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Honor is totally important, though I have no problem using "integrity" as a synonym. My college's honor code was one of the things that I valued about it. My own honor is part of my personal values. I always find it weird that other people don't care about their own honor. However, the OP...

Hear, hear. I can say that being an INTP parent gets better over time. Every year so far has been better than the last. I can identify with most of what you posted, though I had to stop with the research because most of it was convincing me I was an inadequate parent. If you haven't read...

How do you know? Maybe they are. If you agree that sexual identity is PARTLY developed at birth, how do you know that isn't one of the already developed parts? Yes, sexuality isn't FULLY realized at birth, obviously. Girls develop breasts and boys' voices deepen years after being born...

There is nothing that anyone, of any personality type, can do "really well with minimal effort." (Except, I suppose, dilettante.) Doing anything really well takes enormous effort, though the payoff is obviously much better if it plays to your strengths. What are your strengths? What are...

Why is it absurd? To be sure, it is icky to think of sex and babies in the same sentence, but that isn't proof that babies have no sexual identity at all. Clearly, sexuality is not fully developed at birth, or there wouldn't be puberty. That doesn't mean it hasn't started to develop at birth...

Yeah, well, that's statistics for you. The bulk of everyone seem to be other types, so clearly it is my sample is skewed. Most of my straight friends are also INTx. My point, though, is that there are some gay INTx people out there. Change of topic: Here's a question to everyone who...

That's good advice. (I take it you are not a parent? Either way, that's a good instinct.) She is, of course, beautiful (totally objective parent opinion), and likes her own appearance. But it is a fine line to tread. One problem for girls is the stereotypes about beauty. Beautiful...

In defense of INTJs, I married one, and many of my friends and family are INTJ. I think they are wonderful. I love talking to them, and being around them. They absolutely do procrastinate as much as INTPs, or maybe even more, but they call it research. I don't think my husband gets things...

I don't know. I was like that too, until I was sick of it. I started volunteering to be first for oral reports, signed up for drama, and forced myself. I still feared and hated it. Then one day, I was giving an oral report, and suddenly I realized that I loved it. It was effortless, and...

I decided a few years back to do one thing every day that I didn't want to do (but that needed doing eventually). It didn't have to be difficult or something I hated. It could be anything, from writing a thank you note to installing a shelf to making an appointment to replacing a filter to...

So, if you don't like bulge, where do you keep your wallet and keys and so on? I am starting to think my daughter may be a fashion-obsessed INTP. I'm not sure she's INTP (though the signs are there), but fashion is the one thing she has always had control over in her life. That's a big deal...

That's certainly possible, and not beyond them to be so sneaky. My guess is that fashion designers like to design for tall skinny women, and they like to accentuate the tall skinniness. They don't like to design bulges, so they treat pockets like decorations instead of functional containers...

I was pondering whether Bob Howard of the Laundry (stories by Charles Stross) might be INTP. He's an introvert for sure, anyway.

I must say, that is an extremely good point.

The INTP will win, because it is an unlikely fight. You have to consider what caused it. It probably started when the ENTP wouldn't stop annoying the INTP. The INTP has never shown even the slightest violent streak before, and takes a lot of annoyance, gently ramping up the warnings...

3 Grumpy fan.

They do act like its a crime to use organic soap and water for hygiene. If it doesn't cost $75/bottle, it doesn't measure up. They go on about pores and so on, and don't acknowledge that nutrition from the inside has more to do with healthy skin than expensive glop on the outside. Those...

I think there needs to be a distinction between "leader" meaning someone whose role in life is to lead others, like a manager or Army captain, and "leader" of a group for a specific task, like heading up a skunkworks or raising money for a single event. I think INTPs are fine at the latter...

What does it mean that you "don't agree" with homosexuality? You mean like spicy food doesn't agree with some people, or like you don't agree with an argument? Because saying that is like saying "I don't agree with red hair." It makes no sense at all. Maybe you mean "I disapprove." 1...

I LOVE the idea of babies falling in the uncanny valley. Even though I am a mother, I know exactly what you are talking about. It never occurred to me that this might be why babies can be so.... Hmm, I see why you had to resort to an ellipsis. As for what makes something cute, here is a...

Optimal foraging strategy has a lot of evidence to back it up. And if that is what you refer to as lazy, then clearly living in a world of plenty would lead to laziness in gathering food. I'm not sure what that has to do with thinking, though. Are you saying that thinking leads to sub-optimal...

I'm not sure I buy it. Intelligence can be used as an excuse for laziness but it isn't a very impressive one. Lots of smart people do things. Being praised for high intelligence can make one reluctant to try things, though. I suspect high intelligence requires more sleep as brain...

I knew "prolix" and "leviathan" but "ludic" was new. "Infundibuliform" is less useful for Scrabble. Ah, the joys of Catch-22.

You are my new hero, using the word "prolix."

The first two that came to my mind were the leopard seal and cassowary, both of which have been known to hunt humans. The seal will eat a human, but the cassowary only eats fruit so presumably they hunt us for sport (or to get us out of their territory, but either way, don't mess with them)...

