9 Signs You’re Not an INTP

In spite of myself, I’m actually trying to complete this “Signs You’re Not” series, so here’s the INTP edition. (Be sure to check out some of our other articles in this series, such as 8 Signs You’re Not an ENFP.) If you’ve noticed that some of these get a bit repetitive, it’s ultimately because we base all of our articles on the cognitive functions, so personality types with similar cognitive function placements will have similar signs (e.g. INTP and ISTP). Some people like to make types with, for instance, shared dominant functions, drastically different from one another, but that’s just not the type. An INTP and an ISTP will be similar, because both are Ti dominants, just like an INFP will be similar to an ISFP.

Anyways, as per all the previous articles in this series, Ryan and I tried to keep the individual point headers succinct and straightforward, but don’t mistake them for absolute tendencies. The reasoning under each point is the key. After all, cognitive functions define thoughts processes, not behaviors. Certainly, specific thoughts processes commonly lead to specific behaviors, but there are always exceptions given the wide variety of life experiences people can be influenced by. Therefore, be sure to read the explanations, and let me know if there are any anti-INTP signs that you look out for!

9 Signs You’re Not An INTP (Ti-Ne-Si-Fe)

1. You easily express your feelings

INTPs are inferior Fe users, which means that people with this personality types are somewhat detached from their emotions. This doesn’t mean that they don’t have emotions or feel them strongly, but they oftentimes devalue them as irrelevant data. As a result, INTPs see little value in spending time in their emotions, which leads to the disconnect. Now, keep in mind, that I’m not declaring all INTPs autistic or anything. INTPs have feelings, and can even be aware of them (although some won’t be), but someone who avoids their feelings or suppresses their feelings usually isn’t great at expressing them. As a result, these INTPs can struggle to be emotionally expressive when it comes to their personal or intimate emotions. Socially acceptable or neutral emotions (low level Fe stuff) might be easy for an INTP, such as laughing at a joke or returning a polite smile. (In other words, in spite of popular belief, they don’t all look and act like robots.) It’s specifically the emotions that run deeper, that mean something, that are the struggle. As a side note, since INTPs are devaluing their emotions, they also aren’t identifying with them. In other words, to INTPs, their emotions are not them or who they are. They’re an annoying nuisance that gets in the way logical thinking.

2. You don’t need to make sense of your emotions for them to be valid

As stated earlier, INTPs devalue their emotions, but I’ll take this a step farther and state that to a Ti dominant, like the INTP, their emotions usually start from a place of being invalid, or being assumed to be invalid. In other words, when they’re parsing their emotions, they have to go through a process to determine if the emotion is valid, and to be valid, it has to make sense. It has to have a valid source or cause, and a justifiable reason to be exercised or entertained. Emotions are not automatically valid in their own right. Feeling something doesn’t make it valid. It has to be checked and verified. As an INTP matures, this might change, but younger INTPs (under 30) will typically process and potentially discredit their emotions in this way. (This doesn’t mean they’ll never lash out emotionally – Any personality type can fall prey to that in the right circumstances. Once again, not robots.) Feelers typically work in the reverse. Emotions start out as valid, and then sometimes get discredited if the feeler realizes they’re being unfair or thinking irrationally.

3. You don’t typically enjoy discussing hypotheticals

INTPs, because of Ne, often love discussing hypotheticals. It could be something complex like the “Ship of Theseus” thought experiment, or something silly like “what if the moon were made of cheese” (although sometimes things can get a little too absurd for the INTP). Either way, these type enjoy discussing hypotheticals that may or not be directly connected or applicable to reality. The same applies to theory. Although, INTPs may not be open to all theoretical conversations, if they’ve already explored the subject or made up their mind. Now, many people make the mistake of assuming sensors will not be interested in discussing theory or anything abstract, which is why many sensors interested in personality theory mistype as intuitives. However, personality theory has real world value, and many other theories can to. An ISTP, for instance, is more than capable of discussing theory if there’s a practical or real world reason to do so. There’s typically a prerequisite “Why are we talking about this?” that needs to be addressed first (which for them grounds the conversation into reality). In contrast, INTPs often enjoy exploring theory for theory’s sake. They don’t need to ground it into reality to be interested. (Don’t mix this up with fantasy and fandoms – Every personality type enjoys discussing their favorite fictional world.)

