[INTP] INTPs Not Usually Good at Practical Matters

[ygolo]

From a rather commonly seen list of INTP weaknesses:

Not usually good at practical matters, such as money management, unless their work involves these concerns

I realize it says "usually," and I realize it applies to more types than just INTPs, but...

Is it me, or is "Not [] good at practical matters" one of the most damning things that can be said about a person? I think it basically means, "sucks at life."

I hate that statement on the list. I hate it even more because it might be true. I desperately want that statement to not apply to me. How do I make that happen? How do I make use of my INTP strengths to ensure I am GOOD at practical matters?

From wordweb.princeton:

concerned with actual use or practice

Of course I want to be good at things that are actually used or practiced. Why would things actually being used or practiced lend themselves to be difficult to INTPs?

Second definition from word-web.princeton:

hardheaded: guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory

I think this presents a false dichotomy. I believe in the creation and use of theories based on practical experience and observation. Everyone has a set of assumptions that they work with. Creating a theory out of them, makes these assumptions explicit and therefore more amenable to examination and correction.

 

[sofmarhof]

Well, I'm plenty good at money management. I suck at pretty much everything else. I'm good at cooking, but only the fun kind, not making daily meals. And I never clean.

I don't think it's that bad a judgement. Most INTPs would say we're too good for that stuff, too busy with matters of real importance.

If an INTP was going to be good at practical matters, they would do it by creating an efficient system to minimize daily effort. For example, having few belongings, and a good organizational system with a place for everything, so that it takes minimal effort to keep things tidy. (Oh, I need to do that some time...)

 

[Matthew_Z]

I can manage a bank account, send a professional email, make a phone call to wherever I need to call, and I know how to prepare a small variety of foods. (but a large enough variety to keep me fed, and with something different daily) What more, exactly, is needed?

I probably could formulate a better response, but in addressing the issue of INTPs and practical concerns, I'd look for a distinction between SKILL in practical affairs and FOCUS on those same affairs, with the INTP being sufficient in the first but perhaps below average on the latter.(up to interpretation if that's a positive or negative thing)

 

[Salomé]

"Practical" is just polite-speak for "boring".

 

[ygolo]

I too have little interest in routine tasks, like dealing with the mail, cleaning-up, cooking, paying the bills, etc.

My paychecks are auto-deposited and most of my bills are on automatic payment, and I can keep track of all my accounts on-line (not that I do--I usually only check my checking/savings accounts, mortgage, and 401K. I get reminder emails about by credit-card balances, and my current checking account balance, so I always know about how much I have). Still, I am not very good at keeping myself from buying books.

I don't make terrible messes, but I rarely clean-up, so papers and such can pile up on my desk over the course of a year. My bedroom, since I spend the most time there, is like a disaster area. If my money situation was better, I would pay a housekeeper to clean up a little.

Most of the mail I get is ignorable anyway (I opted out of junk-mail, but I still get the local stuff the post-office dumps in, and I get updates from the organizations I belong to)

I eat mostly fruits, salad-use veggies, nuts, jelly sandwiches, and stuff like that. Once in a while I microwave TV dinners. When I want a lot of food, I eat out. I basically don't cook.

----

I suppose I was thinking of the word "practical" in more broad terms.

I took the description to mean that INTPs are usually not good at anything of actual use.

That one irks me, because I often wonder if that's true to some extent. I always seem to know a lot more about things than I use on a day-to-day basis on the job, and screw-up because of boredom.

 

[proximo]

I saw that title and laughed and said "Duh!"

I'm thinking about it and might have something constructive to add... lemme get my head together

 

[Spamtar]

Yup we are too good for practical matters...we need servants, so we can do the important stuff like contemplate the infinity of nothingness.

 

[Owl]

from here

The INTP is the logician, the mathematician, the philosopher, the scientist; any pursuit requiring architecture of ideas intrigues this type. INTP's should not, however, be asked to work out the implementation or application of their models to the real world.

The INTP is the architect of a system and leaves it to others to be the builder and the applicator. Very often therefore, the INTP's work is not credited to him or her. The builder and the applier gains fame and fortune, while the INTP's name remains obscure. Appreciation of an INTP's theoretical work frequently comes posthumously - or the work may never be removed from library shelves at all and thus lost.

Did Einstein, Newton, and Leibniz suck at life?

INTP's lay the theoretical foundations of disciplines and practices, and, just like the foundation of a building, our work is unseen and unsung--yet without our contribution the edifices of practice couldn't get off the ground let alone provide shelter for the body and mind.

 

[proximo]

You know, it sounds to me like you're a basic, common or garden bachelor. One that's approaching his sell-by date and really needs to make a particular change in his life, like either get a woman, or else find some other external (to yourself and your own concerns) commitment that you don't get paid for, that can give meaning to your life and motivate you past the lethargy.

