# The Gulf between INTJ and INTP



## PiT (May 6, 2017)

When I was a teenager, I typed as INTP on the MBTI. While my other percentages have been stable, I have moved from P to J over the years. In college I started typing as INTJ instead. I used to think this was down to natural changes in brain development, but looking at the cognitive functions it occurred to me that flipping between INTP (Ti/Ne) and INTJ (Ni/Te) may not actually be that likely and I may have just been mistyped.

I bring this up to ask: which explanation seems more feasible?


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## stathamspeacoat (Dec 10, 2016)

I believe the critical decision making parts of the brain stop developing around 25.


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## PiT (May 6, 2017)

stathamspeacoat said:


> I believe the critical decision making parts of the brain stop developing around 25.


And I was young enough at the time that my brain was still developing. At the same time, it seems a little improbable to me that the cognitive functions could flip in that fashion.


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## stathamspeacoat (Dec 10, 2016)

PiT said:


> And I was young enough at the time that my brain was still developing. At the same time, it seems a little improbable to me that the cognitive functions could flip in that fashion.


Yes, it is a pretty significant flip but I've seen some pretty significant shifts in type. I haven't done much reading on developing brain + personality type theory.

Curious if you could provide more context e.g. was it the same test, do you have a better understanding of theory, etc.


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## Shiver (Nov 10, 2016)

I've felt this way until recently as well. My original MBTI result was INTP and in fact the official test still scores me that way, if only a very small preference of P over J. My estimation is that my personal inclination to look at J and the higher scores on that end are natural results of learned behaviors used to adapt to adult responsibilities that I had far fewer of when I originally took the test. I'm a rather organized person compared to most other people I know, but I don't think it's at all impossible for an INTP to have developed habits in this fashion, especially considering most people are a hot mess.

I've also found it useful to look deeper into actual behavior and motivations. For example, while it's true I like to plan ahead with a certain structure, I usually do this in such a way that I am free to adapt from that plan as I see fit; I develop flexible frameworks to cover my necessities more so than I do for the comfort of the structure itself. In the end only you can truly "select" your type from what _you_ know, though what you read and hear from others may help you along that path.

Also...you might try looking at the types without the "functions" themselves, more in line with what it seems Isabel Myers describes in her texts.


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## Tamehagane (Sep 2, 2014)

Perhaps the move was not from P to J, but rather the development of Te rather than focusing on Ni?

But I agree with stathamspeacoat's above replies... for a clearer picture, you'd need to give more information about how you typed yourself in the first place.


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## Peter (Feb 27, 2010)

PiT said:


> When I was a teenager, I typed as INTP on the MBTI. While my other percentages have been stable, I have moved from P to J over the years. In college I started typing as INTJ instead. I used to think this was down to natural changes in brain development, but looking at the cognitive functions it occurred to me that flipping between INTP (Ti/Ne) and INTJ (Ni/Te) may not actually be that likely and I may have just been mistyped.
> 
> I bring this up to ask: which explanation seems more feasible?


You are correct, changing from P to J is unlikely because it involves totally different cognitive functions.

However, a shy INTJ can easily be mistyped for an INTP. It is often in college that people who are (somewhat) shy or simply try to stay not too visible while in highschool, start to become more secure once they are in college. It's there where a real focus happens on what really interests you. Also, in college you don't have the loud idiots that have totally different interests, around you anymore. There may still be loud idiots but they do share your interests. And thus there is more respect and less reason to hide.

MBTI tests focus on your behaviour. If you can't really behave totally natural, your answers to MBTI questions, though accurate, can give a wrong result. Especially in your teen years and early adulthood, you are in the process of learning who you really are but you can't always know well enough if your behaviour is just you or the result of your surroundings.


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## PiT (May 6, 2017)

I took the same version of the test each time, and I flipped in results before I really started trying to understand MBTI. I was really close between J/P for a long time, though the last time I took it my J percentage shot up.

Noting the above observation that these tests focus on behavior, I suspect that part of the reason for the change is that I have had to take on more responsibility in recent years, and my tendency to plan carefully really comes out when anything important is on the table. I have driven some people I need to work with on these issues crazy as I ask probing questions to help me plan for various hypothetical situations (some of them quite unlikely), so I am guessing INTJ is probably the accurate result for me.


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## martinkunev (Mar 23, 2017)

I don't think such change is that weird because it has also happened to me. In the past I was sometimes typed as INTP. In 2013 I typed 22% P. This year I typed 12% J.

I may have better understanding of my behavior now, but I am pretty sure my behavior has changed. I have started to value time more and try to use it efficiently. I am also at an age where I need to take responsibility and I know it's time to act and I cannot just ignore the world like I did before.

In terms of cognitive functions, I think I have developed both Ti, Ni to some extent. My Te is definitely more developed than Ne (which makes me more of an INTJ).


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

I think INTJ and INTP are worlds apart in how their mind operates, they use entirely different functions. It's more likely you didn't test correctly because of your lack of self-awareness at a young age, rather than that you changed types. Don't forget that MBTI tests rely on self-awareness since they ask very subjective and personal questions and it can get very confusing if you don't have enough experiences yet and also your answers could be affected by your psychological state, like anxiety, phobias, depression, but even milder things like peer pressure and the wish to be something you may not be (hence you may answer wrongly).


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## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

Red Panda said:


> I think INTJ and INTP are worlds apart in how their mind operates, they use entirely different functions. It's more likely you didn't test correctly because of your lack of self-awareness at a young age, rather than that you changed types. Don't forget that MBTI tests rely on self-awareness since they ask very subjective and personal questions and it can get very confusing if you don't have enough experiences yet and also your answers could be affected by your psychological state, like anxiety, phobias, depression, but even milder things like peer pressure and the wish to be something you may not be (hence you may answer wrongly).


I used to flip flop between ISTJ and INTJ for a lot of the reasons you mention... which makes about as much sense as INTP-INTJ flip-flop (or maybe even less, haha). I actually started getting the INTP result on occasion as I got older, I think maybe because I became less rigid in my thinking and was also exposed to a lot more Ti and Ne in college.


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## FriendlyXD (Feb 20, 2017)

Mis-typed is the most feasible explanation. Many factors can go into that. It can be the test, how much time you took on the test, stressors on life, etc., There is a lot of reasons. But there are other ways to find out for sure if you are unsure of what type you are.

In regards to cognitive function, identifying your true type involves how you process emotion, (a big difference for INTJ compared to all types, no tools to work with their own feelings until intentionally developed), how you process information about the world, how you conduct research and fill in frameworks or build up concepts from the ground up. And another big one besides emotion, how you debate


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## NipNip (Apr 16, 2015)

*Disappointed. I thought this thread was going to be a warfare against the INTJs...*

Also: 'changing' (type) is not part of the MBTI wordbook. To 'develop', on the other hand, is. And oh 'mistype' is on the frontpage, font size 16.


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