INTJ - Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging

http://typelogic.com/intj.html

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.
- Definitely true of me. Especially the part about a "specialized knowledge system" that is constructed from an early age.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.
- I would say that this is the case for me, with the added statement that "what takes my interest" is primarily the expansion and development of my own mind.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know".
- I often have this feeling that I look around at other people and see them doing all kinds of things and I think to myself for a moment "what are you doing? you aren't doing anything compared to them." but then I will talk to these people and realize that they don't know what I know.

...many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality
- If I had to estimate, I would say that approximately 70% of my interactions with others are strictly this "mask" of "surface conformism," seeing what others think and feel and adopting a behavior that will create in their minds an image of me that "works" for me. I do this almost automatically, in that it is such a developed process that I rarely even need to consciously think about it. Often it is really nothing more than a system of carefully constructed lies, and I am fully aware of their existence, their nature, and their function.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations. This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation.
- I also often get this feeling that while I actually am fully capable of understanding and empathizing with another person's need to engage in these sorts of "interpersonal" activities, and while there may be some part of myself that shares that need, it is all simply not important enough to me to acknowledge through action. Concerning the knowledge suddenly "abandoning or misleading," I rarely feel that way. Often I feel that I do understand the situation or the "social ritual" at hand, and I just don't care about it enough to take the time to convince the other person that I actually do understand.

Feeling has a modest inner room, two doors down from the Most Imminent iNtuition. It doesn't get out much, but lends its influence on behalf of causes which are Good and Worthy and Humane. We may catch a glimpse of it in the unspoken attitude of good will, or the gracious smile or nod. Some question the existence of Feeling in this type, yet its unseen balance to Thinking is a cardinal dimension in the full measure of the INTJ's soul.
- I feel like this a lot. As opposed to expressing feeling as a response to the sort of "social rituals" mentioned above (which most people do), I generally despise such rituals, and instead express feeling in more simple, unnoticeable ways. The interesting thing about it though is that it is actually something that is always present on my mind, even when I am making a point of consciously willing not to act on it.

I also thought I would list a couple other points from other sites:

Introverts are less likely to seek stimulation from others because their own thoughts and imagination are stimulating enough.
- This is very often the case. While I do enjoy interacting with others, my primary enjoyment occurs during the times that they share their thoughts with me, and before the point at which those thoughts become "old." It is not uncommon for me to engage in a conversation with someone else and find them fascinating for the first five minutes, up until the point at which I have developed a complete virtualization of their thought or their thinking process... then they can continue to talk about it for another half-hour during which time I will be bored to death because I already figured out their entire perspective on the issue in the first five minutes, so from that point on it is all just repetition. One reason I often tend to prefer to "hang out" with relatively larger groups of people as opposed to just one or two others, and in situations in which relaxation and talking are more likely (i.e. someone's house rather than the mall) is that I am simply more likely to encounter more of these brief moments of interesting thoughts if there are more people present. I often get bored by people, especially if they want to spend time with me but don't have the capacity or inclination to engage in any interesting conversation with me.

They may even be considered the most independent of all of the sixteen personality types. INTJs are at their best in quietly and firmly developing their ideas, theories, and principles.
- I often feel that independence and will are two of my strongest characteristics. I also often feel that I feel most accomplished when I have just finished contemplating something that I have been thinking of for years and have finally come to a conclusion, or at least a new stage in the progression of my thinking.