The “Inspector/Certifying” personality type, or ISTJ personality type, describes a person who is an Introvert (I), who perceives the world through Sensing (S), who relies on Thinking (T) to problem solve and to make decisions, and who views the world from the viewpoint of Judgement (J).
If you are an introvert, it means that you are more comfortable focusing on your own inner thoughts and ideas than you are with interacting with a room full of people, especially if you do not know those people very well. You like to use your five senses to identify what the facts of a given situation are, and like to use logic and consistency to help you solve the problems that you face. You view the outside world from the viewpoint of your own structure of personal beliefs, ideals, and values.
The parenting style of a person with an ISTJ type personality emphasizes order, structure, and responsibility. You have very specific rules, and there are clearly defined consequences when your child breaks or disregards each rule. You have an order to your day, even on the weekends, and prefer to stick to it. Meals will be served at the same time each day, and children will be assigned a bedtime that remains at the same time each and every night. There is a predictable routine that your children can count on. You provide your children with an excellent example of what it means to be reliable, organized, productive, and dependable with your own actions.
When your children have problems, you offer them advice that is very practical. You are a parent who notices all the little details of day to day life, and this allows you to share these observations with your children, and bring it to their attention. This can take the form of pointing out the ladybug that is sitting on the dandelion on the lawn to you child who is rolling in the grass. It can also take the form of immediately noticing when something is troubling your child, or when your child is being less than honest with you.
A child who grows up with an ISTJ parent is going to feel very secure. Children need structure. They need to know not only that lunch will be served at noon, but that there will, in fact, be a lunch for them to eat today. Children need routines to help them understand the structure of the day, as well as to take some comfort in being able to predict what will happen next. Children need rules that stay the same, with the same consequences, in order to develop a secure sense of what is right, and what is wrong. ISTJ parents are reliable, and, as a result, their children feel like they are being well provided for and taken care of.
If your child has an ISTJ personality, then he or she is going to be very focused on order and structure, and will feel good when doing whatever it is that he or she is supposed to be doing in a given situation. As an adult, the ISTJ child might join the military, and make a career out of it. The military is an excellent place to go to find structure, order, and a clearly presented idea of the what the right way to do something is. Or, the ISTJ child might choose a career as a lawyer, or accountant. These careers rely on structure and order as well, and require an adherence to a set schedule, something that the ISTJ personality takes comfort in.