INTPs are idea addicts. They go from one idea to the next. Ideas are like drugs for an INTP. The idea has roughly a few phases:

1) Discovery: The ah-ha moment! Wow, this is so exciting or interesting a new possibility.. This leads to a research phase.

2) Research / rising suspense: The INTP researches the idea and learns about its possibilities. Excitement builds.

3) Discovery of Flaw: No idea is perfect, and invariably the INTP discovers a fault in their wonderful idea, a reason why it would be difficult to work or not work as expected.

4) Abandonment: After the discovery of the flaw, the excitement in the idea may wane and the search for a new idea begins. Seems the INTP will abandon the idea more easily than work through the flaws, in search of a new, seemingly perfect (yet nonexistent) idea. Of course, this is a folly, no idea is perfect, and the next idea will repeat the 1-3 or 1-4 phase.

INTPs can go through steps 1-3, or 1-4 over a short period of time, or months, or perhaps even years. But it seems that this is the pattern.

Being "addicted" to ideas can seem somewhat less destructive than being addicted other things, after all ideas can be tremendously useful. Such as philosophical concepts, which are just ideas. But the addiction to ideas is also destructive because it's so lopsided. Yes, ideas are important, but they're of partial importance. There's other things that matter, and perhaps matter more. Like taking action on said ideas.

I don't have solutions, I just have observations here.

Seriously dawg, ik it's not rational but wth

HOly shit I've done like quadrillion mbti tests(from r/mbti and more) and they all point to intp

Sometimes I'm js goofy asl, but when I'm alone I tend to think a lot and I do overthink.

I don't feel like I'm introverted because sometimes in class I can just become the class clown and some days I might js not talk to anybody.

Maybe I'm somehow answering questions on these tests the way I manipulate them into them giving me INTP as a result.

I can easily communicate with people but it's hard for me to have friends, I probably have like 1 real friend and that's it.

I'm an INTP with ADHD, and I'm curious if anyone can relate to this.

Do you ever feel really hurt or experience a sudden drop in mood after someone insults or disrespects you? Even when you know their opinion shouldn't matter, do you still struggle to regulate your emotions afterward?

Recently, two people on internet called me an "idiot" and "crazy" simply because I refused to send them a picture of my face. When I said their words hurt me, others people in the group insult and disrespect me and then they accused me of seeking sympathy and using ADHD as an excuse.

I know strangers' opinions don't define me, but that doesn't make their words hurt any less.

How do you regulate your emotions and stop these experiences from ruining your mood for the rest of the day?

I'd love to hear your experiences, especially from other INTPs with ADHD.

I feel like every conference I’ve ever gone to, across multiple industries, is less about professional development and more about extroverts networking and adding each other to LinkedIn.

No one ever wants to truly share the gnitty gritty of their work, 75% of presenters seem to be consultants trying to sell people repackaged common sense either through extreme fees to hire their firms or by selling some book. The rare presentation where someone actually explains what they did to develop a new workflow that allowed them to succeed is maybe one per conference and you have to hope you were lucky enough to sign up for it.

None of it has ever been worth flying 2-5 hours and then being forced to breath forced air all day + not having any downtime from your team or work for multiple days straight.

I’m not even at a conference right now but I’m being pressured to attend one this summer and just knowing I’ll never get those 3 days of my life back has me considering job searching (current job is huge on these conferences - there are other organizations in my field that do far less of these things or only send people who truly want to attend.)

I think being smart for INTPs can be a problem, both as an ability and as an identity.

As an ability, it leaves them alienated and even isolated because they might not find the right people in their lives that are capable and willing to appreciate their intellect. And finding those people both on- and offline is pretty hard, unless you're lucky. The people that they find themselves being around usually don't show a lot of interest in what they usually say/want to say, which makes the INTP go into apathy mode.

As an identity, it can bring pressure and identity crises. The pressure comes from both the people around them and themselves. I think a lot of INTPs grew up being "the gifted kid" due to their early signs of intelligence. Their parents, teachers, peers, and even them themselves could see how faster they were at school than other kids. So people started to expect a lot from them, and they also expected a lot from themselves. And as they grew up, they continued recognizing brilliance in themselves. But every human ultimately have their own moments of weakness, even in areas that they're experts in ,. And when that happens to the INTP, their sense of identity feels threatened, and they start feeling like an imposter (imposter syndrome). I think this happens with pretty much every person who's been considered a gifted kid in their childhood, but I wanted to emphasize it for INTPs.

I've noticed these issues both in myself and other INTPs, even though I'm not sure if I'm an INTP myself. I do relate to INTPs a lot, so I decided to make this post. A good solution for the first issue would be getting a friend that gets you. The type of friend who listens and appreciates your weird ideas, and who maybe also likes rambling about weird stuff, then you can ramble together. Of course, this friend is hard to come by. An enemy or rival who's interested in the same stuff as you but who's always on the opposing side can also help. Although it's annoying, it's better than nothing. But this rival can also be hard to find.

