Subtypes

I think Subtypes is a bad idea. One of the major strengths of the CT model is that it doesn't have unnecessary complexity and is a "nature" only model. I see no good argument for why there should be inherent subtypes independent of personal experience. So, by adding or mixing subtypes into the CT model we run the risk of making it easier for people to mistype. People may develop their own personal and independent models for why people (of the same type) are slightly different from each other, but we should keep those models separate from the core CT model in my opinion.

I actually agree with TheLogicFan (I've been doing that a lot lately 0.o)
The way I see it is, cognitive type is intrinsic. But nurture produces some differences in manifestations of these types. However, these differences are a gradient rather than fixed dichotomies. One's "subtype" would be prone to change during the course of their life with more or less development of their processes - or personal realizations/growth. The number of subtypes we could create is potentially infinite, and as such, subtypes would not be intrinsic but more circumstantial and more of a convenience to make things more relateable on a behavioral level.

I'd rather take the approach (following the present outline of the profiles: cognitivetype.com/profiles/) of having a section for Manifestations/Archetypes. There are indeed common patterns of manifestation that types fall into and the most common can be noted. But what I really think would be golden is to have an actual library of Bios of properly typed people. That way one could read all the different accounts of same-types who grew up in different environments and see just how the same psychology twisted into the varied shapes it did, and precisely for what reasons.

Addendum:

I've seen this at work in a few people I know personally, like my brother, who shifted from an SeTi-Se (Were we to use that classification) to now an SeTi-Ti or even SeTi-Ni. This was due to two primary events; the passing away of family members, and my influence in challenging his Ti to refine its assertions. And now a third is his intellectual friendship with Te users. He's almost nothing like how he was as a freely-flowing Se-dom child now. If it was something innate to him, this wouldn't have happened.

Another example I have is myself, who used to be very TiNe-Ti, and who is now TiNe-Fe. I use my primary oscillation more than my supportive (Ne/Si) but this is circumstantial. As a child creativity was highly lacking in my family, and I wasn't encouraged to be creative or given very many avenues for it. Despite this I was an avid artist and would take apart the electronic toys that we did have, to see what was inside, etc. Had I been born in a household with several other Ne-leads, then my exposure to forms of fluid expression would have been stronger and I would have been more daring, enthusiastic, playful. Perhaps a TiNe-Ne.

I think the answer to whether or not 'subtype' is innate is truly answered by itself when you've known enough people for long periods of their life. You can see how we all transition in our use of processes to meet the environment at hand --- sometimes finding novel ways to use multiple functions in a twisted conjunction to "cope" with a situation that is ill suited for our psychology --- and that changes as the environment changes.

This isn't in the vein of the OP, and I'm very (truly) sorry about the derail, but could you (Sevenfish) talk a little about adderall? (provided you're comfortable with that. I don't always know what questions people are okay with answering and which they aren't)

I've been really interested in adderall for a while now, but I've never had my curiosity satisfied.

First, on a general level, what is it like? (Kind of vague, I know, but a vague answer is more than okay (expected, even))
I'm assuming that you're prescribed adderall in relation to a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. Do you think that diagnosis is justified? If so, do you think the adderall helps curb the "disorder" part and help with the smooth functioning of life and such?

The little brother of an acquaintance of mine was prescribed adderall for ADHD and it (according to the acquaintance, not the brother) completely changed his whole personality/whatever while he was on it. However, I have a friend that has done it (recreationally (well, at least not prescribed)) and didn't really give much information, but gave it a positive review overall.

Sorry to disregard the thread (feel free to split this, Auburn), but I'm very curious about this.

Haha sure. I'll say something about subtypes too to hopefully keep it from going way off the rails. 

Adderall is a bit insideous in the way that its hard to tell if you are doing something "because of adderall". The only obvious thing is that sometimes you feel jittery and you are not as hungry. Those are the only effects that can be easily related to it. Believe it or not, I have procrastinated on adderall - motivation is still paramount to success. I think it kind of greases the wheels, but if you don't want to do it, there is no guarantee (sp? yeah i kno). There is no clear line that separates it. If you are tired or hormonal or super inspired, adderall won't change that.

