I'm a thinking type introvert that sees plethora of possibilities

Ever since I have discovered about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality theory in 2014, I have since been obsessed with reading and researching about the different 16 personalities up until the point where sometimes I get bored of it but at another moment I found myself getting back into it and reading about it again. 

Now, before I have confirmed myself of my personality type, I have mistyped myself twice because of unreliable online personality tests. Maybe some of you might have remembered, I did a few blog posts about the two personality types that I thought could have resonated with me. Perhaps they do resonate with me in a some ways as some of the personality descriptions tend to overlap and are applicable in some contexts because of various factors but they don't reflect me as a whole. I have since deleted the blog posts. Even during the period of me believing to be those two types, I have been dealing with confusion and have continued to read about other types. I have narrowed my information gathering to only reading up on 'introvert' and 'thinking' types as I have never related to being a 'feeler' (either introverted feeling or extroverted feeling) and an extrovert type since many of my friends have equated to me being direct, honest, and straightforward. That's not a typical trait of a 'feeler' type.

How did I confirm this personality type of mine? Instead of doing online personality tests on different websites (they are a major source for mistyping I tell you), I read through online general descriptions, read through cognitive functions, met up with a friend who is versed in MBTI and discussed about it to clear up my doubts and confusion, and finally have confirmed that I am an INTP. 

Here are the general descriptions (strengths and weaknesses) of an INTP that I copied from www.16personalities.com


  • Great Analysts and Abstract Thinkers – People with the INTP personality type view the world as a big, complex machine, and recognize that as with any machine, all parts are interrelated. INTPs excel in analyzing these connections, seeing how seemingly unrelated factors tie in with each other in ways that bewilder most other personality types.
Yes, I love analyzing abstract concepts. At times my head hurts just from thinking about them but I find joy and satisfaction at the same time. As for making connections, I take interest in various academic disciplines namely education, psychology, literature, history, sociology, philosophy, and gender studies. All of these are interdisciplinary which is why I love to see how one discipline links to another.


  • Imaginative and Original – These connections are the product of an unrelenting imagination – INTPs’ ideas may seem counter-intuitive at a glance, and may never even see the light of day, but they will always prove remarkable innovations.
To put this simply, I have friends that said that I have a 'sexy mind'. I think this refers to the products of my analysis that I have verbalized and shared to them. I also have friends that said that I'm insightful. I guess this relates to this trait.


  • Open-Minded – INTPs couldn’t make these connections if they thought they knew it all – they are highly receptive to alternate theories, so long as they’re supported by logic and facts. In more subjective matters like social norms and traditions, INTPs are usually fairly liberal, with a "none of my business" sort of attitude – peoples’ ideas are what matter.
I've always been known to be the 'MYOB' (mind your own business) type. Again, one of my friends have told me this. But when it comes to talking about ideas, I'm always willing to listen. I quite disagree with the term 'open minded' here as it implies a non-critical mind, always accepting of everything without filtering it through the critical thinking process and undergoing some research. An 'active mind' would be a more appropriate term.


  • Enthusiastic – When a new idea piques their interest, INTPs can be very enthusiastic – they are a reserved personality type, but if another person shares an interest, they can be downright excited about discussing it. More likely though, the only outward evidence of this enthusiasm will be INTPs’ silent pacing or their staring into the distance.
Yes, I'm quite reserved, one of my cousins and lecturers have told me so. But when a topic of interest comes up, I would not stop babbling and present my arguments from every point of view possible. I really enjoy some mental stimulation. I've always find joy in discussions. But I have standards on how I select the type of people that I have discussions with. I would like the other person to be objective in the discussion and not bring irrelevant emotions onto the table. However, I can only operate as such in a person to person setting. In group discussions, I tend to not speak up but there are exceptions. 

  • Objective – INTPs’ analysis, creativity and open-mindedness aren’t the tools of some quest for ideology or emotional validation. Rather, it’s as though people with the INTP personality type are a conduit for the truths around them, so far as they can be expressed, and they are proud of this role as theoretical mediator.
Yes. I highly value being objective.

  • Honest and Straightforward – To know one thing and say another would be terribly disingenuous – INTPs don’t often go around intentionally hurting feelings, but they believe that the truth is the most important factor, and they expect that to be appreciated and reciprocated.
I also value this trait but hurting someone's feelings is the least thing that I would want to purposely do. When I was younger, this trait of mine didn't go though any filtering process. But as I get older, there are trivial things that I don't have to be honest and straightforward about. But when it comes dealing with concepts or ideas, I don't mind proving the other person wrong when it's absolutely evident that they are wrong and shallow about it.

