INTJ - What it really means.

I thought that categorizing one's personality was impossible. I thought that you could never put who somebody was into a box.. but I was so very wrong. I have known for years that I am an INTJ - according to the Myers-Briggs test. It is amazing how accurately this four letter designation describes who I am. People always try to figure me out... as all humans do. We all want to know what others are thinking. I will tell you right now that I'm not easy to figure out ;) INTJs are estimated to be around .5% of the population. I will first begin by describing the four traits, then I will conclude by bringing all four traits together and how they describe who I am.

I will start with the first letter: I. It stands for Introverted. Introverts are more reserved, less outgoing, and less sociable -- not necessarily asocial, but simply have smaller groups of friends and tend not to seek out new friends. Introverts choose solitary over social activities by preference. Introversion and Extroversion has been shown to be genetically past down. My dad was most definitely an introvert (he was an INTJ as well). My sister is as well (she too is an INTJ). Most of the males on my dad's side of the family are introverts.

The next letter is N. This stands for Intuition (I is not used because of introversion). In terms of personality, intuition means that one can immediately understand an object, situation, or person without true reasoning. Having the ability to very quickly grasp a situation allows an intuitive person to act quickly.

T is for Thinking. Thinkers usually deeply analyze positions before acting. Wanting to observe before acting, thinking before talking, and planning before executing.

J is for Judgment. A Judger usually plans and executes.

Now, what does that all mean? Here is a short introduction from a book by Hirsch:

"INTJs are strong individualists who seek new angles or novel ways of looking at things. They enjoy coming to new understandings. They are insightful and mentally quick; however, this mental quickness may not always be outwardly apparent to others since they keep a great deal to themselves."

"Seek new angles or novel ways of of looking at things"
Put simply, this describes me perfectly. I am always trying to find a new way to look at a situation. I believe that you cannot solve problems by using the same knowledge you used to create them.

"Enjoy coming to new understandings"
I love figuring something out. I will usually spend hours over-analyzing something, but in the end I almost always realize something new about the situation.

"Insightful and mentally quick... not always outwardly apparent to others since they keep a great deal to themselves".
I could not described myself more perfectly. I have the ability to understand a situation very fast. I can grasp concepts with a great deal of speed, but I will usually say nothing. I will rarely tell you want I am thinking.

It should be noted that the Judgment aspect of test is questionable. I could very well be a P or perceiving. The following excerpt was taken from wikipedia about INTPs:

"INTPs organize their understanding of any topic by articulating principles, and they are especially drawn to theoretical constructs—such as the MBTI. Having articulated these principles for themselves, they can demonstrate remarkable skill in explaining complex ideas to others in simple terms, especially in writing. On the other hand, their ability to grasp complexity may also lead them to provide overly detailed explanations of "simple" ideas, and listeners may judge that the INTP makes things more difficult than they are. This to the INTP, however, is incomprehensible: they are merely presenting all of the information."

So what does this all mean?
Nothing really -- this is just my way at explaining who I am.. if you really want to try to understand my personality, read the article on INTJs on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ
If you are interested, here is the article on INTPs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTP