Season 7, Episode 13 Transcript
Chase: 00:03 It’s CS Joseph with CSJoseph.life here with yet another windy day, and a very busy day as it seems a lot of people are celebrating a quinceañera. Está bien conmigo. Entonces let’s talk about the next episode in virtue and vice. So we just finished the INFJ virtue and vice, which is the… Integrity versus corruption. Today’s video is [we’re] going to be starting with the behind-the-scenes types. That’s the informative responding control types, and the first of that is the past focus, duty base, protector. The traditionalist, also known as the ISFJ, also known as the defender. So good old defender, you know. People claim it’s the most common of all the types. People claim it’s the most just of all the types. Got to love that sense of justice, you know what I mean? So… [breathes] I know a lot of defenders. I Actually have one inside me as my subconscious, right? The defender’s subconscious. So past focus, duty base protector, so focused on justice, right? Well, there’s another component of introverted sensing because they have introverted sensing hero [that] most people don’t really realize, and this component when it comes to ISFJs is very important, it’s very critical, you know, their virtue basically.
Chase: 02:03 So, [spits] what is that virtue? That virtue is faith, and vice? Well, its fear. Faith versus fear. ISFJ. You know what’s interesting about the ISFJ type? They are the most common type that you’ll find in a church. They’re the most common type that you’ll find defending a belief system, defending a tradition. There’s a lot of SFJs that are Catholics for example, but it’s especially interesting to note how ISFJs dominate the faith sphere. Here they’re all over the place with that. All over. I was born into a… I would say a very Christian family. My father was a preacher and my mother supported him in every way she possibly could. That includes, you know, with the Church. Also anything that would relate with that as well, and they take faith very seriously. A friend of mine who’s an INTP actually has an ISFJ son and… [without] without even trying, without even really teaching him, you know, that much about a belief system. His son is already praying on his own, right? That’s how far faith as a virtue can go for the ISFJ, right? Very, very interesting how that works. Very interesting how they really dominate in the area of faith. Why is faith important to them? Well, it seems like ISFJs just have this endless supply of hope. This huge endless supply of hope, and Si hero has a very interesting way of going about approaching faith, and it really comes from just their ability to be patient and endure anything.
Chase: 04:32 They really have this high, super mega high endurance, right? This endurance can get through anything. It can absolutely just get through anything. It can endure anything. ISFJs out of all the types are actually built to take the most punishment, the most physical punishment. They can endure a lot. That also includes emotional punishment as well. They’re able to… they’re able to challenge that area of human life because they could definitely take the hits. See a lot of the ISFJs who are, like, basically involved with UFC. [their] Usually their main strategy is just to outlast… outlast their opponents. A similar strategy that Muhammad Ali used when he was boxing. He’d just rope a dope. That’s what ISFJs do, they rope a dope, but why? Well, because they have this high endurance, because they have this patience, they’re able to behave like water, right?
Chase: 05:42 Water will eventually get to its destination one way or another. It may take time, it may take erosion, right, but one way or another that water is going to get to its destination. No matter what you do it will always get to its destination. That’s not going to change. So… the ISFJ, because it knows its ability to be the most patient, because it knows its ability to be most to endure anything, it knows that in the end it will win. In the end it will get what it wants, what it wants. In the end it will outlast everyone else. In the end it will be the last man standing right, and because of that knowledge,that is why they’re able to have such huge amounts of faith. That’s why out of all the types ISFJs are the most prevalent when it comes to believing in Santa Claus when they’re young, right, or Bigfoot, right? Especially ISFJ boys, right, or insert any other folk tale or fable, right, that anyone would be able to encounter necessarily.
