At first glance INTPs and INTJs seem very similar. Both are intuitive, thinking and introverted types, with the only difference being that the INTP is a perceiving and the INTJ is a judging type. What is your MBTI?
Truth to be told, the two types do share many similarities. Both enjoy time alone and thinking about abstract ideas and theories. However, the two types have completely different functional stacks.
INTP Function Stack
Introverted Thinking(Ti)
Extraverted Intuition(Ne)
Introverted Sensing(Si)
Extraverted Feeling(Fe)
INTJ Function Stack
Introverted Intuition(Ni)
Extraverted Thinking(Te)
Introverted Feeling(Fi)
Extraverted Sensing(Se)
We see that INTPs and INTJs have completely different cognitive functions. Let us go through some of the differences between the two types.
1. INTJs are outspoken about their thoughts, while INTPs keep their thoughts private
INTJs have Extraverted Thinking(Te) as their auxiliary function, whereas INTPs have Introverted Thinking(Ti) as their dominant function. INTJs are often quick to jump to conclusions after going through empirical data, whereas INTPs have the need to think through the underlying reasons behind the data. Hence INTJs have no problem educating those around them, while the INTP prefer to keep their thoughts private until they are more sure of the validity of their conclusions.
2. INTJs criticize others, where INTPs are open to new ideas.
As INTJs are often more sure of their thoughts(Te), they are quick to critique the ideas of others. INTPs, on the other hand, prefer to refine their theories(Ti) before saying definitely that others are wrong.
Moreover, INTJs have Introverted Feeling(Fi) as their tertiary function while INTPs have Extraverted Feeling(Fe) as their inferior function. INTPs are therefore motivated to preserve group harmony and avoid conflict. However INTJs derive their feelings from personal principles, and are not always sensitive to the emotions of others.
3. INTJs love new experiences. INTPs stick to what they like.
INTJs have Extraverted Sensing as their inferior function, while INTPs have Introverted Sensing as their tertiary function. INTJs enjoy exploring the external world and trying new activities. Meanwhile, INTPs trust their internal physical sensations to tell them which activities were enjoyable in the past and which were not.
4. INTJs plan their future. INTPs keep their options open.
INTJs have Introverted Intuition(Ni) as their dominant function, while INTPs have Extraverted Intuition(Ne) as their auxiliary function. INTJs take in information and synthesize them to decide on the best outcome possible. Afterwards, they stick to their decision.
On the other hand, INTPs see many possible futures for themselves. Being afraid to choose the wrong path, they typically hold of making a decision for as long as possible.
5. INTJs attempt to keep external order. INTPs try to keep their internal world organized.
INTJs have Extraverted Thinking(Te) and INTPs have Introverted Thinking(Ti). INTJs try to keep the external world predictable and make everything efficient in order to achieve their desired outcome. They have no trouble delegating tasks to others and keeping their physical environment neat and organised.
On the other hand, INTPs have little interest in the external world. They instead prefer to keep their thoughts refined and organized. They evaluate new information taken in with their perceiving function, Extraverted Intuition(Ne), update their existing model of the world if need be, and categorize the new information.
6. Under Stress, INTJs overindulge while INTPs become emotional
INTJs have Extraverted Sensing(Se) as their inferior function. INTPs have Extraverted Feeling(Fe) as their inferior function. During extreme periods of stress, the inferior function becomes a grip function. To deal with such stress, INTJs indulge their physical senses, binge eating, drinking, or even working out excessively.
On the other hand INTPs break down emotionally. It is the rare occurrence when they express their emotions, though it often comes out as outbursts.
7. INTJs dress up better than INTPs
INTJs have Extraverted Sensing(Se) as their inferior function. Despite Se being the least conscious function in their ego, they are still aware of their physical surroundings, especially as they grow older. As they are aware of how others dress, they tend to dress better themselves.
Furthermore, in order to effectively accomplish their goals(Te), they often have to gain status, and dressing nicely is part of that.
In contrast, INTPs do not have Extraverted Sensing in their ego, and thus are not aware of how others dress, and are uninterested in how others view them in a physical sense. However, as they have Extraverted Feeling(Fe) as their inferior function, they may dress up to connect with others as they grow older.
8. INTJs are conscious of how they feel. INTPs are more conscious of how others feel.
There is an old adage, “INTJs are the coldest humans and INTPs are the warmest robots”. INTJs have Introverted Feeling(Fi) as their tertiary function and therefore feel emotions very deeply, despite not being very expressive of their feelings.
In contrast, INTPs have Extraverted Feeling(Fe) as their inferior function. They are perceptive of how others feel and are perceived as warm and even sociable as they get older. However, they are out of touch with their own emotions.
9. INTJs focus on results, while INTPs focus on ideation.
INTJs are ruthless when it comes to the effectiveness of execution(Te). They apply their insights gleaned from synthesizing data(Ni).
INTPs prefer to leave the application of their ideas to others. Instead, they focus on refining their mental model to be as accurate as possible(Ti).
Some INTJ INTP statistics
Both INTJ and INTPs are more likely than other types to be self employed and argumentative.
On average, INTPs earn a lower income and have lower job satisfaction than INTJs, despite having higher IQ scores.