r/INTP 5h ago

Is this dysfunctional? (Probably) Getting mistaken for a girl in texts

18 Upvotes

This might be a weird one so I don't know if anyone else can relate but I've gotten mistaken for a girl multiple times in text messages. This has happened to me now twice in DMs where the other user assumed I was a girl, one of them I even clarified I was a guy but she asked me again later just to be sure 😭

It's not like I'm saying something obvious like "YAS QUEENšŸ’…šŸ’…šŸ’…" or "GO GURLšŸ’ƒ" it's just how I normally talk with everyone.

My theory is that I'm naturally curious with people so I do tend to like hearing someone's story, asking open ended questions about them, listening to them actively and helping them unpack their thoughts. I've also learned not to be as blunt over the years so I tend to validate their feelings first and reassure them before unpacking something heavy. That might not be unusual for INTPs but it is for most men so the confusion could be coming from that.


r/INTP 5h ago

Check out my INTPness Intp programmers what is your favorite language and why?

11 Upvotes

My experience extends only to Python, typescript, and C++... I personally prefer c++, as it gives more control through being a lower level, I like that the concept of pointers and references are not abstracted away, and it is used in multiple fields such as embedded systems, game dev, graphics... Speaking of which, I really desire to transition from web dev, for I find it quite tedious and repetitive, as nowadays it sounds more of sticking together frameworks and external libraries, so wish me luck, as I am currently burdening myself with self teaching C++...


r/INTP 5h ago

Aw Man... I feel like I have drifted away

8 Upvotes

Hey,

I’m 24M and I used to have friends, but at some point… I guess I just lost them all. Now I spend pretty much all my time at home. I work from home too, so my daily ā€œsocial lifeā€ is basically just me, my laptop, and maybe the delivery guy if I order food.

The truth is, I don’t really talk to people anymore. It’s hard for me to connect or just walk up and start a conversation. And yeah, if I’m being honest, I always hoped someone would just stick around, share laughs, and enjoy silly conversations with me—but I never said anything out loud.

These days, I feel sad and anxious a lot. I have plenty of hobbies—I’m into anime, manga, books, singing, physics, science, documentaries, you name it. There’s a lot I enjoy… but it’s not the same when there’s no one to enjoy it with.

I guess I just wish there was someone warmhearted out there who could really see me, understand me, and maybe sit with me in this dark patch until it feels lighter again.


r/INTP 2h ago

Check out my INTPness AM I INTP OR INTJ

3 Upvotes

I can't figure it out, I did a lot of tests, cognitive functions too, and the main results are always INTP, INTJ and sometimes ISTJ

These are the cognitive functions, from the one with the highest score to the lowest: Te Si Ne Fi


r/INTP 8h ago

I'm 14 and this is deep Is consciousness really a mystery?

5 Upvotes

Do you subscribe to the materialistic account, as of consciousness would eventually be reduced to mechanistic framework such as firing neurons, if so do you believe in the future it would be possible to replicate it, if so is it through computation?

Or is it a immaterial phenomenon better known as a soul transcending neurons, a secret marvellous power of freeing ourselves from the changes of time, of withdrawing to our secret selves away from external things. This presentation of ourselves to ourselves is the most truly personal experience upon which depends everything that we know of the supra-sensual world. Whilst all else only appears to be. It differs from every presentation of the sense in its perfect freedom, whilst all other presentations are bound, being overweighted by the burden of the object....

And how did it originate, is it how neo darwinism argue, natural selection and random mutation at play...


r/INTP 11h ago

Check out my INTPness Am I INTP or not?

2 Upvotes

Hello all you lovely people. Every now and then I take the 16 personality test. To be transparent with you, on a personal level I do not value these tests much. But they are sometimes fun to do, and I always try to answer truthfully. But as we all know, the truth is fluid. It depends on mood, perspective and the interpretation of the questions asked in the test. So far I have done the same test 4 times.

My results are as following:

22-Jul-26 INTP-A I 51% N 61% T 61% P 96% A 63%

26-Apr-26 ENFP-T E 58% N 74% F 58% P 79% T 51%

04-Aug-23 INTP-A I 53% N 54% T 52% P 82% A 53%

16-Sep-22 ENFP-A E 66% N 61% F 53% P 85% A 57%

So what do these results say about me? Since I am close-ish to the 50% on many of the test result. The only thing that seems really stable is the high percentage of prospecting.

Please share your thoughts with me.


r/INTP 20h ago

I got this theory Are you owned by Ne?

10 Upvotes

I have always found that Ne crack addiction of trying just one more thing, playing one more round, etc.. is the thing that has always been my downfall.

