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Professional INTP
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Email update from Personality Junkie
Of all the personality dimensions, none has more scientific backing than that of introversion and extraversion. This fact is wonderfully documented and illustrated in Susan Cain’s 2012 masterpiece, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, which I recently reviewed. But as Jung himself confessed, it can sometimes be difficult to discern whether someone is an introvert or an extravert. This is true for a few different reasons.
For one, we know that each type’s functional stack is comprised of both introverted AND extraverted functions. An INFP, for instance, not only uses Introverted Feeling (Fi) and Introverted Sensing (Si), but also Extraverted Intuition (Ne) and Extraverted Thinking (Te).
Moreover, to function effectively in the world, introverts are required to use and develop their extraverted functions to a certain extent. Those attending public school, for instance, will typically have an easier time if they find ways to connect or ally themselves with others.
Other factors can also confound the E-I dimension. For instance, types with Fe in their functional stack (i.e., FJs & TPs) are more inclined to be outwardly warm or “sociable” than types using Fi-Te (i.e., FPs and TJs).Intuitive types might also appear more extraverted since Intuition is characteristically more “verbal” in nature than Sensing. Hence, IN types are sometimes mistaken for extraverts.
Tips for E-I Self-Typing
To get a clearer sense of your E-I preference, one helpful strategy involves reflecting back on your childhood, particularly those times you weren’t attending school. Did you prefer spending much of your time alone (I) or did you routinely seek out parents, friends, siblings, or new activities for stimulation (E)? Did you commonly withdraw from others in order to catch your breath or do your own thing (I)?
A more oblique approach to the E-I dilemma might involve determining whether your dominant function is a Judging or Perceiving function. If you have been historically proactive and intentional, finding it difficult to relax or “do nothing,” you may well have a dominant Judging function (Fi, Ti, Fe, or Te). If this is true of you and you are confident you are not an EJ type, you may well be an IP. Likewise, if this fits you and you cannot identify with being an IP, you may well be an EJ.
If, by contrast, you have been historically more inclined to passively absorb and enjoy life, without a predominant urge to control, shape, or act on it (including your own life), you likely have a dominant Perceiving function (Si, Ni, Se, Ne). If this is the case and you know you are not an EP type, you are likely an IJ. Likewise, if this rings true and you’ve ruled out being an IJ, you may well be an EP.
Along similar lines, you could make a list of four personality types that most closely approximate your personality, including two extraverted types and two introverted types. Of these, select the one that is least like you. If you select an extraverted type, this may help confirm your status as an introvert. For example, in trying to discern my own type, I remember feeling fairly confident that I was an NT type. And of the four NT types, I identified least with ENTJ. This helped to confirm my status as an introvert in general, as well as an INTP in particular.
I hope you have enjoyed and benefited from these Personality Junkie typing tips!
A.J.
Of all the personality dimensions, none has more scientific backing than that of introversion and extraversion. This fact is wonderfully documented and illustrated in Susan Cain’s 2012 masterpiece, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, which I recently reviewed. But as Jung himself confessed, it can sometimes be difficult to discern whether someone is an introvert or an extravert. This is true for a few different reasons.
For one, we know that each type’s functional stack is comprised of both introverted AND extraverted functions. An INFP, for instance, not only uses Introverted Feeling (Fi) and Introverted Sensing (Si), but also Extraverted Intuition (Ne) and Extraverted Thinking (Te).
Moreover, to function effectively in the world, introverts are required to use and develop their extraverted functions to a certain extent. Those attending public school, for instance, will typically have an easier time if they find ways to connect or ally themselves with others.
Other factors can also confound the E-I dimension. For instance, types with Fe in their functional stack (i.e., FJs & TPs) are more inclined to be outwardly warm or “sociable” than types using Fi-Te (i.e., FPs and TJs).Intuitive types might also appear more extraverted since Intuition is characteristically more “verbal” in nature than Sensing. Hence, IN types are sometimes mistaken for extraverts.
Tips for E-I Self-Typing
To get a clearer sense of your E-I preference, one helpful strategy involves reflecting back on your childhood, particularly those times you weren’t attending school. Did you prefer spending much of your time alone (I) or did you routinely seek out parents, friends, siblings, or new activities for stimulation (E)? Did you commonly withdraw from others in order to catch your breath or do your own thing (I)?
A more oblique approach to the E-I dilemma might involve determining whether your dominant function is a Judging or Perceiving function. If you have been historically proactive and intentional, finding it difficult to relax or “do nothing,” you may well have a dominant Judging function (Fi, Ti, Fe, or Te). If this is true of you and you are confident you are not an EJ type, you may well be an IP. Likewise, if this fits you and you cannot identify with being an IP, you may well be an EJ.
If, by contrast, you have been historically more inclined to passively absorb and enjoy life, without a predominant urge to control, shape, or act on it (including your own life), you likely have a dominant Perceiving function (Si, Ni, Se, Ne). If this is the case and you know you are not an EP type, you are likely an IJ. Likewise, if this rings true and you’ve ruled out being an IJ, you may well be an EP.
Along similar lines, you could make a list of four personality types that most closely approximate your personality, including two extraverted types and two introverted types. Of these, select the one that is least like you. If you select an extraverted type, this may help confirm your status as an introvert. For example, in trying to discern my own type, I remember feeling fairly confident that I was an NT type. And of the four NT types, I identified least with ENTJ. This helped to confirm my status as an introvert in general, as well as an INTP in particular.
I hope you have enjoyed and benefited from these Personality Junkie typing tips!
A.J.
