Category: ESTP (Page 1 of 2)

The People of Stranger Things

{Dunda dun da… Babum babum bababum bumbabumba bababumbaba bumbum} The music starts and red lights appear in darkness, angles slowly revealing flickering words, and my heart grows fluttery.  This is my best description of an intro that I refuse to skip unless under duress.  Because it gives me a sense of the ride I’m starting on, of a story that feels somehow both intimate and distant, both like childhood and like falling up into the stars.

It’s really funny to me that the only two group-dynamics character spotlights I’ve fully done up to this point have been scary works (Marble Hornets and this), because that makes it seem like a large proportion of the things I watch are scary and Lovecraftian, which isn’t the case.  I do think H.P. Lovecraft was a boss, taking his INFP(ip) Great Pumpkin Distraction and turning it into a powerful catalyst: using the sheer terror that an IP feels at the all-consuming size of an endless cosmos, and turning it into a beautiful humility before a world outside of your control, bowing to the eternity that might otherwise have swallowed him whole.  That is an epic example of how to properly last-step, imo.

So yes, I do actually really love Lovecraft (and using the word “really,” you’ll find if you stick around for long).  But scary stuff… I’m usually “eh” about it at best. So I guess that’s why, when I find a work that truly encapsulates the awe that I believe reality has behind the curtain, while concurrently making me fall in love with characters that are so real and alive you never want to let them go, I just can’t help sharing the emotions that such works evoke in me.

Honestly, as I embark on this journey to convey the individuals I see when I watch Stranger Things, I find myself quite daunted.  There are just too many moments I care about, too many facial expressions that evoke more than I could ever say in a post, no matter how ridiculously long this one is sure to be.  I’d be terribly embarrassed if anyone could see my YouTube history of late, and how many times I listened to “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by the Clash, or interviews with the cast, etc. etc.  Because it comforts me, which is an odd thing to feel about a scary show, but it’s true.  The *people* of Stranger Things comfort me.

Because, sure, there’s the things everyone talks about—Eggos, walkie talkies, big hair, bikes, and Christmas lights—and I love all those things about Stranger Things, I do.  But those things would mean nothing without the people who make those things matter; the characters who make you laugh despite danger and cry because, it doesn’t matter if you never saw the 80s (I can claim 5 months and 5 days in the 80s) or if you don’t have supernatural predators stalking you, long before the journey is over you want these people to be your friends.

Guys, this show is beyond epic. Continue reading

Elsa and Aladdin Give Each Other Advice – Belated January Thank You Video

In typical aLBoP fashion, this video turned out much later, much longer and much sillier than anticipated.  The requested video was Queen Elsa from Frozen and Aladdin giving each other advice… and well, you can see the rest.

 

 

Click here to learn more about becoming an aLBoP Patron.  Click here for more on Anakin Angst.  And don’t forget to give us more video suggestions and desktop wallpaper suggestions!!!

 

Much love,

<3 Calise and Justin

Give a Little Personality: A Gift Guide by Type

 

Give a Little Personality
A Gift Guide by Type

Merry Christmas everyone!  Or whatever you celebrate 😉  Better late than never and as requested, we have a handy little guide for giving gifts according to personality!

Rather than a specific list of individual items, we thought it would be of more value to share with you the principles of what motivates each type and the trends we’ve noticed about what each personality enjoys!  So then this will be useful all year round and not just two days before Christmas 😛

This is our first hybrid post (woo-hoo!) with both a video and written portion (mid-term flashback *shiver*).  Watch the video for our full in-depth versions of what we think each type would like and why (with the option to skip forward 😉 It’s a pretty long video), and check out the summaries and full-sized pics below for each type at-a-glance!

