INTJ – An Analysis of My Personality

I have an INTJ type personality. This is one of the 16 personality types from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI. It’s also one of the rarest types, with only 1-2% of the population.  Thanks to 61 Musings, I was reminded of this test that I took in junior high school, and took the short version of the test to verify my type.  It’s still the same.

So, what do all these letters mean in the test?  This infographic gives a good idea about what each personality is like, as well as what each letter means.

Click to view the full sized image. It’s quite large. Source: Wikipedia user Jake Beech.

Let’s look at my personality type, INTJ.  The top right box is mine, and it says I’m innovative, independent, strategic, logical, reserved, and insightful.  I’m driven by my own original ideas to achieve improvements.  It seems to describe me quite well.  I am very independent, and I’m always thinking about things logically.  In social situations, I’m pretty reserved, but I was much more reserved when I was younger.  It’s still my default.  Now, let’s look at each individual letter.

I – Introversion

• Could be described as reserved, private – Absolutely me.  I tend to be a fairly private person, though not excessively so.  I tend to share a lot more than I used to.
• Prefer a slower pace with time for contemplation – It really depends.  I do a lot of things in a day, so I do things at a quick pace.  However, I tend to prefer to be in a quiet place that allows me to spend time to look at things or study.  I don’t like to be rushed.
• Tend to think things through inside your head – I do this a lot.  I analyse things in my head.  I visualise quite a bit, and I can figure out problems in my head both visually and logically.
• Would rather observe than be the centre of attention – This is very true.  I would prefer to avoid attention, and I certainly was like this when I was younger.  However, with my job as a teacher, I am often the centre of attention.  But at a party, I’ll sit at the side and talk with just my friends.

N – Intuition

• Imagine the possibilities of how things could be – I often think through possible outcomes in the future.  I also imagine what things will be like in the future in general, likely giving me an interest in science fiction.  However, I do also like doing the sensing side of things, focusing on the reality of how things are.  I tend to do both.
• Notice the big picture, see how everything connects – I do see the big picture a lot.  I see the details, as well, but how they connect with everything else.  I’m good with maps and I can visualise large-scale systems.
• Enjoy ideas and concepts for their own sake – This would relate to theoretical sciences, and that’s certainly true.  I also like knowledge of any kind, as I have broad interests.  I do like practical uses, but I also like everything else.
• Like to describe things in a figurative, poetic way – I like fiction.  I like writing fiction.  This sure fits me.  The other option is telling things how they are.  I do this as well, especially because of my scientific education.

T – Thinking

• Make decisions in an impersonal way, using logical reasoning – Absolutely true for me.  I am very analytical when looking at the choices, and I choose the option that is most logical.  Call me a Vulcan.  I don’t like relying on feelings to make my decisions.  I’m not impulsive.
• Value justice, fairness – Definitely yes.  I strongly dislike injustices being made.  I observe what’s going on in the world today, and I feel disgusted by a lot of it.
• Enjoy finding the flaws in an argument – I do this a lot.  In my personal life, it can even make people angry with me because I find their argument completely illogical.
• Could be described as reasonable, level-headed – I like to think so.  I don’t make unreasonable arguments.

J – Judging

• Prefer to have matters settled – Yes.  I don’t like to leave things open.  So I strive to find out more and get to the bottom of things.  This is very useful in terms of science, because I’m driven to find the answer.  It also makes me incredibly curious about things.  I love learning new things that’ll lead me to a conclusion.
• Think rules and deadlines should be respected – I find them to be reasonable.  When I see someone disobeying the rules, I feel kind of dirty knowing that they’re breaking the rules.  And this also means that the rule enforcers should also follow the rules.  They are not above them.
• Prefer to have detailed, step-by-step instructions – Yes!  I actually like reading instruction manuals for games. But for any procedure, I want everything detailed so I don’t leave anything out.  I am very careful this way.  This is also extremely important when doing science experiments.  Everything must be followed exactly as described.
• Make plans, want to know what you’re getting into – Notice how I often write about my reading lists?  I like to plan out what I’m going to read.  My sister was just in Japan, and I enjoyed making plans with her.

Much of this is pretty accurate for me.  In some cases, I do find that I agree with some aspects of the opposite personality trait, such as Sensing.  I guess I see things in both ways.  But you see, with these personality types, you usually aren’t 100% within each of these aspects.  Everyone is a mix of personality types.  I didn’t take down the percentages, but they were between 25 and 75% for each aspect.

If you’re curious about your own personality type, you can take the quick and free test here.  When you’re done, leave a comment with your personality type.  I’m very interested to see the results (as you should probably now be able to guess after reading this post).