INTJ Explained: Everything You Need to Know About “The Architect”

The INTJ personality type is one of the sixteen possible results when people take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment. People with this personality type, also called “Architects,” tend to be detail-oriented, creative, and thoughtful.

INTJ is an acronym that stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging. Only 1% to 4% of the adult population has this personality type, making it one of the rarest types on the MBTI assessment.

If you’re looking for more information about the INTJ personality type, you’ve come to the right place. This complete guide will provide you with all the information you need about an Architect’s strengths and weaknesses, career paths, and relationships.

Common INTJ Traits

Architects are rational thinkers with quick wits. They don’t only think for themselves, but pride themselves on their ability to be independent thinkers. This high-level rationalism helps them see through the hypocrisy and phoniness of other people.

They are always thinking. While this helps them excel in school and at work, it can cause tension in their interpersonal relationships. INTJs need to be around people who don’t have a problem with their nonstop analysis of everything around them. The following are four common traits commonly found in Architects.

1. Independence

INTJs tend to be some of the most independent people. Since they are extremely intelligent, they tend to think and act without waiting for other people to catch up with them. Even when they’re in relationships, they tend to make decisions without asking for input from anyone, even those they love and respect.

While their independence is a result of their high intellect and preference for internal processing, it can come off an insensitivity sometimes. Loved ones often wish they could be involved in the decisionmaking process, but Architects are content to make their decisions alone.

Although their independence may make them appear cold, that’s the farthest thing from the truth. They tend to feel deeply. While they may not naturally involve others in their decision-making process, they’re motivated to change their behavior when they realize it’s hurtful toward others.

2. Innovation

INTJs are some of the most innovative people. They love finding better ways to do things. Historically, they’re the type that has come up with the world-changing inventions. Instead of being frustrated by early failure, they’re motivated to push through discomfort to find the best ways to get things done.

Although they don’t shy away from failure, they refuse to let failure have the last word. Their inventions only matter to them when they actually work. INTJs want to see their ideas succeed and won’t let anything get in their way.

3. Intellect

INTJs tend to be some of the most intelligent people because of their ongoing thirst for learning. Their self-esteem depends on their ability to keep learning and overcoming obstacles with their intellect. When Architects were in school, they were often branded “nerds” or “bookworms” because of their preference for mental stimulation over physical activity.

Not only can they teach themselves anything they want, they can excel at any intellectual pursuit they put their minds to. Gaining knowledge is a lifelong task for INTJs, who will push themselves well beyond their schooling years.

4. Interpersonal Struggles

INTJs aren’t usually the warmest people, since they tend to put more stock in rationality than warmth. While they can be characterized as uncaring, they do care for people. However, they often struggle to communicate those feelings, especially when their feelings seem to contradict their rational thoughts.

They tend to value depth and truth, which makes them intolerant of things like small talk, white lies, and pleasantries. Unintentionally, they come across as rude when they’re only trying to be true to themselves and their analysis of the world around them.

INTJ Strengths

The following are some key strengths of the INTJ personality type:

• Lifelong learning: they tend to keep learning, no matter how much they may already know on a topic. Because of this, they rarely have options that aren’t well-researched and accurately informed.

• Rationality: they highly value their ability to think rationally. They apply their rational thought process to every decision, often coming up with creative solutions to common problems.

• Independence: as mentioned in the section above, they tend to be incredibly independent. Their ability to motivate and think for themselves allows them to succeed in their career of choice.

• Uniqueness: they are often one-of-a-kind because of their intense stubbornness and extraordinary creativity. They usually stand out as different because of the unique way they look at the world.

• Motivated: they create and achieve lofty goals. INTJs don’t rest until they’ve reached their goals, which means they’ll tackle any obstacle that gets in their way.

INTJ Weaknesses

Despite all their positive traits, INTJs have a few weaknesses:

• Critical toward emotion: although their rationality helps them make informed decisions, they can be overly critical toward emotions. When they interact people who act on feelings instead of facts, they can be extremely critical and judgmental.

• Egotistical: unfortunately, INTJs can let their high intelligence morph into an egotistical personality. Even though they’re often right, they may assume that they’re always right. This can cause them to come across as egotistical to others.

• Nitpickiness: since INTJs are high-achieving perfectionists, they tend to be critical of weakness in others. Even though they use the same standards for themselves, their nitpicking can come across as overly critical.

• Frustrated relationships: INTJs tend to be clueless when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Their high standards are hard to meet, causing others to feel like INTJs care more about perfection than real relationships. Consequently, Architects tend to be clueless when it comes to building and maintaining friendships.

Architects at Work

Architects are motivated problem-solvers, making them fit for any career that allows them to leverage their intellectual gifts. They want to be challenged, so they tend to find careers that others consider too difficult.

