Of all the personality tests ever devised, Myers-Briggs is undoubtedly one of the most enduring. Based on the work of Carl Jung, it proposes that our personalities are dominated by four major psychological traits – thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition.
But those taking this test today will have noticed an additional category – Assertive (A) or Turbulent (T). Now, the INTJ personality is incredibly rare, making up just 2% of the population. So what exactly is the INTJ-T personality?
There are lots to unpack here, so let’s just have a quick recap on the INTJ personality.
INTJ Personality
The INTJ personality is sometimes known as the Architect or the Strategist. INTJs are a mixture of surprising characteristics. These are the geeks and nerds of the world. They are highly intelligent and soak up knowledge for the fun of it.
INTJs are the creative loners amongst us. Decidedly analytical, their strength is to see the wider picture. They have this ability to then concentrate these details into patterns and theories.
INTJs are logical and like to be in control. However, they are also deeply intuitive. They keep a check on their own emotions, but they are very good at reading other people.
INTJs are quiet, solitary types. They are introverts and are easily tired in large groups. This is because many of them are ‘highly sensitive persons’ or HSPs.
Yet, they do enjoy talking, so long as it’s about their interests and passions in life. However, social niceties such as small talk are painful for them. As a result, they can come across as rude or aloof to those who don’t know them.
Nonetheless, within their close group of friends, they are funny, engaging, warm, and kind.
INTJ-T Personality – Assertive or Turbulent Meanings
Now let’s get onto the Assertive vs. Turbulent personality traits. All of the above INTJ’s characteristics are affected by the Assertive and Turbulent traits. In fact, everybody’s identity is affected. What this means is you might be an analytical and logical person, but are you confident (Assertive) or nervous (Turbulent) in these situations?
Or, you may prefer using intuition or creative thinking when making decisions but are you confident when doing so (A) or nervous (T)?
Whether you are an A or a T personality will affect everything you do in life. From decision-making to your inner thoughts, to planning ahead or reacting to criticism. So what are the differences between the two types?
Remember, the major characteristics of an INTJ are still very much present. The A and T identity traits are the slight twists that affect our responses, our confidence, our feelings about our decisions, etc.
Assertive (A) Personality
A-types are calm, laidback, measured, and confident in their approach to life. They don’t panic when facing life’s challenges. These are the people who don’t worry about situations or problems.
They don’t tend to over-analyse or dwell on past decisions either. Typically they’ll have no regrets about things that happened. Equally importantly, they do have the confidence to face stressful situations.
A-types don’t sweat the small stuff. They are successful because they don’t let things get to them. A-types focus on their successes and the positives in their lives.
Turbulent (T) Personality
T-types are also successful, but their motivation for self-improvement is driven from a place of stress. These types are critical of their own achievements. They tend to be perfectionists and as such, have a high attention to detail.
Unlike A-types, T-types do look back at their lives and have regrets about past decisions and choices. They compare their achievements to others and this can make them envious and unhappy. On the other hand, some use this as motivation to better themselves.
T-types tend to notice problems before they crop up and want to fix them before they become overwhelming. T-types are problem-focused and highly attuned to potential difficulties.
So how does having the Turbulent category affect the INTJ personality?
6 Signs You Have an INTJ-T Personality Type
You are hypervigilant and always tend to notice potential problems before they arise.
The INTJ-T personality is a natural worrier, but in certain situations, this is a good quality to have. They are naturally analytical but have a heightened sense for spotting mistakes early on.
You sometimes hesitate when making decisions.
The natural worrier in the INTJ-T personality may have picked up potential errors, but that doesn’t mean she or he feels confident enough to voice them. This may cause them to step back from making a decision.
You are self-conscious about your own mistakes.
The INTJ-T personality is full of self-doubt and acutely conscious of other people’s opinions. They care what other people think of them. This constant watching and worrying cause more stress to the natural worrier in them.
You are happy to change the long-term goals in your life.
This isn’t because you can’t make your mind up, it’s more to do with the constant need to improve your life. Neither type of INTJ likes change, but the T-type will swap goals if they think it will provide better results for them.
You can get easily offended by people.
T-types of INTJ personalities are more emotionally expressive than their A-type counterparts. As a result, they are more open and more likely to express their opinions. However, this openness can lead to exchanges they are not comfortable with.
You feel a need to compete with your peers
The INTJ-T personality is conscious of other people’s opinions and is worried about being judged. As such, she or he may feel pressurised to ‘keep up with the Joneses’, or maintain a certain standard of living.
Final Thoughts
I think you’ll agree that the INTJ-T personality is one of the rarest of all the 16 Myers-Briggs personalities. It is also one of the most intriguing and complex. If you recognised any of the signs above, please let us know more in the comments box below.
References:
Amazing you have just described me as a T type.
I have suffered with anxiety most of my adult life.
I am very analyitical and my own worst critic.
I have had many careers over the years as feel the need to change and improve myself.
Although become very frustrated when i do not always achieve my own expectations.
I am an only child like my own company and solace and hate large gatherings. But love to see my true friends.
I really want to be type A, but I am defiantly a T. I have anxiety and I am always worried about what people think. I see other peoples that have been successful and it makes me feel like I haven’t done enough, however I do strive to do better, as I am highly competitive. I will stop at nothing till I achieve my own idea of success. I just hate worrying all the time, I wonder what it would be like to just relax without a care in the world.
Intj here, probably t. I had coined the term “sentinel Intelligence” for myself based upon my observations of how i interact with others. That is, that my hypervigilance drives much of my personality.
INTJ, 5W6, Gemini here. I want to be type A, but I guess I am type T. I over analyse situations and often pick errors from every situation to make my decisions even harder, I notice things but I am not sure, because every time I see at the problem, I notice a new thing. I am obsessed with success and am highly competitive, but you can call me jack of all trades, while a master too, since I don’t switch until I have perfected something. My mind is always running with infinite possibilities, you could even say I am Dr.strange for second. I wish it stops and calms down for a second but it never does.
According to the test I just did, I’m INTJ-T.
I’m also, Aspergers/Autistic which seems to slot into this area…
INTJ-T here. Anticipating and correcting problems before they happen, attention to detail/perfectionism, and making everyone happy are some of my greatest strengths. I think it has to do with fear of failure. I never fail and problems don’t occur in my life. My anxiety would be much worse if that wasn’t the case.
32M,Turus, intj-t