INTP

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Carl Jung in 1910

This article is about the Myers-Briggs personality type. For the Socionics INTp, see
Intuitive Logical Introvert.
INTP (introversion, intuition, thinking, perception) is an abbreviation used in the publications of
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to refer to one of the sixteen personality types.[1] The
MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his
book Psychological Types. Jung proposed a psychological typology based on the theories of
cognitive functions that he developed through his clinical observations.

From Jung's work, others developed psychological typologies. Jungian personality assessments
include the MBTI assessment, developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs,
and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS), developed by David Keirsey. Keirsey referred to
INTPs as Architects, one of the four types belonging to the temperament he called the Rationals.
INTPs are one of the rarest personality types, accounting for 1–5% of the U.S. population.[2][3][4]

The MBTI instrument

The MBTI preferences indicate the differences in people based on the following:[5]

 How they focus their attention or get their energy (extraversion or introversion)
 How they perceive or take in information (sensing or intuition)
  How they prefer to make decisions (thinking or feeling)
 How they orient themselves to the external world (judgment or perception)

By using their preference in each of these areas, people develop what Jung and Myers called
psychological type. This underlying personality pattern results from the dynamic interaction of
their four preferences, in conjunction with environmental influences and their own individual
tendencies. People are likely to develop behaviors, skills, and attitudes based on their particular
type. Each personality type has its own potential strengths as well as areas that offer
opportunities for growth.

The MBTI tool consists of multiple choice questions that sort respondents on the basis of the
four "dichotomies" (pairs of psychological opposites). Sixteen different outcomes are possible,
each identified by its own four-letter code, referred to by initial letters. (N is used for iNtuition,
since I is used for Introversion). The MBTI is approximately 75% accurate according to its own
manual.[6]

 I – Introversion preferred to extraversion: INTPs tend to be quiet and reserved. They

generally prefer interacting with a few close friends rather than a wide circle of
acquaintances, and they expend energy in social situations (whereas extraverts gain
energy).[7]
 N – Intuition preferred to sensing: INTPs tend to be more abstract than concrete. They
focus their attention on the big picture rather than the details, and on future possibilities
rather than immediate realities.[8]
 T – Thinking preferred to feeling: INTPs tend to value objective criteria above personal
preference. When making decisions, they generally give more weight to logic than to
social considerations.[9]
 P – Perception preferred to judgment: INTPs tend to withhold judgment and delay
important decisions, preferring to "keep their options open" should circumstances
change.[10]

INTP characteristics
According to Keirsey, Albert Einstein may have been an INTP.[3][better source needed]

INTPs are quiet, thoughtful, analytical individuals who tend to spend long periods of time on
their own, working through problems and forming solutions. They are curious about systems and
how things work. Consequently, they are frequently found in careers such as science,
philosophy, law, psychology, and architecture. INTPs tend to be less at ease in social situations
or in the "caring professions", although they enjoy the company of those who share their
interests. They prize autonomy in themselves and others. They generally balk at attempts by
others to convince them to change. They also tend to be impatient with the bureaucracy, rigid
hierarchies, and the politics prevalent in many professions. INTPs have little regard for titles and
badges, which they often consider to be unnecessary or unjustified. INTPs usually come to
distrust authority as hindering the uptake of novel ideas and the search for knowledge. INTPs
accept ideas based on merit, rather than tradition or authority. They have little patience for social
customs that seem illogical or that obstruct the pursuit of ideas and knowledge. This may place
them at odds with people who have an SJ preference, since SJs tend to defer to authority,
tradition, and what the rest of the group is doing.[2] INTPs prefer to work informally with others
as equals.[11]

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 very simple
terms, especially in writing. On the other hand, their ability to grasp complexity may also lead
them to provide overly detailed explanations of simple ideas, and listeners may judge that the
INTP makes things more difficult than they need to be. To the INTPs' mind, they are presenting
all the relevant information or trying to crystallize the concept as clearly as possible.[11]

Given their independent nature, INTPs may prefer working alone to leading or following in a
group. During interactions with others, if INTPs are focused on gathering information, they may
seem oblivious, aloof, or even rebellious—when in fact they are concentrating on listening and
understanding. However, INTPs' intuition often gives them a quick wit, especially with
language. They may defuse tension through comical observations and references. They can be
charming, even in their quiet reserve, and are sometimes surprised by the high esteem in which
their friends and colleagues hold them.[11]

INTPs are driven to understand a discussion from all relevant angles. Their impatience with
seemingly indefensible ideas can make them particularly devastating at debate.[2]

INTPs are often haunted by a fear of failure, causing them to rethink solutions many times and
second-guess themselves. In their mind, they may have overlooked a bit of crucial data, and there
may very well be an equally plausible solution.

According to Keirsey, based on behavioral characteristics, notable archetypes might include

Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, and Thomas Jefferson.[3] For more examples, see Notable
Architects.
Cognitive functions

A diagram of the cognitive functions of each type. A type's background color represents its
Dominant function, and its text color represents its Auxiliary function.

Drawing upon Jungian theory, Isabel Myers proposed that for each personality type, the
cognitive functions (sensing, intuition, thinking, and feeling) form a hierarchy. This hierarchy
represents the person's so-called default pattern of behavior.