My daughter's father is INTJ.

Re: INTP Parents My parents are INTP and INFP, but aside from genetics possibly playing a role, I'm not sure they had much to do with me being INTP. They certainly were dream parents for an INTP, because they let me have my say, encouraged me to be myself, and didn't get bent out of shape when...

I mostly don't drink sodas, but I do sometimes. Aspartame and sucralose are gross. They taste and smell awful, and leave a nasty aftertaste. I'm surprised anyone is unable to tell, but I have an impaired sense of smell, so who am I to criticize someone else's sense of taste? I tried my...

Introverts can be lonely.

Agreed, but I also see Methuselah's point. Wearing cargo pants and a faded old tee shirt may not be fashionable, but it isn't a sign of something wrong, either. However, someone who stops worrying about hygiene or doesn't bother to comb their hair is probably missing other details in life...

It's so cool that you started a fashion thread here. Fashion isn't a common INTP obsession, but aside from it being an unusual choice, everything you describe sounds pretty typical. You have mastered your chosen field, bringing in elements of physical skill, lots of detailed knowledge, and...

I hate to admit it but I kind of like the sumo wrestler ballerina. I think it's funny. Come to think, I kind of liked the pig, too.

Why couldn't we relate? I might be INTP but I do have an imagination, plus I know people who feel like this. My husband's family was in town so I invited some of my family over too and we had tacos. (Which everyone liked and could customize according to dietary needs.) One relative was...

Did you ever read Musicophilia by Dr. Oliver Sacks? He's a wonderful writer and makes neurology really fascinating. I've read many of his books, this one most recently. The book is about the varied human experiences of music, including his own, mostly drawn from his own work. No, I don't...

That's more or less what I did. And when I gave my two weeks notice, she acted like it was a betrayal of the company. I hope we grow from having such bosses, or else there's no point. The weird thing was, we were women very similar in age, who grew up within 10 miles of each other, and we...

Re: Demanded to attened employee outtings I feel for you. That sucks. However... Don't do this unless you want to quit. Get another job lined up first. If I had done that two bosses ago, it would have been a disaster. That boss expected me to work 12 hour days (because I was on salary...

I use both Safari and Chrome. I'm using Chrome right now. I kind of switch back and forth. I like both of them for their speed, and I've really been enjoying Chrome's interface. I also have Firefox, IE, and Navigator for testing web pages and opening pages that don't work in Webkit browsers...

Victory over a worthy opponent (meaning about equal in ability, and not a sore loser) is something to savor. Victory over someone who doesn't have a chance is not so pleasurable. I think this is a common reaction. I found a story about a softball team that so overmatched their opponents that...

Neuroplasticity is also extremely interesting. If you get a chance to listen to Science Friday (available on podcast), Ira Flatow has experts on the subject fairly often. I think when people say psychology is a pseudoscience, they are referring to clinical therapy. People studying the...

Too right KC. I should have said, perhaps, "doesn't procrastinate pathologically." I've seen a lot of posts that boil down to "I procrastinate so much I am useless and this is why INTPs suck." I don't really care if others procrastinate, and this isn't meant to be a judgment. I just...

No, I'm definitely INTP. Besides, my husband and several other people dear to me are INTJ, so I can see the difference. (And they procrastinate more than I do, but they call it "research.") Maybe it is just because I am a mom.

The consensus here is clear: INTPs procrastinate. It is apparently what we are best at, and we never finish anything. The trouble is, procrastination is not efficient or effective, so I can't really afford to do it. I might put off doing something I really hate or that has a low priority...

Okay, that is a pretty strong reaction. So what is your function as an INTP? I'm just curious, not arguing with you. Your experience is just so different from mine. My reaction was more like finding a map labeling the rough terrain, so I can get where I am going more easily. @Ermine, I...

Understood. I can't help you there. What is weird to me is that most INTPs, upon being told that there is some set of rules about how to behave, would barely give it lip-service, but the MBTI somehow has this power. I suppose because it is a compelling model of something hard to understand...

Apostate and the others above all gave excellent advice. The only caveat I'd add here is that, while you do want to learn from mistakes, you don't want to second-guess every remark in every conversation. It is natural to do that but it does not help at all. Learn from your mistakes, but then...

I am not sure how it started, but I know some people just consider it their personality. I don't understand extroverts who are always putting on a performance, but I don't see any reason to doubt their word. I don't know that it is a myth, but I don't think it applies anymore. And I...

Agreed. Most gay men I have known have been nothing like the stereotypes, but then most of them have been INTx. I did watch a few friends flounder through the realization that they were gay, and in a couple of cases, they tried acting flamboyant for a while because they thought they were...

When I was an undergraduate, I was surrounded by people like me, who had the same sense of humor, and accepted me and supported me for who I was. It wasn't a perfect place, but I surely did belong there. I knew it within an hour of walking on campus when I was looking at colleges. Belonging...