As INTJs, we are known for our analytical, pattern-seeking, and strategic thinking skills. However, one area where we may struggle is self-awareness.
It can be difficult for some of us to look inward and objectively evaluate our emotions and behaviors. Yet, developing self-awareness is crucial for personal growth, healthy relationships, and wisdom.
Self-awareness is recognizing and objectively recognizing your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It involves embracing your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your values and beliefs. Self-awareness allows you to make informed decisions, set realistic goals, and respond appropriately to situations.
Also, self-awareness allows you to know your limitations.
A world that promotes the sky being the limit can lead to delusional thinking and blind spots.
Benefits of Self-Awareness for INTJs
Developing self-awareness can bring many benefits for INTJs. The nervous energy carried by many INTJs helps them maintain healthy paranoia. By consistently fact-checking and reevaluating concepts and philosophies, INTJs are rarely overly optimistic about reality.
Healthy paranoia keeps INJs vigilant about the dangers of narrow-minded thinking.
Better decision-making: When self-aware, we can make decisions that align with our values, goals, and logic. We can also anticipate how our choices impact others and adjust our approach accordingly.
Additionally, self-awareness allows INTJs to be empathetic to the experiences of others. Enlightened INTJs use their tried and true experiences to hone in on the needs of others.
Personal growth: INTJs who consistently ingest new information builds on a solid foundation from prior knowledge. This ongoing vetting process allows INTJs to eliminate outdated information that impedes progress.
Barriers to Self-Awareness
Several barriers may make it difficult to develop self-awareness, which includes:
Over-reliance on logic: As INTJs, we rely heavily on logic and reason. This can make it challenging to acknowledge and understand our emotions, which are often more complex and nuanced than we give them credit for.
Perfectionism: INTJs are often driven to achieve high standards and excellence in everything we do. While this can be a strength, it can also make it challenging to admit weaknesses or mistakes. We may see our vices as virtues.
Lack of feedback: INTJs may need more input from others, limiting their ability to see themselves objectively. This lack of feedback may derive from not interacting with people in real time. And overly relying on information from trusted sources without expanding the scope of sources.
Techniques for Developing Self-Awareness
Despite these barriers, there are several techniques that INTJs can use to develop self-awareness. Here are some strategies to consider:
Journaling: Daily writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you document your intellectual journey and backtrack on previous thoughts at earlier ages. It can also help you identify patterns in your thinking and behavior. A memoir is created that allows you to fact-check events and ideas that would have been lost as fuzzy memories.
Introspection: By consistently checking with yourself, you can gauge your mood and thoughts in determining the best practices that have served you well and what other philosophies are necessary to fill some intellectual gaps.
INTJs embrace the notion that life’s intellectual journey is a solo affair, and people are essential to the extent that they add insight into the travel.
Seeking feedback: Fortunately, social media allows INTJs to get feedback from online groups that provides insight from raw data. If you ask people their thoughts and feelings, they often conjure responses to suit expectations.
But you get authentic insights if people express their thoughts freely without a sense that their views could be evaluated.
As INTJs, developing self-awareness can be challenging, but based on their hardwiring, they are best equipped to do the work.
By understanding self-awareness, its benefits, and the barriers that may be standing in the way, we can begin to take steps toward greater self-awareness leading to a higher quality of life.
—Angel Hernandez
