24 Signs That You’re an INTP, the “Prodigy” Personality Type
Looking for signs that you’re an INTP personality type? As one of the rarest Myers-Briggsยฎ personality types, INTPs make up a mere 3.3% of the U.S. population. These independent thinkers have a knack for cutting through denial and finding innovative ways to solve problems. Analytical, curious, and creative, they make the world a bigger and more progressive place just by being here.
So do you want to ensure that the INTP is your true personality type? Or maybe you want to understand an INTP in your life better! Either way, letโs start exploring some of the things that most INTPs will find relatable!
Not sure what your personality type is? Take our new personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTIยฎ here.
Signs That Youโre an INTP:
#1 โ You Spot Inconsistencies Instantly
When peopleโs words or conclusions donโt add up, you notice it like a glaring red light. Itโs hard for you not to seem pedantic because you tend to point out these errors immediately unless youโre trying really hard to stifle your responses for fear of a negative response.
#2 โ You Search for Precision
You hate generalizations and โgood enoughโ words. When youโre trying to explain something you want to find the most accurate possible word to use. You may even pause mid-explanation and peruse your mind for the most precise word. Being able to explain something as concisely and accurately as possible is important to you.
#3 โ You Must Have Logical Integrity
You donโt want to live with biases, clouded reasoning, or in servitude to traditions and social rituals. Living in accordance with your logical principles is something you prioritize. You have to know that youโre looking truth square in the face and not getting distracted by the whims of others.
#4 โ Authority Doesnโt Impress You
People who pull rank or expect high levels of respect just because of their position irk you. Authority thatโs gained by popularity, office, or position, mean very little to you. You look at each person individually. What creative ideas do they have to share? How powerful are their arguments? You can be impressed by the fast-food worker or the college professor equally if they have something interesting to say. But you have no interest in sucking up to authorities.
#5 โ You Want to Understand the Universe
Your curiosity and focus on the big-picture lead you down many random paths of discovery. Ultimately you want to understand the truth and substance of the universe. Why are we here? How did we get here? โWhyโsโ and โHowโsโ run through your mind at an endless pace.
#6 โ You Hate Redundancy
Repetition is mind-numbingly boring and irritating to you. At school, you probably hated repeating your times tables or reciting various lines over and over again. Once you know something you want to move on to something else rapidly. You have a steep learning curve and not too many people can keep up with it.
#7 โ Youโre an Architect of Ideas
Driven by a sense of creative genius, you thrive when you can construct new ideas and explore new theories in math, science, philosophy, and art. Being able to understand something new about life or the universe and refine your idea so that itโs accurate, coherent, and concise is something you enjoy.
#8 โ Youโre Seen as โDifficult to Knowโ
Because your thinking side is focused internally, youโre often underestimated or not seen for your true level of competency. What people are more likely to see with you is your intuitive side. Theyโll see the ideas and alternatives you generate and the way you can argue a point from any angle. But your laser-sharp logic is often in the background, only shared with people who you have an airtight level of trust in. Because your judgments are more internalized than outwardly expressed, people can find you mysterious and hard to pin down.
#9 โ You Crave Connection, But Getting There Can Be Tricky
You deeply desire intimate connections with other people, but forming those connections can seem like surviving a game of Jumanji. Trying to understand other peopleโs emotional and social expectations can be a daunting task, and if you jump through all those hoops and you still donโt have a connection, you can easily become cynical and jaded. Giving up your time and space on a gamble seems perplexing on many days. But donโt give up! The world needs your intellectual ingenuity and creativity. They need YOU, beautiful quirks and all.
#10 โ When You Were Young, You Always Felt Like You Were Getting Scolded
You crave radical honesty in all of your interactions with people. Beating around the bush or walking on eggshells to make people comfortable isnโt your style. When you were a child, you probably felt like no matter how hard you tried, you were always on the wrong side of the conversation. The majority of people have a love-hate relationship with truth. They want their truths spoon-fed to them with a big lump of sugar. This can be damaging to your self-esteem if you feel like, despite your best efforts, youโre continually misunderstood and reprimanded.
#11 โ Relational Neediness is Your Enemy
The enemy of your Introverted Thinking style is emotional overload and incessant relationship demands. People who crave all your time, embroil you in emotional chaos or manipulate you will tear down your ability to focus, analyze, and think clearly. Your dominant function requires regular alone time so that you can really delve into concepts, ideas, and problem-solving. Without this time to recharge your batteries, you feel drained, lethargic, and unfocused.
#12 โ You Love Swapping Ideas with People
Getting tuned into your intuition and brainstorming new ideas with other people is deeply satisfying for you. While youโre an introvert, you still enjoy breaking down theories, exploring possibilities, and testing arguments through debate. These activities allow you to tap into your auxiliary Extraverted Intuition (Ne) and help you to stay balanced.
#13 โ You Approach Almost Everything with Skepticism
You are rigorous with yourself to ensure that your ideas and opinions carry logical weight. You apply this same rigorous analysis to the outside world. Before you subscribe to anything, you need to make sure that youโre not getting swayed by your emotions or popular opinion. You have to break down ideas or rules and look at all the components to see if they really stand up to scrutiny.
#14 โ You Donโt Like Organizing People
Youโd rather work independently than be in charge of organizing anyone else. Your quiet and reserved nature often makes you feel uncomfortable dealing with a lot of people in a work capacity. You crave a flexible, autonomous lifestyle, and being responsible for people goes against the very things that make you comfortable. This doesnโt mean you canโt be a good leader though.
#15 โ When Your Gifts Arenโt Appreciated You Become Cynical
Unfortunately, many INTPs arenโt readily understood by the majority. As a rare personality type, it can be easy for you to feel different and coerced into โfitting inโ with the majority. When this happens, people with your type become cynical, negative, sarcastic, and critical. You may engage in arguments fully knowing that you wonโt win any friendships by doing so.
#16 โ You Hate Surprise Visits
Thereโs almost nothing worse to you than someone showing up unexpectedly at your house wanting to chat. You prize your alone time and are never quite sure what to do with people who appear unexpectedly and expect your time. You can feel awkward, distracted, and disappointed when you are spontaneously expected to socialize.
#17 โ Friendliness and Positivity Calm You Down
Being around warm, gentle people gives you a sense of inner peace. You find yourself picking up on their joy and positivity and becoming more cheerful and friendly. Your inferior function, Extraverted Feeling (Fe), gets fed during these times and youโre able to break out of your shell a little bit and feel safe in expressing yourself.
#18 โ You Are Tolerant and Open-Minded
Even though you test ideas with intense scrutiny, you prefer to accept people for who they are instead of changing them. Even though you can be inadvertently tactless sometimes, you try to be considerate of others and give them the opportunity to express themselves. You donโt want to interfere with other peopleโs lifestyle choices and personal truths unless you see them as doing real harm to themselves. You crave independence and personal freedom and so you aim to give that to other people as well.
#19 โ You Are Plagued By Insecurity When Youโre Extremely Stressed
If you have been chronically stressed and overwhelmed, you may have a โgripโ stress reaction. When this happens, your inferior function, Extraverted Feeling, โtakes the wheelโ of your life. You suddenly become preoccupied with what other people think of you, whether they like you or hate you, and whether you matter to anyone. You may worry that your closest friends hate you or are going to abandon you. You may reach out to people with an anxious need for connection and affirmation.
#20 โ You Have a Love/Hate Relationship with Practical Tasks
Attending to nitty-gritty tasks like washing the dishes, cleaning, or paying bills can feel aggravating and dull to you. But you absolutely love having all of that dealt with so that it isnโt taking up mental clutter in your mind. You enjoy having a comfortable, healthy lifestyle and often enjoy supplementing practical tasks with fun activities (like listening to an audiobook while cleaning house).
#21 โ You Have a Vivid Imagination
You enjoy imagining new scenarios and looking at alternatives and options. You have a talent for evaluating the potential of something and seeing random connections that other people miss. As rumored INTP Albert Einstein once said, โImagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.โ
#22 โ You Crave Creative Freedom
You donโt like doing things by the book unless youโve tested that it is truly the best single way to do something. You crave a lifestyle and career that allows you to experiment, innovate, and transform things. Routine and following a list of pre-ordained rules bore you.
