The INTP

The INTP

INTPs use Introverted Thinking (Ti) as their dominant function. As we will later discuss in greater detail, Ti can be associated with independence and intensity of thought. While Ti may compel INTPs to focus on a relatively narrow range of interests, their auxiliary function, Extraverted Intuition (Ne), searches for broad connections across various subjects and knowledge areas. INTPs commonly explore topics like philosophy, science, religion, history, psychology, and evolutionary theory. By surveying a breadth of knowledge domains, they develop a clearer view of the “big picture,” of how everything fits together.

In addition to their concern for apprehending the big picture, INTPs are also interested in discerning the fundamental nature of things. This can be understood in terms of their Ti’s tendency toward reductionism, to boiling everything down to its bare essentials. In searching for what we might call the “foundations of everything,” INTPs commonly wrestle with physical, as well as metaphysical, concepts and theories. Their Ne’s penchant for the big picture, combined with their Ti’s concern for essentials, explains why INTPs are often well-described as philosophers.

But INTPs are not merely essentialist philosophers. They are also existentialists, concerned with questions of existence and “how to live.” They are not only concerned with truth, but also with meaning. Indeed, if we were to liken INTPs to a coin, we might put truth on one side and meaning on the other. Acutely aware of the brevity of life, INTPs strive to ensure that their lives and work are as authentic and meaningful as possible.

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What is Introverted Thinking (Ti)?

Having now considered the implications of INTPs’ Ti as a dominant Judging

function, we will now expound on the nature of Ti itself.

Ti involves the application of logic and reason for the sake of

understanding a given situation, system, or problem. INTPs use Ti to bring

structure, order, and clarity to their thoughts and inner world. They also

use Ti to direct and order their lives and projects, including setting

personal goals and objectives. Consequently, Ti can be associated with

independence, self-discipline, and self-regulation.

Immanuel Kant is a great example of a highly self-disciplined and selfregulated

INTP. Kant is notorious for never having traveled outside his

town. He developed a routine—arising each day at the same time, writing

through the morning, dining with friends at lunch, taking a walk in the

afternoon, and studying and reading in the evening—that he followed

with great consistency. Indeed, one could argue that his degree of selfregimentation

was instrumental to his profound philosophical

achievements.

As suggested from its introverted direction, Ti is directed toward the self

and its ideas. In this sense, it stands in contradistinction to Te, which

strives to make external systems more rational. Like Kant, INTPs work to

ensure that their lives, worldview, and personal philosophy are orderly

and rational. Their Ti compels them to constantly establish and

reestablish inner order. INTJs, by contrast, whose dominant function is

Intuition (Ni), are far less concerned about consciously maintaining inner

order.

Ti is less interested in working with facts than it is with concepts and

ideas. Jung writes: “His [sic] ideas have their origin not in objective data,

but in his subjective foundation.” INTPs are constantly digging into the

background of their own thoughts in order to better understand their

origins and to ensure their thinking is founded on a solid conceptual

platform.

Generally speaking, Ti (along with Ne) finds it easier to identify

inconsistencies or logical shortcomings—to assert what is not true—than

to identify and confidently assert what is true. INTPs can quickly locate

inconsistencies or logical shortcomings in a given theory or argument.

They excel in pinpointing exceptions or imagining scenarios in which a

proposed explanation might breakdown. Due to their acute sensitivity to

theoretical exceptions, they can be quick (sometimes too quick) to discard

entire theories, throwing out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.

INTJs, by contrast, seem less deterred by ostensible exceptions (especially

those pertaining to their own theories), perhaps believing they will

eventually be explained or rectified. Since INTJs are predominantly

perceptive and their Ni works convergently, they tend to be a bit more

cautious and careful on the front end, but after reaching a conclusion,

they are less apt to vacillate or change their minds.

When INTPs’ Ti and Ne are functioning constructively or synthetically (as

opposed to critically), they can be seen as employing a sort of trial-anderror

approach to theory-making. They start out with a given (Ti) and then

use their auxiliary Ne to explore various connections and possibilities.

This again contrasts with the INTJ’s mode of operation. INTJs display more

patience on the front end, allowing the theory to intuitively emerge in its

entirety (Ni), and then carefully analyze and enumerate it via Te.

The Ti-Ne duo is an interesting one. As we will discuss in our next section,

Ne functions divergently and exponentially increases the number of

options and possibilities. Ti, by contrast, as an introverted function, is

more reductionistic in nature. Instead of moving forward and multiplying

ideas, it works backwards, paring things down to their bare essentials. In

this sense, Ti can resemble Ni, which works more convergently and

reductively than Ne.

INTP theorists and writers are likely aware of the tension between their Ti

and Ne, even if they don’t describe it in such terms. When Ti takes hold,

they become more focused on clarifying basic ideas and concepts. They

may even construct charts and diagrams in hopes of maximizing the

coherency, consistency, and structure of their ideas. While at times

helpful, when this hardcore front-end structuring fails to produce the

clean and cogent framework they desire, they tend to swing back toward

the less predictable methods of Ne. This might, for instance, involve doing

more writing and less categorizing, trusting that connections and insights

will emerge through the less conscious creative process.

In my experience, INTPs are typically

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