I say this cos I'm in the same boat myself. Though I do have kids, which motivates me to not get *quite* as bad as you describe...

 

[ygolo]

from here



Did Einstein, Newton, and Leibniz suck at life?

INTP's lay the theoretical foundations of disciplines and practices, and, just like the foundation of a building, our work is unseen and unsung--yet without our contribution the edifices of practice couldn't get off the ground let alone provide shelter for the body and mind.

That's the thing. How many of us INTPs are actually laying down the theoretical foundations of disciplines or practices? Are you? I certainly am not.

I work a job that I am only partially interested in, and seem to be mediocre at that.

Lebniz, Newton, and Einstein all had major accomplishments while quite young. I don't think the same goes for most INTPs (plus Newton seems like an INTJ to me) But I believe I know what your alluding to. Newton and Einstein were both "failures at life" (exaggeration) very early on...not sure about Lebniz.

You know, it sounds to me like you're a basic, common or garden bachelor. One that's approaching his sell-by date and really needs to make a particular change in his life, like either get a woman, or else find some other external (to yourself and your own concerns) commitment that you don't get paid for, that can give meaning to your life and motivate you past the lethargy.

I say this cos I'm in the same boat myself. Though I do have kids, which motivates me to not get *quite* as bad as you describe...

You are probably right.

But, in my mind at least, I am still searching for my calling. I want to go back to school for a Ph.D. in something research-oriented, quantitative, and "important." I am sick of being a code/circuit monkey for some companies bottom-line.

 

[wildcat]

from here



Did Einstein, Newton, and Leibniz suck at life?

INTP's lay the theoretical foundations of disciplines and practices, and, just like the foundation of a building, our work is unseen and unsung--yet without our contribution the edifices of practice couldn't get off the ground let alone provide shelter for the body and mind.

Leibniz, Newton and Einstein lived in an era when men were not expected to cook, clean their room or mend their socks. Indeed, they could not.
Apropos men were safe. In every stand and class and environment.

The women of stand and higher classes were safe, too.

It was only the poorer women who had to clean and attend to their socks. But there were no INTPs among them.

Meanwhile, something has happened. Society is not what it used to be.
Times are bad. This is an understatement.

 

[Bamboo]

I read this thread, it's almost entirely observations, notes, and anecdotes. You can't observe your problems away.

If you have a problem doing things, then you need to change the way you do things.

 

[ygolo]

^I never mentioned anything about having trouble doing something. I was merely stating my displeasure at a particular statement common in INTP profiles, wondering if there was any truth do it, wanting to have that statement not apply to me, and asking how to have the opposite statement apply to me based on INTP strengths.

Nevertheless, I am interested in why you think I have trouble doing particular things. What gave you that impression?

 

[Owl]

That's the thing. How many of us INTPs are actually laying down the theoretical foundations of disciplines or practices? Are you? I certainly am not.

I work a job that I am only partially interested in, and seem to be mediocre at that.

Lebniz, Newton, and Einstein all had major accomplishments while quite young. I don't think the same goes for most INTPs (plus Newton seems like an INTJ to me) But I believe I know what your alluding to. Newton and Einstein were both "failures at life" (exaggeration) very early on...not sure about Lebniz.

...

But, in my mind at least, I am still searching for my calling. I want to go back to school for a Ph.D. in something research-oriented, quantitative, and "important." I am sick of being a code/circuit monkey for some companies bottom-line.

Paul made tents. You write code. (And writing code is very practical--but most people don't understand the nature of your practice.) You're going back to school to study what... physics, right? Research oriented. Foundational. How many INTP's are laying the theoretical foundations? All of them, just as you and I are. Perhaps neither of us will be the first to make a foundational discovery, (think Leibniz, Newton, and calculus), but it's in our nature to continually pursue foundational, basic questions; we're driven to do it, and we experience an ennui if we aren't engaged in the advancement of this sort of understanding; and as we deepen our understanding, we pass this understanding to others who then put what we've discovered into practice.

What do you think of teaching as a profession?

Leibniz, Newton and Einstein lived in an era when men were not expected to cook, clean their room or mend their socks. Indeed, they could not.
Apropos men were safe. In every stand and class and environment.

The women of stand and higher classes were safe, too.

It was only the poorer women who had to clean and attend to their socks. But there were no INTPs among them.

Meanwhile, something has happened. Society is not what it used to be.
Times are bad. This is an understatement.

I eat beans out of a can, my room is a mess, and most of my socks have holes. Times are bad.

 

[Salomé]

I suppose I was thinking of the word "practical" in more broad terms.

I took the description to mean that INTPs are usually not good at anything of actual use.

Very broad terms indeed!

