People with the Architect (INTJ) personality type tend to be more contrarian than most. (Cue chorus of exacting dissent from my Architect peeps.) That isn’t something commonly praised as a virtue by others or necessarily always experienced as beneficial. But like personality traits themselves, a contrarian mindset can be positive or negative, depending on the context and nature of its expression.
Learning to express your personality in positive ways is the essence of personal growth, so let’s consider how being a contrarian can be a good thing for Architects – and might bring them happiness.
A Sense of Identity
The desire for acceptance by others is a deep, primal human need (whether we like to admit it or not). Familiarity and similarity play a big part in being accepted – it’s easier for people to accept those who are like them. Yet that path to acceptance may not seem as open to Architects as to some personalities – Architects’ relatively rare combination of traits can set them apart. Trying to fit in by being similar can feel artificial at best.
Consequently, many Architects deliberately diverge from the crowd as a way to feel empowered. Instead of basing their sense of self on fitting in, they embrace an identity based on expressing their true selves without much concern for other people’s reactions. Such authenticity can be amazingly freeing, and while it may challenge others’ perceptions, it can still lead to acceptance. That usually depends on how an Architect makes others feel.
People’s subconscious tendency to regard the familiar and similar as less threatening (and therefore preferable) can be overridden by more overt perceptions. Classical virtues like kindness and intelligence are very appealing, and it’s possible to be a contrarian with such positive virtues. Being individualistic doesn’t preclude being friendly and considerate. Of course, Architect personalities with a strongly self-affirmed identity may simply not care what others think. Either way, it’s a path to happiness.
A Canary in the Mine
Being a contrarian can not only be a good thing for Architect personalities – their divergent mindset can also be good for the people around them. People tend to value agreement because it creates a sense of cooperation and emotional harmony, which in turn makes life easier and happier, and often increases productivity. That’s a great thing, but a focus on agreement can sometimes carry unjustified importance or even create problems. People often seek the comfort of group agreement as a way to satisfy their desire for approval (or control), and that can blind them to important outside factors that affect their lives. (Insert herd marching toward a cliff analogy.)
Enter the contrarian Architect – proud purveyor of alternate perspectives, unpleasant facts, and important information that others would rather ignore. Sometimes it’s better for everyone when one person stands up to contradict a group mentality that’s gone beyond practical benefit. Architect personalities know that agreement is helpful when it’s fueled by rational evaluation of facts and not merely because it’s convenient or feels good.
When Architects are motivated to help, it can almost feel like their duty to point out overlooked things to others, whether at work or in their personal lives. Architects also know that the more contrary information they offer up, the more people may be annoyed. But, hey, that’s the life of a truth slinger, right? There’s a difference between trying to stir up trouble and trying to help, and being a contrarian in a way that benefits others is a good thing and can help everyone be happier.
A Healthier Path
An awful lot of questionable or even harmful things are normalized in popular culture. Some people can’t help but be swayed by popular trends, lured into a belief or course of action by peer pressure, advertising, or simply wanting to find a sense of belonging. While that’s a very forgivable and human thing, it’s not always healthy. Following the herd can be a mixed bag in terms of risk and reward.
A contrarian Architect might automatically sidestep some of those risks by virtue of being less prone to following popular trends or practices. That’s not to say that everything popular is unhealthy, but a default position of skepticism can be a very good thing for Architects. And it doesn’t necessarily prevent them from joining in where it’s worth doing so, if they evaluate things objectively and respect their own desires.
Holding popular culture and trends at arm’s length while deciding which parts to embrace is a pretty clever way to lead a happy, healthy life. It’s not that Architect personality types disapprove of all popular things, but they dislike enthusiastically thoughtless (they might say “mindless”) conformity. Prestige that’s based on assumptive or superficial qualities goes against the deliberate, rational evaluation methods that Architects prize. Rejecting what’s popular simply because it’s popular might not make much sense, but Architects are happiest when they engage with things that offer some solid, intrinsic appeal beyond merely being popular.
Conclusion: A Singular Viewpoint
Let’s be honest: Architects sometimes just get a kick out of being contrary for their own reasons. They can have a cynical, antisocial edge, but that’s only one small part of this facet of their personality. Often, being a contrarian is how Architects seek a better way of doing things, living life, or even understanding the unknown. It can be as though, in order to create something grander, they must first become dissatisfied with what is. Whether that pursuit brings Architects happiness is up to them.
Insisting on divergent ideas, views, and actions can bring friction as well as inspired achievement. A lot depends on how people with this personality type approach any gap between their own and others’ perspectives. Expressing one’s authentic self doesn’t have to be adversarial, and in fact, one of the most enlightened attitudes to practice is seeing value in different viewpoints – not necessarily to assume them personally, but enough to respect the people behind them and earn the same respect in return.