The Courageous Architect (INTJ)

“I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led.”
Thomas Jefferson

Boldly Searching for Reality

Courage is expressed through action. When something inside of oneself stifles a desired action, courage is not expressed.

Architects (INTJs) are typically cautious people, and this caution can be a gift. Insufficient caution can bring chaos and danger to one’s life, so Architect personalities would do well to hang on to this quality. However, when caution becomes overcaution and leads to a frozen state of inaction, it might be time to examine whether being so wary is helpful.

There’s nothing wrong with caution or fear when it’s divvied out in suitable measure. But finding courage sometimes means separating fears that serve as a protective warning from those that are overblown and stop you from progressing in life.

Fear and risk are essential parts of courage. Courage doesn’t exist in the absence of fear but due to it. Performing a deed without a reason to fear something about it disqualifies the deed as an act of courage. The helpful news for everyone, no matter your personality type, is that courage can be increased through use – starting with small acts of courage and moving to more substantial acts of bravery.

For a somewhat fuller discussion of these basics, please read “The Courageous Advocate (INFJ).”

Let’s take a moment to examine the factors that define the Courageous Architect and explore some exercises and ways of thinking that might broaden the definition for individual Architects seeking to acquire more intelligent bravery.

The Stereotype of the Architect

When we think of Architect personalities, we think of voracious consumers of information and ideas. For some, that alone might define the Courageous Architect. After all, when people are vaguely afraid, many choose to ignore information for fear of discovering uncomfortable truths or facts that will further reinforce their fears. Accordingly, taking in information like a Hoover can appear like a courageous act. In some situations, it is.

How important to you is gathering information and learning about other ideas? Take our Thirst for Knowledge test and find out more about your attitudes toward knowledge.

In response to our research statement asking if they consider themselves brave, 71% of Architects said they did. That’s a solid majority, and it’s tempting to suppose that this self-perception tells us all we need to know about Architect personalities as a group. But despite the high percentage, they still skewed a little below the average agreement of all personality types (74%). So their hunger for accurate information or truth does not necessarily leave Architects feeling more courageous than others.

One reason why Architect courage may be myth-filled is their tendency to be less demonstrative with their feelings than many other personality types. They tend not to lead with their feelings. This might suggest to some that Architects act without regard for emotional and social consequences when they behave boldly. However, Architects say they’re less likely to take risks that have social consequences than risks that have physical consequences, and their agreement on this matter is about average.

Test your level of Emotional Intelligence by taking our test. Learn more about your emotions and how you respond to the emotions of others.

It might be tempting to think that, because feelings are not the primary language of Architects, they don’t care about that language at all. However, these personality types may be more concerned about relating to people than the stereotypes suggest. In some situations, some Architects might show surprisingly strong reluctance to do something for fear of risking their social scaffolding. But there are exceptions, as we’ll see below.

Architects can also easily get caught in a cycle of considering everything that can go wrong – especially the Turbulent personalities among them. When their Judging trait meets a cascade of possible outcomes, some of which have negative or unknowable consequences, they may be hesitant to move forward at all.

Architects generally seek sure results. This need for a guarantee can certainly be positive – unless it leads to inaction.

Fear of failure is more common among Introverts compared to Extraverts, and Architects share this with their fellow Introverts. In fact, 78% of Architects agree that they are halted in their tracks at times by this type of fear.

Let’s look at the research that supports these and other tendencies that play a role in defining Architect courage.

Research and the Courageous Architect

As we examine some of the research, we can explore the areas of Architects’ lives where they tend to show courage. We will also look at the places in their lives where they don’t.

More Thinking and Judging personality types see themselves as good at assessing risks than other types do. True to this tendency, a higher-than-average percentage of Architects feel good about their accuracy at predicting outcomes.

Architects usually assess risks more systematically and come to well-reasoned conclusions. Their trusted assessments might contain both the reasons for potential success and the reasons for potential failure. Just a greater awareness of negative possibilities may be enough to foster a more cautious approach by Architect personalities.

More Architects (54%) also say they are usually pessimistic about the outcomes of the risks that they take, compared to the average of all respondents (37%). People with this personality type are also above average in saying that they instinctively consider the worst-case scenarios before participating in an activity.

As fiction writer James Branch Caball wrote: “The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.” In a similar vein, Architects’ more objective approach may focus on the real possibility of a negative outcome that the eyes of more subjective people may have trouble appreciating. At times, courage may be the product of romantic notions that are less likely to be adopted by this fact-based personality type.

Architects may appear less courageous for hesitating to take some risks, but they often show courage when it comes to spelling out realities to people who’d rather not acknowledge them. This Architect bravery might reveal itself in many situations, including standing up for beliefs contrary to the views of others. Or courage might reveal itself when they ask questions of people who might be offended or otherwise bothered by the inquiries. Architects’ respect for knowledge may sometimes outweigh any fears that they may have about how they acquire it or its potential impact on relationships.

