• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

INTJ "Intelligent" Myth

G

Ginkgo

Guest
I've noticed a trend in television sitcoms for "intelligent" characters to be INTJs.
Notably, Stewy Griffin, Gandalf the Grey, Hannibal Lectar and Severus Snape.

Obviously this a stereotype unfounded in reality, but what is it about INTJs that makes Hollywood writers make them intelligent characters, or alternatively make intelligent characters into INTJs?
 

simulatedworld

Freshman Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2008
Messages
5,552
MBTI Type
ENTP
Enneagram
7w6
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Well I think Stewie is an ENTP, but that's beside the point, I guess.

Writers of popular movies/TV write their characters to play into the stereotypes that regular people are comfortable with because that sells movie tickets and gets Nielsen ratings. So NTs are smart and pretentious, NFs are emo and needy, SPs are dumb but courageous, and SJs are soulless rule-mongers.

Money makes the world go round, Mr. Tater.
 

Benny

New member
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
154
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
8w7
Because there calm, cool, calculating, focused, disciplined, and they like to think and learn. Those are some good precursors for intelligence. Barring some kind of disorder. I would say most INTJ's are smart. The rest try to appear smart, and may even fool some.
 

Sinmara

Not Your Therapist
Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Messages
1,075
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Because there calm, cool, calculating, focused, disciplined, and they like to think and learn. Those are some good precursors for intelligence. Barring some kind of disorder. I would say most INTJ's are smart. The rest try to appear smart, and may even fool some.

That sounds more like it's just a personality that predispositions you to have good study habits. It might lead you to work through the education system and get good grades and be more successful than some P types in that regard, but that doesn't indicate that they're smarter or more intelligent. They're just better adjusted to structured learning environments.
 

Little_Sticks

New member
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
1,358
Well when they are very knowledgeable, perceptive about people and easily picking up of the important points of a science or activity, and efficiently calculating in everything they do, that pretty much makes for what I would call an intelligent person. And I don't think it would be reasonable to attribute someone with all of these qualities to another personality type unless the type spent a great deal of energy training themselves to be something they aren't naturally (which I don't doubt is at all impossible to do); and I'm sure there are some situations where this is the case in fiction. But for the practical purposes of having a character with the amplified characteristics of an INTJ, it is usually more interesting for people to watch if the person is naturally (meaning all the time) displaying what they see as the best characteristics of the INTJ type.

But, as an aside, whether someone is considered intelligent or not becomes relative to each unique observer. So in general, it seems a great number of people find the qualities of the INTJ to be very intelligent or a precursor as you say to intelligence.
 

disregard

mrs
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
7,826
MBTI Type
INFP
I would say that well-developed Te would give lend to an appearance of intelligence.

As for whether or not the characters possess types at all (doubtful) is another issue, but regardless they can possess a skill for Te.
 

disregard

mrs
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
7,826
MBTI Type
INFP
Actually, Ni would play a big part (huge part) in intelligence too, if we're going to talk functions.

Whenever I say huge I think of Tiger Woods' voicemail. :laugh:

Basically, well-developed thought and intuition processes would be a factor in intelligence.
 

Valiant

Courage is immortality
Joined
Jul 7, 2007
Messages
3,895
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
8w7
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Most INTJs have a thing for knowledge and are usually avid independent learners.
Also, INTJs are usually good with languages and systems, and thus... Well.
Seeing patterns, relating small pieces into a whole...

Even if INTJ intelligence might not be higher than average per se, we'd still have many of the nicest prerequisites for growing knowledge out of information.
We also have that need to make things into useful tools, whether it's for an argument or some task.
So... Even a stupid INTJ might be really effective in certain pursuits if he or she doesn't suffer from some kind of disorder that makes said person dysfunctional.

Also, we focus. We're good at it. If something didn't go really wrong somewhere in some weird individual case.
 

stillwater

New member
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
7
MBTI Type
INTJ
I've noticed a trend in television sitcoms for "intelligent" characters to be INTJs.

