CONGRATULATIONS! An INTP has deemed you worthy of their time (at least for now— this is subject to change without warning). For new users, this manual will provide all of the basic information that you will need to take care of your new INTP unit.

Your INTP unit will come with the following accessories:

One (1) outfit to be used for exercise, socializing, working, and sleeping

One (1) pair of over-ear headphones

One (1) laptop with browser optimized for 100+ tabs

One (1) mobile device (equipped with find-phone app in event of misplacement , GrubHub)

One (1) comfortable blanket (for forts, sleep, security)

One (1) first aid kit

One (1) box of photographs and sentimental objects

One (1) The ’How and Why’ book of discussion prompts including but not limited to questions like ‘How did incels come to be?’ And ‘Why do people sell LulaRoe?’

One (1) extra-large whiteboard and a dry erase marker for aid in the communication/exploration of vast, abstract ideas

One (1) World Paradigm. Everything they know and understand fits into this model. There are no anomalies. This World Paradigm consists of several sub paradigms and many underlying theories.

Custom Upgrades: Topic-Obsession packs like ‘Myers Briggs’ or ‘Serial Killers’. You can plug these in for your INTP unit to read, listen to, watch, mull over, categorize, and help them complete their World Paradigm™

Software:

Your INTP will be programmed with the following traits;

Ti: Your INTP will work hard to have a complete understanding of a situation or problem. They may answer questions with more questions. It is best to answer honestly and to the best of your ability, being careful with semantics. Your INTP unit may take a bit of time to compile new information so be prepared to wait for an opinion or judgement. If you are unwilling to wait, you may receive an ‘I don’t know yet’ error. A sure sign that your INTP is compiling is a glassy eyed stare in the middle of conversation. To interrupt the process, engage them directly and use eye contact to maintain their attention.

Ne: Your INTP unit is equipped with additional pattern-detecting processes and can identify causes behind behaviors, predict behaviors, and link seemingly unrelated ideas. Your INTP unit may only feel comfortable revealing their findings if prompted. To start the pattern-finding processes, try the following queries:

“new name for a company that mines cryptocurrency, but farm-themed”

“why did my tinder date tell me I wasn’t funny after laughing at all my jokes”

Si: Your INTP’s main process might hang due to their tendency to daydream. They may zone out and be remembering their last vacation. They may ruminate on an embarrassing thing they did two years ago at that NYE party. They may be fantasizing about what they would have said as President of the USA in that situation. Your INTP may tell you about a past event they experienced once or twice (or three or four times …). But this also means that you can remind them of a past success or fun memory for a quick pick me up.

Fe: Your INTP may have trouble being patient with the needs of other people. If the Fe function is left unchecked your INTP unit will completely dismiss a person, cut contact or develop a simmering resentment of them. If your INTP unit is acting unreasonably selfish you can usually use obligation or guilt to turn them around. If they feel that they have been in the wrong your INTP will likely apologize.

Getting Started

To turn on your new INTP unit:

1. Your INTP will arrive in listening mode. Activate by reading one of the discussion prompts from the included 'How and Why' guide.

2. Allow your INTP to wake up naturally after 18 years of simmering in isolation and a 12 hour sleep cycle. Make sure your INTP is covered in it's security blanket.

3. Get your INTP out from under its blanket by reminding it of it's obligation to acknowledge you.

4. If step 3 didn't work, ask about one of the photographs in the included box.

Modes:

Social mode: You have invited your INTP to a party. Where did they go? They went outside to have a quiet chat with one of the other introverts. Don’t worry! They aren’t feeling left out. And they’re going to leave soon anyways. They are exhausted after having to fake-laugh at SEVERAL bad jokes on their way through the house.

Friend mode: You’ve known your INTP for several months now. They have just now decided you are friends. In exchange for consistency and honestly, your INTP can entertain you with insightful jokes and interesting theories. Be sure to regularly stimulate your INTP with a hypothetical question, but don’t overwhelm them with too many obligations. Another plus: your INTP will never be mad if you cancel plans and they’re probably ok with winging it last second.

Ghost mode: Your INTP has just witnessed an Unreasonable Action™ by a third party. This may have been insisting on something like the flatness of the earth, or something that lacks total self awareness like extreme self-absorbtion. That third party will never be taken seriously again. Your INTP unit will not re-evaluate the situation. You may discount the possibility of EVER re-introducing your INTP to this person.

Project Mode: Something has piqued your INTP’s curiosity! They have spent all of yesterday on their computer researching. Now they are coming home with an armful of supplies and a glimmer in their eye! This is the First Project They Are Actually Going To Complete At Long Last Maybe.

