ISTP


 * ''This article is about the Myers-Briggs personality type. For other uses of the acronym, see ISTP.

ISTP (Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, Perception) is an abbreviation used in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to refer to one of the sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types, which proposed a psychological typology based on his theories of cognitive functions. These theories were based on clinical observation, however, rather than the controlled studies required for acceptance by the modern field of cognitive psychology.

From Jung's work, others developed psychological typologies. Well-known personality tests are the MBTI assessment, developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs, and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, developed by David Keirsey. Keirsey referred to ISTPs as Crafters, one of the four types belonging to the temperament he called the Artisan.

The MBTI instrument

 * I – Introversion preferred to Extraversion: ISTPs tend to be quiet and reserved. They generally prefer interacting with a few close friends rather than a wide circle of acquaintances, and they expend energy in social situations (whereas extraverts gain energy).
 * S – Sensing preferred to iNtuition: ISTPs tend to be more concrete than abstract. They focus their attention on the details rather than the big picture, and on immediate realities rather than future possibilities.
 * T – Thinking preferred to Feeling: ISTPs tend to rely on objective criteria rather than personal values. When making decisions, they generally give more weight to logic than to social considerations.
 * P – Perception preferred to Judgment: ISTPs tend to withhold judgment and delay important decisions, preferring to "keep their options open" should circumstances change.

Myers-Briggs description
According to Myers-Briggs, ISTPs excel at analyzing situations to reach the heart of a problem so that they can swiftly implement a functional repair, making them ideally suited to the field of engineering. Naturally quiet people, they are interested in understanding how systems operate, focusing on efficient operation and structure. They are open to new information and approaches. But contrary to their seemingly detached natures, ISTPs are often capable of humorously insightful observations about the world around them, and can be closet daredevils who gravitate toward fast-moving or risky hobbies (such as bungee jumping, hang gliding, racing, motorcycling, and parachuting), recreational sports (such as downhill skiing, paintball, ice hockey, and scuba diving), and careers (such as aviation and firefighting).

Keirsey description
According to Keirsey, Crafter Artisans are masters at using tools of every type—artistic, technological, martial. Although they are introverts, they are authoritarian in their interactions with others and can be forceful at influencing people. They focus on accomplishing tasks efficiently and skillfully.

To master the tool of their interest, ISTPs require a certain degree of seclusion in which to practice. The result is often a virtuosity that other types find difficult to match.

Cognitive functions
Using the more modern interpretation, the cognitive functions of the ISTP are as follows:

Dominant: Introverted thinking (Ti)
Ti seeks precision, such as the exact word to express an idea. It notices the minute distinctions that define the essence of things, then analyzes and classifies them. Ti examines all sides of an issue, looking to solve problems while minimizing effort and risk. It uses models to root out logical inconsistency. ISTPs lives a world of logic, on which they base their decisions. They process information from their auxiliary function to create strategies for action at a moment's notice. They love to examine complicated systems.

Auxiliary: Extraverted sensing (Se)
Se focuses on the experiences and sensations of the immediate, physical world. With an acute awareness of the present surroundings, it brings relevant facts and details to the forefront and may lead to spontaneous action. This function drives ISTPs to embrace opportunities to plunge headfirst into experiences. It also gives them a keen insight into situations similar to that of the ISTJ. Their occasionally tunnel-visioned curiosity for the world around them gives them a "leap before you look" tendency. They are notorious for taking apart a device to see how it works before considering whether they can put it back together.

Tertiary: Introverted intuition (Ni)
Attracted to symbolic actions or devices, Ni synthesizes seeming paradoxes to create the previously unimagined. These realizations come with a certainty that demands action to fulfill a new vision of the future, solutions that may include complex systems or universal truths. Never as open in their theorizing as INTPs, ISTPs prefer to keep themselves grounded in the physical situation, using Ni to visualize components and concepts that they cannot see and touch firsthand, such as the wiring in a circuit board.

Inferior: Extraverted feeling (Fe)
Fe seeks social connections and creates harmonious interactions through polite, considerate, and appropriate behavior. Fe responds to the explicit (and implicit) wants of others, and may even create an internal conflict between the subject’s own needs and the desire to meet the needs of others. A weak point of ISTPs, Fe may lead them to interpret criticisms of their ideas as criticisms of their competence. Although ISTPs strive to follow the edicts of logic, when they are under stress, their inferior function can lead them to illogically and stubbornly cling to their own ideas even when proven wrong.

Shadow functions
Later personality researchers (notably Linda V. Berens) added four additional functions to the descending hierarchy, the so-called "shadow" functions to which the individual is not naturally inclined but which can emerge when the person is under stress. For ISTP, these shadow functions are (in order):


 * Extraverted thinking (Te): Te organizes and schedules ideas and the environment to ensure the efficient, productive pursuit of objectives. Te seeks logical explanations for actions, events, and conclusions, looking for faulty reasoning and lapses in sequence.
 * Introverted sensing (Si): Si collects data in the present moment and compares it with past experiences, a process that sometimes evokes the feelings associated with memory, as if the subject were reliving it. Seeking to protect what is familiar, Si draws upon history to form goals and expectations about what will happen in the future.
 * Extraverted intuition (Ne): Ne finds and interprets hidden meanings, using “what if” questions to explore alternatives, allowing multiple possibilities to coexist. This imaginative play weaves together insights and experiences from various sources to form a new whole, which can then become a catalyst to action.
 * Introverted feeling (Fi): Fi filters information based on interpretations of worth, forming judgments according to criteria that are often intangible. Fi constantly balances an internal set of values such as harmony and authenticity. Attuned to subtle distinctions, Fi innately senses what is true and what is false in a situation.

Notable ISTPs
According to the "Guidelines for Ethical Use for Certified MBTI Professionals", "only the individual can verify his or her own best-fitting type." The MBTI instrument focuses on cognitive processes, which are not observable, and therefore speculation regarding another person's type is not an appropriate use of the instrument. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter, however, focuses on behavior, which is observable. For illustrative purposes, some practitioners, as referenced below, have identified well-known individuals whose behavior is consistent with a specific type. Unless otherwise noted, the categorization of the individuals below, whether living or dead, as ISTPs is a matter of expert opinion rather than the result of actual personality testing of the named individual.


 * Alan Shepherd - astronaut
 * Chuck Yeager - U.S. Air Force officer
 * Clint Eastwood - actor and director
 * Katharine Hepburn - actress
 * Michael Jordan - athelete
 * Tom Cruise - actor
 * Zachary Taylor - American President