Intellectual dishonesty is likely to leave an unpleasant taste in the mouths of most Architects. These personality types are second to only one other type (Logisticians, ISTJs) in saying that they believe it’s more important to tell the truth, even if it hurts someone’s feelings. And we already know that they tend to consider social risks to be greater than physical risks. This implies that Architects have a sense that revealing such truths leaves them vulnerable. Doing so despite potential damage to their social system suggests courage.

Information can be a two-edged sword for Architects. When their knowledge combines with their Intuitive personality trait, it can lead to cautious behavior, perhaps even overly cautious behavior, as they speculate about possible outcomes. Conversely, things that they know are demonstratively true can bring out the warrior in them if they find that the truth is being distorted or ignored. In their love of rationality, Architects are likely among the bravest people when truth or accuracy needs a champion.

Bravery-Building Exercises for Architects

Greater awareness of negative possibilities and the fear of failure are the chief factors when Architect personalities keep their courage in check. Try these exercises if this rings true for you.

A Plan B for Every Contingency

Sometimes imagined possibilities are weighted in ways that suggest that taking a certain risk will inevitably lead to painful results. The odds favor anguish. During those times, it’s not cowardice to be cautious. It’s wisdom. But other times, when the correct choice isn’t so clear, it can cause indecision. A lot depends on the strategic importance of a decision, but sometimes freezing instead of acting can mean losing valuable opportunities.

When uncertainty is the most certain thing about a decision, you may want to roll out your knack for creating strategies. What would happen if you listed the negative possibilities that are driving your caution, and instead of letting them serve as roadblocks, you developed a strategy for dealing with each of them should the worst-case scenario happen?

A plan B is often a prudent thing to have. In your case, you might need a series of plan Bs. Having a clear game plan for each possibility might give you the confidence that you need to commit to one of them.

Decide to strategize instead of stall. What’s your plan B should the worst happen?

Transform Your Negatives into Something You Can Use

Magical thinking is not something that Architect personalities put much stock in. So this exercise is not about positive thinking that will miraculously make everything work out. It’s about reframing your thoughts in ways that make you want to put more energy into taking action.

Instead of “If I ask for a raise, there’s a possibility that I might not get it. I’ll be discouraged,” how about, “If I ask for a raise, I’ll present my request in such a way that my boss will know that I’m invested in this job. So, even if I don’t get a fatter paycheck now, the request has a reasonable chance of paying off in the future.”

Let an alternate viewpoint lessen any fear of failure that you might have. Be proactive in establishing even a rejection as something valuable.

Decide to reframe a possible defeat as an undeniable victory. Try to imagine a no-lose situation as you step into various circumstances.

Choose Imperfect Solutions

Personality types with the Judging trait can sometimes be black-and-white thinkers. It’s not necessarily that we engage in a simplistic binary way of thinking, but sometimes our tendency might be to search for a single and dependable solution.

Judging types want assured outcomes, and a search for those kinds of guaranteed results may have us looking for a singular ideal solution. But it can be daunting to try to decide which path forward is flawless. There may be many desirable solutions that work well, but not perfectly.

Instead of stubbornly hoping for perfection, be willing to consider that all solutions are imperfect. Be willing to choose a reasonable but imperfect path. Jumping without a guarantee of a perfect landing is a way to build courage. A merely good landing may be good enough.

Decide to identify even the most viable solutions as imperfect, so as not to freeze in the cold grip of indecision. Treat decisions as an experiment rather than a fixed point in your life.

Go Small (Really Small) to Eventually Go Big

Say that every day you go to the same deli. Without exception, you order the tuna sandwich on rye bread. The sign over the counter where they take orders reveals 27 other lunch choices that cost about the same amount.

When we’re used to a routine, shaking it up can be a real act of courage. What would happen if you committed to not eating the same lunch twice a month? Tomorrow, enjoy the egg salad on a bagel. The next day, ham and Swiss on whole wheat. Perhaps you eat somewhere else altogether. And so on.

What is courage besides stepping outside of your established comfort zone? So start small and work your way up. What’s your version of the same sandwich at the same deli?

Decide to shake up your routines and add something previously unknown or unappreciated to your life. Notice any discomfort, but push forward. Learn to love a certain amount of discomfort.

How much of a perfectionist are you? Does it affect your life positively or negatively? Take our Perfectionism Test and discover more about yourself. The feedback that you receive from the test can help you balance any unbalanced perfectionistic tendencies.

Courage from Values and Passion

Architects are a cautious bunch. And yet, these protectors of knowledge and information can shine when their values and passions collide with falsehoods or ignorance.

There is a lesson in that for all personality types. Look for your passion and your true values to establish where your courage lies. From there, you can feed and nurture your bravery and perhaps even find a purpose in life if you’re looking for one. Values and passions buttress courage.

So, what are your values and passions? What do you find yourself defending? How do these reflect your personality type? Let us know in the comments below.