FAQ

Do INTJs get along with [any other of the sixteen types]?

Yes. Any type can have a successful and mutually satisfying relationship with any other type. 

Speaking in broad generalizations, certain types do more easily match up than others. ENFPs, for example, are considered to be the ideal match for INTJs. However, it would be beneficial to think of the types not as rigidly defined archetypes, but as colors. We have clear basic ideas of what each color is, but within each color there are an infinite variation of shades. Red might be considered green’s complimentary match, but not every shade of green is going to match every shade of red; seafoam green may go better with a sandy yellow than a dusky crimson.

Myers-Briggs type theory shouldn’t be a rubric to weed out incompatible types, but rather be used as a tool to better understand and interact with the people around you.

Okay, but is there somewhere I can find out about how INTJs typically deal with other types?

I’ve written a lot about the dynamic between INTJs and other MBTI types. All these posts are tagged, so if you’re looking for any particular type just go to http://hipsterintj.tumblr.com/tagged/[whatever other type you’re looking for]. So if you wanted to find everything posted here about ISTJs, you would go to http://hipsterintj.tumblr.com/tagged/istj

If there’s an aspect or type you’re curious about that I haven’t discussed yet, just send me an ask and I’ll get to it as soon as I can. 

Are INTJs good at [this thing]? / INTJs are supposed to be good at [this thing], but i’m not, so am I still an INTJ?

Myers-Briggs type is not about what you do, but how you do it.

Any type can be good or bad at any specific thing. The way each type processes information may tend to give them a natural advantage in a particular area, but those are just broad generalizations. There is no single area in which all members of a particular type will be inherently skilled; likewise, any type can develop skill in any area they set their minds to.  Personality type is how you go about doing something, not what thing you choose to do. 

If you have a question about a specific area, then, of course, feel free to ask and I’ll try to answer as best as I can, but I’m essentially just going to be giving you this same answer again in a more specific way.

Socionics says that…

Okay, I’m just going to stop you right there. 

Socionics is not the same as MBTI. There’s a lot of confusion on this point, probably because Socionics uses the same four letter code for their sixteen types.

Socionics was based on MBTI theory in much the same way that Braveheart was based on the First War of Scottish Independence. Sure, they include the same major events, and all the characters have the names of historical figures, but you couldn’t cite Braveheart as a source on your Scottish History midterm paper. Braveheart is it’s own, independent story; they’re different things.

Socionics uses something called Model A, which is based on Jungnian cognitive functions, but has branched off and developed into its own separate type theory. Basically, if MBTI is Judaism, then Socionics is Christianity. A person who tests as an INTJ in Myers-Briggs type theory isn’t necessarily going to type as an INTj in Socionics.

That’s not a criticism, by the way. They’re just different things, so you can’t really compare the two. I realize that some people find Socionics to be a better method than MBTI, and that’s fine, but I do not, and I have no intention to delve too deeply into Socionics on this blog.

Is there a link between MBTI type and mental illness?

There isn’t a lot of science when it comes to any sort of link between MBTI type and mental disorders. At best, there are untested hypotheses. The Myers-Briggs types are intended as a map of relatively healthy brains, so, effectively, someone with a major disorder does not have an MBTI type.

There has been some chatter about a link between the INTJ type and Asperger’s Syndrome. However, it’s also been suggested that Asperger’s is not a disorder at all, just an unusual cognitive pattern.

Basically what I’m saying is that the science stops here. There just isn’t enough research into the field of MBTI types as they relate to mental illness or disorders to say anything definitively, though it remains a heavily debated topic.

Can I submit my own hipster, INTJ-themed picture to this blog?

Yes! Do that here, and there’s also a link on the front page.

There’s a mistake on one of your posts.

Let me know what it is! I try to do as much fact checking and research as I can before posting anything, but it’s a constant learning process. I’m not an expert, and I’m bound to make a mistake every once in awhile. I’d rather know right away if there’s a mistake so I can make the correction and not give out incorrect information.

I’m loving all these INTJ catchphrases, but putting them on unrelated pictures is kind of silly.

My god! You’ve discovered the point!

Honestly, though, it’s ridiculous. That much is obvious. That’s the inherent humor of this blog, and really, INTJs, you should have picked up on that. If you’re taking this 100% seriously, you’re doing it wrong. The whole thing is a subtle dig at the absurdity of the hipsterism on Tumblr, while also being a place for INTJs (or just people who like them) to gather. It was never intended to be taken absolutely seriously.

Why do you put definitions in the text underneath the pictures? Don’t you think we know what “simplicity” means?

The truth, it’s entirely for my own benefit. I try to keep track of the posts people seem to like, but in my notifications it just said “your photo” and I couldn’t tell which photo without clicking on a hundred different things. I felt like the definitions were an appropriately hipster way of labeling the posts so I know what’s going on when I look at my notifications.

I want to reblog one of your pictures, but I can’t because I don’t want the text underneath it.

Remove it! I know that that’s against general Tumblr etiquette, but, for the purposes of this blog, I’m totally fine with you removing the text if you only want to reblog for the picture. I just ask that if you’re going to remove it, remove all of it, not just particular lines or phrases, and please don’t remove the source notation on submissions (where it says, “Submitted by [Tumblr Username].”) Also, please don’t alter the pictures themselves, or repost them as your own. 

Where do you get your base pictures?

From online stock image galleries. You can go directly to the source of any of the images that I, personally, have posted by clicking the picture. With submissions, I try to include a source if I can, but that only works if the submitter includes them, so no promises on that front.

Who runs this thing anyway?

Oh right. Introductions… Hi. I’m Kaiti. I’m a 25 year old female living in Florida, USA. I majored in English literature in college, but psychological type theory is an area of particular interest to me. You can find my personal Tumblr here.