They say curiosity killed the cat. Are you the cat?

Detrimental outcomes that arise from this .. never getting done what life chores I am actually suppose to be doing.


r/INTP 1d ago

Sage Advice What a healthy INTP looks like.

76 Upvotes

Skip to the end if you just want examples.

Whether it's due to people projecting their insecurities onto a type, or using the type as an excuse for dysfunctional behavior, INTP gets an appallingly inaccurate and bad image about what truly encompasses the type, and it really is not helpful towards anybody for the community to keep accepting these stereotypes as truth. MBTI is supposed to be a helpful tool to gain an understanding of how someone's brain might work, not a tool for 14 year olds worldwide to use as a get out of jail free card to cleaning their rooms and learning what empathy is.

You know who you are.

I'm not going to go through every single stereotype, but I am going to state that you not knowing what soap is, being an emotionally stunted manchild, and having a penchant for never leaving your house are NOT intrinsic to INTP. They're intrinsic to you needing psychiatric intervention, but not to INTP.

By the way, I think many folks need this reminder: Emotions are not irrational. Emotions are actually just information about yourself. Underlying beliefs produce emotions. Have an emotional response to something? That's an underlying belief. Even right down to preferences for food and appearance.

"But ArminsMother, so many INTPs act like that!"

Yes, most certainly they do. But again, these are not inherent characteristics. While how a type acts when unhealthy is a factor in determining which type you are, it is largely small; coping mechanisms and unhealthy habits tend to be unique to each individual and are heavily influenced by your life experiences, trauma, attachment style, mental disorders, etc.

When I was young (under 25 or so), I did indeed embody many of the stereotypes, but also subverted them. I was emotionally detached from myself and often numb, but also had explosive anger and extreme crying fits, and often felt miserable. I had not been given a good manual to life nor the support I needed to have even a mediocre life, so the end result was a severely emotionally dysregulated, depressed, terrified INTP teenager who desperately wanted someone to save her from her hell so she could finally feel at peace again like she did as a young child in the woods. When a person undergoes trauma, particularly severe trauma, they're likely to develop other functions outside of their stack to cope and/or grow. Eventually, this was Fi for me, but it took a long time.

What does a healthy INTP look like?

Technically speaking, the only thing you need to be an INTP is to relate to the four functions assigned to your type. In other words, if the way your brain processes information is accurate to the functions, you are most likely indeed that type. The functions don't actually speak a whole lot to your ability to be kind, empathetic, have strong morals, feel a lot, any of that. They only speak to how your brain processes, stores, labels, and prioritizes information.

Honestly, that's probably how I got here. The INTP's cognitive stack is a near perfect mirror to how my mind operates on normal settings. Of course, everyone is able to use any function out there and develop it well, too. This is a part of growing up and becoming mature and healthy. As I said above, I had to develop my Fi to learn how to be selfish, live for myself more, and understand my emotions and why I was feeling the way I did. I use it together often nowadays with Ti and Ne to help me navigate through life.

In general, a healthy, well-rounded person of ANY type should be able to:

Name, validate, and process their emotions; be self-aware

Develop rational and reasonable morals based on factual data, logical reasoning, and the complex reality of the human condition

Take adequate care of their basic needs; bathe regularly, eat decently well, move their bodies on the regular

Show compassion, curiosity, and kindness to themselves, others, and perhaps the world

Be accountable and responsible with their behaviors, money, relations, substances, etc.

Not a single one of these precludes you from being an INTP. Every person of every type is capable of achieving all of these with proper support systems and insight into what goes on in their mind.

Examples Of Healthy INTPs

The best example I can think of of a healthy INTP is HealthyGamerGG, who is a psychiatrist that uses his expansive knowledge and well-developed Fe (and Fi; remember, anyone can develop a function not in their stack) to help other people gain broader knowledge about the landscape of society and their own minds. Another fabulous but fictional example is Pieck Finger and Armin Arlert* from Attack On Titan. They are two characters on the opposite sides of a conflict who use their rationale, intense perceptiveness, and broader ability to deduce and conclude things to further their personal goals, as well as the goals of their side in the conflict. Pieck is what I would consider the stereotypical healthy INTP; she is a woman who has a keen eye for small details, an excellent memory, and a calmness to her that only sometimes fails her. She also is motherly, compassionate, has a strong care for her friends and family, and is not afraid to scream in fear when faced with running down a steep piece of bone several thousand feet in the air.

