I am still quite picky.

[Hdier]

Am I the only INTJ who actually loved school? I really did! I mean, primary school wasn't easy, because children are, by and large, evil, but I enjoyed learning things so it was never a problem. I wasn't ever lonely, even when no-one talked to me, because I was making things up in my head, or reading in the library. And once I got to grammar school I found some friends who didn't understand me, necessarily, but accepted me anyway, and again, I loved the learning! I loathed the incompetent teachers, but there weren't very many of them, and I ignored anyone else I disliked.

I think I'm just lucky. My family are all IXTX, so I've always had that sort of background which allowed me to feel confident in myself and so not care what other people said.

I'd love school, except that it's holding me back. They move to slowly, and I can't get the quality learning of a one-on-one teaching in the group teaching that I want and need. Plus, I have to wake up at 6:00 every weekmorning.

[ssfanatic]

I am a teenage INTJ and its not that difucult. One good friend is plenty to be able to cope with the trials of adolescents. Though a friend that is your age and also an INTJ is rare.
And that freakin lists makes my skin crawl bec is describes me so well!

[niffer]

There are two classmates (the same age as me) I have that have confirmed to be INTJs. One of them is somewhat extroverted, but still obviously an INTJ, and the other one is more the typical INTJ, but very mild-mannered.

The two INTJs are friends, and in my school they are never harassed for how they are. The more extroverted one is sometimes snickered at for his thoughts when he shares them in class discussions, but nothing more than that. They aren't "popular", but have their own circle of friends and are generally liked. They have a bit of an eccentric sense of humour that usually revolves around politics or FPS gaming, but it is still understandible and amusing (at least by me; the general population isn't too familiar with it though). They both are somewhat mysterious and private, and keep their dignity.

I'd say they are about as intelligent as I am, although I get better grades than them. The mild-mannered one is a bit of a genius at math, and is very good at the sport ultimate (Frisbee with rules). The somewhat extroverted one is into flash animation and is pretty good at it too, and also swims competitively. They both seem to be quite creative. They pursue topics of personal interest very deeply, on top of having at least surface knowledge of most everything else. I seem to have about equal intuition as them. The more introverted one seems to be the more innocent one.

I talked to them more last year, and I still do a little this year. The extroverted one talks to me a bit more outside of school. My interactions with them are brief. They do something which I have seen in few people, which is they tend to look me directly in the eye, and deeply. I think we see the N in each other. The more introverted one, when I look at him, will look at me once, then look to the side. When we interact, we usually talk while positioned shoulder to shoulder. I know that I am not really in his social circle, so I respect his privacy. The more extroverted one can go very ENTP on me and is almost always smiling, which may be odd for his type. When he interacts with me, he not only looks directly into my eyes, but holds his gaze (it kind of seems like he wants to eat me). He goes speechless and becomes very amused when the cheekiness and validity of my logic trumps his. Ulitmately, I don't know very much about these two though.

[gebstone]

i totally agree with the observations. a pity my teachers dont know about this and keep trying to get me to do the opposite, akin to a fish out of water. i plan on enlightening them about that soon. haha!

[Sylvanus]

I'd love school, except that it's holding me back. They move to slowly, and I can't get the quality learning of a one-on-one teaching in the group teaching that I want and need. Plus, I have to wake up at 6:00 every weekmorning.

See if your district has a 'Running Start' or similar program that allows you to take college classes in high school for both high school and college credit for no cost. Sometimes they aren't available until Junior year, but it is well worth it. I procrastinated too much and never signed up for it when I was in high school, I'm still kicking myself for it.





Sylvanus added to this post, 57 minutes and 44 seconds later...

I have always been a bit of a loner, I tried to be like the other kids but I wasn't very good at it. Sometimes I just gave up and did my own thing, but as I got older I felt weird being by myself in public. I have always treated people as 'take it or leave it', never growing attached to anyone. I shouldn't have been surprised that people would treat me the same way. I get along with people really well, but I tire of their presence rapidly. It wasn't until high school that I found friends that fit my style well. All my friends were the metalheads, the punks, the smokers and other 'counter-culture' type people. We could just hang out during lunch, not go anywhere or do anything and I could sit there not talking to anyone and looking like I was fitting in. After school of course I headed straight home, and never talked to anyone outside of school. I went to Homecoming my freshman year, hated it. Never went to any dances ever again.
[That's the I part, now for the rest of the NTJ]

