ISTP 8w9: (A Complete Guide)

In this article, we will describe a combination of ISTP 8w9 personality type i.e. ISTP personality from the MBTI types and the type 8w9 from enneagram types. We will be describing each personality separately followed up by giving an in-depth overview of a combination of both personalities i.e. ISTP 8w9.

ISTP 8w9

ISTP 8w9 shares traits of both ISTP and 8w9 personality. ISTP 8w9 avoids being put into situations where they can be hurt by others or controlled by people with authority. They strive to be independent, powerful, and rulers of their life. They keep their emotions and vulnerability to themself. They like solving complex problems and challenges and easily get bored when they don’t have anything stimulating to focus their energy on. 

MBTI: Four Cognitive Functions

 Myer Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), based on Carl Jung’s 16 personality types, approaches personality to be composed of four cognitive functions that govern how people think, process, and make decisions. The top two cognitive functions play a dominant role in guiding a person’s personality. Whereas, the latter two play less of a role. However, they still have some impact or influence on how a person behaves in certain situations. ISTP is one personality type out of the 16 types. 

ISTP: The Crafter (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving)

The ISTP personality type from the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is based on Carl Jung’s 16 personality types. It describes people who are independent, action-oriented, prefer freedom and flexibility in their life. They are open to new experiences and like engaging in practical activities. Logic,  rationality,  concrete information, and practical application of things appeal to them more than abstract ideas.  They dislike routine and prefer newness in their life. 5.4% of people have an ISTP personality type in the world.

Four Cognitive Functions of ISTP

Four cognitive functions that guide how ISTP personality type processes information includes:

Introverted Thinking

ISTPs spend most of their time thinking and processing information which they rarely express to others.  Consequently, they prefer being quiet most of the time. Their actions are based on their strong observational and thinking skills.  You could say they are rational and logical people who like to engage in practical activities.  Furthermore, while analysing situations,  they can put their emotions aside and see things objectively.  Such personalities are hard to get to know for other people due to their action-oriented and reserved nature.

Extroverted Sensing

ISTPs are present-oriented who do not think about the past or the future excessively.  They are logical and enjoy learning about how things function and operate.  They love the practical application of concepts. So they learn more by doing than from reading theories or abstract ideas. 

Introverted Intuition

ISTPs often have gut feelings about different situations especially before making a decision. They can turn abstract concepts into actions or practical ideas.  Due to their intuitive function,  they are also able to have moments of insight about themselves and others. 

Extroverted Feeling

This is the weakest part of ISTP’s personality. They are usually calm and logical.  However,  in stressful situations, they can have emotional outbursts and lash out at others.  This is because they usually ignore their feelings till they reach a breaking point. 

Enneagrams

Enneagrams are a map or typology of human personalities. It was developed by George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, Oscar Ichazo, and Claudio Naranjo.It is divided into nine personality types that are spread across 3 triads i.e. Feeling triad, Thinking Triad, or Instinctive Triad. It describes a person’s fundamental psychological orientation in the form of good or bad traits and sees which triad quality i.e. emotion, intellect or instincts is most characteristic of his or her personality.  The Basic Personality Type is the most characteristic of a person. Whereas wings add elements to the overall personality. Type 8w9 is one of its types.

Type 8w9: ‘The Bear’

Type 8w7 has basic traits of type 8 and secondary traits of type 9. They are in conflict as type 8 pushes them to be assertive and face challenges head-on. Whereas, type 9 tries to avoid conflict and suppresses anger. Thus, type 8w9 is calmer, peaceful, and domestic but clear about having boundaries of control. They are people-oriented, not materialistic, accepting, and can relate to others, unlike other type eights. Aggression and confrontation do not sit well with them. So, they do things the way they like but in a peaceful yet firm way. Their aura of strength, power, and privacy has a strange attractive feel to it. Other people perceive them to be emotionally blank or poker-faced, yet when challenged they can also be angry and passionate.

Healthy versions of this subtype are quiet, wise, strategic planners, and mostly easy-going in their approach. They are open to hearing concerns of their loved ones, are kind and protective about them. They have a mystical bond with especially with children, nature, and art.  