Depends whose criteria you are judging yourself by. You sound like you are using an SJ standard.

We are good at many things. (I am, anyway )
It's just that not everyone is equipped to understand our value or potential.


Have you seen this thread?

 

[cafe]

If you are adequate at the basic requirements of life, there's no reason why you have to be amazing at all the mundane stuff. Most of it isn't super important in the great scheme of things. My impression of INTPs is that they have a drive for competence in the things that matter most to them and it serves them, and those who depend upon them very well. It's kind of crazy to waste that energy on stuff that other people think is important if it's not all that important to you (unless the other people are your boss, your clients, or your immediate family).

 

[Bamboo]

^I never mentioned anything about having trouble doing something. I was merely stating my displeasure at a particular statement common in INTP profiles, wondering if there was any truth do it, wanting to have that statement not apply to me, and asking how to have the opposite statement apply to me based on INTP strengths.

Nevertheless, I am interested in why you think I have trouble doing particular things. What gave you that impression?

I hate that statement on the list. I hate it even more because it might be true. I desperately want that statement to not apply to me. How do I make that happen? How do I make use of my INTP strengths to ensure I am GOOD at practical matters?

This statement did. And I was answering this question.

...how was I supposed to interpret that?

 

[Spamtar]

If you are adequate at the basic requirements of life, there's no reason why you have to be amazing at all the mundane stuff. Most of it isn't super important in the great scheme of things. My impression of INTPs is that they have a drive for competence in the things that matter most to them and it serves them, and those who depend upon them very well. It's kind of crazy to waste that energy on stuff that other people think is important if it's not all that important to you (unless the other people are your boss, your clients, or your immediate family).

 

[ygolo]

Paul made tents. You write code. (And writing code is very practical--but most people don't understand the nature of your practice.) You're going back to school to study what... physics, right? Research oriented. Foundational. How many INTP's are laying the theoretical foundations? All of them, just as you and I are. Perhaps neither of us will be the first to make a foundational discovery, (think Leibniz, Newton, and calculus), but it's in our nature to continually pursue foundational, basic questions; we're driven to do it, and we experience an ennui if we aren't engaged in the advancement of this sort of understanding; and as we deepen our understanding, we pass this understanding to others who then put what we've discovered into practice.

I kinda get what you are saying. I think my current problem is that I am not learning very much on the job. Also, I haven't gotten to the point of sharing my understanding with other, though I would really like to...especially in the form of some invention or novel discovery.

What do you think of teaching as a profession?

I think I would enjoy being a professor. I would probably like teaching, but I think I need some time to do my own research.

Very broad terms indeed!

Depends whose criteria you are judging yourself by. You sound like you are using an SJ standard.

We are good at many things. (I am, anyway )
It's just that not everyone is equipped to understand our value or potential.


Have you seen this thread?

I am half-way decent at a few things (circuit design, programming, school math, school physics). The problem is I get bored with activities and want to try something different.

I checked out the thread. I may even be counted as "financially successful" (so far) but I am rather bored with my current station in life, and am looking to make a major change...a change that will most likely take a decade to make.

If you are adequate at the basic requirements of life, there's no reason why you have to be amazing at all the mundane stuff. Most of it isn't super important in the great scheme of things. My impression of INTPs is that they have a drive for competence in the things that matter most to them and it serves them, and those who depend upon them very well. It's kind of crazy to waste that energy on stuff that other people think is important if it's not all that important to you (unless the other people are your boss, your clients, or your immediate family).

I am wondering prompted my question in the first place. There was something substantive on my mind when I asked it. It wasn't about disliking or having trouble doing mundane things.

I think it is mainly a feeling of being marginalized because people perceive my approach to things being "too theoretical."

This statement did. And I was answering this question.

...how was I supposed to interpret that?

I guess it was more to avoid a possibility than any particular fact in reality. I get where you are coming from, though.

 

[cafe]

I am wondering prompted my question in the first place. There was something substantive on my mind when I asked it. It wasn't about disliking or having trouble doing mundane things.

I think it is mainly a feeling of being marginalized because people perceive my approach to things being "too theoretical."

Seems to be a matter of taste, then, I guess. You can't really control other people's perceptions.

If your approach works and it's not terribly inefficient, then even if you spend more time addressing theory than the average person, you are still getting the job done.

Not thinking a lot about something and just doing it can be efficient, but sometimes actually thinking about what you are doing and considering the theoretical stuff can be even more efficient, if you come up with a better way to do it. It's also more fun than just plodding along like a pre-programed meat robot.

OTOH, if you are having to communicate your ideas/processes to others, being more concrete and simple can be helpful. You just have to invest some time into dumbing things down. My INTP is actually better at that than I am which is why I refer the kids to him for questions that involve science/theory.