# What's the difference between INTP and INTJ?



## KWODG (Jul 10, 2018)

And how can you find if a person is an INTP or INTJ?


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## Kiwizoom (Jul 7, 2012)

There is a big difference. INTP like grey area and feeling out all the options and tend to have lots of branching thoughts all at once and and and. INTJ like black and white and and speaking and doing resolutely.

Both mostly live online


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## KWODG (Jul 10, 2018)

Thanks for the details. Would you like to tell me the difference in behaviours please? How to find if a person is an INTP or an INTJ?


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## NoWayOut (Jul 17, 2013)

I know it's just 1 letter that separates us from INTJ, but trust me when I say that we're _very different_ people. TiNeSiFe (INTP) vs NiTeFiSe (INTJ) means that we don't have a single cognitive function in common. If it's just between those two, you should be able to at least identify a preference for one or two functions, and there you go. That's your answer then.

Just observe and think about what functions are being used based on behavioural patterns in certain situations. I don't think there's the ultimate INTP/INTJ acts this/that way type of answer to this. Depending on your knowledge of the functions and the quality of your observations under specific circumstances, you can probably make some good educated guesses though.


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## spidelwoman (Sep 1, 2018)

Wow, I'm surprised more people didn't respond to this. There are a few practical ways to tell apart an INTJ and INTP. Keep in mind NONE of these clues is fool-proof. If you are skeptical and want to hear my reasoning, just ask, I didn't want to overload you. 

An INTP is more likely to laugh during a kind-of serious business meeting, hold eye contact, nod while listening to someone talking. An INTP may look a little less polished than an INTJ - slightly more disheveled hair, stained or wrinkled shirt, shoes don't totally match. 

An INTJ might be a little more efficient in work, less in bursts of inspiration. They may be more serious in meetings. It could be argued they are even less physically aware than an INTP since their greatest weakness is Sensing. It's almost like their environment is the last thing on their minds. It could also be argued INTJs are more sensitive and take their own feelings more seriously, though that would be very hard to tell at first.


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## Cobble (Dec 6, 2016)

"Does this person lean towards _Moral judgement_, or does s.he avoid it as much as possible ?"


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## contradictionary (Apr 1, 2018)

Kiwizoom said:


> Both mostly live online


This is acceptable.



Kiwizoom said:


> There is a big difference. INTP like grey area and feeling out all the options and tend to have lots of branching thoughts all at once and and and. INTJ like black and white and and speaking and doing resolutely.


Really. Ni is a perceiving function, not to mention it is dominant. INTJ is actually receptive to ideas, the N has it, it relates to Openness in Big 5. At least at some point from the initial start until the time has come for them to judge, and be assertive on their judgement. :skeleton:

I found this article explain rather concisely:

https://personalityjunkie.com/08/intj-vs-intp-type-differences


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## Liove (Sep 16, 2017)

Kiwizoom said:


> INTP like grey area and feeling out all the options and tend to have lots of branching thoughts all at once and and and.
> 
> *INTJ like black and white and and speaking and doing resolutely.*


Not true.

My thoughts, words, and actions only appear black and white, but in reality they are in degrees and shades of grey. I only make conclusions once I've gained enough confidence that they are highly accurate, a very dark shade of grey that appears black or a very light shade of grey that appears white. I still privately hold and allow the tiniest margin of error in my conclusions, a drop of black in a bucket of white, a drop of white in a bucket of black. And whenever that margin of error does manifest is one of the few times I'm genuinely bewildered.


Someone please explain how INTPs think in grey. I always thought it was them who think in black and white.


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## NoWayOut (Jul 17, 2013)

Liove said:


> Someone please explain how INTPs think in grey. I always thought it was them who think in black and white.


