Saturday, October 04, 2008

INTP

Under the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator, I am what is known as an INTP.

That's an introverted intuitive thinking perceiving person. It's not the most popular type of personality, with I think about 3 to 5 percent of the population testing as an INTP.

This means that I am of the absented-minded professor variety of people. I'm shy. I like facts. I think things can be made better somehow, if we just think about it hard enough.

I like to work alone.

I prefer details, which is why I am good government writer. I don't miss the small stuff though sometimes I think the entire forest might evade me.

I worry a great deal about being wrong and I worry the same amount about failing. That makes it difficult to move forward sometimes. It's a little like being mired in a mud pit with pythons all around. You know you need to jump but good golly what will you be jumping into?

Some famous INTPs are Socrates, Rene Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Sir Isaac Newton,James Madison, John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, William Harvey (pioneer in human physiology),C. G. Jung, (Freudian defector, author of Psychological Types, etc.), William James, Albert Einstein, Tom Foley (Speaker of the House--U.S. House of Representatives), Henri Mancini, Bob Newhart, Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senator (D.--NM), Rick Moranis (Honey, I Shrunk The Kids), Midori Ito (ice skater, Olympic silver medalist), Tiger Woods.

I'm not sure how they figured out some of those, seeing as how a few of those people have been dead a very long time.

Here is information on INTPs:

http://www.personalitypage.com/INTP.html
http://typelogic.com/intp.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTP
http://www.intp.org/intprofile.html

And here is a personality quiz if you want to find out what you are:

http://www.personalitytype.com/prequiz.aspx

This one is longer and probably a better indicator, although it puts me on the cusp of an INTJ (j=judging) instead of an INTP:

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

15 comments:

  1. I am a big fan of Meyers Briggs, for work, and to better understand the people closest to me, and myself. Knowing what another person's type is, is such a help in being able to communicate with that person! Knowing what my type is makes it easier to forgive all the things I'm NOT!

    Good links!

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  2. I've taken this test at least a handful of times during school and work careers...but I forget what type I was. Too bad. It'd be fun to see if I'd be the same if taken now.

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  3. I am still an INFP. Wondered if my score would be the same as in college.

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  4. Well, you're certainly in some good company there! I don't recall if I've taken that test or not, but I think I might also be an INTP, as I am very shy and like working alone, but quite intuitive and I think, perceptive.

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  5. I think Myers-Briggs is my favorite psych test. I took it for the first time as a freshman psych student and scored as an INFP. There is a book out there called "The Mind Test" that is full of psych tests like the Myers-Briggs. I don't know if it's still in print but it's worth getting if you love this kind of stuff.

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  6. I was an ENFJ. Very cool. I enjoyed that little test!!

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  7. I was always very skeptical of this kind of testing until I took it myself, but when I read the INTP profile for the first time there were so many aspects of my life that suddenly made perfect sense. I've been fascinated by the concept of personality type recently as I watch my own child showing introverted tendencies. I've written several posts on the subject if anyone is interested.

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  8. Ahhh, but look at all those famous people with whom you relate! As soos as my kids are in bed, I'll take the test too. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. INFJ, that's what I am. I've taken that test under different circumstances, but find it suspect because I can see what the questions are after. I guess I think about what they are trying to deduce than really thinking honesty about my responses. But it's interesting to know the "types" of those around you. Sometimes my husband's "I" characteristics get on my nerves, but I can relate. And I'm sure my "J" personality bothers him because he is SO non-judgmental.

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  10. Hi. I am also an INTP. I don't think INTP's are supposed to have an eye for detail. I have never read that anywhere. So, if you have an eye for detail, which is enviable of course, then I think you could be a different type, not INTP. I have never had an eye for detail :(.

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  11. I wonder if most bloggers are introverts?!? Sure seems to be a lot of us! Or maybe we just read each others blogs?

    Thank you all for you comments. It has been interesting to see who was what personality!

    Anon - I've been an INTP in every Myers Brigg test I've taken since college. I'm pretty sure that having the same personality type doesn't mean we are all clones of one another, so of course there will be differences.:-)

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  12. I could be that type. I took it once too but like June forgot most of how it turned out.

    Check out the Enneagram system sometime. I like it best. I'm a classic 5 on that system of 9 personality types.

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  13. I'm also an INTP...how funny!

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  14. I am an INTP too. INTPs are more likely than any other personality type to ... i won't type it here. You could check out your enneagram type and get your defense ... i'd bet it would be a ... 5?. Heh.

    http://www.patwyman3keys.com/

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