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answer—the test subjects were much more likely not to go along with the false majority. So if one<br />
group member disagrees, it can embolden others to disagree too.<br />
Many years later, type practitioners did a small study where people of various types were tested<br />
using Asch's experimental setup. The INs turned out to be least likely to conform, and IT and IN<br />
types conformed less than EF and ES types. 29<br />
An INTJ's cooperation ceases when they decide the majority is wrong, and it is easier for them to<br />
take a stand than it is for most other types. By doing so, they set an example for others.<br />
What Makes an INTJ?<br />
Many INTJs who survived childhood trauma wonder if the experience was what gave them their<br />
personality. It probably contributed somewhat, but not completely. One Big Five 30 study of abused<br />
and neglected children found that they tended to display more S, T, and P traits than usual (read<br />
here). 31 Not that the trauma changed their personalities completely—if all such children became<br />
STPs, then we would see a huge overrepresentation of STPs in population surveys, which of course<br />
we do not. So while abuse can change one's personality somewhat, it does not change it<br />
completely. It seems probable that a miserable childhood intensifies some INTJ traits while<br />
diminishing others.<br />
So what does determine whether or not a person develops an INTJ personality? Part of the answer,<br />
at least, is genetics. Bayne (2005) summed up several MBTI and Big Five studies on personality<br />
and genetics by stating that there was an "approximate 50 percent figure for the heritability of<br />
personality." Clearly there is a biological basis for type, but we are only just now beginning to find<br />
out what that might be.<br />
On an evolutionary side note. INTJs have been around for a looooong time. Lauren & Kuczaj II<br />
(2007) summarized a list of studies on animal personalities (read here). Some or all of the Big Five<br />
personality traits have been observed in primate species, canine species, cats, equine species, pigs,<br />
rodents, rabbits, hedgehogs, fish, ferrets, dolphins, and octopi. Since the Big Five correlates with<br />
the MBTI, it is probable that the INTJ personality evolved long ago (like, the Cambrian, if not<br />
earlier) and has been preserved for eons as a basic trait of advanced life. There were probably INTJ<br />
tyrannosaurs, triceratops and velociraptors. Who knows—there may even have been INTJ<br />
trilobites. If we meet an alien species, it's certainly probable that there will be members of that<br />
species who are INTJs. Some INTJs feel like they're living among aliens already.<br />
INTJ Places<br />
Did you know that geography is related to personality? There are even studies to prove it. One<br />
such study used the Big Five to assess the personality traits of fifty-one samples of some several<br />
thousand people each, one for each state in the USA plus the District of Columbia. 32 When<br />
averaged out, it became apparent that some states were more introverted than others, some states<br />
were more judging than others, etc. (read here). This raises an interesting question: is there an ideal<br />
INTJ culture within the United States?<br />
29 Matthews, Miller, & Carskadon in Carlson, 1985<br />
30 The Big Five and MBTI (mostly) measure the same thing in the sense that inches and centimeters both measure<br />
the same thing. However, the Big Five also judges a person's worth based on their letters, with ISTPs being the<br />
"worst" type of all. This inbuilt bias may have contributed to the researchers' conclusions.<br />
31 Rogosch & Cicchetti, 2004<br />
32 Rentfrow, Gosling, & Potter, 2008
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