What is an INTJ personality type?
INTJ (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging) type is 2% of the general population, making them one of the rarest personalities. INTJs have revolutionized the world with their unique ideas and concepts. From Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla, Stephen Hawking to Mark Zuckerberg and James Cameron, INTJs have changed the way we look at the world.
The top 5 adjectives to describe an INTJ are Logical, Curious, Industrious, Independent, and Strategic.
INTJs are smart. They possess the highest IQ and score top grades in college. With their strong prowess of logical reasoning (Te) and intuition (Ni), they can solve complex problems and reveal thoughtful insights. The success of an INTJ can be attributed to the standards they set for themselves. They have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. With their intuitive minds, they can see different colors of the subject matters that others can’t. Like other NT types, they are not emotionally savvy.
INTJ type dynamics-
Dominant (Ni):- Introverted intuition– Subconsciously understanding the subject matter through experience and abstract information.
Auxiliary (Te):- Extraverted thinking- Expressing opinions and thoughts to solve problems.
Tertiary (Fi): – Introverted feeling- Acting according to personal core beliefs and moral values.
Inferior (Se):- Extraverted sensing- Processing the sensory information of the immediate surroundings.
Top 10 struggles of an INTJ-
1. INTJs overwhelming need to be by themselves-
While debating the topics of their interest in public, an INTJ can be found masquerading as an extrovert. However, like a typical introvert, INTJ cherishes the solitude to analyze their ideas and read their favorite books or watch documentaries. INTJs are knowledge junkies. They would rather prefer to sit alone and make plans to better their life rather than talk about mundane stuff with people. They like to have thought-provoking conversations with their intellectual equals. The social skills of INTJs are often much better than their cousins INTPs, but at the same time, INTJs need much more private time to mobilize their creative, intuitive energy (Ni).
INTJs are champions of concentration. They can very well teleport themselves into another world and become completely unaware of their surroundings. Disturbing an INTJ while they are trying to concentrate on something is not a good idea. They can be easily triggered by background noise and interruptions. Due to inferior Se, sudden noises and uncontrolled sensory inputs can be stressful for an INTJ. Want to pull a scary prank on an INTJ? Think again.
2. INTJ is often misunderstood
INTJs are quite often misunderstood. When INTJ argues about something, they don’t see it as criticism or disrespect towards another individual. They see the argument or debate as a tool to drive their point home. They argue from a purely logical, analytical, and truth-seeking perspective. Due to lack of emotional component in their arguments, they often get labeled as insensitive, rude, and stubborn, but that’s not the case at all. INTJs experience emotions like any other human. It’s just that they prefer to wear logic on their sleeve rather than their heart.
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3. Missing the Spontaneity
INTJs are not fans of surprises. They like to make plans and stick to them. The last-minute changes and cancellations bother INTJs. They tend to plan the entire day or event in their head and feel the need to redo the mental gymnastics to realign themselves with the changed plan. Being too systematic can have its own drawbacks. An INTJ may lose creativity in favor of deadlines, checklists, and a pre-defined approach.
4. Emotional Expression – The famous INTJ Resting Face
INTJs are very private about their feelings. They tend to respond to conflict with logic and reason rather than emotional expression. They would rather try to explain their feelings logically to others as a matter of fact than to make an emotional appeal. Emotions do burst out periodically, but in general, people never know where they stand in an INTJ’s life due to a lack of emotional expressiveness. The tertiary Introverted Feeling (Fi) renders them unlikely to show their emotions outwardly, making it INTJs difficult to open-up and read for other people. An INTJ may be erupting like Mount Vesuvius from the inside when triggered, but the outward expression of these emotions is often held back.
INTJs are very open-minded. They are eager to hear other people’s thoughts on different subject matters. They consider other people’s emotional sensitivities, but they form their own opinions based on their own core beliefs created by Fi.
