ISTP Personality Type Explained: Introverted And Sensing

What does ISTP mean? ISTP Personality type, abbreviated as Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving, is one of the 16 personality types prospected by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Such personality type individuals truly enjoy their own company where they prefer to have time to think alone. 

They are also completely independent, always seeking new experiences, and great at hands-on activities, outdoor tasks, and action-oriented work. 

ISTP personality types really enjoy tearing things apart to see how it works. Such individuals are curious to understand the working of things. 

They are also rational and logical in their approach. Also, they tend to be more interested in the practical application of anything rather than any abstract ideas. 

The routine work bores them, so they are more encouraged to do new things over a period of time. 

ISTP cognitive functions

According to MBTI ( Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) for personalities, people happen to have different cognitive functions. 

These functions can be defined as thinking, sensing, feeling, and intuition and often tend to either be directed inwards, making it introverted, or outwards, making it extraverted. 

Depending upon the hierarchical arrangement of these functions, an individual’s personality traits are decided. 

These different levels are explained as dominant, auxiliary, tertiary, and inferior, where these cognitive functions fall. 

The dominant function plays the most prominent role in a person’s personality type, whereas the auxiliary function is more like a supporting role. 

Tertiary and inferior functions are basically less impactful aspects of personality. However, it really dominates the unconscious or subconscious aspect of the personality. 

Introverted Thinking ( Dominant) 

ISTP personality individuals spend a lot of time thinking. 

Introvert Nature 

They spend a lot of time dealing with the information they have in their brain. 

Since they spend most of their time thinking, it clearly means they do not spend much time expressing themselves verbally. 

And due to this, their introverted nature is a prominent part of their personality, making them most of the time quiet. 

Decision-Making 

ISTPs might appear clumsy with their decision-making approach, but their actions are always an afterthought of observation. 

They do not tend to react quickly based on their thoughts or initial information gained. 

Logical & Rational Approach 

ISTP personality type individuals approach the world with their rational and logical viewpoints.

So this makes them focus primarily on what is practical, doable, and more useful rather than just abstract ideas or theories. 

Due to their logical approach, they tend to examine any situation very objectively. It means they do not add emotional factors while making decisions. 

These personality types are difficult to know as they mostly focus on the tasks they want to do rather than emotions. 

Extraverted Sensing ( Auxiliary) 

Extraverted sensing is the secondary cognitive function in ISTP personality type individuals.  

Avoid Long-Term Commitments  

ISTP personalities tend to focus more on the present and what’s in the moment. They like to take on things one at a time.

These personality types avoid making any long-term commitments. Rather they try to focus more on just “now.”  

In fact, future planning freaks them out. It is not in their strong suit to create future plans or even to think about what to do next week. 

Understanding How Things Work

They enjoy learning new things and understanding how things work. That’s why they are interested in breaking things apart to see how it operates. 

Such personalities might even take part in a mechanical-driven career or be curious people in all aspects of their lives. 

ISTP personality types are great at understanding theories and abstract information but not when they don’t see its practical application. 

Introverted Intuition ( Tertiary) 

 Introverted Intuition is a tertiary-level cognitive function. It clearly operates mostly unconsciously in the ISTP personality type individuals. 

Usually, they are not much interested in abstract theories unless with practical application, just for the sake of it. 

So, they utilize this less powerful or apparent cognitive function to serve their primary cognitive function: to take action. 

Gut Feeling

One of the most important roles of this cognitive function in the ISTP personality type is utilizing the “gut feeling” instinct from here. 

When they make their decisions, they use their dominant and auxiliary cognitive functions to synthesize information, but the instinctive push they get is from this tertiary function. 

All those ‘aha’ moments of that one insight that comes within are all from this particular function of the personality. 

Extraverted Feeling ( Inferior) 

The extraverted feeling is the inferior or most unimportant cognitive function of ISTP personality type individuals. 

It is something that tends to operate very silently in the background of their personality type. 

Such functions only make their appearance in the event of extreme stress. 

In a highly stressed-out situation, ISTP personality types often lash out at the burst of emotion. 

However, they usually ignore these feelings until they become unbearable to their consciousness. 

This is something that is very deep within and triggers the display of emotions that make them inappropriate. 

Values & Motivation Of ISTP Personality Type Individuals 

ISTP personality type individuals are highly curious about the workings of the world that are around them. 

They have a unique ability to utilize the available resources to change things in the way they want. 

ISTP personality type individuals are great at studying and understanding how things work. 

Practical Application Of Their Knowledge 

These personality types are also driven by their passion for achieving specialization or mastery in the use and operation of machines or instruments. 

ISTP personalities are great at understanding and making practical use of the theories or knowledge they’ve gained. 

You see them quickly able to put their technical knowledge to practical use within no time. 

ISTP personality types are detached from what they do or the process they are involved in. 

They have a logical and rational approach to everything without involving their personal or subjective views. 

ISTP personality types prefer to acknowledge the logic of mechanical operations rather than the complexity and uncertainty of human emotions and reactions. 

They are also independent and reserved and prefer to live within their core or personal space, which they value greatly. 

They prefer to be free and flexible, to be spontaneous at the moment, and follow their intuitions and instincts. 

Also, their motivation towards building a relationship is regarding the person who allows them to offer freedom to do their own thing. 