I learned to read by myself before kindergarten by listening to books on tape with the books in front of me. In elementary school my teachers often thought I had hearing problems. Even though I still hear better than average, I would zone out several times a day, often while reading or doing schoolwork I would be so engrossed in what I was doing that I wouldn't hear the teacher calling my name or talking to me. By 5th grade I was so bored with school that I stopped caring/trying. School went too slow and the first 2 months of school was reviewing the things we learned the last year. I read constantly outside of school and had learned all the material in my textbooks well ahead of time, on top of reading my own books. I coasted through middle and high school, getting mostly B's and C's, never putting in any effort. I didn't make the mistake my older sister did taking honors classes: 3 times the work, but the material wasn't significantly more challenging. Why waste the time? In high school, I discovered the Internet, and I was able to greatly supplement my thirst for knowledge that way. I learned HTML and created lots of random websites for fun. The only classes I ever put any effort into were my C++ class and my photography class. These classes were the only ones I ever took in my entire 12 years of school that both challenged me and interested me. Band challenged me because I have no natural aptitude for music, but it did not interest me. For some reason I stayed in it for 5 years while hating it the entire time.

[Hdier]

See if your district has a 'Running Start' or similar program that allows you to take college classes in high school for both high school and college credit for no cost. Sometimes they aren't available until Junior year, but it is well worth it. I procrastinated too much and never signed up for it when I was in high school, I'm still kicking myself for it.

:chuckles: In my last class (I'm in school right now, but don't have a class) we were just told about this...however, I have to wait until I'm sixteen (for the ones on the college campus). The ironic thing is that I'm about to do this, but it is college credit while I'm taking a High School class...no more challenging or fast-paced then normal.

[Jedi_sena]

I was telling my mom about the description for INTJs and how much I identify w/ the aspects citing recent examples of my behavior. My mom listened with much interest and kept saying, "that's how you were as a child too" and would occasionally cite examples from my childhood. Apparently, little has changed.

[Hdier]

My mom told me that the first time we went to a swimming pool, I waited outside for about 10 minutes to observe everyone before getting in myself.

[Jedi_sena]

I tried to take my queues from the adults moreso than my peers. I was always thinking of whether we could get injured or punished for participating.

[Blacklustre King]

Unfortunately thanks to my INTJ personality I was questioning the reliability of text book material by the third grade and absolutely refused to pursue my education at the whim of the state government.

I quietly turned my back on the system and educated myself, even now I’ am intellectually superior to everyone I know personally.

My problem is the flaws in the system, I cannot conscious ably apply myself to a broken system. It is illogical and inefficient to knowingly damage my own integrity by giving into the popular conception that a public provided or private education is the only means of attaining any degree of respectable skill or intellect.

I’ am a high school drop out and I’ am proud to say that I’ am now co-manager of a multi million dollar project not including what shadowy manipulations I have sewed in just my own community with my militaristic organization. I’ am the personification of an individualistic mastermind and personally I want to keep it that way for “higher education” is a criterion far beneath me.

My high intellect at a young age did not help my ability to have friends either, I did not understand sadness or anger nor did I, or do I really care. I used friends more as subjects of study rather then companions meant for fun and merriment.

The kid who cannot see the world as a kid should, more a subject of study and improvement. Every system and every process bounces around in my head and at any one time I can dismantle and reconfigure a broken system better and more efficient then it ever was before. I was comforted when I came across the Jung/Myer’s/Briggs personality test for it finally allowed me to view in vivid description the very personality I define.

My contingency is infinitely flexible; the world is my play ground.

[Zilal]

As a kid I was mostly quiet, often silly or goofy, constantly reading and inventing worlds and games. I had a few friends. I was very empathetic, never wanted to hurt anyone's feelings, and a bit morally righteous. I got along well with authority figures. If I was criticized for anything it was probably mostly for being slow, taking my time doing things, daydreaming, being unfocused. We got a computer when I was young and I taught myself to program and started making games.

As a teenager I was very dorky, had periods with no friends, wouldn't open up, was generally depressed and hated school, which I dropped out of a couple times. Still respected authority though, still goofy and creative and bright, but not the finest period of my life.

My social skills did improve a great deal between then and now... now they're uneven (still bad at small talk) but generally quite good. But I'm 30 now and only just starting to open up!

