Myers-Briggs- was: On energy.......

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Hi Verleen, What's your whole type? I have taken it three times trhough a summer job I have held. While my type has changed a bitr over the years, I am EN**P. For those of you who may not know, ** means that a person is right on the dividing line between two letters. I am a clear E, and always have been. So, even though I have made social errors since I was old enough for them to count, I stell do not like to be alone too much, and still like to be with people. I tend to feel energized by certain kinds of activities when alone, and by other activies when I am with others. I guess I share a few of the strengths of both. Yes, there are AS extroverts! As for the other letters, only one is really Spectrum-driven for me: When I take the test for N/S, I am 100% N, and 0% S. That is, I am completely iNtuitive, and not

appearance-oriented at all! In fact, ultra-appearance-oriented people make me wary, because if they judge by that, I will be singled out as f ailing. So, most of my friends have at least a bit of N abut them, somewhere- or a deep understanding of grace! (Yes, I forgive easily too- is that an AS trait? ) As far as P/J (perceiving/ judging), I used to be a J, until I realized that taking time to think about things really makes more sense. I do not like being really trapped by a schedule, and have little trouble in changing plans with enough provision to do it, so I have turned into a P over the years. I simply "plan" things that can be interchanged if needed- and now, I have practiced this so much that it comes naturally. (or feels like it) The T/F line is more interesting: Thinking/ Feeling. Intuitively, one expects that AS folk would not make

decisions based on feelings, and for yoears, I didn't. Last spring, I really started thinking about this, while reading about AS, and trying to decide where I fit into all this. I figured that feelings were facts- just a different kind of fact- with different rules governing them! Then, it was easier for me to remember to take them into account, and after awhile, I liked the result. I can often be creative enough to take both things into account now, whereas earlier, it was either-or. Just a week ago, I learned that another ASpie I know, who volunteers at AANE, is an F. I tested as ENFP this last time, but I was only two questions from the T line. I no longer feel guilty or incomplete or stupid or crazy about doing things differently when feelings come into it, like spending a couple of extra minutes in a conversation so that I am not abrupt ( and the other person does not feel

badly), or being a little more respectful to someone, or not telling all of something negative when only half will convey what is needed. It appears that we can change, that learning about AS makes a big difference, that one sense can take over for another (in my case, cognitive reasoning taking over for reading facial emotion), and that- as we say- when you have seen one AS, you have seen one AS. AS, ENTP (well, EN**P) Verleen wrote: I've read with interest your postings on energy being responsible formany of the AS problems. Back in 1994, I participated in a smallgroup led by a psychologist. This was a fun, informative 6 weekgathering that was part of a social group I belonged to. Any how,the psychologist gave each of us the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator testto determine what each of our personalities were.When she reviewed my results, she said she was surprised. She saidshe thought I was definitely an extrovert, or someone who gets herenergy from outside, from being with other people. I tested as anintrovert but nearly touching the middle area where the twopersonality traits meet. So I was an introvert who had developedextrovert skills. By the way, there are four areas within thepersonality typing. Extrovert-introvert is just one of those areas.About 75% of the population are extroverts. It just occurred to me that

perhaps the reason I am mostly satisfiedwith my relationship with my AS husband is because I am an introvertwhose energy comes from within. Therefore, I have some naturalability to respect his need for solitude. The best way to explainthe difference between the two types is this: When I am with a groupof people for too long, I feel drained and need to retreat to somesolitude to recoup my energy. My youngest daughter, who is a clearextrovert, feels her energy draining the longer she is alone. Onceshe is with people, she re-energizes. This has nothing to do with thecommon misunderstanding of these terms. It is not about being shy vsoutgoing. Its about our source of energy.My AS husband also took this same test and he tested at the mostextreme end of introversion. I wonder if most, if not all aspies, areintroverts, who feel their energy draining when they are in socialsituations. In case you are interested,

the other 3 areas involve (1) how a personperceives information (sensing vs intuition), (2)how a person reasons(thinking vs feeling) and (3) a person's attitude (judging vsperceiving). My AS husband and I were opposite in these other 3areas. Verleen

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