Crash Course in MBTI and the INFP (A Brief Guide)

Use this knowledge to help guide yourself in the right direction. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway. Please comment below and offer feedback/suggestions. I want to make this as comprehensive yet easy to understand as possible. It is not perfect—it is but a labor of love. If you see any errors, or disagree with something, please comment!

Acknowledgements

I don’t wish to take credit for most of the information in this guide. I’ve learned so much from Dave Powers, Dario Nardi, Susan Cain, my MBTI-expert career counselor, and other friendly MBTI geeks, that it would be silly for me to proclaim the following as original content.

Table of Contents

1. The MBTI Disclaimer
2. Common Misconceptions/FAQ
3. Extroversion vs. Introversion
4. Brief Introduction to the Functions of an INFP
   • a. Dominant: Introverted Feeling (Fi)
   • b. Auxiliary: Extroverted iNtuition (Ne)
   • c. Tertiary: Introverted Sensing (Si)
   • d. Inferior: Extroverted Thinking (Te)
5. Shadow Functions
6. INFP in Summation
7. Other Resources/Further Reads

i. The MBTI Disclaimer

Here's a nice starting platform.

MBTI is based off of a series of ‘cognitive functions’ which Carl Jung coined when he observed and categorized typical (general) human behavior. MBTI is merely but a manifestation of these functions. Counter-intuitively, MBTI does not actually indicate personality; it simply defines the basic, general parameters under which you operate—your disposition or temperament. It gives you clues as to the way in which you process reality. Your thought process—mental chain of command. In fact, true personality psychology is so much richer than MBTI that many psychologists and sociologists regard the system as utterly useless—astrological. I’ve had a few people tell me to stop ‘wasting my time’ with Myers-Briggs, as it ‘ultimately damaging to my understanding of the complexity of human personality’.

But I’m not one of those people; I think there is some merit to MBTI. My personal experience has proven that to be so. There is a lot of parallel between people. Many INFPs are indeed idealistic, living in their own dreamlike, creative world. Many INTJs are indeed more logic-oriented and highly introverted. But the reason type ‘descriptions’ of this sort work is because their framework is in the cognitive functions. It just so happens, for example, that Introverted Feeling (Fi—the dominant function in IxFPs) tends to evoke personality traits such as rich idealism, just as Extroverted Thinking (Te—the inferior function in IxFPs) tends to manifest itself as ‘bouncy’ thought patterns. But tendency does not equal absolution!

I strongly recommend against solely reading horoscope-like type descriptions to type yourself because of how incredibly general they are. Given, MBTI is general in the first place—human personality is much too complex to categorize people perfectly— but type descriptions are more often than not generalizations of these generalizations. Anyone can see themselves as potentially more than one personality type based only off of type descriptions. But similarly to MBTI itself, I’m not trying to be absolute here. An ESTJ will most likely find the typical INFP type description as not even remotely representative of himself, and vice versa. Sometimes type descriptions are actually very true.

My advice to those of you interested in MBTI is to take everything with many grains of salt. Be smart, and analytical. Myers-Briggs does not attempt to be absolute, so nor should you. MBTI merely attempts to put a general label on your behavior—suggesting where you might fall on a diverse spectrum of people. Realize that type descriptions never describe you perfectly, though you may think otherwise. Give yourself more credit. You are a unique individual and nobody else is like you. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to become what your type description says you are.

However, do use the information embedded in the MBTI framework—the cognitive functions—as a guide to better understanding yourself. Do use type descriptions to put words to self-identified behaviors, assuming you find any. Do seek others of the same type and learn from them. Do seek others of all types to better understand generally how others operate and communicate. Do realize that correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Do Use MBTI as a tool, not a define-all.

Anyway, as an active reader, take everything I’m about to say—and everything I’ve already said—with a grain of salt.

ii. Common Misconceptions / FAQ

Q: I keep getting different results every time I take the test. Why is this?

A: Firstly, a 100 question test is not likely to be all that accurate in one go. I myself have scored as either ENTP, ENFP, or INFP depending on which tests I’ve taken and at what times in my life. Secondly, most of the online tests are completely bogus and awful. Just look at some of the questions—does being prone to be late or always on time seem like a valid indicator of type preference? No, certainly not. My advice is to take the actual MBTI exam. Seek out the nearest career counseling center and take the real test. Thirdly, and most importantly, mood and other environmental factors play a big role in your type result. In a depressed or altered mood, the inferior function (see the function analysis below for more information) tends to surface more. An INFP might score as an INTP if he takes the MBTI test in a really shitty mood.

Q: I feel as if I’m two different personality types—a hybrid. I feel that I’m both INFP and INFJ. Is this possible?

A: No. If you look at the functions which define the INFP and the INFJ, you see very little similarity. The INFP and INFJ process things more or less in reverse. The INFP has Introverted Feeling, while the INFJ has Extroverted Feeling. Huge differences there. Look at the functions that drain you, or use up more energy. As an INFP, strong Extrovert Feelers like the ESFJ or ENFJ tend to drain me very quickly with their powerful Fe. I can only handle so much of their outward emotionality before getting really exhausted. In this respect, I cannot be both INFJ and INFP, because Fe is one of my ‘shadow’ functions, a function that does not come naturally to me, and one that drains me. Do some research on shadow functions, and you’ll come to better understand what I’m talking about.