[Sylvanus]

:chuckles: In my last class (I'm in school right now, but don't have a class) we were just told about this...however, I have to wait until I'm sixteen (for the ones on the college campus). The ironic thing is that I'm about to do this, but it is college credit while I'm taking a High School class...no more challenging or fast-paced then normal.

Unfortunately thanks to my INTJ personality I was questioning the reliability of text book material by the third grade and absolutely refused to pursue my education at the whim of the state government.
...
I’ am a high school drop out and I’ am proud to say that I’ am now co-manager of a multi million dollar project not including what shadowy manipulations I have sewed in just my own community with my militaristic organization. I’ am the personification of an individualistic mastermind and personally I want to keep it that way for “higher education” is a criterion far beneath me.


I agree with Blacklustre King that a public education is essentially worthless. However, the piece of paper that says you graduated is extremely valuable. Hdier (and all you other high schoolers), I felt your pain (like many others here) about the boring classes that are beneath your potential. It sucks but it is well worth it. Not everyone is able to be like Blacklustre here and get a good job with no diploma. Jobs like this require experience and knowledge. It is hard (not impossible) to get experience without a degree, but it is easier to just coast through school, get the piece of paper, and get on with your life. Coasting through college is easy, but definitely more interesting than high school. I have an assignment due in 45 minutes that I haven't even looked at what I'm supposed to do, and I'm sitting here browsing forums, but I know I'll get it in on time and get a good grade.

[slut poacher]

the social awkwardness growing up definitely applies, was always a bit of a loner, my grades were always lousy, i slept a lot in class to prevent the impending psychotic episode that was being provoked by the mindnumbingness found in most classrooms, i was always told before finals that there was no way i could pass the class unless i scored 100 on the final. i always passed the class. i always looked at trying to get good grades in school as "why bother" what good is this watered down crap going to do for me later on? i can honestly say that a public school education didnt teach me anything of value after grade 8. technical training at college later on in the field of my choice was a pleasure. straight A-s. in high school i was an almost an outcast, a couple things that were different for me than most on is site are: 1.i dont qualify as a geek, (i am a geek under the skin) i was always too big to be messed with. it was a bit different before i was 15, i would get bullied by a few of the less intelligent seniors, the smarter ones who would have otherwise bullied me probably said to themselves: hey this kid is only 14 he might come looking to even things up in a few years, i did even things up with all the dumb ones, my brother, 5 years younger, also a big guy and an intj never had any of these issues. the mention of my name to a bully resulted in the bully giving up his lunch money so it never got back to me. i had a reputation as some kind of psycho-killer which was totally undeserved. i never caused anyone any trouble and stuck to my own little circle of friends, i just wasnt going to put up with any high school wannabe alpha-male jock bullshit. 2.i was/am a jock, baseball,rugby,football, by the time football came around i was pretty much done with team sports, i only got involved after much groveling from the vice principal (also the coach) to join the team, i really wasnt interested in the game but the team came to rely on my abilities on the field. which was a get out of jail free card for me, i couldnt be suspended because that meant that i couldnt play. i used this to maximum advantage. being on the team was rather strange, i was fraternizing with the enemy, to be on the team was to be popular, to be one of the star players was something else again. the team attempted to bring me into the inner circle, i was disgusted by what i saw. the players had been hoisted up onto some sort of social pedestal because they chased an oblong ball around in the mud, and this gave them the right to treat those they considered to be uncool like shit. i stayed on the team to take advantage of my situation with the coach. but i put an end to me being in the social circle, i had no desire to become what these jock douchebags were aspiring to be. 3.i got heavily involved in bmx (freestyle) the friends i made who rode were all real individuals looking to do their own thing but without having to do it alone. i could take all my pent up frustrations and get on my bike and everything was ok again. even after 20 years, the bike (i still ride 38 years old,still pretty good) and the friends are still with me. these 2 things are probably the most positive things i have from growing up and i dont intend to give up either any time soon.

[desg90]

I'm about to turn 18 and my life fits with almost every word in many psychological profiles.

So... starting from my childhood...
Mom and dad say that I was able to solve three simple puzzles at the same time when I was a mere toddler. That really amazed them. I can only remember a Bambi puzzle that was way too simple (but fun, nonetheless) to solve. :p

Same goes for the cube with holes where you put colorful figures in it.
(I can't remember why I did it, but boring as it was, I never tired of it).