They make excellent marketing strategists, management consultants, project managers, and more. While they do well in high-visibility positions, many Architects prefer careers that allow them to influence change behind the scenes. They are gifted engineers, programmers, and inventors.

They are gifted and competent workers. Unfortunately, this can leave them frustrated in their early careers, especially when they find their work too easy or boring. They sometimes struggle with workplace relationships, since they have a great disdain for small talk and other social niceties.

Despite their social quirks, their track record for success can’t be ignored by co-workers. They hold themselves to high standards, often higher than the standards given by their employers. This makes them stand out among their peers.

While their logical thought processes make them exceptional workers, it’s important to remember that they aren’t just book smart. They have exceptional creative thinking and problem-solving skills, making them adept at finding solutions to common problems.

Their high intellect and creative thinking skills make them particularly gifted for careers in STEM fields. They prefer jobs that allow them to apply their gifts. Since they are self-assured and self-confident, they know the value they bring to a workplace and want to work in places that value their strengths.

Architects in Love

INTJs tend to be strategic and goal-oriented in every part of their lives. This includes romantic relationships. While some personality types lead with emotions, Architects tend to create a strategy for finding a partner. They apply their rationality, research, and gifts to this task.

Unfortunately, romantic relationships are rarely rational. While they’re capable of understanding human emotions, INTJs tend to forget about them when they create their romantic relationship strategies. They sometimes struggle to find a partner who is compatible with them.

They tend to be very critical of themselves, always working on self-improvement. Unfortunately, applying their high standards to romantic partners can create tension. When an INTJ spends time critically assessing potential partners, they’re likely to feel like none of the people they see measure up to their standards.

This doesn’t mean they can’t fall in love, though. Although they tend to be rational thinkers, they crave depth and honesty in relationships. When they find a person who is willing to plunge to great depths with them, that foundation is enough to build a solid relationship.

It’s important for Architects to find a partner who values honesty and rationality as much as they do. As INTJs mature, they’re more likely to embrace romantic rituals in favor of building positive romantic connections. Immature Architects may shun common dating practices, but maturing Architects may see these as the most rational means to get the romantic relationship they desire.

While they don’t readily show their emotions, it’s important to remember that INTJs do have them. They often have intense feelings that are buried under protective layers of rationality and intellect. Although they let their rationality show first, people close to them get to see an INTJ’s emotional side.

Architects as Friends

Architects tend to have sharp wits and gallows humor. Not everyone can appreciate those traits, but INTJs are okay with being rejected for who they are. They are rarely obsessed with popularity or maintaining a large network of friends.

Like most introverted personality types, INTJs tend to maintain a few close friendships. Since friendships require precious energy, they aren’t willing to waste that energy on people they don’t like. They would rather spend time alone than spend time with a person who irritates or bores them.

Although they are rational and intellectual, they aren’t antisocial or unfriendly. They enjoy spending time alone, but they crave deep and meaningful connections with other people. When they feel a real connection with another person, they can be excited about that friendship. They enjoy spending time with people who can keep up with deep conversations.

Since they are rarely popular themselves, Architects tend to find friends in unlikely places. They find likeminded people who might otherwise be excluded, since they view these “outsiders” as kindred spirits.

Architects prefer friendships that provide them with mental stimulation. They want to feel like their friends are a good match for them. Since they tend to view themselves as superior, this can be a tall order to fill.

Architects as Parents

INTJs often have to master new skills when they become parents. While learning and mastering new skills comes naturally to them, many of these skills require flexibility that doesn’t come naturally to Architects.

When Architects have children, they want their children to grow into self-reliant, independent, and capable adults. They want to see their children apply the same rationality and critical thinking skills they’ve adopted.

Although they can be very critical, they tend to find age-appropriate ways to mold their children. The relationship between an INTJ and their child is marked by honesty and respect, two things Architects value greatly.

They make every effort to make sure their children are knowledgeable and well-adjusted. Instead of shielding their children from the realities of the world, they make sure their children have the intellectual tools they need to overcome those challenges.

Conclusion

INTJs (Architects) are goal-oriented, rational, and intellectual people. While they’re happy to work and play independently, they often crave deep connections with other people. They hold themselves (and others) to high standards.

While these high standards may seem impossibly high to others, Architects tend to set and surpass their loftiest goals. They are lifelong learners. INTJs tend to be motivated and do best in jobs that challenge them. When they aren’t being challenged, Architects can become bored and frustrated.

Although their rational thinking makes them adept workers, it brings some challenges to interpersonal relationships. They want to find people who are their equals. Since they’re so bright, they often to find people who can keep up with them. When they do find someone who meets their high standards, they create deep and lasting relationships.

No matter where they go or what they do, Architects draw attention. They are respected for their strong principles and admired for their intellectual abilities.