Type me! INTP or INTJ

[Mycroft]

I've had several people on this forum and, recently, someone in day-to-day life tell me I'm an INTP. (I always pretend to be ignorant of MBTI around people, it was something she said with no prompting on my part.) I know that according to the "rules" (scoff) of typology, INTJ and INTP should be quite different, but I've always seen equal parts of myself in the descriptions of both, so I'll go under the lens and get the opinion of anyone interested in responding.

To wit:

- It irritates me that I haven't been able to decide on one or the other, but I also don't want to jump to conclusions. I sometimes worry I'll never decide one way or the other, since we're always discovering new facets of our own personalities. Unless we suck.

- I don't mind deadlines, I'm always punctual, and I keep my office and apartment organized.

- On my days off I'd rather not have anything in particular planned.

- I have no problem delegating tasks at work, and I think I'm a reasonable judge of character. I can usually get a good "feel" on the kind of person someone is within a few minutes of meeting and talking with them.

- I'm a MAJOR pedant and learning to keep my mouth shut when people say things that are not factual is something I still struggle with.

- I notice immediately when someone's argument or statement is not consistent, with no effort. The inconsistencies irritate me, like someone is eating with his mouth open right into my brain's ear.

- I'm extremely dismissive toward emotional people. I have a friend who I think is a likely candidate for INFJ. I admire his intelligence, but I just don't even bother seeing movies with that guy anymore since he always wants to talk about these "human" themes and characters' relationships with one another and blah blah blah wish I could change the channel in real life.

- I think fiction is boring.

- I sound like a real asshole right now, but in day-to-day life people tend to find me unassuming and easy to get along with. (So far as I can tell.)

- I enjoy learning more than anything, but I do like opportunities to demonstrate what I've learned through creation or practice.

- Schopenhauer (almost certainly an INTJ) is my favorite philosopher, and if I'd been born to wealth and didn't have to worry about being nice and getting along with people, I'd probably be just like him. (Except the misogyny part. Also he could have stood to ratchet down the righteous indignation a few notches.)

- I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate exercise, but do it anyway. I'm in slightly-above-average shape.

- I can make decisions fairly easily and for some reason people at work insist on coming to me to get my opinion when decisions need to be made even though I've told everyone repeatedly I'm not a manager and they don't need to okay things with me. I don't even work full time, since I'm also attending university. Again.

Okay, that's all that comes to mind. Feel free to ask questions! Assuming this post interests anyone, which it very well may not.

 

[Honor]

I've had several people on this forum and, recently, someone in day-to-day life tell me I'm an INTP. (I always pretend to be ignorant of MBTI around people, it was something she said with no prompting on my part.) I know that according to the "rules" (scoff) of typology, INTJ and INTP should be quite different, but I've always seen equal parts of myself in the descriptions of both, so I'll go under the lens and get the opinion of anyone interested in responding.

To wit:

- It irritates me that I haven't been able to decide on one or the other, but I also don't want to jump to conclusions. I sometimes worry I'll never decide one way or the other, since we're always discovering new facets of our own personalities. Unless we suck.

- I don't mind deadlines, I'm always punctual, and I keep my office and apartment organized.

- On my days off I'd rather not have anything in particular planned.

- I have no problem delegating tasks at work, and I think I'm a reasonable judge of character. I can usually get a good "feel" on the kind of person someone is within a few minutes of meeting and talking with them.

- I'm a MAJOR pedant and learning to keep my mouth shut when people say things that are not factual is something I still struggle with.

- I notice immediately when someone's argument or statement is not consistent, with no effort. The inconsistencies irritate me, like someone is eating with his mouth open right into my brain's ear.

- I'm extremely dismissive toward emotional people. I have a friend who I think is a likely candidate for INFJ. I admire his intelligence, but I just don't even bother seeing movies with that guy anymore since he always wants to talk about these "human" themes and characters' relationships with one another and blah blah blah wish I could change the channel in real life.

- I think fiction is boring.

- I sound like a real asshole right now, but in day-to-day life people tend to find me unassuming and easy to get along with. (So far as I can tell.)

- I enjoy learning more than anything, but I do like opportunities to demonstrate what I've learned through creation or practice.

- Schopenhauer (almost certainly an INTJ) is my favorite philosopher, and if I'd been born to wealth and didn't have to worry about being nice and getting along with people, I'd probably be just like him. (Except the misogyny part. Also he could have stood to ratchet down the righteous indignation a few notches.)

