by Joe Butt Profile: INTP
Revision: 3.2
Date of Revision: 6 Aug 2010
INTPs are pensive, analytical folks. They may venture so deeply into thought as to seem detached, and often actually are oblivious to the world around them.
Precise about their descriptions, INTPs will often correct others (or be sorely tempted to) if the shade of meaning is a bit off. While annoying to the less concise, this fine discrimination ability gives INTPs so inclined a natural advantage as, for example, grammarians and linguists.
INTPs are relatively easy-going and amenable to almost anything until their principles are violated, about which they may become outspoken and inflexible. They prefer to return, however, to a reserved albeit benign ambiance, not wishing to make spectacles of themselves.
A major concern for INTPs is the haunting sense of impending failure. They spend considerable time second-guessing themselves. The open-endedness (from Perceiving) conjoined with the need for competence (NT) is expressed in a sense that one's conclusion may well be met by an equally plausible alternative solution, and that, after all, one may very well have overlooked some critical bit of data. An INTP arguing a point may very well be trying to convince himself as much as his opposition. In this way INTPs are markedly different from INTJs, who are much more confident in their competence and willing to act on their convictions.
Mathematics is a system where many INTPs love to play, similarly languages, computer systems--potentially any complex system. INTPs thrive on systems. Understanding, exploring, mastering, and manipulating systems can overtake the INTP's conscious thought. This fascination for logical wholes and their inner workings is often expressed in a detachment from the environment, a concentration where time is forgotten and extraneous stimuli are held at bay. Accomplishing a task or goal with this knowledge is secondary.
INTPs and Logic -- One of the tipoffs that a person is an INTP is her obsession with logical correctness. Errors are not often due to poor logic -- apparent faux pas in reasoning are usually a result of overlooking details or of incorrect context.
Games NTs seem to especially enjoy include Risk, Bridge, Stratego, Chess, Go, and word games of all sorts. (I have an ENTP friend that loves Boggle and its variations. We've been known to sit in public places and pick a word off a menu or mayonnaise jar to see who can make the most words from its letters on a napkin in two minutes.) The INTP mailing list has enjoyed a round of Metaphore, virtual volleyball, and a few 'finish the series' brain teasers.
- INTPs in the main are not clannish. The INTP mailing list, with a readership now in triple figures, was in its incipience fraught with all the difficulties of the Panama canal: we had trouble deciding:
- whether or not there should be such a group,
- exactly what such a group should be called, and
- which of us would have to take the responsibility for organization and maintenance of the aforesaid group/club/whatever.
A Functional Analysis
Introverted Thinking
Introverted Thinking strives to extract the essence of the Idea from various externals that express it. In the extreme, this conceptual essence wants no form or substance to verify its reality. Knowing the Truth is enough for INTPs; the knowledge that this truth can (or could) be demonstrated is sufficient to satisfy the knower. "Cogito, ergo sum" expresses this prime directive quite succinctly. In seasons of low energy level, or moments of single-minded concentration, the INTP is aloof and detached in a way that might even offend more relational or extraverted individuals. Extraverted iNtuition
Intuition softens and socializes Thinking, fleshing out the brittle bones of truths formed in the dominant inner world. That which is is not negotiable; yet actual application diffuses knowledge to the extent that knowledge needs qualification and context to be of any consequence in this foreign world of substance. If Thinking can desist, the INTP is free to brainstorm, calling up the perceptions of the unconscious (i.e., intuition) which are mirrored in patterns in the realm of matter, time and space. These perceptions, in the form of theories or hunches, must ultimately defer to the inner principles, or at least they must not negate them. Intuition unchained gives birth to play. INTPs enjoy games, formal or impromptu, which coax analogies, patterns and theories from the unseen into spontaneous expression in a way that defies their own comprehension.
