Personality types

[Søren]

Cool, Steve Jobs was ENTJ as was FDR and myself.

[Skyblade]

Apparently Shakespeare and Tolkien were INFPs. Nice!

[Edraithel]

I read that and when i saw it I was like, "YES!!!!"

[Kitsune]

I feel that I have a lot to live up to based on my personality type.

[Delthion]

The INTP personality type is fairly rare, making up only three percent of the population, which is definitely a good thing for them, as there's nothing they'd be more unhappy about than being "common". INTPs pride themselves on their inventiveness and creativity, their unique perspective and vigorous intellect. Usually known as the philosopher, the architect, or the dreamy professor, INTPs have been responsible for many scientific discoveries throughout history.
The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living
INTPs are known for their brilliant theories and unrelenting logic - in fact, they are considered the most logically precise of all the personality types.

They love patterns, and spotting discrepancies between statements could almost be described as a hobby, making it a bad idea to lie to an INTP. This makes it ironic that INTPs' word should always be taken with a grain of salt - it's not that they are dishonest, but people with the INTP personality type tend to share thoughts that are not fully developed, using others as a sounding board for ideas and theories in a debate against themselves rather than as actual conversation partners.

INTP personalityThis may make them appear unreliable, but in reality no one is more enthusiastic and capable of spotting a problem, drilling through the endless factors and details that encompass the issue and developing a unique and viable solution than INTPs - just don't expect punctual progress reports. People who share the INTP personality type aren't interested in practical, day-to-day activities and maintenance, but when they find an environment where their creative genius and potential can be expressed, there is no limit to the time and energy INTPs will expend in developing an insightful and unbiased solution.

Wisdom Begins in Wonder

They may appear to drift about in an unending daydream, but INTPs' thought process is unceasing, and their minds buzz with ideas from the moment they wake up. This constant thinking can have the effect of making them look pensive and detached, as they are often conducting full-fledged debates in their own heads, but really INTPs are quite relaxed and friendly when they are with people they know, or who share their interests. However, this can be replaced by overwhelming shyness when INTP personalities are among unfamiliar faces, and friendly banter can quickly become combative if they believe their logical conclusions or theories are being criticized.

When INTPs are particularly excited, the conversation can border on incoherence as they try to explain the daisy-chain of logical conclusions that led to the formation of their latest idea. Oftentimes, INTPs will opt to simply move on from a topic before it's ever understood what they were trying to say, rather than try to lay things out in plain terms.

The reverse can also be true when people explain their thought processes to INTPs in terms of subjectivity and feeling. Imagine an immensely complicated clockwork, taking in every fact and idea possible, processing them with a heavy dose of creative reasoning and returning the most logically sound results available - this is how the INTP mind works, and this type has little tolerance for an emotional monkey-wrench jamming their machines.


Let Those Who Would Move the World First Move Themselves

Further, with Thinking (T) as one of their governing traits, INTPs are unlikely to understand emotional complaints at all, and their friends won't find a bedrock of emotional support in them. People with the INTP personality type would much rather make a series of logical suggestions for how to resolve the underlying issue, a perspective that is not always welcomed by their Feeling (F) companions. This will likely extend to most social conventions and goals as well, like planning dinners and getting married, as INTPs are far more concerned with originality and efficient results.

The one thing that really holds INTPs back is their restless and pervasive fear of failure. INTP personalities are so prone to reassessing their own thoughts and theories, worrying that they've missed some critical piece of the puzzle, that they can stagnate, lost in an intangible world where their thoughts are never truly applied. Overcoming this self-doubt stands as the greatest challenge INTPs are likely to face, but the intellectual gifts - big and small - bestowed on the world when they do makes it worth the fight.

Socrates
Rene Descartes
Blaise Pascal
Isaac Newton
Carl Jung
Albert Einstein
James Madison
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Gerald Ford

