INFJ VS INTP – Which One Are You?

Disclaimer: The MBTI is a personality inventory designed to roughly identify a person’s personality type, split into 16 categories. As such, it may be prone to not quite hitting the mark for everyone: so take it as a list of rough tendencies rather than strict classifications. This video/article’s primary intention is for providing entertainment and light-hearted content backed up by properly-vetted professional sources.

Introverted intuitive types comprise just 10% of the population, despite making up 25% of all the MBTI personality types. Take away around half of that fraction of a percentage, and we are left with just around 5% that make up the INFJ and INTP personality types.

In a normal environment, these types would be the reserved, insightful people far away from the middle of the crowd. These types also have traits that resemble intelligence, creativity, and perception. But not all is the same with these types.

Let’s take a look at five of the differences between the INFJ and INTP personality types!

1) Contemplative of One Idea vs Gatherer of Many Ideas 

Are you a brainstormer or a deep thinker? 

An INFJ’s mind functions with a preference towards exploring the depth of one idea rather than spreading themselves from one idea to the next. They draw their insights internally, wrangling with it until they are certain of the idea’s viability before moving on to the next idea.

An INTP’s mind tends to flutter from one idea to the next, touching base with multiple possibilities. They don’t hone in on an idea as deep as an INFJ would, but they thrive when seeing things at different angles. With their logically-attuned mind, these ideas tend to fall under scientific theories and philosophical reasoning more often than not.

2) Sensitive Vs Straightforward

Are you a sensitive speaker? Or were you ever told that you lack a filter?

An INFJ is an emphatic soul that values harmony among their peers. They possess a gentle, comforting sensitivity to the people they hang out with, making them reliable friends and advisors. They also have a genuine interest in people’s emotions and passions, not afraid to dive deep into emotional waters with their interlocutors. 

An INTP, on the other hand, cares little about niceties and how they come across. They are blunt, but it all stems from their desire to uphold rational thinking above all else. They are analytical, so much so that it may turn off others who are not as adapted to the straightforward manners of the INTP.

3) Absorb Information Vs Gather Information

Are you a person who enjoys reading down into one topic or move from project to project?

Just like how they ideate, INFJs absorb information in a convergent manner and develop one major insight. When an INFJ would go to a library, for example, they would stick with one book that deeply interests them and most likely read that book to its conclusion rather than move on to the next.

On the other hand, INTPs prefer taking in information from all angles rather than sticking to one. As they’re very inquisitive, they are knowledgeable in many subjects but are no contest to an INFJ in terms of a depth of a specific topic. In a library, the INTP would bring a horde of books to their table and skim through a couple of pages (or even multitask) before moving onto the next.

4) Act By Reason vs Act By Intuition

Do you have a reason behind your actions or do you just have a gut feel to doing the things you do?

INFJs have a dominant Ni function, which grants them intuitive insights and hunches that they independently manifest that are likely to happen. They wander the world intuitively, and while they may often find it hard to pinpoint exactly why pursuing something is good (or bad), they tend to be right in most cases.

INTPs see things more vividly by reasoning through them. They consult their internal, logical structure to base their actions around. Through this line of thought, the INTP’s logical framework allows them to pinpoint and articulate the reason why a certain thing is the way it is or why a course of action is a good or bad idea.

5) Organized Vs Sporadic

Look at your desk space: do you have organizers and stationary neatly stacked or are their messy papers scattered everywhere?

INFJs, as Judging types, don’t like things scattered around aimlessly. They enjoy having things neatly in order and would take some time in their day to make sure that their workspace or room is tidy. They are organized individuals, in both mind and in their external environment.

INTPs are less observant about their workspace. They don’t need as much order as the INFJ does, making them less keen in taking steps to clean their place. Their mental state reflects that too – sporadic and jumpy in nature. But it is during these exact moments where their intellect shines like a Eureka moment, making a dynamic that may seem odd for others but works perfectly fine for them.

Closing Thoughts

We hope you have learned the difference between the INFJ and the INTP! Do you know which one you resonate with the most? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

That’s all for now, Psych2Goers!

References

NerdyCreator. Aug 26, 2020. Am I an INFJ? (Part 5): The Difference Between INFJ and INTP. Retrieved at https://www.nerdycreator.com/blog/intp-vs-infj/

Dr. A.J. Drenth. Nd.  PersonalityJunkie. Retrieved at https://personalityjunkie.com/10/introverted-intuition-ni/

Storm, Susan. Sept 8, 2015. How Different Personality Types Use Intuition (Ne or Ni). Retrieved at https://www.psychologyjunkie.com/2015/09/08/what-type-of-intuitor-are-you-understanding-the-difference-between-extraverted-and-introverted-intuitio/

16personalities. ND. Strengths & Weaknesses Advocate (INFJ) Strengths.

Retrieved at https://www.16personalities.com/infj-strengths-and-weaknesses