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“For most INTPs, their Fe is rather naive and childlike. They may be easily moved by cheesy romantic comedies or sappy love songs, anything that unconsciously incites their Fe emotions. Their emotional naiveté can make them easy targets for love-at-first-sight sorts of infatuation.”

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“Because INTPs are relatively ill-equipped to navigate emotionally-difficult situations, their inferior Fe is inclined to do all it can to defend itself. Hence, in emotionally intense or chaotic situations, INTPs may suddenly be overwhelmed with feelings of rage and anger, which, left unmitigated, may quickly transport them to the dark side.”

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“INTPs desperately want to know who they are, how they should live, and the sorts of things they should be doing. Similar to other IN types, INTPs see it necessary to understand themselves—their personality, interests, abilities, and values—before they can act in the world with any degree of confidence or conviction.”

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“INTPs seem more inclined toward cerebral narcissism than most other types. While Vaknin sees the narcissist’s chance of recovery as relatively slim, I tend to disagree, especially for those with milder cases. In my experience, as INTPs mature and develop, their need for ego affirmation gradually diminishes and is supplanted by a healthier sense of self-worth.”

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“INTPs can be hoarders and misers of time. Their objective is to maximize time to themselves for exploring and developing their interests. So whenever another person enters their personal space, INTPs may worry over what might happen to their cherished time. If INTPs are happy in their careers, time may be a relative non-issue, since they will have plenty of time to satisfy their Ti and Ne at work. If not, however, they may come to see their partner as a potential threat to their time and freedom. With all that said, what would seem an admirable reason for INTPs to participate in a relationship is out of genuine interest in their partner. This would typically involve a love for his or her mind and ideas, the type of partner David Keirsey has dubbed a “mindmate.”

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“First, the moment INTPs stop sharing certain thoughts with their partners is the moment they begin to detach from and devalue them. At that moment, the INTP is no longer relating to his or her partner, but has chosen to become a free agent. Second, when INTPs fail to share their thoughts, the relationship immediately becomes less interesting to them. Remember, the most honest and authentic reason for INTPs to be in a relationship is to learn and explore with their partner. So as soon as they turn down an independent path and start moving away from their partner, they have forsaken the primary purpose of the relationship.”

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“The problem is that INTPs are not nearly as nice as the nice guy persona suggests. Their extraverted side is more of a social façade than a true representation of their inner selves. It therefore seems appropriate that INTPs, as well as their partners, take an honest look at who the INTP really is (and is not). Generally speaking, INTPs are not social butterflies with strong interests in the lives of others. They are more like lone wolves, fiercely independent and absorbed in their own thoughts and affairs.”

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“When their partners, especially those with strong Fe expressiveness, come to them with an urgent need for support or reassurance, INTPs may find themselves feeling angry or spiteful rather than compassionate. This response is not intentional, but is more of a knee-jerk reaction stemming from feelings of powerlessness and ineptitude. This problem also ties into the fact that INTPs fail to experience empathy to the degree that Feeling types do. INTPs do not want to feign empathy, as it feels awkward and inauthentic. So all they feel capable of doing is proffering potential solutions in a Ti-Ne fashion, which may leave their support-seeking partner feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. This dissatisfaction may, in turn, further fuel INTPs’ sense of spite and anger, since they feel they are being asked to function inauthentically and “out of their element.”

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“INTPs can quickly locate inconsistencies or logical shortcomings in a given theory or argument. They excel in pinpointing exceptions or imagining scenarios in which a proposed explanation might breakdown. Due to their acute sensitivity to theoretical exceptions, they can be quick (sometimes too quick) to discard entire theories, throwing out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.”

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“While their Ti pushes for closure, Ne counters by rallying for more options and alternatives. In many cases, Ne wins out, interjecting just enough new or contradictory information to keep INTPs in a state of indecision. Indeed, it is not uncommon for INTPs to feel entirely confident one day, only to feel ambivalent and uncertain the next.”

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“On the more negative side of things, Ne may contribute to a persistent sense of restlessness or dissatisfaction. INTPs may find themselves wanting to break out of certain situations or circumstances in order to experience more novelty, freedom, and autonomy. They might feel compelled to quit their job or break off a relationship in hopes of discovering something more stimulating. at the very moment INTPs are feeling good about a theory or decision, their Ne steps in and shakes things up. This has obvious implications for INTPs who are trying to make important decisions about their careers or relationships. It can leave them feeling discouraged and restless, worried that they may never find what they are looking for or produce anything of lasting value.”

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“Types with Si in their functional stack, including INTPs, tend to eat a fairly routine or consistent diet, "eating to live" rather than "living to eat." They are also conservative with regard to their resources, tending toward saving over spending. Minimalists to the core, INTPs have a diminished need for novel physical pleasures and material comforts. Their mates may get frustrated with their tendency to shoot down proposed expenditures, most of which seem superfluous or otherwise unnecessary to the bare bones pragmatist that is the INTP”

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“Despite their difficulty in connecting with others on a feeling level, INTPs’ Fe still desires the same sense of affirmation and validation that FJs experience when engaging with people. This desire for affirmation can be seen as a motivating force behind INTPs' quest for recognition and achievement. It also explains why many INTPs score high as Enneagram Threes (3) and display certain narcissistic tendencies. Since INTPs rely on others for affirmation, they often feel they cannot live without at least one other person in their lives. Their fear of being alone or unneeded may play a significant role in their perceived need for romantic relationships. There are also times, however, when INTPs feel incredibly independent (Ti) and may even convince themselves they don’t need other people. This is especially true in periods where they are completely absorbed in the creative flow of their work. But after long droughts of human interaction, INTPs begin to feel that something is missing from their lives. This prompts them to reinitiate contact with others, at least until they feel compelled to assert their independence again.”

