01/03/2015 INTP Personality (“The Logician”) |  16Personalities

INTP PERSONALITY (“THE LOGICIAN”)

Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed the chicken depends on your frame of reference.
— Albert Einstein

The INTP personality type is fairly rare, making up only three percent of the population, which is definitely a
good thing for them, as there's nothing they'd be more unhappy about than being "common". INTPs pride
themselves on their inventiveness and creativity, their unique perspective and vigorous intellect. Usually known
as the philosopher, the architect, or the dreamy professor, INTPs have been responsible for many scientific
discoveries throughout history.

THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING

INTPs are known for their brilliant theories and unrelenting logic - in fact, they are considered the most
logically precise of all the personality types.

They love patterns, and spotting discrepancies between statements could almost be described as a hobby,
making it a bad idea to lie to an INTP. This makes it ironic that INTPs' word should always be taken with a grain
of salt - it's not that they are dishonest, but people with the INTP personality type tend to share thoughts that are
not fully developed, using others as a sounding board for ideas and theories in a debate against themselves
rather than as actual conversation partners.

This may make them appear unreliable, but in reality no one is more
enthusiastic and capable of spotting a problem, drilling through the
endless factors and details that encompass the issue and developing a
unique and viable solution than INTPs - just don't expect punctual
progress reports. People who share the INTP personality type aren't
interested in practical, day-to-day activities and maintenance, but when
they find an environment where their creative genius and potential can
be expressed, there is no limit to the time and energy INTPs will expend
in developing an insightful and unbiased solution.

WISDOM BEGINS IN WONDER

They may appear to drift about in an unending daydream, but INTPs' thought process is unceasing, and their
minds buzz with ideas from the moment they wake up. This constant thinking can have the effect of making
them look pensive and detached, as they are often conducting full-fledged debates in their own heads, but really
INTPs are quite relaxed and friendly when they are with people they know, or who share their interests. However,
this can be replaced by overwhelming shyness when INTP personalities are among unfamiliar faces, and friendly
banter can quickly become combative if they believe their logical conclusions or theories are being criticized.

When INTPs are particularly excited, the conversation can border on incoherence as they try to explain the daisy-
chain of logical conclusions that led to the formation of their latest idea. Oftentimes, INTPs will opt to simply
move on from a topic before it's ever understood what they were trying to say, rather than try to lay things out in
plain terms.

Go to: Strengths & Weaknesses 

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The reverse can also be true when people explain their thought processes to INTPs in terms of subjectivity and
feeling. Imagine an immensely complicated clockwork, taking in every fact and idea possible, processing them
with a heavy dose of creative reasoning and returning the most logically sound results available - this is how the
INTP mind works, and this type has little tolerance for an emotional monkey-wrench jamming their machines.

LET THOSE WHO WOULD MOVE THE WORLD FIRST MOVE THEMSELVES
Further, with Thinking (T) as one of their governing traits, INTPs are unlikely to understand emotional complaints
at all, and their friends won't find a bedrock of emotional support in them. People with the INTP personality type
would much rather make a series of logical suggestions for how to resolve the underlying issue, a perspective
that is not always welcomed by their Feeling (F) companions. This will likely extend to most social conventions
and goals as well, like planning dinners and getting married, as INTPs are far more concerned with originality
and efficient results.

The one thing that really holds INTPs back is their restless and pervasive fear of failure. INTP personalities are so
prone to reassessing their own thoughts and theories, worrying that they've missed some critical piece of the
puzzle, that they can stagnate, lost in an intangible world where their thoughts are never truly applied.
Overcoming this self-doubt stands as the greatest challenge INTPs are likely to face, but the intellectual gifts -
big and small - bestowed on the world when they do makes it worth the fight.

Famous INTPs:

Socrates Rene Descartes Blaise Pascal Isaac Newton Carl Jung Albert Einstein James Madison Dwight D. Eisenhower Gerald Ford

2. STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES  (/INTP-STRENGTHS-AND-WEAKNESSES)

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COMMENTS

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623 comments   Add a com m ent

Kit Marsh ·   Top Commenter
I always get INTP or INTJ, but either way I am always perceived as a cold sociopath by others and even by myself.
I find myself never wanting to be in a long­term relationship because I can never find someone who is
intellectually stimulating. Once I have emptied the contents of a persons mind, I find the relationship goes sour. I
want an Intellectual enigma! Someone who I can share a deep conversation with for hours about something less
trivial like the weather or sentiment­based movies!
Reply · Like ·  621 · Follow Post · May 26, 2014 at 11:10am

Kayla Grové · College of Cape Town
I feel you. (When I say feel i mean i understand your situation because mine is similar)
Reply · Like ·  94 · June 13, 2014 at 9:41pm

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01/03/2015 INTP Personality (“The Logician”) |  16Personalities

Valentina Pivetta · Bangkok, Thailand
I understand you too. An interesting and deep conversation for hours? At maximum I achieve some
minutes, then people start to look uncomfortable. To read Plato is my best advice (may be you already
know why I say so). Seriously speaking, for a long term relationship, you have two options in my
opinion: 
1_ try with academic people (faculty of philosophy, physics, mathematics, logics etc.) and find people
with interests similar to yours. Time ago it was difficult, but now you can find a community for almost
everything you can imagine.
2_ find a person who makes your life better and you like for non­intellectual reasons, so you could
have time and the right mind set for a deep intellectual dialogue with your peers, 
from an INTJ or INTP in every test I have made in the last 20 years.
Reply · Like ·  69 · June 18, 2014 at 3:27am