I still have my Snoopy and Mickey Mouse Encyclopedias.
I loved the first tome of Snoopy's Set: The Human Body. :laugh:
I was mesmerized by the bone and nervous system sections.
I didn't know how to read yet, but I continued looking at those structures.
Today, one of my favorite subjects is... yes, you guessed right: biology. ;)

Later on, I was (and still am) forced by my parents to excel academically, which hasn't been too difficult, excepting anything involving numbers. School has always been boring and teachers very silly (no matter how qualified or how interesting their subjects may be). Since Kindergarten, I've always been a homework procrastinator. Damn! I hate that thing! It's a real waste of time! :yuck:

When I grew up, I admired the Genius Boy's cartoons.
Dexter, the pompous know it all.
Jimmy, the big-headed boy with lousy adventures.
A few evil geniuses, as well. :cool:

I started imitating their style and yes... I was continuously told I was too arrogant and pompous. So, after being reprehended for too much time, I changed tactics and, instead of compulsively seeking congratulations on my knowledge and wisdom, I became very reserved and socially awkward (much more awkward, I mean). I retired to the library almost on every recess. My obsession on books caused some librarians to scold me on my social isolation. They even encouraged me to stop reading! :thinking: There was a time when my parents took my favorite books away from me as a cruel punishment. :suspicious:

Speaking of obsessions, I was a pokémaster as well.
When there were only 151, I was able to recite their names in numerical order. I had almost "caught 'em all". And when the second versions arrived, I became a fantastic breeder. Those creatures were born with amazing attacks when they hatched. I always won the pokécontests and all that nerdy stuff. Ahh... the good ol' days! :lovestruck:

Anyway, it has always been very difficult for me to make acquaintances, much less friends. I just can't help but feel aversion towards a neighbor calling on the door or the skin of the person sitting next to me. I don't become mad because of it. It just drains me. :blank:

Maybe it was this attitude that gained me the tittle of "that insufferable and perfectionist know it all" during primary school and junior high. ;D

By the way, I've been changing schools almost every year since primary school because I'm not satisfied with their systems. My mom appreciates my academic potential and always agreed to change me to another private school if I didn't feel comfortable enough.

Until... I found out about the French academic system...
I initially wanted to learn French and immediately change of school (as always). But, something about it made me change my mind... Was it the challenging exigence from the teachers? Was it their being competent? Was it the elitism? Was it the liberal environment? Was it the fact that they value abstract thoughts and logical deduction above all skills? Maybe it was all of them. :lovestruck:

Now, I'm studying over excruciatingly long hours, but I always manage to go on. Not because of my parents' efforts to pay the school... but out of pride. I'm one of the best students in most classes (a teacher's pet, more like) even if some people in the establishment didn't think I would go too far because of my dismal math grades in the entry exam. :rolleyes:

So, I'm currently trying to focus on art, literature, languages and intellectual topics. Of course, unless I'm really obsessed with the topic, usually my attention span tends to be too short. Sometimes in maths or history I catch myself daydreaming and blocking away all the external stimuli... to a freaky extent! :scared:

Oh, and, if you were wondering, I'm not as openly pompous and perfectionist as I was a long time ago. I mean, I still am, but I try to present a goofy/diplomatic mask in order to be tolerated a bit more. When people don't like your behavior, they usually tend to try to destroy your image out of... fear, I guess. :undecided:

I might have forgotten a few things that were mentioned and to which I strongly relate but... it's difficult to keep track with all the interesting stories!

Some people really had a dramatic life (from my point of view).
I've always been pampered too much. But as my parents are also very strict, I've learned to expect ambiguous reactions from people. :p

[Sylvanus]

...
Anyway, it has always been very difficult for me to make acquaintances, much less friends. I just can't help but feel aversion towards a neighbor calling on the door or the skin of the person sitting next to me. I don't become mad because of it. It just drains me. :blank:...

That's always a relationship killer. I do enjoy physical touch, but only from my wife and kids. But it has to be on my terms. I get upset and drained if I'm touched/hugged unexpectedly or if I'm not in the right mood. My parents were huggy people and I couldn't stand it, but I could always tell they were hurt when I pulled away or didn't reciprocate. It's hard to fake it.

