Distinguishing INFJs from INFPs

flux

flux

Community Member
MBTI
INFPerplexed
All right, it's been said many times, many ways. I'm not at a loss for sources from which I can research this question, even though I'll mistype a person now and then. What I want to know is what this difference means in your own words.
 
INFJs live to study, survey, or carefully consider ideas and feelings.
The implication supersedes the reality.

Example of Ni Fe: "I will try to tolerate those who do not tolerate me so that they see I am worthy of tolerance."
Example of Ni: "Things are not as they could or should be."
Example of Fe: "How will my thinking affect others?"


INFPs live to distinguish, discriminate, or perceive the difference of ideas and feelings.
The reality supersedes the implication.

Example of Fi Ne: "I will only tolerate those who tolerate me because only those who can tolerate me are worthy of my tolerance."
Example of Ne: "Things are as they are."
Example of Fi: "How will the thinking of others affect me?"
 
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Satya said:
Example of Ne: "Things are as they are."
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Isn't that Se instead of Ne?

Ne points out patterns in the world around us in order to find meaning. To me, an example of Ne vs. Ni would look something like this:

Ne: "That cloud looks like a giant turtle." (The cloud, of course, is not a giant turtle.) Ne's are also somewhat likely to follow this up with something completely related or a "that reminds me". (giggle)
Ni: "Why do so many species of turtles live so long?" (Both types of commentary can lead the other person to believe that their train of thought is being ignored, even though a relation or expansion of the previous thought is being attempted.)

Ani diFranco says the personal is political. Perhaps this is a typically INFJ perspective, whereas INFPs would be more likely to believe the political is personal.
 
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_flux said:
Isn't that Se instead of Ne?
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I was referring to the abstract sense, as I thought would be apparent with the parallel to Ni.

"Things are not as they could or should be."

Whereas Se notices the things that are in the physical environment, Ne notices how things are in the mentaphysical environment.

Your own example of the cloud uses Se to notice something in the physical environment "the cloud" and uses Ne to relate it to the metaphysical environment or "a turtle".

Your Ni example seems more indicative of Si since it is based on a mental fact, "turtles live so long."
 
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This once again helps to illustrate to me why my boyfriend drives me batsh*t.

Oh, but the thing is, I alternate rapidly, and oftentimes equally, between these:

"I will try to tolerate those who do not tolerate me so that they see I am worthy of tolerance."
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"I will only tolerate those who tolerate me because only those who can tolerate me are worthy of my tolerance."
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The hellzat? Just the qualities of a begrudged and unhealthy INFJ?

Ni's got me, though. Ne can be fun with my guys (INXP yaaaay) and my ENFP aunt, but it still ends up driving me nuts sometimes. ;)
 
Okay, so I'm officially back on the INFx bandwagon. Naturally I'm a bit panicky and confused, but I have to tolerate not knowing my type long enough to realize that the re-discovery process -- or just having the ability to oscillate between the two -- can be exciting as well. :-)
 
Punch em in the nose, one goes Eeeek and the other goes Aaaahhh.
 
INFPs = EEeeeeek
INFJs = Aaaaahhh

Anyone who thinks I'm wrong can feel free to test it.:mpick:
 
Damn! I am so gonna test that! :ml:
 
INFJ vs INFP

So I'm trying to figure this out. I'm pretty sure I'm INFJ. The type fits me best. Best INFP kinda fits me too. I know J is not very high for me. So I think that may be why I feel unsure. I don't for instance need things to be clean but I do need to control things and do things when and how I feel they need down. So I'm guessing thats J at work. I also had issues with being told much of what I was not the best way to be. My mom was also a clean freak.

Anyway just wondering if anyone else has had this issue. And if there a is a way to tell the types apart. I don't feel INFP. I feel like even though I'm some what laid back I'm still too tightly wound.

So any insite is much appricaited.
 
Blind Bandit seems like such a wonderful description of Ni.

Unlawful perception! Intuition which refuses to conform!

I'm certain I'm reading more into a username than I should, but it brought such wonderful image to mind.
 
Satya said:
Blind Bandit seems like such a wonderful description of Ni.

Unlawful perception! Intuition which refuses to conform!