Average versions of this subtype are aggressive & competitive in public but accommodating in private with loved ones. This discrepancy in their approach is surprising to others. They are quiet, private and work from behind the scene. People perceive them to be stubborn, dominating yet sly in their manner. They speak slowly, carefully and according to the body language of people in their surroundings.  In other words, they have a facade of friendliness and agreeableness hiding their internal state which they modify according to their audience. They can be intimidating and kind-hearted at the same time. Thus, it is difficult to predict their mood. 

Unhealthy versions of this subtype can easily become depressed and dissociated. However, if they get power, they can become vengeful, ruthless, and indifferent without a shred of guilt. They dont get anxious and can be violent towards people without feeling emotional or empathic especially with people who live with them for a long time. 

Examples of Type 8w9: Martin Luther King Jr, Johnny Cash, Indra Gandhi, Pablo Picasso, Darth Vader

A Combination of ISTP 8w9

Personality: ISTP 8w9

ISTP 8w9 is afraid of getting hurt by others. So, they avoid positions and situations where they can be controlled by others. They also try to defend themself by being independent and establish guards against emotions & vulnerability. They act strong since they see emotions as signs of being weak. They love solving challenges and complex problems. For this, they acquire knowledge, skills, and experience. However, they can get bored quite easily and need new difficult tasks to focus their energy on. 

Workstyle: ISTP 8w9

In the workplace, ISTP 8w9 is courageous, determined, and supportive of others. They contribute their knowledge, skills, and experience to execute tasks smoothly. They often focus their energy on solving complex problems. Also, they are good at crisis management. They want to be their own boss. So, they dislike excessive rules and schedules and value their independence. They pay attention to details as well as concrete ideas. They prefer to work in jobs that give them authority but also allows them to support others e.g. judge, activists, counselor, professors, firefighters, scientists, computer programming, etc.

Emotional stressors of ISTP 8w9

ISTP 8w9 is often stressed by conflict/disagreements and being rejected by others. Situations, where they feel a lack of control and are vulnerable, are a great source of stress for them. 

Conflict: ISTP 8w9

ISTPs dislike conflicts but are good at conflict management. Their style is usually assertive, practical, and logical. They make sure disagreements are resolved, quickly, peacefully, and justly. They also keep their communication clear and firm. Their focus is to resolve matters to restore harmony in their relationships. 

Interpersonal Skills: ISTP 8w9

ISTPs are friendly in their social interactions. However, they are reserved and closed off at an emotional level. They do not open up about their feelings due to fear of being vulnerable. They are confident, logical, and practical in their relationships. At the same time, they make an effort to be kind and protective in order to form a good bond, especially with children and nature.

Strengths of ISTP 8w9

• They are good leaders
• They are energetic and confident
• They are protective of people they care about
• They are accepting of multiple perspectives
• They are attentive to the needs of others 
• They are logical
• They learn by experience
• They are action-oriented
• They are realistic and practical in their approach
• They enjoy new things

Weakness of ISTP 8w9

• They can have anger management issues
• At times they are stubborn/ rigid
• They are overly confident and emotionally detached
• They dislike rules/orders or being controlled by authority figures
• They are difficult to get to know
• They can be insensitive
• They get bored easily
• They are risk-takers
• They do not like commitment

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

 FAQs: ISTP 8w9

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed ISTP 8w9 personality.  We found that ISTP 8w9 shares traits of both ISTP and 8w9 personality. ISTP 8w9 avoids being put into situations where they can be hurt by others or controlled by people with authority. They strive to be independent, powerful, and rulers of their life. They keep their emotions and vulnerability to themself. They like solving complex problems and challenges and easily get bored when they don’t have anything stimulating to focus their energy on. 

I hope you found this article interesting. If you have any queries or comments, please state them in the comment section 😊

Citations

https://www.verywellmind.com/istp-introverted-sensing-thinking-perceiving-2795993

https://www.crystalknows.com/enneagram/type-8-wing-9

Personality Types – Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery by Don Richard Riso with Russ Hudson

The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson