Portrait of an ISTP

Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving

(Introverted Thinking with Extraverted Sensing)

As an ISTP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with

things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is external, where you take things

in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion.

ISTP's have a compelling drive to understand the way things work. They're good at

logical analysis, and like to use it on practical concerns. They typically have strong

powers of reasoning, although they're not interested in theories or concepts unless they

can see a practical application. They like to take things apart and see the way they work.

ISTP’s have an adventuresome spirit. They are attracted to motorcycles, airplanes, sky

diving, surfing, etc. They thrive on action, and are usually fearless. ISTP’s are fiercely

independent, needing to have the space to make their own decisions about their next step.

They do not believe in or follow rules and regulations, as this would prohibit their ability

to "do their own thing". Their sense of adventure and desire for constant action makes

ISTP’s prone to becoming bored rather quickly.

ISTP’s are loyal to their causes and beliefs, and are firm believers that people should be

treated with equity and fairness. Although they do not respect the rules of the "System",

they follow their own rules and guidelines for behavior faithfully. They will not take part

in something which violates their personal laws. ISTP’s are extremely loyal and faithful

to their "brothers".

ISTP’s like and need to spend time alone, because this is when they can sort things out in

their minds most clearly. They absorb large quantities of impersonal facts from the

external world, and sort through those facts, making judgments, when they are alone.

ISTP’s are action-oriented people. They like to be up and about, doing things. They are

not people to sit behind a desk all day and do long-range planning. Adaptable and

spontaneous, they respond to what is immediately before them. They usually have strong

technical skills, and can be effective technical leaders. They focus on details and practical

things. They have an excellent sense of expediency and grasp of the details which enables

them to make quick, effective decisions.

ISTP’s avoid making judgments based on personal values - they feel that judgments and

decisions should be made impartially, based on the fact. They are not naturally tuned in

to how they are affecting others. They do not pay attention to their own feelings, and

even distrust them and try to ignore them, because they have difficulty distinguishing

between emotional reactions and value judgments. This may be a problem area for many

ISTP’s.

An ISTP who is over-stressed may exhibit rash emotional outbursts of anger, or on the

other extreme may be overwhelmed by emotions and feelings which they feel compelled

to share with people (often inappropriately). An ISTP who is down on themselves will

foray into the world of value judgments - a place which is not natural for the ISTP - and

judge themselves by their inability to perform some task. They will then approach the

task in a grim emotional state, expecting the worst.

ISTP’s are excellent in a crisis situations. They're usually good athletes, and have very

good hand-eye coordination. They are good at following through with a project, and tying

up loose ends. They usually don't have much trouble with school, because they are

introverts who can think logically. They are usually patient individuals, although they

may be prone to occasional emotional outbursts due to their inattention to their own

feelings.

ISTP’s have a lot of natural ability which makes them good at many different kinds of

things. However, they are happiest when they are centered in action-oriented tasks which

require detailed logical analysis and technical skill. They take pride in their ability to take

the next correct step.

ISTP’s are optimistic, full of good cheer, loyal to their equals, uncomplicated in their

desires, generous, trusting and receptive people who want no part in confining

commitments.

Dominant: Introverted Thinking

Auxiliary: Extraverted Sensing

Tertiary: Introverted Intuition

Inferior: Extraverted Feeling

stifled or become intensely bored

to solve problems or discover how things work

dealing with it unless they see a practical application

practical problems

The ISTP is fortunate because they have the abilities to be good at many different kinds

of tasks. Their introverted and thinking preferences give them the ability to concentrate

and work through problems which leaves many doors open to them. However, to be

happiest, the ISTP needs to lead a lifestyle which offers a great deal of autonomy and

does not include much external enforcement of structure. ISTP’s will do best working for

themselves, or working in very flexible environments. Their natural interests lie towards

applying their excellent reasoning skills against known facts and data to discover

underlying structure, or solutions to practical questions.

ISTP’s are generally extremely capable individuals who are good at most things which

interest them. They are usually bright, interesting, and exciting individuals with a lot to

offer. They live almost entirely in the present moment, and usually do not make

commitments beyond the immediate foreseeable future. An ISTP probably coined the

phrase "nothing is unconditional". They strongly prefer to take things one day at a time,

rather than make long-term commitments. If a relationship interests them and satisfies

their needs, the ISTP will do their part on a daily basis to keep the relationship strong and

healthy. If they lose interest in a relationship, their natural tendency will be to move on.

People with the ISTP personality type are action-oriented thinkers. They are highly tuned

into their immediate environment, and driven to interact with it in a hands-on fashion. It

is by working with things in their environment that they experience and understand life.

By working physically with their environment, they have a natural and immediate

understanding of how things work, and how best to achieve their identified goals.

