introverted med students

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ISFJ here.

Kinda weird, it says that I am a protector and I take a lot in. I am also a picses and they take a lot in and care a lot. And my first and middle names mean "peaceful ruler" and "determined guardian". Too weird.....
 
We Rock!!!!

...although I'm only slightly more F than T.
As for the introvert thing and patient interaction, I think that with a little practice and personal confidence, it doesn't have to be a problem. I love interacting with patients even though I'm generally pretty reserved with people I don't know.

I agree that it's not too suprising that there are so many with these relatively rare personality types, on a forum for people who want to be doctors.
 
Originally posted by camstah
INFJ here....anyone else?

"The Counselor Idealists are abstract thought and speech, cooperative in reaching their goals, and directive and introverted in their interpersonal roles. Counselors focus on human potentials, think in terms of ethical values, and come easily to decisions. The small number of this type (little more than 2 percent) is regrettable, since Counselors have an unusually strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others and genuinely enjoy helping their companions. Although Counsleors tend to be private, sensitive people, and are not generally visible leaders, they nevertheless work quite intensely with those close to them, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes with their families, friends, and colleagues. This type has great depth of personality; they are themselves complicated, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people.

Counselors can be hard to get to know. They have an unusually rich inner life, but they are reserved and tend not to share their reactions except with those they trust. With their loved ones, certainly, Counselors are not reluctant to express their feelings, their face lighting up with the positive emotions, but darkening like a thunderhead with the negative. Indeed, because of their strong ability to take into themselves the feelings of others, Counselors can be hurt rather easily by those around them, which, perhaps, is one reason why they tend to be private people, mutely withdrawing from human contact. At the same time, friends who have known an Counselor for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that they are inconsistent; Counselors value their integrity a great deal, but they have intricately woven, mysterious personalities which sometimes puzzle even them.

Counselors have strong empathic abilities and can become aware of another's emotions or intentions -- good or evil -- even before that person is conscious of them. This "mind-reading" can take the form of feeling the hidden distress or illnesses of others to an extent which is difficult for other types to comprehend. Even Counselors can seldom tell how they came to penetrate others' feelings so keenly. Furthermore, the Counselor is most likely of all the types to demonstrate an ability to understand psychic phenomena and to have visions of human events, past, present, or future. What is known as ESP may well be exceptional intuitive ability-in both its forms, projection and introjection. Such supernormal intuition is found frequently in the Counselor, and can extend to people, things, and often events, taking the form of visions, episodes of foreknowledge, premonitions, auditory and visual images of things to come, as well as uncanny communications with certain individuals at a distance. "
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Describes me to a tee! 🙂
 
i fall in the INTP category, although the T and P are kind of weakly expressed.

this link has some other info on the test:

http://www.skepdic.com/myersb.html

this stuff is fun and intersting, but it's good to look at the other side, too (darn party poopers with their over-rationality).
 
just thought id note that being an introvert doesnt necessarily hamper your ability to interact with pts. think about it this way -- lots of extroverts are type a, yeah? that means in general they are more likely to interrupt, less likely to listen, and will tend towards more paternalistic ("im the doc, so you do this") ways of practicing. on the other hand, if youre introverted you might be more likely to listen to your pt, take a cooperative ("im the doc, lets work together to find the best care") pt care regimen, and generally more sensitive to the needs of the pt. something to think about.
 
Originally posted by asdasd12345
on myers briggs personality tests i have score very high for introverted, but i didnt need a personality test to tell me that. i positively go out of my way not to talk to people. its not that i cant, its just that i dont really like to. i know extroverted people feel energized talking to strangers, but after i talk to people i dont know i feel drained. i was always shy i guess. i understand that being a doctor i will have to talk to people, but do you think you can get away with being introverted and still be a good doctor?
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....and based on your screenname, you're obviously very creative, too.
 
Originally posted by DocWannaBe85
ISFJ here.

Kinda weird, it says that I am a protector and I take a lot in. I am also a picses and they take a lot in and care a lot. And my first and middle names mean "peaceful ruler" and "determined guardian". Too weird.....
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I'm ISFJ too, most of the descriptions suit me.
 
Every concsiousness is infinitely unique. It is inappropriate to using wholesale labels to describe an individual.
 
shatter said:
Every concsiousness is infinitely unique. It is inappropriate to using wholesale labels to describe an individual.
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Good point... people on this thread shouldn't worry about their Meyers-Briggs "diagnosis" meaning they can't become good doctors; look at the test more as a way to give you a perspective on yourself. A little insight, you know? For example, as a couple of other posters have said, I'm classified as an Introvert (INFJ) but friends/family would say I'm extroverted. So what do I take from this? That at the end of a day of talking with patients and their families, I'll need half an hour by myself to recharge my batteries. Since I'll probably be writing charts or doing dictation or something at the end of the day anyway, I don't see this as an impediment to a medical career. It's just something I know about myself. Does this make sense? 🙄
 
ENTJ baby!
Don't matter to me because I don't believe in this psychobabble
 
Yet another INTJ here.
 
