MBTI Extended INTP Profile
INTP stands for introverted intuitive thinking perceiving. The Competence portion of the Work mode for this type has the transactional role of Theoretician with the corresponding ministry role of Theologian.
THEORETICIAN
The Theoretician finds the pattern in strategies. This might be in theoretical physics or on the battlefield. Theoreticians can be mathematicians or philosophers. They organize ideas. They rely on thinking to expand principles into logical consequences.
THEOLOGIAN
The theologian finds the patterns in the Bible and applies them to life. The theologian looks at the Bible and says, “I discern that God has done this in the history of the Israelites and therefore the resulting pattern shows us that God is loving and desires to have a covenental relationship with us today.”
Since the Work and Play modes go together hand-in-glove, we may find this type is more of a writer than the previous INTJ type. This is so as we shall see below, because this type is also a Composer. The INTP has the transactional role of Conceptualizer in the Talent position of the Work mode. Its parallel ministry role is Promoter of Discipleship.
CONCEPTUALIZER
Conceptualizing involves visual information processing. This role finds structure in logic. Professions, such as architecture and systems design, use the conceptualizer role. Walter Lowen is a Conceptualizer, his theory presented here is the result of his efforts to build a structure to make sense of all the logical theories he had studied. He took Jung’s depth psychology, mathematics, child development theory, etc. and his theory of dichotomies of the mind was the result.
PROMOTER OF DISCIPLESHIP
A discipline is a structured approach to living. The Conceptualizer may not only want to innovate new systems, but would also like others to follow them. They drive toward constant improvement of everything. These are the ‘better idea’ people. Everything – words, plans, designs, ideas, even people- has room for improvement. The Promoter of Discipleship is interested in making better Christians.
We might find our INTP involved in the development of Sunday School material. As mentioned above, his perseverance role, Composer, of the Play mode would aid such a job. The corresponding ministry role is Apologist.
COMPOSER
The Composer role harmonizes the combinations. This could be words in a poem or couples at a dinner party. This role is alert to issues of human sensitivity, and issues of spirituality. They often gravitate to the professions of counseling and psychology, as well as the arts.
APOLOGIST
The ministry role of Apologist is one that attempts to help the culture outside of Christianity find a point of contact with the faith. The Apologist is a defender of the faith helping the outsider understand and even come to accept the faith as both reasonable and good. C.S. Lewis wrote objective logical arguments and wonderful fictional fantasies to present Christianity as a reasonable, good, and true understanding of life.
Writing, especially a project like a Sunday School curriculum takes perseverance. It can be long and tedious work. Our imaginary INTP curriculum writer will have to spend long hours alone composing lessons and being sure good theology is put into a comprehensive syllabus, designed to train up disciples for Jesus.
The Relax position of the INTP’s Play mode has the transactional role of Critic. The parallel ministry role is Worship Planner/Evaluator.
CRITIC
This role is involves very astute, critical listening, with exacting interpretation that notes the differences in meanings in words like lied, falsified, distorted, misinterpreted, and misunderstood. The exacting nature is typical of detailed transaction. This transaction is vital to many professionals, including speech therapists, voice coaches, theater critics, political analysts, interviewers, copy editors and opera singers.
WORSHIP PLANNER/EVALUATOR
There is a more obvious connection to this ministry role than some of the others. Worship is in many ways a divine drama. The choice of words is important. How and when, they are spoken is important. The nuances of their theological implications are important. The mood they create or destroy are important. It is important to have a ministry role to help make these decisions.
The Critic role is useful in the task of proof texting. After long hours of writing, our hypothetical INTP curriculum Composer can sit back and relax as he or she proofs the rough drafts. Perhaps, he will put the role of Worship Planner to work, by including worship suggestions into lesson plans for the teachers.
The Challenge mode of the INTP includes in the Toil position the transactional role of Operator. The corresponding ministry role is Be Jesus as the Church.
OPERATOR
Like the role of Molder, the Operator is foremost a hands-on activity. The operator might operate a word processor, a scalpel, or a socket wrench. Also, like Molder, the Operator can operate people, institutions, or ideas, as well as things. He or she might be a store manager or a policeman, as well as secretary or surgeon. The Operator can read the environment and then act upon it. The environment might be a gang fight or car engine.
BE JESUS AS THE CHURCH
In this ministry mode, the environment is the church and its surroundings. Here the Operator’s tool is not a scalpel or a wrench, it is the church! This type asks how can I use the church building to minister to the kids down the block? How can we use the choir to minister to nursing home across the street? How can the church be Jesus? The contrast between this and Making the Church be Jesus is one is focused on changing the church to make it more like Jesus. The other is focused on using the church as it is to be Jesus now!
