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ISTJ vs INTJ? long read

teothebest

New member
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
54
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp
hi guys, I have answered a pre-made questionaire in order to fill you in with the needed info, still I'd like to point out the scores I got in other tests inasmuch as they could prove some use.
my enneagram is 5w6, tritype 583 and Big-five type is RCOEI and my DD type is chaotic evil (yay evil :D).

moreover, please do focus on the S/N dichotomy if you please :D


1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?


when I first approached MBTI, I got typed as INTP quite often because of my overall laziness and my costant state of boredom.
as I got deeper inside, I came to see that INTJ suited my personality far better, and that even though I seek indipendence and relax, I also need a structure and certainty.
what made me doubt INTJ, are the fact that, although I do tend to get lost in my mind, I also have good sense skills: I have a monster memory (when it comes to ideas and facts, but also faces, names, dates, stuff people said, smells, tastes), which however fails badly when it comes to details (where are my keys? what day is it today? when's the next exam? do I have any errand to do? stuff like that).
moreover, I am very picky when it comes to food (my tasting skills are great, you could put twenty ingredients in a dish and I'd nail them all down), albeit I fail badly at recognizing colors (orange? red? pretty much the same).
furthermore, I do like my routine, although I am often unsatisfied with it. I wish something changed, but it can't in realistic terms and time frames.
what's more, whilst I do like theorizing and discussing, I hate it when it is done for the sake of doing it, without a specific purpose. a friend of mine is a very bad INTP and often gets started with weird philosophical discussion, and albeit I surely don't back down, I can never come to an agreement with is ideas XD
last but not least, I've heard that like 70% of online alleged INTJs are actually mistyped ISTJ, so I was wondering whether I made the same mistake too.

ah, maybe I should add the things that DON'T match with ISTJ before moving on:
1) I like being in command
2)I follow the most practical way, not the one written on the book or told by authorities.
3)I often miss out on details, even important ones
4)I am highly independant
5)I am not a traditionalist. things need to be as effective as they get.
6)I am not very tidy
7)if I am not interested in a goal, I can become the worst slacker in the world
8)honestly, I don't give much of a f*ck about family. I don't believe in its "ideal", I do not like mine nor I wish to have one in the future (no brats :D)
9)I can be quite quick-tempered, if I feel like my ideas or identity are threatened.
10) I like experimenting new ideas and experiences

2) What do you yearn for in life? Why?

knowledge and power, in two words. that might as well just be one, since they are synonyms. well, I could have said money but that would have made for another synonym ;)
since I was a small child, I have been dreaming a future in which I would have left my mark in this world, helping humanity to improve his knowledge, making my way out of the bad situation I found myself in in the process, so that my name wouldn't die with my flesh.
I know it is ambitious and even quite impossible, still I can't help but yearn for more, and if there is something I hate is the verb to settle. I just can't.
over time, I grew wary that money (dirty money) is what makes the world go round, and therefore I set myself on getting a good job. I am not aiming at the world presidency or a billion $, but I want to achieve in life, whilst doing what I like the way I like it.
I won't accept failure, and I am very self-critical (just for instance, in the last uni test I got 29/30, and I couldn't help but crawl with disappointment for that missing point, albeit many of my friends got lower marks.

3) Think about a time where you felt like you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way.


whenever I win and I get to watch my opponent crawl with envy? XP well, let's put the opponent's part aside, but basically I feel at my finest when I win. I might get tensed or nervous because of the crowd, but getting complimented makes me feel appreciated and smart.
for instance, when I won my last scholarship: I went there a bit out of will, because I thought the school wouldn't have rewarded me (not because I thought my work was bad (far from that, it was unparalleled by that scum XP), but because I was afraid that they would have made the teacher's pet win as always), but in the end I got my prize, albeit I had to share it iwth said teacher's pet.
all in all, watching the faces of those who thought I would have lost turn blue out of surprise and getting on the stage to talk about a topic I love (material science) made me freaking happy, although obviosuly I didn't show it, I just shook hands with like 100 people and got away with my precious money :D

4) What makes you feel inferior?

when people treats me as a stupid. how dare you mistreat me when my IQ is twice as much yours? really, that drives me crazy.
moreover, I hate being ignored when I talk: when I say something, you'd better shut up and listen 'cause I'm not gonna tell it twice.

something that really makes me feel inferior, though, is my aloof attitude and lacking social skills. I do my best to stay with people, but there are some social conventions I can't help but disregard, making me get across as awkward. I may put up my social mask, but if you tire me out you're gonna see it go into pieces soon. and that's quite a disadvantage.
ah, another thing is love. I have several reasons to be picky about it I'm not gonna tell you, and thus I never got to meet someone I could consider my soulmate. it really makes me feel sad when I see other people being so happy together, whereas I can't find someone to share the same feeling with.
not that I feel alone (it takes weeks of solitude to make me feel the need of seeing an human being, really), it's just that I wish I found someone who understands me :/