Armin, on the other hand, is an equally if not even more logical and perceptive individual who carries the show through each of its twists and turns, riding on his deductive skills and careful planning to save dozens, and eventually millions, of people. His logical mind is at the forefront most scenes he's in and the driving force behind his character. In fact, the very first scene we ever see him in is him getting his ass beat for having heretical beliefs and theories about the outside world. However, despite his logic, he has a strong, well-developed Fe that he uses to empathize deeply with others and build his moral framework off of. His goal is to explore the world, but he cannot and will not sit idly by when people are having their freedoms taken away. Nonetheless, above all, his goal is to understand: Everything, everywhere, all at once. He wants to understand it all, including people. And to some extent, he does. Or at least tries to. He fails often in the face of irrationality, but that only makes him want to figure it out even more. And eventually, with the right person (who also happens to be INTP!), he gets through to them.

\Please do not argue with me about him being an INFJ. He's not. PDB sees someone who has empathy and morals and assumes they MUST be INFJ. There's a lot of mistyped INTPs on there.)


r/INTP 1d ago

NOT an INTP, but... Are INTPs generally black-and-white thinkers?šŸ¤”

50 Upvotes

I'm curious about something I've noticed and wanted to hear from INTPs directly.

Do you tend to think in black-and-white terms, or do you naturally see shades of grey?

For example:

šŸ”…Do you often think in absolutes?

šŸ”…Do you quickly categorize or label people based on certain information?

šŸ”…Once you've formed an impression of someone, is it difficult for you to change your mind?

šŸ”…Or do you usually leave room for nuance, context, and exceptions?

I'm not asking whether every INTP is the same - I'm just interested in whether this is something you've noticed in yourselves or other INTPs.


r/INTP 1d ago

Um. My dreams are kind of weird

11 Upvotes

Here's a list of some of them

  1. That I drowned in a fish pond.

  2. That I was miserable a fish market and fell through a bucket of slippery eels and ended up I'm a forest of candy.

  3. I was stuck in a hotel room with no people at all, and I was trying to escape, but I just kept ending back inside. The dream ended with me going insane, talking to a chair.

  4. I was kidnapped by grindelwald and stuck in the basement of a strange tikkie inspired beach house. (P.S. Grindelwald was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. I think that's necessary to the story.)

  5. I was invited to hogwarts but apparently hated it and escaped on a pterodactyl with team rocket.

  6. I was in a white box, and all of a sudden, there was a tornado of paper, and I heard my principals voice in an eerie blow. "YOUR SAT!!!!"

  7. (When I was 8) I dreamt I was in Girl Scouts waiting in line for the bathroom. It was just a thick tree with a door. I was behind a bear and I had to pee like crazy and then I wet my pants and I started crying, and the bear comforted me, said, "It's alright, it's only a dream" I woke up in a soaking wet bed.


r/INTP 21h ago

Cuz I'm Supposed to Add Flair I read that Einstein had only Godel as friend in the US. Was Godel an INTP?

0 Upvotes

The great mathematician Godel died from starving himself which he did out of the paranoia that someone would poison him.

I think Einstein was an INTP, but wonder whether his only friend in the US was also one, based on the character.


r/INTP 1d ago

Is this dysfunctional? (Probably) Advice for an INTP 5w6 Facing Online Harassment and Being Outed

3 Upvotes

What are some of your best pieces of advice for an INTP 5w6 who experiences a lot of online harassment and is being outed for some reason?

From my experience, INTPs and INFPs often struggle the most because of how self-aware, introspective, and authentic they tend to be.


r/INTP 1d ago

Cuz I'm Supposed to Add Flair Does it get better after HS?

11 Upvotes

Persoanlly never peaked in highschool. My grades were fine and well above average, but I never enjoyed it. The people were socially draining and just generally not fun. Does anyone else feel like this? Did it get better in uni/college? I know not everyone's gonna have the same experiences but wanted to ask anyway.


r/INTP 1d ago

Thoroughly Confused INTP Fi Demon

1 Upvotes

I have an analogy for when my Fi Demon acts up really badly:

It is as if it tries to take over all the primary functions in order to create a new scenario (Ne) in which we solve something we couldn't in the past (Si) in a way that would logically (Ti) make everyone in the situation happy (Fe) through attaining the truth of the matter. But it's complete overkill. Like a child with some kind of sword that cuts and burns all that is not true and let's everyone be nourished by the ashes (At least that's what he thinks will happen)

And then hours or days later Ti might figure out what exactly Fi was even angry about to try and sabotage us. With the realisation that it was probably completely unnecessary and it just needed to feel sad for a moment and not let something important go on the 'ignore feeling' pile.

