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Myers-Briggs
(Introverted
iNtuitive
Thinking
Judging):
In 1996, I took the
"
Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator" test as part of a management
training course. I was amazed to find out that the results were as
interesting and as accurate as they were. Below, I have listed the results
and a psychologist's description of the indicators (INTJ). If you want more
details about my test results, click HERE.
If you find this as fascinating as I
did, you might want to visit the Keirsey Temperament
Sorter yourself for a quick on-line temperment test.
Note: The Keirsey test is in no way affiliated
with the real Myers-Briggs test.
- Title: INTJ, The Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging Personality
Type
- Author: Marina Margaret Heiss
To outsiders, INTJs may appear to
project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This
self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less
decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its
source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start
building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise --
and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost
immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know
what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they
don't know.
INTJs are perfectionists, with a
seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their
interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this
pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type:
INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to
everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms.
This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ
from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own
sake.
INTJs are known as the "Systems
Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual
trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ
happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an
INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as
INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project.
Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their
respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been
known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without
consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend
to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual
contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing
opportunities which others might not even notice.
In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do"
tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the
sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of
intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of
academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to
invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them,
and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also
find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in
order to mask their inherent unconventionality.
Personal relationships, particularly
romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of
caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a
great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and
self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly
abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations. This happens in part
because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance,
they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as
small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a
relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private
people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy
to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem,
however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. This
sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs --
only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a
romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and
directness.
Probably the strongest INTJ assets in
the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness
to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the
kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often
act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such
things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This
ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to
understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which
ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by
their robustness, stability, and good communications.
