What Some Descriptions of INTPs Don’t Quite Get Right…
An INTP being described as being “objective” isn’t quite right and messes with how we INTPs see ourselves. It can enable and create permission for us to remain cold, stubborn, and faking Te, which is more of the TJ-style of external scientific-method fact-finding and usage.
We INTPs tend to learn best through experience and pattern recognition. That means finding the patterns between multiple experiences or sources. It’s not quite selecting something to be true as it is allowing the truth to reveal itself. Reading something once and holding onto that truth isn’t quite enough.
Many see this fixation on specific facts amongst other INTPs and assume that’s the way we’re meant to be. And with enough exposure we create an unconscious culture amongst INTPs to perpetuate this way of being, leaving a lot of INTPs frustrated and unhappy with their own development.
A more accurate look at INTPs is to say that we’re more theoretical and explorative. We look at data but interpret it in new ways for the world to understand and utilize.
Some stuck in a loop treat their perspective on data as absolute.
“My thought is the objective thought.”
When in reality it likely hasn’t been challenged or been exposed to a different perspective or language yet but the INTP is closed to new information on the matter.
This clinging to an exact fact or way of expressing a fact can hold a lot of INTPs back from new expressions and experiences that support the development of our theoretical mind.
Humility becomes an important growth tool for expansion and acceptance to think more theoretically, which can include some irrational thoughts, experiences, and redefine one’s relationship to reality altogether.
Our dominant cognitive function of Introverted Thinking (Ti) has a strong relationship with language because language shows how we can interpret information and see the same point from a relative perspective.
Math is also a language, which many INTPs take to like a duck in water. The theoretical exploration process can seem like wading through chaos, which makes our relationship to language that much more important.
We cross-check language with ideas to make sure the language conveys the idea as clearly as possible since ideas themselves exist pre-language and there’s no guarantee that a specific language can convey a specific concept. We just know when the language is not quite right and we keep working on that clarity however possible.
The syntax of language related to what we know is important to mature INTPs doing theoretical work. It’s why some INTPs end up learning multiple languages, it helps with clarity, exactness, and expansion of expression. Over time our relationship to language no longer is about being a grammar nazi or being “correct,” it’s about being clear.
When you throw playful expression into the mix it evolves from being clear to being heard. Your expressions and explanations can be more concise as opposed to feeling as though you’re having to share a dissertation, which requires you to cover every angle, but regular conversations don’t need all the word vomit if you’re trying to help a specific person with a specific thing.
Theory of Mind becomes important as it’s not only about getting it right, it’s about knowing all the ways in which an idea can be conveyed to all the different minds that hear it their own way. This is why personality types are so helpful to INTPs. The tools of type create a reference point to how we can shift our language to meet the context of how someone perceives without losing the concept.
In a way, it’s like making your ideas modular and giving them different flavors for different tastes. This way you select the way in which it’ll connect as opposed to explaining it all the ways in the hopes that it’ll fit…likely exhausting the person and losing their interest. I’m still guilty of that all the time.
By clean slicing ideas and making explanations modular, we can achieve clarity multiple ways with multiple minds, and develop complex theories via these multiple expressions, instead of fixating on finding a single form of irrefutable clarity that others should conform. After all, much of what we’re trying to solve is related to people, perspectives, and behavior in the big picture.
So, for an INTP the concept becomes more important than the exact perfect words or exact Te-like facts. The facts and language we use support expression and exploration to make an impact on the world in some way. Exploration of concepts is what we do best but it’s not quite about being objective as it is about exploration to reveal what’s a true and clear expression of discoveries.
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Next steps:
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This is a great launching point if you are absolutely brand new to understanding yourself as an INTP. Packed with advice from the creator of this platform, who is also an INTP, you will be certain to gain a few a-ha moments from this program created in-house at DOPEamine Premium. Recommended for absolute beginners wanting advice directly from a fellow INTP.
Personality Hacker’s INTP Starter Kit
Personality Hacker is where I’ve learned everything I know about personality profiling, being an INTP, and teaching various systems for personal growth. Their INTP Starter Kit includes loads of reading material aimed specifically at growth and excellence. Personality Hacker brings a brand of professionalism to Myers-Briggs teaching that is like none other in the personal growth space. Recommended for beginners focused on disciplined growth and greatness.
This is our in-house flagship program for INTPs to get into the nooks and crannies of what it means to be an INTP. We lead you down the rabbit hole of cognitive functions, introduce Dynamic Personality as a philosophy, teach you how to begin to integrate shadow functions, and begin the process of accessing this learning in everyday life through relationships, career, creativity, and even parenting. Recommended for intermediate to advanced learners wanting advice on connection, expression, discipline, and play from a fellow INTP.
Personality Hacker’s INTx Unleashed
This program is unlike any other I’ve taken in recent memory. INTx Unleashed is a chronicle of the experiences of high-performing INTPs and INTJs. There are multiple interviews, breakdowns, and important reframes that can change the course of your personal history as an INTP. What’s unique is that you’ll see how both INTPs and INTJs can learn from each other. So, you’ll want to listen to all of the interviews and breakdowns to get the full experience. I’ve personally taken this program and it is highly recommended. Recommended for INTPs and INTJs aiming to become high performers.
Where do I begin?
If you can swing it, I would get all 4 programs starting from The INTP Launch Kit all the way through to INTx Unleashed. This will allow for your pattern recognition to be activated to get the most out of these learning experiences. You can jump around and connect the dots of what both I and Personality Hacker are sharing in these various programs.