  • Very Private and Withdrawn – While INTPs’ intellectualism yields many insights into their surroundings, their surroundings are ironically considered an intrusion on their thoughts. This is especially true with people – INTPs are quite shy in social settings. More complicated situations such as parties exacerbate this, but even close friends struggle to get into INTPs’ hearts and minds.
Firstly, I'm not shy. I'm just usually quiet. We have to stop equating shyness with quietness as those two are not mutually exclusive. When it comes to social gatherings, it all depends on the people involved in the social gathering. If they are my colleagues, I'm not afraid of being loud (only when a situation calls for it, not all the time. Most of the time I'm quiet as well) but if the people are those that I do not know (usually this happens at weddings), I'll usually be sitting at a corner and read my book (my savior of boredom). Secondly, my close friends have told me that I was quite emotionally distant. 


  • Insensitive – Oftentimes INTP personalities get so caught up in their logic that they forget any kind of emotional consideration – they dismiss subjectivity as irrational and tradition as an attempt to bar much-needed progress. Purely emotional situations are often utterly puzzling to INTPs, and their lack of timely sympathy can easily offend.
I think this correlates to being 'honest and straightforward'. As for tradition, yes, some are not meant to be preserved because they impede progress. Get it out of your damn mindset.

  • Absent-minded – When INTPs’ interest is captured, their absence goes beyond social matters to include the rest of the physical world. INTPs become forgetful, missing even the obvious if it’s unrelated to their current infatuation, and they can even forget their own health, skipping meals and sleep as they muse.
I never skip meals and I take good care of my health (I workout as frequently as I can, I always miss sweating). Sometimes I stay up late because of collecting information. I tend to be forgetful of where I put my stuff but never forget about ideas or concepts that interests me. 

  • Condescending – Attempts at connecting with others are often worse than INTPs’ withdrawal. People with the INTP personality type take pride in their knowledge and rationale, and enjoy sharing their ideas, but in trying to explain how they got from A to B to Z, they can get frustrated, sometimes simplifying things to the point of insult as they struggle to gauge their conversation partners’ perspective. The ultimate insult comes as INTPs give up with a dismissive "never mind".
I might have been unaware of this trait of mine to be expressed when discussing with others about certain topics. 'Never mind' is what I always say when I find myself couldn't reason with the other person anymore. Perhaps that's why I'm picky with the people that I have discussions with. I don't want it to end with a 'never mind'. 

  • Loathe Rules and Guidelines – These social struggles are partly a product of INTPs’ desire to bypass the rules, of social conduct and otherwise. While this attitude helps INTPs’ strength of unconventional creativity, it also causes them to reinvent the wheel constantly and to shun security in favor of autonomy in ways that can compromise both.
When it comes to rules and guidelines, I don't immediately dismiss them. I will always consider where they stand in importance to the current situation. However, some rules and guidelines are limiting and trivial.

  • Second-Guess Themselves – INTPs remain so open to new information that they often never commit to a decision at all. This applies to their own skills as well – INTP personalities know that as they practice, they improve, and any work they do is second-best to what they could do. Unable to settle for this, INTPs sometimes delay their output indefinitely with constant revisions, sometimes even quitting before they ever begin.
I relate so much to this when I was in the process of confirming my personality type. Now that's settled, there are other concepts and ideas that I have yet to have a firm belief on. It's all due to different perspectives and new information that are always being presented in my way that I can only analyse the different sides of arguments instead of confirming how beneficial it is or how flawed it is to a particular system.

Although the website divides these traits into strengths and weaknesses, I think all of these traits can manifest both as strengths and weaknesses when being put into certain situations. 

MBTI is a personality theory that I have previously done research on. A more developed version of this personality theory is Socionics. In Socionics, I'm INTj. But the descriptions are more likely to be the same as INTP in MBTI. I have yet to delve into the theory but so far I've only read up on INTj to check how equivalent it is to INTP in MBTI.

MBTI or Socionics is not a tool to isolate ourselves from other people of different personality types than ours but it's a tool for personal development and growth, for acknowledging differences, understanding human dynamics, and for understanding the motivations of others and the reason to how and why they live their lives the way they do.

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