 

Continue reading

ESTP Jayne Justification – definition

[To Dr. Simon Tam] “Tell me, Lil’ Miss Big Words,
you see a pyramid sittin’ out there?  Neither do I.
So here, let me pour you a big frosty mug of ‘shut-the-h*ll-up’.”
Jayne Cobb, Firefly

“Jayne Justification” is the familiar ESTP tactic of trying to imply both that it’s stupid to be smart, and that they’re smarter than everyone else anyway.  With ESTPs’ last and weakest cognitive step being action and decisions made through their iNtuition, they’re naturally insecure (as all types are about their weakest area) about their ability to understand and apply concepts and abstract principles to the choices and plans they make, making them feel inadequate and out-of-step with others conceptually and often academically.  With their specialty centering around their own self-usefulness and protecting what they are, the ESTP is likely to imply that an understanding of the conceptual is worthless and totally irrelevant to everyday life, implying that those who are good at the conceptual are just as useless as the ESTP *feels*.  Because this doesn’t improve their self-image the way they hoped it would, the ESTP is also likely to try implying that they really *are* good at the conceptual, in fact *better* than those whose conceptual abilities make them feel uncomfortable.

But what the ESTP needs to realize, is that they have a unique intelligence all their own, with keen observational abilities and the talent to see the things right in front of them that others simply miss.  As they learn to appreciate the conceptual strengths of their friends, while realizing that it doesn’t compromise their own self-worth or their own usefulness, the ESTP can learn to use their awesome powers of Observational Sensing to see new and unexplored sides of the conceptual that are desperately needed.

Examples:
Gaston, Beauty and the Beast
Rainbow Dash, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Strongbad, HomestarRunner.com
and so many more…

Click here for an in-depth look at ESTP, “The Spartan”!

Type Specializations: What Makes *My* Type Special?

There’s an age-old outlook, put blatantly by Syndrome of The Incredibles in his Moriarty Fear, that if everyone is special, then *no one* will be.  To this longstanding catch-22, I offer the following rebuttal:  What if everyone is special in a way that is both utterly unique and utterly essential?

What if, like colors, genders or flavors, Personality Types create a beautiful cornucopia of complexity and balance, where each member contributes to the whole, an equal and necessary component, without which there would be a gaping hole?  And what if becoming special is simply a matter of owning who you are and choosing to pursue the very thing *you* love most?

These are Type Specializations.

This topic is one of my very favorite things about personality typing because it’s so wrapped up in what every type *is* and not only what every type specializes in, but what *drives* every type.  It’s easy to focus on cursory traits that may or may not come with a certain type – yes, ISTJs are usually fond of rules and yes, ENTPs often like taking risks; yes, INFPs spend a lot of time exploring inside their own heads and yes, ESFJs can often be found being great hosts and hostesses – but why?  What is that common thread that laces itself through a personality type?  What means the world to *your* personality?

Type Specializations are made up of two components, Scope and Objective. Continue reading

What Do All These Letters Mean Anyway?

So, once upon a time, you stumbled upon a really cool website.  It had interesting pictures combining all your favorite characters in ways you weren’t sure made sense, but it was also pretty cool to read, even if the girl who wrote it liked to use lame phrases like “Rock-awesome,” used too many ellipses and was a little too fascinated by crossdressing.  Despite her obvious strangeness though, the things she had to say made pretty good sense and you found yourself pulled in by her unique approach to humanity, obvious geekishness and adorable stick figures 😉

But, whether you were completely new to this personality stuff and wondering what the heck she was talking about, throwing letters around willy-nilly, or if you’re an absolute pro who has been studying this stuff since you and Jung were eating bratwurst together, you need to know what I mean when I throw out a four variable combination, whether it’s ENTP or Unicorn-Daisy-Tomato-Orange.  Personality Typing means squat if you have an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of what the variables mean in the first place.

And so here, boys and girls, is where I define my terms… in no uncertain terms 😉
Continue reading

The Cognition Process in Stick Figures

Though I write often about cognition patterns and how thought processes differ between each of the sixteen types, I feel like I haven’t really gotten across in full what I mean.  And is there any way better to get across concepts simply and efficiently than pictures?  I think there is not.