#23 โ It Can Be Difficult for You to Express Your Values and Needs
While youโre deeply aware of where your curiosity is guiding you, youโre not as in tune with your core desires and values. When people ask you to dig into your emotional world and explain it you can feel a sense of stage fright and insecurity. Itโs easier for you to discuss theories, ideas, and facts than it is to make sense of the deeper emotions in your soul. That said, you appreciate people who hold space for you and give you a safe, judgment-free zone to express your heart.
#24 โ You Enjoy Playing Devilโs Advocate
When everyone is ganging up against an ideology or idea, you naturally tend to take the side of devilโs advocate. You can see something from many different angles and perspectives, so itโs easy for you to play either side of an argument and point out discrepancies or biases in other peopleโs thinking. You donโt like anyone, or any idea, being picked on unfairly.
Other Articles You’ll Enjoy:
What It Means to be an INTP Personality Type
10 Things That Excite the INTP Personality Type
What Are Your Thoughts?
How many of these signs did you relate to? Do you have any ideas or insights to share with other readers? Let us know in the comments! You can also find out so much more about your INTP personality type in Personality Hacker’s INTP Course!
Find out more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type, ย The INFJ โ Understanding the Mystic, and The INFP โ Understanding the Dreamer. You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
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#25
If you like this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S42ziu4Adno
I know an INTP who adores it.
When I decide to communicate an idea, I seek eloquence. But it’s essential to find the right word, the precise word. It’s the intensity of the introverted thinking, like Jung said.
My difference with an INTP, maybe, is the flow. I want to monopolize the speech. So instead of leaving empty times, I will look for the right word, out loud, with a piercing gaze, rather than absent. And sometimes with authority, I will silence the one is interrupting me. For this you need a good a physical presence (Se). Deterrence.
But… I tell myself that than the rational types are the essential extension of a good team. I have the impression, that there is an inseparable link between these types in an absolutely rational context.
There is something incredible with the MBTI, and a bit incomprehensible in this interdependence … A bit like when I observe an octopus taking the shape of a hermit crab.
It is as if there is consistency … A superior consistency.
Hi.I’m an INTP and I could relate to everything stated here. And there’s something that I’ve noticed in myself over the years. It’s that I have this instinctive animosity towards mainstream things.I don’t think it through and decide that I don’t like that ‘something’,but it’s rather subconscious..It’s like I sincerely don’t want myself to fall into the ‘majority’ category.Is this a common INTP trait?
Yes. Same.
This comment applies to all most every email I now receive from Psychology Junkie. Superior information on types (I’m an INTP.) When I initially visited your site a while ago I thought you were purposely using the name “Psychology Junkie” to confuse your site with A J Drenth’s excellent “Personality Junkie” and get his traffic. Therefore I didn’t explore your site because I don’t support unethical businesses.
Somehow I recently was lead, in one of my many INTP explorations, back to your site. The page I landed on had a a respectful mention of Drenth’s site, so you became legitimate in my eyes. Since then I’ve looked forward to your emails. I hope you continue to enrich the MBTI community. I may not take the time to comment to every post I appreciate, but you are good.
Thank you!! Yes, many times I wish I’d not named my site Psychology Junkie. At the time I created the site I didn’t even know about Drenth’s site so it wasn’t on my radar that they were so similar. I love his work and now people regularly get our site’s confused, but it’s a little late to change it now ๐ I’m really glad that you enjoy the articles and I really appreciate your feedback!
accurate, thanks
So I actually took a test ealier this year and I got INFP but now I got INTP. I think the results can be detered by situational influences. For instance, last time I was in a space where I could express myself emotionally in the form of arts and writting but this time around I see no validity of emotions so I rely on logic when it comes to interpersonal relationships/ interaction. (Or maybe it’s just in my head “chuckle”) I also identify with most of the signs listed here but has me thinking even more is that how on earth would I land in Einsteins personality type, mathematics and physics were my weakest subjects in my school years (regret not getting solid basics with my life).
