Alter ego

You know, according to MBTI, you’ll turn into your alternate personality when you’re in extreme stress. For example, an INFP whose order of functions are Fi, Ne, Si, Te, will turn into a Te monster when under stress. How about ISTP who’re usually calm and rational? They’ll turn into Fe crazy & bitchy grandpa/grandma that’ll complain about other people not following set standards.

How to know what your alter ego? First, identify your Dominant function. If it’s Si for example, then flip the letters so you can get Ne, and that is your alter ego. If your dominat function is Fe, then you’ll get Ti as alter ego.

Basically what happens is that when you’re too stressed, you’ll turn into someone who’s not...you. For example, as an Si dominant, you normally trust well-established rules, or facts that you know have always worked in the past. But when you’re stressed, when you’re angry, you’ll use your Ne to lash out your irritation and point out on those varieties of possibilities that could’ve happened, multiple (sometimes can be irrational) ideas about that problem you’re facing...and all of these happen in a bad way. I mean, you’re in a bad mood anyway.

For example, myself as an ISTP I use logical thinking as my day-to-day process. Most of the moving gears are in my brain, much less in my heart/feelings. But when I’m stressed, suddenly it feels like the gears in my brain overheat and stop moving completely, then within a few seconds I’ll become overwhelmed by an ocean of emotions (well, those ‘emotions’ being anger and irritation). I’ll get angry at other people for not going along with the rules(! I mean, rules are there to make other people’s lives easier, aren’t they?!). I am so focused at being angry at other people (not myself!), even though the reasons for it mostly don’t make sense when I think back about it.

Another example, shared by my colleague, her mother is an ENTJ whose dominant function is Te, so her alter ego would be Fi. This colleague of mine told me that when her mother was stressed that one time and turned into her alter ego, from someone who usually thinks that people should follow a certain structure (outward judging),  she became someone who questioned, doubted, blamed herself for the stressful situation that happened. Inner reflection of feelings, that’s her alter ego Fi showing up. Meanwhile this colleague of mine whose dominant function is Fi...meaning she’ll turn into a bad version of her mother whenever she’s stressed out ;P (no offense!).

Scary isn’t it. It’s like you’re suddenly wearing a different skin, and it’s uncomfortable, but you don’t realize that at the moment. It’s like, you’re losing control of who you really are. You’ll only realize it once you turn back into your normal self. That’s why whenever you’re stressed out and you ask someone to hear you out, they say “You’re just not being yourself.”

“Dude, of course I am not myself, I’m stressed out here, can’t you see?!”

- ISTP girl
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