Portrait of an ISTJ - Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging

(Introverted Sensing with Extraverted Thinking)

As an ISTJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in

via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is external, where

you deal with things rationally and logically.

ISTJ's are quiet and reserved individuals who are interested in security and peaceful

living. They have a strongly-felt internal sense of duty, which lends them a serious air

and the motivation to follow through on tasks. Organized and methodical in their

approach, they can generally succeed at any task which they undertake.

ISTJ’s are very loyal, faithful, and dependable. They place great importance on honesty

and integrity. They are "good citizens" who can be depended on to do the right thing for

their families and communities. While they generally take things very seriously, they also

usually have an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun - especially at family or

work-related gatherings.

ISTJ’s tend to believe in laws and traditions, and expect the same from others. They're

not comfortable with breaking laws or going against the rules. If they are able to see a

good reason for stepping outside of the established mode of doing things, the ISTJ will

support that effort. However, ISTJ’s more often tend to believe that things should be done

according to procedures and plans. If an ISTJ has not developed their Intuitive side

sufficiently, they may become overly obsessed with structure, and insist on doing

everything "by the book".

The ISTJ is extremely dependable on following through with things which he or she has

promised. For this reason, they sometimes get more and more work piled on them.

Because the ISTJ has such a strong sense of duty, they may have a difficult time saying

"no" when they are given more work than they can reasonably handle. For this reason, the

ISTJ often works long hours, and may be unwittingly taken advantage of.

The ISTJ will work for long periods of time and put tremendous amounts of energy into

doing any task which they see as important to fulfilling a goal. However, they will resist

putting energy into things which don't make sense to them, or for which they can't see a

practical application. They prefer to work alone, but work well in teams when the

situation demands it. They like to be accountable for their actions, and enjoy being in

positions of authority. The ISTJ has little use for theory or abstract thinking, unless the

practical application is clear.

ISTJ’s have tremendous respect for facts. They hold a tremendous store of facts within

themselves, which they have gathered through their Sensing preference. They may have

difficulty understanding a theory or idea which is different from their own perspective.

However, if they are shown the importance or relevance of the idea to someone who they

respect or care about, the idea becomes a fact, which the ISTJ will internalize and

support. Once the ISTJ supports a cause or idea, he or she will stop at no lengths to

ensure that they are doing their duty of giving support where support is needed.

The ISTJ is not naturally in tune with their own feelings and the feelings of others. They

may have difficulty picking up on emotional needs immediately, as they are presented.

Being perfectionists themselves, they have a tendency to take other people's efforts for

granted, like they take their own efforts for granted. They need to remember to pat people

on the back once in a while.

ISTJ’s are likely to be uncomfortable expressing affection and emotion to others.

However, their strong sense of duty and the ability to see what needs to be done in any

situation usually allows them to overcome their natural reservations, and they are usually

quite supporting and caring individuals with the people that they love. Once the ISTJ

realizes the emotional needs of those who are close to them, they put forth effort to meet

those needs.

The ISTJ is extremely faithful and loyal. Traditional and family-minded, they will put

forth great amounts of effort at making their homes and families running smoothly. They

are responsible parents, taking their parenting roles seriously. They are usually good and

generous providers to their families. They care deeply about those close to them,

although they usually are not comfortable with expressing their love. The ISTJ is likely to

express their affection through actions, rather than through words.

ISTJ’s have an excellent ability to take any task and define it, organize it, plan it, and

implement it through to completion. They are very hard workers, who do not allow

obstacles to get in the way of performing their duties. They do not usually give

themselves enough credit for their achievements, seeing their accomplishments simply as

the natural fulfillment of their obligations.

ISTJ’s usually have a great sense of space and function, and artistic appreciation. Their

homes are likely to be tastefully furnished and immaculately maintained. They are

acutely aware of their senses, and want to be in surroundings which fit their need for

structure, order, and beauty.

