The Last and Least Five Ways I Buck the INTJ Stereotype

Hey, everyone

Before I get on with the piece, I wanted to let you all know that my Shakespearean play, The Passion of Gloucester and Sinead is available for free download until Saturday. You can get it here.

Alright, so as mentioned a few times, this will probably the last one of these I do. This is the last and least five ways I buck the INTJ stereotype. By "least" I mean these are things that as far as I can tell don't really help to define what an INTJ is, but for those times when people say that INTJs do/are this kind of stuff, these five don't apply to me.

1. The To-Do List Isn't Complete

INTJs keep a lot of things on their minds such as strange phenomenon or the mysteries of the universe. As a result, they put those esoteric things on their to-do list, along with all the mundane things they have to do, and they end up with long lists. So, there's this belief that INTJs can't sleep until their to-do list is complete. This isn't true for me, and it's likely not true for a lot of INTJs. I believe the reason why is because I'm what 16Personalities calls an INTJ-A.

For those who don't know, 16Personalities adds a fifth dimension to MBTI called Identity and you're either Assertive or Turbulent. If you're Assertive, you don't worry about getting stuff done because you know it will get down eventually, whereas if you're Turbulent, you constantly fret about getting things done. "Turbulent" may seem negative, but have you ever heard the expression "busy people get more done"? That's because Turbulent people are always doing something and make long to-do lists for themselves, but the good news is that they actually get all that stuff done. Getting back to the point, as an INTJ-A, I don't worry if my to-do list is complete for a day or not. Now, there are some things that are necessary to get done that day, but I can rest easy knowing I managed to get most things done for a day.

2. Relating More to the Antagonist

It isn't uncommon to see a lot of antagonists in movies and other media to be INTJs. Why? Well, some of our core traits seem to be antagonistic, such as we ask questions, push boundaries, and test taboos. We're arrogant, we think we're always right, and we're huge loners and sometimes creepy weirdos with very eccentric tastes. And we all have a plan for world domination, even me. So sometimes INTJs will relate more to the bad guy in a movie than to the good guy because the motivations and methods of the antagonist make more sense to us than that of the protagonist. However, this isn't true for me.

Being raised Catholic and now a serious practicing Catholic, I have a very firm idea of right and wrong, good and evil, just and unjust. So while I may see that the antagonist has a good intention or his method is much more efficient than the protagonist's, I still don't identify with the antagonists because they're evil. They kill people and blow stuff up. In general, I don't like villains. I mean the Joker from The Dark Knight is fascinating and really stole the show, but I'm not sure I would say I like him. I'm not sure I would say I like any villains and I really don't understand people who do. Villains are meant to be hated, or at the least, disliked. If you don't hate them, then the writer(s) have failed.

3. Not Into Puzzles

INTJs like figuring things out. We love the sense of revelation or solving a mystery. I'm no different, but in general, I'm not into puzzles. A Rubik's cube, no thanks. A 500 piece puzzle, no way. A Sudoku set to hard or a game of Chess against an expert, I don't think so. I mean, I like the feeling of successfully solving a puzzle, but if it's too hard, I will give up. I've got better things to do than to waste my time on something so frivolous. In fact, I would argue that since my writing can make me money and since figuring out a story is a bit like working out a puzzle, that is one of the few puzzles I can stand, but I would never go to a game shop and ask to see the puzzles nor do I enjoy riddles all that much. Sometimes the logic is just not all that logical to me or it requires more effort than what I'm willing to put in.

4. I Don't Fake Smile

INTJs are known for certain traits. One of them is our death stare. In fact, I have been told by my friend John that I'm "grumpy" and my mother has asked me multiple times why I'm scowling when I have no idea what she's talking about. Other people have accused me of looking pissed all the time. Now, while I would have good reason to be pissed all the time living in the world we do, I assure you I'm not--that's just my face. Some INTJs deal with this by faking a smile--I don't. I tend to wear my emotions on my face. If I'm mad, happy, or sad, you can see it. The only time I practice hiding my emotions or whatever I'm thinking is when somebody suggests something to me. I don't want them knowing what I think so I go completely blank until I've come to a decision. It gives me a slight edge and to see how much they believe in their suggestion. But other than those times, I show what I'm holding because I don't believe in lying.

5. Physical Attraction is Important

There are a couple of sources out there telling people what an INTJ looks for in a potential mate. Many of those sources list physical attraction as being a secondary or lesser concern. Now, while it is true I will take a girl who is a "6" over a "10" because she doesn't ask me to explain myself or to define a word for her while I'm pitching woo, but I'd rather have a girl who is a "7" or "8" if it meant she wasn't as intelligent as the "6". True, physical beauty is only skin deep and it is paltry compared to all the other qualities I want my ideal woman to have, but I have to look at her some time. This isn't Fiddler on the Roof where we're more worried about getting a spouse than what they look like. So, physical beauty is a concern for me when I look for a romantic interest. And in fact, next week I'll be looking at an article done by INTJ Vision where they listed the top 10 qualities INTJ men look for in a girl. And I know on that list they put physical beauty quite far down, but for me, it isn't.

Well, that's it for this week's dosage of INTJ Theory. If you felt like this article was lack luster, I heartily agree with you. I really didn't enjoy writing it, but I promised it, so here it is but at the same time, I'm sorry. Hopefully things will be better next week.

Keep writing, my friends.

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