Personality Type & PTSD & Racing

Ive been doing a bit of self discovery lately and came across a strange coincidence. My personality type is ISTP (Mechanic, Virtuoso). One of the traits of this type is a need for adrenaline, and being drawn to activities like motorcycle racing if the day job doesnt give regular doses of it. Then it turns out I have PTSD from my upbringing as a child and wouldnt you know it, the books on this subject say PTSDers are drawn to risky behaviors like racing and gamblibg as well.

This helps explain my shock that most people have no desire to race motorcycles.

 

Wow Dave...you mean to say that motorcycle racers are a disturbed bunch ??
Thank you for the insight...

 

Who woulda figured that? To me, you guys seem normal and everyone else is out of their flippin minds.

 

That's what I go with, I really only truly get along with racers, not trackday guys but racers. Everyone else seems off.

 

No wonder I fit in, kind of, maybe.

 

Despite all the damage you’ve all suffered in your lives, I want you all to know I’m here for you...

















To perpetuate it.

 

ISTP checking in.

Can Confirm.

 

Am I the only one who doesn't know wtf istp is?

 

Interesting thoughts on personality types and why we ride.

For myself, riding on the track (and formerl racing) actually calms me and slows my thought process allowing me to have increased focus. While riding, I have to be singularly focused on the one thing I am doing, riding. When I dont, I find my riding absolutely sucks or I have moments that cause an "adrenaline rush" which means I screwed up. Fortunate enough, I have not had one of those "rushes" in a long time as they tend to wind up with me having broken bones...

Non riding people are often surprised when they ask the most common question of, "Are you an adrenaline junkie?" and I respond that that no I am not and for me, an adrenaline rush is the result of me not thinking clearly.

For the individual who many suffer from PTSD or has a personality type needing the "hit" of adrenaline, the need to feel "alive" can be overwhelming and they can often put themselves at an increased perceived risk to feel this. Quite the oversimplification for sure but much research and time by the psychological community has been devoted to this.

The brain is a marvelous thing for sure in how we are uniquely individual and all the same at the same time...

 

That's very similar to me, I don't race for the speed or the adrenaline, I race for the calming focus it brings when I do it correctly.
I don't drink or smoke or anything either so it has a calming effect on my life and when it goes well allows me to be locked in, in real life verse distant and distracted.

 

Yep!!

Its one of the sixteen briggs-meyer personality. Basically you take a 5 minute quiz about your likes and preferences and it spits out your type.

ISTPs keep their emotions bottled inside, look to themselves to fix things, mechanically handy, quiet natured, avoid doctors, etc. Logical people, not touchy feelie.

 

I race for the absolute focus on the here and now AND for the adrenaline hit.

Im the one that showed up at track days saying "but I AM here to crash, stop telling me not to!" New racer school was torture, being 'crash and you're out'. I just need my fix why u all gettin in my way!!??!

 

That sounds like me.

 

This is very true for me. It's much more like meditation. It's a time of total focus with just me and a blend of physical and mental. That's true whether it's a race, street, or dirt bike. I've experienced similar perceptions from those that only know me at a surface level. They expect that I'm the type that just likes speed, but it's very much the opposite.

 

For me as well it was/is not about adrenaline rush. As a matter of fact, adrenaline never really triggers, or at least I don't feel it. It's about learning a skill that is so much more complex than non riding people can understand. Beating the track as most of your teachers and coaches will put it. I'm very ADHD and motorcycle racing(riding to develop skills on track) are the only things that have kept my full, undivided attention. A peace comes over my mind when I have the one job at hand. My entire being and life depends on MY decisions. Boy, it's great.

 

I'm an 'INFJ-A'.....Assertive Advocate personality. Took all but 3 mins for that test to describe my life perfectly. lol.

https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

 

I did a bungy jump once, everyone was saying it's an adrenaline rush, did nothing for me, it's kind of hard to beat being highsided at 80mph plus for an adrenaline rush.

 

Highside?

Maybe not adrenaline, ....endorphins perhaps?

 

Must be broke.

Says I’m just an asshole.