Here’s What Makes Each Introverted Myers-Briggs Type Angry

an introverted Myers-Briggs personality type feels angry

Everyone gets angry, but not in the same way, or for the same reasons. And, while introverts aren’t always quick to show their anger, they can still get hopping mad if someone pushes their buttons. Here’s one thing makes each introverted Myers-Briggs personality type angry.

(What’s your personality type? We recommend this free personality assessment.)

What Makes Each Introverted Personality Type Mad

ISTJ: You blew off their knowledge and experience.

ISTJs believe in doing things carefully, doing them well, and getting them right the first time — and they’re perfectly happy to set about just doing that on their own. True, they don’t mind working as part of a team, or deferring to a leader who’s appointed to being in charge, such as a boss or supervisor. But they don’t need anyone messing up something they could have done just fine on their own, thank you very much.

Want to drive an ISTJ up a wall? Blow off their experience. ISTJs may not be quick to speak up, but when they do, it’s for a good reason — they probably know what they’re talking about. They don’t mind taking advice; as long as you bring up a good, practical point, they’ll see the wisdom in it and listen. But they expect the same courtesy in return.

If, instead, you get dismissive, get ready for it. Your ISTJ may leave, may keep working on their own as if you weren’t there, or may outright refuse to deal with you again. You were warned.

ISFJ: You’re mean or rude.

ISFJs have two major drives that affect everything they do: the instinct to care for others, and the desire for harmony in the relationships with the people around them. They dislike anything that upsets that harmony, especially when it creates awkwardness or anger — and they hate when the disruption is downright cruel.

So if you want to see an ISFJ flip from sweet to fierce, go ahead and do something selfish and rude (or actually, don’t, ’cuz that’s just not cool). Any act of bullying or overt selfish behavior will raise an ISFJ’s hackles and, in all likelihood, get them to either jump into protection mode or raise the alarm with the appropriate authorities.

Or — even worse — the ISFJ may simply decide that you’re just not worth the trouble. They’ll take the quiet approach, backing away slowly, until *poof,* they’re gone.

ISTP: You try to control them.

ISTPs are always ready to react, take action, and handle things — and being introverts, they’re perfectly happy to keep to themselves while doing it. They have no desire to boss anybody else around. You do you, and they’ll do them.

So it might not come as a surprise that the number one thing that ticks off an ISTP is someone getting bossy. It’s one thing if it’s their actual boss, which an ISTP understands is part of work life (though many ISTPs make it a point to find jobs that are self-directed in the first place). But when a friend, coworker, or family member tries to control them? Look out.

If you want to suggest a different plan of action to an ISTP, it better be just that: a suggestion. Start pressuring or forcing them to do it your way, and you won’t just see them walk away — you may see them double down on doing the exact thing you didn’t want, just to prove a point.

ISFP: You lie or try to manipulate them.

You know what ISFPs don’t stress over? Who they truly are.

What shocks them is that others don’t.

That’s not to say that no ISFP has ever had an existential crisis, or embarked on a search for purpose and meaning. But, most of the time, ISFPs don’t need to sit down and think about whether something accords with their values or whether it’s right for them. Because they’re already doing what feels authentic.

So it should come as little surprise that inauthenticity, in any form, gets them riled.

It’s one thing when someone acts fake. That’s pitiful, and they don’t want to associate with it, but at the end of the day, it’s someone else’s life.

But when someone tries to manipulate or trick them? That’s not just wrong, it’s filthy like sewage. Not that you’ll know the full extent of their rage: Being introverts, ISFPs keep most of their feelings on the inside. You, on the other hand, are done.

INFP: You pressure them to live inauthentically or “sell out.”

Similar to ISFPs, INFPs also possess a strong sense of authenticity, but for them, it doesn’t just come from within; it comes from the values they support and live out every day. In other words, their sense of self is inseparable from how they relate to the world.

That’s why sticking to their values is the one thing an INFP can be uncompromising about. For them, the ultimate movie villain isn’t the mad scientist with the death ray — heck, at least that guy is being up-front about his intentions. It’s the manager who forces the band to sell out.

INFPs have to defend against authenticity constantly. They know that most of the world pays lip service to ideals but doesn’t really live them. And they know that most people will compromise even their deepest values if it means getting ahead or turning a profit. INFPs can smell that stuff a thousand yards away.

Once it comes near them, though? Well, let’s just say that for an INFP, the lure of selling out isn’t a siren-song. It’s a battle cry.

Every INFP has different values, but every INFP will go from dreamer to soldier in a heartbeat when they’re told to violate what they believe. When that happens, the person pressuring them may as well just give up. They’re already dead in the INFP’s eyes.

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INTP: You ignored the data.

At their best, INTPs run on one thing: data. Sure, every INTP has an emotional side, but in terms of how they make decisions, they want to gather the info they need to make the right decision — or at least the smartest one available — every time. Frankly, this is what makes them superstars in so many careers.

But a funny thing happens when you run on data. You start to notice that a lot of people, well, don’t.

Including a lot of people who have fancy titles, degrees, credentials and, you guessed it, authority.

Because most of humanity is wired to defer to authority, a lot of non-INTPs take those credentials as a proxy for someone being correct or smart. But when you compulsively devour information like an INTP does, you quickly realize that many of the people with titles and credentials never looked at the data. Or they’re interpreting it wrong. Or they’re strongly biased.

INTPs aren’t actually rebellious by nature, and they respect authority when it’s earned. But throwing around unearned authority — or worse, pretending to be an expert and hoping no one will call you out on it — well, that’s the red line you don’t cross. (Heck, it’s enough to trigger the five stages of INTP anger.)

INFJ: You don’t care about trying to right an injustice.

Like the ISFJ, the INFJ wants harmony and for everybody to be good to each other. But INFJs tend to be much more concerned with how that plays out on a big, society-wide level. They are born to be activists, organizers, and crusaders for the things they believe in — which are almost always about helping the downtrodden, injured, or misunderstood.

That means acts of injustice can take a real toll on the sensitive INFJ, and large acts of cruelty make them downright angry.

Of course, we all hate seeing injustices while scrolling our Facebook feed — or worse, experiencing them ourselves. But INFJs fundamentally believe we can do something about them, and they have zero patience for cynics, apologists, or anyone who is flippant about the unfairness of it all.

If you think it’s “fun” to play devil’s advocate about acts of injustice, good luck. As far as the INFJ is concerned, your own cruelty is now embodying the injustice you’re taking the side of. You’re gonna want to watch your fingers when that door slams. Bye Felicia!

INTJ: You’re incompetent.

Let’s start with the obvious: INTJs usually look tee’d-off no matter what’s going on (don’t make me trot out the pictures of INTJs trying to “smile” for the camera). While that death stare could bely a perfectly happy mood on the inside, I’m just going to go ahead and admit this: Yeah, we INTJs are often grumpy, critical, and/or negative. Like, a lot.

Most of that, though, is because we can see a better way of doing things. At our heart, we’re idealists — some would say visionaries (ahem, why thank you); we can see exactly how great the world could be with just a few changes. Our first instinct is to put in whatever planning, time, and hard work it takes to get there.

That means we get extremely upset by incompetence — similar to ISTJs — especially in any leadership position. Depending on the situation, “incompetent” can mean short-sighted (painfully common), poor planning (ditto), or just outright stupidity (not common, but don’t think we won’t reach for this word when we’re angry).

Wanna see us go from bothered to ballistic? Put that incompetent person in charge of us. Yes, those are death rays coming out of our eyes.

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