Now, I can’t make stick people like the greats, and I don’t want anyone to think I’m trying.  This is just literally the best I can draw 😛  Well, pretty much…  {On an interesting side-note about XKCD, I’ve noticed webcomic writers are often IP’s, especially INP’s (the author of XKCD being very classically INP).  It makes sense to me that they would enjoy that format since IP’s focus on and love details; webcomics give them an opportunity to savor each moment and detail, rather than needing to get to the end of a plot arch, the way a J especially might.  I could also go off about IP’s liking “Magnetic Poetry” titles such as “XKCD” or “Death Cab for Cutie” but maybe some other time…}

Everyone thinks :O  It’s kind of a necessary part of being conscious.  But we don’t all do it in the same way or in the same order.  These differences in thought processes are what eventually translate into personality types.  So here, step-by-step in pictures, is the cognition process and how it works for each type. 🙂

 

Continue reading

aLBoP Personality Tips #6-8: Extraverts


Extraverts, whether Extraverted Perceivers or Extraverted Judgers, naturally excel at the parts of the cognitive process that require them to be outside themselves and gathering information from the world around them.  Whether this is EP’s Observation of people as whole entities, understanding whether or not they can be trusted as sources, using either their intuition or senses outside themselves (Ne or Se), or EJ’s understanding of the individual Actions of others and the Consequences of their own actions based on applying either their thoughts or feelings outside themselves (Te or Fe), Extraverts are quite comfortable gathering information from people and the world outside themselves.


Because Extraverts prioritize those outside-themselves steps, they feel less confident making decisions if they haven’t gotten any feedback.  Even a self-confident Extravert will want feedback from the outside world in order to understand the full effect of their decisions, though “feedback” doesn’t have to mean positive feedback.  But Extraverts do need to beware of equating popularity of opinion with accuracy of opinion, whether for or against their own decisions.


Because Extraverts specialize at interpreting either people’s Motivations or their Actions, they are usually acutely aware of how others will react and interact with their plans and decisions.  This means that they’re more likely to be aware of people as variables, but it can also make it harder for Extraverts to make decisions that will be at odds with the people they care about.

For more information on what all the letters mean, click here, and stay tuned for more aLBoP (a Little Bit of Personality) Personality Tips 😀

How to Make Good Decisions While Still Being You: Part 1 – Optimism, Pessimism and What We Do About It

In order to understand how people make good decisions, we need to explore *why* they make the decisions they do.  Namely, *why* do the different types have the specializations and focuses they do; how do each of us see the world and people and how do we choose to affect the world the way no one else can?

How we view the world is based on how our cognition interacts with our experiences.  Based on our cognitive patterns, two different types will interpret the same experiences quite differently.  Through those experiences, each type tends toward a different worldview.  Now I’m not talking about who you voted for or where you choose to spend your Sundays, though those choices are certainly based on your worldview and personal experiences.  No, I’m talking about optimism, pessimism and our intentions of world and self change.  I have to note that *each* of these, when healthy,  are valid and necessary ways of viewing the world so that as a society we don’t miss anything or go off wildly half-cocked.  In fact you can be sure that a broken culture is the result of one or many of the types’ unique strengths being ignored in favor of a few select types.  More on that later though.

Not just for the sake of tooting my own horn (though, as an ENTP, you know I love to 😉 ), I want to point out that you’re not going to find this information anywhere else.  I see the patterns and I share them; I don’t get them from anywhere “official” because those individual human beings who are just people too, haven’t discovered them yet.  Sometimes Tony Stark is better at inventing something in a cave than researchers in a million dollar lab with their heads up their booties could ever be.  If the “experts” want to tell the “amateurs” they’re wrong, feel free… they should just prepare to have said butts handed back to them.

Here are the graphs, because I <3 pretty graphs!

The two graphs correspond, the second being a “flipping” of the first, with each type’s place in the first graph corresponding to its place in the second. 🙂

The graph on the top is about the way each type tends to view people.