My sister, who I seldom agree with anything (she is an INFP) led me to this site. I’ve taken Briggs Meyers many times over the years (work, book group, family) and I still relate very much with this description and look forward to 1) telling my sister there is something that I agree with her on and 2) reading more. Especially for an INTP, understanding personality types is an eye opener. Especially as a woman, I realized early on that I was different, didn’t fit in, couldn’t express my true self and be understood. It also explained a lot between my ESTJ husband and myself.
The first comment mentions Dead Can Dance – a group I never heard of. And, surprise! I like the music. My favorite musician is Leonard Cohen for any other INTP’s that are interested.
don’t believe in this zionist bullshit guys.
umm… its psychology…
I always thought I was INTJ (I’d taken the Meyers-Briggs test once and that’s what I got) but I really disagreed with the methodical, organized attitude it said I should have (my schedule is literally chaos incarnate. Go with the flow is my motto). I read through this and related to every single one of these, so I decided to take your test to see if my result was different. Sure enough, I’m apparently an INTP, and I think it suits me far better. Also explains why I can’t play chess to save my life despite supposedly being the “strategist.”
Howzit fellow INTP! Just wanted to comment on your ability to play chess. Try playing without a plan-of-action or strategy, instead use tactics. My buddy (INFP) and I play chess often and ive found that just reading the situation and where its heading should be enough to weasel out of traps and break their strategy. Often times i would think of the next 2 steps on either side and use some seemingly chaotic impulses, with small goals in mind ( “I want this piece on that side of the board soon.”, or “I see the trap being set, lets not set it off.”) Just do you bru.
I feel like I read myself here. It feels so satisfying to be finally understood.
Completely agree!
Every. Single. One.
Like, to an obnoxiously ridiculous degree. This article made me feel so understood, in ways that no other human being ever has, including my own biological family or my husband.
These are things that I pride myself on, always have, .. literally my personal views which I have a spoken out loud so many times..
I have always been so perceptive and notice inconsistencies that go unnoticed by everyone else.( I personally am not a fan of this , as it ruins almost every person for me) .
Authority means nothing, and nothing is worse to me then people who name drop or brag about their money. When I was younger I used to say ” I don’t care who it is- will never respect anyone , solely because theyre older than me”
Redundancy IS mind-numbingly boring!
…And …….. SURPRISE VISITS ARE THE WORST. Nothing will take you out of my good books quite like showing up unannounced. Even if you are my own mother. Just .. don’t.
I actually *was* always getting scolded as a child!
Then …. I just have to say, the whole relational neediness issue has been a major hurdle in my motherhood journey. …Same with the love/hate (mostly hate)relationship with practical tasks, and not liking to “organize” (aka control/micromanage) people … Considering it’s kind of the whole point of a mother…and when not doing so, would probably be considered a form of child neglect at worst, or careless/irresponsible behaviour at best.
I could go on … Really …I could go on, and on, and on … But I’ll just sum it up by saying WOW… I’ve taken a few of these tests and always got INTJ , which I found resonated with me quite a bit, but there were a few things that seemed off. It all makes sense now .
I think I’m a mix of personalities. Not all of the signs were correct for me, as I clearly indicated that I prefer a schedule and have my days planned as it makes my life easier (especially because of school and work). Although there are times that my life isn’t planned and I can let my day be at a flow, not all the time as I prefer to know when someone wants to hang out days prior to know if I’m able to go or not (and let others know). There were other statements that also didn’t fit me and were a maybe as it depended on the situation. I have taken two other prior tests and both came out as INTJ, and I feel like I’m both (but maybe a little bit more INTJ than INTP).
You can’t be both ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
Read more if you’re interested, but you’re not both, INTP and INTJ don’t even have a single function in common, and their functions are not in the same order even if you remove the extroverted / introverted part.
If you want to know your type, read about it instead of doing more tests..
Why doesn’t my comment show? I was going to add something to my comment, but I can’t see my comment.
Nevermind. Found out how.
