... from myself, what I've read about other ISTPs here in Delta, and others...
... talking to ISTPs...
First and foremost, do NOT be manipulative. Don't try and tell us something if you mean or want something else. Especially small stuff. If it's insignificant, and you want something one way, then don't try and be all "nice", just go with it. We'll either say "Yes", or "No", and what we say, we really do mean. Don't be too shy to ask of something that you think we may not want to do. If we don't want to do it, we'll tell you, if we're indifferent, then all's good and it's one less meaningless decision we've had to make for ourselves.
And yes, we really hate it when people are nice to us. It feels like you're being fake, you think we're stupid, and it makes us cringe or just plain get angry. As sick as this seems, we'd rather have someone bitch at us than pretend to be nice when they're just using it as a tool to get something. At least then it's real...
... ISTPs and opinions...
Shroodinger's cat talked about this in her description of ISTPs. Basically? Just let us do what we want to do, and in the way we want to do it. We won't always do something the same way that others do it, but that's ok, because everyone else is just moronic. :wink: But... we'll leave you alone too. In fact, we don't really care what you think, or how you do something, or whatever, as long as you don't interfer with us. Otherwise, we can get angry, and that's something you don't want to see. Just give us options, not opinions.
... ISTPs and competition...
Often times ISTPs can be VERY competative (like all IxxPs), even though we are laidback a lot of the time. Just be aware. When we get into that "mode", and are focused and everything, we lose all and any sorts of things that can resemble "judgment", at which point we are no longer responsible for our actions.
BTW, this also applies to when we are concentrating on something; don't interupt us, really. If it seems like we're doing something, or trying to finish something, there's probably a good reason.
... talking about things like emotions...
It makes us uncomfortable, and we'd try anything to manuver away from the subject as quickly as possible. It just stimulates us WAY TOO MUCH. Emotions to an ISTP is like trying to hit a glass window with a sledge hammer. I'd even have to admit that it's fragile (double ). If you were not invited to our personal world of feelings then don't invite yourself, really. We don't want you in there, sorry.
And we don't like much attention either. It's not an act.
... ISTPs and privacy...
This works similar to the emotions thing. There are a lot of things that we do or know or think that we don't tell people. A LOT. And there's a reason for it... we don't really care. As I said before, we're not fake, and we don't pretend to want something when we really don't, we just do things for ourselves, not to impress others. I know this may sound odd to some people, but the last thing I think about is impressing people.
We're not whores.
... wait, do you hate everyone?...
No, we just don't show it. It's painful to show any emotion. And we'd be surprised if anyone asked us if we were "depressed" or "not having a good time", because we're still probably having a ball. But building on that, we are often oblivious to how we act towards people, and what others' think of us. If people don't like us, we don't understand it. Or most often recognize it. And worse yet, know how to fix it.
We can often act one way one time, then completely different another day, and honestly and truthfully have NO FUCKIN' CLUE THAT WE COME OFF ANY DIFFERENTLY THAN BEFORE. I have literally had people ask me, "What happen to the funny guy I knew yesterday?" And it's only at that point when I realize something wrong. Or even different.
We're oblivious.
... don't tell us to do something more than once...
... or control us, because we heard you the first time. Actually, we take things like that as you viewing us as stupid, which just makes us--> , and --> , and we just feel like NOT doing what you just told us to do if you repeat it. We have a pretty good idea of what we're going to do, when we're going to do it, and how much time we have, so just let us do it our way.
... ISTPs are rarely unhappy with ourselves...
We know who we are, what we want, what we want to do, and how to do it (again), so opinions on any of these matters are not welcome. From what I can gather from other ISTPs, we don't wish we were any other person (generally), or had anyone else's life, or that any part of who we are that we hadn't purposely explored already was different. We're just self-confident, basically. And ISTPs love being ISTP.
So, if you ever have problems with an ISTP, or seem to get them angry or aggressive in anyway, you've done something wrong, broken a rule, and probably have done a no-no mentioned in this thread. And you've also done it for a long time. We're pretty good at getting angry, but not showing it. We'll keep it down for as long as we can, but eventually we have to show you how annoying you are.