The INTJ
“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.”
Stephen Hawking, an INTJ
INTJs are the intellectual, quick-thinking masterminds of the Myers-Briggs® world. Known for their love of logic and foresight, INTJs live with a constant thirst for knowledge and discovery. They rely on their master function, Introverted Intuition (Ni) to see hidden patterns and meanings for the future. They have extremely accurate and insightful perceptions about how various plans and concepts could develop over time. INTJs also use Extraverted Thinking (Te) to form efficient, innovative plans, create new theories, and organize their world in a logical way.
What Does INTJ Stand For?
I = Introversion. INTJs focus inwards before outwards, analyzing what things mean to them before responding to the environment.
N = iNtuition. INTJs focus more on the abstract or potential of something than the concrete or existing reality.
T = Thinking. INTJs like to decide things by looking at the logical consequences of their choices. They mentally step away from a situation so that they can examine the pros and cons objectively.
J = Judgment. INTJs like having things settled, decided and structured. They are typically work-before-play people.
INTJ Motivations and Weaknesses:
- Driving Force: To understand the “dance of the universe.” To see the underlying meaning of all things.
- Backup Strength: Understanding of how to organize and structure the outside world to achieve objectives. An eye for logical organization and analysis.
- Weaknesses: Can lose track of details by focusing so much on the abstract. May become out of touch with reality or panic when having to deal with a lot of details unexpectedly.
- Stressors: Lack of alone time, over-stimulation, navigating unfamiliar places, dealing with irrational people, multi-tasking, focusing on nitty-gritty details.
INTJ Personality Traits:
While people vary based on their background and even their Enneagram type, INTJs often have the following characteristics:
- They are highly independent and crave autonomy
- They are intellectually curious
- They have a skill for predicting how things will play out in the future
- They believe in truth over tact
- They tend to focus on the future more than the present
- They are big-picture thinkers
- They enjoy exploring concepts, theories, and predictions
- They have a knack for staying with complex problems longer than other types
- They have high standards and are prone to perfectionism
- They read-between-the-lines
- They like having a plan and tend to get frustrated by surprises
INTJ Careers:
INTJs need a career that allows them to be creative, independent, and original. They don’t want anything run-of-the-mill and they’d happily forego job security if it meant that they could achieve higher goals or work at something intellectually challenging. They enjoy being innovative and improving existing systems by logically organizing them to be more effective. They like to work in an organization that has a clear structure with room for autonomy and creativity. They also demand fairness in the workplace; preferential treatment and emotional manipulation are to be strictly avoided.
Here are some careers that INTJs tend to excel at:
- Strategist
- Cybersecurity specialist
- Scientist
- Mathematician
- Anthropologist
- Microbiologist
- Architect
- Nuclear engineer
- Entrepreneur
- Attorney
- Inventor
- Artist
- Philosopher
- Writer
- Professor
Famous INTJs:
Isaac Newton, Ayn Rand, Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Zuckerberg, Bobby Fischer, Nikola Tesla, Stephen Hawking, John Adams, Isaac Asimov, Christopher Hitchens, Martin Luther, G.W.F. Hegel, James Cameron, Jodie Foster, Annie Clark, Russell Crowe, Patrick Stewart.
Your Important INTJ Links:
24 Signs That You’re an INTJ, the Strategist Personality Type
10 Things You Should Never Say to an INTJ
When INTJs Loop – Understanding the Ni-Fi Loop
The Top 7 Gift Ideas for INTJs
10 Things That Excite the INTJ
The Childhood Struggles of INTJs
The Underrated Kindness of the INTJ Personality Type
10 Intuition Hacks for INTJs and INFJs
12 Stress-Busting Techniques for INTJs
The Shadow Functions of the INTJ Personality Type
