INTJ (The Architect)

It’s lonely at the top, and being one of the rarest and most strategically capable personality types, Architects know this all too well. Architects form just two percent of the population, and women of this personality type are especially rare, forming just 0.8% of the population – it is often a challenge for them to find like-minded individuals who are able to keep up with their relentless intellectualism and chess-like maneuvering. People with the Architect personality type are imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, amazingly curious, but they do not squander their energy.

Architects are brilliant and confident in bodies of knowledge they have taken the time to understand, but unfortunately the social contract is unlikely to be one of those subjects. White lies and small talk are hard enough as it is for a personality type that craves truth and depth, but Architects may go so far as to see many social conventions as downright stupid.

Ironically, it is often best for them to remain where they are comfortable – out of the spotlight – where the natural confidence prevalent in Architects as they work with the familiar can serve as its own beacon, attracting people, romantically or otherwise, of similar temperament and interests.

Architects are defined by their tendency to move through life as though it were a giant chess board, pieces constantly shifting with consideration and intelligence, always assessing new tactics, strategies and contingency plans, constantly outmaneuvering their peers in order to maintain control of a situation while maximizing their freedom to move about.

This isn’t meant to suggest that Architects act without conscience, but to many other types, Architects’ distaste for acting on emotion can make it seem that way, and it explains why many fictional villains (and misunderstood heroes) are modeled on this personality type.

Strengths

Quick, Imaginative and Strategic Mind – Architects pride themselves on their minds, taking every opportunity to improve their knowledge, and this shows in the strength and flexibility of their strategic thinking. Insatiably curious and always up for an intellectual challenge, Architects can see things from many perspectives. Architect personalities use their creativity and imagination not so much for artistry, but for planning contingencies and courses of action for all possible scenarios.

High Self-Confidence – Architects trust their rationalism above all else, so when they come to a conclusion, they have no reason to doubt their findings. This creates an honest, direct style of communication that isn’t held back by perceived social roles or expectations. When Architects are right, they’re right, and no amount of politicking or hand-holding is going to change that fact – whether it’s correcting a person, a process, or themselves, they’d have it no other way.

Independent and Decisive – This creativity, logic and confidence come together to form individuals who stand on their own and take responsibility for their own actions. Authority figures do not impress Architects, nor do social conventions or tradition, and no matter how popular something is, if they have a better idea, Architects will stand against anyone they have to in a bid to have it changed. Either an idea is the most rational or it’s wrong, and people with the Architect personality type will apply this to their arguments as well as their own behavior, staying calm and detached from these sometimes emotionally charged conflicts. Architects will only be swayed by those who follow suit.

Hard-working and determined – If something piques their interest, Architect personalities can be astonishingly dedicated to their work, putting in long hours and intense effort to see an idea through. Architects are incredibly efficient, and if tasks meet the criteria of furthering a goal, they will find a way to consolidate and accomplish those tasks. However, this drive for efficiency can also lead to a sort of elaborate laziness, wherein Architects find ways to bypass seeming redundancies which don’t seem to require a great deal of thought – this can be risky, as sometimes double-checking one’s work is the standard for a reason.

Open-minded – All this rationalism leads to a very intellectually receptive personality type, as Architects stay open to new ideas, supported by logic, even if (and sometimes especially if) they prove Architects’ previous conceptions wrong. When presented with unfamiliar territory, such as alternate lifestyles, Architects tend to apply their receptiveness and independence, and aversion to rules and traditions, to these new ideas as well, resulting in fairly liberal social senses.

Jacks-of-all-Trades – Architects’ open-mindedness, determination, independence, confidence and strategic abilities create individuals who are capable of doing anything they set their minds to. Excelling at analyzing anything life throws their way, Architects are able to reverse-engineer the underlying methodology of almost any system and apply the concepts that are exposed wherever needed. Architects tend to have their pick of professions, from IT system designers to political masterminds.