# INTJs and Laziness



## hahahalessandra

My sister is a pretty stereotypical INTJ. She's really intelligent, stoic and hates most people. One not-so stereotypical INTJ trait she possesses however is laziness. She never listens in class and only gives effort in the subjects she likes. She doesn't like getting out of the house and going places. Every time someone recommends her a good book or a tv show, she says she's too lazy to read or watch it. The odd thing is that although this is not a stereotypical INTJ trait, one of her close friends who is also an INTJ is even lazier than her. Are most INTJ's like this and what would be the reason?


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## kinkaid

I think we are lazy when we aren't interested in something or if it comes easy to us. I would call it indifferent more than lazy. We are freight trains when we are interested in something though. Like not sleeping until we've had our fill.

I never studied in school, always got good grades. I wouldn't have been lazy if I had struggled because I don't like to fail. We are a pretty decisive bunch, so when someone recommends something to me, I might get around to it, I might not. 

Outwardly we can appear lazy, but most INTJ's have a plan made up and know where effort is required and where effort is not required. We adjust that plan accordingly as circumstances change.


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## Impavida

In your sister's case, it sounds like "too lazy" is simply her way of saying "not really interested."


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## Marshy

She just sounds stupid








roar


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## VagrantFarce

It's not uncommon at all. You can easily attribute this to inferior-Se - a lot of thinking and planning, but not a lot of volition or follow through. INTJs make great "advisors" or behind-the-scenes strategists in this sense, since they can flex their perceptive talents without actually being on the front line. She just lacks real-world ambition, and could probably just use someone to help her get ignited.


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## Felix5

INTJs can be pretty lazy if they are unmotivated.

I'm not sure if it's laziness per se, more like a lack of motivation. If I'm not interested in something someone suggests, I probably won't make an effort. This is definitely a negative quality though because it can hinder us from experiencing new things. Sometimes we get our minds set that we're not going to like a place, movie, tv show, band etc...so we don't bother with it. If we do make the effort and we are blown away, then we'll certain listen to said person's advice again.

Sometimes INTJs can also be very chaotic in the real world as well. For example, I tend to notice that clutter will build up in my own personal space. Even if I keep the entire house neat, my one little room will be a disaster area. I think we tend to let introverted intuition get the better of us. It's like a trance like state and when we're in that state we lose sight of the outside world. We then justify this through our Fi rationality. 

I think over time INTJs can grow out of this. I've found that my work ethic and my research skills have increased the older I get. It's simply because I care more about this sort of thing. The older I get, the more important information and experiences are to me.


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## Catwalk

Are MBTI type(s) simply immune to long-term laziness (e.g., slackers) ... ?? Are INTP incapable, or devoid of anything _but_ laziness and clutter.. (??) (e.g., motivations).

We must not fetishize -- _cripple_ -- typology with reductions to stereotypes [blindness] that *pigeonhole* the complexities and capabilities of people.


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## Nefarious

Catwalk said:


> Are MBTI type(s) simply immune to long-term laziness (e.g., slackers) ... ?? Are INTP incapable, or devoid of anything _but_ laziness and clutter.. (??) (e.g., motivations).
> 
> We must not fetishize -- _cripple_ -- typology with reductions to stereotypes [blindness] that *pigeonhole* the complexities and capabilities of people.


Thank you. I see way too many do this. We are humans, not robots.


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## starscream430

I can definitely relate to your sister and her close friend. That being said, being lazy and only receptive to subjects I like is a bit of a downfall for me since...well...the subjects I like aren't exactly financially profitable. Thus, I pretty much practice throwing myself head-first into things I hate in order to push myself to succeed...


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## Shinsei

Lack of motivation= Laziness


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## ninjahitsawall

It's more like inertia or like others said, lack of motivation. If extroverted perceivers struggle to complete things, extroverted judgers would prefer to complete something that's already been jump-started for them, and struggle to initiate from something intangible. With the things you listed, I would usually need some sort of catalyst to get moving. Maybe you can do that for your sister as an INFP. :tongue:

Like just because someone recommends a TV show doesn't mean I'll like it. I think I have this weird fear of investing time in the wrong things, things that bore me (I say it's weird, because when I think about it, it seems rather trivial), so I have to first research the TV show and if it sounds interesting enough (like at least 6/10) I'll at least try an episode. The easiest thing would be I happen to already be spending time with someone who watches the show anyway, and then it doesn't feel like I'm investing any extra time into something I might not even like.
With classes, yeah I've always been the same way (but my sister is like that too, and she's an INFP :wink She changed to a different program and college, and at one point and asked me if I really was interested in the classes I was taking as an undergrad, because she just couldn't bring herself to take some of those classes.. hence changing to something completely different. I told her that I didn't like a lot of them, but since it was part of the degree, and I liked most classes in my major, I pushed myself through it. It's always been a challenge for me though. The big thing I always ask with any of these things is "what is the point of this? What's the benefit going to be in the end?" If there seems to be more of a cost (wasting time and energy, and potentially money, on something boring or useless) than benefit, it is REALLY hard to push myself through it because I've already deemed it worthless/pointless.

I also get lazy when I'm overwhelmed or feel like a situation is hopeless/unfixable.. that may be a "lower functions taking over" problem.


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## ahmadwehbe

It's complicated... 

Let's say there are clothes on the ground that needs to be picked up... to me, they're dirty, even if they were just washed (dust = ugly). 
So I might just keep them there depending on the situation. 
For example, if these clothes fell down by themselves, gliding due to gravity, then I'll wait for whoever put them there and let them suffer consequence of their own stupidity. 
Perhaps the clothes were put there properly, but every time someone passes them by, a piece drops, then I'll let them stay there so that the next piece of cloth will fall on top of the other and remain clean (dust-free). But also to teach whoever put them there a lesson. 

