ISTP Personality Type (Ti-Se)

What is an ISTP Personality Type?

ISTP stands for Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving. Originally, it was a term from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (or MBTI), which was developed by Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs. The Myers-Briggs theory (which many incorrectly refer to as just “MBTI”) originally labelled 16 personality types. Myers and Briggs drew their inspiration from Carl Jung’s theory of the cognitive functions. The 4-letter acronyms have now become commonplace within various offshoots or interpretations of Carl Jung’s original work.

ISTP Meaning

The ISTP personality type is Introverted, which does not necessarily mean that they are socially introverted, although many are. They will, however, be cognitive introverts. In Carl Jung’s description of the cognitive functions, Introversion simply means a focus on the subjective, or their own internal world.

The ISTP personality type values Sensing, which means they prioritize concrete information over abstract information. Being a Sensor does not mean the ISTP is incapable of being abstract, but rather they will lean more heavily on concrete information, viewing it as more reliable.

The ISTP personality type values Thinking, which does not mean they have no emotions or are unaffected by their emotions. Rather, they will have a natural focus on impersonal data, in an attempt to approach things in a way that they believe to be the most logical.

The ISTP personality type prioritizes Perceiving, which means they prefer a spontaneous and flexible lifestyle. Perceiver types are prone to feeling smothered by too much structure or organization.

ISTP at a Glance

ISTPs use systematic thinking to categorize and understand everything around them, including people. This is often what draws them to personality theory to begin with: a system within which to categorize and understand others. While they can be excitable and expressive, the majority of the time, they default to an aloof or emotionally-detached state. ISTPs are pragmatic, and grounded in reality. They often excel at quick thinking in the heat of the moment. ISTPs prefer to be hands-on, interacting with their environment directly. They are prone to impulsive action, and desire a variety of physical experiences.

Common Strengths (when healthy)

Analytical
Practical
Level-headed
Laid-back
Adaptable
Candid
Succinct

Common Weaknesses (when imbalanced)

Cold or distant
Excessively apathetic
Hypercritical
Reckless
Failure to think beyond the present
Overly reclusive or disconnected from society

Cognitive Functions of an ISTP

The cognitive functions for the ISTP personality type, in order, are Ti-Se-Ni-Fe. Below, we attempted to break down each cognitive function and practically explain how it will surface in an ISTP. Please realize however that everyone is unique, and the entire world cannot fit into 16 personality type boxes. Ergo, it’s unlikely that an ISTP will relate to or demonstrate every single quirk or trait mentioned below. However, an ISTP should relate to the underlying principle of each function, and most of what is described below. Exceptions may occur when the ISTP is stuck in a Ti-Ni loop or in the grip of Fe. These scenarios may be briefly mentioned in the description below, but this page is not specifically written with those scenarios in mind. With all that said, we hope you find this description useful for self-analysis or understanding the minds of others.

Dominant Function: Introverted Thinking (Ti)

The ISTP personality type leads with Introverted Thinking (Ti). Dominant Introverted Thinkers, like the ISTP, desire to make everything they see and experience in life fit logically into what they already know to be true. (Click here for a more in-depth description of Ti.) Their mind will be in a constant state of analysis, as they try to determine what makes sense and what doesn’t. Established facts will mean little to ISTPs, if they don’t seem to make sense. This personality type will naturally question any fact, regardless of how many authoritative sources have backed it, until they are able to make sense of it.

ISTPs will be among the personality types that call out inconsistencies in arguments and notice where something in a project isn’t quite fitting together right. In an argument or debate, they will focus on the logical nature of the argument, and they’ll probably make hesitant comments like “That doesn’t sound quite right” or “I guess that makes sense”. They won’t want to state an absolute, especially if they haven’t had time to properly analyze the point in question. Their tendency to not state absolutes is partially why they appear to be fairly open-minded. However, ISTPs do lead with a judging function, but unlike the Fi dominants, the ISTP will be judgemental toward someone’s logic rather than their morals or beliefs. Therefore, the focus of their judgements when they do surface will probably be more about calling out logical errors and inconsistencies within a belief or argument rather than emotion or value-focused.

ISTPs may have a hard time not thinking, and just letting their mind rest. (That’s not to say that all the ‘thinking’ will be constructive, but they’ll probably struggle to get their mind to ‘shut up’). It’s common for Ti users to enjoy puzzles and strategy games since it’s a natural way to exercise Ti. Since everything must be logical, strong Ti users, like the ISTP personality type, will struggle if a rule or regulation in place is not logical. They’ll likely ignore the rule if they judge it to be pointless or illogical. They also tend to be cynical as a result. They will NOT have a natural respect for authority. They’ll respect the person if he proves himself/herself with sound judgment calls. Bear in mind, they can learn to respect the authority of the office, but it won’t come naturally to them.

While Ti is an identity function like Fi, it is a different sort of identity function. While Fi users focus on self-exploration and learning how to define themselves, high Ti users tend to not give identity, in the classic sense, any thought. They typically don’t find doing so to be important or necessary. In other words, those with the ISTP personality type have a strong sense of self that is overall undefined. They just do what they do, and strive to keep their actions consistent with their logic.