Under stress, ISTJ’s may fall into "catastrophe mode", where they see nothing but all of

the possibilities of what could go wrong. They will berate themselves for things which

they should have done differently, or duties which they failed to perform. They will lose

their ability to see things calmly and reasonably, and will depress themselves with their

visions of doom.

In general, the ISTJ has a tremendous amount of potential. Capable, logical, reasonable,

and effective individuals with a deeply driven desire to promote security and peaceful

living, the ISTJ has what it takes to be highly effective at achieving their chosen goals -

whatever they may be.

Dominant: Introverted Sensing

Auxiliary: Extraverted Thinking

Tertiary: Introverted Feeling

Inferior: Extraverted Intuition

they encounter in their lives

ISTJ’s have one character trait which puts them at a definite advantage in terms of career

success - Perseverance. An ISTJ can do almost anything that they have decided to do.

However, there are areas in which they will function more happily and naturally. An ISTJ

will do best in a career in which they can use their excellent organizational skills and

their powers of concentration to create order and structure. ISTJ’s seem to fit extremely

well into the Management and Executive layer of the corporate business world.

The ISTJ's word is as good as gold, and they honor their commitments faithfully. They

believe that to do otherwise would be nothing less than a breach of honor and

trustworthiness. Consequently, they take their vows very seriously, and once they have

said "I do", that means they are bound to the relationship until "death do us apart" or

otherwise. ISTJ’s are driven to fulfill their responsibilities and duties, and will do so with

tireless effort. They will do their best to meet the obligations presented by the different

relationship roles which they play during their lives, i.e. spouse, parent, offspring, etc.

They may have difficulty showing warmth, but they frequently feel it in abundance, and

most develop the ability to show it through sheer effort. If nothing else, the ISTJ holds

the gold medal of all the personality types for Effort. They will put forth tremendous

amounts of effort to accomplish goals which are important to them. If healthy

relationships are among these goals, you can bet that the ISTJ will do everything that they

can to foster and maintain healthy relationships.

People with the ISTJ personality type are serious, methodical, analytical, and hardworking.

They store knowledge gained from their experiences, and use this knowledge to

tackle new problems and ideas. They will work a problem through to its identified

conclusion. They work towards defined goals; their analytical objectivity gives them the

tendency to make goal-oriented decisions that are not waylaid by the concerns of

individuals. They're uncomfortable with ideas that are completely new to them, or that

are totally theoretical in nature. Since they have no direct experience with the new

concept, they have no tools for knowing how to deal with it or what to think about it.

They need to get the framework for a new concept before they're able to deal with it. An

experienced ISTJ is usually a very capable person, and makes an excellent manager.

ISTJ’s have great value for the "tried and true" approach, and are reluctant to adopt new

systems until direct experience proves the validity of the new system. They internalize

and value the rules and structure of the society in which they live, and disapprove of

behaviors that go against these rules. ISTJ’s highly value the cornerstone institutions of

society such as Family, Work, and Church. Their hard-working, dedicated nature is

especially well-suited for holding up such institutions. An ISTJ's feeling of success

depends upon being able to use their experience for the benefit of an institution, and also

upon the level of structure and lack of chaos in their life, and in the health and welfare of

their family or other social structure.

As an ISTJ, you have gifts that are specific to your personality type that aren't natural

strengths for other types. By recognizing your special gifts and encouraging their growth

and development, you will more readily see your place in the world, and be more content

with your role.

Nearly all ISTJ’s will recognize the following characteristics in themselves. They should

embrace and nourish these strengths:

to chunk through large amounts of routine work.

live with these ideals.

forth a great deal of effort towards something that they are interested in. This

persistence will help the ISTJ to achieve any identified goal.

than is true for many Introverts.

