The Levels of INTP Anger

Meh: Your stupidity has caught the INTP’s attention, but does not personally bother them.

Okay then: You have now managed to impress the INTP with your stupidity. Blunt but non-aggressive corrections may be in your near future. However, the INTP is still not personally affronted by your idiocy.

Annoyance: You must have a really big gob and no filter because you have somehow managed to personally offend the INTP, a rather unusual occurrence. This level of anger is most often achieved through the perpetrator’s complete disregard for logic and/or stubborn ignorance. The INTP will likely avoid you, keeping their replies to you short and often decorated with a sarcastic, “oh really?” Subtle, snarky remarks and insincere, patronizing smiles mark this level of anger when dealing with acquaintances or casual friends. Friends that the INTP values will likely not receive the poor treatment, but instead either a cold shoulder or blunt, direct explanation of their wrongdoings.

Unadulterated Rage: Somehow, you have managed to push the INTP past their tipping point. You must have either betrayed their trust (which is a valuable thing that they give to few) or disrespected them while invading their personal space. At this point, the INTP’s typically locked-in filters will suddenly disappear, and you will experience the biggest whip-lash of your life as they go from calm, cool, and collected to a raging mess in less than five seconds. The INTP may either yell incoherently, stuttering and stumbling over words in their fury, or shout precise, calculated words meant to cut you down as well as display their hurt. Their voice will likely reach a decibel which you have not heard from them before and their entire body will be tensed. However, after only a few minutes, the INTP will recognize their lack of control and likely disappear to isolate themselves and sort through their feelings. Do not go after them immediately but also do not assume that the INTP will approach you to resolve things. They will leave that duty to you as a sort of test to see if you value their friendship enough to apologize and set things right. Most INTPs will not reach the Unadulterated Rage level of anger if they are in any way to blame for the upheaval of their emotions, so it is up to you to patch things up. On rare occasions, the INTP may be pushed to this point of anger simply through outside stress sources. If this happens, the INTP will likely later apologize for their outburst and may or may not give an explanation depending on the depth of their trust for you.

Complete Shut Down: Almost undoubtedly, if you have reached this level, you have also experienced the INTP Unadulterated Rage at least once. Congratulations, you’ve done it. You have betrayed and/or disrespected the INTP one time too many and will now experience the slow freeze of their anger as they bar you from their life. You may also experience the Complete Shut Down if you refused to apologize and do not try to make amends for your hurtful actions. It will start out with them still simmering with rage. Some INTPs may respond to you with quiet, sharp remarks that seem humorous to everyone else, but their dark glance in your direction will tell you differently. Others may respond politely enough, but with absolutely no emotion. They will never smile at you and their demeanor will immediately become stony when you enter a room. If you try to make physical contact with them… well… you’re an idiot. Eventually, their rage will slowly turn to cold apathy. When you ask them questions, they will respond with as little detail as possible and they will NEVER ask you anything that isn’t mandatory. They will no longer react to your presence. They may no longer explicitly ignore you, but they will not acknowledge you either. You are no longer a part of their life, just a face they see on the street or in class. They have little desire for revenge, but also an explicit desire to avoid unnecessary contact with you. If the INTP’s friends are close enough to them, they will begin to shut you out as well, recognizing that if the INTP no longer trusts or respects you, there is very good reason for it. INTPs rarely hold grudges, so after a few months or maybe years, you will no longer experience their anger, only their complete and utter apathy.

I've added five new limited edition prints to the shop at www.tomgauld.com/shop. This is one of them.

My latest cartoon for New Scientis. Lots more here.

You know you're INTP when...

1. You’ve had five forkfuls of soup already before you realize something is off.

2. You had to reread #1 multiple times to understand what was “off.“

3. You often floccinaucinihilipilificate.

4. You actually searched up that word.

5. After searching up that word, you will use it in casual conversation.

6. You’re thinking "that’s so me! …But wait, is it really?” as you read these statements.

7. You tack on “that’s debatable” to the end of each of these statements.

8. You can remember the names and properties of each element in the periodic table, but you have no idea what you ate for breakfast.