INTP Strengths

    Great Analysts and Abstract Thinkers - People with the INTP personality type view the world as a big, complex machine, and recognize that as with any machine, all parts are interrelated. INTPs excel in analyzing these connections, seeing how seemingly unrelated factors tie in with each other in ways that bewilder most other personality types.
    Imaginative and Original - These connections are the product of an unrelenting imagination - INTPs' ideas may seem counter-intuitive at a glance, and may never even see the light of day, but they will always prove remarkable innovations.
    Open-Minded - INTPs couldn't make these connections if they thought they knew it all - they are highly receptive to alternate theories, so long as they're supported by logic and facts. In more subjective matters like social norms and traditions, INTPs are usually fairly liberal, with a "none of my business" sort of attitude - peoples' ideas are what matter.
    Enthusiastic - When a new idea piques their interest, INTPs can be very enthusiastic - they are a reserved personality type, but if another person shares an interest, they can be downright excited about discussing it. More likely though, the only outward evidence of this enthusiasm will be INTPs' silent pacing or their staring into the distance.
    Objective - INTPs' analysis, creativity and open-mindedness aren't the tools of some quest for ideology or emotional validation. Rather, it's as though people with the INTP personality type are a conduit for the truths around them, so far as they can be expressed, and they are proud of this role as theoretical mediator.
    Honest and Straightforward - To know one thing and say another would be terribly disingenuous - INTPs don't often go around intentionally hurting feelings, but they believe that the truth is the most important factor, and they expect that to be appreciated and reciprocated.

INTP Weaknesses

    Very Private and Withdrawn - While INTPs' intellectualism yields many insights into their surroundings, their surroundings are ironically considered an intrusion on their thoughts. This is especially true with people - INTPs are quite shy in social settings. More complicated situations such as parties exacerbate this, but even close friends struggle to get into INTPs' hearts and minds.
    Insensitive - Oftentimes INTP personalities get so caught up in their logic that they forget any kind of emotional consideration - they dismiss subjectivity as irrational and tradition as an attempt to bar much-needed progress. Purely emotional situations are often utterly puzzling to INTPs, and their lack of timely sympathy can easily offend.
    Absent-minded - When INTPs' interest is captured, their absence goes beyond social matters to include the rest of the physical world. INTPs become forgetful, missing even the obvious if it's unrelated to their current infatuation, and they can even forget their own health, skipping meals and sleep as they muse.
    Condescending - Attempts at connecting with others are often worse than INTPs' withdrawal. People with the INTP personality type take pride in their knowledge and rationale, and enjoy sharing their ideas, but in trying to explain how they got from A to B to Z, they can get frustrated, sometimes simplifying things to the point of insult as they struggle to gauge their conversation partners' perspective. The ultimate insult comes as INTPs give up with a dismissive "never mind".
    Loathe Rules and Guidelines - These social struggles are partly a product of INTPs' desire to bypass the rules, of social conduct and otherwise. While this attitude helps INTPs' strength of unconventional creativity, it also causes them to reinvent the wheel constantly and to shun security in favor of autonomy in ways that can compromise both.
    Second-Guess Themselves - INTPs remain so open to new information that they often never commit to a decision at all. This applies to their own skills as well - INTP personalities know that as they practice, they improve, and any work they do is second-best to what they could do. Unable to settle for this, INTPs sometimes delay their output indefinitely with constant revisions, sometimes even quitting before they ever begin.

And I also have problem tying my shoes, as Einstein did...I'm Einstein!!!

[Banya]

Thanks for that, Del.  I'm also an INTP!

[Gonff the Mousethief]

Well, I got INFP as well Sky. I took about 5 different tests, and I got it every time. I read through the descriptions, and it seemed to fit me quite well. I mean, many famous authors were INFP's, so that could be good a sign for the career I want to pursue. Seems well with me!

[Skyblade]

To be honest, Gonff, I thought you would get INFP based on your personality. That's a good thing, of course. And if writing is what you want to do for a living, I encourage you.

[Wylder Treejumper]

I'm mostly an ISTP, though as an engineering and writing person I also have strong tendencies towards INTP.

[Banya]

*fist-bumps Wylder*

Descriptions I've read before of an INTP personality haven't always fitted me, but Del's description above floors me.  I never expected a perfect match.  Either I'm looking really hard for and finding connections, or Del's description is eerily accurate.

[Hickory]

AI!

When I click the liink, it brings me to a bunch of "related sites".

[Skyblade]

If you Google "myer briggs personality test", you will find several results.

[BadgerLordFiredrake]

ENTJ, and I've sure I've already posted this, but oh well

Interesting how so many people here are apparently introverted - much higher than I'd expect

[Søren]

ENTJ, and I've sure I've already posted this, but oh well

Interesting how so many people here are apparently introverted - much higher than I'd expect

*fistbump*
I might have to take the test again actually. I want to see if I did it right.

[BadgerLordFiredrake]

ENTJ, and I've sure I've already posted this, but oh well

Interesting how so many people here are apparently introverted - much higher than I'd expect

*fistbump*
I might have to take the test again actually. I want to see if I did it right.

I've taken it about 3 times and always got the same thing