Meet the INTJ ‘Visionary’ Personality Type

Individuals with an INTJ personality type tend to be introverted, usually valuing a sense of calmness and adaptability in their surroundings. They often display a proactive approach to life, which aligns with their judging nature. In terms of their values, they generally lean towards intuition and thinking, creating a synthesis of empirical and logical reasoning.

When it comes to cognitive abilities, INTJs often excel in theoretical-conceptual skills. They are usually adept at grasping complex theories and abstract principles. Their blend of intuition and judging also leans them towards strong predictive intelligence, enabling them to model various scenarios and make forecasts with notable accuracy. Another strength lies in their ability to apply laws and principles effectively, often employing logical-mathematical skills to solve problems and make decisions.

However, INTJs face their own set of challenges. They tend to find it difficult to consider multiple options, often locking into a specific idea or plan. Translating their well-crafted theories into practical application can be a stumbling block. While they are strong in planning and forecasting, they can struggle with improvisation and adapting to fast-paced, dynamic environments. Additionally, their focus on empirical and logical reasoning may lead them to overlook other people’s feelings and perspectives, possibly resulting in less empathetic decision-making.

In essence, an INTJ’s traits can manifest in different ways, but they often share a core set of characteristics. These include a unique blend of introversion, intuition, thinking, and judging that shapes how they interact with the world, solve problems, and relate to others.

How do you know if you’re an INTJ Personality Type or that someone else is an INTJ?

• They seem to get into a flow state when they are discussing theories and ideas about the real world and the universe
• They seem scared but fascinated by the prospect of achieving a goal or project in the real world, or accomplishing a challenge 
• They can retreat to their own inner world to get relief when external goals become too hard
• They get gradually more stressed and overwhelmed the more active and outgoing they are in the outer world

An INTJ Personality type is someone that is contemplative and theoretical. They have a vast inner world and their own rationalized explanation of how the world operates. They like to engage the world from a mental model or framework. Their goal is to translate this world to reality, to find ways to demonstrate and prove their theories work or can be made useful to other people. 

The INTJ main quest is to use their theories to drive forward societal progress or to achieve some objective goal or result through mental or intellectual means. But this is an overwhelming and scary prospect to this type, so it is important for them to learn to be vulnerable and to push themselves in a realistic way. Too high goals and expectations can cause this type to break and retreat inwards, to a more safe and self-accepting space with less pressure. Extroverted Sensing is a function here that can continue to pressure and provide both challenge and stress to the INTJ. This stress can be both healthy and unhealthy, as it can provide the INTJ with a sense of true accomplishment if they are able to be open and transparent about their thoughts. There is a risk that this type stays in a private and safe environment and that they become afraid of acting on their intuition.

The INTJ Eight Functions

Introverted iNtuition

INTJs gain energy and comfort and motivation from engaging in Introverted iNtuition, this function can even put them in a state of intellectual and philosophical flow. Ideally, this type engages the world as a philosopher or theorist, seeking to demonstrate how the universe works. The more they learn about the world and the more of an accurate and demonstrable theory they can provide, the more confidence they gain in themselves and the easier it becomes for them to manage external stress. 

Extroverted Thinking

INTJs gain challenges and feel a pressure to produce tangible results and to accomplish a great work or project. As an INTJ, you may feel a desire to be hard-working and industrious. More creative subtypes of INTJs are even more goal-oriented, and push themselves harder, with the goal of becoming talented and accomplished and to realize their potential somehow. More balanced INTJs can struggle to engage in this function, as it can provide them with stress and pressure. This can make them escape into Introverted Feeling instead.

Introverted Feeling

Many INTJs have artistic or self-expressive pursuits that they engage in. These pursuits provide them with a sense of relief and comfort. These tasks feel easy to accomplish and these are activities you can engage in with less pressure and stress. You also experience these tasks as less meaningful, however. 

Extroverted Sensing

INTJs tend to perceive Extroverted Sensing as stressful and draining and overwhelming. At the same time, completing tasks related to this function can give a sense of relief and a feeling of success and accomplishment and pride. You did something that was difficult for you, proving your stress resistance and strength and force of will-power. The more you do this, the easier Extroverted Sensing becomes to manage. Just be careful that you don’t push yourself too hard. Taking breaks is key. 

Extroverted iNtuition

Extroverted iNtuition provides the INTJ with a challenging and creative environment and new patterns and possibilities. This can inspire the INTJ to think harder and to focus more to explain these potentially contradictory ideas and experiences. At times, INTJs may perceive this function as uncomfortable and scary. Many INTJs overthink new possibilities, and want to plan ahead of these situations, but that can also ruin the experience, or cause them to miss out on beneficial experiences that can drive growth.

Introverted Thinking

INTJs engage in Introverted Thinking recreatively. This function helps them experience a sense of relief. While this function is not inherently motivating or important to the INTJ, it is a highly beneficial function. INTJs should reserve the time every day to engage in puzzles and analytical and logical exercises to keep their mind sharp. They should let go of their desire for every action they take to produce tangible results, and allow themselves to do things just for fun and energy and to catch a break sometimes.

Extroverted Feeling

The INTJ may relate to this function in different ways. It takes judgment and discipline and force of will to access this function, as it can be scary and uncomfortable and stressful to use this function. At the same time, it can be very important to use this function and to push yourself to go outside and to make connections to other people, and to open up and reveal your feelings to others. 

Introverted Sensing

Developing this function takes self-discipline and the ability to manage your experience. You may perceive this function as boring and draining to use, yet, it’s actually pretty easy. Often, when you use this function, you enter into a state of autopilot or detach from your conscious experience. Things become habitual and it’s very easy for you to fall into a routine. Especially if you’re avoiding a new possibility. But this function can also help you take care of important duties and responsibilities.

Subtypes

The INTJ Subtypes are:

The Dominant Subtype

This type is known to be a natural visionary, confident in their own vision and ideas, and dismissive of conventional beliefs and how things are normally perceived and experienced. This type turns against convention to introduce their own unique perspective of things. They try to topple and challenge the crowd and the mainstream with original ideas. They can however experience conflict with the mainstream, which dismisses their ideas or struggles to understand their vision.

The Creative Subtype

The creative subtype INTJ is all about the pursuit of and success in realizing challenging projects. They love the thought of the impossible, a perfectly executed goal, something done with excellence and through hard work. The creative subtype is focused on developing the power to accomplish any goal or challenge they set for themselves, and always push themselves to learn new skills and to develop new tools they can use. They can be highly versatile and creative in this.

The Balanced Subtype

The balanced subtype is known to be more focused on their personal harmony and self-expression. They are more focused on preserving their identity and personal space. They are more politically minded and more values-oriented. Going into Introverted Feeling gives them a sense of relief and escape from the pressure they can sometimes put on themselves. But it can also be a loop in which this type becomes more prone to doubt. They may stay in this space in order to avoid facing a challenge or an important project they know they want to achieve.

The Turbulent Subtype

The turbulent subtype is known to compromise or hide their vision from the outer world, out of fear of being misunderstood. This type is more private and anxious, and more careful with how they present their ideas to the outer world. They often choose to only share a portion of who they are with other people.