Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

The important thing is not to stop

questioning.
Albert Einstein
The INTP personality type is fairly rare, making up only three percent of the population,
which is definitely a good thing for them, as there's nothing they'd be more unhappy about
than being "common". INTPs pride themselves on their inventiveness and creativity, their
unique perspective and vigorous intellect. Usually known as the philosopher, the architect, or
the dreamy professor, INTPs have been responsible for many scientific discoveries
throughout history.
The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living
INTPs are known for their brilliant theories and unrelenting logic in fact, they are
considered the most logically precise of all the personality types.
They love patterns, and spotting discrepancies between statements could almost be
described as a hobby, making it a bad idea to lie to an INTP. This makes it ironic that INTPs'
word should always be taken with a grain of salt it's not that they are dishonest, but people
with the INTP personality type tend to share thoughts that are not fully developed, using
others as a sounding board for ideas and theories in a debate against themselves rather
than as actual conversation partners.
This may make them appear unreliable, but in reality no one is more enthusiastic and
capable of spotting a problem, drilling through the endless factors and details that
encompass the issue and developing a unique and viable solution than INTPs just don't
expect punctual progress reports. People who share the INTP personality type aren't
interested in practical, day-to-day activities and maintenance, but when they find an
environment where their creative genius and potential can be expressed, there is no limit to
the time and energy INTPs will expend in developing an insightful and unbiased solution.
INTP personality
Wisdom Begins in Wonder
They may appear to drift about in an unending daydream, but INTPs' thought process is
unceasing, and their minds buzz with ideas from the moment they wake up. This constant
thinking can have the effect of making them look pensive and detached, as they are often
conducting full-fledged debates in their own heads, but really INTPs are quite relaxed and
friendly when they are with people they know, or who share their interests. However, this can
be replaced by overwhelming shyness when INTP personalities are among unfamiliar faces,
and friendly banter can quickly become combative if they believe their logical conclusions or
theories are being criticized.

When INTPs are particularly excited, the conversation can border on incoherence as they try
to explain the daisy-chain of logical conclusions that led to the formation of their latest idea.
Oftentimes, INTPs will opt to simply move on from a topic before it's ever understood what
they were trying to say, rather than try to lay things out in plain terms.
The reverse can also be true when people explain their thought processes to INTPs in terms
of subjectivity and feeling. Imagine an immensely complicated clockwork, taking in every fact
and idea possible, processing them with a heavy dose of creative reasoning and returning
the most logically sound results available this is how the INTP mind works, and this type
has little tolerance for an emotional monkey-wrench jamming their machines.
Let Those Who Would Move the World First Move Themselves
Further, with Thinking (T) as one of their governing traits, INTPs are unlikely to understand
emotional complaints at all, and their friends won't find a bedrock of emotional support in
them. People with the INTP personality type would much rather make a series of logical
suggestions for how to resolve the underlying issue, a perspective that is not always
welcomed by their Feeling (F) companions. This will likely extend to most social conventions
and goals as well, like planning dinners and getting married, as INTPs are far more
concerned with originality and efficient results.
The one thing that really holds INTPs back is their restless and pervasive fear of failure.
INTP personalities are so prone to reassessing their own thoughts and theories, worrying
that they've missed some critical piece of the puzzle, that they can stagnate, lost in an
intangible world where their thoughts are never truly applied. Overcoming this self-doubt
stands as the greatest challenge INTPs are likely to face, but the intellectual gifts big and
small bestowed on the world when they do makes it worth the fight.
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INTP STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

INTP Strengths
INTP strengths
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
INTP Weaknesses
INTP weaknesses
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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INTP RELATIONSHIPS
When it comes to romantic relationships, INTPs have an interesting mixture of traits that
often pleasantly surprise their partners. People with this personality type are always full of
ideas, but they have few opportunities to explore their more romantic notions. As with any of
their theories, INTPs love sharing with others, and in finally meeting someone where
romantic thoughts are appropriate, they show themselves to be excited, enthusiastic, and
even playful, flirting with word-play and intellectual games.
None of this is to say that these relationships come easily to INTPs they are shy and
withdrawn individuals, and getting out and meeting new people, risking rejection and making
themselves the center of attention in emotionally delicate situations are far from being their
strengths. It is more likely that INTP personalities will leave a trail of breadcrumbs for a
potential partner, allowing them to make the first move and committing to their partner as an
act of reciprocation rather than bravado.
Marry! A Good Wife Makes Happiness, A Bad One, Philosophy
From the start, INTPs take their relationships seriously their imagination and vision, and
the challenge of getting to know new people, make them all too aware of how important it is
that they're involved with someone, and they will prove themselves surprisingly loyal. Even
early in the dating phase, INTPs are unusually direct and honest, doing their best to express
their mindset and create mutual understanding, believing that this shared knowledge will
help to minimize misunderstandings and avoid conflict.
As their relationships progress, INTPs' daily needs prove remarkably simple. Gifts, surprises,
complex social plans and date nights are all fairly unimportant to people with the INTP
personality type, but this is also one of their chiefest weaknesses their partner may very
much need these things, and it won't even occur to INTPs to plan them out. For all their
analysis and attempts at mutual understanding, INTPs are notoriously bad at picking up on
others' emotional needs.
INTP romantic relationships

