ISTJ - Introverted, Sensing, Thinker, Judger - that's me!

Over the past few years as an undergrad they ask us to take the famous Myers-Briggs Personality Test. Once again, now in graduate school, they ask me to take it again & I get the same personality profile. Once seeing below you'll understand why I am the way I am, haha! Let me reiterate this is NOT a horoscope. Eso no es de Dios!

 

The ISTJ personality type is the second most popular one (11.6% of the U.S. population). “Only the facts, please” is their motto – ISTJ personalities respect facts greatly and tend to accumulate a lot of information in their own memory.

ISTJ strengths

• Jacks of all trades. ISTJ personalities tend to be very observant and good with facts. They often know something about everything and that internal encyclopedia often proves to be very useful in challenging situations.
• Strong-willed and dutiful. ISTJs are willing to work very hard to make sure that they fulfill all their obligations. People with this personality type are patient and determined individuals who always keep the end goal in sight.
• Very responsible. A promise means everything to an ISTJ. They would rather work overtime and lose sleep than fail to deliver the result that someone else is expecting. ISTJ personalities also tend to be extremely loyal, putting their duties above everything else.
• Good at creating and enforcing order. ISTJs loathe chaos and always seek to come up with some kind of structure or a set or rules, regardless of what they do. They also do not shy away from enforcing the existing regulations and have zero tolerance for rule breakers.
• Calm and practical. ISTJ personalities very rarely lose their temper, always approaching things from a calm and rational perspective. They believe that emotions should not be part of the decision-making process and always have their feet firmly on the ground. Not surprisingly, this also makes ISTJs quite resistant to criticism (in most situations).
• Honest and direct. ISTJs strongly dislike mind games, reading between the lines and emotional manipulation. They do not mince their words and prefer an inconvenient truth over a reassuring lie.

ISTJ weaknesses

• Stubborn. ISTJs often find it difficult to accept a different opinion, especially if it is not based on easily verifiable facts. They also tend to be reluctant to accept changes or acknowledge that they were wrong, especially if that affects their lifestyle or habits.
• Insensitive. ISTJ personalities prefer logic over emotions and often see the latter as irrational and distracting. Consequently, they may unknowingly hurt people who are more sensitive (e.g. Feeling (F) types).
• Judgmental. From the ISTJ’s perspective, facts are all that matters. If someone is unwilling to accept those facts or simply does not know them, the ISTJ may find it difficult to respect that individual, especially if they refuse to acknowledge that their opinion is wrong.
• Always by the book. People with the ISTJ personality type like having a clear set of rules and guidelines – however, this often results in them being reluctant to bend those rules or try something new. As already mentioned above, ISTJs cannot stand chaos and may feel lost and vulnerable in an unfamiliar, unstructured environment.
• May often unreasonably blame themselves. Their strong sense of duty often makes it difficult for ISTJs to relax and stop overloading themselves with work. Sooner or later, the workload becomes unbearable and then the ISTJ may feel terrible for failing to fulfill what they see as their duty.