ISTJ Personality Type Introverted Sensing

ISTJ Personality Type

Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging (ISTJ)

The ISTJ personality, which is "Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging," is a quiet, reserved, faithful, loyal and non-judgmental person. This personality is very observant, and prefers to work in quieter ways without confrontations; the ISTJ is very dependable and reliable. This paper investigates how the published interpretations of an ISTJ personality fit with the reality of my own life and activities. It also reviews a recent publication that focuses on workplace dynamics among employees - the good, the bad, the positive and the negative.

Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging (ISTJ)

The ISTJ personality profile provided by www.personalitypage.commatches up to my emotions and my patterns remarkably well. After all, I am very focused on how I feel internally. I always have been. I do "take things in via my five senses in a literal, concrete fashion." I remember being a child and wondering why certain things were happening to me, and probing my conscience, my heart, and my spirit for answers as to why the world was the way it was. But I remember that I always tried hard to hear everything that was said to me and around me.

If I heard a neighbor out on the front sidewalk talking to another neighbor, I put my ear to the window screen to hear what was being said. I didn't want to spy on anyone, but I was just as interested in the sound of voices as I was the sound of the freight train rumbling by in back of our house, and the thunder that preceded the rainstorm in summer. And I was fascinated by the power of the thunder that I could feel as the house trembled a little bit, and I was aware of the smell of the air as the rain was about to pour down.

As person who has left childhood, I now have the same focus on internalizing the sensual world. But as the personality page also points out, I do have acute awareness of the external world and I try to be rational, though I'm not always logical.

My sense of duty is probably not as strong and purposeful as somebody who would enter the military service, because I don't know if I would be so duty-bound that I could take orders barked at me and immediately do what I was told. But I am very dependable, and when I know something has to be done - like a homework assignment or a favor for a friend - I carry out my promises, always. So I am in fact very loyal, faithful, and honest too. And I will go to great lengths, like the personality page profile indicates, to complete a goal of mine. I love setting goals, but if I can't meet them, I get frustrated, so I tend to set goals that I am pretty sure I can meet.

The profile says I am "not comfortable" with breaking laws or going against rules, and that is true for the most part. But me - and some of my friends - have made up our own rules from time to time, not being radical or doing anything dangerous, but we are creative types and we like to bend the rules a little bit.

Now, when it comes to the workplace, I am not a rule-breaker or a rule-bender at all. I am the type who does "goal setting" and I love to help resolve conflicts with other workers (as long as it is not a formal, official kind of solution that is needed). I like what the authors of Type Talk at Work say about "differences" in so many people in the workplace; "...differences in style can lead to a great deal of misunderstanding" (Kroeger, et al., 4), and they certainly got that right! But more than that, those differences can lead to "miscommunication, and resentment," the authors write, and when you have to work side-by-side with someone who is very different and acts in ways that irritate you, it's very difficult to just have "good intentions" on the job site and let things go.

Feelings get hurt, communication channels break down, and a host of organizational illnesses proliferate," the authors say, and I have seen that on the jobs I've had. People call in sick, they ***** and complain constantly, and the morale of the workplace can go down fast if someone doesn't pick up the pieces and help start a positive flow of thought. My personality, according to the personality page, is fairly "quiet and reserved," so I may not be totally introverted in a social situation, but I also am not the type to just boldly go to people and try to make them feel better.

But I do agree with authors Kroeger and Thuesen when, on page 123 of their book, they say that "Introverts bring to problem solving listening skills as well as the ability to step back and carefully consider the problem before leaping to a solution." The way they describe "listening skills" in this book sounds a lot like me. Remember, I was very impressed by all kinds of sounds when I was a kid, and that interest in what others were saying plays to my favor when there are conflicts that I can listen to, think about, and perhaps quietly and without being pushy, I can help others reach a peaceful conclusion.

The authors sound like they are describing me, when they say (123) that "...it wouldn't be beyond an Introvert to walk into a room of other people, look reflectively at each of them, say nothing, nod affirmingly, turn, and leave the room." And although I see certain very obvious "types" of people at work, school, and around the community, I try hard not to give them "labels" like "loser" or "ego maniac" but rather, I am comfortable making up constructive images in my mind for the types of people I see and interact with.

And I really like Kroeger and Thuesen's "typewatching" idea, because we all have to live together, we are a country of many diverse ethnic types, and so why not try to approach each other with dignity, respect, and understanding of differences? That's how I was brought up to live, and the more I see and hear and understand how violent and chaotic this world has become, the more I want to be a good and generous friend and colleague to everyone as much as I possibly can be. A scary statistic is brought up on page 8 of Type Talk at Work; the fact that $150 billion is lost each year by American companies because of stress in the workplace (people take time off or fail to be efficient on the job). And it also sent shivers down my spine to read (8) that surveys show 43% of U.S. workers say "lying, putting on a false face, and doing whatever it takes to make a buck" is ok. I am not that way at all.

I am more along the lines of what www.teamtechnology.co.ukindicates is typical of an ISTJ: "developing a greater understanding of how people feel" and making decisions "on the basis of how others will feel... [and] applying relevant and realistic logical arguments." relevant and realistic argument (not a debate, just a point-of-view) would be something I could talk to my close friends about regarding how messed up a lot of people are, and how few people expend honest energy in their lives. They may be extroverted, but they have very little to say to contribute to making this a better world. For example, when I read in Type Talk at Work that "nearly half the workforce expends only the minimum effort needed to get by" (8), the more I want to typewatch, and try to figure out what is inside those lazier persons' heads (not try to change them but just observe them and be a good example myself in the hopes of affecting their work habits).