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“Ideally, INTPs might envision their lives unfolding in the following way: 1) acquire adequate self-knowledge; 2) apply that self-knowledge to procure a fulfilling work life; 3) find someone to share that life with. Unfortunately, what often happens is quite the opposite. Before really knowing themselves, they dive into a career, get married, have children, and suddenly find themselves dissatisfied in their careers and relationships. They then feel stuck, seeing it as overly difficult to change or reinvent their careers, or to heal or discontinue their relationships. They therefore live out much of their lives in limbo, feeling restless, aimless, and dissatisfied.”

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“INTPs can also be rather slow in disclosing the true contents of their inner world. As strange as it may seem to some, INTPs conceal some of their most dominant personality features, namely, their cerebral, rational side. Indeed, it may only be a select few who are granted full access to this side of the INTP. Perhaps the best way of sampling INTPs’ inner world is through their work, such as by reading something they have written. This may explain why INTPs often take interest in writing, which provides a forum for more robust and precise self-expression.”

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“In light of their reluctance to freely reveal the rational side of their personality, as well as the scattered nature of their Ne expressions, INTPs feel their true level of knowledge and competence is often lost on others. This is especially common in the workplace, where their lack of enthusiasm for organizational life, combined with their quirky outward demeanor, may be mistaken for incompetence.”

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“Unlike Extraverted Sensing (Se), Ne is not attuned to concrete, sense data. Indeed, INTPs are among the oblivious to environmental details of all types, commonly missing things that seem obvious to others. Ne looks beyond sense data, allowing INTPs to discern unseen patterns, possibilities, and potentials. It is constantly scanning for relationships or patterns within pools of facts, ideas, or experiences. INTPs commonly exercise this receptive element of Ne in activities such as reading, researching, listening to talk radio, or engaging in conversation.”

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“In contending with their own inner beast, they may experience any number of dark thoughts or urges. These may range from suicidal thoughts, to intense feelings of hatred, to fantasies of criminal acts. Generally, such thoughts are rather short-lived, truncated by a diminishment of the emotion, effective distractions, a return of Ti reasonability, or some combination thereof. But if INTPs dwell in darkness for any sustained period of time, they may find themselves in serious trouble. Of all types, they are probably the least likely to seek outside help, putting them at greater risk for becoming a victim of their own dark side.”

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“INTPs deplore doing things in standard, predefined ways. As Ti-Ne types, standardization runs against their grain. INTPs thrive on doing things their own way, developing and employing their own Ti approach. This makes them reluctant to function as employees, loathing the idea of answering to someone else. INTPs also struggle to embrace an organization’s vision and methods as their own. In many respects, they are control freaks. They want to be in full control of themselves and avoid being controlled or managed by others.”

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“For INTPs to remain fully committed to and invested in the relationship, there are times when they must review the reasons and rationale for the relationship. Of course, this can be extremely difficult and scary for most partners. Feeling types, in particular, may fail to see why INTPs cannot simply rely on feelings to stay connected. They may struggle to see how the elusive nature of INTPs’ feelings may cause them to lose sight of why they are in the relationship. It can also be beneficial for INTPs and their partners to periodically review the INTP’s Ti reasons for being in the relationship. This might include, for instance, highlighting the value of the relationship with respect to mutual learning and exploration.”

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“For long-term compatibility, INTPs need a partner who allows them to functional authentically as INTPs, including granting them sufficient freedom of action and expression. They seek a partner with similar intellectual interests and capacities, or what David Keirsey has called a “mindmate.” When paired with a mindmate, INTPs feel that, at any given moment, there is potential for a meaningful exploration of ideas with their partner. INTPs may be especially drawn to those with knowledge and interests overlapping with their own, making way for a sort of co-exploration of truth.”

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“Ti and Ne might well be viewed as “freedom-seeking” functions, contributing to the INTP’s status as the most fiercely independent of all types. Indeed, INTPs deplore being told what to do or how they should do something. They want to do things their own way and in their own time. This can inspire them to resist or rebel against, even if only inwardly, various rules, laws, and authorities perceived as potential threats to their freedom and autonomy. These threats may come in the form of governmental or corporate power; INTPs are wary of both. Consequently, almost all INTPs, at least at some point in their lives, will gravitate toward some sort of anarchist or libertarian philosophy.”

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“While they can certainly derive great pleasure from reflection and contemplation, there are times when they fatigue of thinking, feel they have reached a dead end, or just want to “get out of their own head.” When this occurs, INTPs may struggle to find meaningful alternatives. Since their purpose and identity often revolve around N pursuits, they may view S activities as essentially pointless or mundane. This can create a situation in which their happiness seems to hinge almost entirely on the success of their N affairs. And since periods of inspiration and N success are bound to ebb and flow, they may find themselves trapped in a sort of bipolar existence—ecstatic one moment, down and depressed the next.”

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