ISTJ’s who have developed their Extraverted Thinking will complement their interest in

their inner world of concrete data with an interest in the welfare of the rest of the world,

especially with regards to upholding social systems and traditions. These ISTJ’s enjoy

these very special gifts:

dedication and willingness to work hard to uphold standards themselves.

respect for individual differences.

general, rather than to satisfy their own interests.

strategizing. They will be able to brainstorm multiple possible solutions to

problems.

objective criteria, but the more they develop their Extraverted Thinking, the more

likely they will become able to use Introverted Feeling as a positive force rather

than strictly a negative one. This will allow them to understand a value judgment

that is based on personal perspective rather than social obligation.

With any gift of strength, there is an associated weakness. Without "bad", there would be

no "good". Without "difficult", there would be no "easy". We value our strengths, but we

often curse and ignore our weaknesses. To grow as a person and get what we want out of

life, we must not only capitalize upon our strengths, but also face our weaknesses and

deal with them. That means taking a hard look at our personality type's potential problem

areas.

Most of the weaker characteristics that are found in ISTJ’s are due to their dominant

Introverted Sensing function controlling the personality to the point that all other

functions are being used to defend Sensing demands, rather than for their more balanced

purposes. In such cases, an ISTJ may show some or all of the following weaknesses in

varying degrees:

understanding them

point that any deviation is completely unacceptable

Nearly all of the problematic characteristics described above can be attributed in various

degrees to the common ISTJ problem of Introverted Sensing overtaking the ISTJ's

personality to the point that all other functions become slaves to Introverted Sensing. A

more "whole" personality needs to have a good balance between its dominant and

auxiliary functions. For an ISTJ, the dominant Introverted Sensing needs to be wellsupported

by the auxiliary Extraverted Thinking function. If Extraverted Thinking exists

only to support the desires of Introverted Sensing, than neither function is being used to

its potential.

Introverted Sensing is a personality function that constantly gathers data and stores it in a

sort of informational database to be accessed at will in the future. As the dominant player

in a personality, it has the effect of constantly bombarding the psyche with facts to store.

As something new is perceived, it is added to the vast warehouse of Introverted Sensing

data. Introverted Sensing does not in itself analyze this data for meaning or connection--it

just takes it in as information. In order to sort through and make use of this information, a

judging function must be applied. It is the judging function that does the analysis and

ordering of the data.

When Introverted Sensing is too dominant, or Extraverted Thinking is not developed

sufficiently, we see the ISTJ using Extraverted Thinking to order the individual's world in

such a way that Introverted Sensing can reign without interference. This may include

dismissing the importance of relationships, or pushing away anything that threatens the

ISTJ's highly introverted way of life. In this manner, Extraverted Thinking is used against

the external world, rather than against the ISTJ's internal data. It is a defensive shield,

rather than a useful filter.

The better, more "whole" use of Extraverted Thinking for the ISTJ would be to use it to

order and evaluate its own rich store of data, and therefore generate useful solutions to

problems and efficient systems. Like all types, most ISTJ’s will show some signs of this

kind of weakness. This does not mean that they're hopelessly flawed. The real problems

occur when an ISTJ personality has become so imbalanced that its owner is extremely

selfish and unable to consider the importance or validity of anyone else's perspective.

To grow as an individual, the ISTJ needs to focus on applying their judgment against

information that they have gathered, rather than against single facts or ideas coming from

others. Before judging, put all new data into the context of existing facts. Working with

all of the facts at your disposal will greatly improve your ability to judge effectively, and

will reduce the likelihood that you will become offensively reactionary and isolationist.

An ISTJ who is concerned with personal growth will pay close attention to the subject of

there judgments, and their motivations for making judgments. Are they judging

something external to themselves, or are they judging something within the context of

their stored knowledge? Is the motivation for judging something to be able to understand

its usefulness in the world, or to dismiss it? Too often, an ISTJ will judge something

without properly understanding it, and with the intention of dismissing it. Seek first to

understand, then to judge.

