10 Things You’ll Relate to If You’re an INTJ
In the personality community, INTJs are one of the rarest types you’ll come across. According to myersbriggs.org they make up a mere 2-4% of the U.S. population. Many people mistype as INTJs from online personality tests, but your chances of actually meeting a genuine INTJ are pretty slim. This article will shine a light on some of the common experiences that INTJs face in day-to-day life. Let’s get started!
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10 Things You’ll Relate to if You’re an INTJ
#1 – Strategizing Gets You “In Flow”
According to neuroscience expert Dario Nardi, INTJs (and INFJs) reach a “flow” state when they’re tasked to solve a complex, unusual problem or envision the future. INTJs are often referred to as “masterminds” and this is because they love to strategize, define goals, and create detailed plans and outlines for achieving those goals. Chess champion Bobby Fischer is believed by many typologists to have been an INTJ and he was one of the greatest strategists in the game of chess to have ever lived.
#2 – You Jump Forward in Time, Then Work Your Way Back
As a Ni-dominant personality type, you find yourself constantly envisioning a far-off future goal or ideal. You then work your way back to figure out what steps need to be taken to achieve that goal. Sometimes this can mean you lose touch with the details of the present moment, but you also have a strong assurance of how things will play out and what is most likely to happen.
#3 – You’re Not The Cold Robot Everyone Talks About Online
Many INTJ memes, comics, and articles refer to you as a “cold, robotic” type. Many people will type villains in movies as INTJs. But the truth of the matter is, as an INTJ you have tertiary Introverted Feeling (Fi). As a result, you actually have very strong personal values and ethics that you strive to live by. The emergence of these values usually appears in your 20’s or 30’s, but you generally stick to them no matter what. You probably feel things more deeply than people realize, but you keep your feelings and emotions close to the chest and don’t share them readily with anyone who hasn’t gained your absolute trust.
#4 – You Are Intensely Individualistic
You and your vision are intrinsically linked and while many people may not understand exactly how you process information (the US has very few Ni-dominant types), you still hold to that vision with intense determination and even stubbornness. Your intuition combined with your introverted feeling process gives you a tendency to be true to your own unique ideals and moral code. You care less what society says is acceptable and care much more about where your intuition is guiding you.
#5 – Routine Jobs Stifle You
Isabel Briggs Myers said of INTJs that they “are more interested in pioneering a new road than in anything to be found along the beaten path.” She also said that INTJs are “deeply discontented” in routine jobs. You need room to explore new ideas, new theories, new possibilities and while you can be very focused on your specific goal or vision, you dislike repeating the same process or focusing on something that’s already been done before.
#6 – You Can Be Easily Over-Stimulated
Because you have inferior Extraverted Sensing (Se) you can struggle with being overwhelmed by current details and sensory stimulation. In Understanding Yourself and Others – An Introduction to the Personality Type Code, Linda V. Berens says INTJs “the tangible realities of life often overwhelm them. They can easily be overloaded with sensory stimulation and data”. The good news is that the inferior function begins to develop in mid-life or later and as a result INTJs tend to become more at one with the physical world and more able to handle sensory data as they grow and mature.
#7 – You Can’t Stand Inefficiency
As an INTJ you have a good sense of timing and how to organize your time to make sure things are done efficiently and in an organized way. Laziness and procrastination makes your blood boil, and you also struggle when people let their emotions get in the way of getting something done. You believe feelings and emotions and leisure should be pushed aside until the “main project” is done efficiently.
#8 – You Experience Inner Images and Symbols That are Hard to Describe
One of the key qualities of Ni-dominant types (INJs) is that they are driven by inner visions and symbols. Carl Jung, the father of psychological type, said “The introverted intuitive moves from image to image, chasing after every possibility in the teeming womb of the unconscious….Introverted intuition apprehends the images arising from the a priori inherited foundations of the unconscious.” You see symbolic imagery and meaning in some of the most mundane everyday activities. You try to peer behind the scenes to see what hidden meaning is lurking there.
#9 – You Enjoy Respectful Debate
A good debate stimulates your problem-solving nature and your strategic thinking. You get frustrated when people at work or home try to stop a good debate and mistake it for a fight. You enjoy discussing and challenging not only other’s ideas, but your own.
#10 – Preparation Is Important to You
You develop contingency plans and contingency plans for your contingency plans. You like knowing what to expect, what to do in case the unexpected happens, and you find spontaneous disruptions and interruptions extremely aggravating.
What Are Your Thoughts?
Do you have any other points to add? Share your thoughts with other readers in the comments!
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Other Articles You Might Enjoy:
10 Things You Should Never Say to an INTJ
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When INTJs Loop – Understanding the Ni-Fi Loop
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Question: during your childhood you want to become a surgeon and you succeed, are you an INTJ?