A solution for the other issue would be not to put a lot of importance on identity, and also coming to terms with the fact that you're pretty smart, and that's enough. But even knowing all this might not help because falling into the same destructive patterns that you are fully aware of is something that also happens a lot to many INTPs. So I guess the reason why I'm posting this is just to get it off my chest.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Hope you can't relate.

I find myself constantly tweaking my own internal definitions for common words. Like the precise nuance of 'efficient' versus 'effective' or exactly what constitutes 'ambition'. It's like I'm trying to create the most precise mental thesaurus possible. Then I get frustrated when others dont seem to operate with the same level of semantic rigor. Is this just me trying to over-categorize language?

If we were all in the same room I'd ignore you all with a book but reading this reddit made me feel less like a sore thumb. So, with the screen between us, hi! Does anyone play DND or have good ideas for similarly screened social outlets? I live in a town with -no- one I am either patient or tolerant, so far, to be friends with. I am widening my consideration of what a friend is. I am sure you all understand, I really only need one.

I am INTP-T

the extra i’s are for minimum character requirement

I used to have two intp friends with whom I would hang out every now and then. On the surface, they seemed to be quite understanding and considerate of me. But as time passed, I figured they are quite judgmental and dismissive of other people's choices and perspectives. As an infp, I deeply feel with others cause that's what we are. When I sometimes would stand up for the people they dismissed, they would laugh or state Im too self righteous or suffer from main character syndrome. Initially, I would take that too personally and withdraw/not bring it up much/not talk anymore. But once, I snapped and blurted what the truth was and how unempathetic they were being. They still laughed and ignored my stance. I was quite cold and cruel when I snapped, bringing their insecurities and judging them for their behaviours and choices, just like they judged others. They said i have already made up my mind and there was no point in arguing with me. Then they went silent after that.
I wanna know what people think about this. Also wanna know could it be a typical intp response, or were they fake intps all along.

I'm feeling extremely anxious right now because I did something I rarely do, which is confront someone about the bad behavior of their employee. I was so selective with my words, but they still immediately brushed me off, downplayed the situation, and claimed the person is harmless. I feel sick to my stomach and know for a fact I'm going to be punished for this; this happened at my local gym. I know this, because the employee just posted about how "fragile" people are and how nobody can handle "a joke".

I need the best recommendations for taking care of myself right now so I can stop being anxious and upset. What are the ones that work best for you as an INTP?

I'm kinda new to reddit and this subreddit, so please bare with me.

So I'm a teenager. Im also homeschooled. (I swear I'm not a weird homeschooler, I've been socialized with other humans!)

I'm an EMT who runs ambulance with a private company as a volunteer. There's other teens and young adults who run there as well.

I graduated my EMT class with a bunch of others who also went to the same company as me, so we're all going through orientation together.

And I really just don't get it. The way people my age socialize. From the moment they meet someone else they act like they're besties and have known each other for ages. They laugh, giggle and do everything with each other. I just don't know how to join in without being weird.

The one girl I went through orientation with already acts like she's besties with all the young people in the station.

Normally something like this wouldn't bother me. But when you share a weekly ambulance run night with someone who has known these people for the same amount of time you have, and already seems far more liked, it's just a little disheartening.

How to spot someone who claims to be an intp but is not

Alright fellow robots here it goes.

Have you been struggling with procrastination? Do you always have creative ideas that you "play" out in your head and once you see how it will unfold in real life you realize the effort for executing them is no longer a motivation? Do you live in your head more and feel like you are a background character in life happening around you?

I have found the solution.

You would need to stop being an INTP. No, not completely. You will still get one hour each day to be your INTP self. But no more. Most hours you would be a mix of ENFJ, ENTJ, ENTP and INTJ. This is the best we can do.

The exact steps you would need to undertake this initiative:

1) From now on whenever you open your mouth to talk you would only use it to win an argument and feel good.

Not to find the "truth". As an INTP, we live in a moral world of our own where we constantly optimize for truth but it serves us no purpose other than making other people think of you as an a-hole or a jerk. I can promise you other people are not gong to think of you as a phony. Because they are doing the same.

Example:

Colleague 1: You know this project is going to be super complex I think we need to ask for a longer timeline from the team manager.

Colleague 2: Yeah I agree. I would prefer we try doing it the way he told us first and then figure out the next steps. Lets talk to some stakeholders next week to understand what they need.

Now the INTP in you would be teething like a toddler to blurt out something like this because you already intuitively know what the stakeholders need: No its straight forward. Once we have the access and the data connectors plugged in I can easily write a query to fetch what we need. From there its easy to implement it post QA and user testing. I think we need a week at most since all tool are native and not custom built.

But no. Instead, say this:

You know I think you guys are guys are right. Let me set something up with the stakeholders and I'll cc our manager too so he is in the loop.

This gains you so much more than you can see at the surface. You came across as a team player, supportive, and dont pose a risk to the organization by skipping playing the game. Organizations dont promote INTP (unless you are in research or something truly cognitive) because your truth is a threat to the underlying social structure.

Lesson: DO NOT SAY WHAT YOU THINK AT FIRST. SAY WHAT WILL WIN YOU LEVERAGE AND CHARM OTHERS.

