A few people are simply allergic to being wrong. They might go quiet or over-explain, maybe even do some mental gymnastics to explain why they’re actually right. Either way, here are twelve personality types that can’t handle being wrong. Do you recognize anyone with these traits?
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The INTJ (Myers-Briggs) who thinks in systems
The Myers-Briggs test has 16 personality types & uses adjectives to describe them, including INTJs (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking & Judging). They’re people who always have a five-step plan for everything. Someone who points out they missed a step is personally attacking them; at least, that’s how it is in their eyes. They can’t believe that things didn’t go according to plan. As such, they’ll rewrite everything to make sure it fits their view of the world.
The Enneagram Type 1
The Enneagram test has nine different personality types, and someone who’s Enneagram Type 1 is the kind of person who treats rules like sacred texts. Rather than trying to be right, they need to be good, and that means that when they mess up, they can’t just confess to it. They get tense. Their inner critic starts yelling, which means they’ll only correct themselves much, much later. Truly, that’s the only way for them to deal with things.
The self-identified “rational thinker”
A rational thinker swears they’re never emotional, just logical, and they’ll claim to only ever deal in facts. But when you point out that they’re wrong, they’ll start doing mental gymnastics to stay technically correct, which means they never confess to being wrong. They’ll start explaining why their mistake was still logical at the time or how the question was misleading.
The emotionally reactive ISFP
You could try to tell an ISFP (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling & Perceiving) that they made a mistake, but all they’ll do is nod & stay polite. Later, they’ll suddenly vanish, and you’ll realize they were way more affected than they let on. The issue for them is feelings, rather than facts, and that means that being wrong can feel a little like being rejected. As such, they’ll do anything to avoid that.
The high trait conscientious thinker
People with this personality type will triple-check everything, like calendars or emails, along with whether they locked the door. And that’s even after they just locked it. Once they make a mistake, they’re not able to say “oh well” & will instead ask themselves, “what went wrong in my perfect system?” They’ll beat themselves up long after everyone else has moved on.
The ISTP who always trusts their gut
ISTPs (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking & Perceiving) work on a system that relies on trusting their feelings first, asking questions later. That means that if they feel right, they are right, so being told otherwise is like a foreign language to them. They’ll deny that it’s true because it goes against their gut feeling. However, it’s not necessarily in a mean way & it’s more like them thinking that they’re still right, and then finding a way to make sure everyone else understands that.
The verbally dominant ENTJ
We all know someone who talks like they’re running a boardroom, even at brunch, and that kind of person is an ENTJ (Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking & Judging). They’ll steamroll through conversations & very rarely take a breath. Anytime they do get corrected, they keep talking anyway because they don’t register that wrong is even a possible option in the real world. It’s just not how they roll.
The avoidant attachment style
People with an avoidant attachment style aren’t going to argue with you, and in fact, they’ll probably just go quiet. But that’s not because they’re agreeing. It’s because emotional conflict is much too challenging for them, as admitting they’re wrong means opening up in a way that they’re not prepared for.
The rigid thinker with OCPD traits
If there’s a “right” way to do something, a rigid thinker with obsessive compulsive traits will find it & then act like it’s the law. However, you shouldn’t mistake that for bossiness. Really, it’s simply because their brain tells them that rules equal peace, so anything that goes against that is way too challenging for them to deal with. Don’t be surprised if they throw the rule book at you when you challenge them.
The social chameleon ESFJ
ESFJs (Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, & Judging) are able to read the room very easily, and they hate any sense of awkwardness. They want everyone to feel good, including themselves, meaning that when they’re wrong, they’ll smile & change the topic quickly. Why? Because they don’t want to lose face, especially if people are watching, and they’d prefer to smooth things over, then move on.
The skeptical INTP who lives in thought experiments
Correcting an INTP (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking & Perceiving) isn’t simple, and that’s if you can even get a word in edgeways. They won’t exactly argue, but rather, they’ll simply raise an eyebrow & then start rewriting the universe because it’s how they make their original idea kind of true again. Sure, you might win the point, yet they’ll still keep the theory. Did you really win at all?
The approval-seeking Enneagram Type 3
Enneagram Type 3s are achievers & the kind of people who will turn even the simplest hobbies into LinkedIn content. As a result, being wrong bruises their ego & also dents their brand. Calling out their mistakes will lead to them telling you, “Well, I thought that was the case, but what I meant was…”
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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