Again, we might imagine our INTP curriculum developer hard at work on his word processor. They will be able to do it, but this will be tiring. While he will persevere in the composing aspect of writing, the actual physical process will be experienced as toil.
Perhaps the role of Be Jesus as the Church will form a part of the content for one of the lessons.
The Serendipity portion of the Challenge mode of the INTP includes the transactional role of Implementor. Its corresponding Ministry Role is Peace and Justice Worker.
IMPLEMENTOR
An Implementor is someone who sorts out the routines of life. Lowen tells us that he almost called this transaction engineer. The engineer uses the routines he or she knows regarding speed, stress, temperature, etc. to create a machine or build a rocket. As with other roles we have discussed, the Implementor can also be focused upon more abstract things. The Implementor makes a good administrator, who can mesh all the routines of an organization into a smoothly running whole.
PEACE AND JUSTICE WORKER
The distinction Social Justice Program Developer is more likely to create a new program, whereas the Peace and Justice Worker will execute an existing program. The Program Developer using his or her organizing skills might bring several churches and/or organizations together to fight discrimination in the city. However, once a plan is in place, the extroverted Implementor is better able to work the pieces of the system to get results.
Imagine that our INTP Theologian and Composer of Sunday School curriculum has been called (challenged) by the Lord to provide a Sunday School for disadvantaged youth in his community. He will rise to the occasion and provide a meaningful experience. However, the INTP is not likely to give up his or her day job to become a social worker.
The Creativity mode of the INTP has the transactional role of Initiator in the Lock position. The corresponding ministry role is Ministry Leader in the Community.
INITIATOR
The Initiator is an entrepreneur and an opportunist. Lowen uses the sentence “Signal the Match.” to describe this role. The Initiator is watching for a match. Lowen’s prime example is a salesperson. What is it about the customer that matches the product? When the salesman gets the answer, he signals the match and says, “This is just the one for you!”
MINISTRY LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY
The Ministry Leader in the Community is able to find the match between the needs of the community and the desires of the people to help. He or she then raises the flag and presto, others say “This is the project we have been seeking!”
This is a highly unlikely activity for our introverted theologian. Imagine that the challenge or call we discussed in the above paragraphs was not only for one neighborhood, but for a whole town, or city. Our INTP might feel lost.
However the Key position might provide a way out. Key for the INTP includes the roles of Classifier and Evangelist.
CLASSIFIER
The Classifier is one who makes choices between dichotomous situations of control. In a literal sense, this is concerned with control of the body. Thus some classifiers are athletes. Lowen gives the example of a baseball player, who must decide if a pitch is in the strike zone and how to control his body to hit the ball. However, another prime example of a classifier is the politician. The politician is constantly choosing what action to take. Shall I vote yes or no? Shall I accept this invitation or go to that banquet? Shall I endorse this candidate or denounce that project? Shall I shake hands or smile for the photo opportunity? Administrators are also Classifiers. They must make decisions of control all the time.
EVANGELIST
The ministry role of Evangelist corresponds with Classifier. In many respects, a good Evangelist is a good politician. It is not surprising to find Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson crossing those church and state lines. The Evangelist is, with the apostle Paul, wondering how to help move people from one category to another. What can I do to help the lost become found; the dead in sin come to new life? Shall I cross over to Macedonia or stay in Judea? Shall I speak in Madison Square Garden or Central Park? Shall I talk about your life or speak of Biblical characters? The Evangelist has a good track record for getting the right answers to these control questions.
Remember that the Creativity mode holds the hidden agenda for each type. So our INTP will unconsciously be very interested in this project. Hopefully our INTP can make the connection between his talent of Promoting Discipleship with this call to Evangelize a poor neighborhood. Then, by relying on prayer and grace a very creative program can emerge.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
The INTP should look for assistance in the following gifts of the Spirit. The gifts of discernment, wisdom, knowledge, and faith will be active in the Work mode. However, these may be viewed or experienced more as natural talents than spiritual gifts. An attitude of humility and gratitude can enhance their spiritual effectiveness. This will be true in the Play mode, but to a slightly lesser degree. Here the INTP might anticipate an experience of the gifts of pastor, prophesy, exhortation, tongues, interpretation of tongues, and emotional healing. In the more unconscious Challenge mode, the INTP may find the Lord moving in his life through the spiritual gifts of service and administration. Lastly in the Creativity mode, and perhaps most importantly, the INTP will experience helps, mercy, evangelism, hospitality and physical healing. These will likely be viewed as the most Godly of the gifts. Because of their unconscious nature the INTP will have to exercise greater will to accept them.
For a complete explanation of Personality Type see my discussion of How to Understand People click here.
For more specific information on INTP click here.
To read Walter Lowen click here.
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