ISTJ-A and ISTJ-T: What's the Difference?
ISTJ-A and ISTJ-T: What's the Difference?
What is the ISTJ personality type?
The ISTJ personality type stands for Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging. This highly intelligent personality type is relatively common, making up 12% of the general population, 16% of males, and 7% of females.
ISTJs enjoy an organized life, seeking order and striving for productivity. These successful individuals like to be in control and act logically and reasonably when in a tricky situation. They’re devoted to their duties and never shy from responsibility.
What are the ISTJ-A and ISTJ-T subtypes?
Each personality type also has sub-types, which determine whether a person is Assertive (A) or Turbulent (T). These subtypes don’t change anything about the values ISTJs hold, only how they go about expressing them.
Learning the difference between these subtypes is key to understanding the variants of this personality type and to better appreciating why ISTJs act and think the way they do.
Often ISTJs are considered to lack empathy. This is especially evident in Assertive ISTJs, while Turbulent ISTJs tend to show greater empathy and consider others' feelings more when making decisions.
Life satisfaction
Everyone wants to feel satisfied with their life, right? Assertive vs. Turbulent identities can shed some light on why some people feel confident about their choices, while others seem to be in a constant state of dissatisfaction with their lot.
Across all personality types, someone with the Assertive subtype identity is more likely to stick to their decisions and decide to be content with their lives.
Turbulent identities, however, often live in a state of uncomfortable dissatisfaction, which may make them question the choices they’ve made in life, or wish they’d seized other opportunities.
While Assertive types have quiet confidence in themselves, Turbulent identities are easily convinced they have to keep working towards a better life.
What do the statistics say?
This is super clear in the statistics, with 63% of ISTJ-As saying they tend to always know what they want compared with 27% of ISTJ-Ts. This highlights some key differences between the subtypes.
Because Assertive ISTJs are so confident, they’re more likely to be satisfied with their life achievements. Over 70% of ISTJ-As have a feeling of satisfaction with what they have achieved in life, while only 41%of ISTJ-Ts share this sense of satisfaction.
Often, both ISTJ-As and ISTJ-Ts are highly successful people. The problem is only ISTJ-As ever fully realize their success. ISTJ-Ts tend to always believe they can do something more, that they can reach another level.
This attitude can be a force for further success, but it can also take the pride and joy out of life.
Being constantly dissatisfied is never good; Turbulent ISTJs may struggle to find any contentment in their lives; they keep living in a future where they hope to be better rather than being satisfied with living in the present.
Empathy
As mentioned earlier, ISTJ-As tend to appear less empathetic than ISTJ-Ts. According to the stats, 72% of ISTJ-As admit that their personal goals can lead them to hurt the feelings of people close to them, compared to only 52% of Turbulent ISTJs. This shows that Assertive types pursue their goals without regarding the impact on others as much as Turbulent identities will.
ISTJ-Ts tend to work harder for their relationships to make sure they stay intact and healthy while they pursue their personal goals. ISTJ-As may allow their relationships to suffer in the pursuit of their aspirations.
Body image
Assertive and Turbulent ISTJs also differ when it comes to body image. Interestingly,
Over 80% of ISTJ-As admit that they are happy with how they look. In contrast, just over 30% of ISTJ-Ts feel satisfied with their body image.
This shows that Assertive types tend to see their own worth and don’t need validation from others. Turbulent types have less inner confidence, seeking reassurance about how they appear to others.
Relationships
No matter the kind of relationship; friend, roommate, family, or romantic partner, ISTJs generally struggle in social situations for several reasons. These highly independent people prefer their alone time and can struggle to express their emotions. People often find the ISTJ personality cold and hard to break through.
ISTJ-Ts also tend to be hyperaware of the opinions of the people around them, and often feel overly criticized. This is just down to the Turbulent nature of uncertainty; ISTJ-Ts often feel their insecurities confirmed, which can leave them feeling inadequate.
ISTJ-As also tend to prefer alone time. But unlike ISTJ-Ts, they’re often self-assured in social situations. ISTJ-As lack a level of empathy, but they remain confident in who they are.
Often this confidence and reserve give off an intimidating and potentially arrogant appearance, making ISTJ-As difficult to get to know. These individualistic people tend to have small groups of close friends, often those who share similarities in personality. Neither Assertive nor Turbulent ISTJs like to be surrounded by highly emotional people.
The lowdown
Despite the differences between ISTJ-As and ISTJ-Ts, they have more common traits between them than dissimilarities.
Sharing the ISTJ personality type means both are reserved, intelligent types of individuals who are generally self-assured and highly organized. These thinkers are often caught up in their own thoughts and don’t thrive in social situations.
Turbulent ISTJs tend to be self-conscious and often less certain about their life choices.
ISTJ-As are confident in themselves and don’t worry about others’ opinions. Because of this, ISTJ-As can appear arrogant and unempathetic, making ISTJ-Ts more relatable to others.
Neither subtype is better than the other; both have strengths and weaknesses. Knowing whether you are an ISTJ-A or ISTJ-T can help you understand how you’re perceived by others, and help you identify what drives you in life.
