The ISTP Personality Type's Biggest Dating Strengths & Weaknesses
ISTPs: Improvisors, Conquerors, & Impatient Recluses
getty Known for being an incredibly grounded and practical Myers-Briggs personality type, the ISTP's dating strengths and weaknesses are unique.
ISTP's value efficiency and practicality — unfortunately, those are two qualities that relationships rarely offer. This particular personality isn't very in touch with their emotions, so what the ISTP wants in a relationship is someone who is direct and to the point about their desires. Once ISTP knows exactly what you want, they'll do everything in their power to make it happen.
While the ISTP can commit in a relationship, they also value their independence and will do best with a partner who can give them the space they need to thrive.
ISTP Dating Strengths
ISTPs are practical and creative.
ISTPs are technical: they’re born engineers. Tuning bicycles, repairing the TV, and assembling your IKEA are child’s play to this personality type. This can make them formidable partners. If you ever have a problem, they’re just the pair of hands you need around the house.
ISTPs are great problem solvers.
ISTPs are expert problem solvers. They absorb sensory datum like sponges, assembling them into categories like a biologist their species. They are efficient and effective. Even in the heat of the moment, when stress is at its highest, you can always rely on this personality type during the time of your deepest need.
Confident in their abilities, this personality never sits on the sidelines: they are the doers. If you need a strong personality in your life, this personality type has just the kind of strength you’ll want.
ISTPs are world savvy.
ISTPs rove the streets, confident in their keen eye. This personality type is as far away from gullible as Pluto is from the sun. You’re unlikely to pull one over on them.
If dating someone who can size you up frightens you, ISTPs are not the personality for you. But if you need someone who has the street smarts to keep you out of trouble, this type is a strong contender for your dating life.
ISTPs are flexible.
Flexible and adaptable, the ISTP is almost handcrafted for unpredictable situations. They improve quickly, respond to the situation’s needs as they come: confiding in their own instincts, their body guides them with surprising success. If you need a winner in your life, this personality type is just what you’re looking for.
ISTP Dating Weaknesses
The ISTP can be insensitive.
ISTPs are blunt. They prefer their words unsweetened. Occasionally, this is their strength: they’re honest, direct, and logical.
However, when ISTPs become too blunt, they’re harsh and critical, especially if they’re met with people who don’t fit their ideas of logic or practicality. Rather than accept that people think differently, they reject ways of thinking that are not natural to them, dismissing them as deficient.
This makes the ISTP a dubious dating partner: if you don’t fall into their intellectual esteem, they won’t respect your intellectual differences as anything else but a deep and irredeemable chasm.
ISTPs sometimes indulge in risk-seeking behavior.
ISTP’s are restless. They’re the ones in the back of the class, relentless tapping their foot. They seek the thrill & adrenaline rush, even if this leads them to risky if not reckless behaviors. You won’t often find them weighing the pros and cons of their actions.
If you’re wary of cheap pleasures, crazy thrills, adrenaline rushes, and instant gratification, give dating an ISTP a second thought. While they might appear fun at first, their risky behaviors might make them unsuitable for long-term relationships.
ISTPs can be impatient.
ISTPs must move forward. In their book, stillness is death! They’re unhappy if they cannot decide or act in the moment. Waiting and deliberating are not behaviors you’ll often see an ISTP willingly perform, let alone incorporate into their daily routine.
While this makes dating spontaneous and interesting at first, dating an ISTP for the long-term is something you should definitely reconsider. After all, crucial decisions pack a serious relationship: taking the time together to deliberate over these decisions is crucial for its longevity and intimacy.
ISTPs are private and reserved.
ISTPs need their personal space. They covet solitude. By itself, this isn’t a weakness. We all need time to ourselves. But when their need privacy becomes excessive, this can wreck ruins on any relationship. If they feel you threaten their right to be a recluse, they push you away and avoid your intimacy. They can indeed be unusually protective of their space.
ISTPs are not naturally romantic.
It's not that the ISTP personality type doesn't like romance, it's just that it doesn't come naturally to them. So if you're waiting for an ISTP to sweep you off your feet, just know it's probably not going to happen.
An ISTP should marry an ESTP.
ISTPs will find they have the best relationships with the ESTP personality type. The ESTP is one of the only Myers-Briggs personality types who "get" the ISTP, and their extroverted tendencies will help draw the ISTP out of their shell. Therefore, they will have the most rewarding relationship.
How to Win an ISTP's Heart
ISTPs can be flighty, but if you respect their independence, they'll have no problem calling you theirs. An ISTP also needs someone who understands that their apparent coldness doesn't mean a lack of feelings — they just aren't open with their emotions.
The ISTP love language is physical touch. They're very hands-on individuals and will deeply appreciate not only holding your hand but will take your assistance in their projects and as an act of love.
Nicholas Rodriguez is a writer who covers astrology, spirituality, love, and relationship topics.