When it comes to conflict, there is a certain willful ignorance for INTPs, and they often set
aside their partners' feelings, and their own, for far too long.
When these conflicts do arise and are inescapable, INTPs will do their best to find a logical
solution. But this hardly helps if the problem is logic itself, that INTP personalities aren't
meeting their partners' emotional needs. INTPs should keep this in mind, and try to meet
their partners halfway by communicating on an emotional level if they make this effort,
understanding partners will recognize and appreciate the gesture, clumsy though it may be.
After all, they need to afford INTPs the same benefit, and meet them halfway with logic and
simplicity as well.
Beware the Barrenness of a Busy Life
All this material asceticism and conflict avoidance support one primary goal to free up
mental resources for more important things. INTPs' creative, vivid imagination make for a
surprisingly enthusiastic, passionate, and romantic partner. While INTPs may prioritize their
inner world too much, imagining interesting and exciting intimate situations that are never
expressed to their partners, they also use this rich inner world to achieve as much as
possible in intimacy they rarely want for ideas.
Physically, intellectually and with a little effort emotionally, INTP relationships are rich and
rewarding connections. Partners who share the Intuitive (N) trait are usually best, along with
one or two opposite traits to create variety and balance, but so long as INTPs remember that
they are with people who have their own, independent wants and needs, and so long as
their partners remember the same of their INTPs, these are long-lasting and satisfying
relationships.
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INTP FRIENDS
Many of the usual motivations for making friends emotional support, social validation,
shared routine simply don't apply to INTPs. More likely, these concepts are met with
disdain, as people with the INTP personality type prize intellectual depth above all else. It is
not easy to become good friends with INTPs, but if there is a common interest and a
common train of thought, the connection is likely to spark instantly, surprising everyone else
who thought they had this distant personality type pegged.
INTP friends
Be Slow to Fall Into Friendship...
INTP friendships are knowledge-based, defined by the exchange of ideas, theories, and
concepts, and those who aren't able to keep up with this, or who have sharply differing

tastes (don't talk to INTPs about celebrities) will find stony faces that border on rude. To
INTPs, communication is often more of a nuisance than a pleasure, and conversation is
reserved for topics that they find meaningful, or for people they already like enough to stick it
out.
Unless there's a natural affinity for this intellectual style, few have the patience to try to
penetrate their shields, and INTPs are left with a naturally small circle of good friends.
Other Analyst (NT) types are a natural fit for INTPs, who share their passion for new ideas,
riddles and solutions. People with the INTP personality type are knowledgeable and
intelligent, and have a great deal of respect for those who can keep them on their toes in this
regard. They will gladly help to tackle any dilemma thrown their way, offering up sound
advice and rational solutions. As valuable as these qualities are though, they are not always
the best approach when it comes to emotional support or advice in dealing with matters of
the heart, INTPs are at a loss.
It's not that INTP personalities don't feel quite the contrary, they actually have very strong
sentiments. But Feeling (F) is one of INTPs' least developed traits, making their emotional
reactions strong, untrustworthy and naturally in need of being tempered by their well-trained
logic and rationalism. Still waters run deep.
...But When in Friendship, Continue Firm and Constant
While they may not be able to help directly with these sorts of problems, INTPs help
indirectly with unambiguous and reliable friendships. INTPs' friends need never worry about
power games or emotional baggage they are liked for their minds and abilities, not their
status or possessions. While it may not be easy to establish true friendships with INTP
personalities, once the link is made, they will provide years of understanding and thoughtstimulating ideas, making them well worth the effort.
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INTP PARENTS
In parenting roles, as with many social roles, INTPs find themselves facing a robust but
healthy challenge. Not a naturally sensitive type, INTP personalities struggle to identify with
the raw emotions and irrationality that are often the standard with young children, who have
yet to develop the sort of self-control and logical thinking that INTPs take for granted.
People with the INTP personality type are nevertheless incredibly devoted perhaps not in
the traditional, emotionally supportive sense, but they are parents who are committed to
encouraging their growing children to think and act independently, seek out new knowledge,
and voice and defend their own opinions.

