And what it means for your love life.
Perhaps one of the kindest personality types in the entire Myers-Briggs personality set is the ISTJ — and that’s why we all love them.
Being an ISTJ is a great thing. In fact, many of the most well-liked people in society are members of this personality type. George Washington, Queen Elizabeth II, and Warren Buffet are all examples of this personality type.
ISTJ stands for Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, Judgment. These are qualities that an ISTJ personality is heavily known for, and they’re qualities that often end up propelling them into managerial positions as a result.
ISTJs are the most common personality type in the world, and if you ask us, that’s great! Ever wonder if you’re one of the quiet, kind, and mellow people who belong to this personality type? Here’s the signs you need to check out, and what they mean for your dating life.
1. People have actually called you “an old soul” or told you that you are old-fashioned.
ISTJs are as old school as they come — and that’s a great thing. They value tradition and often will stick to the “tried and true” paths of building a good life rather than venture out into unknown (and possibly dangerous) territories.
2. Your idea of a nice day is spent inside, at home.
You might enjoy baking cookies, or having a dinner with the fam, but really, not much else. ISTJs are known for being homebodies and introverts who just want to relax after a hard day’s work.
3. Everyone tends to go to you when they want someone to be realistic and responsible.
With ISTJs, responsibility is always the name of the game. You’re the one they’ll approach when they need advice on insurance, taxes, or even something like childcare. Why? Because they know you won’t be doing something crazy or be unrealistic with your advice.
4. It’s the little things in life that thrill you.
Making a new craft out of a Mason jar? Sweet! Seeing a nice day in the park? Also perfect. You don’t need things like clubs and bottles of bubbly to get you going if you have an ISTJ personality.
5. At work, you often end up in a managerial position.
You might also be an accountant or a scientist. Numbers are kind of your thing in many cases. Because ISTJs are notoriously hard workers who focus on getting things done well and on time, it’s safe to say that finding a job is rarely ever a struggle. You’re what bosses call “the Golden Employee.”
6. You tend to take badly to change, imperfection, or unpredictability.
Stability and regularity is what makes you as an ISTJ feel safe. If you feel a job isn’t done properly, or if you feel you can’t predict people well, it will end up causing you to get irate. The word “perfectionist” gets thrown around a lot with you.
7. You often end up caring more about being right than making the other person feel good.
This is also a leading cause of relationship problems with ISTJs. Their need for logic and correctness can get so thorough, they may even alienate those around them.
8. Honesty is the best policy with you.
ISTJs are often honest to the point of blunt. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on what you end up doing.
9. People have called you “safe” before.
You know what that means, and it’s not a bad thing. It means they know they can depend on you.
10. You’re known for making it your personal duty to keep friends and family happy.
To a point, ISTJs are known for being people pleasers. They will often go the extra mile to keep people around them happy, simply because they feel it’s the right thing to do. They may even blame themselves for things that are not in their control because of this.
11. Overall, you’re a very calm and practical person.
You’re all about realistic goals and slowly reaching them. Anxiety doesn’t really happen unless you’re thrown for a loop, and even then, it’s almost always temporary.
12. The only time you’ll see an ISTJ be spastic is if they are perfectionists.
This is probably the biggest Achilles’ heel of the ISTJ personality type. For ISTJs, everything has to be perfect, especially at work. For everyone else, dealing with an ISTJ who takes this too far can be a nightmare.
Attraction-wise, ISTJs have the personalities that work well for them in the dating scene. As an ISTJ, you are the type of person people want to marry and settle down with.
It makes sense, considering how traditional, honest, and homey you tend to be. Most people would be thrilled to take you home to mom, but there’s a catch with your personality type that tends to make dating hard: excitement.
Simply put, ISTJs tend to be a bit on the “boring” side, so you may have to work on being more exciting to the opposite sex. You may also want to look for someone who likes the “by the books” lifestyle that you tend to have.
When it comes to relationship issues, there are three that tend to be major lovekillers for ISTJs. First, there’s the issue that it’s very easy to fall into a rut with an ISTJ. Being open to new experiences will make things lightyears better for you in the dating realm. Additionally, the blunt and stubborn nature ISTJs have can make them prone to arguments. You need to learn to be willing to compromise.
Lastly, the biggest hurdle you may have is the control issue. ISTJs, when they get perfectionistic and commanding, can become extremely controlling in relationships. Part of being in a relationship is learning how to trust your partner to do right by you. So, if you find yourself needing to micromange them, you may need to leave them.
Overall, being an ISTJ is a great thing if you are looking for a long-term relationship. If you’re looking for the short-term (which you almost never are), it’s not so good. That being said, you provide stability and joy to the right partner and always do what you can to please them. So, you’re a great catch for the right match.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart for YourTango