Another thing I like to do is just watch things unfold. For example there might a problem that needs fixing, I'll go ahead and fix it in my head first, perfectly with minimum consequence. Then I'll decide on how to fix it using the least amount of effort and energy. When I got everything perfectly clear in my mind, I then sit down and relax and wait for someone else to fix it. Then I'll tell them they're doing it wrong. Then when they ask how to do it, then I tell them that they've to learn it by themselves. This can go on for quite a while depending on what the problem is, if it's really amusing then it can take hours and days before I help them, if it's just a small amusement then I'll help out after a few minutes. But only if they've cried about it and begged me for help and admitted they need my help. 

So basically, I can just be "lazy" in a corner and watch for 2 hours... while people are working hard at fixing some problem. When I've had my laughs, then I just go and fix it in a few seconds. It can be any kind of problem, theoretical, mathematical, architectural, mechanical, whatever. 

The issue is not that I'm "lazy", it's just that everything is too easy and eventually mundane. The only joy is exploration, food and sex.


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## Elisa Artista

I concur with the lack of motivation theory. While not as stereotypical as the lazy INTP, an unmotivated INTJ can appear lazy. We have two extrovered functions, Se and Te. Se is not going to be well developed in most of us until later in life, and it may come and go in bursts. Te we use more often and it is concerned with achieving our goals and driving for efficency. If we're not inspired and don't have goals, or we're under stress, we can forgo our Te usage and get into a Ni-Fi loop. I would imagine the midst of such a loop we can look or become very lazy.


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## HugtheVoid

ahmadwehbe said:


> It's complicated...
> 
> Let's say there are clothes on the ground that needs to be picked up... to me, they're dirty, even if they were just washed (dust = ugly).
> So I might just keep them there depending on the situation.
> For example, if these clothes fell down by themselves, gliding due to gravity, then I'll wait for whoever put them there and let them suffer consequence of their own stupidity.
> Perhaps the clothes were put there properly, but every time someone passes them by, a piece drops, then I'll let them stay there so that the next piece of cloth will fall on top of the other and remain clean (dust-free). But also to teach whoever put them there a lesson.
> 
> Another thing I like to do is just watch things unfold. For example there might a problem that needs fixing, I'll go ahead and fix it in my head first, perfectly with minimum consequence. Then I'll decide on how to fix it using the least amount of effort and energy. When I got everything perfectly clear in my mind, I then sit down and relax and wait for someone else to fix it. Then I'll tell them they're doing it wrong. Then when they ask how to do it, then I tell them that they've to learn it by themselves. This can go on for quite a while depending on what the problem is, if it's really amusing then it can take hours and days before I help them, if it's just a small amusement then I'll help out after a few minutes. But only if they've cried about it and begged me for help and admitted they need my help.
> 
> So basically, I can just be "lazy" in a corner and watch for 2 hours... while people are working hard at fixing some problem. When I've had my laughs, then I just go and fix it in a few seconds. It can be any kind of problem, theoretical, mathematical, architectural, mechanical, whatever.
> 
> The issue is not that I'm "lazy", it's just that everything is too easy and eventually mundane. The only joy is exploration, food and sex.



So your definition of lazy is some weird cross between inertia and quasi-sadistic schadenfreude?


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## SouDesuNyan

Shinsei said:


> Lack of motivation= Laziness


But.. Motivation = lack of understanding


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## Shinsei

SouDesuNyan said:


> But.. Motivation = lack of understanding


If you have motivation then you don't understand? I don't understand that logic, please elaborate. :laughing:


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## LostFavor

Laziness is a derogatory umbrella term to capture the phenomenon of a person who seems perfectly capable of doing important or interesting things and chooses not to do them. 

In reality, it comes down to motivation and it's possible that along with a few others, INTJs are more likely to be thought of as lazy because the world doesn't readily fit with their aptitudes and energy levels. 

In the "one should always be moving" culture, INTJs appear like snails. But the so-called snails of the world tend to be better at things like long-term infrastructure, so they have their usefulness in that regard. The issue with this is that the payoff for long-term infrastructure is not immediate... and it's only proven over a long period of time. So selling the value of something so difficult to prove as valuable is certainly a feat all on its own. 

That said, INTJs don't have the license for "laziness." Any type can suffer from a lack of motivation and drive (sometimes for health reasons). But it's also important to keep in mind that what is laziness to one person is sometimes normal to another. The very idea of one thing being lazy and another not being lazy relies on certain beliefs about what constitutes productive or active behavior. For instance, one could argue that your INTJ sister not caring in classes that don't interest her is entirely reasonable and practical... what makes it seem nonsensical and impractical is our beliefs about a duty to study, or when paying for classes in college, the need to qualify for a degree.

In my experience, motivation is often a house of cards that relies more on biological health than anything else. Certain thought patterns or beliefs can drag us down, but if the zeal is there, clawing at your insides, it's going to be kind of difficult to let a few nasty thoughts stop you. If the zeal is not there, no amount of clever thinking can make you care. You have to want it, or at least believe on a very deep level that you are duty bound. If you don't want it, don't believe you're duty bound, and you have no energy for it, good luck taking even a single step.


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## SouDesuNyan

Shinsei said:


> If you have motivation then you don't understand? I don't understand that logic, please elaborate. :laughing:


Once you understand something, there's no motivation to work on it any more. It's time to move on to the next subject.


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## Shinsei

SouDesuNyan said:


> Once you understand something, there's no motivation to work on it any more. It's time to move on to the next subject.


Fair point.  :laughing:


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