INTJ vs INTP: 10 Differences

INTJ vs INTP is a surprisingly common typing dilemma, in spite of the fact that the differences between these two types are fairly prominent. Regardless, this dilemma plagues many. We had a really old article on INTJ vs INTP differences, but decided it was time to give it a major overhaul. In the original, I merely provided general overviews of each personality type, because all I could really focus on was how distinct they should be. After all, they share none of the same cognitive functions. However, this time around, I aim to produce a much clearer comparison that will hopefully be more useful.

Beware of Bias

It’s important to understand that no personality type is better than the other, although some tend to be described in a more appealing way. Both the INTJ and the INTP are generally favored by personality type descriptions and the typology community, which makes both of these two types common for people to mistype as. However, between the two of them, the INTJ tends to be the most idealized. As a result, it is more common for an INTP to mistype as an INTJ. Try to approach this subject objectively and honestly, with the goal of identifying your true type, rather than rationalizing how you might be the one you prefer.

INTJ vs INTP: Cognitive Functions

If you’re new to the cognitive functions, this may surprise you, but the INTJs and INTPs have absolutely no cognitive functions in common. The Judging vs. Perceiving dichotomy completely changes a type’s cognitive function stack, in spite of it only being a single letter difference in the Myers-Briggs code. The INTJ has dominant Introverted Intuition (Ni), auxiliary Extraverted Thinking (Te), tertiary Introverted Feeling (Fi), and inferior Extraverted Sensing (Se). The INTP has dominant Introverted Thinking (Ti), auxiliary Extraverted Intuition (Ne), tertiary Introverted Sensing (Si), and inferior Extraverted Feeling (Fe).

In summary, their cognitive function stacks are as follows:
INTJ = Ni-Te-Fi-Se
INTP = Ti-Ne-Si-Fe

Why Does This Mistype Happen?

There are two main reasons why this mistype happens. (1) Some people struggle to differentiate Ni-Te from Ti-Ne. (2) Stereotypes. INTPs are often stereotyped as scattered, distractible, and incapable of achieving their goals. An INTP who does not struggle with discipline, and does not see themselves as disorganized, will likely struggle to identify with their correct type. In this article, I’m going to strive to focus on differences in cognition, and the way these differences might manifest in the external world, so that you can see past the misleading stereotypes. After you’ve read this article, if you feel like neither type is quite right or you relate to parts of both, I recommend considering ISTP or maybe even ISTJ, since both are halfway points between INTJ and INTP.

INTJ vs INTP: Similarities

First off, both types have an equal capacity for things like intelligence and strategy. These attributes are separate from personality type. In addition, you don’t have to be intelligent to be either of these types. Moving beyond these basic stereotypes though, both the INTJ and the INTP tend to be relatively blunt or insensitive toward emotions, due to devaluing them. I’m not trying to excuse rude behavior, or say that they can’t be nice people, but both the INTJ and the INTP will tend to struggle with taking emotions into account before speaking or acting. In addition, as intuitives, they’ll both be drawn to the abstract, whether that be possibilities or theorizing without a concrete reference point.

INTJ vs INTP: 10 Differences

Note: Bear in mind, that in this article I’m discussing INTJ vs INTP tendencies, not absolutes. In addition, focus on identifying your default tendencies. If you’re a mature adult, your weaknesses or imbalances may no longer be prevalent because you’ve learned to account for them or accommodate them. Try to remember what your natural leanings were. Those will be the most telling.

1. INTJs will struggle to be spontaneous, while INTPs will be more comfortable going with the flow

INTJs have inferior Se. They’ll be uncomfortable with acting on spur of the moment, without prior notice or a plan in place. Extraverted perceiving (Ne or Se) is what makes people drawn to spontaneity. Granted, as introverted types, INTPs (with their auxiliary Ne) won’t be extremely spontaneous, but they should be fairly comfortable adapting to change or an unanticipated occurrence. As a whole, they’ll be more flexible than the average INTJ. I’m not saying that an INTJ will never appear to be spontaneous, but context is going to matter. If they’re in their comfort zone, or relying on someone they trust, the “spontaneity” might not feel as “spontaneous” to them. Remember, sometimes, from the outside looking in, you can’t always tell if someone is truly being spontaneous, or if they’ve just planned out the activity well in advance to the point of it no longer seeming stressful.

2. INTJs naturally narrow down possibilities, while INTPs want to generate them

This is a key difference in distinguishing INTJ vs INTP. INTPs won’t be an endless well of ideas, since they aren’t Ne dominants, but they’ll still have a natural tendency to generate multiple ideas. This can mean being good at brainstorming, or producing multiple options when needed. While they’ll still be capable of choosing the best one, INTPs won’t want to close off their options, if they don’t have to, and they’ll probably enjoy speculating with people who do endlessly generate ideas and possibilities. On the other hand, INTJs may find themselves getting annoyed by people who are constantly pulling in new possibilities. They may see it as a distraction from the main focus. As dominant Ni users, INTJs want to condense everything down to a singular idea, not branch off into possibilities. They may see high Ne users as unfocused or distractible.