Project Mode (addendum): Your INTP has covered their desk/living room/bedroom with items pertaining to their newest hobby. They are now scrolling absentmindedly through instagram with a family size Dorito bag. What happened? They have already glimpsed the theoretical result! How satisfying! Much more satisfying than putting in the work to finish it. Maybe they’ll at least clean up the living room later.

I-Told-You-So Mode: The INTP gave you advice a few months ago. You didn’t follow the advice they gave you. Now you are complaining to the INTP about the predicted results. Your INTP is digging deep to provide you with sympathy, but they also want to be recognized as having-been-right-this-whole-time-thank-you-very-much.

Troubleshooting:

Why isn’t my INTP doing anything? What does it want?

Your INTP doesn’t know what it wants. In some ways your INTP is afraid to want things because what if what it wants won’t make it happy? What if it fails at getting what it wants? What if it doesn’t finish? Your INTP has implicitly decided that things are Fine Just Like This. Best not to rock the boat, eh? If you’d like to motivate your INTP, reassure them that they are capable and that the only way forward is to make a choice.

Why does my INTP keep dropping their items/hurting themselves?

Your INTP has an Se Trickster function which means it lacks awareness of the physical environment. Included in the accessories are a first aide kit and some paper towels.

Why didn’t my INTP notice/remember ______ about me?

Your INTP has an Se Trickster function which means it lacks awareness of other people’s experiences. It is best to just remind the INTP unit of these facts— they mean no harm in forgetting.

My INTP seemed upset. Should I ask what’s wrong and what they’re feeling?

NO. Your INTP does not know what it’s feeling. It may become flustered or misattribute the cause of its discomfort if pressed for an answer. In this scenario, bring your INTP unit the blanket from its accessory package and make it clear that you will be there when they want you. Your INTP greatly appreciates you, we promise.

Final Notes:

In time (lots of time) your INTP will come to love you. And contrary to popular believe advanced-model INTPs know exactly how to show you their appreciation. They can be great gift-givers and patient conversationalists. They can accept reasonable criticisms and be good problem solvers. They're good at asking questions and absolutely want you to have a full understanding what they're saying (by simplifying something that is complex to it's essentials) and not overwhelm you with needless rhetoric. They can even use their introspection to better understand YOU!

INTPs are actually pretty secure in themselves in the sense that they're able to do things in a straightforward manner and are even self-confident to the point of viewing their time as valuable and as giving value to someone else just by hanging out with them. A well-developed INTP doesn't get offended when someone questions their beliefs, and is always open to learn something new.

At a younger age, assuming a decent childhood for the sake of this analogy, an INTP would be confident, and completely without a mask. This means that they would complete share their uniqueness with the world. Being open to changing their mind and thinking critically, and being direct and honest. Over time though, people will start to judge the INTP for their unique traits. The INTP's open-minded nature will come off as insecure and wishy-washy. Ironically, the fact that the INTP is willing to put their ego aside to gain a new perspective despite other's misinterpretations is the peak of confidence. Their directness and honesty will also come off as offensive. The INTP will also still be young, so they won't know how to put on an adequate partial mask to be both confident AND mature. So, at that young age, they'll be gaining TONS of negative reception that will make them feel different, inadequate, and weird. Others will create a cognitive dissonance inside the initially confident and open-minded INTP, and then they begin to question their own nature and think that they're not enough. They see everyone as being "confident" except for themselves. In reality, it's others that are insecure and judgmental due to their own different way of interacting, but their own personality traits allow them to be good at SEEMING confident, which leads to better social success. Unfortunately, this realization tends to come late (usually in older INTPs), so they have to waste a fuck ton of time reversing the effects of the mind-fuck caused by interacting with vastly different people who gave them false data about themselves and their worth.

I lived like a ghost for a decade. 

It all began in 1st grade. I was a very very shy kid. I couldn’t look people in the eye even. Between 1st and 6th grade, I got bullied hard. And because I never responded, they just kept going until they get a reaction from me. During breaks, I went to a mostly empty floor in the school to hide and read books. I spent those years just living in the Harry Potter world. I read those books in class, at the toilet, while eating breakfast etc. Just to escape reality.

That became my norm, even in college. I dropped out of two different universities thinking the "right" one would fill the hole in my chest. A hole I didn’t even know the shape of. I kept retaking the entrance exams while my peers started their careers.