INTP parents
For INTPs knowledge is key, and they will do their best to give their children the tolerance
and freedom necessary to acquire it. INTP parents take a relaxed, intellectual approach
towards their children, allowing them to explore the world around them and overlooking the
more minor offences along the way.
Having no interest in exerting control over other human beings, INTPs are likely to allow their
children to form their own principles though they may take the opportunity of the "why?"
phase to share their own perspectives and ideas, just in case.
INTP personalities are not particularly demanding parents, at least not in the sense that they
expect their children to live a traditional life of school/career/marriage/house/kids/retirement
(and in that order, thank you very much). Rather, INTP parents are demanding in an
intellectual sense they want their children to ask if this path is the best path for them, and
how to go about following a different one if they need to. This level of personal freedom can
be daunting, and can take a long time to come to terms with, but INTP parents are prepared
to stand by their children with support and advice for as long as they need.
While there is hardly a better parent for having rational, intelligent discussions with their
children, there is hardly a clumsier example when it comes to providing the emotional
support that many children need, especially as they approach their teenage years. In this
area, INTPs will need to either rely on a more capable partner, or to take themselves far out
of their comfort zone in order to empathize without trying to clear away the tears with an
endless series of rational suggestions and blunt truths.
Not Just Life, but Good Life
INTPs want nothing more than for their children to grow up smart, independent, and tolerant,
but if they want them to be well-adjusted too, they must make this effort. INTPs' parenting
style affords a great deal of latitude for their children, but with this freedom comes
responsibility, and it is INTPs' responsibility to ensure that it is used constructively. Though
it's a challenge for people with the INTP personality type to teach empathy alongside
rationality, if they are able to pull it off, their children will grow into confident adults who know
how to ask questions, use their minds, and take care of themselves no matter what comes
their way.
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INTP CAREERS
INTPs are solitary, eccentric, and independent none of which is listed as desirable for
corporate positions, which are usually designed for very different personality types. INTPs

duly struggle in finding careers that meet their needs, but what they do bring, qualities in
much higher demand, are creativity, a passion for theoretical methods and ideas, and an
entrepreneurial, innovative spirit. If they are able to put this better foot forward to secure a
position in a suitable line of work, people with the INTP personality type will find that,
whatever the job listing says, these "less desirable" qualities will prove an asset after all.
INTP personality
A Poem of Numbers
Chief among INTPs' interests is exploring and building models for underlying principles and
ideas, even going so far as to find these concepts, in their own way, beautiful this makes
them natural mathematicians, systems analysts, and career scientists, especially in more
abstract fields such as physics. There are many other careers that allow INTPs to explore
these interests, but many of them are far too rooted in uninteresting practical applications.
As useful as it is to develop a better vacuum cleaner, it is no Large Hadron Collider.
INTP personalities are self-driven and have very high personal standards "good enough" is
never good enough but have few environmental needs. Despite this relative simplicity, they
are often hard for more people-centric types to understand. INTPs live primarily in their own
heads, and have little interest in social distractions like chitchat and motivational speeches.
All INTPs really want is to immerse themselves in an interesting project, and anything that
interrupts that, be it overactive managers, the need to manage others, or office parties or
meetings, are simply unwelcome burdens.
For this reason, the flatter the workplace hierarchy, the better, making small, technical
workplaces and fields such as law, forensics, and laboratory research very desirable for
INTPs. Insightful and open-minded managers who can accommodate these needs will find
their INTP subordinates to be a tireless generator of brilliant and unique ideas. However,
many people with the INTP personality type may do away with the immediate hierarchy
altogether, opting instead to provide their services on a freelance basis as consultants.
Emotional Values: A Mere Illusion
Where INTPs do not thrive is in workplaces that require them to provide a high degree of
emotional satisfaction cruise ship masseuses they are not. INTP personalities struggle to
understand emotional exchanges, and service-oriented positions will prove baffling and
exhausting for them. Though INTPs are talented analysts who are perfectly capable of
understanding the theoretical importance of customer service, the day-to-day application of
such a scheme is simply better left to more people-oriented personality types.
Business is growing more complex every day, and this complexity is managed with technical

systems, economic theories, and data. The need for novel approaches is stronger than ever
for people and organizations to distinguish themselves. Though general people skills are
often phrased as a must, it is the technical work that creates something to talk about, and it
is in this pursuit that INTPs thrive.
Work as business analysts and corporate strategists is well suited to INTPs, but they can
also move things forward as data analysts, mechanical, electrical and software engineers,
and even as technical writers and journalists, provided the field is interesting enough. If they
can smile and shake hands just long enough to establish themselves as the brilliant
innovators that they are, people with the INTP personality type will find that whatever the
expectations for social conduct, it is the qualities unique to them that are truly in demand.
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INTP IN THE WORKPLACE

