5 September 2011

MBTI Personality Types: INTP, The Analyst

The INTP* is The Analyst 
*see below for an outline of how the four letter code is derived

As an INTP you are an independent problem-solver, using logic and analysis, and especially enjoying theoretical or scientific pursuits.  Your greatest satisfaction is normally derived from making sense of concepts, and finding or developing principles and structures to explain your world.

You tend to be highly logical, analytical, and objective, and approach everything with detached scepticism, seeking to form opinions and standards based on the information available.  You will then rigorously apply these standards.

You are able to see possibilities and connections beyond the immediately obvious, and hold open thoughts, ideas, and plans, however final they seem, to allow yourself to adjust as new information becomes available.

As an INTP you will probably find it difficult to work on routine tasks, preferring instead dissect a process, identify inconsistencies and illogical aspects, and then rework the ideas into a more logical structure.  As a result you can bring tremendous energy and focus to analysing or reengineering a complex problem. 

How Others May See You 

Typically quiet and reserved, you are generally more interested in ideas than social niceties, but you can be loquacious when talking about your own areas of expertise.  You are generally tolerant and agreeable, unless and until your guiding principles are challenged.

Others will generally see you as quiet, calm, and detached, with a strong sense of independence. 

Possible Blind Spots 

If you cannot find a way to employ your innate gifts to great advantage, as an INTP you may become cynical and employ cutting sarcasm.  This can also lead to you isolating yourself and procrastinating, or you may becoming hypercritical and argumentative.

Under great stress you are capable of outbursts and inappropriate displays of emotion, which can be both hurtful and shocking to others, and embarrassingly out of character for you.

If you reach this point, or preferably before you do, back off, find some space and peace, distance yourself, and re-group to get yourself back in balance. 

The INTP's Career Preferences 

Above all else you are motivated by variety in your work and a sense of autonomy, independence, and achievement.  The occupations that most appeal are those where you can use your solitary, objective analysis based on technical expertise, such as
  • IT professional
  • architect or surveyor
  • engineer
  • research assistant
  • solicitor or judge
  • manager
  • scientist
  • writer or editor
  • photographer
 
The INTP's Relationships 

    You are probably not that motivated by relationships, and will not tend to have a large circle of friends, preferring instead to let in only a few people who proven themselves worthy of hearing your inner thoughts.  Although you tend to be quite difficult to get to know well, those that are allowed in are held in great esteem.  You will value those who have proven themselves to be intelligent, and once the relationship is made you will be ferociously loyal.  Uninterested in playing games, a relationship is a serious thing which lasts, unless something happens which which you consider irreconcilable, in which case you will walk away without any qualms. 

    The Four-Letter Code - Your MBTI 

    Myers-Briggs personality profiles are determined by identifying individuals' preferences on four dimensions, known as preference pairs or dichotomies.  The underlying assumption is that everyone is innately predisposed to a preference for one or other of the modes on each of these dimensions.  This preference should not be mistaken for a strength, as everyone is able to operate in any of the modes, but instead may clearly prefer one over the other.  The preference pairs are: 

    (E)xtraversion - (I)ntroversion
    • Someone with a preference for (E)xtraversion focuses energy and attention on the outer world, and is energised by people and experiences
    whereas
    • Someone with a preference for (I)ntroversion focuses energy and attention on the inner world, and is energised by reflections and thought
    (S)ensing - i(N)tuition
    • Someone with a preference for (S)ensing focuses most naturally on the specifics of reality experienced through their five senses
    whereas
    • Someone with a preference for i(N)tuition focuses most naturally on the possibilities of what could be and looks for the big picture and overall patterns
    (T)hinking - (F)eeling
    • Someone with a preference for (T)hinking prefers to analyse information and make decisions using objective logic and by focusing on cause and effect
    whereas
    • Someone with a preference for (F)eeling prefers to be guided by personal values and convictions when evaluating information and making decisions and focuses on harmony and understanding human values and motives
    (J)udging - (P)erceiving
    • Someone with a preference for (J)udging prefers reaching closure as early as possible, and having things settled and decided
    whereas
    • Someone with a preference for (P)erceiving prefers to keep their options open as long as possible, leaving the option to continue taking on board new information as it becomes available
     
    Uses of the MBTI

      Understanding your preferences and thus identifying your type has several practical advantages, for example:
      • Coaching and Development - Knowing your type can help you to understand yourself better, and appreciate how to deal with your strengths and weaknesses
      • Managing - Improving your awareness of the preferences of your employees and what makes them tick can help you to understand their reactions to situations and how to communicate with them and motivate them
      • Teambuilding - Recognising the different types that make up your team will help you to see how they relate to you and to each other
      • Personal and professional relationships - Understanding the relative perspectives of your own preferences versus those of others will help you to see things from their point of view, and express yourself in a way they will understand
      • Career Planning - Knowing your own personality helps you to recognise where you would naturally be happy and what you would most like to do
      For further assistance with any of these areas please contact us.

      No comments:

      Post a Comment