Clarisa Rodriguez ·   Top Commenter · Universidad de Monterrey
Eh... same here, INTP this time (INTJ for the past 2 years) and INTP before that... Think all INTP's /
INTJ's complain about the same thing LOL
Reply · Like ·  40 · June 25, 2014 at 1:49am

View 117 more

Amy Irving
Being an INTP, I automatically thought this would be a pointless test. For me, self­analysis is extremely important
so I imagined this test would just tell me what I already know about myself. Well, it did. However, as I read the
break­down I realised this is the first time I can agree with absolutely every single point! It's almost like this is the
first time anyone has ever understood me! I love nothing more than a hot bubble bath with the iPad playing a
documentary whether it be on science (currently loving Richard Feynman), Greek philosophy, politics, quantum
physics, spirituality etc. I find all these kinds of subjects interesting but am so quickly distracted by something new
that I rarely spend the time getting fully acquainted with them. (This is also true of people ­ I tend to go through an
enthusiastic phase of wanting to find out everything about a certain person I find fascinating at the time but a few
months later will have found someone new to be fascinated by and become less interested in talking to my
original friend ­ sounds awful but I'm being honest!)
I find it extremely difficult to find people who think the same way as me and am pretty anxious in social situations
too, which doesn't help! It's wonderful to find I'm not the only creative thinker in this big, wide, unfathomable
universe :) So, hello to everyone!
Reply · Like ·  137 · Follow Post · October 26, 2014 at 4:32pm

Hashim Khan ·  Follow · Lahore, Pakistan
Same here, INTP... and i don't like talking as much as you do :­/
Reply · Like ·  33 · November 11, 2014 at 5:48pm

Dave Simoneau · Université de Sherbrooke
I have exactly the same problem with people and I have tried really hard to overcome it. I've always
thought it was a unique problem and reading you is really helping me out. Now I know I am not the only
one suffering from that problem. It is not a solution for sure but knowing this is some kind of normal, I
might try different solution.
Reply · Like ·  9 · November 12, 2014 at 10:02pm

Dragan Zeljka Misita ·   Top Commenter
Never really did these tests before, and, boy am I glad I did. Not only the description above that fits me
perfectly, but to see your comments, and how similar we are! It is amazing. People failing to see the
logic, drive me crazy...and I drive them crazy too :)
Reply · Like ·  9 · November 25, 2014 at 4:51am

View 12 more

Kayla Grové · College of Cape Town
Every time I feel down in the dumps I come back to this comment section to see all the awesome like­minded
people.
Reply · Like ·  176 · Follow Post · June 25, 2014 at 2:03am

Jose Sanchez · San Clemente, California
Hey...im not alone..lmfao
Reply · Like ·  28 · July 17, 2014 at 9:57pm

Johnny Lewer ·   Top Commenter
I prefer to hear the thoughts of people who think differently. But hey thats just me
Reply · Like ·  10 · December 23, 2014 at 10:07pm

Somit Jain ·  Follow · 10th Generation Boss at Vongola
That's what I am doing now, though I never really comment here
Reply · Like · January 16 at 11:36am

View 1 more

Meagan Pagcaliuagan ·  Follow · Works at Tahoe Joe's
"My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse
cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with
artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation."
­Sherlock Holmes

^He gets it.
Reply · Like ·  61 · Follow Post · October 20, 2014 at 3:48am

Jacob Lewis ·   Top Commenter · Salt Lake City, Utah
I recognized this quote at "rebels at stagnation"! :D
Reply · Like ·  1 · February 13 at 1:31am

Emily Pearce · Extended Coverage Technician at Swift Transportation
I love reading the comments here! Yay for like minded people! I also love how everyone is correcting each others
http://www.16personalities.com/intp­personality 3/5
01/03/2015 INTP Personality (“The Logician”) |  16Personalities
I love reading the comments here! Yay for like minded people! I also love how everyone is correcting each others
word and grammar usage, and qualifying all their statements.... and no one is getting angry about it. INTP's rule!
Reply · Like ·  63 · Follow Post · August 15, 2014 at 7:44pm

Jared Ronning ·   Top Commenter · CCBC Essex
*each other's
*INTPs

;)
Reply · Like ·  59 · October 21, 2014 at 4:32pm

Muhammad Adil Zulfiqar ·  Follow · Co­Owner and Co­Founder at Ibn­e­sina high school
Jared Ronning *INTP(s)
Reply · Like ·  17 · November 12, 2014 at 12:05am

Amanda Judd · Food Service Worker/Cook at Aramark/VMI
No, "INTPs" is correct. And the apostrophe was more correct than using parentheses... at least in
modern American usage. I've never seen parentheses used to pluralize.
Reply · Like ·  7 · January 29 at 9:45am

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YOUR PROFILE
PERSONALITY: INTP ("THE LOGICIAN") (../INTP-PERSONALITY)
VARIANT: ASSERTIVE
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