What's It Like To Be an "INTJ"
A Self-Portrait Personality Type Description for INTJs**
By Linda V. Berens Ph.D. and Dario Nardi Ph.D.
Personality Type: |
INTJ - Conceptualizer Director |
|
Temperament: |
Theorist (NT) |
Interaction Style*: |
Chart-the-Course |
Likely Social Style: |
Analytic |
I often feel I am missing something,
that I have a perspective or viewpoint
that isn’t widely shared and that I am
decades ahead of my time, maybe more.
It’s like being caught in a time warp.
I tend to be someone who looks at all the
what-ifs, thinking way ahead with a vision of things and
anticipating. I’m always interested in extending myself
into areas I don’t do well in. I’m a good problem solver
from that perspective. I like to go through anything I
can think of before I act—the implications, what others
have tried before and their effect, my options and their
consequences, who to mobilize and in what time frame.
I like coming up with new ideas about how to approach
a situation until I find a solution that feels right. And I
like to think that solution will be something that works
for everyone. I experience problems as challenges,
not as things that can’t be dealt with or accomplished.
Challenges can always be dealt with.
|
Self-Portrait
Personality Type Descriptions
by Linda V. Berens, Ph.D.
and Dario Nardi, Ph.D.** |
|
|
|
I am naturally organized, structured, and analytical.
If a project enters my mind it immediately assumes the
form of its pieces, its basic structure, and what order—
first, next, last—it will take to get it done. This isn’t
something I do, it happens instantaneously without effort.
Issues are multifaceted and I try to think from different
perspectives, not only my perspectives but others’ too.
And I’ve found it’s good to gather as many facts as I can.
Sometimes there is a piece that needs to be thrown out,
or maybe it’s the seed of another project.
I won’t do something if I feel I can’t do it well. I
prefer trying something, then critique after the fact. I
will integrate the experience and never make the same
mistakes again. I am satisfied when things work well,
and I like to improve people’s lives by reorganizing
and introducing things in an understandable way that is
explicit and clear and makes sense. Then someone else
can come in and take over. I set very high standards for
myself, and I believe it is possible to be competent at
anything and everything I set my mind to.
I keep myself very private; that’s a part of who I
am. I keep people at arm’s length. They have to gain
my trust and interest. People are curious about me, I
think, but only the brave try to figure me out. I feel very
serious, but some I meet I just like a lot, and I can be
spontaneously playful. I have a sensitivity to people and
can feel warm with them, although many perceive me as
intimidating, aloof or annoyed, or incredibly calm and
competent about everything. People say I ask them good
questions, not to make the decision for them, but to help
them think through things. I look for systems that will
make things better, and I am very much a person who
seeks fairness and equality. People are very important,
and I want to help them develop the skills they need to
get on in life, whatever that means for each one of them.
There’s always something to occupy my mind or
attention. I must be using my mind in a purposefully
creative way, pushing the envelope with the most
creatively challenging thing I can do, being the originator
of a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist yet. It’s a
complex world, and I believe we each should develop
as complex an inner life as possible with the facility to
react or initiate in a wide variety of ways. The more
successful one is at actively developing all of that
and having access to that, the better things can be. If
something really interests me I have an incredible ability
to stick with it—even though I have a larger perspective,
I can be very focused and zero in on a point. I have
always seen the world at many levels.
Autonomy is important, to be respected for my own
thoughts and feelings, ideas and creativity. I am turned
off when people try to discredit my ideas or don’t listen
before they even understand, or when people don’t try to
do the best they can or fight against progress. And if the
emotional piece is not well managed in my life, or not
compartmentalized, work is very difficult. Chitchat is
tedious. I don’t know what to say, and I figure the other
person isn’t actually interested in me anyway.
Over time I have built a world-view, like
constructing a map of the cosmos, and from this,
essentially everything is understandable and anything
is possible. All the things I’ve done, have been selftaught
by picking up on or asking myself good, clear,
penetrating questions to expose and articulate the hidden
structures that underlie the experience of living.
This concludes "What's it like to be an INTJ,"
A Self Portrait Personality Type Description.
How well did this fit you?
If it did not fit, try some other self-portrait descriptions.
DO NOT COPY OR REPRODUCE the personality type description on this page without written permission from the authors.
For careers that match your Personality Type |
|
Try our Advanced Career Report...
Just
$35.00
|
|