Well, that information is not enough to type someone, I think. INTJ are determined, but that does not mean that other types are not.
Oh, this is definitely not meant as a way of typing oneself. I always say if you want to type yourself that you need to study cognitive functions and figure it which ones resonate with you the most. This is just a quick, fun list that shows things INTJs would relate to. And yes, other types can be determined.
No.
I certainly do relate to this! The only minor point that I don’t quite relate to, is the one about being less over-stimulated by sensory stimulition as I grow older. I am 54, and I find bright lights, loud noises, strong smells, and spicy food still more over-stimulating, sometimes even hurting and painful.
Thank you for writing this post :-).
Janne (INTJ)
you may well be a HSP
I relate very much, although I don’t actually enjoy debate that much. I do it. I don’t enjoy it.
I have found that of the INTJs I know, being the son of and father of INTJ individuals as well, INTJs often display traits commonly associated with mild Aspergers Syndrome, whether they would be clinically, diagnosable or not. That’s one way to potentially “spot” INTJs when meeting them.
Good list. Thank you.
I do relate quite a bit to all of this, EXCEPT, the lack of procrastinating. I’d say that is a defining feature of mine. Now, recently I’ve done a bit of introspecting, and I think there’s a possibility that it could be due to the INTJ nature. I find that my lack of ambition is actually quite the reverse: my ambitions are so high that it is literally impossible to achieve them, ie: being the smartest person alive, changing the modern world, etc. What I’m thinking is that it’s more like “it’s so hot it’s cold” effect. Any thoughts?
Jerry, I also procrastinate, am late, and often messy at home (although i’m very tidy in my car and at work). I wondered the same thing. But I have decided for me it’s most likely related to the fact that I hate mundane tasks and focusing on the present. That Se thing is like a rare form of to torture to me. So then while I have lots of majorly big goals, none of them seem accomplishable because I can’t even keep my laundry washed and put away. What helps me the most with this is focusing on my motivation. Why do I want to “change the modern world”? When I have a solid motivation based on my values, I can lay out a plan, with steps, to accomplish the goal.
For me it’s losing weight. I’ve always been overweight since I was a child, and I’ve never been athletic. But recently I’ve taken interest in self defense and snowboarding both of which are very physical activities, and it hurts my knees to do these things. I love the activities and I’m not going to stop doing them. I also want to keep my real knees for the rest of my life. So while I’ve always thought about losing weight, I’ve never been successful because I couldn’t find the proper motivation. Now that I do have a motivation (saving my poor knees), it’s been very easy to force myself to accomplish the previously seemingly impossible task and the weight is slipping away.
I hope this helps. 🙂
One extreme aggravation for me is when I think I have found someone who has earned my trust. So I begin to slowly open up to them about what goes on in my mind and they count it as unintelligent or just useless thoughts. Or when you ask for advice to untangle emotions (which is not a strong point for INTJ’s as we’d prefer to avoid them if possible even when we know it’s unhealthy to do so.) and then that person questions whether you truly are a Thinking type rather than a Feeling type. Nothing frustrates me more than those two things and I am unsure how I should address it or deal with it. Most times I shut that person out and never let them back into the deep side of me that no one ever sees, but I know that is not a healthy way to go about things. Someone please tell me I am not alone with these frustrations.
Honestly. Who cares? If they are not intelligent enough to understand the complexity of things, it is their problem. Be confident with your own truth.
#9 Debating
At one point I might have disagreed for the fact that I’m not a huge fan of confrontation. However, it’s more about the discussion at hand than the “fight”. If I see a discussion ripe with flawed logic, I’m likely to add my “two cents” on the matter. People should know the truth about the world around them after all. If it’s abundantly clear the person is too stupid/stubborn/narrow-minded/etc. I’m not likely to waste energy with them, because nothing is going to get into that thick skull, or they might just be a troll.
Like debating or not sure? I recommend making nice with an ENTP. The friendly, intelligent, jackasses… Obviously not everyone is the same, but more likely than not, they will try to challenge you. …be it to test you, help you see other perspectives, or just for fun.
I like to already ready.
As my Dad said many times to me – “You will work all day to keep from working!”
#3
Actually i am happy that someone metioned it,
As an #intj i am not that without feeling,
I have experianced a period of time being apathetic but that was when i was in a hard and unsual situation,
I also hide some of my secrets to not harm people
Any #intj there who is also cery emotional in watching some charecters of movies?
I sometimes compeletly feel,even cry with one beautiful sentence in a dialog.
I’ve taken 3 different personality tests after finding them online, I’ve gotten INTJ for all but after looking at a couple articles I don’t know if my answers were biased in some way or if I’m actually a INTJ. I learn things fast, love playing chess and other games, love debating with friends, see different perspectives but I’m also messy, a procrastinator, and multitask to the extreme. I don’t really know what I am.