Chase: 07:02 Well, it’s all about faith. ISFJs take faith absolutely seriously. If they’re part of an organized religion or belief system they will stick to it and stick to that tradition to their grave. Oftentimes because of their introverted feeling critic, because they hold themselves to such a high moral standard, right, in the same way INFJs do they are at risk of alienating people in their life. That could be a problem. I know because I’ve been alienated by ISFJs in the same manner, especially when it comes to belief systems, right? So that’s really what makes faith tick for an ISFJ: their ability to have patience, the ability to endure, their ability to outlast basically anyone or anything. The ISFJ way really, and because [their] ability to endure, they’re actually able to anticipate, they’re able to anticipate the future. They can actually predict the future. Not with their introverted sensing but with their extravert intuition because all that has happened before will happen again. That’s the first law of time, right? So they can predict future outcomes if they’ve experienced it in the past. So that only serves to reinforce their faith because then if they’ve experienced some things and they are seeking after acquiring some experiences for themselves, the ISFJ gets to a point where it’s like, “Oh, I can just wait,” you know. Like the whole statement of “goods things come to those who wait,” that statement was literally coined by an ISFJ mother trying to teach her children. Like literally. That statement is all about that archetype and where that archetype stands, where it comes from, you know, from its justice orientation, right? So faith is everything to the ISFJ. If you even get in the way of their faith, if you try to cast doubt on their faith, they will hate you. They will alienate you even more. They will have nothing to do with you. It’s a consistent problem. If you don’t agree with their belief system they will fight tooth and nail, and in some cases I’d even be willing to sell you down river in the name of righteous justice and righteous anger, right?
Chase: 09:55 Because, you know, no one has more zeal than… especially religious zeal, than an ISFJ. So let’s talk about their vice. Fear. No one is as afraid of anything as an ISFJ. Fear really gets in the way, and I think this is why ISFJs actually cling to organized religion. They lack that extraverted thinking, right? It’s a trickster, and because the organized religion has a system to it, well, they’re able to buy into it a lot easier because they don’t have to mentally worry about, you know, the system. The tasks, the people, the organization, the management behind it. As long as it just makes logical sense to them they’re willing to consider an organized religion belief system, right, and then because they’re so traditionalist with their… And they have that interesting social outlook with their Fi critic, they can actually start to enforce that belief system on their family, their friends, their lovers, et cetera. And you know, they have that faith, and they have that faith that those people will join them one day, right?
Chase: 11:23 Well sometimes that faith can be blind, and that’s usually as a result of their vice which is fear. ISFJs are afraid. They’re always aware of how people have… potentially have bad intentions towards them. Because of these bad intentions they’re at risk of being harmed or at risk of their loved one’s being harmed, you know. They’re always aware of that, they’re always trying to protect against that. You know, OpSec and InfoSec, it’s taken very seriously by ISFJs because they know, you know, that from an ISFJ standpoint, information, you know, knowledge is power. If you ever want to defeat an ISFJ cut them off from their source of information. If you cut them off from their source of information, if you stop communicating with them, or if you stop others from communicating with them, they lose all power, right? They need that information. Why? Well, information keeps them from being afraid. Information gives them more experience which allows them to see more into the future with their extroverted intuition. Seeing other people’s futures, right?
Chase: 12:38 Well, because they’re trying to stop being afraid, and they’re trying to [slip] have faith, basically. They’re so focused on safety, they’re so focused on justice that eventually that justice can actually turn into revenge, right? When an ISFJ gets afraid they’ll start jumping to conclusions. They’ll start jumping to conclusions about your intent, and then they’ll start labeling things that you aren’t, right? They’ll start labeling things and it’s like, “Now hold on.” I don’t think you even understand what those labels mean, ISFJs, but you’re going around labeling people. It’s because you have your Te trickster. Label first, ask questions later, right? Judge, jury and executioner. Now that’s more of what an immature ISFJ would do. That’s not what a mature one would do. Si hero has a way that as it gains in years it’s able to keep track of, you know, whether or not people alienate each other, you know, or whether or not they’ve alienated anyone themselves.
Chase: 13:51 I remember in my life meeting a few ISFJs and they would complain about being alone all the time. Even though, it’s kind of interesting, they are behind-the-scenes types, and they like their solitude because they’re able to recharge their batteries from their solitude, right? Well, they still long for other human contact. The problem is [is] that usually their high level of faith or because of their motivations behind having their faith is from fear, and it’s very off putting to other people because they’re all about what they should do, and, “I have all the faith in the world that this will work out.” Well, what happens when that faith becomes blind faith, right? What [happened] when that faith leads to like no action because you remember faith without works is dead, right? Well, ISFJs, even if they’re quote ‘faithful,’ loyal to their cause, they’ll still be idle, they’ll still have, like, a lack action.
