5 Ways to Annoy an ISTJ
Today I want to talk about “the Inspector” personality type; the ISTJ. ISTJs are one of the more common Myers-Briggs personality types, making up roughly 21% of the population. ISTJs have a plethora of strengths; they are practical, resourceful, logical, and responsible (at least the healthy ones are!). They believe in following through on their word and taking care of their loved ones. There’s a lot more to an ISTJ than what you would gather from their reputation as duty fulfillers and rule followers. Underneath their often serious demeanor, they have a very warm, kind-hearted, and humorous temperament.
Not sure what your personality type is? Take our new personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.
So how do you rattle these seemingly calm individuals? Let’s find out the 5 ways to really annoy an ISTJ:
Not Following Through On Your Word
ISTJs take what they say seriously, especially when it comes to promises and commitments. If they say they’re going to be somewhere at 3:30 they’ll likely be there at 3:15. If they say they’ll do something for you, they’re not going to forget to do it. They say what they mean and mean what they say. When other people are wishy-washy or ditch their promises, it offends and irritates the ISTJ.
Dawdling, Lateness, and Procrastination
I know that’s three things, but they’re all intertwined. ISTJs like to be places on time, and hate running late. They also like to finish their projects ahead of schedule. Waiting on someone who’s dawdling or who’s running behind irks these punctual types. They also get stressed out if they have to work with someone who habitually procrastinates and leaves things till the last minute. ISTJs have Auxiliary Extraverted Thinking (Te) so they like to quickly get jobs done in an efficient, organized manner…which brings us to pet peeve #3
Disorganization
ISTJs like to have a place for everything and everything in its place. Some ISTJs have meticulous homes while others have meticulously laid out desktop folders. Whatever the case, they like to know where things are and to have them organized efficiently. If they are stuck in a haphazard environment that seems to lack any order it stresses them out. They may not tell you that it stresses them out, but believe me, it does.
Being Touchy Feely
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ISTJs tend to be private and reserved, and they feel uncomfortable when people encroach on their personal space. Being in situations where they are expected to hug strangers or being around people who tend to be too close for comfort irritates them. They give people personal space as a sign of respect, and it makes them uncomfortable when others don’t do the same for them.
Not Respecting Their Things
ISTJs like everything to be organized, and they really don’t like it when visitors or friends start messing with their possessions. If they lend you a book, make sure you don’t dog-ear the pages or set your coffee mug on it. If they invite you to their home don’t absent-mindedly peruse their refrigerator looking for snacks. Respect their space and their things, and you’ll have a better chance of staying on their good side.
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All About ISTJs
What Do You Think?
Do you relate to these pet peeves? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Find out more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type,  The INFJ – Understanding the Mystic, and The INFP – Understanding the Dreamer. You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
Other Articles You Might Enjoy:
10 Things You Should Never Say to an ISTJ
The Top 7 Gift Ideas for ISTJs
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Perfect! Especially the first two!
Thank you!!
Wow!
This is my significant other! O don’t know how to approach him about taking the test, but just reading this convinces me that this is his type. LOL!
Awesome! Yeah, ISTJs aren’t as fond of taking these kinds of personality tests – in fact, most of the ISTJs I know I had to really coerce into doing it. However, I interact with a pretty friendly group of ISTJs on facebook that enjoy talking about type. I hope this was helpful! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
The first three I see rather often, but wow the last two are surprisingly accurate. Just today I got slightly annoyed about my friend returning my book in less-than-new condition. 🙂
This is so me. The “being touchy” really gets me like I really do want to do those hugs and comforts but in reality it just feels so awkward. I bettet talk sense to them than give them awkward hugs. But sometimes if I feel like hugging, I do it too though. It takes a matter of the situation and trust. *Sigh
This is so me. The “being touchy” really gets me like I do want to give hugs and comfort pats but it just feels so awkward. I’d rather talk sense to them than spread awkward hugs. But sometimes, I do give hugs too though if I feel to do it. Its a matter of trust for that person at the end… *sigh
Thanks for reading! I can relate to what you’re saying. I’m an INFJ but among people I don’t know very well I often feel extremely awkward sharing physical affection. Sometimes I just do it anyway because I know it will show them that I care – other times I feel like ‘why am I hugging you? I don’t even know your name yet!’
Funnily enough, my house and desk are rather less organised but I do know where everything is, and I work slightly better in a ‘chaos’ setting. People dare not borrow my books because I can read them 20 times and not break the spine, and expect no-one else too either, and lateness? Oh, no, don’t ever be late. I work at a university doing the academic lecture scheduling, so I’m all about serious deadlines and time-frames; bugs me when others don’t quite get it! Great blog, Susan.
Thank you, Teresa, for sharing your input with me! I always find it so wonderful to hear from a variety of personality types and I tend to not get as much interaction from ISTJs so I was happy to get your response 🙂 It’s really nice to hear some personal perspectives on all these things!
I put off taking one of the personality tests for YEARS but finally gave in. Having been “diagnosed” 😉 as an ISTJ I can relate to every one of these ANNOYANCES! I do wish I had taken the test earlier though as it definitely has explained a lot! Thanks for the great article.
Bahahaha. This is so me. I read it to my husband and he laughed.
Why are you in my fridge?!? I’m more than happy to play hostess to you and serve when you visit. And if I can smell you, you’re standing too close! You were not invited into my personal bubble. Yeah, I do sound cold-hearted, but I can love you from a reasonable distance.