1. Laws

The need for existence to align strictly to an order is the main drive for ISTJs, who demand a structured and consistent way of viewing their world and acting

within it. ISTJs naturally direct their attentions to understanding the rules for how things are, how things fit together and whether they do so coherently.

With great precision, they can assess the logical correctness of systems and whether they follow from evident truths, or else pick out exactly where an

action or statement has deviated from underlying principles. From such structures, ISTJs establish certainty in their lives, knowing exactly what is

correct or incorrect, what can be expected and what should not be, while bringing such assurances to others. ISTJs tend to serve as voices of justice or

incorruptibility to their friends and communities, setting out precisely what is fair or in line with the true way, and holding to these dictates without

personal wants, biases or compromise. Commitment to one's beliefs is of prime importance to ISTJs and through such a lens, they can interpret the world

around them, setting out the priorities for themselves and others to follow, with a guarantee of what can be expected should these standards be adhered to,

or transgressed. 

2. Force

In service to their code of beliefs, ISTJs readily take action to build order from chaos, disciplining themselves in line with their convictions, while enforcing what they think is right or legitimate onto any situation. When acting in a way they feel is righteous, they will become untouchable, immoveable forces that none might dissuade, and will brook no opposition to their dogged determination and often sharp intellect. In a way, there are two different understandings of the ISTJ, depending on how much their principles align with existing authority. They may operate as willing soldiers or enforcers of the law, while rooting out any resistance. Alternatively, they may lead a revolution against a system they feel is fundamentally flawed or unjust, with the goal to tear it down and start anew.

Others may be content living their own lives by the beliefs they have come to hold, away from a society that cannot live up to their expectations. In each

case, ISTJs are very capable of asserting their will to reshape reality in line with their understanding, while resisting temptations or contradictions in the

battleground of ideas. 

3. Relations

ISTJs are aware of the need to establish reliable relations with others and to know who they can trust. As such, ISTJs tend to be careful in their associations with others, trying to make sure they know the people they are talking to. Similarly, ISTJs usually know their personal attitudes towards others, being able to stick with people they personally like while avoiding those they do not. In the area of relationships, ISTJs show a softer side to their personality, being more able outside of formality to make exceptions to their rules and give people personally close to them a break. For their friends, ISTJs tend to show a strong loyalty and warm attachment. While laying down clear boundaries in their relations with others so that they know where not to cross, ISTJs are better able to take the individual into account, working more closely to satisfy a close friend's needs. However, should the personal sphere conflict with the public, ISTJs will readily prioritise the logic of their beliefs and commitments, not allowing their principles to be undermined by personal ties. The pressures of navigating this conflict between formality and familiarity can be a source of strain over time, and ISTJs much prefer environments where everyone feels united under the set of priorities. In these situations, not only is everyone on the same side and able to be trusted to work towards the same goals, but also the ISTJ is not forced to justify any kind of special treatment.

4. Ideas

In their maintenance of clarity and certainty, ISTJs lack tolerance of ambiguity. While their logic enables the translation of a complex reality into a clear black and white, situations of ambiguity, where something could be one way or another, present a challenge to ISTJs as they are unable to create certainty from this. In such scenarios, the ISTJ may hesitate, or else push forward blindly on what they are familiar with, not turning back or changing track even if the alternative hypothesis turns out to be true. ISTJs tend to be very straightforward and stubborn in their worldviews, not being very open to the idea that their understanding may not be the absolute truth and that other people can have very different perspectives to their own for a wide variety of different reasons. It is rare for an ISTJ, once their mind is made up, to give anyone the chance of changing their mind. Instead, they tend to assume that everyone must conclude they made from their own experiences, or else, have made a serious error. Consequently, the thought processes of ISTJs may come across as overly confined and linear, lacking the flexibility and multiplicity to account for the more complex nuances and surprises that the world has to offer. Similarly, any system they create may be too rigid in its precision and perhaps too draconian in its harshness, not accounting for new or unusual scenarios where what may have once seemed correct would end up being intuitively wrong.