Auxiliary Function: Extraverted Sensing (Se)

The ISTP personality type has Extraverted Sensing (Se) as their second, or auxiliary, function. ISTPs will tend to appear casual and laid back, as most Extraverted Perceivers do. Se will drive an ISTP to desire physical sensory experiences and enjoy the here and now. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll act on every desire, but the desire will be there and any daydreams they have will likely be based on these desires. Se combined with Ti will often surface as a desire to take things apart and put them back together again, as a way to learn and understand how things work. ISTPs will be hands-on, not interested in theoretical learning, but rather interested in learning something practical or tangible. They may latch onto something theoretical, but it will be because they have seen a real life value in it. For instance, personality theory can be useful for analyzing people in real life. Learning purely for the sake of learning will seem pointless to them. This hands-on nature will also show up in their teaching style. They won’t be interested in giving long-winded or theoretical lectures, but rather demonstrating a task or real life application of a subject. They’ll want to make their students learn through hands-on experience, if possible.

It is important to note that even though ISTPs are sensors, they may not have incredibly detailed memories since that is more of an Si trait. Instead, those with this personality type will be scanning their environment and taking in the details real time (whether consciously or subconsciously) for the purposing of responding to whatever their senses detect. An ISTP may be driven to toward sports and outdoor activities as an outlet for their Se. However, there many other ways to exercise Se, such as cooking or painting. You don’t have to be a naturally talented athlete or sky dive out of plane miles up in the air to prove that you’re an ISTP.

In social scenarios, those with this personality type probably won’t be interested in just sitting around and talking when spending time with friends. Instead, they’ll want to do something, whether it be something physical, or a game, and just going and seeing a movie. They’ll prefer socializing through a shared activity, rather then just socializing for the sake of socializing. This is because conversations with ISTPs will be more sparked by observations of what they see around them or something they are doing. A shared activity will make socializing easier. Conversations with ISTPs will also be relatively linear and easy to follow. Their humor will probably be situational or physical, like a prank.

Tertiary Function: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

The ISTP personality type has Introverted Intuition (Ni) as their third, or tertiary, function. This is the infamous hunch or gut instinct that descriptions like to attribute to all intuitives. In reality, this trait is more specific to Ni users, although everyone can get hunches to some degree. ISTPs, especially as they get older, will likely experience these, but may be uncertain as to whether or not to pay the instinct any mind. After all, Ni will be a relatively weak function for them. In addition to this, Ni (since it is abstract information) will often cause them to struggle with placing words to their thoughts, which will give them a preference for speaking through actions and keeping their statements brief.

Positive use of Ni will give ISTPs a glance into the future, allowing them to foresee how an event may play out or picture where they want to go in life and how to get there. It will also help them to be mindful of their future and not allow their focus on the here and now (Se) to destroy that future. However, negative or weak Ni will cause ISTPs to either ignore the future in favor of the present, or be overly concerned and afraid of the future, afraid that they’ll never achieve their dreams or that some event won’t end well. This can cause them to become overly pessimistic and possibly frozen in the present, afraid to act or move forward with their life. It could also result in them completely ignoring their Ni, and overindulging their Se.

Inferior Function: Extraverted Feeling (Fe)

Lastly, the ISTP personality type has Extraverted Feeling (Fe) as their fourth, or inferior, function. Inferior Fe will surface in a few different ways, a major one being a fear or general insecurity that they will be incapable fitting in with those around them and rejected as a result. Those with this personality type may fear that they will never be truly accepted as a part of the group, resulting in them remaining aloof and separate from others. They will struggle to understand and adhere to the social rules around them, and may occasionally obsess over small, minor things like dress code.

Since Fe tends to call attention to the emotions of others, having inferior Fe as one’s only feeling function will also cause an ISTP to not be very aware of their own feelings. ISTPs will process emotions on a delay, and probably won’t realize how something makes them feel until a while after the situation has passed. Inferior Fe may also cause them to have an extreme and unnecessary emotional outbreak in response to something that they’ve been bottling up for a long time. It may also cause them to silently worry about how others might view them, and cause them to fear that what they might say will hurt or offend someone. They will have an awareness for other’s emotions, but won’t really trust their ability to analyze them. They might find themselves accidentally offending people and then realizing it after the fact. Particularly troublesome inferior Fe may cause the Ti Dominant to freeze in a social situation in which they are unsure what reaction is appropriate or if they fear they may be misreading the situation.

If an ISTP has suppressed their inferior Fe, due to it’s troublesome nature, the resulting ISTP personality will be one that completely disregards others and lacks all signs of empathy or feeling.

ISTP Careers and Job Ideas

At Practical Typing, we hesitate to list specific careers, because each person is far more than their personality type. Cognitive functions do not determine skills, only cognitive preferences. However, there will be certain aspects within a given career field that play better to an ISTP’s strengths. For instance, ISTPs typically excel at jobs that are analytical or technical in nature. ISTPs enjoy the opportunity to specialize in a particular field, and gain a wealth of knowledge and skills in that specific arena. They will enjoy the ability to apply their knowledge in the real world, and test out their skills in a live setting. While many appreciate the opportunity to think and solve problems on their feet, they will not appreciate being completely blindsided. They can be prone to boredom, especially if the job includes a large amount of tedious tasks. As emotionally detached people, ISTPs will likely struggle with a career that relies too heavily on interpersonal skills and forming personal connections with others.

ISTP Relationships and Compatibility

ISTPs bring a sense of realism and rationality to their relationships. They often prefer a partner who challenges them on an intellectual level. ISTPs are highly independent, and need to be given the space to pursue their interests. However, they also enjoy sharing some of those interests with their loved ones, as a means of connecting and bonding. They often struggle to express their feelings, and as a result, will prefer to use physical activity as a way to make communication easier or to express themselves without words.