I remember when a friend told me to google search INTP, I did, and my jaw promptly dropped after reading the description. I had no idea a “personality type” could be so accurate. I am particularly skeptical when it comes to these sort of things, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Myers Briggs personality type is based off science. This is not pseudo-science, its simply measuring the different ratios of chemicals that we are born with. While I have never actually read anything linking the two, in all likelihood its the same chemicals that Helen Fisher studied for her temperament theory. Those chemicals are dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and estrogen. We all have these chemicals, but they are present in different ratios in different people which is what gives us our tendencies.
A big step forward in my understanding of these personality and temperament systems is that it measures tendencies and preferences. Its easy for me to get caught up and think “but there was that time that I did this (or that)”, but everyone lives life in the full spectrum and has a full range of experiences. Even social people have introverted time, introverts still go out, thinkers feel and feelers think, etc. But at the end of the day people become energized by different things and fall back to certain aspects of their personality. The best example of this is that after a long day of hard work an extrovert loves to go out where as an introvert loves to stay home. Extroverts at times love to stay home and introverts at times love to go out, but when tired each has very different preferences to get energized. Of course, no letter is better than any other, these differences simply make up the spectrum of possible personality types.
I am an INTP, as opposed to ESFJ, or any combination there-of. The I is Introverted, as opposed to Extroverted. The N is iNtuitive as opposed to Sensing. The T is Thinking instead of Feeling. The P is Perceiving instead of Judging. It turns out that it is not an even distribution of people in the population for the 16 different personality types, INTP are one of the more rare types.
Personality Pages gives a good overview of the different types.
INTPs live in the world of theoretical possibilities. They see everything in terms of how it could be improved, or what it could be turned into. They live primarily inside their own minds, having the ability to analyze difficult problems, identify patterns, and come up with logical explanations. They seek clarity in everything, and are therefore driven to build knowledge. They typically are so strongly driven to turn problems into logical explanations that they live much of their lives within their own heads, and may not place as much importance or value on the external world. INTPs value knowledge above all else. They approach problems and theories with enthusiasm and skepticism, ignoring existing rules and opinions and defining their own approach to the resolution. They seek patterns and logical explanations for anything that interests them. They're usually extremely bright, and able to be objectively critical in their analysis. They love new ideas, and become very excited over abstractions and theories. They love to discuss these concepts with others...INTPs organize their understanding of any topic by articulating principles, and they are especially drawn to theoretical constructs. Having articulated these principles for themselves, they can demonstrate remarkable skill in explaining complex ideas to others in simple terms, especially in writing.
Both my enjoyment and predisposed nature towards writing is what has led me to write this blog.
Lets break the letters down for a more in depth understanding. Introverted is fairly easy to understand, so is the Thinking, the iNtuitive and Perceiving gets a little trickier. The rest of the quotes in this post come from the book Personality Type: An Owners Manual by Lenore Thompson, one of the best books on the subject and highly recommended - thorough and easy to read. In it she says
Intuition pushes INTPs to explore the idea of structural potential in its own right. When we Intuit in an Introverted way, we also recognize patterns. But Introverted Intuition is more cerebral. It enables us to understand that meaning is relative... When we use Thinking in an Introverted way, we get a mental image of the logical relationships in an entire system.
I tend to value rationality and logical thinking above all else, one could say I was born this way.
When INTPs are Thinking in an Introverted way, we’re coordinating our behaviors with the variables in a situation related to our intended effect. This is a matter of logic, limitation, and goal orientation - all the the things we associate with a rational approach to life... ITPs need to be engaged in a way that brings their logic into play.
The Perceiving is the toughest one to understand, but Lenore nails it succinctly:
P types are a bit like surfers. They make decisions by recognizing the right wave and ‘going with it,” relying on their natural skills and past experience to handle problems as they arise. Like a surfer, shifting to maintain balance, P types count on their ability to improvise, and their reflexes are often keen... Surprise for these types means leaving leaving room for life to happen without too much predetermination. Perceivers are like like surfers in this respect, the goal may be the perfect wave you cant control the wind or the tides or the weather. What’s important is to recognize the moment when the wave is beginning to build and to go with it in a glorious leap of faith, co-creating the experience as its unfolding.
In understanding that this is how I was born, I am also more accepting to other peoples different personalities as well. I recognize that no one chose their base chemicals, they are simply formed, and in those differences nature creates diversity.
As I have matured and developed my personality over time I have broken through some of the traditional INTP barriers. For example, Wikipedia says “INTPs nevertheless believe that emotions must not play a role in logical discussions, or be expressed in a way that would put themselves at a disadvantage.” I now recognize that emotions are a fundamental part of being human and must be dealt with appropriately. One of the great parts about being able to study something like Myers Briggs is it gives each person a clear understanding of what areas in life should be strengthened and managed. We are probably really good at our dominant functions, but could always use conscious effort to strengthen our natural weaknesses.
What is your Myers Briggs? If you havent takes the test it is a part of the Personality Type book. Let me know, I am curious...