Chase: 14:51 Why? Well, it’s because of fear. Fear even goes further. Fear can cause them to follow things with blind faith, can cause them to believe things without… [without] verifying, which is really odd to me because they have Ti child, right? They have [they have] Ti child and that caused, you know. One would think if you have Ti child that you’re going out of your way to verify everything, but no. ISFJs, they’re not going to, you know, whip out their Bible, or their Concordance, or their dictionary, you know, and research every little detail about their belief system, you know? No, actually ISFJs get super comfortable with their faith, you know. “I have all the faith in the world, and good things don’t happen to bad people,” right? “And I’m just going to be content to listen to the… What the preacher says, you know, from the pulpit without fact checking him. I’m perfectly okay with just learning everything he says, you know, because God has mandated it,” or whatever, you know. There’s a serious lack of verification. There’s no, there’s no research, there’s no fact checking even in their belief system. Why? Well, in the same way that ISTJs can get lazy, well, Si hero can still get pretty lazy in the ISFJ, and they don’t verify anything. It’s not a sign of priority to them – as long as they’re comfortable, right?
Chase: 16:26 It gets even worse. Then their fear goes outside of themselves, and in their fear they start being afraid for their children, right? They get afraid that their children don’t have a good relationship with God; or a good relationship with, you know, their [their] religion; or their belief system; and they’re not… and, [they’re] they’re living a life of sin, you know, or they’re… or they’re not living the good life. They’re not being a good person, and then all of a sudden the ISFJ’s sense of injustice kicks in, right, and then the ISFJ just starts to enforce that behavior on their own family because they’re afraid for their family. Here’s some interesting quotes from ISFJs that have gone this deep. Quote, “I’m going to destroy your life before you can,” end quote. Or another one, another example of when an ISFJ, like, “I’m going to give you a car, but my name’s going to be on the car, and if you don’t go to church every Sunday then I’m going to call grand theft auto on you and take your car away.”
Chase: 17:31 Yeah, okay, I get that that’s not every ISFJ, and that’s, like, pretty crazy, but I have experienced that from an ISFJ, from… from a mother to her daughter. They can get that far. It’s important for me to draw out just how far people’s vices can go because this mother was so afraid her daughter was just living a horrible life, a life of sin that she had to control every aspect of her daughter’s life so that her daughter wouldn’t [wouldn’t] sin. Wouldn’t be in sin, right? Little does the ISFJ mother realize that that is a self fulfilling prophecy. She’s literally causing the thing that she’s trying to avoid by exerting so much control and taking away the freedom of her daughter. How many of you on this channel resonate with that? How many in this channel have those SFJ people in your families that, you know, they’re kind of like those Jehovah’s Witnesses, or those Mormons that show up on your doorstep, right? You know, because they’re doing what they should do because they have all the faith in the world with their Si heroes, right, and they’re trying to convince you, sell you on it with their ENTP subconscious, or their ENFP subconscious if they’re ISTJs, you know. Trying to sell you on the belief system because they’ve had [they’ve had] a big experience, right? That Si hero, it just has to tell everyone else about the experience that they’ve had, you know. “You want to have this experience with me, right? I’ve had this experience, Si hero. Do you want, Ne inferior, do you want to have this experience with me? Ne inferior?” That’s how bad their fear can get ahold of them when they start getting afraid that people around them are lacking in faith, and then they become, they elect themselves the Faith Cop, the Faith Enforcer.
Chase: 19:40 It’s not just with Christians. I’ve seen it with Muslims. I’ve seen it with many other belief systems. Well, I understand that the narrative about Islam is very skewed in the United States of America compared to other parts of the world, or at least in First World nations I would say. I get that it’s very skewed, but wherever, regardless of the source of, you know, these belief systems having a bad reputation or whatever, it usually comes from ISFJ fear. That fear is so great. They are the most afraid of all the types, and then they feel responsible because of Fi critic. They feel responsible when their families, right, are not believing the way that they believe. So then they feel guilty, and they’re motivated by guilt, right, to enforce the belief system with the family. That’s ridiculous. ISFJs don’t have to do that. ISFJs need to allow other people, especially those in their family, especially those in their most [closest] intimate relationships to be free. How many times have people been in a relationship with an ISFJ and the ISFJ is, like, really interested in them, and they’re really interested in the ISFJ? They can be like an artist, like an artist person is going afteran ISFJ, or [or] maybe even an entertainer, you know… an [an] ESFP, right? So an ISFP, ESFP is going after this ISFJ and then ISFJ turns and look in the eye and said, “You know what? You’re pretty cool but you don’t believe the same way I do, so because of that, we can’t be in a relationship.” Wow.