Just reviewed the INTJ information from this website and it does still show me that I’m more INTJ than INTP with a few differences that life has taught me and things I have learned. I do want to say the tests that I took could be more edited, as some questions can have added answer choices as just having two answer choices isn’t enough and some answer choices were maybe’s to me.
If you want to be sure, just learn about it. Tests just give you an indication, a place to start. Tests don’t give you a definite answer.
I’m an INTP but Due to my upbringing I have great respect for people of authority simple because of the important positions they hold, Like, principals, government officials, esp first responders and military/ veteran personnel. I also have respect for tradition since it is what our forefathers fought and labored for. Tho I am becoming more comfortable with questioning them
“I also have respect for tradition since it is what our forefathers fought and labored for.” Yeah I wouldn’t put that quote at the beginning of an INTP profile.
“Tho I am becoming more comfortable with questioning them” Becoming? More comfortable with questioning? …. ^^’ INTP indeed..
“You Hate Surprise Visits” It happened once, I didn’t answer. It’s like.. no. Absolutely no. I’ll hide if I have to.
Why is it so infuriating to see people who are clearly not… where they should be, be there? ^^’
The accuracy is way beyond me.
Precision, hate for suprise visits, playing devils advocate, approach with skeptism… I could go on and on.
I’m just glad I discovered this website early enough.
Well done
I’m feel so good that I found this website
All options where true about me
I did mbti test 5 times in different times and it always told me you are intp so I started to learn about intp because I thought the tast results may be wrong.
I searched a lot and I found that I’m a real intp.
90-95% true for me. though why does my personality change from time to time? I first took the exam 2019 and my personality type was different. This was the current personality type I had since 2021.
Holy smokes I fit into all 24 categories ๐ณ without hesitation!
Samsies! it was scary as hell…yet at the same time interesting and, a couple times, funny.
Incredibly accurate
Hahaha I definitely have been stressed my whole life and find myself wondering what on earth kind of prodigy I could’ve been, for now nature and withdrawal suit me just fine ๐
All hits, took mbti test in 2018 for the 1st time. Good 40 times i took that test throughout 2018. Needless to say, intp every time. I eventually kept it to random testing, like a UA at a job somewhere. Reason being was me reading intp material somewhere that said, intp’s are the only ones that will repeatedly take mbti tests ,lol! So silly yet necessary.
I’ve done online a few personality test in my time, all intp. Made me very sceptical, did my research and it all makes sense ๐คฆ reading this is was intensely accurate, almost felt like I was ready a book about myself ๐
This has been quite comforting to see, as I have been struggling with my life experiences and have now realized a sense of freedom from that “incarceration” of my childhood. It has been a long time coming.
This validates my secret power of which I lord over mere mortals. ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐
I think this is actually me. I’m gonna settle on a type eventually lol
Oh Iโm an INTP. ENTP for sure. I worked in architecture then design now film sfx. Iโm on the outside looking in and described as the smartest in the room by colleagues. But I am not. Iโm conservative but open minded and hate authority and its need to control others. Iโm writing screenplays as a reaction to working on poor studio films. It will happen my ideas always come to fruition.
I took the MBPT my first year of college. I recall feeling like someone had read my mind without me knowing. I found it remarkable that somehow somebody really knew me. I was hooked. That was 30 years ago, believe it or not. Thats a not for me, anyway since then i’ve taken many, and taken new MBPT and the results have between intp and intj. It said a 49% or higher you may be intj. My score was 49.05%. But with literally years of tests saying intp, if this one can barely say im something else; im intp all the way. The difference is simply that im older no and I’ve made a conscious effort to change my priorities. Its funny, ive never really been into psychology and i hate psychiatrists, but discovering new things about yourself never gets old.
Well this feeling of understanding things that seem abstract to most people as if they were obvious has been a problem for me and it prevented me, to this day, to feel humility. I always score INTP on the tests, but I feel like it’s like being outside of reality, having too much self-esteem and yet not achieving anything because of my inconsistent focusing.
I also hate surprise visits, so much that I explicitly told everyone that I don’t want them to do it ๐
I will return to my abstract mental concept tree now and be lost on one of its uncertain branches until I fall asleep…