[ISTJ] ISTJ Personality Traits

[Hunter]

Eh, ISTPs are very anti-authority, spontaneous, anti-structure, play before work, adventurous...that type of thing. Whereas the ISTJs are all structure, schedule, ..and etc.

I've somehow managed to fall imbetween the two... Probably because I was raised in a very structured atmosphere... So methinks I can switch between the two types depending on the situation...but I think that I tend to prefer the ISTP way more than the ISTJ when given the choice...

 

[raz]

I'm a play before work person, also. I don't like authority if their competence is in question. I can bow down before authority if there's something about them I respect. I've found issues with most of the people/organizations that have influence on my life.

I'm a weird ISTJ. My moral compass doesn't exactly point due north. When it was pouring rain one night near the university, I found this road where people were walking up and down that was getting really flooded. The guy I was with couldn't understand how I found so much delight in driving up and down the road watching them get soaked as I splashed them.

Another thing is how I tend to admire intelligence regardless of the circumstances. When I studied the Enron fiasco, I told my father, "That was one heck of an operation. Those people who did that must've been geniuses!" He tried telling me, "But, what they did was wrong." I just stood by my view, even though I knew it was wrong.

Another thing weird about me, is I can be thinking about something while having a conversation with someone and miss a sentence they say. Then I try to piece together what their saying, missing that one sentence, then I just recall what they "said" and re-interpret it in my head. It's odd, I know. It's like my brain hears it, remembers it, is able to recall it, but doesn't interpret what was SAID until I consciously do it.

 

[Cimarron]

I do try to avoid confrontation like it's a disease. I've never gotten into a fight...

Again, if it's any help, I very much identify with this one (this part). Confrontation is too much trouble to bother with, I almost always try to avoid it.

I don't know if this is common among other ISTJ's or not, but I care a great deal of what people think of me. I wish I didn't, but that doesn't make it so. Maybe that's why I try to avoid attention so much, because there's less of a chance of me getting on someone's bad side.

I really don't want to admit this one, either, but for the sake of honesty it is true, especially these last few years it's become even more so.

I'm a play before work person, also. I don't like authority if their competence is in question. I can bow down before authority if there's something about them I respect. I've found issues with most of the people/organizations that have influence on my life.

I'm a weird ISTJ. My moral compass doesn't exactly point due north. When it was pouring rain one night near the university, I found this road where people were walking up and down that was getting really flooded. The guy I was with couldn't understand how I found so much delight in driving up and down the road watching them get soaked as I splashed them.

We're not always as "obedient to authority" as some people think. A lot of other ISTJs here have some thoughts about this subject. This is another place where we have probably been misunderstood by other types. Personally, I don't defy authority just because it's authority, though (which I don't think is what you're saying anyway).

 

[Ishida]

Interesting thread. I'm not ISTJ but my sister and father are and some of the similarities are funny to observe. And now to give you some traits we may share, given we only differ one letter. I'll make some notes about my relatives too.

Learn best by seeing and doing - I can sometimes copy, but normally I like to go my own way after getting the general idea.
Excellent analytical thinker - I overdo this, I think.
Dry/Sarcastic humor - Sometimes, sometimes not, usually I'm not interested in humor if it'll only avoid a good conversation about something that will be useful to learn, but my humor is different from yours.
Great awareness - I can if I want to, like I see kids acting up when nobody else does but otherwise I'm a daydreamer.
Can only focus on one thing at a time - No, I normally need something to spin in my hands while talking. (I don't know)
Extremely private - Used to be, wish I still was. It's useful. (Whole family is.)
Poker face always present - Yeah. (This is only me)
Socially retarded - Yep, especially when emotions are involved. (My sister is. XD)
Very observant - Depends on what we're observing, but usually I tend to miss obvious things, but point out things others don't see. (I don't pay attention enough)
Easily annoyed - I don't think this is related to type, but I'm not easily annoyed. (My dad is.)
Take everything literally - I feign this in sexual discussions, but I'm good at picking that stuff up. (My family members are decent at this too, but they're not high on the "S" and are pretty intelligent.)
Often have errors when forced to make quick decisions - Not enough data.
Procrastinates - This is my special talent. (Present in both ISTJ family members)
Selfish - I'm not completely selfless, but I'm not selfish. I don't think type has to do with this. (Not present in either ISTJ family member)
No style - Yep. My color is black.
Hate cleaning - This is just laziness for me. (Which runs in the family, but sucked because my dad always wanted the house cleaned EVERY day.)
Health conscientious - I am somewhat. My two family members are too, but I'm better off in that department than they are, if you know what I mean.

 

[raz]

One other thing, and it's hard to admit something like this, but It'll pass through my thoughts subconsciously where ever I go. I'm HIGHLY discriminating. It's probably just the ISTJ's critical eye. I know I've read about it in ISTJ descriptions, but I do it so subconsciously.

If I see someone that drinks a lot, I don't want to associate with them. If I see someone with piercings other than their ears? Interest plummets. Tattoos? Don't even get me started on that. To me, certain things just require a certain mindset to do, and it's not one that I want to actively deal with. Although, there is ONE person in my life that breaks one of those rules, but there is much more goodness about her that outweighs it.

