Profile: INTJ
Revision: 2.0
Date of Revision: 20 Mar 95
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Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging
by Marina Margaret Heiss (mmh0m@poe.acc.virginia.edu)
To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of
"definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence,
sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is
actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its
source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs
start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas
of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able
to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you,
and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still
more importantly, they know what they *don't* know.
INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for
improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents
them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of
perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type:
INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it *work*?" to
everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing
social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of
mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority,
convention, or sentiment for its own sake.
INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps
in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of
imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to
be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an
INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come
into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the
others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking,"
including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will
generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to
take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without
consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand,
they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing
the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and
have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even
notice.
In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they
"know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and
engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of
intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of
academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are
willing to invest time in *marketing* their abilities as well as
enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the
desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate
some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent
unconventionality.
Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the
INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply
for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a
great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge
and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas
can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.
This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the
social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience
and less understanding of such things as small talk and
flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a
relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually
extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as
well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand.
Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs
really want people to make *sense*. :-) This sometimes results
in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only
instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a
romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible
reasonability and directness.
Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are
their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a
relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of
natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often
act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings
behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial
expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by
consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they
care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become
established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their
robustness, stability, and good communications.
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Famous INTJs:
Dan Akroyd, actor (_The Blues Brothers_)
Susan B. Anthony, suffragist
Arthur Ashe, tennis champion
Augustus Caesar (Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus), Emperor of Rome
Jane Austen, author (_Pride and Prejudice_)
William J. Bennett, "drug czar"
William F. Buckley, Jr., conservative political advocate
Raymond Burr, actor ("Perry Mason", "Ironsides")
Chevy Chase (Cornelius Crane), actor (_Fletch_)
Phil Donahue, television talk show host
Michael Dukakis, governor of Mass., 1988 U.S. Dem. pres. candidate
Greg Gumbel, television sportscaster
Hannibal, Carthaginian military leader
Veronica Hamel, actress ("Hill Street Blues")
Orel Leonard Hershiser, IV, major league baseball pitcher
Peter Jennings, television newscaster
Charles Everett Koop, former U.S. surgeon general
Ivan Lendl, tennis champion
C. S. Lewis, author (_The Chronicles of Narnia_)
Joan Lunden, television talk show host
Edwin Moses, U.S. olympian (hurdles)
Martina Navratilova, tennis champion
Charles Rangel, U. S. Representative, D-N.Y.
Pernell Roberts, actor ("Bonanza")
Maria Owens Shriver, television newscaster
Josephine Tey (Elizabeth Mackintosh), mystery writer (_Brat Farrar_)
U.S. Presidents:
Chester A. Arthur
Thomas Jefferson
John F. Kennedy
James K. Polk
Woodrow Wilson
Fictional:
Cassius (_Julius Caesar_)
Mr. Darcy (_Pride and Prejudice_)
Gandalf the Grey (J. R. R. Tolkein's Middle Earth books)
Hannibal Lecter (_Silence of the Lambs_)
Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' nemesis
Ensign Ro ("Star Trek--the Next Generation")
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (_Hamlet_)
George Smiley, John le Carre's master spy
Clarice Starling (_Silence of the Lambs_)
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