These articles are an attempt to condense Chapter X of Psychological Types into a more readable format. I’ve tried to stay as true to the original texts as possible. Enjoy!
Remember, these describe “pure types”, or types without a differentiated auxiliary function.
Introverted Thinking
Introverted Thinking is mechanistic reasoning guided by subjective tendencies that have their roots in the collective unconscious. This subconscious influence might manifest as a vague sense of structure that guides logic, or a more or less complete idea that only needs to be intellectually formulated. In either case, the theories that Ti creates aren’t derived from external facts, however much the Ti type would like that to be true in the name of being “objective”. The idea has its roots in the psyche, and facts are only used to confirm it or provide evidence of its validity.
However, Ti has the dangerous tendency to give the subject too much credit, at which point it might twist and mangle the facts to fit a subjective theory, or ignore them completely and engage in a kind of intellectual fantasy. This Thinking starts to show a mythological streak, the result of its basis in the collective unconscious. The strong convictions of the Ti type come from the evolved validity of these “eternal truths”. However, their value is lost as long as the Ti type neglects to link them up with objective facts and ideas.
Over-introverted Ti risks creating ideas that say nothing real or relevant. By contrast, over-extroverted Te risks becoming nothing more than stating the facts. Ti says, “I think, therefore I think,” while Te says “It is, therefore it is”. If this intensification continues, the Ti type’s outer life goes to another function in the unconscious, usually Feeling. His relationships with people and things will be infected by childish complexes, fears, anxieties, and the negativity characteristic of the unconscious.
The Introverted Thinking Type
This type pursues his intellectual goals like the Te type, but inward instead of outward, going after thoroughness and clarity instead of applicability or relevance. Like all introverts, he has a strained relationship with the outer world. With people, for example, he gives off the impression of being anywhere from indifferent to avoidant. He might be polite, amicable, and kind, but his subtle uneasiness shows a subconscious desire to pacify the outer world and its troublesome influence.
His neglect for the outer world and his inability to communicate his inner thoughts makes him prone to misunderstandings, which only get worse if, in order to compensate and fit in, he builds up a persona with the help of his inferior functions. Although he never shies away from following an unorthodox or dangerous thought to its logical conclusion, he gets extremely anxious when it comes to bringing his ideas into reality. When he does, he dumps them there without any special presentation – in his mind they are right, and everyone should see that. It doesn’t help that his work is full of doubts, saving clauses, and all kinds of precise technicalities. He has trouble seeing that while his logic might be clear in his head, it can be totally incomprehensible to others.
In his personal relationships, he either doesn’t talk much or is regularly misunderstood. He’s often awkward, and anxious to avoid being noticed, or else childishly naive and unconcerned about how he comes across. Casual acquaintances might see him as antisocial, prickly, or arrogant, but the people closest to him know and value his intimate side. In his field of interest he sparks violent controversy, which he has little clue of how to deal with, and he struggles as a teacher, since he’s more interested in the material itself than in presenting it to his students.
The more he cuts himself off from the outer world, the deeper his theories might get, but he’ll be increasingly unable to express them and relate them to the objective world. What’s more, they’ll inevitably be poisoned by the unconscious bitterness, emotionality, and touchiness brought on by his isolation. His Thinking is no longer creative, but destructive, and he responds to criticism of his work with viciously personal remarks. He thinks withdrawing more and more into solitude will solve his problematic relationships, but it only increases the destructive internal conflict.