9. You debate with everyone, about EVERYTHING.

10. You still remember what floccinaucinihilipilificate means.

ENTP

ENTPs are defined by the functional stack:

The ENTP is an extravert (E) who likes to remain open (P).

Afficher davantage

A recent cartoon for New Scientist:

p.s. I have a book of science cartoons called 'Department of Mind-Blowing Theories'. Details at tomgauld.com.

A recent cartoon for New Scientist

INTP Anger

In my last post I made a joke that INTPs are crap at holding grudges, and the more I thought about it, the more it piqued my curiosity. I’d like to analyze anger in INTPs with y’all, if you don’t mind. When I researched, most of what I found was written subjectively or by someone, well, unwilling to acknowledge they suffered from an anger management disorder.

First, I do understand that a person’s ability to harbor a grudge is greatly affected by their mental health, so I’ll stipulate that I’m looking at your average healthy INTP (if you’d like to discuss anger in unhealthy INTPs, please do so). INTPs are slow to experience any emotion, especially anger, which we are quick to realize will cause irrationality on our part. But of course there are times when you just can’t avoid it.

For INTPs there seems to be two basic types of anger: that affected by an Fe grip, and that which is not. Anger uninfluenced by a grip is generally a sort of righteous anger. The INTP’s values or principles usually have been compromised in an inexcusable way, and they will use all their functions to rectify this. Things that would instigate this (probably healthy) anger might be the willful spread of misinformation or deceit of others, manipulation or betrayal, and abuse or cruelty. Using their anger, which is still of course a very strong emotion, the INTP will quickly and effectively resolve the root cause of the problem if they can, using all their functions. It takes a lot for an INTP to be angered in any way; anger, like most emotions, is pushed to the side because it affects our rationality and judgment.

Then there is the unhealthy anger, or that influenced by an Fe grip, and this is much more personal and subjective. The anger might be the root or result of the grip, but in either case, it will be explosive and harmful, perhaps to the INTP, perhaps to others. From personal experience, anger paired with an Fe grip occurs when I feel threatened and insecure. I was a victim of abuse in the past, and with any indication that someone is attempting something similar, I can be prone to lash out in a highly emotional Fe grip. This is the kind of anger that leads to things being thrown, absolutely cutting words being yelled, etc. INTPs can use Fe to absolutely destroy you if they want to, using just the right words to tear your soul to shreds. (That’s a horrible way to deal with anger, and I’m not at all proud of it.)

I don’t have much experience with Fe grip anger, but I do know it doesn’t last very long. If the INTP can be removed from the situations, chances are they’ve released all the emotional energy they’re capable of, will shut down, and recuperate accordingly. There’s also good chance the INTP can be brought down from the anger and the grip in twenty minutes or less, but the trick is removing them from the situation.

These are examples of extreme anger; I wasn’t talking about your day-to-day irritation or annoyance. After experiencing any emotion so strongly, the INTP will need time away from people any sort of stimulation, mental or emotional. Afterwards they’ll probably want a person they know very well and trust to provide them with a sense of emotional stability, to do mundane things with them like cook a meal or watch cartoons. After a day, max., all traces of the anger will most likely have vanished (again, so long as the situation is resolved/the INTP is removed from it). We are crap at holding grudges, but that’s not a bad thing; we don’t see the need to waste our emotions on it. Worst case scenario, we’ll ignore you on a somewhat permanent basis.

Well, that’s my little mini-analysis. It was kinda tricky because writing about an emotion you don’t experience often is tough. Please feel free to add whatever you like–I won’t get angry, lol. I’d actually like y’all’s opinions. Floor is open!

- Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, by Lundy Bancroft

- Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, by Lundy Bancroft

- Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, by Lundy Bancroft

— Lundy Bancroft, Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

— Lundy Bancroft, Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

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unidentified bagworm caterpillar from Agumbe, India. photographed by Girish Gowda

When you love something, you protect it. It is the most natural thing in the world.