3. INTJs desire a structured environment, while INTPs tend to be more chaotic

INTJs aren’t always perfectly neat and tidy, like Te is often described. Nor are they always extremely disciplined. However, INTJs usually want whatever space is theirs to be calm and orderly. I’m phrasing it that way because they’re not necessarily going to care if your environment is orderly. However, they’ll want their home or their work desk (or whatever else is theirs) to be structured, so that they can do whatever it is that they do efficiently. INTPs, on the other hand, often appear more outwardly chaotic, or feel more comfortable in external disorder. It’s not that their space won’t be organized, per se, but their system of organization probably won’t make any external sense. It’ll make sense to them and no one else. In other words, INTJ order will usually look organized or structured, while INTP order might look random.

4. INTJs are results-oriented while INTPs are process-oriented

When speaking to an INTJ, you may find that they’re more interested in hearing IF something works, before understanding HOW it works. They’ll want to get briefed on the results before getting a detailed account of how those results were obtained. This is the result of their Te, since it’s thinking extraverted onto the world. They want to mitigate chaos, and maintain a sense of order. As a result, they tend to value things like efficiency and results.

In stark contrast, Ti users, like the INTP, are known for “reinventing the wheel” so to speak. They enjoy gaining an in depth understanding of the process, or exactly how something works. As a result, they may build something entirely (and unnecessarily, from a external standpoint) from scratch, when they simply could have to utilized a system or product already in existence. INTPs may even get caught up in fine-tuning and perfecting specific points of the process, preventing it from progressing forward. This process of reinventing the wheel is tied back to the way dominant Ti parses and understands information. In order to fully grasp and interact with information in the way they desire, they must assimilate it into their system of thought which often requires rebuilding it from the ground up.

5. INTJs form long term, future goals while INTPs see multiple potential options

INTJs often form long term goals for their future to work toward. Judgers often like things to be decided. So, INTJs will choose their course and steadily work toward it. This doesn’t have to mean a grand, earth-shattering plan, but they will often think many years in advance. On the other hand, while INTPs will obviously have to make life decisions, they’ll often prefer to keep their options open as much as possible. They’ll get energized by possibilities, and will probably enjoy thinking about the different paths their life could take. They’ll be less concerned with locking onto a singular end point, like the INTJ will. Remember, as perceivers, INTPs will enjoy the journey more, while sometimes INTJs will forget to enjoy the journey, since they’re looking forward to achieving a specific outcome.

6. INTJs may struggle to place words to their thoughts, while INTPs often find it easy to share their thought process

To clarify, when I say “easy”, I mean that they’re usually good at placing words to their thoughts (Si). The INTP may not feel like their explanation is adequate, resulting in over-explaining or retracing their steps many times. However, they’ll still be able to concretely explain what they’re thinking, even if they’re unsatisfied with the result. INTJs, with dominant Ni, are the opposite. Ni often reinterprets information in an abstract way, which can make producing concrete information difficult, at times. They’ll often pause or hesitate while attempting to gather their thoughts, if they need to share more than just a conclusion or a decision.

7. INTJs often fail to give enough context while INTPs often give too much context

This another key distinction in the INTJ vs INTP dilemma. Due to their struggle to place words to their thoughts, INTJs often fail to volunteer in depth explanations. They usually get straight to the point, resulting in an explanation that is either non-existent, vague, or light on the details. Listeners may often compelled to ask for further clarification, which the INTJ may or may not indulge. On the other hand, as mentioned in the previous point, INTPs are prone to over-explaining, or sharing too much context. Their Ne naturally connects a bunch of details together, so they may, in stark contrast to the INTJ, view a lot more information as relevant.

8. INTJs often use absolute wording, while INTPs struggle to state definites

INTJs won’t necessarily feel certain about everything, but they’ll often prefer to sound that way. This can make their wording come across as absolute or definite, especially in comparison to the INTPs, who like to stuff their sentences full of qualifiers (like maybe, probably, possibly, etc.) in order to avoid stating anything for certain.

9. INTJs are often aware of their personal feeling, while INTPs may feel disconnected from their feelings

INTJs have tertiary Fi. Fi connects them in to their own personal feelings. They often know exactly what they’re feeling, even if they devalue or ignore those feelings. In comparison, INTPs have inferior Fe, which focuses them on the external emotional environment. Their connection to self is via Ti, which from a feeling standpoint, is more impersonal or detached. As a result, INTPs often struggle with emotional delays. They may not feel anything in the moment, or if they do, they may fail to understand what they’re feeling.

10. INTJs often feel disconnected from emotional environment, while INTPs are sensitive to the emotional environment

An INTJ’s Fi can make them closely connected to themselves, but disconnected from the emotional environment. For instance, they may not understand the emotional ramifications of their actions. They may frustrate their loved ones by trying to solve problems the way they would want them solved, rather than recognizing what the other person actually wants or needs. However, on the positive side, being disconnected from the emotional environment can make it easier for them to ignore others and remain consistently true to their identity or feelings. (Tertiary Fi oftens gives INTJs a rigid and stubborn sense of self.) With all that being, INTJs won’t necessarily want to go around hurting others. They can certainly be caring and compassionate. This point is more about the fact that they may struggle to tune themselves into the external emotional environment.

In comparison, the inferior Fe in INTPs often gives them a secret desire for social acceptance. As an identity dominant, they often won’t want to drastically adapt themselves to fit in. However, they may find themselves overthinking insignificant social rules, or being hyper-conscious of the reactions of others. They’ll probably attempt to read the emotional environment, struggle to do so, and then feel inadequate. They may even have an underlying fear of hurting or dealing with others, due to being accidentally insensitive time and time again. They are often more insecure about their ability to navigate a social environment than they let on.