Although they constantly use logic to determine how to best manipulate objects in their

immediate situation, they are not naturally analytical in a more objective sense. When

they step back to methodically analyze the relationship between objects in their world,

they often lose touch with their understanding. Their understanding is intimately tied into

their physical experience with reality. It is immediate and holistic. They are naturally "insync"

with the physical world, and value life largely in terms of their ability to flow with

and conquer the physical challenges presented to them. Although they think about and

value past experiences, they live almost entirely in the here and now. ISTP’s are natural

mechanics, athletes, musicians, technicians, and engineers. They excel at tasks that

require a great deal of tactile mastery, as well as quick, logic-based action. ISTP’s are

most comfortable using their known skills, rather than being thrown into situations with

which they have no personal experience. The nuances of variation in each individual

situation will bring a sense of newness and freshness to the experience for the ISTP.

ISTP’s often resist and rebel situations that are entirely new, or that require a great deal

of structured planning and thinking. This way of thinking is foreign to the ISTP, and

therefore uncomfortable. When someone tries to push or control the ISTP into these

situations, he or she is likely to "walk away" from that person without looking back.

Their resistance to structure may cause them to quit school early, quit jobs that they find

stifling, or quit relationships that have too many expectations. ISTP’s are often likeable

and have more friends and social interaction than is normal for an Introvert. The ISTP

genuinely enjoys the company of their friends, and needs their input in his or her physical

world to maintain their understanding of their own place in the world. An ISTP's feeling

of success is dependent primarily upon their mastery of their physical world, but is also

dependent upon the existence of strong, reliable, interpersonal relationships. Without

these relationships, the ISTP is likely to avoid relationships, isolate him or herself, and

feel very vulnerable to rejection and hurt.

As an ISTP, 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 ISTP’s will recognize the following characteristics in themselves. They should

embrace and nourish these strengths:

environment. This ability allows them to be great athletes, dancers, and

musicians. They have an innately graceful connection with the physical world.

aesthetic appreciation. They appreciate beauty. If they are so inclined,

they may develop their ability to control the physical world into some form of art

expression, and become artists.

take in the current situation and apply logic immediately to take steps that control

the problem. Since the ISTP's use of logic is based on their personal experience,

their ability to troubleshoot will get better and better as they gain more

experience. For this reason, ISTP’s who are mechanics, technicians, and computer

analysts (for example) often achieve "guru" status after they have been working in

the field for a long time.

and attractive sensuality.

ISTP’s who have developed their Extraverted Sensing to the extent that they regularly

take in information in an objective fashion, rather than strictly to support their own way

of life, will enjoy these very special gifts:

accepted by most people.

support and enhance these relationships.

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 ISTP’s are due to their dominant

function of Introverted Thinking overtaking the personality to the point that all of the

other functions exist merely to serve the purposes of Introverted Thinking. In such cases,

an ISTP may show some or all of the following weaknesses in varying degrees:

comfortable to the ISTP.

understanding of the world. If there is a conflict between their own way of life

and something that they encounter, they don't perceive that "something" in an

objective sense. Rather, they reject it to avoid conflict and to preserve the sanctity

of their inner world.

life, and reject people who think or live differently.

trying to control them.

a meaningful way.

desirable and (to some degree) expected in an intimate relationship. If they are

aware of the kinds of things that are appropriate to say and do to foster emotional

bonding, they may be unable to appreciate the value of such actions. They may

feel too vulnerable to express themselves in this fashion, and so reject the entire

idea.

they may reject a relationship entirely.

situation.

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

degrees to the common ISTP problem of only taking in information that relates to or

supports their own life experience. The ISTP is driven to work with and understand his or

her world by applying their special brand of logic (an immediate, spatial, "fuzzy" logic)

to their physical experience. They don't necessarily have a goal in mind to achieve from

this process - it is the process itself that is rewarding to the ISTP. In their zeal for the

satisfaction that comes from mastering their physical environment in such a way, ISTP’s

often selectively choose to put themselves in situations in which they have the

opportunity to exercise these skills. That's certainly not a problem. Most personality types

choose to do the things that they're best at most often. Such is the nature of capitalizing

upon our strengths. The problem rears its ugly head when the goal of the ISTP becomes

to achieve their personal satisfaction at all costs.

It is healthy to choose your paths and goals in life so that they coincide with what you

find rewarding, and what you're really good at. However, it sometimes happens that we

take this approach a bit too far and sacrifice an accurate and objective understanding of

the world for a more narrow vision that is easier and comfortable for us to deal with. The

ISTP affects this problem when they stop taking in information in a truly objective sense,

and instead only take in information that supports their way of life.

The dominant function of the ISTP is Introverted Thinking. This function is supported

closely and importantly by the auxiliary function of Extraverted Sensing. Extraverted

Sensing perceives the world and sends information into the psyche, where it is processed

by Introverted Thinking. An ISTP who uses their Extraverted Sensing function in a

diminished way is one who chooses to restrict their environment to people and places that

support their favored activities. In such a way, the ISTP prevents his or her psyche from

having to consider data from differing viewpoints and lifestyles, and thus promotes a

lifestyle that allows them to frequently exercise and enhance their known tactile skills. It

serves their immediate needs, which are the primary focus of the ISTP. However, it also

promotes a lifestyle that is essentially self-centered and narrow in focus. It solves shortterm

problems, and creates long-term ones.