INTJs give a blank stare combined with direct eye contact, prolonged silence, and a neutral expression. Other people think of it as a sign of dislike or rudeness and may wonder if the INTJ is depressed. They are bombarded with the questions such as “what happened?” “Are you not happy?” or “why are you so serious?” In reality, the INTJ is simply contemplating the latest book they read or thinking about what to cook tonight.
5. INTJ’s disdain for authority
Since INTJs prefer to deal with the world with logic, facts, and theories. They hate to hear the reasoning along the lines of “Because I said so.” INTJs loathe inefficient rules and illogical commands. As rational people, INTJs would question and be skeptical of the authority figure. The authority figure must display their merit before they are respected and obeyed by an INTJ.
6. Braking the stereotypical norms
INTJs are known to smash stereotypes. They would not do something just because everyone does it. An INTJ would rather wear purposeful and comfortable clothes than what is in fashion. They don’t conform to the gender stereotype either. An INTJ female would be quite ok with her tomboy look if she thinks it suits her. She won’t be all girly and chatty to fit-in and pretend to be someone she is not. INTJs are rebels. They won’t stick to stereotypical societal and gender roles but forge their own independent goals and path.
7. Relationship struggles
INTJs have a difficult time forging romantic relationships and connecting intimately with others. Their apparent emotionally detached attitude and desire for a strong and independent mate who can hold meaningful discussions with the INTJ make their romantic quest for the partner difficult. INTJs gravitate towards people who are comfortable in their own skin. They look for someone who can mentally stimulate them and challenge their knowledge. INTJs are extremely loyal and deeply caring individuals. They give their 100% to the relationship and go out of their way to ensure the relationship runs smoothly. An ENFP, ENTP or ENTJ make good partners with INTJ.
8. INTJs Carrier issues
INTJ’s often prefer a career in the academic world. They are particularly attracted to science and technology fields. They like to indulge in well-defined experimental methodologies that drive a passionate, evidence-based pursuit of highly applicable knowledge. INTJ also enjoys and excels at research jobs, which offer more opportunity for solitary thought and enable the pursuit of meaningful discoveries that can generate valuable changes in the real world.
INTJs crave independence and respect. INTJs prefer working alone or in small, like-minded groups. They have the intelligence and decisiveness to be a revolutionary leader, but they completely lack the patience to deal with either inefficient or plain stupid people.
INTJs do not prefer carriers that focus more on style and lack substance, such as entertainment or fashion careers.
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9. Anger management
INTJs don’t get angry easily. They get irritated and annoyed when people interrupt them or spill coffee on their new dress, but they don’t get downright angry. As long as the problem is brought to attention, an apology is delivered, and the issue can be fixed, the INTJs don’t see any reason to rage about it. They get angry only when someone has broken their trust and destroyed the relationship beyond redemption. When INTJ’s trust is betrayed, they can’t forgive and forget.
It is best to leave the INTJ alone when they are angry. When filled with sorrow and range, INTJs would like to isolate themselves immediately. They don’t want to display an emotional meltdown. They need some time to process their feelings. The best way to calm down an INTJ is to apologize and take corrective actions immediately. Words don’t count much. INTJs prefer concrete action. Rather than buying an expensive gift, perform an act of service for them. Wash their car, plan a holiday, get their broken sandwich maker repaired. Restore their faith in humanity.
10. Burst of sudden obsessions
INTJs obsess a lot. If they are on a cleaning spree, they will make sure every nook and corner is cleaned. They can inexplicably get stuck on small details or seemingly insignificant pieces of information if they can’t process them logically and analytically in their brain. INTJs have this unyielding need for everything to remain logically consistent. They need to process all the possible outcomes and eventualities before making a decision.
They would obsess when a conversation with someone doesn’t unfold how they had meticulously planned in their head. The details of an undesirable social interaction will linger on in their minds for a while afterward. They would constantly analyze what they could have done or said differently.
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Hunaid Germanwala is a digital marketer and content creator at Health Products For You since 2014. He has an MS from Ulm University in Germany. His mind is always buzzing with creative ideas and is eager to explore new perspectives. His motto in life is “Better to Light the Candle than to Curse the Darkness.”