[desg90]

That's always a relationship killer. I do enjoy physical touch, but only from my wife and kids. But it has to be on my terms. I get upset and drained if I'm touched/hugged unexpectedly or if I'm not in the right mood. My parents were huggy people and I couldn't stand it, but I could always tell they were hurt when I pulled away or didn't reciprocate. It's hard to fake it.

Truthful human contact is hard to fake, I know.
And that's not the worst of it. :suspicious:

Remember I said I am in a French-Hispanic environment?
Human contact is part of your daily life. :blank:
Sometimes, you even feel as though people were forcing contact on you.
That's the way these cultures are. :undecided:

Hugs, handshakes, stuffed buses, cheek kisses...
I got used to them, but it doesn't make them any easier. :p
Calculated handshakes, quick hugs, superficial greetings...
I'm either too cold or I really do have Asperger's.:laugh:

[Sylvanus]

Truthful human contact is hard to fake, I know.
And that's not the worst of it. :suspicious:

Remember I said I am in a French-Hispanic environment?
Human contact is part of your daily life. :blank:
Sometimes, you even feel as though people were forcing contact on you.
That's the way these cultures are. :undecided:

Hugs, handshakes, stuffed buses, cheek kisses...
I got used to them, but it doesn't make them any easier. :p
Calculated handshakes, quick hugs, superficial greetings...
I'm either too cold or I really do have Asperger's.:laugh:

I've learned a lttle bit about Mexical culture in high-school and college. I also worked with many mexicanamericans in high school. I always got creeped out at how touchy feely and in your face they were.:scared: I'm assuming that you have always lived in Mexico? Or is this just in the last few years?

[desg90]

I've learned a lttle bit about Mexican culture in high-school and college. I also worked with many mexicanamericans in high school. I always got creeped out at how touchy feely and in your face they were.:scared: I'm assuming that you have always lived in Mexico? Or is this just in the last few years?

Most of my life, yeah.
I might be born and "raised" in Mexico.
But, I sometimes doubt being what you'd call a "typical" Mexican.
For one, I'm not nor as "touchy-feely" nor as vulgar and "in your face" as most.
Nor do I enjoy distorting my (or any other) language, nor am I as naive.
Language, history and gastronomy, that's all I've inherited. :p

[Sylvanus]

Most of my life, yeah.
I might be born and "raised" in Mexico.
But, I sometimes doubt being what you'd call a "typical" Mexican.
For one, I'm not nor as "touchy-feely" nor as vulgar and "in your face" as most.
Nor do I enjoy distorting my (or any other) language, nor am I as naive.
Language, history and gastronomy, that's all I've inherited. :p

Judging by how well you write English and by your website, I think you'd fit in pretty well in the US (Portland or Seattle would be a good fit for you). Of course you may have a thick accent for all I know.

[Colette]

Do they fit the nerd/bookworm stereotype like I do? Do any INTJs have Asperger's Syndrome(I scored 42 AQ)?

No Asperger's here, but otherwise yes, I fitted the nerd/bookworm/social retard mold (and largely still do). No regrets, though. Looking back on it now, I wouldn't have wanted to be any other way.

[desg90]

Judging by how well you write English and by your website, I think you'd fit in pretty well in the US (Portland or Seattle would be a good fit for you). Of course you may have a thick accent for all I know.

Accent... accent...
You know, after learning French a few years ago even my snobbish Spanish accent went to hell.
If I didn't articulate properly before, now most of my spoken words are almost unintelligible when I repeat the second time. :p
And I begin stuttering and repeating myself after a first few words. You could say I'm some sort of clutterer.
The problem is so evident, even strangers have asked me to articulate properly.
Just imagine what will happen when I start with German next month?! :scared:

So, don't worry about a thick accent. :rolleyes:
You won't understand a word I say, whatever the accent (snobbish/British ;)).
I speak too fast for my own good. Maybe my tonge can't keep up with my brain?
A visit to a qualified speech therapist is in order, I think. :laugh:

[Sylvanus]

That's ok, talking isn't really my strong point either. I communicate so much better when I write.

[Hdier]

So... starting from my childhood...
Mom and dad say that I was able to solve three simple puzzles at the same time when I was a mere toddler. That really amazed them. I can only remember a Bambi puzzle that was way too simple (but fun, nonetheless) to solve. :p

I used to be fascinated with puzzles, but never really did them. I lost interest as they mostly are to easy, as well as being time consuming.

...