The running theme for INTPs is their desire for solitude, need for intellectual stimulation, and
the satisfaction of the final piece of a puzzle clicking into place. Whether in subordinate or
management positions, with colleagues or working alone, these privileges and the freedom
to pursue them unfettered by social obligations and progress reports are about all people
with the INTP personality type look for in their workplace.
Though INTPs may scoff at the notion, they actually function best when paired with another
person. Their position determines which personality type best fits their needs, but INTPs'
tendency to live in their heads and vent inspiration and creativity seemingly at random
demands the presence of an implementer, preferably a Sentinel (SJ), to ensure that no
stroke of genius goes unnoticed.
INTP workplace habits
INTP Subordinates
Under the right conditions, INTP subordinates are innovative, resourceful, and hard-working,
easily wrapping their minds around whatever complex problems are placed in front of them
and delivering unorthodox but effective solutions. However, these qualities require a great
deal of freedom, something stereotypical managers are loath to cede. It is difficult to quantify
these qualities on a resume several other characteristics, like a relative indifference to job
security and to being liked, exacerbate the challenge and it can take time to grow to trust
INTP subordinates enough to allow this latitude.
INTP personalities prefer to work alone, but at the same time they despise "grunt-work".
Their focus on conceiving new and exciting ideas and ignoring the details of execution
means that INTPs need someone alongside to keep things in order and actually put into

practice their often unrefined ideas. Such a condition can't be forced on INTPs, but a few
logically phrased criticisms (certainly not emotional appeals or pep talks about working as
part of a team) and clever management can make it happen.
INTP Colleagues
For INTPs, colleagues aren't so much a group of people who they socialize and work with as
they are a series of obstacles and diversions with occasionally useful knowledge. Mingling,
chitchat, drinks after work these make INTPs want to work alone, not get up in the
morning. Despite this distance, people with the INTP personality type are unusually good at
developing insightful and unbiased interpretations of others' motivations, though sometimes
they overthink it, becoming unnecessarily suspicious of others' goals.
What they do enjoy are riddles and patterns, and any INTP would be proud to be the guru
who is sought after as arbiter on the validity of an idea, or for their insight on how to apply a
principle to novel situations. INTPs love discussing theories, at least with "proven"
colleagues, and are almost always available as impromptu consultants. This, however, does
not apply to emotional riddles and conflicts, INTPs' Achilles Heel in these charged
situations, INTP personalities have no clue what to do.
INTP Managers
While INTPs don't care for managing other people, it is likely the most rewarding position as
it provides the opportunity to direct concepts and theories while others handle the logistics.
INTPs have a very tolerant and flexible style, characterized by an openness to logical
suggestions and relative freedom for their subordinates. But this freedom comes at a cost
INTP managers have very high standards, and they expect others to grasp their insights
instantly, and to provide their own in equal measure.
As well as their demand for innovation, INTPs are better than any other type at noticing
logical discrepancies their tendency to ignore others' feelings means that their criticisms
often come hard and fast as they direct projects to their own perfectionistic standards. Here
again INTPs do best with a partner, this time a delegator who can filter their thoughts and
direct their team in more socially productive ways. A liaison can also help to deter
schmoozing and attempts at emotional manipulation, a sure mistake for anyone who tries.
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INTP PERSONALITY CONCLUSION

INTPs' intelligence and logical reasoning skills are a force to be reckoned with. Be it a minor
debate or a life-changing decision, INTPs will find it easy to entertain multiple ideas and

keep a cool head. This allows INTPs to overcome many challenging obstacles yet they can
be easily tripped up in areas where careful and rational thinking is more of a liability than an
asset.
Whether it is finding (or keeping) a partner, making friends, reaching dazzling heights on the
career ladder or learning to make difficult decisions, INTPs need to put in a conscious effort
to develop their weaker traits and additional skills.
INTP personality
What you have read so far is just an introduction into the complex concept that is the INTP
personality type. You may have muttered to yourself, "wow, this is so accurate it's a little
creepy" or "finally, someone understands me!" You may have even asked "how do they
know more about me than the people I'm closest to?"
This is not a trick. You felt understood because you were. We've studied how INTPs think
and what they need to reach their full potential. And no, we did not spy on you many of the
challenges you've faced and will face in the future have been overcome by other INTPs. You
simply need to learn how they succeeded.
But in order to do that, you need to have a plan, a personal roadmap. The best car in the
world will not take you to the right place if you do not know where you want to go. We have
told you how INTPs tend to behave in certain circumstances and what their key strengths
and weaknesses are. Now we need to go much deeper into your personality type and
answer "why?", "how?" and "what if?"
This knowledge is only the beginning of a lifelong journey. Are you ready to learn why INTPs
act in the way they do? What motivates and inspires you? What you are afraid of and what
you secretly dream about? How you can unlock your true, exceptional potential?
Our premium profiles provide a roadmap towards a happier, more successful, and more
versatile YOU! They are not for everyone though you need to be willing and able to
challenge yourself, to go beyond the obvious, to imagine and follow your own path instead of
just going with the flow. If you want to take the reins into your own hands, we are here to
help you.