4. You don’t appreciate a good pun war

In my experience, INTPs tend to enjoy a good pun war. We once a had a discord, and occasionally an INTP would start a pun war, so we’d ping the rest of the INTPs in. They never failed to jump in and participate. ISTPs commonly mistype as INTPs, and this is one of the signs in particular that I look for. ISTPs typically struggle a bit more to get involved in such things, and don’t find participating as enjoyable. They may enjoy watching it happen, but they’re usually not as good at embedding themselves into something like a pun war. It has to do with the Ne/Si vs Ni/Se connection to one’s mind. NPs (and even some SJs) tend to be good at making concrete word connections (like puns), whereas Ni/Se users tend to not be able to do that as automatically or naturally because their internal world is more abstract. (I could have included this point in some of the other “signs you’re not” NP articles, but it didn’t come to mind until I was drawing from my experience to write this INTP article.)

5. You’re often succinct and brief

Those on the Ne/Si axis (the NPs and the SJs) tend to pull in a lot of context or external connections into the things they say. It has to do with how Ne expands outward, making connections between ideas. As a result, INTPs tend give more context than necessary, and add a bunch of extra explanation in order to be thorough. NPs in particular also have a rambling tendency as they share all the connections that their mind is making. Naturally, if someone is uncomfortable, socially, they may clam up, and not say much. But someone who tends to be succinct and brief in their conversations and explanations even when comfortable will not typically be an NP type. Someone is more likely to want an INTP to get to the point, than they are to prompt the INTP for more context or information.

6. You’re a social chameleon

INTPs have inferior Fe, which makes Fe something they devalue and potentially struggle with. What this means practically is that INTPs won’t typically be good at being social chameleons. They’ll use Fe in simplistic ways, such as tracking the basic requirements for social conduct so that they can fly under the radar or track the potential ramifications for something they’re about to do. However, they’re won’t typically be good at adapting their image to other people’s expectations. Any social adjustments they make are usual pretty simplistic or minor. Someone who’s good at being a social chameleon usually has a Je (Fe or Te) function that’s higher than inferior, such as the ENTPs who have Fe in the tertiary position. Therefore, this is another one of the potential signs that someone is not an INTP.

7. You find it easy to trust and open up to other people

Granted, people don’t usually dump all their deepest, darkest thoughts on people the moment they meet them. But, inferior feelers, like the INTP, tend to have issues with allowing themselves to be vulnerable, and emotions are what make you vulnerable. This ties into the emotional disconnect issue from point one. As a result, INTPs are typically very private people, and it can take some time to break through that outer shell.

8. You fixate on self-expression

Everyone has some sense of self or identity. We actually have called the Introverted Judging functions (Ti and Fi) identity functions because having one of these functions up high tends to make the user prioritize their personal, subjective thought system over external, objective systems. In the IFPs, this can create a fixation on one being true to one’s feelings, and determining what they can derive personal, emotional value from. They then “personalize” their external self to demonstrate it to others. It’s all very “feelings forward”, and can lead to fixation on having a unique identity. Due to an ITPs devaluing of emotions, they don’t typically give the concept of identity much thought. Their fixation is on logical systems and establishing parameters or rules by which to make accurate judgements. Even when ITPs are artistic, they tend to approach it technically, like finding the rules for good art. When analyzing themselves, INTPs usually do it in a detached way. These types don’t typically fixate on self-expression, or determining what best portrays who they are to others. INTPs are more likely to want to fly under the radar, in that regard, keeping that stuff private. Ergo, one of the signs I look for in determining INTP vs. INFP is how much someone fixates on self-expression.

9. You try things out before figuring them out

INTPs are perceivers, which can make them spontaneous and adaptable, but they are also introverts with an auxiliary intuition function. What this means practically is that a lot of INTPs like to conceptually or mentally figure something out (at least to some degree) before they risk interacting with it. They want a certain level of preliminary understanding, whether via research or observation. Someone who just jumps right into something brand new, and figures it out as they go is more likely to be an extravert or an STP type.