The Full Form of ISTP is‍ Introversion (I), Sensing (S), Thinking (T), Perception (P).

When we talk about “extraversion” and “introversion”, we are distinguishing between the two worlds in which all of us live. There is a world inside ourselves, and a world outside ourselves. When we are dealing with the world outside of ourself, we are “extraverting”. When we are inside our own minds, we are “introverting”.

We are extraverting when we:

• Talk to other people
• Listen to what someone is saying
• Cook dinner, or make a cup of coffee
• Work on a car

We are introverting when we:

• Read a book
• Think about what we want to say or do
• Are aware of how we feel
• Think through a problem so that we understand it

Within the context of personality typing, the important distinction is which world we live in more often. Do we define our life’s direction externally or internally? Which world gives us our energy, and which do we perhaps find draining?

The “SN” preference refers to how we gather information. We all need data on which to base our decisions. We gather data through our five senses. Jung contended that there are two distinct ways of perceiving the data that we gather. The “Sensing” preference absorbs data in a literal, concrete fashion. The “Intuitive” preference generates abstract possibilities from information that is gathered. We all use both Sensing and Intuition in our lives, but to different degrees of effectiveness and with different levels of comfort.

We are Sensing when we:

• Taste food
• Notice a stoplight has changed
• Memorize a speech
• Follow steps in a plan

We are Intuitive when we:

• Come up with a new way of doing things
• Think about future implications for a current action
• Perceive underlying meaning in what people say or do
• See the big picture

Within the context of personality typing, the important distinction is which method of gathering information do we trust the most? Do we rely on our five senses and want concrete, practical data to work with? Or do we trust our intuitions without necessarily building upon a solid foundation of facts?