Usually in life, we don't have enough information about pretty much anything. Ti is absolutely fine with allowing multiple (at times even contradictory) conclusions to coexist, as long as they don't contradict themselves or what I think I know to be true. Add Ne into the mix, which is constantly "creating" possibilities, and you'll get countless valid conclusions, all of which I only order by how likely I think it is for them to be true. Of course, internally I will always favor the one(s) topping that list, but my worldview is created under the pretext that any of my conclusions can (and oftentimes will) be wrong. As long as they _make sense_ based on what I think I know, that's good enough. I have no problem whatsoever, if new information becomes available and some of my conclusions turn out to be wrong, because I _never _operated under the assumption that they were correct in the first place. On the contrary, something defying my expectations is actually exciting, because I get to narrow down the remaining "candidates" or reach a new conclusion that might be worth exploring.

And _because of that_ black-and-white thinking just doesn't work for me. Thinking in extremes _would _narrow down all these options, but that's not something I'm willing to do, if there's a chance for _any_ of them to be true. The world is grey. (Or at least it appears that way without _perfect information._)

That being said, I don't think any sane person thinks entirely in black-and-white, we're all on a spectrum here. I'd say that INTP lean more on the grey side of things than many other types. No idea about INTJ, though.


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## Shrodingers drink (Nov 30, 2018)

Liove said:


> Not true.
> 
> My thoughts, words, and actions only appear black and white, but in reality they are in degrees and shades of grey. I only make conclusions once I've gained enough confidence that they are highly accurate, a very dark shade of grey that appears black or a very light shade of grey that appears white. I still privately hold and allow the tiniest margin of error in my conclusions, a drop of black in a bucket of white, a drop of white in a bucket of black. And whenever that margin of error does manifest is one of the few times I'm genuinely bewildered.
> 
> ...


It looks like INTPs think in slow motion, because they literally have to scan their entire database before making a decision. Thats how you get accurate!

INTJ use Ni to determine the solution, (then hopefully methodically check they are correct) then use Te to implement their plans to take over the world.


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## contradictionary (Apr 1, 2018)

Shrodingers drink said:


> It looks like INTPs think in slow motion, because they literally have to scan their entire database before making a decision. Thats how you get accurate!
> 
> INTJ use Ni to determine the solution, (then hopefully methodically check they are correct) then use Te to implement their plans to take over the world.


I've discussed this before in our subforum, actually INTJ always aim for perfection too but we know that up to a certain accuracy level the law of diminishing return will reign and takeover things. Too much effort, too tiring, would need triple or quadriple energy to improve accuracy let's say from 90% to 95%.

Most of the time i would settle for 80-90 range for important things and loose 60-80 for the rest. I would call it sufficiently good model and make my day. 

_Sent from my SO-03J sans PC_


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## lilysocks (Nov 7, 2012)

KWODG said:


> Thanks for the details. Would you like to tell me the difference in behaviours please? How to find if a person is an INTP or an INTJ?


 as an intj parent of an (adult) intp, this a very n=us response, and it's also not all that serious. so don't over-credit its applicability.

- if you have two people in a conversation, then the one who jumps from thought to thought without finishing what they're already saying is the intp. the one biting chunks out of the furniture in response is the intj.

- if you have two people both deep in thought, then the one muttering to him or herself is the intj. the one who can think without making a sound is the intp. it's not natural :tongue:

- if you know one person who's just sort of generally and diffusely sweet most of the time, and another who doesn't seem like they care most of the time but will jump into focus when there's a problem to concentrate on, the first person is likely the intp.

- if you want applied mathematics, look for an intj. if you want the pure, abstract kind, go find an intp. [this pre-assumes finding individuals of both types who give a damn about math in the first place]

-if you want street smarts or social cogency: an intj. if you want philosophy/wisdom: an intp. 

- the intj is probably the person who needs a certain level of order around them in order to think. the intp is probably the person whose thinking isn't impeded by mess, clutter, the house burning down around them, nuclear flares . . . 

in my observation intps care more about social inclusion and acceptance as a general thing, but intjs get more personally and specifically hurt by exclusion when it comes from an individual.


