ISTPs have some great personality traits, but a lot of people associate them with jealousy issues and anger issues, or call them cold – so how much of that association is true, and how much is inaccurate? Let’s figure out a bit more about ISTPs!
Are ISTPs Possessive?
This is a tricky one to determine, because there are very mixed perspectives on it and no personality type is absolutely black and white. Some people believe that ISTPs are possessive, but there isn’t much evidence of this; indeed, an ISTP may be pretty easygoing, and won’t generally expect you to sacrifice aspects of your life for their sake.
On the whole, an ISTP will recognize that you have a life that exists outside of them, and will be fine with this. They don’t generally mind if you partake in other activities, have other friends, and spend time on things that aren’t related to them in any way.
ISTPs don’t tend to be threatened by the presence of others, and won’t generally try to encroach on the alone time of their significant other, or invade their privacy. They are also quite private, so can respect this need in others. Indeed, too much togetherness could be a problem for an ISTP.
Of course, anybody can become jealous and possessive when a relationship goes wrong and becomes toxic, but this isn’t usually something that you need to be too concerned about with an ISTP, and these traits aren’t associated with this personality type.
Interestingly, it’s important to note that an ISTP will also not thrive if somebody else becomes possessive of them or starts to exhibit jealousy. They value their independence and don’t want to spend all their time with one person, even if they love them.
It’s also worth noting that an ISTP can be possessive over their actual belongings, and that you should avoid encroaching on their space or possessions without a good reason to. However, this possessiveness doesn’t usually apply to people as well as items.
Do ISTPs Get Mad Easily?
Again, answers on this vary, but ISTPs are generally level-headed most of the time. They are quite logical and tend to be unruffled by strong emotions going on around them, so they don’t get mad easily.
However, they certainly can get frustrated, especially if somebody is trying to drag them into messy drama or displaying explosive emotions. They dislike outbursts and exaggerated feelings, and don’t cope well if they’re forced to deal with these things. They also really dislike it if somebody tries to make them share their own emotions.
In spite of that, most ISTPs have quite a long fuse, and you won’t see them getting angry at the drop of a hat. Instead, they tend to let things simmer away and frustrate them without saying anything for quite a long time, and then they can be explosively angry because they have let issues build up so much.
This is frustrating for many people who try to maintain a friendship or a relationship with them, because of their reluctance to talk about problems until they are very angry about them. It makes it more difficult to communicate, but it does also mean that you won’t always be addressing minor issues, because the ISTP simply won’t mention them.
If you are an ISTP, it’s worth being aware of this potential character flaw so you can work around it and not allow it to become a big issue. You may find that you can take steps to talk about problems more quickly and express your emotions in more controlled ways, or that you can take steps to mitigate your anger when it does get out of control.
Are ISTPs Dangerous?
No, ISTPs are not dangerous inherently, and although they can get angry, there’s no reason to think that they will attack you or harm you as long as they are a stable, rational person.
However, it is worth noting a few things that make ISTPs slightly more likely to act impulsively than others. For example, they tend to be more focused on the short term than the long term, which can result in them giving in to their emotions and not reining them in for the sake of the relationship.
Furthermore, ISTPs are often associated with risk-taking behavior, which may mean that they don’t stop to think before getting angry with somebody that they love. They are sometimes described as cold, and can be overly focused on logic and facts, getting frustrated by emotions.
They also tend to have a strong perspective on how the world works, and may struggle to take on board the perspectives of others. They may not be able to listen to your viewpoint in an argument or recognize when they are approaching something poorly.
However, although this personality type is associated with risk-taking and impulsive behavior, you don’t generally need to fear for your safety around an ISTP any more than you do around other personality types.
For this reason, it’s worth recognizing that an ISTP isn’t really associated with an increased risk of harm compared with other personality types, but that they may sometimes be explosive as a result of their bottled up emotions. Understanding this in advance can make it easier to interact with them in positive ways.
It is important to be aware that if you are somebody who is sensitive to conflict and you find it difficult to deal with sudden, unexpected anger, you may not gel particularly well with an ISTP. You might find that their sometimes unpredictable explosions of anger leave you stressed and wary, or that you feel like you’re walking on eggshells.
Conclusion
ISTP personality types may sometimes be associated with jealousy and anger issues, but in most cases, this is a misinterpretation. These individuals are often heavily logic-based and interested in facts, rather than giving in to strong emotions. They tend to be respectful of their partners’ space and aren’t usually possessive, or dangerous to those around them.
Reference Sources
https://www.truity.com/blog/how-you-behave-when-youre-angry-personality-type https://personalitygrowth.com/the-ways-in-which-each-personality-type-handles-jealousy/ https://www.reddit.com/r/istp/comments/ajyzxf/are_istps_jealous_people/ https://www.quora.com/What-are-ISTPS-like-when-angry-emotionally-triggered https://personality-studies.tumblr.com/post/141707099625/istp-before-during-relationship https://www.reddit.com/r/istp/comments/95t3g0/are_istps_possessive/
https://herway.net/10-things-to-know-about-a-relationship-with-an-istp-personality-type/ https://www.typologycentral.com/threads/how-do-you-get-an-istp-to-fall-for-you.15445/page-3 https://personalityroom.com/are-istps-emotional-and-sensitive/