Q: I’m either INTP or INFP. I feel that both describe me well. Which one is really me?

A: I think you’ve been spending too much time reading the horoscope type-descriptions. The MBTI framework does not allow for either/or. You are one type, and one type only. Just as you cannot be in-between, or a hybrid, you cannot be either/or. The differences between the INFP and INTP are huge. Look at the functions! An INFP has dominant Fi, while the INTP has inferior Fe. And guess what? You can’t have both Fi and Fe. You are only one personality type. Read about and master the Jungian functions, and you will come to understand what your natural preferences are—the functions you use, and in what order.

Q: I’ve scored as INFP, but I don’t perceive myself as overly-emotional, or idealistic, and I find that no INFP type descriptions sum me up very well. Why is that?

A: Here’s what I’ve tried to cover in the disclaimer. MBTI is horribly general. You can be INFP and be a mathematician. You can be INFP and be an Olympic athlete. You can be INFP and be very outgoing and expressive. You can be whatever the hell you want to be. And you can certainly be entirely different from what your type description says. Humans are complex creatures. There is no perfect framework. Don’t be discouraged if none of the traditional type descriptions match you word for word. I assure you that you fit somewhere in MBTI, however remotely.

Q: I’m either extroverted or introverted. I can’t figure out which. Help!

A: Everyone is both introverted and extroverted. Everyone holds two functions that engage the internal world, and two functions that engage the external world. The difference between an ENFP and INFP is that the ENFP primarily processes reality with Ne, while the INFP primarily with Fi. More on extroversion/introversion below. Keep reading!

Q: You claim that type description pages are generally bad to focus on. But what about the functions? Aren’t descriptions of the functions just as general?

A: Well, yes. It takes an intuitive leap to be able to see the functions in both yourself and others. Once you develop a very basic understanding of what Te looks like, for example, you can start to actually see it in real life. You start to develop your own categorizations. It’s sometimes hard to describe the functions in theory because more often than not they’re more complex than basic terminology offers. But just like you didn’t know what a squirrel looked like until you actually saw one, you don’t really know what Te looks like until you actually can see and identify it. After you’ve reached that point, it becomes second-nature. Function descriptions don’t really do the functions much justice. The same goes for types. Once you identify one or two of them, you really start to see them all over the place.

Q: I think MBTI is bogus. Can you convince me otherwise?

A: In my experience, MBTI is a very useful tool to understanding the self and others. I’ve gotten to the point of being able to speed-read people and be able to quickly identify them as one of three or so personality types. This has helped me to better communicate and better ‘energize’ them—increasing the likelihood of a mutual attraction. I have a good idea of what an INTJ traditionally looks like, for example. I know how to basically communicate with them, to get on their ‘wavelength’ with ease. Trust me, this effect is real.

Q: You seem pretty arrogant. I think you’re stupid, and all your interpretations and applications of MBTI couldn’t be further from the truth. You should stop embarrassing yourself and go take up a new hobby, like fishing.

A: Hey, I’m still learning about all this stuff, too! This guide is merely a regurgitation of all that I’ve come to understand about MBTI and typology—all that I have intuitively gathered in my studies. Sorry, I’m just trying to help! :)

iii. Extroversion vs. Introversion

Too often I see people comparing extroversion to outgoingness and introversion to shyness. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You can be a shy extrovert, or an outgoing introvert. There is so much overlap here. There are indeed shy introverts, just as there are outgoing extroverts, but the degree of social comfort is no indicator of extroversion or introversion.

Extroversion and introversion can best be thought of in terms of what energizes you. As we will see later, you are both introverted and extroverted, but due to the fact that you are most defined by your dominant function, you have a natural preference for either introversion or extroversion. As an INFP, think of what charges you. For me, thinking about the future—dreaming of what’s to come, perceiving a bright, colorful future—really empowers me. I could sit around all day (and have) just thinking about such things. I naturally gravitate toward internal concerns, and as such, I’m an introvert. An Ixxx.

I’ve noticed that when I’m forced to be the feature of attention, or when I’m in a situation where I have to express a lot of feeling vocally (in counseling situations and such), I get incredibly drained. I leave feeling exhausted. These sorts of situations don’t charge me up. I couldn’t sit around all day and talk about my feelings like an ESFJ might. That’s because such extroversion drains me. I’m more sensitive to the extroverted world; I don’t need as much of it as Exxx’s to feel at home—to feel whole. The inverse goes for Exxx’s. When forced to be alone and in their own head for long periods of time, they become excessively drained. They need that external action—they feed off it.

However, as we will see next, everyone has a combination of extroverted and introverted features. Nobody is a diehard introvert or extrovert. Everyone has a mix—a balance—of both.