A lot of people assume that ISTPs are introverted. Although, we suppose this does make sense. It has the I right there in the name. Although, this isn’t necessarily always the case. Sure, ISTPs are going to be far more introverted than actual extroverts, but this doesn’t mean they are all the time. So, is there really such a thing as an extroverted ISTP?
Absolutely! While an ISTP is never going to be the life of a party (they prefer to keep themselves to themselves), they can be quite talkative. If you chat with an ISTP about something that they really like and which they have a lot of information on, you would swear that the ISTP is an extrovert in disguise.
Let’s tell you a little bit about this. We’ll tell you what triggers the chattiness in an ISTP.
Do ISTPs Like Small Talk?
No. They hate it.
When an ISTP talks, they want their discussions to be meaningful. For this reason, they are not huge fans of small talk. Anything that doesn’t get straight to the point is completely pointless to them.
If you try to small talk with an ISTP, they’re just going to shut down. You might get a couple of nods, or maybe some sounds from them, but an ISTP will never actively engage in small talk.
Can ISTPs Be Chatty and Talkative?
Sort of, yes. Although, an ISTP is only going to be chatty and talkative in the right situation. Let’s explain.
They Should Know The Person
While an ISTP has the ability to be chatty around a stranger, it is incredibly rare. ISTPs are insanely picky about who they talk to.
As we said with the small talk, ISTPs don’t really want to talk about ‘nothing’. Everything that they chat about must have a point. Because of this, ISTPs can come across as quite ‘judgy’ (yes, we know that is not part of the personality description). It is almost as if an ISTP is judging you as to whether you are worthy to chat with. It can come across as quite rude.
For this reason, ISTPs will (mostly) only talk to people that they already know. They have already judged those people as worthy to talk to. They know whatever that person says will have value, and an ISTP knows that they’ll enjoy the conversation.
It Will Likely Be in a Private Setting
An ISTP is not going to stand up and be chatty in a group setting. They will absolutely hate it. If you are going to try and make an ISTP be on the chattier side of things, then it is far, far more likely to happen in a one-on-one situation. At the most, they can probably handle a small group, but as soon as an ISTP has too many eyes on them, they are going to start to shut down. This limit will differ from person to person.
The Subject Must Be Something They Know a Lot About
This is the ‘key’. As we said, an ISTP is not going to like small talk. An ISTP will only talk about things that they find incredibly interesting. In fact, an ISTP is only going to talk a lot when they have a lot of wisdom to impart.
If you talk to an ISTP about their interests (and you have a keen interest in the same thing), then you’ll struggle to shut the ISTP up. They’ll talk about their hobbies and interests in an insane amount of detail. They are very, very passionate people.
One of the fantastic things about ISTPs is that they are great at steering the conversation when you are chatting about their interests. ISTPs are highly analytical thinkers, and they will have a firm grasp of where they believe their talking partner wants the conversation to go.
The Conversation Will Be In Depth
Don’t expect the conversation with an ISTP to be over in a matter of minutes. If you have managed to catch the attention of an ISTP, then you are going to be talking to them for a decent amount of time. It is not uncommon for an ISTP to talk for hours and hours about their favorite subjects.
As long as the conversation doesn’t get too boring, you’ll rarely keep an ISTP quiet. Although, they may keep an eye out for your emotions too. If they think the person that they are talking to is ‘checking out’, then that conversation will not have any value to the ISTP so they will stop discussing everything.
It Won’t Happen All The Time
Despite all of this, whether an ISTP will chat is completely unpredictable. You could have a riveting conversation about a subject with them one day, and the next day they won’t want to talk about it again. They’ll just shut down.
The only time you can really predict that an ISTP is up for a riveting discussion is when they are in love with you. An ISTP is always going to chat with the ones that they love the most. They still won’t talk as much as a true extrovert, but it’ll be good enough once they get going.
So, while an ISTP absolutely can be extroverted at times, they are never going to be true extroverts. They decide when they want to be extroverted, and most of the time they don’t want to be that. ISTPs are much more content not talking and, instead, just thinking to themselves. This is when they are going to be the happiest.
Final Thoughts At their heart, an ISTP is introverted. That will rarely change. However, you can get extroverted ISTPs. In fact, every single ISTP has the ability to be extroverted. Once you give the ISTP a topic of discussion that they really love (preferably one about their interests and hobbies), and you make it clear that you want to learn from them, you’ll probably have one of the best discussions of your life
Reference Sources
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-ISTPs-considered-very-talkative-but-at-the-same-time-mysterious https://personalitygrowth.com/heres-how-chatty-you-can-be-based-on-your-personality-type/