Obviously this a stereotype unfounded in reality

All stereotypes, however flattering or unflattering, are grounded in some level of truth. Enough INTJs are smart enough that someone started to notice a pattern. What you said is akin to saying "I've noticed a lot of 'people-people' on TV are ExFJs. Obviously this is unfounded in reality." It's kind of ridiculous.
 

stillwater

New member
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
7
MBTI Type
INTJ
It's just that intelligence seems to have a certain esteemed quality to it that makes hotly debated.
 
R

Riva

Guest
Writers of popular movies/TV write their characters to play into the stereotypes that regular people are comfortable with because that sells movie tickets and gets Nielsen ratings. So NTs are smart and pretentious, NFs are emo and needy, SPs are dumb but courageous, and SJs are soulless rule-mongers.

Money makes the world go round, Mr. Tater.

A different point of view.

The villains are supposed to be villainous aren't they?
Cold, emotionless, cruel, unlikable, unfriendly and narcissistic pricks.

And who fits the description the best out of all the MBTI types? ;)
 

Moiety

New member
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
Messages
5,996
MBTI Type
ISFJ
Intellegence is often associated with successfulness (J :cheese:), introvertedness (I), thinking (T) and in the case of MBTI intuitiveness (N).


INTP would be the other choice, but they are too out of touch with reality and people don't like that.
 

miss fortune

not to be trusted
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
20,589
Enneagram
827
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
oh dear god, I'm going to agree with Curzon :doh:

what type is stereotypically more likely to sit back, hating humanity and weaving an evil web to ruin everyone's existance? :huh:

Plus, plenty of unhealthy INTJs and INTJ wannabes tend to claim that they're the smartest, confusing refusing to admit that you're wrong with being right! :laugh:
 

Zarathustra

Let Go Of Your Team
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Messages
8,110
I've noticed a trend in television sitcoms for "intelligent" characters to be INTJs.
Notably, Stewy Griffin, Gandalf the Grey, Hannibal Lectar and Severus Snape.

Obviously this a stereotype unfounded in reality, but what is it about INTJs that makes Hollywood writers make them intelligent characters, or alternatively make intelligent characters into INTJs?

I've seen an interesting study showing that INTJS are far and away the most highly represented amongst male National Merit Scholars, while ENFPs (interestingly) are the highest represented amongst females.

INTJ males actually managed to have the most winners (on an absolute basis) despite being the least common (or second least common, depending on which study) type.

We really are smarter than all you fools... :jew:
 

Zarathustra

Let Go Of Your Team
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Messages
8,110
p.s. And Tater, prodding INTJs in this way is not gunna find you that magical INTJ woman of your dreams who will peg you till you can't take it anymore...
 

musicheck

New member
Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Messages
61
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5
The interesting statistic is not the number but the proportion.

If we go by this page, Meyers-Briggs Statistics
there's way more female ENFP than any other female type. Proportionately, I'd imagine the female INTJ is quite possibly on top as well. Do you know where I can find this data? All I could find with a bit of googling is that 83% of national merit finalists are N and that there are disproportionately many I's as well.

Also, about the INTJ is smart stereotype, every statistical measure I have seen suggests it is true (35% chance of being in the top 2% of IQ is pretty striking, for example). (Ugh, this post would seem a hell of a lot less self congratulatory back when I self-identified as INTP.)
 

miss fortune

not to be trusted
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
20,589
Enneagram
827
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I've seen an interesting study showing that INTJS are far and away the most highly represented amongst male National Merit Scholars, while ENFPs (interestingly) are the highest represented amongst females.

:sadbanana:

I was a National Merit Scholar...despite the fact that you INTJs probably think that I'm a dummy or something...
 

miss fortune

not to be trusted
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
20,589
Enneagram
827
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
^ apparently through arbitrary test scores :rolleyes:
 

Moiety

New member
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
Messages
5,996
MBTI Type
ISFJ

Why the long face?

Where's the merit in being intelligent if you are already a member of "the intelligent type"? I'd prefer to be a male ESFP merit scholar than a INTJ merit scholar.
 
Top