8 Types That Mistype as The INTJ

The INTJ is one of most desired personality types out there. They’re the masterminds, the brilliant strategists, the big picture thinkers, and so forth… Or at least the stereotypes say. As result, it’s extremely common for people to mistake themselves for this highly aggrandized personality type. Naturally, the result has been a prevalence in “fake” INTJs. Of course, it’s not necessarily being done on purpose, hence my desire to write this article. Below, I’m going to list off the most common personalities that mistype as the INTJ, give a brief overview as to why, and provide links under each section to further elaborate on the mistype. If you or someone you know is reconsidering being an INTJ, I hope this article can provide you some clarity, or guidance as to which path you need to explore next. I’ll make sure to include each type’s cognitive function stack in each section so that you can easily reference and compare it to the INTJ’s stack, in order to understand the differences that I’ll be explaining.

The INTJ (Ni-Te-Fi-Se) Mistypes

1. ISTJ (Si-Te-Fi-Ne)

The ISTJ is probably the most common personality type to mistype as the INTJ. Why? Because of the stereotypes. The INTJ is one of the most preferred types, and the ISTJ is one of the least preferred. It’s amazing how much one little letter can change things… but I digress. ISTJs are often (mistakenly) described as being rigid, stuck in the past, rule-followers with no minds of their own. They just do what works, try nothing new, and force everyone else to do the same. In contrast, INTJs or “The Mastermind” are described as innovative, strategic, analytical, abstract, original, independent, and constantly looking for ways to improve the world around them. The contrast is ridiculous. However, in spite of what people think, these types are actually remarkably similar. Unfortunately, so many ISTJs have been mislabeled as INTJs that many good characteristics that are really associated with Si/Ne have been misapplied to Ni/Se. The result is an ISTJ description that often only describes extreme or unhealthy ISTJs.

I could go on and on about this subject, but that’s not the point of this article. I’ll simply conclude by saying that ISTJs are just as capable of being brilliant, forward-thinking, independent, and innovative.

(To explore this mistype further, check out INXJ vs. ISXJ: Comparing Inferior Functions, 4 Reasons Why ISTJs Mistype As INTJs, 8 Differences Between ISTJs and INTJs, and 10 ISTJ Stereotypes.)

2. ENTJ (Te-Ni-Se-Fi)

It’s easy for ENTJs to mistype as INTJs, largely due to the stereotypes surrounding extraverts and the nature of Te. We’ve actually seen this happen multiple times. See, there is a misconception that all extraverts are social extraverts, and that extraverts don’t need alone time, instead seeking to surround themselves with friends at all times. Most of the personality type descriptions online have actually been written by introverts, so it’s no surprise that they mess this up. What people often fail to realize is that Te, along with most extraverted functions, is not specifically people-oriented. In fact, the feeling functions are what primarily focus on people and humanity based issues. While obviously EXTJs can be social extraverts, many EXTJs may actually view people as a hindrance when they’re trying to achieve their goals or complete tasks. They’re prone to accidentally stepping on people’s toes as they plow forward, which can make people relationships tricky for them. As a result, ENTJs often view themselves as introverted, and some may only seek to surround themselves with people when it’s useful or efficient to do so.

(To explore this mistype further, check out 7 Reasons Why EXTJs Type As Introverts, and XSTJ/XNTJ: Am I a Te dominant or auxiliary?)

3. ESTJ (Te-Si-Ne-Fi)

ESTJs are probably the most universally hated personality type, for varying reasons. This unfortunately causes people to avoid being labelled as this type, and as a result, many healthy ESTJs end up being categorized as other, more desirable personality types. The INTJ is one of them. You might find this odd but the reason is fairly simple. First, there’s the social extraversion confusion that I explained in the ENTJ section above. Second, there’s that tertiary Ne in their function stack. See, the tertiary function is interesting. It’s strong enough to be useful, and something we’re often very conscious of. Meaning, people can often feel the presence of their tertiary quite strongly. Therefore, ESTJs often consider themselves to be abstract. That Ne will make them want to explore and experiment with concepts and possibilities, along with possibly giving them a touch of that quirky Ne humor. However, they’ll also have the focus, drive, and ambition of a high Te user. So, naturally, abstraction plus ambition can lead them to land on INTJ.

(To explore this mistype further, check out 7 Reasons Why EXTJs Type As Introverts, and Tertiary Functions Part 2: Se/Si/Ne/Ni.)

4. INTP (Ti-Ne-Si-Fe)

INTPs and INTJs actually have no cognitive functions in common, yet INTPs often mistake themselves as INTJs, largely due to their self-perceptions, the stereotypes, and Ti’s innate ability to make just about anything make sense even when it shouldn’t. (No offense, Ti users, I’m one of you all too.) INTPs are often described as disorganized, or the nutty, scattered professor. However, they may not actually view themselves as being that chaotic or directionless, especially if they lack an IXTJ to compare themselves too. Since Ne is in the auxiliary position rather than the dominant, their Ti actually shouldn’t struggle as much to narrow down their ideas. In fact, they may actually be sufficiently organized and decisive to be productive and efficient human beings. (Gasp!) There is generally a lot of confusion regarding the differences between the intuition and thinking functions, so it’s easy for people to confuse which they have.