The Dominant function is the personality type's preferred role, the one they feel most
comfortable with. The secondary Auxiliary function serves to support and expand on the
Dominant function. If the Dominant is an information gathering function (sensing or intuition),
the Auxiliary is a decision making function (thinking or feeling), and vice versa. The Tertiary
function is less developed than the Dominant and Auxiliary, but it matures over time, rounding
out the person's abilities. The Inferior function is the personality type's Achilles' heel. This is the
function they are least comfortable with. Like the Tertiary, the Inferior function strengthens with
maturity.[11]

Jung and Myers considered the attitude of the Auxiliary, Tertiary, and Inferior functions to be the
opposite of the Dominant. In this interpretation, if the Dominant function is extraverted, then the
other three are introverted, and vice versa. However, many modern practitioners hold that the
attitude of the Tertiary function is the same as the Dominant.[6] Using the more modern
interpretation, the cognitive functions of the INTP are as follows:

Dominant: Introverted thinking (Ti)

Ti seeks precision, such as the exact word to express an idea. It notices the minute distinctions
that define the essence of things, then analyzes and classifies them. Ti examines all sides of an
issue, looking to solve problems while minimizing effort and risk. It uses models to root out
logical inconsistency.[12] Ti is calm, articulate, and aware of the forces that bind reality together.
As introverted thinkers, INTPs spend the majority of their time and energy ordering the interior,
logical world of principles and generalizations in an effort to understand.
Auxiliary: Extraverted intuition (Ne)

Ne finds and interprets hidden meanings, using “what if” questions to explore alternatives,
allowing multiple possibilities to coexist. This imaginative play weaves together insights and
experiences from various sources to form a new whole, which can then become a catalyst to
action.[13] Ne gives INTPs a grasp of the patterns of the world around them. They use their
intuition to amalgamate empirical data into coherent pictures, from which they can derive
universal principles. INTPs frequently puzzle over a problem for hours on end, until the answer
suddenly crystallizes in a flash of insight.

Tertiary: Introverted sensing (Si)

Si collects data in the present moment and compares it with past experiences, a process that
sometimes evokes the feelings associated with memory, as if the subject were reliving it. Seeking
to protect what is familiar, Si draws upon history to form goals and expectations about what will
happen in the future.[14] Si gives INTPs the potential for keen observation. They use this function
to gather empirical data, use physical tools, perceive physical relationships, and support their
internal logic with a rich sense of space.

Inferior: Extraverted feeling (Fe)

Fe seeks social connections and creates harmonious interactions through polite, considerate, and
appropriate behavior. Fe responds to the explicit (and implicit) wants of others, and may even
create an internal conflict between the subject’s own needs and the desire to meet the needs of
others.[15] Fe drives the INTP to desire harmony in community. At their most relaxed, INTPs can
be charming and outgoing among friends, or when they have a clearly defined role in the group.
When under stress, however, INTPs can feel disconnected from the people around them, unable
to use their extraverted Feeling to reach out to others. As their inferior function, Feeling can be a
weak point; when threatened they will hide behind a wall of stoic logic. This can lead them to
bottle up their emotions to preserve reason and harmony; but a failure to deal with these
concealed emotions can lead to inappropriate outbursts.

Shadow functions

Later personality researchers (notably Linda V. Berens)[16] added four additional functions to the
descending hierarchy, the so-called "shadow" functions to which the individual is not naturally
inclined but which can emerge when the person is under stress. For the INTP these shadow
functions are (in order):

 Extraverted thinking (Te): Te organizes and schedules ideas and the environment to
ensure the efficient, productive pursuit of objectives. Te seeks logical explanations for
actions, events, and conclusions, looking for faulty reasoning and lapses in sequence.[17]
 Introverted Intuition (Ni): Attracted to symbolic actions or devices, Ni synthesizes
seeming paradoxes to create the previously unimagined. These realizations come with a
certainty that demands action to fulfill a new vision of the future, solutions that may
include complex systems or universal truths.[18]
  Extraverted sensing (Se): Se focuses on the experiences and sensations of the
immediate, physical world. With an acute awareness of the present surroundings, it
brings relevant facts and details to the forefront and may lead to spontaneous action.[19]
 Introverted feeling (Fi): Fi filters information based on interpretations of worth, forming
judgments according to criteria that are often intangible. Fi constantly balances an
internal set of values such as harmony and authenticity. Attuned to subtle distinctions, Fi
innately senses what is true and what is false in a situation.[20]

Type dynamics of the INTP

Type Dynamics refers to the interrelationship among the four cognitive functions in a
psychological type. Far from being a simple combination of initials, the full type creates a rich
interwoven system of perceiving and judging that explains much of the similarity and difference
among the types. Type Dynamics has garnered little to no empirical support to substantiate its
viability as a scientific theory.[21] Nonetheless, it currently remains deeply entrenched in the
Myers-Briggs community.

As a practical example of Type Dynamics, consider the two types known as the introverted
thinkers (ISTP and INTP). They share dominant introverted thinking, which gives them a solid
interior grasp of underlying principles. The ISTPs, with their preference for extraverted sensing,
love understanding physical, mechanical systems. The INTPs, with their extraverted intuition,
love understanding theoretical systems. ISTPs are often quite skilled in using whatever materials
are at hand in their building projects, using available tools to their full capabilities to serve their
goals, through their extraverted sensing. INTPs, like their Sensing cousins, love using the right
tool for the right job, but they also consult their intuition to solve problems. They are particularly
comfortable with "virtual" tools, reflecting their love of technology.[citation needed]

With a knack for improvisation, the INTP can cause no end of frustration to ESTJs and ISTJs.
These types generally cannot make the same intuitive leaps that come naturally to the INTP. On
the other hand, they are quick to note (sometimes smugly) when the INTP must stop in the
middle of a project to puzzle over the previously discarded instructions, which the STJs read at
the start