As an INTJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you
take things in primarily via your intuition. Your secondary mode is external,
where you
deal with things rationally and logically.
INTJs live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. They value
intelligence, knowledge, and competence, and typically have high standards
in these regards, which they continuously strive to fulfill. To a
somewhat lesser extent, they have similar expectations of others.
With Introverted Intuition dominating their personality, INTJs focus
their energy on observing the world, and generating ideas and possibilities.
Their mind constantly gathers information and makes associations about it.
They are tremendously insightful and usually are very quick to understand
new ideas. However, their primary interest is not understanding
a concept, but rather applying that concept in a useful way.
Unlike the INTP, they do not follow an idea as far as they possibly can,
seeking only to understand it fully. INTJs are driven to come to conclusions
about ideas. Their need for closure and organization usually requires that
they take some action.
INTJ's tremendous value and need for systems and organization, combined
with their natural insightfulness, makes them excellent scientists. An
INTJ scientist gives a gift to society by putting their ideas into a useful
form for others to follow. It is not easy for the INTJ to express
their internal images, insights, and abstractions.
The internal form of the INTJ's thoughts and concepts
is highly individualized, and is not readily translatable into a form that
others will understand. However, the INTJ is driven to translate their
ideas into a plan or system that is usually readily explainable, rather than to
do a direct translation of their thoughts. They usually don't see the
value of a direct transaction, and will also have difficulty expressing
their ideas, which are non-linear. However, their extreme respect of
knowledge and intelligence will motivate them to explain themselves to
another person who they feel is deserving of the effort.
INTJs are natural leaders, although they usually choose
to remain in the background until they see a real need to take over the
lead. When they are in leadership roles, they are quite effective, because
they are able to objectively see the reality of a situation, and are
adaptable enough to change things which aren't working well. They are
the supreme strategists - always scanning available ideas and concepts
and weighing them against their current strategy, to plan for every
conceivable contingency.
INTJs spend a lot of time inside their own minds, and may have little
interest in the other people's thoughts or feelings. Unless their Feeling
side is developed, they may have problems giving other people the level of
intimacy that is needed. Unless their Sensing side is developed, they may
have a tendency to ignore details which are necessary for implementing
their ideas.
The INTJ's interest in dealing with the world is to make decisions,
express judgments, and put everything that they encounter into an
understandable and rational system. Consequently, they are quick to
express judgments. Often they have very evolved intuitions, and
are convinced that they are right about things. Unless they complement
their intuitive understanding with a well-developed ability to express
their insights, they may find themselves frequently misunderstood.
In these cases, INTJs tend to blame misunderstandings on the limitations
of the other party, rather than on their own difficulty in expressing
themselves. This tendency may cause the INTJ to dismiss others input too
quickly, and to become generally arrogant and elitist.
INTJs are ambitious, self-confident, deliberate, long-range thinkers.
Many INTJs end up in engineering or scientific pursuits, although some
find enough challenge within the business world in areas which involve
organizing and strategic planning. They dislike messiness and inefficiency,
and anything that is muddled or unclear. They value clarity and efficiency,
and will put enormous amounts of energy and time into consolidating
their insights into structured patterns.
Other people may have a difficult time understanding an INTJ. They may
see them as aloof and reserved. Indeed, the INTJ is not overly demonstrative
of their affections, and is likely to not give as much praise or positive
support as others may need or desire. That doesn't mean that he or she
doesn't truly have affection or regard for others, they simply do not
typically feel the need to express it. Others may falsely perceive the
INTJ as being rigid and set in their ways. Nothing could be further from the
truth, because the INTJ is committed to always finding the objective best
strategy to implement their ideas. The INTJ is usually quite open to hearing
an alternative way of doing something.
When under a great deal of stress, the INTJ may become obsessed with mindless
repetitive, Sensate activities, such as over-drinking.
They may also tend to become absorbed with minutia and details that they would
not normally consider important to their overall goal.
INTJs need to remember to express themselves sufficiently, so as to avoid
difficulties with people misunderstandings. In the absence of properly
developing their communication abilities, they may become abrupt and short
with people, and isolationists.
INTJs have a tremendous amount of ability to accomplish great things.
They have insight into the Big Picture, and are driven to synthesize their
concepts into solid plans of action. Their reasoning skills gives them the
means to accomplish that. INTJs are most always highly competent people,
and will not have a problem meeting their career or education goals.
They have the capability to make great strides in these arenas. On a
personal level, the INTJ who practices tolerances and puts effort into
effectively communicating their insights to others has everything in his
or her power to lead a rich and rewarding life.
Jungian functional preference ordering:
Dominant: Introverted Intuition
Auxilliary: Extraverted Thinking
Tertiary: Introverted Feeling
Inferior: Extraverted Sensing
INTJ Relationships
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