Personality has been explored since Plato’s time, but Carl Jung was the pioneer who gave us the foundation for the MBTI we know today. In his book Personality Types (check out an audiobook on YouTube), Jung introduced the idea of cognitive functions — the mental processes that shape how we think, decide, and interact. Jung is often typed as an INTP sometimes described in the personality community as “one of the smartest types,” with other famous examples including Albert Einstein, Elon Musk, and Jordan Peterson. But let’s avoid simple stereotypes here — personality is more complex than labels, and you’ll often find surprising types behind unexpected names. Why INTP fits Carl Jung: Introverted Thinking (Ti) Hero → He could break down ideas to find what’s true, analysing context with precision. Extraverted Intuition (Ne) Parent → He explored people’s intentions and abstract patterns, which led to concepts like the collective unconscious, and his work on dreams and symbols. Introverted Sensing (Si) → Gave him the ability to assess his own experience and recall patterns over time. Extraverted Feeling (Fe) Inferior → Although less developed, it gave him insight into how different personalities need/want different kinds of help — (a skill many TPs struggle with) One of Jung’s lasting ideas was repression — the notion that we often project our own unacknowledged desires onto others without realising it. His ability to connect abstract theories with human behaviour has shaped personality psychology for a century.