The ISTP's inferior (fourth) function is Extraverted Feeling. This means that the ISTP is

not naturally in tune with how other people are feeling, or with social expectations. In

fact, the ISTP is likely to reject the importance of social rituals, rules, and expectations.

This is a natural weak point for the ISTP, which no doubt causes strife to the ISTP and

their love partner. This weakness can be overcome by developing their Extraverted

Sensing to the point that they can perceive Feeling type expectations in the external

world. They don't have to use Extraverted Feeling to understand how to act in situations.

They can perceive the expected behavior from their Extraverted Sensing function.

However, if they are restricting their incoming data to only those things that support their

existing way of life, then they are not learning from Extraverted Sensing at all. They are

not growing their understanding of social and intimate behaviors - rather, they are

reducing the importance of this type of understanding to their own life. In these

situations, ISTP’s shy away from very close personal relationships, and feel more

vulnerable and less sure of themselves in situations that involve expressing their

emotions.

To grow as an individual, the ISTP needs to focus on taking in as much information as

possible through Extraverted Sensing. He or she needs to allow themselves to get into

situations that they aren't necessarily comfortable with, or that are different from the

situations that they would normally choose in life. The ISTP learns from experience, so

the best way for the ISTP to grow as a person is to open him or herself to new

experiences. Be aware of the tendency to want to run out and do something "new" that is

actually just a different opportunity to exercise a known skill. Your task, as a person

interested in personal growth, is to understand the world in a truly objective fashion,

rather than understanding how the world fits in with your way of life.

ISTP’s usually have a loyal group of friends that they fit in with and feel comfortable

with. The problems that ISTP’s have with regards to fitting into our world are not usually

related to platonic friendships. Usually, the ISTP has trouble finding and maintaining a

love relationship. The ISTP usually has very simple needs and expectations from their

mates, and they're surprised and confused to find that their mates have more complex

demands. They feel inadequate to meeting their mate's needs, and begin to get very

uncomfortable with the situation as they perceive that they are expected to do something

that it unknown to them. They back away from the relationship. Outside of a relationship,

they feel more unloved and unappreciated, but are afraid to commit to a relationship

because they fear rejection and hurt.

Don't expect yourself to be a master at the "touchy-feely" game. Be yourself, but

remember that there is a basic assumption of human decency that must be adhered to in

relationships. If you're not sure what that means, take special care to observe how people

in "good" committed relationships behave towards each other, so that you can determine

where the lines are drawn.

Pair yourself with an Extraverted Thinker (ESTJ or ENTJ) who is less likely to assume

that the lack of feedback is the same thing as negative feedback.

Expanding your world and experiences will expand your understanding of human

expectations. Try to figure out the personality type of people that you know and

encounter in your life.

Don't fear the unknown. You can handle it.

1. Feed Your Strengths! Realize your gift at mastering your physical environment,

and give yourself plenty of opportunities to exercise your abilities. Ride, play,

paint, work it. Much of your sense of well-being will come from these

experiences.

2. Face Your Weaknesses! Face your fear of the unknown, and get yourself into new

situations. Experience new activities and people with new perspectives. Don't

isolate yourself into a narrow and lonely existence.

3. Talk About Your Thoughts. Discussing your ideas and perceptions with others

will help you to develop your Extraverted Sensing, and thus your understanding

of the world. How well you use your auxiliary function is very important to your

overall health and happiness.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Love. That's just your old inferior function trying to convince

you that you're unloved and unlovable. It's not true. Just because you're not sure

what to do with yourself doesn't mean that you can't learn! Go on... jump in. The

water's warm.

5. Respect Your Need for Action. Understand that you need to be actively working

with your environment to be "in the groove" with life. Don't chastise yourself for

not being the sort to sit around and read a book or watch a movie. Choose a

partner and companions who value active lifestyles.

6. Recognize Social Principles. Realize that our society functions around some basic

social principles, and that our society would fail unless those principles are

recognized and upheld. In a democracy, people vote. At a red stoplight, people

stop. If people stopped voting because it wasn't important to their own way of life,

who would be in power? If people stopped stopping at red stop lights because it

didn't fit into their way of life, how could we drive safely? Your priorities and

beliefs are important, but you must recognize that the external world's agenda is

also important. Don't dismiss the importance of principles that don't affect your

life directly.

7. It's OK to Get Out of your Comfort Zone. Understand that the only way to grow is

to get outside of your comfort zone. If you're uncomfortable with an idea or

situation because you're not sure how to act, that's good! That's an opportunity for

growth.

8. Identify and Express Your Feelings. You may have a hard time figuring out

exactly how you feel about someone that you're involved with. It's important that

you do figure this out. Don't lead someone on with your ambivalence. If you

determine that you value the person, tell them so every time you think of it. This

is the best way to make them feel secure in your affections, and so to promote a

long-lasting relationship.

9. Be Aware of Others. Try to really identify where people are coming from. Their

ideas, thoughts and priorities are different from yours. They have something to

offer you. Try to identify their personality types.

10. Assume the Best. Don't distress yourself with fear and dark imaginings. Expect

the best, and the best will come.