I am an INTP.
Back in November, I wrote a post about how the Myers-Briggs personality test can help you understand yourself a little better and even understand your favorite fictional characters as well (click here if you missed it). In that post, I briefly mentioned that I am an INTP and left it at that. Since I updated my tagline to say “INTP ramblings on …” now is a good time as any to elaborate on just what an INTP is.
First things first
The Myer-Briggs Type Indicator. For those who aren’t familiar or who have never heard of this Myers-Brigg testing thing, it is a whole bunch of questions that take a personality inventory of you and then using psychologist C. G. Jung’s research and study on personality as a guide, explains what your personality blend is. You can read the details on their website. The website 16 Personalities also does a good job explaining the details.
There are four measurements:
1) What world do you prefer? Extraverted or Introverted.
2) How do you gather information? Sensing or iNtuition.
3) How do you make decisions? Thinking or Feeling.
4) What kind of structure do you prefer? Judging or Perciving.
As you can guess, I prefer being in my own head, interpreting and adding meaning to the information I take in, making decisions based on logic and reason, and prefer to stay open to new information.
In other words . . .
I’m logical, independent, analytical, tolerant, curious, objective. I can be seen as detached, reserved, quiet, and contained. I often joke around saying that I’m in my head way too much, but then again, I like it there.
The thing is, INTPs are one of the rare personalities. According to 16 Personalities, INTPs make up 3% of the world’s population and of that 3%, only 2% are female.
We’re a weird bunch. Or are we weird only because we’re rare?
So . . . what of it?
Nothing really. Except that this insight may prove useful when reading through this blog. If you’re reading through this blog. I’m working under the assumption that you are, that you’re just a bit curious so there you have it.
Many of my posts may not make sense because INTPs tend to think in the abstract. For me, I find myself looking for the bigger picture or connections to the bigger picture. Patterns and such. Theories and the like. This is probably why history and I get along. Probably why I get along with philosophy too (for those of you who missed it, I’m a European History major with a minor in Philosophy. I attempted to do a minor in sociology but that didn’t work so well for me so I switched back to philosophy).
And not only that, because INTPs are open to new information, we’re flexible, I welcome counter-points. Disagreements are ways for me to learn new things, even if we continue to disagree.
And since I’m always looking for ways to improve upon what I’ve started–a simple review blog of books, movies, and tv–I think this is a good launch point. An introduction of things to come . . . hopefully. The idea of it is anyway.
So, welcome to my rabbit hole and hopefully this sneak peek into the INTPs thoughts will shed some light on some of my ramblings.
Happy reading!