Never Enough Information
Every once in a while I come to conclusion there is something wrong with me - of how I view and interact with the world and so I have to take action to reaffirm that I"m not weird, I'm just a very small minority of people who think, collect data and extrapolate into something that makes logical sense.
I first learned of the Myers-Briggs Personality Types when taking Psychology 101 in college. I tested as a majority INTP and a minority ENTP. Over the years I've learned the amount of sleep and caffeine greatly controls which one of these personality types is in charge on any given day. Some days, like today, I'm a strong INTP while other days, I'm a more socially acceptable ENTP.
Why "more socially acceptable"? Because the world is built for extroverts.
In retrospect, this explains how I was so frustrated as a child all the time. My mother and brother are strong extroverts, while I just wanted to be left alone. But, I was never alone - I was always surrounded by my brother, mother and eventually my grandmother. School, after-school activities and more. I was always surrounded by people, my only chance to recharge being when I was lost in a book or in the bathroom.
It also explains why, as an adult, I never feel like I know enough to make a decision. I'm constantly collecting information about whatever is of interest to me at any given time to the point where I had to learn to act, not just plan. Extroverts will dive in and figure out how to swim by not drowning while those of us who are introverts will read a gazillion books and articles about swimming before we'll even set a toe in the water.
In fact, I rarely blog as often as I think about blogging. It may seem like procrastination from the outsider's perspective, but in fact it's because I rarely believe I know enough about any given subject to not embarrass myself. In retrospect, I've come to the conclusion I'm far more informed that most people. But when I write, I'm not writing for most people, I'm writing for the people I admire or look up to. And when you set the expectation that high - or presume to be an expert - then you have to know what you're talking about while trying to explain it to other people. Which is probably why I post most often to "Jasonisms" rather than to places where expertise is prized. Here, at least, it's just my opinion or my life rather than something that can be called out as empirically incorrect.
But, I should blog more ...
INTP Part 1 -
INTP Part 2 -
As I mentioned earlier, the world is made for extroverts, but it would be a far darker place if not for us introverts.
I first learned of the Myers-Briggs Personality Types when taking Psychology 101 in college. I tested as a majority INTP and a minority ENTP. Over the years I've learned the amount of sleep and caffeine greatly controls which one of these personality types is in charge on any given day. Some days, like today, I'm a strong INTP while other days, I'm a more socially acceptable ENTP.
Why "more socially acceptable"? Because the world is built for extroverts.
In retrospect, this explains how I was so frustrated as a child all the time. My mother and brother are strong extroverts, while I just wanted to be left alone. But, I was never alone - I was always surrounded by my brother, mother and eventually my grandmother. School, after-school activities and more. I was always surrounded by people, my only chance to recharge being when I was lost in a book or in the bathroom.
It also explains why, as an adult, I never feel like I know enough to make a decision. I'm constantly collecting information about whatever is of interest to me at any given time to the point where I had to learn to act, not just plan. Extroverts will dive in and figure out how to swim by not drowning while those of us who are introverts will read a gazillion books and articles about swimming before we'll even set a toe in the water.
In fact, I rarely blog as often as I think about blogging. It may seem like procrastination from the outsider's perspective, but in fact it's because I rarely believe I know enough about any given subject to not embarrass myself. In retrospect, I've come to the conclusion I'm far more informed that most people. But when I write, I'm not writing for most people, I'm writing for the people I admire or look up to. And when you set the expectation that high - or presume to be an expert - then you have to know what you're talking about while trying to explain it to other people. Which is probably why I post most often to "Jasonisms" rather than to places where expertise is prized. Here, at least, it's just my opinion or my life rather than something that can be called out as empirically incorrect.
But, I should blog more ...
INTP Part 1 -
As I mentioned earlier, the world is made for extroverts, but it would be a far darker place if not for us introverts.
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