I still have my Snoopy and Mickey Mouse Encyclopedias.
I loved the first tome of Snoopy's Set: The Human Body. :laugh:
I was mesmerized by the bone and nervous system sections.
I didn't know how to read yet, but I continued looking at those structures.
Today, one of my favorite subjects is... yes, you guessed right: biology. ;)

I love science of all kinds, but I particularly love learning about how the brain tells the body to do things, and how the body knows how to respond.

Later on, I was (and still am) forced by my parents to excel academically, which hasn't been too difficult, excepting anything involving numbers. School has always been boring and teachers very silly (no matter how qualified or how interesting their subjects may be). Since Kindergarten, I've always been a homework procrastinator. Damn! I hate that thing! It's a real waste of time! :yuck:

AMEN!!! I hate schools as well, they go to slowly for me and the teachers all seem to be incompetent (I even heard a Spanish teacher admit that she only knew a few words of Spanish once...). Though, I'm in public school right now (hopefully my last year of it).

When I grew up, I admired the Genius Boy's cartoons.
Dexter, the pompous know it all.
Jimmy, the big-headed boy with lousy adventures.
A few evil geniuses, as well. :cool:

You must be thinking of a different Dexter than me, I am thinking of the cartoon about a man named Dexter who works in an office. Not a know-it-all, from what I saw (though I was only able to read it for a couple of months, I can't find them anymore).
I loved Jimmy! Outgrew him quicker than I would've liked.
Artemis Fowl, anyone?

I started imitating their style and yes... I was continuously told I was too arrogant and pompous. So, after being reprehended for too much time, I changed tactics and, instead of compulsively seeking congratulations on my knowledge and wisdom, I became very reserved and socially awkward (much more awkward, I mean). I retired to the library almost on every recess. My obsession on books caused some librarians to scold me on my social isolation. They even encouraged me to stop reading! :thinking: There was a time when my parents took my favorite books away from me as a cruel punishment. :suspicious:

My dad knows better than to do that. If he were ever to do that, I would totally despise him for months, locking myself in my room whenever he was at the apartment, etc. I am very attached to my books. I could never be encouraged to stop reading, even by myself sometimes!

Speaking of obsessions, I was a pokémaster as well.
When there were only 151, I was able to recite their names in numerical order. I had almost "caught 'em all". And when the second versions arrived, I became a fantastic breeder. Those creatures were born with amazing attacks when they hatched. I always won the pokécontests and all that nerdy stuff. Ahh... the good ol' days! :lovestruck:

Same here, on every acount! I only play the games for the Gameboy off-on now, though. Pokemon was my first introduction to TCG's (went on to Yu-Gi-Oh for a bit, then went to playing solely did Magic: The Gathering, which I have been playing since I was nine).

Anyway, it has always been very difficult for me to make acquaintances, much less friends. I just can't help but feel aversion towards a neighbor calling on the door or the skin of the person sitting next to me. I don't become mad because of it. It just drains me. :blank:

Maybe it was this attitude that gained me the tittle of "that insufferable and perfectionist know it all" during primary school and junior high. ;D

Yeah, I had the same title. I enjoy the touch of skin, though. I am love feeling things, especially against my lips. People think I'm weird when I 'kiss' a pencil or something, just for the way it feels.

By the way, I've been changing schools almost every year since primary school because I'm not satisfied with their systems. My mom appreciates my academic potential and always agreed to change me to another private school if I didn't feel comfortable enough.

Not as bad as you, but I've changed schools about four times (I am now a freshman; dad used to be in the military), though they were all public schools. Hoping to go to private school next year.

Until... I found out about the French academic system...
I initially wanted to learn French and immediately change of school (as always). But, something about it made me change my mind... Was it the challenging exigence from the teachers? Was it their being competent? Was it the elitism? Was it the liberal environment? Was it the fact that they value abstract thoughts and logical deduction above all skills? Maybe it was all of them. :lovestruck:

Really? I'll have to look at French schools for college.