 

[fishingdude]

I sort of do this. If someone I don't know very well does something that makes me question their character, I lose all respect for that person. My opinion of them goes from none to very low. It takes a long time for me to change my view about them after that, if ever. Everytime I see them I think about what turned me off. It's the same way with women for me. If there's a girl I find very attractive and I don't know very well, I tend to put her on a pedestal. In my mind she's perfect. What always happens after that is I'll discover something about her that totally taints the perfection that I built up in my mind. Then she loses my interest. This is completely shallow, but unfortunately the way my mind works. Sure I try to fight it, try to convince myself that it's really not that bad, but it's no use at that point. But like you said, the more you really no someone the more things you are likely to ignore.

 

[Hunter]

Heh, I'm sorta like that... Although, I don't set people up on a pedestal... In my mind, I automatically don't trust people..and they slowly have to work their way up my trust ladder, per say. Anything I see them do before they mean anything to me doesn't really matter..although it will affect whether or not I want to be associated with them in the future. And if I don't like the way a person looks or acts, I avoid any sort of contact with them if possible.

 

[raz]

I told someone once that I live by the phrase, "guilty until proven innocent." They asked what was wrong with me. I'm cynical! Even in the checkout line, if someone behind me says, "hey, there's another register open over there," I'll have to see if there really is another register without moving, look at the line, and then quickly decide how long that line will take compared to mine. That's all after I've decided that the person behind me isn't trying to get me out of their line

 

[Spectre of the spam]

I do try to avoid confrontation like it's a disease. I've never gotten into a fight, but I have avoided several of them. I tend to be the one that usually breaks them up too.

I don't know if this is common among other ISTJ's or not, but I care a great deal of what people think of me. I wish I didn't, but that doesn't make it so. Maybe that's why I try to avoid attention so much, because there's less of a chance of me getting on someone's bad side.

I've never gotten into a fight either. The thing is, if people were to push me far enough, I would. I have often thought up scenarios in my mind where they would and I would go apeshit on them. No one ever bothers me though. Ever. It's nice and kind of annoying at the same time. Meh, maybe it's just my desire for attention clashing with my desire to fit in and not be noticed.

I think the caring what other people think about you thing is common among istjs, because I have that problem as well. I sometimes quiz close friends about what they think of me. I'm an opinion junkie really.

 

[Hunter]

Eh...conflict doesn't bother me...if I'm the one holding the cards..or at least as many cards as the other person... I prefer not to get in a fight that I obviously can't win. Seems pointless. Although I've never exactly gotten in fist fights... Thrown basketballs at people and chased them down the street..but that's about it.

But when it comes to argument type fights...I pretty much abide by the card rule.

 

[fishingdude]

I have often thought up scenarios in my mind where they would and I would go apeshit on them.

That's hilarious because I do this too. When I visualize myself in a fight, it usually ends ends up with the target of my anger either dead or knocked out with a quick and brilliant combination from me. I never can picture it any other way. It's weird.

 

[Spectre of the spam]

That's hilarious because I do this too. When I visualize myself in a fight, it usually ends ends up with the target of my anger either dead or knocked out with a quick and brilliant combination from me. I never can picture it any other way. It's weird.

The ISTJ in me usually has me using a bat or some form of tool. Realisticaly, a 5ft 7in skiny guy with no combat experience probably couldn't do to well against the type of people who would pick a fight with me. On the other hand, I sometimes imagine myself using some form of martal art i'll learn someday.

 

[fishingdude]

The ISTJ in me usually has me using a bat or some form of tool. Realisticaly, a 5ft 7in skiny guy with no combat experience probably couldn't do to well against the type of people who would pick a fight with me. On the other hand, I sometimes imagine myself using some form of martal art i'll learn someday.

Fascinating!

 

[Cimarron]

Tell me if you disagree:

I've always thought that threads like this would be most useful if other types (non-ISTJs) answered the questions also, so that we could make sure they are mostly specific to us, or are things many different types agree on. If the questions are mostly true for ISTJs and mostly false for non-ISTJs, then we have something.

That would make this a bit more complicated, though. It's the only way I can see that would prove we're not putting together coincidences...you know what I mean?

 

[Spectre of the spam]

Tell me if you disagree:

I've always thought that threads like this would be most useful if other types (non-ISTJs) answered the questions also, so that we could make sure they are mostly specific to us, or are things many different types agree on. If the questions are mostly true for ISTJs and mostly false for non-ISTJs, then we have something.

That would make this a bit more complicated, though. It's the only way I can see that would prove we're not putting together coincidences...you know what I mean?

Yes I do. Speaking for at least two ISTJ's, I welcome all other types to tell us if you have anything in common at all with what is on fishingdudes list.

 

[fishingdude]

Tell me if you disagree:

I've always thought that threads like this would be most useful if other types (non-ISTJs) answered the questions also, so that we could make sure they are mostly specific to us, or are things many different types agree on. If the questions are mostly true for ISTJs and mostly false for non-ISTJs, then we have something.

That would make this a bit more complicated, though. It's the only way I can see that would prove we're not putting together coincidences...you know what I mean?

Makes sense to me. Maybe we should fine tune the questions then post a new thread elsewhere for all types. I can already see that some of the traits I posted were related to me only and not specific to ISTJs.

 

[Cimarron]

Wow. Well that data in the other thread is going to be difficult to work with.

 

[fishingdude]

It sure is. Now that I think think about it, I have no idea what I was really after there. Oh well...

 

[raz]

Which thread?

 

[fishingdude]

http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/bonfire/11139-difference-questionnaire.html