Am I the first ISTJ here?
 
I'm also an INTJ!
 
INFJ ~*!

"Counselors can be hard to get to know. They have an unusually rich inner life, but they are reserved and tend not to share their reactions except with those they trust. With their loved ones, certainly, Counselors are not reluctant to express their feelings, their face lighting up with the positive emotions, but darkening like a thunderhead with the negative. Indeed, because of their strong ability to take into themselves the feelings of others, Counselors can be hurt rather easily by those around them, which, perhaps, is one reason why they tend to be private people, mutely withdrawing from human contact. At the same time, friends who have known an Counselor for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that they are inconsistent; Counselors value their integrity a great deal, but they have intricately woven, mysterious personalities which sometimes puzzle even them."

Wow... right on!!!!!
 
INTJ

I jokingly say "I'm not really a people person," which gets you weird stares after you state you want to be a doctor. 🙂 It's hard to explain. I think maybe that's why neurosurgery is my chosen (future) specialty. There's um, too much chit chat in primary care. I know my fellow introverts understand...🙂
 
susannaQ said:
I'm INTP. Is that bad that I'm perceiving and not judging?
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That's probably an advantage for a practicing doctor.
 
yet another INTJ 😛

Why don't we create a poll to visualize how most of us type?
 
So after 3+ years of medical school, I find that I love talking to patients. For some reason it's different for me than other social interactions, easier. I'm even going into Family.

But I keep having this problem where the only criticism I get from attendings when they evaluate me is "too quiet". 😕
I'm not really sure what to make of this. That doesn't really seem bad to me as it doesn't affect my patient interactions (many have told my attendings that they really liked me), it just seems like who I am. Can they really be faulting me for being who I am?

Anyone else with similar experiences?
 
Maybe this should be in the med student folder... no idea how to move it though.
 
We should set up a poll to see how mbti is distributed among premeds/meds. I was thinking of making a poll just this week as well.
 
INTJ MSIII here.

to the OP: My social skills have always been a little off, but I find that I do pretty well when dealing with patients. I'm not the best at dealing with multiple family members and the house staff, but I'm a great listener. When I'm 1 on 1 with patients, I make them feel very comfortable. Social skills are ultimately learned, and developing good social skills requires practice. Last year, I went out to bars and approached women for the sole purpose of developing my social skills. I highly recommend getting out of your safe zone.
 
purple_rainbow said:
INFJ ~*!

"Counselors can be hard to get to know. They have an unusually rich inner life, but they are reserved and tend not to share their reactions except with those they trust. With their loved ones, certainly, Counselors are not reluctant to express their feelings, their face lighting up with the positive emotions, but darkening like a thunderhead with the negative. Indeed, because of their strong ability to take into themselves the feelings of others, Counselors can be hurt rather easily by those around them, which, perhaps, is one reason why they tend to be private people, mutely withdrawing from human contact. At the same time, friends who have known an Counselor for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that they are inconsistent; Counselors value their integrity a great deal, but they have intricately woven, mysterious personalities which sometimes puzzle even them."

Wow... right on!!!!!
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INFJ here too!! I was nodding my head as I was reading through the description... most of it was quite true.
 
INFJ here. The description was dead on.

INFJ

Stats:
Rarest personality type; estimated 2% of population.

Characteristics:

private
sensitive
quiet leaders
great depth of personality - intricately and deeply woven, mysterious, and highly complex, sometimes puzzling even themselves
introverted
abstract in communicating
live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities - part of an unusually rich inner life
abstract in communicating
artistic (and natural affinity for art), creative, and easily inspired
very independent
orderly view towards the world but within themself arranged in a chaotic, complex way only they could understand
Towards the self
INFJs value their integrity a great deal. They are generally "doers" as well as great dreamers. They have high expectations of themselves and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. They do this through total trust of their intuition. They believe in constant growth and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. INFJs are proud of their authenticity, respectful of their benevolence, confident of their empathy. They also are constantly in a state of self-renewal.

Towards the world
Towards the future: credulous, the past: mystical. INFJs prefer the future and the pathway along which they aspire for profundity. They've even been known to have visions/premonitions/auditory and visual images of things to come. They are often said to possess supernormal intuitive ability in both its forms: projection and introjection. They search for their unique identity and place in the world, constantly defining this better. They are activists there for the cause, not for the power, fantasize about getting revenge on those who victimize the defenseless, and put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done.

