Conversations with Conceptualizer Directors (INTJs)

What’s it like to be you?
I often feel I am missing something, that I have a perspective or viewpoint that isn’t widely shared and that I am decades ahead of my time, maybe more. It’s like being caught in a time warp.

I tend to be someone who looks at all the what-ifs, thinking way ahead with a vision of things and anticipating. I’m always interested in extending myself into areas I don’t do well in. I’m a good problem solver from that perspective. I like to go through anything I can think of before I act—the implications, what others have tried before and their effect, my options and their consequences, who to mobilize and in what time frame. I like coming up with new ideas about how to approach a situation until I find a solution that feels right. And I like to think that solution will be something that works for everyone. I experience problems as challenges, not as things that can’t be dealt with or accomplished. Challenges can always be dealt with.

I am naturally organized, structured, and analytical. If a project enters my mind it immediately assumes the form of its pieces, its basic structure, and what order—first, next, last—it will take to get it done. This isn’t something I do, it happens instantaneously without effort. Issues are multifaceted and I try to think from different perspectives, not only my perspectives but others’ too. And I’ve found it’s good to gather as many facts as I can. Sometimes there is a piece that needs to be thrown out, or maybe it’s the seed of another project.

I won’t do something if I feel I can’t do it well. I prefer trying something, then critique after the fact. I will integrate the experience and never make the same mistakes again. I am satisfied when things work well, and I like to improve people’s lives by reorganizing and introducing things in an understandable way that is explicit and clear and makes sense. Then someone else can come in and take over. I set very high standards for myself, and I believe it is possible to be competent at anything and everything I set my mind to.

I keep myself very private; that’s a part of who I am. I keep people at arm’s length. They have to gain my trust and interest. People are curious about me, I think, but only the brave try to figure me out. I feel very serious, but some I meet I just like a lot, and I can be spontaneously playful. I have a sensitivity to people and can feel warm with them, although many perceive me as intimidating, aloof or annoyed, or incredibly calm and competent about everything. People say I ask them good questions, not to make the decision for them, but to help them think through things. I look for systems that will make things better, and I am very much a person who seeks fairness and equality. People are very important, and I want to help them develop the skills they need to get on in life, whatever that means for each one of them.

There’s always something to occupy my mind or attention. I must be using my mind in a purposefully creative way, pushing the envelope with the most creatively challenging thing I can do, being the originator of a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist yet. It’s a complex world, and I believe we each should develop as complex an inner life as possible with the facility to react or initiate in a wide variety of ways. The more successful one is at actively developing all of that and having access to that, the better things can be. If something really interests me I have an incredible ability to stick with it—even though I have a larger perspective, I can be very focused and zero in on a point. I have always seen the world at many levels.



Autonomy is important, to be respected for my own thoughts and feelings, ideas and creativity. I am turned off when people try to discredit my ideas or don’t listen before they even understand, or when people don’t try to do the best they can or fight against progress. And if the emotional piece is not well managed in my life, or not compartmentalized, work is very difficult. Chitchat is tedious. I don’t know what to say, and I figure the other person isn’t actually interested in me anyway.

Over time I have built a world-view, like constructing a map of the cosmos, and from this, essentially everything is understandable and anything is possible. All the things I’ve done, have been self-taught by picking up on or asking myself good, clear, penetrating questions to expose and articulate the hidden structures that underlie the experience of living.

If this has been provided already, please let me know.

[Source]

And there's me thinking, I'd like to know more about this Grey girl, she seems interesting, now I feel I've had a good insight into your mind. Mwahahaha!

Don't worry, you'll get some insight now, too even though that isn't the intention of this post is it? But nobody else is posting so ah well, what can you do? (well....you could remove it because you're a director right? xD)


Okay so, what's it like to be me? (Since I love talking about myself this won't be hard lol)

First of all there's a lot we have in common. We're similiar in a lot of ways.

I tend to be someone who looks at all the what-ifs, thinking way ahead with a vision of things and anticipating

Me, too.