- I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate exercise, but do it anyway. I'm in slightly-above-average shape.

- I can make decisions fairly easily and for some reason people at work insist on coming to me to get my opinion when decisions need to be made even though I've told everyone repeatedly I'm not a manager and they don't need to okay things with me. I don't even work full time, since I'm also attending university. Again.

Okay, that's all that comes to mind. Feel free to ask questions! Assuming this post interests anyone, which it very well may not.

INTJ. You come off far more like the INTJs I know than the INTPs I know. Actually a lot of the things you said I've heard before from my INTJ friends.

 

[Mycroft]

No takers, huh? All right, but I'm linking to this every time somebody on this board insists I'm an INTP who's mistyped himself. Out of curiosity, Honor, which of the things I mentioned were things you've heard INTJs say?

 

[Title]

My honest first impression was ISTJ (just like what I believe Mark Gatiss' Mycroft to be!), but it's not definite at all.
You don't strike me as very INTP, so if I were you I'd spend more time distinguishing between Ni vs. Si in yourself rather than Ti/Ne vs. Ni/Te.

 

[Honor]

No takers, huh? All right, but I'm linking to this every time somebody on this board insists I'm an INTP who's mistyped himself. Out of curiosity, Honor, which of the things I mentioned were things you've heard INTJs say?

Oops, sorry I didn't see this. You should have tagged me! Well, actually this post right here ^ screams TJ.

EDIT: I can also see ISTJ as a good fit.

 

[Pushbeat]

Ah, I know this issue.

First, J and P are on a scale. You may score 50/50 in general. If so, there is a problem interpreting the whole system. But you can check you preference for Ni (INTJ's dominant function) and Ne (INTP's supporting function) for instance here.

And remenber, other people will always see more of your extraverted side, so you have to filter feedback with this in mind.

I have a question for you: if you are in a discussion, would you bring up controversial points even if you are not really sure about them? Just testing your own logic. Or would you prevent to bring such ideas forward and keep your thoughts in your head until you are pretty sure about what you are saying?

 

[Riva]

Can you describe yourself using single words? It might not be helpful in the end. But lets see where it goes.

From the people from RL I've noticed that INTJs tend to be extremely decisive (probably the most decisive of all types) and though not the Jock types are in to sports - atleast during school - and tend to excel - though never the most popular. And INTJs seem to have firm structures. INTPs even well built ones don't look firm. This is probably due to their inferior Se.

But overall INTPs tend to be more contemplative (therefore more introspective) and tend to have larger areas of expertise (when it comes to knowledge - Si) than most INTJs. Their Achilles's heel however is being decisive.

I do realize I am going to o much in to the specifics but it might help.

 

[WALMART]

As has been mentioned, I'd look into Si/Ni before Ti as a primary candidate.


I'm gonna play the odds and call you and ISTJ, though I have no real evidence for your introversion, either.

 

[Infinite Bubble]

- It irritates me that I haven't been able to decide on one or the other, but I also don't want to jump to conclusions. I sometimes worry I'll never decide one way or the other, since we're always discovering new facets of our own personalities. Unless we suck.

Wanting closure is more INTJ.

- I don't mind deadlines, I'm always punctual, and I keep my office and apartment organized.

Generally more of an INTJ thing. INTPs most of the time prefer to be free from deadlines.

- On my days off I'd rather not have anything in particular planned.

More likely to be P dominant. I suspect Pi as of now.

- I have no problem delegating tasks at work, and I think I'm a reasonable judge of character. I can usually get a good "feel" on the kind of person someone is within a few minutes of meeting and talking with them.

Could be either. INTJs are known to be able to 'see' through people.

- I'm a MAJOR pedant and learning to keep my mouth shut when people say things that are not factual is something I still struggle with.

I think this leans towards Ti.

- I notice immediately when someone's argument or statement is not consistent, with no effort. The inconsistencies irritate me, like someone is eating with his mouth open right into my brain's ear.

More Ti than anything again. But could be either again.

- I'm extremely dismissive toward emotional people. I have a friend who I think is a likely candidate for INFJ. I admire his intelligence, but I just don't even bother seeing movies with that guy anymore since he always wants to talk about these "human" themes and characters' relationships with one another and blah blah blah wish I could change the channel in real life.

Typical thinker attitude, haha. But INTPs are supposedly more accepting so perhaps wouldn't mind as much.

- I think fiction is boring.

Strikes me as S and T.

- I sound like a real asshole right now, but in day-to-day life people tend to find me unassuming and easy to get along with. (So far as I can tell.)