Introverted Sensing
Sensing is of a subjective, inner nature similar to that of the SJs. It supplies awareness of the forms of senses rather than the raw, analogic stimuli. Facts and figures seek to be cleaned up for comparison with an ever growing range of previously experienced input. Sensing assists intuition in sorting out and arranging information into the building blocks for Thinking's elaborate systems. The internalizing nature of the INTP's Sensing function leaves a relative absence of environmental awareness (i.e., Extraverted Sensing), except when the environment is the current focus. Consciousness of such conditions is at best a sometime thing. Extraverted Feeling
Feeling tends to be all or none. When present, the INTP's concern for others is intense, albeit naive. In a crisis, this feeling judgement is often silenced by the emergence of Thinking, who rushes in to avert chaos and destruction. In the absence of a clear principle, however, INTPs have been known to defer judgement and to allow decisions about interpersonal matters to be left hanging lest someone be offended or somehow injured. INTPs are at risk of being swept away by the shadow in the form of their own strong emotional impulses. Famous INTPs:
SocratesRene Descartes
Blaise Pascal
Sir Isaac Newton
- U.S. Presidents:
- James Madison
- John Quincy Adams
- John Tyler
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Gerald Ford
C. G. Jung, (Freudian defector, author of Psychological Types, etc.)
William James
Albert Einstein
Charles Darwin
Tom Foley (1989-1995: Speaker of the House--U.S. House of Representatives)
Henri Mancini
Bob Newhart
Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senator (D.--NM)
Rick Moranis (Honey, I Shrunk The Kids)
Midori Ito (ice skater, Olympic silver medalist)
Tiger Woods
The first way to look at your personality type is in terms of four preferences, each being a choice between two opposites.
As an analogy, the world is divided into two hemispheres - North and South - each one sharing some unique characteristics, such as the direction of the sun's shadow. However, this does not mean all cities in the same hemisphere are the same, as can be illustrated by comparing Cairo, Birmingham and Reykjavik.
In a similar way, if you have the same personality preferences as someone else you share some characteristics, but you are still unique.
In the table right, your preferences are indicated by the green bars. Your personality type code can be obtained by combining the four letters of each preference, i.e., INTP.
| E | I | ||
| Do you prefer to direct energy towards the outer world of people and things (E) or the inner world of ideas and information (I)? | |||
| Extroversion involves interacting with people, having broad interests, and tending to act first and then think. | Introversion involves concentrating on a few, deep issues, and thinking things through before acting. | ||
| S | N | ||
| Do you prefer to deal with facts and tangible outcomes (S) or possibilities and potential (N)? | |||
| Sensation looks at facts, takes a practical approach and tends to be interested in clear, detailed information. | iNtuition looks at potential and possibilities, and tends to be interested in what is not yet known. | ||
| T | F | ||
| Do you prefer to decide on the basis of objective logic (T) or subjective values (F)? | |||
| Thinking involves using principles, taking a detached, objective view as an onlooker, analysing and criticising. | Feeling involves using values, taking a personal, subjective view as a participant, valuing and appreciating. | ||
| J | P | ||
| Do you prefer to live an organised and structured life (J) or be flexible and go with the flow (P)? | |||
| Judgement structures and controls life, making decisions and establishing closure or stability. | Perception retains flexibility, inquiring, being spontaneous, keeping options open and waiting to see what develops. | ||
| ISTJ 65% | ISFJ 55% | INFJ 60% | INTJ 70% |
| ISTP 77% | ISFP 57% | INFP 60% | INTP 80% |
| ESTP 56% | ESFP 46% | ENFP 51% | ENTP 61% |
| ESTJ 56% | ESFJ 36% | ENFJ 38% | ENTJ 58% |
The second way of looking at your personality profile is in terms of sixteen whole types. In this approach we try to find the personality type that is nearest to your preferences.
This can be illustrated with another analogy. If you say "I am from Birmingham", you are not saying you live in the centre of Birmingham, nor in the same house as everyone else. Rather, you are saying that Birmingham is the nearest city to your home. Similarly, if you say "I am an INTP", you are not saying you are identical to every other INTP. Rather, you are saying that the descripton of an INTP is the closest to your personality.
If your personality type is INTP then you have a strong sense of the hidden principles that govern how the world works. You are interested in theoretical models and explanations, and when other people put forward their own theories you put them to the test to find out how true or robust they are. You enjoy solving difficult intellectual problems and seek to understand the real truth behind any situation, even when it involves several complex factors.
Type Dynamics
The third way of looking at your personality type is in terms of "type dynamics", which has an infinite number of variations. This technique regards Sensing, iNtuition, Thinking and Feeling as being mental functions that you can use in two different directions.
In the Introverted direction, the mental function is used to develop your own thoughts - it is directed toward your inner world of ideas and information. In the Extraverted direction, you have an impact on the situation you are in - the mental function is directed toward the outer world of people and things.