However, with all that being said, INTPs and INTJs are markedly different from each other, so these two types shouldn’t be as easy to mix-up as they seem to be.

(To explore this mistype further, check out 11 Differences Between Te and Ti Users, 7 Differences Between Ne and Ni Users, Am I an INTJ or an INTP?, and Ti vs Ni: Am I an NJ or a TP?)

5. ISTP (Ti-Se-Ni-Fe)

This one is similar to the INTP, but comes as a result of the ISTPs typically being a bit more focused or linear than the INTP. Se is interesting because it sometimes can seem similar to Te. Te focuses on real world results, while Se wants things to be tangible or actionable. So, you get an ISTP with a bit of ambition or drive, and you may find that the ISTP looks like an NTJ. The high thinking function may give them some harsher tendencies which can come off similar to an INTJ at times, especially in a work or high stakes environment. Typically, when ISTPs mistype as INTJs, you see one of two things happen. (1) They recognize their perceiving axis but can’t choose between ISTP or INTJ. (2) They are caught between INTP and INTJ, because they relate to aspects of both, but feel like they are an intuitive so never truly consider ISTP.

(To explore this mistype further, check out 11 Differences Between Te and Ti Users, Ti vs Ni: Am I an NJ or a TP?, and Comparing the Look-alikes: INTP vs. ISTP vs. INTJ.)

6. INFP (Fi-Ne-Si-Te)

You might be surprised to learn that this mistype happens. However, it’s because INFPs are quite capable of being rational, and goal-oriented, when in touch with that inferior Te. Fi will give them a mission, that Te will then step in to work towards. INFPs also can often be extremely private with their feelings, rather than being a traditional, openly expressive feeler. In addition, as an intuitive, they will relate to a lot of general intuition characteristic, like those of an INTJ. So, if the INFP is uncertain of the differences between Ne and Ni, and not an emotional basket-case like some stereotypes describe INFPs to be, it’s not hard to image how an INFP might see themselves as one of the INTJs, especially if they aren’t too keen on the various INFP stereotypes that are out there. Of course, this is all the healthy reasons for an INFP to INTJ mistype. When unhealthy, it happens because the INFP is jaded and cynical, falling into the trap that only thinkers can be this way.

(To explore this mistype further, check out 7 Differences Between Ne and Ni Users, 6 Fi Stereotypes, and The Functions In Each Position: Te-Fi/Fi-Te.)

7. ISFP (Fi-Se-Ni-Te)

This mistype happens when the individual has some cognitive function knowledge. Both the ISFP and the INTJ have the same exact functions, just in different orders. Some people are able to pin down exactly which functions they use, but can’t figure out which are higher or lower in their stack. Similarly to the INFP, this happens when the ISFP is fairly balanced. Perhaps culture or family influences helped encourage that lower Te to be developed sooner, thus balancing out the dominant Fi. Regardless of the cause, ISFPs who mistype as INTJ likely have a distaste for the overly emotional feeler stereotypes. When healthy, this mistype happens because the ISFP has good control over their emotions, is private and reserved, and views themselves as competent and rational. When unhealthy, it happens because the ISFP is jaded and cynical, falling into the trap that only thinkers can be this way.

(To explore this mistype further, check out Mistyping the ISFP, 7 ISFP Stereotypes, and The Functions In Each Position: Te-Fi/Fi-Te.)

8. INFJ (Ni-Fe-Ti-Se)

Last but not least, we have the INFJ. The INFJ and the INTJ have the same dominant and inferior functions, so this mistype makes a lot of sense. INFJs may recognize their Ni/Se, but actually feel like thinkers. See, the middle functions can actually be tricky to distinguish sometimes because, when healthy, they tend to work together in a synergistic fashion. This is why ISXPs feel like intuitives, EXFPs feel like thinkers, and so forth. We can often use that tertiary function decently well, and balance out our auxiliary function with it quite well. In other words, having middle feeling/thinking functions can allow someone to fairly easily switch between their thinking and feeling functions as needed, as the situations calls for it. Therefore, INFJs may feel like they’re INTJs.

(To explore this mistype further, check out ISXJ/INXJ: Am I a Te or Fe auxiliary?)

In Conclusion…

The bottom line here is that the INTJ has become a melting pot of types, so to speak ,which is why I had to list so many common mistypes in this article. With each mistype, it essentially took on the positive characteristics of that other type, becoming what is essentially an unrealistic ideal. INTJs are often described as being more adaptable then they actually are, more risk-taking then they actually are, and etc. They’re heralded as this brilliant, mastermind who’s bent on changing the world. However, in reality, the average INTJ is just an ordinary person, living an ordinary, subpar life, just like the rest of us.