Either again.

- I enjoy learning more than anything, but I do like opportunities to demonstrate what I've learned through creation or practice.

INTJs are more likely to apply knowledge; INTPs more often learn for its own sake.

- Schopenhauer (almost certainly an INTJ) is my favorite philosopher, and if I'd been born to wealth and didn't have to worry about being nice and getting along with people, I'd probably be just like him. (Except the misogyny part. Also he could have stood to ratchet down the righteous indignation a few notches.)

The fact that you 'worry' about being nice indicates there's Fe somwhat, but it could be an Fi value.

- I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate exercise, but do it anyway. I'm in slightly-above-average shape.

Possible inferior Se. If you had no Se, you probably wouldn't bother at all.

- I can make decisions fairly easily and for some reason people at work insist on coming to me to get my opinion when decisions need to be made even though I've told everyone repeatedly I'm not a manager and they don't need to okay things with me. I don't even work full time, since I'm also attending university. Again.

Obviously extraverting your J function. Consistent with INTJ.

Just my first impressions. From the two original options, I'm going with INTJ. But as others have said above, ISTJ also fits, so I'll say IxTJ. Look to see whether Ni or Si fits better. Are you certain about your introversion?

 

[Mycroft]

Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to respond.

Interestingly, S/N has always been my "softest" attribute following J/P. I'm definitely a more "big picture" kind of thinker, though. I've noticed the difference between how I learn, and how an ISTJ I was close with learned. I like to flip through the whole book, get a general idea, and start putting together a rough overview in my mind and then think on it for a while, then returning for the details to fill in my idea as I go along. I start with the big picture and gain a more detailed understanding over time. Meanwhile, said ISTJ would learn the material cold, move on to the next chapter, and repeat, slowly "building up" an understanding. If anything, I think I've just learned to be a bit more "S" because memorization of facts is crucial to learning, and I like learning a whole bunch.

I can see INTP for myself in that the descriptions of how INTPs learn seems closer to how I learn. I like to "dive in" and just immerse myself in it and tinker and try things out, rather than drafting up some big "learning plan" and going from there.

I'm unquestionably an introvert, though.

 

[Mycroft]

First, J and P are on a scale. You may score 50/50 in general. If so, there is a problem interpreting the whole system. But you can check you preference for Ni (INTJ's dominant function) and Ne (INTP's supporting function) for instance here.

And remenber, other people will always see more of your extraverted side, so you have to filter feedback with this in mind.

I have a question for you: if you are in a discussion, would you bring up controversial points even if you are not really sure about them? Just testing your own logic. Or would you prevent to bring such ideas forward and keep your thoughts in your head until you are pretty sure about what you are saying?

Interesting question. It depends on the company. With people who are interested in tossing around ideas and testing them out, I'm more adventurous in putting up incomplete ideas for consideration. With people I consider judgmental or close-minded, I won't speak up unless I'm certain I have a strong case on all fronts.

 

[Fluffywolf]

The difference between INTP and INTJ is rather immense, cognative function wise. You don't simply balance inbetween them and get away with it!

Anyway, your posts are quite un-perceiver-ish.

If there is any doubt about your type, it is not in the P/J dichotomy as far as I can tell based on what you've presented in this thread.

 

[Zarathustra]

How well do you understand what I mean when I say metaperspectivize?

 

[Nicodemus]

 

[Pushbeat]

Interesting question. It depends on the company. With people who are interested in tossing around ideas and testing them out, I'm more adventurous in putting up incomplete ideas for consideration. With people I consider judgmental or close-minded, I won't speak up unless I'm certain I have a strong case on all fronts.

Allright, testing controversial points (and even bring them forward as true) would indicate INTP. The other one INTJ. It may be that your Judging and Perceiving are more or less the same. I have this same issue. The cognitive processes I use, make more sense to me than the rigid order of MBTI anyway.

 

[Mycroft]

Nicodemus, thank you for that link! I'm definitely a "J" by this video's description. (Even though doing something as mundane as cleaning a closet would frustrate me. I hate the mundane. That's the only reason I keep things in my apartment organized: so I don't have to make a "day" to do that nonsense. I don't swear fealty to Order the way so many other sites describe Js doing.)

 

[Mycroft]

Zarathustra, thank you for your participation.

From the meaning of the pieces of the term, I'd have to guess you're referring to something along the lines of looking down upon perspectives, without feeling loyal to any particular one.