Now, I'm studying over excruciatingly long hours, but I always manage to go on. Not because of my parents' efforts to pay the school... but out of pride. I'm one of the best students in most classes (a teacher's pet, more like) even if some people in the establishment didn't think I would go too far because of my dismal math grades in the entry exam. :rolleyes:

So, I'm currently trying to focus on art, literature, languages and intellectual topics. Of course, unless I'm really obsessed with the topic, usually my attention span tends to be too short. Sometimes in maths or history I catch myself daydreaming and blocking away all the external stimuli... to a freaky extent! :scared:

I daydream a lot to, if something isn't interesting enough. The teacher doesn't notice, usually, because:

A. I can usually figure everything out on my own. It's not that tough if you use one once of your brain.

B. My peers always ask three or four things that have already been answered, so on the rare ocastion that I can't infer something on my own, it doesn't seem too odd.

Oh, and, if you were wondering, I'm not as openly pompous and perfectionist as I was a long time ago. I mean, I still am, but I try to present a goofy/diplomatic mask in order to be tolerated a bit more. When people don't like your behavior, they usually tend to try to destroy your image out of... fear, I guess. :undecided:

Yeah, I used to try to be tolerated until I realized that the reason that they wouldn't tolerate me is because I was different from them. Now, I sometimes go out of my way to be different (though, I don't have that opportunity often as I am so different already...I didn't know what myspace was for the longest time, or even that it existed, which is evidently weird at my school).

Some people really had a dramatic life (from my point of view).
I've always been pampered too much. But as my parents are also very strict, I've learned to expect ambiguous reactions from people. :p

You definitely have an interesting life, though not dramatic.

[desg90]

You must be thinking of a different Dexter than me, I am thinking of the cartoon about a man named Dexter who works in an office. Not a know-it-all, from what I saw (though I was only able to read it for a couple of months, I can't find them anymore).
I loved Jimmy! Outgrew him quicker than I would've liked.
Artemis Fowl, anyone?

I meant Dexter as in "Dexter's Lab"...
*Keeps reading*
ARTEMIS FOWL?! HE'S-MY-IDOL!!! :lovestruck:
I never get tired of his objective insight. ;D

Have you read "The Bartimeaus Trilogy"?
That Djini Bartimeaus sure knows how to entertain the reader! :laugh:

Really? I'll have to look at French schools for college.

I would advice against it.
If you don't know the system, it's very easy for you to asume it will be the same and get carried away.
One of my top grades last trimester was 16/20 and that's an A+. :suspicious:
20/20 is a grade you'll never obtain.
(Except if you're excellent at math or physics)
Unless you're not looking for good grades, you'd better familiarize with the system before doing anything in a hurry. ;)

I'm speaking from personal experience.
In fact, just to relax, I plan to go attend an
American college and decline all French offers. ;)
They say French students are the most stressed pupils in all Europe. :stunned:

Yeah, I used to try to be tolerated until I realized that the reason that they wouldn't tolerate me is because I was different from them. Now, I sometimes go out of my way to be different (though, I don't have that opportunity often as I am so different already...I didn't know what myspace was for the longest time, or even that it existed, which is evidently weird at my school).

I do know about myspace, but I'd never use it. It has a silly format and the information can't be properly classified. Look at my personal webpage. You'll find I value tags and order more than those guys at myspace. :rolleyes:

You definitely have an interesting life, though not dramatic.

OK, I might have an interesting life...
But, when you live it for 18 years... it starts being a bit too boring. :thumbsdown:
I'd like to add some healthy drama or adventures now and then. :p

[Hdier]

I meant Dexter as in "Dexter's Lab"...

Oh, Dexter's Lab! I used to watch that, and I loved it!

*Keeps reading*
ARTEMIS FOWL?! HE'S-MY-IDOL!!! :lovestruck:
I never get tired of his objective insight. ;D

Yeah, isn't he awesome? I love the way he does things so analitically, but has those rare moments of emotion that poke through. Also, a good storyline doesn't hurt. I especially enjoy the way he combines his adult-like way of doing things with believing in things that he 'shoudn't'. The fact that he is so much an adult in psychology yet a child in body provides an endless stream of entertainment for me (especially with the most recent book).

Have you read "The Bartimeaus Trilogy"?
That Djini Bartimeaus sure knows how to entertain the reader! :laugh:

It sounds vaguely familiar, but I haven't read it. If it's in the same post as Artemis, though, it must be good. ;)

I would advice against it.
If you don't know the system, it's very easy for you to asume it will be the same and get carried away.
One of my top grades last trimester was 16/20 and that's an A+. :suspicious:
20/20 is a grade you'll never obtain.
(Except if you're excellent at math or physics)
Unless you're not looking for good grades, you'd better familiarize w