2) Alright now that you know how you have to talk and engage in conversations, here comes the follow up.

Stop over explaining the why and the underlying systems of things you find interesting. Use lot of filler words like (see what I did here) you know, more or less, basically, from what I understand etc. Nobody wants to hear you be succinct. Yes I know you are right most of the times. I know you know how things work. But let people figure it out for themselves. They dont want someone else to push them to the "eureka" moment. They want a guiding light.

Example:

Colleague: We have a tight deadline for this project. I want to start a business and maybe I will take a loan from my parents or the bank. I have this idea for a cafe.

Now you want to say the truth because you clearly see why opening a cafe by taking a loan would be a disaster. You are itching to explain why the idea is not viable and why the business plan needs more work.

But instead say this:

You: Yeah cafe's are amazing. Our city needs a good one bro trust me. But do you think maybe talking to a cafe owner first would be a better idea to understand the business first? Or working at one part time to learn the ropes?

Colleague: Yeah I think that makes sense. I might apply to one I saw in downtown. But its far away from my current office.

You: Yeah that'd be rough. I can imagine.

Colleague: But then again I guess I could explore other options. I might figure something out. Over weekends maybe.

You: Yeah def that would be awesome.

Lesson: DO NOT OVER EXPLAIN AND TELL THE TRUTH WHEN PEOPLE COME TO YOU TO TALK. JUST REFLECT BACK THE FEELINGS NOT LOGIC. THEY WILL FIND THE LOGIC THEMSELVES.

3) Watch reality TV shows and mainstream movies and content.

Yeah I know it sucks. You would rather watch some obscure Russian movie directed by Tarkovsky. But most people who want to give you power and wealth do not care about obscure and intellectual things. You have to meet them where they are to get what you want.

Example:

Random Girl that gossips all the time in the office: OMG the new jersey shore episode had me in stitches last Friday. Amanda totally likes Bruce but Bruce is a bad boy. He won't commit to her EVAAA.

You want to roll your eyes and pretend you did not listen to her but big mistake. If you dont then guess what? In Amanda's books you are the quiet weird gal/guy in the workplace who is too good to engage with anyone. Amanda doesnt want to talk about the Hubble Telescope findings from last week. Only people on the internet you talk to do. The word gets around really fast and you would be boxed into that weird person that would stall your career trajectory.

If you know what is going on in jersey shore try this:

Oh my god dont tell me is this Bruce the same guy who was talking to the other girl, whats her name, behind Amanda's back? The one with long hair?

If you dont know what is going on try this:

Is the new Jersey Shore on already? I need to catch up.

Her: Oh my god yes. Thank God Bruce is being outed though. if you like jersey shore check out Love Island.

Lesson: Engaging in non-intellectual "arts" is important for social points. People want to feel you are like them. Most people hate "thinking" and rely on mainstream content for their cognitive refueling. Meet them where they are and they will grant you whatever you want. In this case you just turned from the non-talkative weird person to fun Rachel/Ross. You dont have to engage in gossip. Just engage in social bonding. You never know who listens to her. She just became your unofficial sponsor.

4) Stop rationalizing emotions.

Feel outrage? Act outraged. Feel happy? Act happy. Dance. Groove. Emote. Let people know how you feel happy. Its not cringe to emote or have facial expressions. This makes people think you are human and not a villain from a Pixar movie.

Example:

You just got a deal done for your business. You are happy and your employees dont know it yet. You are about to tell them.

I know this is a mundane news for you but you are running a business. You cannot just say:

"Guys we got a new lead yesterday and now we have a customer from Atlanta. We need to deliver their project in 2 weeks."

This does only one detrimental thing. It does not inspire your people. If you dont inspire your employees what do you think will happen to their motivation? Why would they feel happy and obligated to work for you? Its never just about the money. People want to follow a leader who can inspire and looks like has a plan.

Instead you would want to explain it like this:

Guys I have some big news for this week. Sales team absolutely killed it. Kudos to Matt for bringing it home. We will work with this new client from Atlanta who expects big things from us. They were really impressed by our portfolio. Thank you all and lets get to working.

Lesson: Remember 3 things in life. Express, Express & Express. People want to see what you feel. They want to feel you feeling. Most people dont understand your feelings intuitively. Inspire them. No feelings (other than outbursts and violence) are wrong.

These 4 things changed my life two years ago when I started my business. I became a consultant and a life coach (yeah I know I can hear quite a few INTPs shrugging at this) and I have already brought in 200k in two years. I have more business contacts and professional opportunities than ever before.

I no longer feel like I live in my head anymore because I stopped thinking about thinking.

I am no longer a slave to optimizing for "truth".

And oh yes, I did say you can be an INTP for an hour a day. You get an hour to your INTP ness in the evenings or before bed. That is all you will be granted. Watch a video on astrophysics on YT, a Veritasium video or read up some obscure philosopher's works. It doesnt matter what your poison is in that hour. But that is all you get to not become a "wasted potential" in the eyes of the world.