  • I’s, whose primary functions are inside their own heads, concentrate their focus on people on the whole, while E’s, whose primary functions are through taking things in from the world outside themselves, concentrate their focus on individuals.
  • F’s, who focus on the meaning of people and things, tend to be more optimistic about people.  T’s, who focus on the use of people and things, tend to be more pessimistic about people.
  • Idealistic — IF’s tend to think people on the whole are good and meaningful.  When they do feel cynical, it tends to be about individuals failing.  (“People rock!”)
  • Optimistic — EF’s tend to think individuals are good and meaningful.  When they do feel cynical, it tends to be about people on the whole failing.  (“You rock!”)
  • Pessimistic — IT’s tend to think people on the whole are bad and useless.  When they do feel optimistic, it tends to be about individuals who matter to them.  (“People suck!”)
  • Skeptical — ET’s tend to think individuals are bad and useless.  When they do feel optimistic, it tends to be about people on the whole who matter to them.  (“You suck!”)

The graph on the bottom is about what each type chooses to do about how they view people.

  • S’s, who take in the world in a linear, literal, on-the-ground way, care especially about keeping things the same and protecting what is already there, while N’s, who take in the world in a conceptual, non-linear, far-reaching way, care especially about changing things to reach their full potential.
  • J’s, who focus on the relationship between actions, consequences and principles of the way things work, specialize in the direction the world and groups are headed in.  P’s, who focus on the relationship between data, the way things are, and the motivations of individuals, specialize in exploring the world and people.
  • Game Changers — NJ’s focus on changing the world.
  • Motivators — NP’s focus on changing individuals, starting with themselves.
  • World Protectors — SJ’s focus on keeping the world the same.
  • Individualists — SP’s focus on keeping individuals the same, starting with themselves.
When we combine the two graphs, we get a unique result for each type:
  • INFJ — The Idealistic Game Changers — tend to think people on the whole are good, so they believe it’s possible to change the bad parts of the world.  (The Paladin)
  • INFP — The Idealistic Motivators — tend to think people on the whole are good, so they believe it’s possible to change the bad parts of individuals, starting with themselves.  (The Ranger)
  • ISFJ — The Idealistic World Protectors — tend to think people on the whole are good, so they desire to protect the parts of the world they love.  (The Knight)
  • ISFP — The Idealistic Individualists — tend to think people on the whole are good, so they desire to keep the parts of people they love the same.  (The Explorer)
  • ENFJ — The Optimistic Game Changers — tend to think individuals are good, so they believe it’s possible to change the bad parts of the world.  (The Veteran)
  • ENFP — The Optimistic Motivators — tend to think individuals are good, so they believe it’s possible to change the bad parts of individuals, starting with themselves.  (The Standard-Bearer)
  • ESFJ — The Optimistic World Protectors — tend to think individuals are good, so they desire to protect the parts of the world they love.  (The Cavalry)
  • ESFP — The Optimistic Individualists — tend to think individuals are good, so they desire to keep the parts of people they love the same.  (The Morale Officer)
  • INTJ — The Pessimistic Game Changers — tend to think people on the whole are bad, so they try and change the bad parts of the world.  (The Dragon)
  • INTP — The Pessimistic Motivators — tend to think people on the whole are badso they try and change the bad parts of individuals, starting with themselves.  (The Alchemist)
  • ISTJ — The Pessimistic World Protectors — tend to think people on the whole are badso they try and protect the parts of the world they love.  (The Sentinel)
  • ISTP — The Pessimistic Individualists — tend to think people on the whole are badso they try and keep the parts of people they love the same.  (The Weapons Specialist)
  • ENTJ — The Skeptical Game Changers — tend to think individuals are bad, so they try and change the bad parts of the world.  (The Crusader)
  • ENTP — The Skeptical Motivators — tend to think individuals are badso they try and change the bad parts of individuals, starting with themselves.  (The Swashbuckler)
  • ESTJ — The Skeptical World Protectors — tend to think individuals are badso they try and protect the parts of the world they love.  (The Cannon)
  • ESTP — The Skeptical Individualists — tend to think individuals are badso they try and keep the parts of people they love the same.  (The Spartan)

Each of these are healthy and necessary ways of viewing the world; it’s when a person oversimplifies people as all bad or all good on both an individual and collective level, that they start making errors in judgment.  When a person either believes that everything is fine or there is nothing worth saving, they lose perspective and become unhealthy, even if just temporarily.

