INTJ

INTJs, like their INFJ counterparts, are among the rarest of the personality types, thought to comprise only 2-3% of the population. More often than not, INTJs carry a y-chromosome, outnumbering INTJ females at a clip of four to one.

Like other Intuitive Introverts, INTJs try to see the big picture and look beyond appearances and superficialities. They place little stock in outside or “expert” opinions, preferring to look inward for answers. They feel they possess the inner tools and insights required to independently determine truth. When they do consult outside information, it is largely for the sake of confirming their own insights. Because of their strength of mind, will, and insight, INTJs may well be the most productive theorists of all types.

INTJs often present as austere and impassive, displaying little as far as variability of emotion or expression. Exuding an air of learnedness and erudition, they may sometimes be perceived as intellectual snobs or elitists. Perceptions of arrogance or aloofness notwithstanding, their status as intellectuals is typically well-founded. Not only do INTJs sport the highest collective IQ of all types, but they are generally well-informed, displaying broad-ranging knowledge and impressive memories.

As left-brained masterminds, INTJs wield logic and language like swords. They sport impressive vocabularies and precision in articulation. They are undeterred from directly and firmly expressing their viewpoints. At times, onlookers can be taken aback by their directness, viewing them as opinionated, dogmatic, or closed-minded.

INTJs can also be quite talkative (see this post) and witty. Some are downright hilarious. Drawing on their memory for details and strong oratory skills, INTJs can make for good storytellers. Like INFJs, they enjoy employing stories, metaphors, and examples from popular culture (Se) to help illustrate abstract concepts or ideas. This represents a point of difference from their INTP counterparts, who, while witty, are generally poor at delivering stories or jokes. INTJs who allow the inner playfulness of their Ni to shine through will enjoy better success with people, taking the edge off what can be perceived as their sometimes harsh or insensitive Te.

Overview of INTJs’ Functional Stack & Type Development

INTJs’ functional stack  is composed of the following functions:

Dominant: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

Auxiliary: Extraverted Thinking (Te)

Tertiary:  Introverted Feeling (Fi)

Inferior:  Extraverted Sensing (Se)

The type development of INTJs can be broadly conceived according to three phases:

INTJs’ Dominant Function: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

INTJs’ dominant function is Introverted Intuition (Ni). As with all Introverts, INTJs’ first order of business is an internal one. They enjoy tinkering with ideas, perspectives, theories, visions, stories, symbols, and metaphors. Their dominant function, Ni, serves as the veritable foundation for this inner playhouse.

Since Ni is a perceiving function, INTJs often report that its workings often feel effortless. When INTJs express the need to “think about” something, this means something very different from what it might for other types. Namely, the lion’s share of INTJs’ “thinking” or processing occurs outside of their conscious awareness. In other words, their best thinking is typically done without thinking, at least not consciously. For INTJs and INFJs alike, ”sleeping on” a problem is as sure a route to a solution as any.

Because it does much of its work subconsciously, Ni can seem to have a magical quality to it. In fact, it is not unusual for INJs, particularly INFJs, to be viewed as having some degree of psychic or prophetic abilities. Despite its magical appearance, Ni can be understood on a rational basis. What seems to be occurring is that INTJs have a highly sensitive inferior function, Extraverted Sensation (Se), which gathers copious amounts of sensory information from the outside world, including subtleties that other personality types tend to miss. Their Ni then subconsciously processes this data in order to make sense of it, like assembling pieces of a puzzle. Once finished, Ni generates an impression that seems to come “out of nowhere.” But the fact is that the intuition did not come from nowhere, but from a synthesis of sensory data gathered from the immediate environment combined with information from the INTJ’s own psyche.

It is often said that human beings rely more heavily on vision than any of the other senses. This seems especially true of INJs, who often associate a strong visual element with their Ni. They think by way of images rather than words. Their intuitions often manifest in the form of symbols, images, dreams, or patterns. This is consistent with Jung’s characterization of the Ni type as a dreamer, artist, or seer. There is a distinct visual character to these notions, which is why vision-related terms—foresight, insight, seer, visionary, etc.—are invariably used in describing INJs.

Of all types, INJs are those most concerned with the “big picture.” This can be understood in terms of their Ni, which is the most abstract and forward-looking of all functions. Ni is comprehensive and holistic. Its visions, answers, and insights manifest as comprehensive wholes. Consequently, they often feel more like recipients than they do creators of their ingenious ideas.

In his memoir, On Writing, Stephen King, most likely an INTJ, describes his process of writing novels. He is adamant about the fact that he does not consciously plan or piecemeal the plot or direction of his stories. Rather his stories emerge from his unconscious as preexisting wholes, requiring little as far as conscious effort or planning. Other INJ novelists report similar experiences, feeling that once they have established the spigot to their creative unconscious their ideas seem to flow effortlessly and without volition.

Because of the inherent sense of completeness in Ni-spawned insights, INTJs often feel they have been granted a sneak preview of the future, or at least a vision of a possible future. This strong sense of foresight can serve as the driving force behind their desire to see their ideals actualized.

While not technically a judging function, Ni often functions in a convergent fashion, providing elegant answers and solutions to complex problems. As discussed above, it takes clues gathered by Se and unconsciously pieces them together toward a comprehensive solution. INTJs commonly report that the solution arrives through a single flash of insight—an “aha!” moment. This may occur while dreaming or awake, but often comes suddenly and all at once. INJ philosopher Frederich Nietzsche describes his intuitive process this way:

Something profoundly convulsive…suddenly becomes visible and audible with indescribable definiteness and exactness…There is a feeling that one is utterly out of hand…Everything occurs without volition, as if an eruption of freedom, independence, power, and divinity. The spontaneity of the images and similes is most remarkable; one loses all perception of what is imagery and simile; everything offers itself as the most immediate, exact, and simple means of expression.