Healthy coping mechanisms are so important, but I always remember only after contemplating something like this for way too long already.


r/INTP 2d ago

Too Cool for School I straight up gave up on school and I don't think it's an intelligence thing...

46 Upvotes

\Sorry in advance if this comes off as rambling, I'm trying to get my point across as best as I can...**

Not gonna sugarcoat it, I've basically given up on furthering my formal education. I just cannot seem to make myself care about stuff that doesn't interest me, and without that I physically cannot force information into my head. I don't even really know what "studying" is supposed to look like in practice. I never developed the mechanics of it at all.

Meanwhile if something actually grabs me I'll disappear into it and end up very knowledgeable on the subject. So it's not that I can't learn. I clearly can, fast and deeply. I just cannot do it on command for a grade.

For what it's worth, this isn't just me hyping myself up. People have told me over the years that they think I'm intelligent and honestly I FEEL a lot smarter than my academic record would reflect. Even as a kid I always felt more mature and further along than the people around me in certain ways.

It's telling that my grades weren't uniformly bad. Math and science absolutely wrecked me, but English, history, and civics I actually did fine in, sometimes pretty well. Looking back that tracks, those were subjects I could latch onto some kind of interest in, even without a deep passion, versus math and science which never gave my brain anything to grab onto.

That said, even genuine interest doesn't survive contact with deadlines and coursework for me. One of the times I tried community college, I actually went in for cybersecurity, something I've had genuine interest in outside of school. Even then I couldn't keep up with the actual coursework and eventually lost interest anyway. So it's not just that I need to find the "right" subject, it's that the second something turns into homework and deadlines, it stops mattering how much I actually care about it.

I'll admit I'm somewhat lazy when something doesn't interest me. But it's more than laziness. The whole idea of school, studying, keeping grades up, all of it just feels daunting and makes me shut down. It's not "I don't feel like doing this today," it's more like my brain looks at the whole system and goes nope, and I can't talk myself past that the way I can with normal tasks.

A few other things probably factor in too. I was diagnosed with ADD a while back, tried a couple different meds, and none of them made any real difference, nothing like the "life changing" stuff people describe. Never got put on anything strong like Adderall, just milder stuff, and after a couple attempts that went nowhere I gave up on that route. Depression has also played a role over the years, and it's hard to separate how much of the motivation problem is just "wiring" versus not having much motivation for anything during the bad stretches. Probably some mix of both.

It definitely didn't help that my parents were never really involved with my schooling either. I was left to sort school out on my own, and when your motivation runs entirely on internal interest and nobody's there to help you build structure around that, you just don't. I figured it out myself or I didn't, and mostly it was the second one.

I'm 26 now. I did graduate high school but my grades were bad the whole way through. Since then I've tried community college a couple separate times, actually enrolled, actually showed up at first, and both times just lost interest partway through and let it fizzle out. It's frustrating because I know I'm not "stupid" or incapable.

I used to think the grades meant I was lazy or dumb, and got the "not living up to potential" or "school isn't for everyone" speech from basically every teacher I ever had. Eventually I stopped fighting it. It just feels like a battle I simply cannot win.

Idk if this is an INTP thing specifically. Does anyone else feel this way? Has anyone actually figured out a way to overcome this? Any systems for studying/keeping motivation in a rigid school environment that worked for you long term? At this point I've bailed on formal school enough times that I'm starting to wonder if it's just not in the cards for me.


r/INTP 1d ago

I gotta rant INTP ideas

14 Upvotes

My ideas come to me at an insane speed, but I rarely know how to make them happen or even if they’re remotely possible. I’ve noticed that when I’m with a commander or someone who can execute, they’ll listen to ten of my ideas, pick the one they like best, and actually make it happen. Steal the credit as usual but at least they used my idea lol

My biggest problem is that I’m lazy. I love coming up with ideas, but I struggle to follow through and turn them into reality.

People dismissing my ideas is the worst thing someone can do to me it makes me seriously angry or worse they don’t see any point in even talking about ideas can anyone relate to me here


r/INTP 1d ago

I can't read this flair Emotions being like sick you can't throw up (trigger warning for feelings of death)

3 Upvotes

Does anyone know the feeling of being very sick but not being able to throw up?

Does anyone have this problem with their emotions?

I can feel theyre there... but they just can't be expressed. It feels lonely, confusing and like I'm not living. Any tips?