As people, we do this when we are afraid that the area we specialize in and uniquely bring to the table, is in jeopardy.  Whether it’s IJ’s trying to protect what they want the world to be, EJ’s fearing their group will come to naught, IP’s feeling like the area they specialize in is meaningless or EP’s terror that who they are doesn’t matter, when we feel like everything that made our lives and the world matter to us is in danger of being lost, we hold on to extremes in positive or negative judgments to try and maintain our sanity.

As an ENTP, for example, my specialization is Individual Potential.  As I interact with the world, my cognitive functions demonstrate to me conceptually just what people can be (which suggests to me that people on the whole are good), but I also excel at character judgments, which demonstrates to me that people rarely live up to that potential (that’s where the “individuals suck” part comes in), so I figure, even though I can’t change what other people do, I can start with myself and try to be as awesome as I possibly can (try and change the bad parts of myself).

All that is good and how I’m supposed to function.  I get into trouble, however, when (usually because an individual disappoints me) I fear that everything I’ve tried to achieve of my own individual potential is all going to come to naught.  I start fearing that not only are a lot of individuals bad, but maybe there isn’t anyone in the whole world who will ever see my potential or apply what I say to themselves.  I fear I am of no use (a very T way of thinking of it) and get grumpy, mean and start making terrible decisions.

So how can we snap out of it, overcome fear and return to sanity?  How can we know what decisions to make when we’re scared?  I’ll explain in Part 2 – Playing to Your Strengths 😀

Costuming with Personality

{Update 5-29-14:  I mentioned in the first Q&A that this post had incorrect typings that I needed to fix (though none of the ones that had been questioned thus far).  I was really rushed last Semptember to get this post out, so I messed up a handful of typings.  Mostly one-offs.  Well, I finally went through the arduous task of meticulously combing through *all* the typings in this post 😛  I’m relieved to say this post is finally up to the quality standard of the rest of the blog, and I am very proud of the results!  Enjoy and happy costuming!
<3 Calise}

It’s that time of year again; the time of year when stores put out Halloween decorations ridiculously early and you know their Christmas decorations are just around the corner.  I swear they start marketing this stuff earlier every year.  All the same, if you want an attractive and complex costume for Halloween (or wherever else you might wear a costume) you need time to prepare.  Too many Halloweens I ended up trying to pick something to wear on the 31st and was bummed out when it didn’t come out as planned or no one knew what I was.  While I think it’s worth it to go for the 1% who know what you’re dressed as, you want enough time so that *you* are happy and feel good about yourself.

In that vein, I love the idea of wearing a costume that matches your personality type or Paradoxitype!  For Dragoncon this year, I dressed up as a steampunked version of Meg from Disney’s Hercules, with my INFJ dressed as a hydraulically powered Herc.  We put the cosplays together last minute and had some armor issues.  We didn’t end up getting *any* pictures together, which really bummed me out (though a bunch of strangers have pictures of us, wherever they are 😉 ).  imho, they looked better in person, but with our little budget, they came out pretty great.  Rocket-pack Pegasus is my favorite feature, along with Herc’s working arm pumps that pushed air into tubes every time he moved without limiting his range of motion very much.  I’m also insanely proud of my guns, Pain and Panic, which started out as dollar store neon plastic and ended up with a torched steel effect.  It’s the little details that make it special, even if other people never see it.
Continue reading

« Older posts