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## Necrofantasia (Feb 26, 2014)

^ You had me until the last 2, noise cancels any kind of focus I can have, and exclusion by someone I care about really hurts me. 

Now I'm questioning my type...._again_....

Something I've noticed, INTP often need to build momentum to get started on something....INTJ give no fucks and go from task to task like machines...


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## reptilian (Aug 5, 2014)

It's all about separating the introverted intellectuals characteristics to their opposing traits. Since there are no hidden archetypes within the collective human beings, YOU must be the one to decide how to formulate what INTP/J is. So INTJ is everything INTP is not. Now just decide what INTJ means to you. I does not matter what you decide it is, since THERE IS NO "INTJ" IN REALITY. MBTI is a life hack not reality.
I separate them based on my experience. INTP for me is more lazy and calm, while the INTJ is more anxious and rule abiding. But some people here are proof that my definition is wrong!
Ni vs Ne, convergent - divergent thinking. Te - Ti, Crystalized - fluid intelligence. I dont expect anyone to agree and I don't care since I dont use a flawed system like this. Searching confirmation on this forum is a disease, seeking the truth a curse.


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## Osytek (Feb 11, 2014)

And what are the similarities between them besides that both are introverts?


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## contradictionary (Apr 1, 2018)

Osytek said:


> And what are the similarities between them besides that both are introverts?


Deep thinker / overthinker. Thus socially unresponsive, emotionally inert, bordering cold android being. Funnily though both are actually emphatetic because both could rather easily imagining on standing on someone else's shoes. They just do not have the proper talent (or care) to convey that empathy effectively (or humanly, one may say) 

One overthink all of the possible explanations, indeterminately
One overthink on the most possible outcomes, indeterminately

_Sent from my SO-03J sans PC_


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## Mark R (Dec 23, 2015)

An INTJ is more likely to take notes than an INTP. Long term memory is based on Si. INTPs often trust their memory in their heads, but INTJs often hold their memories on paper.


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## stathamspeacoat (Dec 10, 2016)

At the end of the day, if we're speaking superficially, I think it comes down to action.

INTP is ok if their ideas never become real, they'd prefer it be infallible. They have much more patience (like infinite) for refining hypothesis, dotting the t's and crossing the i's, restructuring if something new comes along. Making sure the composition of their idea is founded on fortified and clean information. I also think they're willing to spend much more time on minute details. It really confounds me how long my INTP can think about one, single idea. 

INTJ is more prone to thinking in terms of something that will be tangible and would be bothered if a plan they spent considerable amount of time on didn't come to fruition (unless it was concluded that the plan was garbage or no longer relevant due to a previously unknown circumstance). I feel that I am less imaginative than my INTP - I believe the scope of my imagination is smaller since my objective is to translate my ideas into something actual. If I'm refining an idea, it's because its moving towards launch. If something new comes along after a certain point (unless it's devastating to what I had planned) oh well here I gooooooo as in there is a point where I don't really care, this idea needs to happen, I'm tired of thinking about it. Much less patient and I believe less precise and intellectually "sloppier". Ideas are looser because they have to be more agile.

It took a while for me to understand and be comfortable with notion that my beloved INTP was mostly musing because if I had used the same verbiage it would've been "phase one" of a plan. I can't entertain possibilities for near the length of time as my INTP unless it is literally a long-term plan. 

I feel like as an INTJ, I exist on a perpetual timeline(s) - that is one way I navigate through life - whereas timelines aren't relevant to INTP operations outside of knowing (or believing they know :laughing exactly how last minute they can start something. Timelines tend to be more of an _imposition on_ INTP, not their own device.

That said, will this help you look at someone and know which one they are? Possibly no. I'm uncertain if it's possible to know that without having an actual familiarity with a person.


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## StinkyBambi (Jul 12, 2018)

I dont know, they're both as insufferable as eachother


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## incision (May 23, 2010)

Inductive vs deductive reasoning.


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