I thought it was odd that I didn’t see any INFJs in this thread, but I don’t think it is an F vs T thing since you have at least 2 INFPs in this thread.
ESTP makes sense for an adventurous nature-lover to have, with dominant Se (extroverted sensing) strongly encouraging real-world exploration. ESTPs’ second cognitive function, Ti, is tied to abstract thought and the tendency toward building theoretical frameworks about the world. ESTPs third function, Fe, is of less significance on iNat imo. Ni (introverted intuition), being INTJs and INFJs’ dominant function, is widespread among Internet-savyy people (even on the iNat forum there are tons of self-reported INTJs as you’ve probably noticed). The latter function is also ESTPs’ most neglected
NNN also stands for “No Nut November”, a november-exclusive event whose participants aim to collect as many nuts from local trees as possible
I’ve delved quite deep into MBTI, enough to feel comfortable typing by cognitive functions, which are somewhat arbitrary cognitive preferences defined by Carl Jung in his book Psychological types (I haven’t read it). It turns out the inventors of MBTI, Isabel Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs (mother and daughter), were looking to simplify these functions into dichotomies that would ultimately lead to the 16 types we know today. This is relevant in that MBTI, unlike Jung’s cognitive functions, fails to allocate an order of preference to its dichotomies.
For example it’s impossible to tell which of Extraversion, iNtuition, Thinking or Judging is preferred by ENTJs in their decision making. According to Jung, ENTJs cognitive functions are, in order of preference, Te (extroverted thinking), Ni (introverted intuition), Se (extroverted sensing) and Fi (introverted feeling).* Thus, ENTJs’ Te makes them prioritize decisions that will have an impact on their external environment, no matter the emotional cost (Fi being their most neglected function).
“Chronically online” people like mass identifiers (me included) tend to self-report as INTP, INTJ, INFP or INFJ. I could personally see ESTPs and ISTPs as mass observers, since they both have Se (extroverted sensing) and Ti in their first 2 function slots. ISTJs and ENTPs, while polar opposites in terms of cognitive functions, tend to enjoy categorizing things, so they’d probably be some of the most prolific identifiers on iNat
*Note: Jung’s cognitive functions can be either introverted (directed toward the self/internal satisfaction) or extroverted (directed toward others/external satisfaction). This is denoted either with “i” or “e” after each letter of a function. For example, introverted feeling is noted “Fi” and extroverted feeling “Fe”. This makes for 16 cognitives functions in total
That’s… not what no nut november is. Or at least, not its uh, primary usage.
I know ssshhh
There you go. Like other outdated ideas about binaries. Who here is old enough to remember the two kingdoms of life, Animal and Plant?
When did they invent / discover
Chromista (I am not algae,I am brown seaweed)
and Fungi (I am not a plant)
I am pretty convinced that NNNs are the most interesting people to see.
Yes, I too am an INTJ for all that may mean. Perhaps introverts find Nature more appealing than most other Humans???
I think that part of what makes a conversation like this challenging is that there are so many versions of the MB approach floating around. Some of the online ones I’ve come across are so brief that they couldn’t possibly tell you anything.
The official version takes a long time to plough through. It produces a score on four scales and the letter schema only reflects what side of the mean you’re on for each scale. The test I did told you the letter but also gave you a weight or distance from the mean, so it wasn’t a binary result, as such.
Anyway, you can be like me, with scores that mean you have a strong preference for how you do things (INFP, in my case) or you can be someone who is comfortable interacting and deciding in different ways and score ever so slightly INFP (or whatever). It is not a science-based method but that hardly makes it unique in th world of psychology or psychonalysis.
INFP here (although I drift toward J). I’d be curious about the reasons that INFPs and INFJs use iNat compared to the reasons INTPs and INTJs do. I’d bet that INs in general are heavy users (as someone above noted, the genus IN!) but for different reasons.
Myers-Briggs results are based on answers to questions about preferences and behaviors. Doesn’t it make sense that people who find pleasure/satisfaction in activities linked to iNat would tend to have similar preferences?
INTJ, I fit right in, apparently.
Just took a Myers Briggs test and also got INTJ, 100% an introvert lol
A few years ago I got my hands on one of these tests with the answer sheet, copied it out and emailed it to my friends for fun. (Corporates pay a lot to have their employees tested).
I asked my friends to return their results to me.
I had tested as an INTJ.
12 out of 15 of my friends also tested as INTJ.
Which in my opinion, proved that it was expensive bunk flogged by psychologists to guillible corporates.
iNat gets people out of their heads and into nature, a far more fun place to be.
…or you have picked your friends.
That’s so weird although I do think it’s kind of like astrology… But I am an intj as well. I am relieved however to meet others like me even if it’s just virtually…
Thanks for starting this interesting thread! INTP drifting into INFP territory as I get older, agree that personality preferences can change over time and situation. The idea that an inclination to categorize things is part of one’s interest in iNaturalist interesting I think. Also the roller coaster metaphor for socializing - most enjoyable in small doses.
Recognizing individual plants and animals has become part of daily mindfulness for me. I’m energized by every hike in forest or desert, and grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us. Social situations begin to drain my energy after not much time.
Awareness of MB personality preferences has helped me see the world more clearly from others’ perspectives, another valued form of daily mindfulness for me.
Just one really boring way to be completely, blandly normal; so many wonderful ways to veer off from the norm. Always much more rewarding to be with those “outliers” on the great scatterplot of personalities.
Fascinating question, thank you @wildlife13. As a long term advocate of Myers-Briggs, I’d think there’s a lot more going on than just whether someone has a preference for introversion or not. I’d think that you could take any of the eight preferences in the Myers-Briggs system and apply them to our activities as naturalists. It’s likely that Myers-Briggs would inform not just whether we enjoy being naturalists, but how we go about doing it.
I think also it’s important to note that individuals don’t always want/need the same things all day every day. People with a preference for extraversion are typically energised by lots of activity and interaction, but that doesn’t mean that every extravert wants activity and interaction all of the time. Sometimes they need a break from that. Similarly, people with a preference for introversion are typically energised by having their own space and focussing their attention to in-depth subjects, but that doesn’t mean that they are all hermits who never want to associate with other people. They also have needs for social interaction and variety of experience.
I think the key to this, is how the eight functions work. For all of us, two of our functions tend to be extraverted and two introverted. From my own perspective as and ENTP, my dominant function is Extraverted iNtuition: I love meeting people, doing new things, making connections between things and coming up with novel ideas. However, I can’t do that all of the time. I need to engage the other aspects of my personality. For me, both Sensing and Thinking tend to be Introverted. So despite being quite gregarious and outgoing, the ability to spend substantial chunks of time out in nature (usually on my own), observing our wonderful world and thinking about how it operates is essential to me.
I suspect that as humans are ultimately just a species of animal that has involved in the natural space, there’s probably a good case for all personality types having an interest in nature.