This can be illustrated with another analogy - your diaphgram. You use this muscle to breathe in and out, to draw oxygen into your lungs to nourish your body and brain, or to expel air to make sounds and talk. Just as your voice is flexible and can make an infinite variety of sounds, so too your use of the mental muscles is flexible and can lead to an infinite variety of behaviours.
| Function Attitudes | |
| Ti | 27 |
| Ni | 21 |
| Si | 19 |
| Fi | 18 |
| Te | 17 |
| Ne | 16 |
| Se | 14 |
| Fe | 8 |
Technical Data
These tables contain information that may be of interest to advanced readers.
If it is not of interest to you, ignore it. On the next screen we will present your type dynamics in a simpler, visual format.
These tables contain information that may be of interest to advanced readers.
If it is not of interest to you, ignore it. On the next screen we will present your type dynamics in a simpler, visual format.
| Jungian scales (MMDI code: ojwm) | ||||
| Ne | o | Si |  | |
| Ni | j | Se | |
| Fe | w | Ti | | |
| Fi | m | Te | |
| a ..... to ..... m | n ..... to ..... z | |||
In the Introverted direction, the mental function is used to develop your own thoughts - it is directed toward your inner world of ideas and information. In the Extraverted direction, you have an impact on the situation you are in - the mental function is directed toward the outer world of people and things.
This can be illustrated with another analogy - your diaphgram. You use this muscle to breathe in and out, to draw oxygen into your lungs to nourish your body and brain, or to expel air to make sounds and talk. Just as your voice is flexible and can make an infinite variety of sounds, so too your use of the mental muscles is flexible and can lead to an infinite variety of behaviours.
There is a full introduction to type dynamics in a chapter in Influencing People using Myers Briggs.
Mental Muscles
The most important mental muscle (or 'dominant function') for an INTP is the judging one of Thinking. This means you like making decisions on the basis of logic, using objective considerations, and are concerned with truth, principles and justice. You are analytical and critical, tending to see the flaws in situations, and take an objective, detached approach.The judging Thinking function is introverted. That is, thinking is used primarily to govern the inner world of thoughts and emotions. You will therefore spend time thinking analytically to develop an understanding of the principles involved in a situation. You may tend to spontaneously feel critical of a person or situation, but not necessarily express that criticism. Also, you are inwardly decisive, but you do not necessarily communicate those decisions to others. You think mostly about impersonal issues, focusing more on concepts, truths and systems rather than individuals' feelings.
Another way of presenting your type dynamics graphically is in the radar report (right).
Another way of presenting your type dynamics graphically is in the radar report (right).
- Your areas of preference are identified by the darker patterns
- Sensation (dealing with facts) is on the top half of the radar, iNtuition (dealing with possibilities) is on the bottom half
- Thinking (deciding logically) is on the left side of the radar, Feeling (deciding using values) is on the right
- Extraversion (influencing people/things) is on the outer ring, Introversion (developing your own ideas/knowledge) is on the inner ring
Your personality type identifies your 'home base', i.e.: where on the radar you feel most comfortable. However, you also have a need for balance so, although you may be an introvert (preferring to operate on the inner wheel), you still need to spend some time on the outer wheel.
There is further explanation of the radar in the Careers report.
Leadership
| Score | Leadership Style |
| 19% | Leadership theorist |
| 15% | Visionary leadership |
| 13% | Goal-oriented leadership |
| 12% | Ideological leadership |
| 12% | Executive leadership |
| 11% | Change-oriented leadership |
| 10% | Action-oriented leadership |
| 5% | Participative leadership |
Your natural style is probably as a leadership theorist. When someone is being a leadership theorist, they using the best models or explanations of how the organisation works to improve its performance. A leadership theorist use the best leadership theories available to understand and improve the hidden dynamics that have the greatest impact on overall team and organisational performance.
Your second natural style is probably as a visionary leader. A visionary leader is someone who can see the hidden trends in the market or industry in which they operate. Visionary leaders can also see how the organisation might respond to those developments. They then position the organisation to meet the future challenges. Their vision is often difficult to express, but takes shape over time.
The full report examines your leadership profile in detail to help you develop a plan to develop your leadership potential or skills. It also examines how the demands on you can change when moving into a leadership role.