By my third college, I moved abroad. I was far from my family and the girlfriend I had met in high school. The old me returned instantly. I stopped going outside. I stopped attending lectures and exams. I flunked every single class first year, but I kept lying to my family and my girlfriend during phone calls. I told them I was going to school, but in reality I couldn’t even bring myself to leave my front door.It got so bad that I had to practice saying "thanks" to the delivery guy before he knocked. My social skills had completely deteriorated. One day, I stepped outside and realized that the season had changed since the last time I went out.At one point, empty pizza boxes in my room piled up from floor to the ceiling because I was too anxious to go outside and throw them in the bin.

To cope, I lived in my mind. I spent hours imagining scenarios where I was successful and people were interviewing me about my achievements. Then I’d "wake up" and realize I hadn’t even brushed my teeth or eaten. I left everything half-done. Sometimes I would force myself to go to the gym for two weeks, then quit. I promised my girlfriend "this is the year," but I did nothing about school. I watched her cry every year because I kept her waiting for a life I wasn’t building. I became skilled at lying to those I loved.

One day, I realized I had to stop. I had to stop lying to the people who care about me, and to myself. I needed to start doing things that pushed me out of my comfort zone.

I gave it everything I had for the first time in my life. I’ve finished school, got a job, and married the girl who stayed with me in those bad times.

But I still know how my brain works. If nobody is watching, it’s easy to slip back. But I won’t let that happen. Not anymore.

What helped me was adding something external that made it harder for me to lie to myself. I started a WhatsApp group with my brother-in-law to stay committed to going to the gym. If I say I went, I have to send a photo of me at the gym. For the first time, I’ve stuck with the gym for 1.5 years because you can’t lie to a photo.

For small tasks like making my bed or waking up early, I use an app called LockedIn: Prove Your Habits. Same concept as the WhatsApp group. You add a task, and you have to take a proof picture to verify it. AI checks the photo so you can't cheat yourself. The WhatsApp group was the breakthrough for me, but this handles the stuff I need to track alone.

I’m sharing this because I know some of you are in that situation right now, practicing what to say to the delivery guy while having imaginary interviews in your head.

At this point, I am constantly turning down friends requesting to meet up because I need to work on my projects. It is quite amazing that after spending 10 years building bonds one-on-one, I ended up with quite a lot of friends who value the INTP side of me.

It got me thinking... how did this happen? When I was a teen, I hardly had any friends. I was lonely.

I decided to pen down my thoughts to help the younger INTPs in this sub... How does the INTP part feature in friendship building? Well, it can be harnessed in certain ways for social purposes if you want to:

1. Bored with small talk? At every opportunity, segue into the deepest topics that people care about. You will be surprised how many people are willing to talk about what they care most about as they are starved of an outlet when social talk is mainly superficial

2. Post-modern worldview that there are no right answers / ideologies? The non-judgmental part of you can provide a listening ear so you can watch another person figure it out.

3. Theorising about everything and you want friends? Read a whole bunch of self-help books and what it means to really listen well.

4. Having your obsessions? Some people do appreciate your major geeking out as it is authentic which is something that is lacking (but make sure to balance out to let them geek out what they want too)

5. Described as robotic / alien / weird? Your friends will eventually learn that you are different and you will have a special place in their hearts. As you can care for them in a way that no one else can.

Of course, you need to guard against the pitfalls of being an INTP, which I briefly highlight below:

1. INTP arrogance - "I thought this through in my head and there is no other logical possibility. I am wasting my time hearing you out further"

2. INTP mono-focus on logic - "There is only logic. Emotions are useless. I don't listen to my emotions, so why should I listen to yours?" Note this is really damaging, because if you don't even listen to your own emotions, you are potentially (a) missing out on the possibly valuable heuristic summary that your gut is telling you (b) in denial of how your emotions continue to sub-consiously influence you.

3. INTP belief that they can do without friends - "No man is an island, except for me". Hmm, I think the younger me would believe this, but after looking at how friendships enriched my life, I don't think so anymore.

All the best to you, my dear reader. Hope this rambling is useful!

EDIT: I am glad that this helped. I am working on a project: www.fire.place which is an AI chatbot for emotional conversations. If you would like to vent your emotions there, feel free to do so!

I hate how the society is structured, it seems like it only rewards the extroverts and pragmatist. The society constantly want us to be productive and busy. I want lot of free time to explore multiple topics but it seems like I will never get any free time, I'm constantly institutionalised and have to deal with people that I have no interest. College is making me dumb by making me interact with people I have nothing in common and whatever they teach rn ain't my current interest.

When will I ever be free? To explore things on my own, in my own pace. I'm still young so I don't have a lot of confidence so I tend to conform to societal norms but if you just take a glance at this stupid society with its questionable foundations, you will see how laughable it all is.

Its crazy to me that i never in my life heard the full quote. Just the shortened version of it. The full quote is meant as a compliment to the jack of all trade.