If we've typed our variant instincts correctly, though, something we have to bear in mind is that we'll be two very different varieties of INTJ. (Assuming that's my type.) I've seen SX-dominance described as "inner awareness", whereas SO is "interpersonal and outer awareness", which would have an impact on how we engage "Te".

 

[Mycroft]

If there is any doubt about your type, it is not in the P/J dichotomy as far as I can tell based on what you've presented in this thread.

Fluffywolf, I'm not trying to be argumentative, I was just hoping you could expand on this.

 

[Folderol]

You are way more INTJ from what I read. You seem more direct and "get things done". That whole part about: "people at work insist on coming to me to get my opinion when decisions need to be made". Nobody would EVER do that for me. There are lots of situations where I could make decisions, but in general I would never decide for somebody else concretely, always give them a probable course of action unless I was 100% sure of myself.

Another thing, I don't know if you them or not, but it's better to learn the individual congnitive functions instead of just the 4 letters. The difference isn't just J/P (INTJ vs INTP), it's Ni+Te+Fi+Se vs Ti+Ne+Si+Fe. If you notice, they don't use any of the same individual functions. Of course they are both NT, so they can appear similar on the surface.

 

[Fluffywolf]

Fluffywolf, I'm not trying to be argumentative, I was just hoping you could expand on this.

When I talk about perceiver here, I'm specifically targeting the INTP:

- It irritates me that I haven't been able to decide on one or the other, but I also don't want to jump to conclusions. I sometimes worry I'll never decide one way or the other, since we're always discovering new facets of our own personalities. Unless we suck.

Maybe more meant as a joke, but if this is truely how you feel: J

- I don't mind deadlines, I'm always punctual, and I keep my office and apartment organized.

J

- On my days off I'd rather not have anything in particular planned.

Doesn't say anything in particular. Except that is does hint at that there are many times you do want to have things planned: J

- I have no problem delegating tasks at work, and I think I'm a reasonable judge of character. I can usually get a good "feel" on the kind of person someone is within a few minutes of meeting and talking with them.

A perceiver can also delegate quite well, but has to do quite some work for it. They can mull over the tiniest factors because of minor doubts. To have no problem at all delegating suggests J.

- I'm a MAJOR pedant and learning to keep my mouth shut when people say things that are not factual is something I still struggle with.

J, a perceiver might not like it either, but they'll have a much easier time keeping their mouths shut about it.

- I notice immediately when someone's argument or statement is not consistent, with no effort. The inconsistencies irritate me, like someone is eating with his mouth open right into my brain's ear.

J, a perceiver might even find it a challenge to try and convince the other people of their inconsitencies, but unless that person is someone very close to them that they deeply respect, such character fallacies are unlikely to actually irritate a perceiver.

- I'm extremely dismissive toward emotional people. I have a friend who I think is a likely candidate for INFJ. I admire his intelligence, but I just don't even bother seeing movies with that guy anymore since he always wants to talk about these "human" themes and characters' relationships with one another and blah blah blah wish I could change the channel in real life.

Says more about personal biased preference, and dismissiveness towards emotional people can exist in both INTP's and INTJ's in a wide variety of ways.

- I think fiction is boring.

J

- I sound like a real asshole right now, but in day-to-day life people tend to find me unassuming and easy to get along with. (So far as I can tell.)

Doesn't say much.

- I enjoy learning more than anything, but I do like opportunities to demonstrate what I've learned through creation or practice.

I think everyone enjoys to learn to some extent, but the latter is more consistent with J people.

- Schopenhauer (almost certainly an INTJ) is my favorite philosopher, and if I'd been born to wealth and didn't have to worry about being nice and getting along with people, I'd probably be just like him. (Except the misogyny part. Also he could have stood to ratchet down the righteous indignation a few notches.)

Yeah. Doesn't say anything in particular about you. Just that you resonate with him on some personal level. But you don't have to have all that much in common with someone to really resonate with them, sometimes a few similar ideas can do the trick.

- I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate exercise, but do it anyway. I'm in slightly-above-average shape.

Can be both INTJ's and INTP's, but does imply intuitiveness.

- I can make decisions fairly easily and for some reason people at work insist on coming to me to get my opinion when decisions need to be made even though I've told everyone repeatedly I'm not a manager and they don't need to okay things with me. I don't even work full time, since I'm also attending university. Again.

Just means you do well in your profession. Although it does imply a more J like character, I myself experience this as well just because I have the expertise through experience in my line of work.


-------------------

So, a lot of points for J, not so many for P.