Me: The Mastermind (INTJ)

David Keirsey described the 16 personality types from the Myers-Briggs test in more depth. Let me know what you guys are. Go to

http://www.kisa.ca/personality/

and take this simplified version of the test. Brad and I took the tests, and there's what we came up with:



Me (INTJ): The Mastermind
All Rationals are good at planning operations, but Masterminds (INTJs) are head and shoulders above the rest in what is called "contingency planning." A contingency plan has "if-thens" in it, put there to deal with foreseeable errors and shortages of personnel and material. All sorts of contingencies are bound to arise when any complex project is undertaken, from planning a family vacation in Europe to preparing for the invasion of Europe, as in World War II. Such operations involve many, many steps, each of which must be coordinated to follow one another in a necessary progression, and each of which can be subject to unforeseen problems. Masterminds are able to grasp how each step leads to the next, and to prepare alternatives for difficulties that are likely to arise. Masterminds never set the course of their current project without Plan A firmly in mind, but they are always prepared to switch to Plan B - or C or D if need be.

Masterminds are rare, comprising no more than, say, 1 percent of the population, and they are rarely encountered outside their office, factory or laboratory. Although they are highly capable leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once they take charge, however, they are thoroughgoing pragmatists, seeing reality as nothing more than a chess board for working out and refining their strategies. When planning a campaign, the Mastermind is completely open-minded and will entertain any idea that might prove useful. Fruitful ideas are quickly applied, all else discarded.

To the Mastermind, a plan is never set in concrete, but can be changed and improved. Thus they do not feel bound by arbitrary rules and by-the-book procedures, and authority based on degrees, credentials, title or celebrity does not impress them, nor do slogans or catchwords. They will adopt ideas only if they are useful, which is to say they work efficiently toward accomplishing their goals. Only ideas that make sense to them are adopted; those that don't, aren't, no matter who thought of them.

Masterminds tend to be much more self-confident than other Rationals, having usually developed a very strong will. Decisions come easily to them; indeed they can hardly rest until they have things settled and decided. They have a drive to completion, always with an eye to long-term consequences. Ideas seem to carry their own force for them, although they subject every idea to the test of usefulness. Difficulties are highly stimulating to Masterminds, who love responding to a problem that requires a creative solution. These traits lead them to occupations where theoretical models can be implemented in the workplace. They build data and human systems wherever they work, if given the slightest opportunity. They can be outstanding in scientific research and as executives in business.

These quiet, determined Rationals usually rise to positions of responsiblity, for they work long and hard and are steady in the pursuit of goals, sparing neither their own time and effort nor that of their colleagues and employees. They tend, ordinarily, to verbalize the positive and to avoid comments of a negative nature; they are more interested in moving an organization forward than dwelling on mistakes of the past. However they can develop tunnel-vision at times, which can be a weakness in their careers, for by focusing so tightly on their own pursuits they can ignore the points of view and wishes of others.

Masterminds are certain that efficiency is indispensible in the well-run organization, and if they encounter problems or overlapping functions, duplication of effort, useless paperwork and waste of human and material resources, they are quick to realign operations and reassign personnel to increase productivity. Remember, their aim is always efficiency.

On the job, Masterminds tend to drive others as hard as they drive themselves, so they often seem demanding and difficult to satisfy. Their fellow workers often feel as if a Mastermind can see right through them, and often believe that they are critical of them. This tendency of people to feel transparent, and incompetent, in their presence often results in rather distant working relationships. Colleagues may describe INTJs as unemotional and, at times, cold and unfriendly, when in truth they are merely taking the goals of an institution seriously, and continually striving to achieve those goals. Fortunately, indifference or criticism from fellow workers does not particularly bother Masterminds, if they believe that they are right. All in all, they make dedicated, loyal employees whose loyalties are directed toward the institution, rather than toward individuals within the institution.

Masterminds want harmony and order in their home and in their marriage, but not at the cost of having a submissive mate. The most independent of all the types, INTJs want their mates to be independent as well, able to stand up to the strength of their personality. Courtship is a special problem for Masterminds, since they regard the selection of a proper mate as a rational process, a matter of finding someone who correlates highly with their mental list of physical and intellectual requirements. They know quickly - usually on the first or second date - whether or not a relationship has any future, and they will not waste their time on courtships that seem to hold little promise. In general, Masterminds rely on their head and not their heart to make these choices, and at times, therefore, they will seem calculating. Even in more casual social situations, they may appear cold and may neglect to observe small rituals designed to put others at their ease. For example, INTGs may communicate that time is wasted if used for friendly chitchat, and thus people receive a sense of hurry from them which is not always intended.

Make no mistake, the emotions of an INTJ are hard to read, and neither a male nor female of this type is apt to be very outgoing or emotionally expressive. On the contrary, they havea strong need for privacy, and they do not enjoy physical contact except with a chosen few. But Masterminds also have a wide romantic streak in them, and once they have decided a person is worthy of them, they make passionate mates.

With their children, Masterminds are loving and unfailing in their devotion. Their children are a major focus in life, and they loyally support them and encourage them to develop in directions of their own choosing. At the same time, they are fully aware that children need well-defined limits, and they are invariably firm and consistent in setting those limits. Sons or daughters with little sense of direction or little drive to do well in school can puzzle Mastermind parents; they themselves are the highest achievers in school of all the types, and they expect their children to follow suit. But they care more for their children's individuality than for their own expectations, and so they quickly back off and give their children room to find their own way.