I'm certain I'm reading more into a username than I should, but it brought such wonderful image to mind.
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Thank you its actually a character reference. Its a character I can infinity really well. But yes the name also means something to me.
 
infj vs infp

Blind Bandit said:
So I'm trying to figure this out. I'm pretty sure I'm INFJ. The type fits me best. Best INFP kinda fits me too. I know J is not very high for me. So I think that may be why I feel unsure. I don't for instance need things to be clean but I do need to control things and do things when and how I feel they need down. So I'm guessing thats J at work. I also had issues with being told much of what I was not the best way to be. My mom was also a clean freak.

Anyway just wondering if anyone else has had this issue. And if there a is a way to tell the types apart. I don't feel INFP. I feel like even though I'm some what laid back I'm still too tightly wound.

So any insite is much appricaited.
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i struggle with this same issue, but one thing i've noticed is that infjs seem to be the most likely to doubt their type no matter how many times they come out infj on the tests. a personal observation that may not be accurate. i think it comes from our tendency to over-analyze...another personal observation; take it for what you will.

can someone tell me about the monkeys?
 
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anica said:
i've noticed that infjs seem to be the most likely to doubt their type no matter how many times they come out infj on the tests. a personal observation that may not be accurate. i think it comes from our tendency to over-analyze...another personal observation; take it for what you will.
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Listen, chances are if you're doubting your INFJness then you're probably a INFJ. Being overly analytical is part of the INFJ description.

I had the same problem until I went to the INFP forum. After looking around for a couple of months (and meeting several INFPs in person later) I decided I was a INFJ (although I always ALWAYS tested out as INFJ I still thought I was a INFP for some reason)
 
Lol, that is so wierd. Sense I took a couple of tests I have always doubted my type. I was kinda scared to write INFJ when first joining this site because I was afraid it would be wrong.
 
TK* said:
Listen, chances are if you're doubting your INFJness then you're probably a INFJ. Being overly analytical is part of the INFJ description.

I had the same problem until I went to the INFP forum. After looking around for a couple of months (and meeting several INFPs in person later) I decided I was a INFJ (although I always ALWAYS tested out as INFJ I still thought I was a INFP for some reason)
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I really would not so much like for anyone to type INFP's by that INFP forum. I am as INFP as you can be, and they banned me from that place. Well, unless it is a different INFP forum, but it was like Gestapoville over there to me, and that is so non-INFP! Eh' I suppose all types have our bad sides, but I think that INFP's at their better are about accepting and being open of mind, and pondering and daydreaming. INFJ's at their better, would seem a bit more able to control and moderate more justly.
 
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Blind Bandit said:
So I'm trying to figure this out. I'm pretty sure I'm INFJ. The type fits me best. Best INFP kinda fits me too. I know J is not very high for me. So I think that may be why I feel unsure. I don't for instance need things to be clean but I do need to control things and do things when and how I feel they need down. So I'm guessing thats J at work. I also had issues with being told much of what I was not the best way to be. My mom was also a clean freak.

Anyway just wondering if anyone else has had this issue. And if there a is a way to tell the types apart. I don't feel INFP. I feel like even though I'm some what laid back I'm still too tightly wound.

So any insite is much appricaited.
Click to expand...

I think I can help. I thought I was an ENFP for a while. It took a lot of looking into the way the MBTI works and what it actually means to realize I am in fact an INFJ.

Here is why a lot of people get confused...

The first letter indicates which of your two functions is your dominant function. The middle letters are the actual P and J respectively. The last letter indicates which of those two is your extraverted function. If your test results are close on both the J and P scale and/or the I and E scale, it can often come up backward because of the way it is designed. Confused yet? The end result is this...

(I linked to far more information that you need, but it is the most helpful I've found so far when trying to determine the difference between types.)

INFJ is Ni/Fe. (Introverted iNtuition dominant, Extraverted Feeling secondary) The P function is actually dominant.

INFP is Fi/Ne. (Introverted Feeling dominant, Extraverted Intuition secondary) The J function is actually dominant.

In my own experience...

INFPs have very strong feelings that motivate them to all of their actions and are prone to feeling very strongly whatever it is that they are feeling, whether happy, sad, bored, or blah. They also have an intuition that explodes one truth into all of its possibilities (note this does not lead to the impossibilities), but what insights they come to are secondary to their feelings and if they disagree, the INFP will favor their emotions.

INFJs have an intuition that implodes all possibilities into a single truth and they follow this almost implicitly, even if their own emotions are forced to be secondary. They also have strong convictions that make them very senstive but seem sturdy emotionally outwardly.

I hope this helps.
 
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