It usually wells up inside until i cant do anything but sleep. Today i decided to sit with it but it just doesn't happen. Breathing deeply helped. But the knot in my throat doesnt go away. The feeling like i'm gonna cry doesn't go away and it feels so close to happening but also so far. I've dxperienced a lot of pain and heartbreak recently. Nothing breaks me. I dont want something to break me either. Last time something broke me was just before my su!c!de attempt. I can't allow myself to go that far again. This needs to end. I'm scared, confused, and feel dead inside all at once.


r/INTP 1d ago

Um. Cosa chiedere alla mia INTP?

0 Upvotes

Domani esco con la mia ragazza INTP, ho voglia di qualche discussione interessante e che stimoli il mio ed anche il suo cervello, avete qualche idea su argomenti di cui parlare, o di domande da poter fare?


r/INTP 1d ago

Um. Do you guys talk like this in real life?

15 Upvotes

Do you guys constantly mention logic in real life?

I've never met anyone in real life who did this. I've only seen people talk like this on the internet. (And Spock.)

That doesn't mean it doesn't happen offline. But I want to know.


r/INTP 1d ago

For INTP Consideration Carpentry and finished cabinetry the last 2 years. I make decent money but don’t care, feels like everytime I get passed 6 months in a job I want to leave. Any advice or life long stories?

5 Upvotes

24 years old and Been in the trades for 6 years now and dabbled in retail jobs. Family owned a glass shop for 40 years so it was an easy in to the trade world. Really can’t stand school, but open to going. Trying to find joy in life through my ever growing and changing hobbies, but always come back to this feeling of searching/running. My one grounding anchor to life was the drive to learn new things but often find myself too exhausted to care most days. The pysical labor and mind numbing repetition wears me down to the point of dispassion in the things I enjoy outside of work. Any advice or personal experience would be grately appreciated. Much love to this community, I often find myself lingering INTP threads at night just to have the sensation that I’m not alone in feeling this way.


r/INTP 2d ago

Analyze This! What is masculinity and femininity ?

13 Upvotes

Is it even possible to define such dichotomie ? If so, how should such question be approached ? Is it an empirical endeavor, hence as it is addressed by evolutionary psychology it would then be inquired through amassing serveys as to point to the traits that are favourable to each respective sex or better known as the mating strategies popularized by the likes of david m buss focusing only to what the majority's taste converges to while overlooking the minority, or is it empirical yes, but through tracking the traits that are the most common in each sex...

Or should we as a progressive society do away with such confining duality altogether ? Since in one single person there exists a combination of conventionally labeled feminine and masculine traits, there is no purely masculine person and purely feminine person...


r/INTP 2d ago

I got this theory lifechanging books

37 Upvotes

what books changed your life if at all and why?

Mine was probably beyond good and evil by nietzsche. being a skeptic makes the world highly interesting.

Edit: I guess intps rly like similar philosophies huh


r/INTP 1d ago

Do INTPs Poop? What MBTI do others mistaken you as?

1 Upvotes

My personality is pretty fluid and i’ve received many types especially ones that are F, makes me wonder if I actually am an INTP lol.

Some I’ve been mistaken as:

ISTP
ENFP
ISFJ
INFP
ISFP
ESFP
ESTP

These types were also given by people who are looking at E vs I and S vs N descriptions so it explains why they’re results are so scattered


r/INTP 2d ago

Check this out Any INTP's in management?

9 Upvotes

I have a INTP manager, his pretty terrible at remembering important details and is often times a mess, How do I improve my relationship with him? I'm a ISTP i joined this company about 4 weeks ago.


r/INTP 2d ago

Um. How do you handle your social battery running out without making it seem like you’re not enjoying the company?

16 Upvotes

24F here. I seem to have a pattern of getting tired, sleepy, and socially exhausted around 9:00 p.m. When that happens, I also become more irritable and tend to go quiet.
I recently went on a girls’ night out. By around 9:00 p.m., I had completely run out of energy, so I had a beer hoping it would help me stay awake and socialize a little longer. It gave me a temporary boost, but it wasn’t enough. As the night went on, I became tired again, and conversations about work or relationships stopped holding my attention. I found myself only feeling engaged when the topic shifted to something I was genuinely excited about, like a recent movie obsession or FIFA.
At one point, I mentioned that I was feeling sleepy. Looking back, I realize that probably wasn’t the best thing to say in a social setting because it could have sounded like I wasn’t enjoying myself. My best friend told me that I could go home if I wanted to. The truth is, I still wanted to spend time with her—I had just run out of social energy.
For context, my usual routine is to start winding down around 7:00 p.m. (not necessarily to sleep, just to relax), so staying out late isn’t something I’m used to.
Has anyone else experienced something similar? How do you handle your social battery running out without making it seem like you’re not enjoying the company?