I’m always interested in extending myself into areas I don’t do well in

Same, I like to go into areas where I'm inexperienced, it's more exciting to go in not knowing much. Like if I wanted to learn a new sport and I tried it out and I wasn't very good at it, I'd have to come back and try again and learn everything and never repeat the last mistakes I made again. But at the same time I like to keep mastering a skill I have an finding out where I need to improve so I can truly master it. I like critisism for that, for knowing my weaknesses and that's something I've noticed about myself. I have to know my every weakness to improve on them and I'm very aware of them.

I like to go through anything I can think of before I act—the implications, what others have tried before and their effect, my options and their consequences, who to mobilize and in what time frame. I like coming up with new ideas about how to approach a situation until I find a solution that feels right. And I like to think that solution will be something that works for everyone. I experience problems as challenges, not as things that can’t be dealt with or accomplished. Challenges can always be dealt with.

That attitude makes for a perfect scientist

I am naturally organized, structured, and analytical. If a project enters my mind it immediately assumes the form of its pieces, its basic structure, and what order—first, next, last—it will take to get it done. This isn’t something I do, it happens instantaneously without effort. Issues are multifaceted and I try to think from different perspectives, not only my perspectives but others’ too. And I’ve found it’s good to gather as many facts as I can. Sometimes there is a piece that needs to be thrown out, or maybe it’s the seed of another project.

I can relate to this paragraph, too and I do this too. You just worded it well when I never tried to before thank you.

I set very high standards for myself, and I believe it is possible to be competent at anything and everything I set my mind to.

I do set high standards for myself but I wish I had your determination and attitude.

although many perceive me as intimidating, aloof or annoyed, or incredibly calm and competent about everything

I keep myself very private; that’s a part of who I am. I keep people at arm’s length. They have to gain my trust and interest. People are curious about me, I think, but only the brave try to figure me out.

Same with me. But I'm not generally friendly towards those brave, and I think people are only curious about me because I'm really different, maybe there not so positively curious, which scares me sometimes and makes me more inward. I hate nosy people though and I won't even share something simple like what bands I like with people who don't interest me and people don't interest me often if I think someone is generally interested I might share a few things. I also don't talk much at all so they probably don't learn much about me from that either.

and I like to improve people’s lives by reorganizing and introducing things in an understandable way that is explicit and clear and makes sense. Then someone else can come in and take over.

People say I ask them good questions, not to make the decision for them, but to help them think through things. I look for systems that will make things better, and I am very much a person who seeks fairness and equality. People are very important, and I want to help them develop the skills they need to get on in life, whatever that means for each one of them.

I wish I wanted to help out with people as much as you do though. You'd be really good at phychology.

There’s always something to occupy my mind or attention. I must be using my mind in a purposefully creative way

I don't like giving my mind a rest either, I always have to be using it usefully and I don't even allow it to zone out. Which is enjoyable but when my head's fried I let my mind wander to whever it ends up, which is never a good thing because then I just get horny. And we all know that's never productive, not in my case anyway

If something really interests me I have an incredible ability to stick with it

I admire and envy that. Sometimes that happens with me, but I go through obsessions quite quickly and I'll have to be really interested to stick with them.

Autonomy is important, to be respected for my own thoughts and feelings, ideas and creativity. I am turned off when people try to discredit my ideas or don’t listen before they even understand, or when people don’t try to do the best they can or fight against progress. And if the emotional piece is not well managed in my life, or not compartmentalized, work is very difficult. Chitchat is tedious. I don’t know what to say, and I figure the other person isn’t actually interested in me anyway.

Same here, with this whole paragraph.

Over time I have built a world-view, like constructing a map of the cosmos, and from this, essentially everything is understandable and anything is possible. All the things I’ve done, have been self-taught by picking up on or asking myself good, clear, penetrating questions to expose and articulate the hidden structures that underlie the experience of living.

I bet your brain looks really cool

Although I do agree with the ideas of this posting, I think it may be good for you to know that this is a copy from another site, not my own thoughts. Otherwise, it would not be stickied.

Originally Posted by Grey

Although I do agree with the ideas of this posting, I think it may be good for you to know that this is a copy from another site, not my own thoughts. Otherwise, it would not be stickied.

So I'm not going to be getting to know you anytime soon then? lol oj

What's sticky? That's when it goes green. I know that much lol.

A Sticky is essentially a topic judged to be useful enough that it's placed at the top of the sub-section of the forum, keeping its position fixed regardless of newly updated topics.

Originally Posted by Grey

What’s it like to be you?
I often feel I am missing something, that I have a perspective or viewpoint that isn’t widely shared and that I am decades ahead of my time, maybe more. It’s like being caught in a time warp.

I tend to be someone who looks at all the what-ifs, thinking way ahead with a vision of things and anticipating. I’m always interested in extending myself into areas I don’t do well in. I’m a good problem solver from that perspective. I like to go through anything I can think of before I act—the implications, what others have tried before and their effect, my options and their consequences, who to mobilize and in what time frame. I like coming up with new ideas about how to approach a situation until I find a solution that feels right. And I like to think that solution will be something that works for everyone. I experience problems as challenges, not as things that can’t be dealt with or accomplished. Challenges can always be dealt with.

I am naturally organized, structured, and analytical. If a project enters my mind it immediately assumes the form of its pieces, its basic structure, and what order—first, next, last—it will take to get it done. This isn’t something I do, it happens instantaneously without effort. Issues are multifaceted and I try to think from different perspectives, not only my perspectives but others’ too. And I’ve found it’s good to gather as many facts as I can. Sometimes there is a piece that needs to be thrown out, or maybe it’s the seed of another project.

I won’t do something if I feel I can’t do it well. I prefer trying something, then critique after the fact. I will integrate the experience and never make the same mistakes again. I am satisfied when things work well, and I like to improve people’s lives by reorganizing and introducing things in an understandable way that is explicit and clear and makes sense. Then someone else can come in and take over. I set very high standards for myself, and I believe it is possible to be competent at anything and everything I set my mind to.

I keep myself very private; that’s a part of who I am. I keep people at arm’s length. They have to gain my trust and interest. People are curious about me, I think, but only the brave try to figure me out. I feel very serious, but some I meet I just like a lot, and I can be spontaneously playful. I have a sensitivity to people and can feel warm with them, although many perceive me as intimidating, aloof or annoyed, or incredibly calm and competent about everything. People say I ask them good questions, not to make the decision for them, but to help them think through things. I look for systems that will make things better, and I am very much a person who seeks fairness and equality. People are very important, and I want to help them develop the skills they need to get on in life, whatever that means for each one of them.

There’s always something to occupy my mind or attention. I must be using my mind in a purposefully creative way, pushing the envelope with the most creatively challenging thing I can do, being the originator of a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist yet. It’s a complex world, and I believe we each should develop as complex an inner life as possible with the facility to react or initiate in a wide variety of ways. The more successful one is at actively developing all of that and having access to that, the better things can be. If something really interests me I have an incredible ability to stick with it—even though I have a larger perspective, I can be very focused and zero in on a point. I have always seen the world at many levels.

Autonomy is important, to be respected for my own thoughts and feelings, ideas and creativity. I am turned off when people try to discredit my ideas or don’t listen before they even understand, or when people don’t try to do the best they can or fight against progress. And if the emotional piece is not well managed in my life, or not compartmentalized, work is very difficult. Chitchat is tedious. I don’t know what to say, and I figure the other person isn’t actually interested in me anyway.

Over time I have built a world-view, like constructing a map of the cosmos, and from this, essentially everything is understandable and anything is possible. All the things I’ve done, have been self-taught by picking up on or asking myself good, clear, penetrating questions to expose and articulate the hidden structures that underlie the experience of living.

If this has been provided already, please let me know.

[Source]

For anyone interested, I thought I'd add another INTJ endorsement to this paragraph, particularly the highlighted parts. After looking at this I realize that I highlighted a great portion, but I suppose that is a clear testament to the accuracy of the information.

Sigh. I thought I was alone in my weirdness, only to discover that there's more of us out there!! I agree- anything can be done if work is put into it. I get annoyed by back- riders and illogical, over- emotional arguements.