The INTJ Archetype: The Ranger | UDUF
INTJs are passionate, talented types who are capable of mastering any skill. They see their entire life as a performance, often fearing the spotlight is always on them and seeing themselves as managers of systems. INTJs take the ideas of other people and refine them until they are perfect. INTJs balance being the most independent of all the types with having gratitude for the people who have helped them get to their position in life.
Examples of famous INTJs you may know include:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Beyonce
- Madonna
- Magnus Carlsen
- Scarlett Johansson
- Tiger Woods.
Expression Style
As is the case with all personality types, the INTJ lies at the intersection between a specific expression style and a specific worldview. They are one of the four finisher types, meaning that their communication style is direct, responding, and progression.
Direct: All sides of their mind besides their ego are informative. Additionally, their desire to not always be taken at their word, coupled with their quick-speaking voices, makes INTJs the most half-and-half of all the types when it comes to direct versus informative. Still, an INTJ prefers to choose their role in a conversation.
Responding: INTJs much prefer to be approached by others with information as it eases their inferior performance anxiety. They can be so afraid of initiating that they do not even get out of the house.
Progression: INTJs are triple progression, in fact, so they are one of the quickest types. They have an all-in, full-steam-ahead mentality where they stop at nothing to arrive at their goals. Once they get going, they do not mind being in a rush, often preferring to wait until the last minute to complete a task.
Worldview
INTJs are part of the Intellectual worldview, also known as the NT temperament, meaning that they are abstract, pragmatic, and systematic.
Abstract: INTJs are at high risk of having too much hope, such that they fail to actually realize their dreams. They're so passionate and driven but need to balance that with concrete evidence of their abilities, or else they become fake.
Pragmatic: INTJs are the most independent of all the types. They impose their own belief systems onto other people, often disregarding what others may care about doing the right thing. They often find themselves unaccepted by society at large, resulting in them forming their own inner circle instead of belonging to a larger group.
Systematic: INTJs are looking for best practices to apply to all facets of life. They like to streamline processes because it prevents them from stagnating. Their relentless pursuit of efficiency may come off to others as uncaring when it is applied to human interaction, but that is showing care from an INTJ perspective.
Cognitive Functions
Ni Hero
Ni Hero has the ability to will its way through any situation. INTJs consider their future before their past, often getting tunnel vision. They have the hardest time letting go once they have decided they want something. They're stubborn about releasing it from their grasp. This applies to relationships as well, where INTJs are at risk of being possessive of their partners and struggle to move on after a breakup.
Te Parent
Te Parent is responsible with rationale because it is skeptical of the credibility of data sources. Without Te Parent to keep them in check, INTJs would be gullible to following institutions that use statistics to push an agenda. INTJs can pursue data very quickly, which enables them to pick up new skills in a brief amount of time. They find themselves becoming experts before having the credentials that would make them look trustworthy, so they chase titles to make sure people listen to them. Their reputation is very important to them.
Fi Child
Fi Child is very innocent about its moral compass. It is the purest form of good. INTJs are capable of being good people without needing the emotional reactions of others to inspire them. An INTJ who takes their Fi Child too far has a superiority complex where they believe they are entitled to things without having to show gratitude in return. In this case, they see themselves as the ultimate judge of good and bad, where nobody else gets to say. Quality of life is very important to INTJs. They bring this to Fe users in their lives who do not have the sense of self-worth to get it for themselves. They spend their sympathy on others and seek to bring them along on their journey of improvement.
Se Inferior
Se Inferior is afraid of abandonment. They may push others away to test if they will remain loyal, but it is more likely that they will not push people at all out of fear that they will lose faith. INTJs try to trade performance for loyalty. They seek to give other people the best experiences so they will want to stick around. Sometimes, they fail to state this as an expectation, thus forming a covert contract. INTJs are the most talented people on the planet. Nobody can outcompete INTJs when they humble themselves and aspire to perform for their own satisfaction. They have the capacity to master any skill and do it the quickest. The downside is they forget those skills if they do not continue to practice them.