5. Emotions

For their formality, ISTJs are socially conscious people who want to belong with a group of people. Although coming across as somewhat aloof to begin with,

ISTJs quickly thaw out in boisterous, fun conversations and can become quite expressive themselves, joining with the group mood. However, in their focus on

thinking things through soberly and logically, ISTJs are often the strong, silent types, coming off stiff or severe without the mood to pick them up. They may lack the social ease to express their emotions properly or even recognise the passion within themselves. Often, an ISTJ will attempt to deliver information by virtue of the structure they have thought out, telling people what needs to be done in an overly technical manner rather than in a way that is uplifting to hear, or in a way which may unintentionally come across as rude or arrogant. They lack the natural charm and skill with emotive language necessary to persuade people that their structure is important to follow and so may struggle to convince people outside of intellectual debate. As such, ISTJs rarely succeed in contests of popularity and appealing to many people and may be restricted to preaching to the choir. ISTJs long for an emotional stirring to bring what they believe to life and are very responsive to the passions of others that can ignite their hearts and minds. They appreciate the support of others who are more naturally charismatic, who are better able to engage with others on important issues and spread the right message to get others on board. 

6. Time

While well suited to the order of a bureaucratic environment, ISTJs are often discontent with sticking to something that feels mundane, or ultimately pointless. Instead, ISTJs aspire towards a path of great meaning and purpose, that they can follow as a calling throughout their lives, while contributing to something greater than themselves. As such, ISTJs are frequently motivated to apply their intellect in service of a higher cause, wanting to see the systems they believe in go on to meaningfully change the world. Although naturally strong at acting instantaneously in the moment, ISTJs develop over time to think their actions through carefully and focus their efforts on planning ahead to see the right path or destiny ahead. As such, they aspire to know with certainty how things are going to happen and try to create schedules and strategies so that their projects remain neatly on track. However, such a desire to maintain singular commitments is often undermined by ISTJs' inability to consider multiple possible ways an event can turn out. Certainty in their cause can cause their plans to lack contingencies, which they will pursue with great stubbornness, even to the edge of failure.

7. Pragmatism

ISTJs tend to be very knowledgeable, and clear in the articulation of what they know, while, through careful and exacting attention to quality, creating systems that run like clockwork. When formulating their plans or coming to a point of view, ISTJs may rely extensively on observations of how things work in real life to build their initial knowledge base. However, the optimisation of processes and further updates to what they think and believe, according to new evidence, can be rejected by ISTJs in favour of the consistency or integrity of the structures already in place. ISTJs devise their ideologies as a model of absolute truth and tend to reject the position that such models need to be updated and tweaked over time. After all, if they have already come to understand the truth, why would more data collection be necessary? In the rare occasions where an ISTJ does change their system, it is more a complete ideological shift after a life-changing event, rather than one in a series of upgrades. They also may resent those who pragmatically compromise on what they believe to reach 'working solutions', believing these to be the half-measures of those without the courage to fight for the right outcome.

8. Senses

The ISTJ's affinity for maintenance of rules and standards frequently accompanies a meticulous attention to detail. ISTJs are usually very aware of precise differences in the way objects around them are arranged and will be very thorough, keeping things neatly on the razor edge of perfection. Sloppiness can be ruthlessly scrutinised, and ISTJs may insist on a task being done again if a small detail is missed out. Additionally, when not imposing the severity of some rule or requirement, ISTJs are surprisingly good at chilling out, harmonising peacefully with their environment after an intense and demanding period of duty. They may make very capable hosts, crafting the ideal, aesthetically pleasing space in which to relax and unwind. In this way, ISTJs exercise a keen attention to their physical needs, enabling them to pursue their higher goals with sustainability and arranging their domestic or daily life to line up with their ideals.