Chase: 21:41 Some fear there, guys. They’re so afraid. They’re so afraid that they’re going to do injustice to their belief system by being with somebody that doesn’t believe like them. Now, sure, granted, it’s probably wise to be with somebody who has a similar belief system that you do, but it’s not impossible. I have been in many relationships, intimate relationships, with people who do not share my belief system, and I have treated them with the highest respect because it doesn’t matter to me, because I care about them the person more than I care about my belief system. A belief system should not inhibit me from being human. A belief system should not get in the way of my personal sovereignty. I talk about the state being more sovereign than a person, but in this particular case when it comes to ISFJs the church is more sovereign than a person, and quite frankly it’s probably because of ISFJs, I’m sorry. That’s a fact. It sucks, but it is what it is, there’s nothing that I can do about it. Faith versus fear. The faith can be amazing, the fear can be destroying. The faith almost always ends up being rewarded in some way, shape, or form, you know.
Chase: 23:18 Maybe because of their [how] imposing the ISFJ that family member’s going back to church all of a sudden, right? Because ISFJs just have this huge amount of faith in people. They have a lot of faith in themselves. They’re able to endure anything. They’re able to get through any obstacle, any mountain in life, any mulberry tree, because a mulberry tree they plant bitter roots in our soul, right? In our in our youth, and then we have bad fruit springing up in our soul, in our adulthood, especially when we get married or have children, you know, that’s bitter roots. Well it takes faith, faith to get over those mountains, those obstacles in life. It takes faith to get rid of those bitter roots, and ISFJs know that and they’re able to get through some of the most [hardest] situations you can ever imagine, and they’re able to do it and it’s unbelievable; but they’re also so, so afraid that they can alienate so many people, even their own family; even willing to destroy the reputation of their own children publicly; even willing to throw their own children in jail.
Chase: 24:32 In certain cases, that’s for the more either underdeveloped or more immature, or corrupted ISFJs. Not all ISFJs do that. There are plenty of responsible ones. For example there’s some amazing ISFJ Olympic athletes who are able to get through some of the most egregious physical feats and set records. That’s how far their faith can take them because they have faith in themselves. It is absolutely brilliant what they’re able to accomplish. So if you’re in a relationship with an ISFJ you want to keep them in their faith side. I recommend challenging them. I recommend, you know, keep them comfortable, obviously, because that’s why they like being in a relationship with you because you make them comfortable. You make them feel safe, do that – but if you sense injustice, if you sense a situation where they’re trying to push their belief system on you, and you don’t want that you got to be like, “Hey, hold on. That’s disrespectful. You’re disrespecting me because you’re pushing this belief system on me. No,” you know.
Chase: 25:55 Same thing with children. If they’re trying to indoctrinate your children and you don’t agree with it, right, you got to communicate. You got to make the ISFJ uncomfortable in that situation. You also always have to tell the ISFJ what you want. If you’re not communicating with them what you want they’re not going to have the information to have any of the boundaries that they need to make these decisions. It’s very important that you set up boundaries. They need it because they’re just trying to have a personal standard for themselves and a personal standard for the family. An example of a personal standard ends up becoming a tradition, right? “Every year we show up to the family reunion, and everyone has to be there,” and the ISFJ will call everyone in the family to make sure they’re there because the ISFJ is so afraid that they’re going to be the only one that goes to show up. See what I mean? Communicate with them. Always tell them what you’re going to do before they do it. They take great care and great preparation for social events, especially family social events. They take it so seriously. Last thing that they ever desire is for you not to show up because they want you to show up because they want to have a good experience. Because they have a good experience because you were there, right, if you’re in a relationship with them or if you’re in a family with them.
Chase: 27:19 ISFJs, if you want to stay in your faith you got to be willing to take risks, especially with your belief system. You got to be willing to have an open mind. If you want to actually increase your faith you have an open mind. Why is it ISFJs think that by having a closed loop thinking, a closed mind, that they’re actually protecting their belief system? That’s not true. You’re only succumbing to fear that way if you don’t open yourself up to other belief systems; to other ways of thinking; to other ways of living; to other walks of life; you are actually engaging your vice, and you are actually allowing fear to grow. Only by experiencing other things and judging for yourself, right, will you be able to truly know your faith because you have to test your faith; and that can be faith in a church, or a belief system, or a religion. That could also be faith in yourself.
Chase: 28:17 You need to be willing to take risks. You need to be willing to have an open mind. You need to be willing to fail. You need to be willing to suffer. Remember, ISFJs are very well known for wisdom, but wisdom does not come without suffering. No one can be comforted in wisdom. If you’re so focused on staying comfortable with your belief system you’re only going to cultivate fear. Do not cultivate fear. It will destroy your life, and it will destroy your relationships with your family, your children, and everyone you hold close, and you’re going to wake up 60, 65 years old and wonder why you’re so alone. Its because you’ve alienated so many people because of your fear. Let go of the fear. Have an open mind. Experience everything at least once so you can judge for yourself whether or not it’s good, it’s bad, or whether or not it’s something you should be doing, or something you should support. Just because you’re trying something doesn’t mean you believe in it, doesn’t mean you support it. I don’t care how you look. Yeah, people are like, “Well, you know, if I do this, then you know. If I, if I look like if I’m going to a bar I must look like a drunk, right?” Yeah, no, that’s not the way to do it. I go to bars all the time. Do I drink alcohol in bars? Rarely.
Chase: 29:48 It’s all about personal character. It’s all about personal philosophy. Who cares what other people think about you? Who cares about how other people feel about you? You need to keep an open mind, and you need to have new experiences so that you can have faith. Real faith. Not blind faith, blind faith that is born out of fear. Faith that moves mountains in your life, and the mountains of other people’s lives, especially your children and your family. Faith that pulls out those bitter roots. All because you had an open mind; because you were willing to suffer; because you were willing to fail and have failure. I get that you believe that you can fly so close to the sun, and that’s a huge risk for you. I get it. I get that. I struggled with it too because I have an ISFJ subconscious. I understand, but unless you have an open mind you’re stunting your growth. By having an open mind you are testing your faith. You are making it like a diamond instead of an uncut diamond, but diamonds are still created by pressure and heat and suffering, right?
Chase: 30:58 Your faith needs to shine brightly, and the only way that happens is if you have an open mind. You allow yourself to have failure because failure provides growth. Failure provides wisdom. That is how important suffering is, and guess what ISFJs? You are built to endure. You are built to take the punishment, and no one can outlast you in this area. So please make sure you’re engaging your virtue by staying faithful. Semper Fidelis, right? That is what the ISFJ is, always faithful, but you cannot always be faithful unless you have an open mind and are willing to try new things. Willing to fail for the sake of discovery, for the sake of testing your faith so that you know your faith is… The things that you put your faith into are the things you should be putting your faith into before you force everyone else around you to participate in your faith system. ISFJs are brilliant and they are amazing people, and they can accomplish so much, but if they’re living in fear not only are they tearing themselves down but they’re tearing down everyone else around them with them. But if they are living in faith everyone appreciates them because everyone around them is literally benefiting from that faith, locking onto that faith; locking onto that loyalty; locking onto that faithfulness, right? Semper Fidelis, so that they can move the mountains and obstacles in their life so they can live a life of less pain. Why? Because you have the ISFJ have suffered in their stead already, and you can show them a better future, a better tomorrow because you had an open mind. That’s how you, the ISFJ, changes the world. That’s why you exist. Such is the way of faith versus fear.
Chase: 33:02 If you found this lecture helpful, insightful, entertaining, useful, educational, please subscribe to the YouTube Channel, or the podcast, or both. If you have any questions about ISFJs and their virtue and vice please leave it in the comments section, and I will do my best to answer your questions. I read all the comments all the time. The next lecture we’ll be doing is on the ISFP known as the artist. That’ll be next video so… that’ll be a lot of fun. I really like this one too. So with that I’ll see you guys tonight.
