As the down-to-earth, practical, and nimble personality types, the ISTJ and ISTP may be one letter apart—but they are as different as it gets!
But how can we tell them apart? Or better-yet, what if you’re confused whether you are an ISTJ or ISTP? This article will compare the ISTJ vs. ISTP personality types in detail, according to their Jungian cognitive functions.
Before we jump in, you should know this post is part of a series dedicated to answering the question: Am I a judging or perceiving personality type? Check out the first post on this topic.
A High-Level View
You can catch the ISTJ making financial plans and organizing their spaces to be tip-top spiffy, whether guests come over or not. ISTPs live on the edge of life, and relish each moment as it passes by.
ISTPs enjoy their space and freedom to push the limits of their strength, stamina, agility, and intelligence. ISTJs prefer to live a predictable lifestyle, with the peace of mind in terms of financial and marital stability.
Functions Stack: ISTJ vs. ISTP
The functional stack is a model that arranges the different cognitive functions according to preference for each personality type.
ISTJ:
- Introverted Sensing (Si)
- Extraverted Thinking (Te)
- Introverted Feeling (Fi)
- Extraverted Intuition (Ne)
ISTP:
- Introverted Thinking (Ti)
- Extraverted Sensing (Se)
- Introverted Intuition (Ni)
- Extraverted Feeling (Fe)
Storing vs. Tinkering (Si vs. Ti)
ISTJs can easily store massive amounts of information in their memory boxes and are suited for careers such as medicine, law, and accounting. They can recall memories in great detail and can make excellent eye-witness testimonies for court-related cases. They relish in exercising their knowledge and appreciate accuracy above all else. ISTJs can also help people sort out financial issues, as they are suited for many positions in the bank: a teller, auditor, general accountant, and advisor.
ISTPs live to tinker with their ideas, usually tangible in nature. They are highly logical thinkers who spend a lot of time wondering how things work when put together and apart, which makes them natural troubleshooters. ISTPs have a knack for fixing systems and machines, and can teach others how to preform tasks they’ve learned throughout the process. Their introverted thinking (Ti) helps them stay focused and fact-check their data and procedures.
Doing vs. Experiencing (Te vs. Se)
ISTJs take business and their personal life seriously. They possess a “can-do” attitude and hold a strong work ethic. ISTJs value productivity and hard work—and will teach their friends and children to learn the basics of financial literacy. Due to their auxiliary extraverted thinking (Te), ISTJs want to see results reflected in the real world. This could be more profits, sales, click-throughs, and other numerical markers of success.
ISTPs want to experience events first-hand with their five senses: every touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight. They learn from diving into a situation without any guidance and making mistakes as they go. ISTPs learn quickly and pick up skills though mimicking and copying, so they naturally excel in the skilled trades. Their experiences help them shape who they are, and when they’re older, make very exciting stories to pass on to the younger generation.
Morals vs. Hunches (Fi vs. Ni)
ISTJs hold strong morals, although usually they are less pronounced until someone strongly violates them. This could be a religious belief, a lesson passed down from their grandparents, or a code of conduct learned from a textbook. ISTJs are difficult to sway once they’ve established their morals and will accept rejection from others—if it means upholding their morals. They can make excellent social workers and religious ministers who will quietly but diligently support their organizations.
ISTPs make decisions with logic first, which is sometimes overriden by strong hunches. For example, an avid gambler (common for ISTPs) may think they’d want a partner who shares the same interests as them, to which they “realize” suddenly that they need someone else to keep them more grounded. On this note, ISTPs and ISTJs can make a great couple if they work together towards common goals and listen to each other’s needs to grow as individuals and as a pair.
Suggestions vs. Harmony (Ne vs. Fe)
ISTJs, under stress, can burst into a flurry of unreasonable and far-fetched ideas. They may surprise their loved ones with a new haircut, a luxurious trip to an exotic destination that extends their vacation leave, or even find a partner they are anything but compatible with, just to experience something new. This corresponds to the mid-life crisis many individuals experience, which could unlock a new way of thinking or living—a sort of “breakthrough” for the ISTJ.
ISTPs have a hidden need to be acknowledged or liked by the people they deem important in their lives (which are far and few in-between). Under stress, ISTPs may become a doormat and be easily manipulated by people with less-than-positive intentions. On the flip side, ISTPs may reject people altogether and become bitterly misanthropic. Luckily, with genuine connections and a strong support system or therapy, ISTPs can learn to manage their emotions in a healthy manner and live with confidence.
Career Differences: ISTJ vs. ISTP
ISTJs value clear structures, hard work, and seamless organization. Their attention to detail and patience makes them great accountants, financial analysts, medical transcriptionists, laboratory technicians, and statisticians. (view more ISTJ careers here)
ISTPs, in contrast, want a career that allows for freedom, physical strength, stamina, and excitement. They make excellent machinists, carpenters, chefs, surveyors, web developers, and petroleum engineers. (view more ISTP careers here)