When I accomplish something big off of adderall, I am really proud. When I do so on adderall, I contribute it all to adderall and am not really proud. 

I took it today, but had been off for about a month before that. I feel more under control, but also the slightest bit less relaxed and patient. A bit less easy going. Sometimes I wonder if adderall is like a Te booster I have wondered how it plays into type and functions, but I doubt it does so any more than alchohol or coffee would (which I am assuming is not relevant in the whole scheme of things). 

Adderall maybe could be one of those environmental factors that contribute to an expression of a subtype. Maybe that's cheating though since its not a neutral state, but still just something i was thinking about.

Here is an analogy that I find appropriate: 

ADD provides you with hyperfocus some of the time
Adderall provides you with normal focus more of the time

Adderall helps you get through that boring crap that you just need to do, but it does not provide constant hyperfocus on everything. (if that makes sense )

(sorry if i keep on with this off topic -__-)
Mh... i'm afraid of those drugs. In my opinion most of the times they heal the symptoms and not the cause of the problems, i prefer more natural remedies.
What worked for me:

Veganism: since 3 years i'm vegan, before my consumpion of meat was inexorably enormous (you know, italy, motherland of salami, ham, smoked ham, sausage, we eat it also without nothing like appetizer), the same for cheese. I suffer from low blood pressure (probably inherited from my mother) with consequent increasing of heart rate, and during the summer was almost impossible for me to live, dizziness, headaches, low concentration. Since i stopped my consumption of meat i'm drastically improved in that sense, i'm not sayng that everyone has to be vegan (even if i wish that ), but limit the consumption of animal derivatives worked with the rest of my family.

Walking: the last months i tried to go to school "a pei" as we say in sardinia, every day for 5 days a week, 80 minutes each day in total. I noticed not only that my physical resistance is improved (i can walk for the rest of the earth's days) but also my concentration is way better than before.

Meditation: i tried many styles of meditation (without a teacher yet) and i found a style that worked awesomely with me, Hakalau , i automatically started to breath with the diaphragm and also my posture was better.

I also write a diary, where i write everything that passes through my head. Well, my anxiety is halved.

About the type... well, if i have to "subtype" me, i think i'm a NeTi-Ti or a NeTi-Si, even the two things togheter, i have an huge scowl for the most part of the day, and my eyebrows are really protrusive, i seem constantly pissed off (one of the reasons why other people often avoids me) when i'm more probably consulting my Si worldview. My Fe on the other hand is practically inexistent, sometimes i have huge problems at explaining myself and making connections with other people, that makes me think of a very low developed articulation function.
I was thinking to observe high Fe (better if FeSi) users to see how they explain themselfs and relate with others.
For the moment my biggest model is Steve Jobs, i learned some little tricks from him and an important quote:

Heron: You seem to have it rolling! I know walking can cure most illnesses. I used to be a vegan/vegetarian (I jumped back and forth), but after having kids I was back to normal crap. I'll try to improve on that. Meditation might really work for overloaded judgers. How do you begin, I don't know... That's the most difficult part for me.

peppergirl: That's an interesting issue! We've had a huge nutritional debate with a lot of ethos and pathos going on in Finland during the last couple of years. It's basically about low-carb camp against the national nutrition directions. I'm in the middle ground here. I agree that certain carbs are really bad for us, but I also think it's ecologically and ethically unsustainable to eat that much animal protein as the low-carb diet insists. So trying to find a middle way... My veganism/vegetarianism was always more of an ethical and ecological choice than based on health issues, although I (=my body) do prefer eating lighter food but more often. Being a vegan does require paying more attention to certain nutritional things. I would like to have a mostly Mediterranean kind of diet, but unfortunately it's far from my local environment so the ingredients are never that good.