Relationships
An INFJ is often hard to get to know. They are selective about their friends, but such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that transcends mere words... They hunger for deep and meaningful relationships, provide spiritual intimacy for their mates, and can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates." In such relationships, they strive for mutuality, don't believe in compromising their ideals, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people.

Towards others
It can be difficult for an INFJ to articulate their deepest and most convoluted feelings to others. They tend to be secretive by holding back and protecting part of themselves, thus creating hidden sides to their personality. They are choosy of what and when to share things and tend to only truly do so with those they trust. When they reveal things, it is often through speaking interpretively and metaphorically of the abstract world of their imagination. However, they can work quite intensely with those close to them, being cooperative in implementing goals - even though their own trusted intuition can sometimes make them stubborn. They can become aware of another's emotions/intentions before that person is conscious of them. This leads to strong empathic abilities, an unusually strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others while pointing out human potentials, and uncanny communications with certain individuals at a distance. They are often leaders who go unnoticed, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes. When working with others, they are very sensitive to conflict and cannot tolerate it very well. They will prevent/avoid it at all costs. They also provide an opportunity for fantasy for their children.
 
fun8stuff said:
Same here....
I am an INTJ too! I have also gotten better at talking to people throughout college. I suppose being a TA has helped quite a bit. I have always enjoyed talking with friends, but I have never really cared much to talk to strangers. Makes the whole process of making new friends hard, heh. I
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so 3+ years later i find that i like talking with patients... and it seems that quite a few of the interns and docs have a similar personality as me and i find it easy to talk... i haven't been told i am too quiet, which i often still get told from strangers/new people in other non-medical social situations...
 
another INTJ here 😎
 
I'm also introverted (don't recall the exact type, but I think I'll take this test later and see what I get), but when it comes to contact with people, the thing that bothers me is crowds and noise. For example, last night I had a friend drag me to a party and 5 minutes into it I thought I was going to vomit - I didn't know anybody there and everybody else did, and I had no idea how to start conversations with people - we talked a bit about the regular 20-something college graduate concerns and that was it. Being around large numbers of strangers and feeling compelled to try and be "social" makes me extremely uncomfortable. But then when I worked in retail, I always enjoyed dealing with customers and chatting them up, and people always commented on how friendly I was - at least one woman went as far as to "stalk" me so she could talk to me specifically about her concerns. She'd come to the store, but she wouldn't come up to talk to my coworkers and just kept coming back until she finally saw me at the desk one day again. On the same note, I really enjoyed one-on-one interactions with patients when I volunteered at the community clinic. So I've come to realize that I don't hate talking to people - I hate being surrounded by large groups of strangers. However, I'm totally at ease when it's a one-on-one situation - and this would be standard when you are a GP dealing with your clients. So who cares?
 
you're on an internet messageboard... the chances of you being an "E" is about as likely as me winning Powerball this week.
 
People, this thread is over 3 years old.

The OP is unlikely to read your reply, and is probably in more of a position to give you advice then to receive it at this point.

Oh, and the OP was banned for some reason.
 
Yeah, I know, because I was hoping people would share some of their experiences...
What's wrong with reviving an old thread?🙂
 
Celestron2000 said:
Yeah, I know, because I was hoping people would share some of their experiences...
What's wrong with reviving an old thread?🙂
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At 3 years I would just start a new thread on the topic.

People put a lot of time into writing responses to an OP who is unlikely to read them, without realizing the age of the thread.
 
jochi1543 said:
So I've come to realize that I don't hate talking to people - I hate being surrounded by large groups of strangers. However, I'm totally at ease when it's a one-on-one situation - and this would be standard when you are a GP dealing with your clients. So who cares?
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same here!
 
lord_jeebus said:
At 3 years I would just start a new thread on the topic.

People put a lot of time into writing responses to an OP who is unlikely to read them, without realizing the age of the thread.
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but the thread is not soley for the OP, but for everyone who reads it and esp for those who have the same question or thoughts 😉
 
EIFP here. I guess I'm fairly outgoing and can relate to people...hmm apparently I have a short attention span...
 
I am an ISTJ. As a current FNP and hopeful future MD I don't see it as a problem. I have found that with pt. contact I don't have a problem. For one thing you have a reason to talk with them, their problem. Unless you are so shy you just can't talk with any new person in general I don't think it will matter what speciality you are in.
 
Apparently I am an ENFP.

I seem to be heavily surrounded by introverts...ironic isn't it :laugh:
 
ENTJ here.
I was 1E, 12N, 1T, 78J.

lol, apparently i really need closure.
 
INTJ

Funny I had already decided on specializing in something with little patient contact like Surgery or Gas. Not that I couldn't converse with a patient, I just would rather not.

Celestron2000 thanks for bumping this dead thread.
 
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