53 Things That Annoy an INTJ (and 42 Positives)
The INTJ, one of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, has a massively complex inner world. This is a safe place that we retreat into when we’ve had enough of the outer world. It’s a place where millions of pieces of information collide and new theories take shape. It’s where we visualize all the possibilities of any given scenario.
We’re in a virtually constant state of analysis — we do not have an off switch (although many of us would like the option of having one). Indeed, we analyze life to such a high degree that we’re mostly unaware of doing it. We frequently find ourselves in the situation of knowing the answer, but without knowing how we know.
(What’s your personality type? We recommend this free personality assessment.)
Could an extrovert handle being in our head for more than a few seconds? Maybe not! Even some introverts would barely survive. The INTJ’s mind can be a loud and extreme place, full of seemingly unrelated pieces of random information. Thanks to our intuitive personality, supercharged by Extraverted Thinking, we’re driven to find solutions to problems. INTJs are born problem-solvers — honestly, we can’t help ourselves.
In order to manage the “noise,” we INTJs have come to love order. Don’t misunderstand me, I love the creative chaos, too, and indeed, many INTJs are drawn to the arts and humanities. But for day-to-day life, I like to know where I am. INTJs like order, we like having a plan; we like seeing patterns and being able to categorize everything. We like solutions and understanding, we like thinking about new ideas, and in order to manage all this, we also like lists.
This brings me to my reason for writing. I like looking through lists, especially lists created by other people. I’ve been building a like and dislike list for some time, because I understand things better when I write them down. Having these lists also helps me explain myself to other people (even if it’s only the few people I trust the most).
I’ve tried to remove my personal tastes when they’ve clouded the list to leave only INTJ attributes. Fellow INTJs, can you relate? Here are 53 things that annoy me as an INTJ, and 42 things I like.
53 Things That Annoy Me as an INTJ
- People who think they are INTJs but clearly aren’t
- Un-optimized systems and organizations that have no systems
- Seeing a problem and “because of politics” not being permitted to fix it
- Using inefficient and impractical methods to complete tasks (simply to maintain organizational standards)
- Maintaining data that has no value
- Incompetent authority figures who can’t see the consequences of their actions
- Unnecessary rules
- Liars and people who distort the truth
- Hypocrites and “two-faced” people
- People who question my loyalty
- People who don’t take my ideas seriously
- People who “sacrifice” others for their own personal gain
- Making mistakes, especially the easily avoidable ones
- Talking about things I’m not interested in
- When people ask a question, then keep on talking for so long that I actually forget what they originally asked
- Being at work and having to pretend I care about something less meaningful than the life-cycle of an amoeba
- Monotony and repeating the same thing over and over
- Working without clear goals
- Illogical presumptions
- Inconsistency and irrationality
- Conflicts instead of logical discussions
- Being asked to defend something I don’t believe in
- Bright lights, strong smells, and loud noises
- Family gatherings and parties or team-building activities
- Crowded places
- Socially awkward situations
- When too much is going on and my brain freezes
- The lack of other INTJs in the workplace
- People who say “you look sad”
- People who say I am unemotional or unfeeling, when in fact I am passionate
- When the conversation doesn’t follow the predetermined script in my head
- Overly emotional people
- When people interrupt me or don’t even notice I’m speaking
- Being hugged by random strangers the first time we meet
- Alone time interruptions and invasions of privacy
- People who talk incessantly
- Anything that prevents me from listening to the entire piece of music
- People who say the same thing over and over again
- When people are chronically late
- Receiving phone calls and being told something when I don’t have a pencil to write it down
- Having to make a phone call without being prepared for it
- Being sent to meetings without any background information
- Job interviews
- When people ask for my opinion and then get offended by it
- People who force others to accept their views and opinions
- When people only listen because they’re looking for a gap they can squeeze their next words into, rather than listening to understand what I’m saying
- Last minute changes to plans
- Discovering something amazing late at night, not writing it down, then forgetting what it was the next day
- When someone agrees to do something but does not make a note of it and then forgets
- Feeling pressured to be something I am not
- When people take my sarcasm seriously
- Being frequently misunderstood
- Being underestimated
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42 Things I Like as an INTJ
To end on a positive note, here are 42 things this INTJ likes.
- Deep, meaningful conversations
- Being understood
- Discovering new things
- Seeing patterns nobody else sees
- Simply having the time to think about the possibilities
- Poetic justice and irony
- Dry humor
- Seeing somebody finally get something they have struggled to obtain
- When the accounts balance the first time
- The truth, no matter how painful
- Expanding my knowledge and learning new things
- Those moments when people in “position” finally drop their outdated processes in favor of something simpler that gets the job done
- People who get to the point
- Science-based documentaries
- Science fiction
- Quantum physics (indeed, any cutting-edge science)
- Puzzles (or things that make you think)
- Multi-dimensional geometry (complex stuff makes me smile)
- Considering different methods of cryptography
- Alone time
- Music and headphones
- Silence
- Walking in the woods
- Writing
- Doodles on pieces of paper
- Finding plot holes in films and thinking of better plot lines
- Old books, scientific books… okay, just books in general
- Libraries and museums
- History and understanding the past
- Abandoned buildings and ruins
- Walking into a place nobody else has been to for years
- Latin and other obscure languages (also, inventing new languages)
- Rainy days and autumn leaves
- Stars and trying to grasp the massive hugeness of the universe
- The few people I trust
- Not being questioned when I really need to leave a gathering
- Finishing the job interview and that feeling of peace after the storm
- Really big thunderstorms — ironic, I know
- Explosions
- Comfort food
- Being viewed as “insightful”
- Lists!
INTJs, what would you add to these lists? Let me know in the comments below.
You might like:
- Why INTJs Are Actually Perfect for the Arts and Humanities
- INTJ: 7 Tips to Deal With Your Emotions (Even When You’d Rather Ignore Them)
- What Secretly Makes Each Introverted Myers-Briggs Personality Type ‘Dangerous’
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