What makes women with INTP type so rare? Probably, a set of unusual personality traits and quirks, most of which are not typical of women. If you ever happen to meet an INTP female, you’d better forget about gender stereotypes as she will be nothing like the society’s image of how a woman should be.
Here are some of the quirky traits and perceptions which will only ring true for a woman with INTP personality type:
Most women follow certain self-care and beauty routines every day to look more attractive. Washing your hair, doing some hair styling and applying makeup are sacred rituals for any woman. However, an INTP female may find it difficult to stick with these daily self-care activities. I’m not saying that we shower once a month or never make up our face – we are just not so concerned with our physical appearance.
INTPs, both men and women, tend to be more focused on the things which are beyond the material side of existence. For this reason, it just doesn’t make sense for us to spend hours of our time for the sake of looking better. We’d better read an interesting book or immerse in an inner dialogue on a meaningful topic.
Some men think that all women enjoy things like shopping, manicure and reading fashion magazines. Well, it’s certainly not the case with female INTPs. We are just not interested in this stuff and are bored to spend our time and energy on it, for the reasons described in the previous point. This also makes it difficult for us to relate to other women, especially those who love talking about nails, celebrities and clothes.
But it’s not only about interests – we struggle to make friends with other women simply because our way of thinking is different. Sometimes it feels that we can easier relate to men than to women because we highly rely on logical thinking (IN(T)P stands for thinking). So all those jokes about the “women’s logic” are certainly not about female INTPs.
Housekeeping and cooking are certainly not our cup of tea, which is another way an INTP female breaks gender stereotypes. INTP is an example of chaotic mind, so anything that has to do with putting things into order is not our thing. So if you are a man who seeks a perfect housewife who will cook and clean, be sure that a relationship with an INTP female is not going to work.
This is mainly caused by the traits discussed in the first point – anything about the material side of life is not of great interest for INTPs. As long as we have something great to occupy our mind with, we just don’t notice that mess in the room and it doesn’t bother us at all.
Another reason why women with INTP personality are such bad housewives is that we are incredibly impractical. According to the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator, there are sensing and intuitive types. The first ones have pretty good practical skills while the latter ones (I(N)TP stands for intuition) are better at working with theoretical concepts.
This basically means that we would find it easier to solve a mathematical equation (if we are math geeks, of course) than to choose the right fabric softener for our washing machine. Sometimes, these kinds of mundane tasks make us feel completely incapable and helpless.
This lack of practical thinking also influences our ability to engage in social interaction. INTPs are some of the most socially awkward and quirky personalities who seem to lack any social skills.
It doesn’t mean that we hate people and don’t like to be involved in an interesting discussion though. We just don’t do well with superficial connections which are based solely on the social obligation. And we absolutely can’t stand small talk.
That’s why an INTP female may be perceived as arrogant or weird by the people she doesn’t feel connected to.
Most women adore flowers, cute gifts and other expressions of love in its romantic sense. But not the INTP ones. We tend to look for the essence of things, so more superficial expressions of affection like giving teddy bears or calling sweet names don’t touch us.
What really touches us though is to feel understood and appreciated for our personality and intellect. For an INTP female, there is nothing better than to have a deep conversation about meaningful things with her significant other.
Independence in any sphere of life is one of the highest priorities for an INTP. For this reason, people with this personality type rarely work in office jobs or public/military service. So it’s highly unlikely to see an INTP female working as a personal assistant or a client manager.
The same is true for relationships – an INTP needs healthy boundaries and a certain degree of freedom. This personality type also tends to be highly reserved (INTP stands for introversion), so we need pretty much time to stay alone with our thoughts.
That’s why an INTP female will never tolerate possessive behaviors in a relationship. She’d better be alone than with a man who tells her what to do or where to or not to go.