5) What tends to weigh on your decisions? (Do you think about people, pro-cons, how you feel about it, etc.)

when I take I decision, I usually take all the pro-cons into account, but in the end I let my instinct guide my choices, and often it doesn't take me a lot to decide. whether it is which ice cream to buy or which university to go to, I take my decisions rationally still quickly.
I do, however, change my mind if consistent evidences that other options are more viable show up, albeit otherwise I am quite unwavering and determined.
for instance, when I chose which high school to attend, I instinctively chose chemistry because I thought it was the right path, toward my goals ,and it offfered consistent career opportunities, and thereafter I kept pursuig that goal without changin my mind or second-guessing myself, even at the cost of losing some opportunity.

6) When working on a project what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome?

it really doesn't matter how you do things, as long as you achieve. who cares about other's needs, morale or stuff when I have only one life and no one is gonna help me? I have to think about myself.
I don't care if you have to break some rule to achieve (as long as I am sure I am not going to be punished, such as law, therefore I am quite law-abiding), because rules are decided by winners.
of course I like to have control of the outcome, in fact when I am doing a project I take the leader's role whenever it is possible in order to ensure that things are done my way: I'd rather fail making my own mistakes than failing because of other people's mislead.

7) Describe a time where you had a lot of fun. How is your memory of it?


when I write my novel, if that is a valid answer. whenever I get to plan this parallel world, to choose its characters' fates and to think new convoluted twists to the plot, that makes me feel happy :D
if I had to restrict to social situations, I would say when I get drunk with my friends, because we laugh a lot :D
well, all in all "fun" is not a word made for me, I'd say "leisure" is better.

8) When you want to learn something new, what feels more natural for you?

to tell it to someone else, it doesn't really matter who, as long as I get to think aloud about it to reorder my ideas.
another thing I like doing is to link facts between them to see the pattern beneath (es. I found out that there is a new space mission ongoing, well, I am going to consider it in order to see its goals further in the future, and what a certain discovery means in the future perspective)
all in all, I don't like getting too much into a topic, unless it is needed, rather I get the gist and move on to the next idea.

9) How organized do you think of yourself as?

I am an untidy ordered person XD I know it doesn't make sense, but I do tend to have great care of the things I care about (my files in the laptop are sorted by folder carefully, whereas the very same desk my laptop is on is a very mess).
I tend to leave stuff always in the same place so that I know where it is, but that place might as well be the floor, if I deem it suitable to be found quickly.
I do the dishes once a day becuase I think there is no point in wasting water twice, whilst I don't need that flatware atm.
as for deadlines, I tend to successfully meet them, but not overdoing stuff since the very beginning, neither rushing at the last moment: I calculate the exact time I need and I do it leisurefully, taking it easy.
likewise I do on dates: I never arrive late or early, just on time.

10) How do you judge new ideas? You try to understand the principles behind it to see if they make sense or do you look for information that supports it?


I have to admit that I need some proof to accepts new ideas. I do not hold any kind of prejudice, and I can accept them very easily, but my skepticism makes me need solid proofs and theoretical bases. moreover, I can't accept facts if I don't understand their meaning: thus I an atheist.
this implies that during class I am one of the fastest learners, but if I don't manage to understand general rule behind something I am not going to accept that idea, not until I realize its reason. many classmates of mine, when I question them about the reason of facts, just tell me "write it down, teacher said so and it has to be true!" well, even if said teacher were god, I wouldn't accept ideas I didn't understand beforehand.

11) You find harmony by making sure everyone is doing fine and belonging to a given group or by making sure that you follow what you believe and being yourself?

I do not care about groups. I know for sure that many people bitch about me, and I don't give a shit, honestly.
they are all going to regret having mistreated me once I'll be above them :D
I don't like communities, and I dislike being bound to a group, rather moving alone and grouping with people only by convenience.
on the other hand, staying tru to my ideals is quite important to me, although I can overcome it if it gets me some benefit.

12) Are you the kind that thinks before speaking or do you speak before thinking? Do you prefer one-on-one communication or group discussions?

I prefer planning discussions, especially important ones, carefully, by reharsing them inside my head to make sure that I consider all their possible developments beforehand.
when I am discussing, I often come up with ideas that I can put easily aside until it is time to tell them.
I highly dislike people who speak their mind without considering the situation, even though I might do it myself in certain cases (like when I express judgements or I am among friends), and this may lead to misunderstandings and non-meant offenses.
I definitely prefer one-on-one discussions, since I can manipulate them better and I can express myself more often :D
group discussions tend to be superficial and stupid.

13) Do you jump into action right away or do you like to know where are you jumping before leaping? Does action speaks more than words?

I do plan things, but I think there is no point in hesitating once your mind is set. first you think, then you act, but you have to do them both, lest you want to screw up :D
and of course, actions worth 1000 more words (words are for free, actions not always).


14) It's Saturday. You're at home, and your favorite show is about to start. Your friends call you for a night out. What will you do?

"hey dudes, I'm sorry I'm so sick I can barely walk *pretends to cough* I'm soooo sorry ;D"
well, actually it depends on whom I would have to hang out with, how much money I would spend and how much free booze they have :D
first I make my considerations, then I decide, and most of the time I just pretend to be sick, especially if I have something better to do (fucking about on internet goes, ofc)

15) How do you act when you're stressed out?

I become very precise, even obnoxious, about details, so that I make sure nothing is going to go wrong.
furthermore, I tend to dump responsibilites on the others if I am cornered, even by deceiving people making them believe wrong stuff, like the time my mum caught me skipping school and I could convince her I did it against my will because I was forced LOL
another thing I do when I am stressed it to give orders even more than usually, and to mistreat people quite badly.

16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people?

I dislike falsehood, people who pretend to be who they aren't because they want to imitate some role model. don't you have a brain???
I dislike people who show off their happiness: if you are happy, shouldn't you keep this feeling for yourself? I don't want to hear about your fucking new car nor your not-yet-fucked new gf, I don't care! I'd rather listen to people complaining that rejoycing, it's more interesting.
I dislike superficiality: humans are humans because they think independently, not because they behave like a herd of sheeps!
I dislike bigotry and people who won't change thier mind even if you slap facts onto their faces.
all in all, I would say :" I dislike people who don't use their brain"

17) Is there anything you really like talking about with other people?

future! about how science, politics, technology and people could develop. I've looked into stuff like terraforming, future evolution, and sci-fi just for the sake of making a mental picture of what the future might be like.
the second runner up would be the past though: history is an interesting subject, insofar as it lets us understand the present and predict the future.
other topics I like are: bitching about people to make fun of them, politics, science, lingiustics (I like to learn about how languages are related one another and develop), hot actuality topics (gay rights, religion, women's role in society and so forth), animes and mangas I saw and new ideas in general.

18) What kind of things do you pay the least attention to in your life?


here's my top three
1)moral and social rules: for the sake of efficiency everything has to be done.
2) trivial details and gossip: anything that is not juicy enough to awaken either my laughter or my interest does not worth being considered.
3)my physical needs: I could go without sleeping, eating or pissing for ages, if I am focused on something.

19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? ? What would your friends never say about your personality ?

most of them have a love-hatred relationship with me:

on one hand they know that I am loyal, trustworthy, witty, smart, I make great jokes, I am a good listener and a good counselor.

on the other hand they think I am selfish, stingy, arrogant, evil (sooooo many people have told me I am a bad person I am not even counting, considering that it is a compliment to me :D), moody, aloof, that I can turn against you if the situation imposes me to do so and that all in all I don't care much about them.

the biggest misconception they have, I think, is that they think I am careless about their statement (whilst I get offended and fired up quite easily, albeit I can hide my grudges quite well), and that most of the times I don't understand what they say, whereas I just pretend not to have heard.
some of them consider me just a nerd who studies a lot but all in all is a dumb asshole, whereas I can get signals, infered meanings of statements quite well, it's just that I pass up since I don't like fighting if there is nothing at stake.
many of them, moeover, just don't realize how strong my resolute is, and often mistake my laziness with disinterestedness.

what they never say? that I am a weak person. no, life has hardened me enough to make them tell I am not weak. I can take blows, and more importantly, deal them back in due time.


20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing?

first, I wake up at 1 pm ca. then I cook something good, then I go for a walk along the river, alone, to dive into the woods.
then, I come back, I take a shower and play videogames till late night :D
if I were in a big city, I would go sightseeing, especially museums and zoos, or maybe an anime convention :D


I hope this info is enough :D please do ask if you need to clarify something.
 

Alomoes

New member
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
144
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
9w1
You don't sound like ITJ. Seriously, I only read 20) and can say that P. INTP. Getting lost in your head is Ne, and INTJs use Ni.

A way to confirm this is whether you have planned the entirety of your life.

Another possibility is INFP. This will take some explaining. Where to begin...

Well, INFP is probably the most annoying of all types. We base ourselves in Fi. This is a subjective function.

From here, you have Ne, Si, and Te. Now you can pick your poison.

Fi + Ne = Ambiguity.

Fi + Te = False INTP. Te is "for the sake of efficiency". Like I will feel obligated to add in some kind of :D into my post to prove my INFPness.

Si + whatever is meh to me, cause I do believe I have enough evidence with the above.

