Oh right, I'm not allowed to edit posts so let's double post this shit:
I'm actually surprised my introvertedness is still so dominant (67%), as I figure I'm a fairly outgoing person now. Maybe I just lived as such a shut-in for so long, I feel extroverted in comparison.
A major concern for INTPs is the haunting sense of impending failure. They spend considerable time second-guessing themselves. The open-endedness (from Perceiving) conjoined with the need for competence (NT) is expressed in a sense that one's conclusion may well be met by an equally plausible alternative solution, and that, after all, one may very well have overlooked some critical bit of data. An INTP arguing a point may very well be trying to convince himself as much as his opposition. In this way INTPs are markedly different from INTJs, who are much more confident in their competence and willing to act on their convictions.A major concern for INTPs is the haunting sense of impending failure. They spend considerable time second-guessing themselves. The open-endedness (from Perceiving) conjoined with the need for competence (NT) is expressed in a sense that one's conclusion may well be met by an equally plausible alternative solution, and that, after all, one may very well have overlooked some critical bit of data. An INTP arguing a point may very well be trying to convince himself as much as his opposition. In this way INTPs are markedly different from INTJs, who are much more confident in their competence and willing to act on their convictions.
Pretty accurate. I hate fucking something up, because something I want to do, I generally want to do right. I like to spend a good amount of time doing research on a project before feeling confident enough to tackle it. If I feel like it's going wrong or it won't live up to expectations (which will always be very high), I generally prefer to erase the whole thing than push through with it.
Mathematics is a system where many INTPs love to play, similarly languages, computer systems--potentially any complex system. INTPs thrive on systems. Understanding, exploring, mastering, and manipulating systems can overtake the INTP's conscious thought. This fascination for logical wholes and their inner workings is often expressed in a detachment from the environment, a concentration where time is forgotten and extraneous stimuli are held at bay. Accomplishing a task or goal with this knowledge is secondary.
Math never quite clicked with me, but I the principle rings true, and it's probably why I enjoyed neuroscience so much. Funny thing was, I had a lot of neuroscience majors for friends, and it was common enough that I had to explain to them what was going on in lecture. As long as I could construct a working system in my head, everything fell together, and I could always fill in the gaps for other people. This also meant I could get away on certain types of exams with minimal studying; as long as I knew the input and the output of the problem, I could otherwise build the rest of the answer from scratch.
Games NTs seem to especially enjoy include Risk, Bridge, Stratego, Chess, Go, and word games of all sorts. (I have an ENTP friend that loves Boggle and its variations. We've been known to sit in public places and pick a word off a menu or mayonnaise jar to see who can make the most words from its letters on a napkin in two minutes.) The INTP mailing list has enjoyed a round of Metaphore, virtual volleyball, and a few 'finish the series' brain teasers.
This ends up manifesting in video games instead. There's a reason why I know so much about a lot of competitive video games, most of which I don't even play.
On another note, one of my best friends in university is almost certainly an ESFP, which is listed as "Novelty" in relation to an INTP. I find it weird, since I rarely had moments of "I don't get your thought process" (to be fair, most of them were explained away by "there was no thought process) in four years of knowing him.