Ne Nemesis
INTJs worry about other people's intentions. They are the most paranoid of all the types, as they often consider that other people might be looking to backstab. They would usually be better off giving people their trust in the first place. INTJs are the epitome of Murphy's Law. They project their own willpower onto other people and cause their own fears to enter reality by observing undesirable possibilities. An Nemesis is what challenges the INTJ to never give up. They need to be certain they have a future even if other people get in the way.
Ti Critic
Ti Critic causes INTJs to doubt what they know. They often work tirelessly to prove or disprove things. They're the biggest overthinkers of all the types, and this is one of the reasons they struggle to fall asleep at night. This problem can be alleviated by a conversation with Ti users. INTJs want to solve problems more than any other Ti user. They have the potential to possess mastery over thinking, and this prowess gets directed toward innovative or intellectual pursuits. The knowledge of an INTJ decays over time without consistent challenge. They are at a high risk of assuming things to be true without verifying.
Fe Trickster
The one thing INTJs really struggle with is to master social skills. Fe Trickster, coupled with triple pragmatism, makes INTJs socially inept from their perspective. Anything could be ethical to save them from making social faux pas. They need to be briefed on any event before it happens. Since this is not realistic, the best solution for them is to create a system of how people react whenever they do inevitably break social rules. Otherwise, they will forget and repeat the same mistakes. INTJs often use humor to make people feel good. This is generally an effective shortcut, but they might want to consider that this is not always appropriate.
Si Demon
Si Demon is a rejection of an INTJ's needs. INTJs do not care about what they should do and often pay a price for it. Their lack of consistency in life causes a poor sleep schedule and makes it almost impossible for them to maintain as much long-term memory as the other types. INTJs do not have faith in much of anything. They might betray loyal people in reaction to one event where their trust was broken. Their Ni Nemesis and Ti Critic might even assume this is happening in an act of paranoia when it is, in fact, not happening. If you obligate an INTJ, they will hate you. It is much more effective to use a Xanatos Gambit to convince them to do things they should do. Do not make them remember past trauma either, unless you are okay with becoming part of it.
Four Sides of the Mind
INTJ Ego
The INTJ has Ni Hero, Te Parent, Fi Child, and Se Inferior in their ego. These functions shape their core personality.
ESFP Subconscious
The INTJ's subconscious consists of ESFP. It represents their path to happiness when they break through the fear of their inferior function. It becomes aspirational, and they become strong and capable where they were previously weak and afraid. For INTJs, this means accepting their flaws.
ENTP Unconscious
The unconscious for INTJs is ENTP. Embracing their unconscious allows them to pursue truth and meaning when being the center of attention is not practical.
ISFJ Superego
The INTJ's superego is ISFJ, led by Si Demon. Over time, INTJs begin to understand how much suffering they can endure. They cease to avoid struggle and use hard work to support those who have helped them on their journey. In its Angelic form, the ISFJ superego is about using sacrifice to make the most meaningful contributions to affiliates.
Octagram
Unconscious Developed, Unconscious Focused (UDUF): "The Survivalist"
UDUF INTJs have faced disabling environments both in their childhood and adulthood. They often experienced rejection, trauma, or extreme responsibility from a young age, leading to a focus on survival. These INTJs are characterized by high standards for experiences and a refined taste, developed as a coping mechanism for the challenges they faced. They value desirability and adaptability as a means of survival, often seeking to be accepted and respected by others. Their focus is on finding a better life outside of mere survival, looking to achieve satisfaction and respect through their unique experiences and achievements.
Summary
INTJs can put up a front of utter greatness, but their flaws do run deep. Consistent practice turns them into a spectacle for the world to watch in awe. INTJs struggle with relationships more than any other type. Give them the space to fail and accept that their good intentions might not always translate into real-time effort. They will eventually shed their skin.