7) Describe a time where you had a lot of fun. How is your memory of it?

when I write my novel, if that is a valid answer.

All of the great poets/novelists/Edgar Allan Poe/The Game of Thrones Guy/Harry Potter Person/Shakespeare were INFP. Still trying to push Beethoven as INFP, because while he wasn't a novelist, there is a really good reason for that, in that he was trained from birth (or a really early age, I don't know) by his father to be a musician.

Actually, the understanding people thing is me, same with being called a bad person. INFP CONFIRMED! Are all of your friends INTJ too?
 

teothebest

New member
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
54
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp
[MENTION=23551]Alomoes[/MENTION]

honestly, I don't want to offend you but you don't seem to have gotten much about me. of all the 4 dichotomies, if there is one I am absolutely certain about is T.
no really, in some tests I got INTJ, in some INTP, in some ISTJ, in some ENTJ and even ISTP but never a F. never. simply because my T%> 80% most of the times, and reading about Thinking I understand that mine is Te.
as for having planned my whole life, well, sorta, but I left some holes open for change. let's say I dreamt it many times, instead that planned.

and btw, laziness does not imply Pness. at first I often got typed as INTP, but over time I came to realize that albeit I might look like a P from the outside, this is not true.
so the choice really boils down to either ISTJ and INTJ..... since all the types you listed as possible are all Ns, I assume my previous guess as INTJ is right.

really, if you were to choose between ISTJ or INTJ which would you pick?
 

Alomoes

New member
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
144
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
9w1
Ok, well, then I got confused because I see Te relate a bunch and yeah. But EVERYTHING you said I relate to. Except succeeding with manipulations. As such INTJ. I learned a bunch about INTJ from this. Cool.
 

BadOctopus

Suave y Fuerte
Joined
Oct 9, 2014
Messages
3,232
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
You don't sound like an ISTJ at all. ISTJs value rules and structure and tradition, and you sound more like the type who scorns tradition and does whatever the hell he wants... as long as it is the most efficient way to do it. That's very INTJ, in my opinion.
 

teothebest

New member
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
54
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp
[MENTION=23551]Alomoes[/MENTION]: nice to have been helpful :D
 

Alomoes

New member
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
144
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
9w1
Actually, I'm unsure of between INTP or INTJ. :(

Well, you're an INTJ until proven something else. Which means forever in my book. ;)

Actually, I should be arguing this on basis of Ni vs Ne. Well, whoops. I'm pretty sure you are N. Question is which type.

Unless you are ISTJ. In which case still Ne vs Ni, but then your dom would be Si. We should find out the type of N first and then decide.

As such, how does your intuition work?
 

teothebest

New member
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
54
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp
well, iNtuition is most likely the hardest trait to explain....

still, I would say Ni for the following reasons:

1) when I am interested in a subject/activity/matter, I tend to focus on that topic alone for the time needed to come to a decent understanding, then I move on.
for instance, a few months ago I was studying German on my own because I plan on taking my Erasmus project there in a few years, but once I got a grasp of basic grammar I moved to other topics because there's no point in studying too much alone, with my improvement rate being so low because of external engagements (uni, stuff).
at any rate, during that period I dropped Japanese to focus more on German. I could spend even 4-5 hours a day studying it.

2)my projects tend to develop to a great extent and be long-raged: speaking of my novel, it has been several months since I began it. I don't work much on it every day (writing takes a great deal of immagination and you have to be creative and fresh), still I try compiling a page every day. furthermore, the plot is already very complicated and twisted and it involves a lot of characters I've been carefully trying to develop.ù

3)I hate scatter-brained people and have a personal value in ideas' consistence and coherence.

still, I love making hypothesis. "what if...?" is most likely my most common question after "why?"
 

cameo

New member
Joined
May 20, 2015
Messages
36
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Ok, first I want to apologize because this is an old thread and I don't know how active the above members are nowadays, but this was the most recent and most relevant thread that came up when I searched the archives. I want to have a discussion about ISTJs and INTJs because I, for a while, struggled with typing myself because I sometimes got typed on online tests and the like as INTJ and sometimes as ISTJ. I've been doing a fair amount of research and have pretty definitively decided that I am an ISTJ, but I still would like to speak with some INTJs about the qualities I have that make me question it. My biggest gripe is that, in Keirsey's characterization, I get typed as an INTJ because of my interest in pursuing knowledge for its own sake, etc. Namely, it's because INTJ is considered a "rational" temperament" but ISTJ is considered a "guardian" as per Keirsey. My problem is that I do relate to many INTJ type descriptions and the like, but I know that Ni is not my dominant function (or even a function that I use very often).

Anyway, I can start a new thread if that is more appropriate, but I figured I'd try out this one first and see if anyone responded.
 
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