Since this personality type tends to highly rely on independence and needs a personal space, starting a family can be a great challenge for an INTP female. Even if we are lucky to have a great man in our life, the idea of having children really frightens us. Because in this case, we will have to sacrifice so many things that are essential for us – privacy, alone time, personal freedom. And we will also have to face so many mundane problems which accompany the upbringing of kids.
The truth is that INTPs rarely make great parents because we fail to devote ourselves to our children as well as give them the necessary emotional support. So an INTP female is very likely to have fears and doubts about her ability to become a good mother.
As you see from the above, women with INTP personality type bash so many gender stereotypes about how a woman should be, think and behave. We certainly don’t look like the image of a perfect woman the society wants us to strive for.
Do you know anyone with these characteristics or are you an INTP female yourself? If you are unsure, you can check out the detailed description of the Myers-Briggs personality types to find out which type resonates with you most of all.
Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.
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Based off of my own experience as an INTP female, I partly agree.
Whereas I did take a while to start flirting with aesthetics and the idea of starting a family, right now I find myself to be very passionate about both these subjects.
What I think makes my approach to such interests distinctly INTPish, though, is how they've translated to studying chromatic analysis, visagism and the psychological and political implications of beauty, aswell as minimalistic organizational methods for my future home which are tailored to economize time and energy, peaceful parenting and the prospect of sharing ideas with my children and raising them to be rationalists. <3
I guess this goes to show how INTPs can be really surprising in their ability to become suddenly passionate around the most seemingly boring subjects and its theoretical aspects.
hmmm I thought I was a true INTP and have many characteristics of being one. Every test I do comes up with it. However, I love fashion, have a beauty routine, I work in an office as a PA (though hate it of course haha). I am messy but don't mind housework and love baking and cooking. I also love romance, romantic novels and movies. So not sure I completely agree with these traits you have listed - I thought we were supposed to have rose coloured glasses on and believe in romance. I am a loner though and not good at relationships because I feel too different to others and like my independence and freedom. I feel I can never really show someone my true self. It's weird to love romance but yet find it hard to actually experience it in reality. I tried and got hurt and feel that was it for me. I'm like the quirky creative person at work and don't fit in because I am not like them yet I torture myself going to work, sitting in my pod like a battery hen not seeing the outside world. All I want is to be free, to be me and not be told what to do. That to me is a true INTP!
Lots of truth here, but even though I'm an extreme INTP, I can't agree with all points. I love taking care of myself and looking as good as I can. You could call it an art form. I also glory in my femininity. While general female conversation bores me (can't deny that), I do love well defined gender behaviors. I find beauty in the extreme opposites of the sexes - feminine women; masculine men. I also LOVE being a mom to four daughters. I played with dolls as a little girl, and dreamed of being a mom some day. Yes, some things are more challenging for our personality type, since we indeed are less practical, but still! I think we INTPs make great parents in a way that other temperaments do not.
Introversion should not be confused with sociability. You can be an extreme introvert and be very social. I know that from experience.
As for awkward . . . I never knew I was so awkward, but my teenage daughters have enlightened me. I hate that part of me.
Why not "masculine" women and "feminine" men? There's beauty in all specturm of expression.
I am an INTP female who grew up a tomboy and always got along better with boys than girls. As an adult, most of my jobs have been in the male fields. With many jobs, I have been the only female. I can recall two jobs I have had where all were female I lasted 2 1/2 months at the most.
I never grew out of the tomboy "stage" and have always believed makeup was for clowns. Because of my tomboy ways, I have been labeled as gay by many and very odd by many more. I am a true heterosexual that has struggled greatly with relationships. No male thus far cares to understand my ways, nor will give me the freedom to be myself and trust me with my independence. It's a gift, for I am free from the influence of another and am finding out more about myself everyday.
Hi all, I'm INTP woman and bit of everything above. At the moment I'm struggling with self doubts, low self-confidence and I'm close to the change of the career path. I am literally forsing myself to stop procrastination, to continue what I have started and to believe in me.
Is someone else going through this or had something like this?