Personal Relationships Of ISTP Individuals

ISTP personality types are obviously introverts. They tend to be quiet, reserved, and calm.  

You see, these personalities primarily thrive on new experiences and cherish the exploration of their thinking horizon. 

On the other hand, they truly despise strict routines, too much order, or restrictions around them. 

ISTPs are highly independent, and as a result, neither they feel comfortable in confined situations nor do they prefer to be controlled in one way or another. 

ISTP personality types often do not like to share their emotions with people. They do not open up easily and certainly not to all or even most others. 

However, they do enjoy listening to other people’s thoughts and understanding their emotions.  

They like to observe and tap in on other minds around them. But even when they have an opinion, they keep it to themselves. 

Due to this, their personal relationships are a bit complicated, as for people it is not easy to understand them. 

They are more likely to make friends with people who have the same interests and passions as they have. 

How Others See The ISTP Personality 

Here are the observations and the perceived behavior that others see in the ISTP Personality type individuals. 

• ISTP is usually quite reserved, conservative, and even aloof.

• They are extremely tolerant and non-judgemental to others.

• People notice how ISTP personality type individuals are able to calmly take observations about how things work.

• People are also amazed by how good ISTPs are at noticing sensory data and minute details.

• ISTP mostly focuses on what needs to be done and what requires to be taken care of at the moment.

• People clearly see ISTPs as unlikely to open up with people, especially not in a conventional way.

• ISTPs often find different ways to connect with others, such as by sharing a common interest or, more like, an activity to solve a problem.

• People also acknowledge how good ISTPs are with mechanical skills or skills for repairing or crafting things.

• ISTPs are mostly attracted to hobbies, interests, or passions such as woodworking, fixing appliances, computers, hardware, etc.

• It is so hard to ignore that ISTPs are exceptionally good at repairing things or have an intuitive knowledge of the technical or physical making of something. 

• They have remarkable ability and passion for fixing things.

• ISTP enjoys risks and action as it comes to them as thrilling and fun. And hence, they are more interested in activities like extreme sports, weaponry, or motorcycling. 

When ISTPs Are Stressed

The energy-draining activities are usually behind the reason for experiencing pain, stress, or dissatisfaction. 

So to really understand the relationship between stress and personality type, you need to understand what kind of activities drain them. 

ISTP personality type tends to be drained or get stressed with : 

• Purposeless and monotonous routine 
• Too much interpersonal conflict 
• Overtly pressure to commit to long-term projects 
• Spending too much time with people 

So, let’s break down one each of these root causes for the stress of ISTP personality type.  

Purposeless And Monotonous Routine 

ISTP is the kind of personality type that thrives on the freedom and flexibility they have to be able to explore their potential opportunities. 

They need a space to spread their wings and be able to come up with new solutions creatively. 

It is also required to analyze their information and think about fixing things with available resources. 

But when they push against the wall to achieve something, that becomes quite tedious. 

They tend to feel quite trapped and restricted when following an unexplained or unnecessary routine. 

Any structure or confined space makes things too boring or uncomfortable for them. They are, in fact, more likely to stray from their routine if they don’t see any point in it. 

Too Much Of Interpersonal Conflict 

Interpersonal conflicts come with tense emotions and the need to be socially compliant and able, which ISTP usually do not feel comfortable doing. 

They get unformidable with any interpersonal conflict because they cannot deal with it, and hence get stressed out. 

However, a lot of times, it depends upon the other party as well; if both are level-headed and balanced, there are chances things can get smooth. 

Overtly Pressure To Committ Long-term Projects

When ISTPs are pressured to take up long-term commitments on some projects, they are more likely to feel drained. 

It is because they always want to have options open to them. It is really tough for them to stick to one thing for a long time. 

The very idea of thinking about it stresses them out, as neither are they equipped to do so not interested. 

However, if it is something they truly enjoy doing or is their extreme passion, they may get more comfortable with it long term. 

Spending Too Much Time With People

ISTPs are clearly introverts. They enjoy alone time, are reserved, and feel independent. 

Also, they need a lot of time to think. They prefer spending time within their thoughts analyzing information further to take action. 

So it becomes extremely draining for them when they don’t get enough time with themselves. 

Especially when they are with people for a long time, it drains them and exhausts them where. They further need alone time to recharge their energies. 

Key Takeaways

• ISTP stands for Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving. People with this personality type tend to be reserved, practical, logical, and adaptable.

• ISTPs are often skilled in working with their hands and enjoy tinkering with mechanical or electrical devices. They may also enjoy physical activities like sports or outdoor adventures.

• ISTPs can be independent and may have a strong desire for autonomy. They may struggle with authority figures or rules that they see as arbitrary.

• While ISTPs tend to be private individuals, they can be charming and social when in the mood. They may have a dry sense of humor and enjoy intellectual conversations.

• ISTPs may have difficulty with emotions, both their own and others. They may struggle to express their feelings or may seem insensitive to the emotions of those around them.

• ISTPs are often problem-solvers who enjoy finding practical solutions to complex issues. They may excel in fields like engineering, mechanics, or computer science.

• ISTPs may have a tendency to take risks or seek out adrenaline-inducing activities. This can sometimes lead them into dangerous situations or cause them to neglect their own safety.

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