INTP personality type

By Dr. Edwin van Thiel

Updated on May 20, 2022

An INTP at a glance

Am I the INTP type?

Are you the intellectually thoughtful INTP?

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An INTP may be characterized as The Logician, The Thinker or The Engineer and has an analytical, intellectual nature like INTJ, ENTJ and ENTP. The INTP is perhaps even the most intellectually thoughtful of all the personality types. People who know an INTP well describe them as innovative and ingenious. They live in a rich internal world in their mind, which is full of imagination and excitement. As a consequence, they may sometimes find the external world less interesting. This may lead some people to see them as being rather understated and reserved.

An INTPs distinguishing characteristics are imagination, originality, perceptiveness, creativity and a delight in tackling the complex. They are interested in theorizing, analyzing and learning. They thrive on exploring, understanding and explaining how the world works.

An INTPs logical, rational mind means that they are frequently one step ahead of others and are usually considered to be intellectually superior. An INTP is strongly motivated to challenge themselves to pursue and acquire excellence. They tend to be somewhat skeptical and are orientated towards the future rather than the past. This type is also identified in the Myers-Briggs type indicator test (MBTI) and is one of 16 personality types in total.

INTP workstyle and contributions to an organization

Organization performance, workstyle, and contributions result from the individual personality types. The list of those most commonly associated with the INTP personality types is given as follows:

  • Seeks to continually acquire new knowledge and competencies.
  • Uses systematic intellectual precision and expertise to tackle problems.
  • Has strongly defined interests and enjoys working on a technical level.

An INTP on a team

It's appropriate to know each personality type's skills when present in a team before selecting a team to handle any task. When considering the INTP personality type, the following are the list of the strength and possible weaknesses which the INTP personality type is likely to bring to a team:

  • Naturally becomes the expert resource on a problem that others consult with.
  • Works alone to achieve the group project and goals.
  • Brings both a critical vision and precise rational understanding to the team.

INTP leadership style

Leadership methods of implementing plans, motivating, and giving directions to members vary according to the different personality types. The following gives an idea about an INTP leader and their qualities:

  • Usually does not seek management or leadership roles, preferring to work autonomously and solve complex problems at the technical level.
  • Prefers intellectual, to emotional interaction.
  • Focuses on logic and principles, not relationships.

INTP: Introvert-iNtuitive-Thinker-Perceiver

Jung type INTP

  • Introverts tend to be reflective, reserved and private. A popular misconception is that introverts are shy - this is not necessarily so. They draw their energy from their own thoughts and the time they spend alone. Introverts do not need people around them all the time.
  • iNtuitives pay more attention to information that is imaginative and original. iNtuitives focus on the future.
  • Thinkers make decisions using logic and impersonal analysis. They think with their heads rather than their hearts.
  • Perceivers prefer a lifestyle that is spontaneous, flexible and adaptable. They like an environment that is unstructured, and like to keep their options open.

Jung personality types

There are sixteen Jung personality types.Ā Take a freeĀ Jung personality testĀ or learn more about theĀ Jung typology.

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