People of all personality types sometimes experience problems dealing with specific

aspects of civilization and human interaction. For the ISTJ, problems are generally

associated with being unable to tolerate behaviors that go outside perceived norms, and

with not putting forth effort to meet others' emotional needs. These problems stem from

building up the importance of the ISTJ's inner world and diminishing the importance of

the external world. ISTJ’s who recognize that their knowledge and experience can be

enriched by the synergy of other people's knowledge and experience will find that they

can be committed to their internal worlds and still have satisfying relationships with

others. The key to accomplishing this is development of their highest extraverted

function, Extraverted Thinking.

An ISTJ who uses Extraverted Thinking to find fault externally rather than internally may

become so strongly opinionated that they form rigid and unreasonable expectations of

others. Their hyper-vigilant judgments about the rationality and competence of others

may be a very effective way of keeping themselves at an emotional distance from others.

This will preserve the sanctity of the ISTJ's inner world and lifestyle, but will reduce a lot

of valuable input, arrest the development of their social character, and stagnate the

development of the ISTJ's rich store of experiential data. In extreme cases the ISTJ may

find him or herself quite alone and lonely.

More commonly, the ISTJ will run into trouble when they try to order and structure the

outer world, rather than their inner world. Trying to structure people into a predefined,

acceptable system is problematic. The personality types who value the unique individual

will be offended by the apparent lack of respect for their person, and people with

personality types who follow social values will want to be honoring their own system,

rather then being forced to follow yours. Many people experience being controlled or

manipulated as a form of suppression, and resist it. Eventually, they may harbor serious

resentment against the suppressor.

Take care to listen to someone's idea entirely before you pass judgment on it. Ask

questions if necessary. Do whatever it takes to make sure that you understand the idea.

Try not to begin judging anything until you understand the details.

Try to identify the personality type of everyone you encounter frequently in your life.

Remember that Intuitives often have a wandering style of expression. Try to exhibit

tolerance for this.

Before you begin talking to another person, pause for a moment and look at that person.

Take in that person's attitude and feelings at that moment. Be aware of the person with

whom you are speaking.

1. Feed Your Strengths! Do things that allow your excellent organizational and

logical abilities to flourish. Explore the worlds of business management,

accounting, and medicine.

2. Face Your Weaknesses! See your weaknesses for what they are, and seek to

overcome them. Especially, strive to use your judgment against your internal store

of knowledge, rather than as a means of disregarding other people's ideas.

3. Talk Through Your Thoughts. You need to step through your vast amount of

information in order to put things into perspective. Give yourself appropriate time

to do this, and take advantage of discussing ideas with others. Some find that

externalizing your thoughts is a valuable exercise, as is expressing your ideas

clearly in writing.

4. Take in Everything. Don't dismiss ideas prematurely because you don't respect the

person generating the ideas, or because you think you already know it all. After

all, everybody has something to offer, and nobody knows everything. As Steven

Covey says, "Seek first to understand, and then to be understood."

5. Quench Your Desire to Control Others. Remember that most people do not want

to be controlled. Again, turn your controlling tendencies inwardly rather than

outwardly. You can only really control yourself.

6. Be Aware of Others. Take time to notice where others are coming from. What is

their personality type? How are they currently feeling?

7. Be Accountable for Yourself. Don't blame the problems in your life on other

people. Look inwardly for solutions.

8. Be Gentle in Your Expectations, and judge yourself at least as harshly as you

judge others.

9. Assume the Best. Don't distress yourself and others by dwelling on the dark side

of everything. Just as there is a positive charge for every negative charge, there is

a light side to every dark side. Remember that positive situations are created by

positive attitudes, and vice versa. Expect the best, and the best will come forward.

10. There is Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself. Sometimes it's necessary to take a risk to

initiate change. Don't be afraid to do so when that time comes. In most cases, the

obstacles and burdens standing in the way of your goal are not really there--they

just exist in your perspective. Change your perspective--change your life.