How proactive are INFJs?

[Satya]

Being proactive means being anticipatory and taking charge of a situation, or in other words, taking personal initiative. A proactive person does not need to be told to act nor do they need detailed instructions.

Therefore, proactiveness consists of three abilities. First is the ability to anticipate or realize beforehand how a situation is likely to turn out. Next is the ability to judge what possible action would yield the best result. And finally is the ability to self initiate which means taking action without being told or adivsed to do so by anyone else.

In theory, when it comes to people, INFJs should be highly proactive. However, I find I'm a somewhat reactionary kind of guy since I tend to reciprocate the same kind of behavior that people use toward me, whether it is good or bad. Hence my bouts of "INFJ rage". This is despite knowing beforehand that it is going to probably turn out bad.

Another problem INFJs might have with being proactive is if our Fe causes us to desire complying with rules or expectations. If that is the case, unless the rules or expectations can be percieved as flexible, an INFJ would probably not be motivated to go out of their way to do more than they are required to do.

Finally, if a person cannot anticipate what others might want or a situation warrants, then they simply can't be proactive. INFJs should have an advantage in this regard since they have their Ni and Fe combo and can foretell what a person may need.

I usually fail at being proactive, but I usually feel best when I am being proactive.

So would you say you are proactive?

 

[VH]

I usually fail at being proactive, but I usually feel best when I am being proactive.

I think this describes me perfectly, though my friends seem to think I'm more proactive than not, as well as too critical of myself about it.

 

[Faye]

I'm very proactive. I'm not entirely proactive, but I am in some ways. It is complex, I guess.

 

[Wyote]

I'm golden except when it comes to self initiation. Mostly I think due to feeling as though taking a proactive approach in most cases is not worth whatever outcome would be created. I'm pretty jaded in that respect.

I do try though, and I would say I am also happier in a proactive mode.

 

[musicalpyramid]

When I strongly believe in what i am doing I am highly proactive - but this requires the opportunity for success, the ability to succeed and the likelyhood of success. When these factors are absent I'm not proactive at all.

I'm never proactive for the sake of it. But like you say, Satya, I am at my best when proactive. A number of my friends have commented that when I am proactive i am almost unstoppable - and unlimited well of resourcefullness and commitment and energy, Total Proactivity. But they also commented that it doesn't happen very often, rarely in fact, and they are right on both counts.

 

[Naxx]

I would say I am when I need to be. There is such a thing as being abrasive.

Not everything is out of control and not everything is in control.

It's almost like a dance between free will and abiding to fate. Or rather it is indeed a mix of the two perhaps alot more depending on who you are.

But if someone is dis-satified then that usually means there is probably something they could do to change it atleast a little bit at a time. A little bit at a time adds up to alot over time.

However laziness would be anyones undoing as dreams don't care for people that does not care for it; much like the future.

 

[Satya]

Mostly I think due to feeling as though taking a proactive approach in most cases is not worth whatever outcome would be created. I'm pretty jaded in that respect.

When I strongly believe in what i am doing I am highly proactive - but this requires the opportunity for success, the ability to succeed and the likelyhood of success. When these factors are absent I'm not proactive at all.

This is very consistent with how I feel. I need to believe that I can succeed in order to be motivated into being proactive. Not so much that I need any sort of promise of reward, but I need to know that the goal or objective can be attained or at least that it is worth trying to do for its own sake.

However, more and more, I am beginning to realize the healthy state of INFJs seems to be in the "doing" or in other words, being proactive.

 

[musicalpyramid]

Satya,

I agree that we are at our best went we are 'doing'', but perhaps the problem is convincing ourselves that it is worthwhile?

Then again, would we be in fact less effective if we somehow convinced ourselves that more things were worth doing? Is it quality of action versus quantity of action?

 

[Satya]

I agree that we are at our best went we are 'doing'', but perhaps the problem is convincing ourselves that it is worthwhile.

Perhaps being proactive is worthwhile for INFJs, not because of the objective or goal, but because being proactive is what is healthiest for an INFJ to do. After all, INFJs seem naturally geared to anticipate and consider action.

Then again, would we be in fact less effective if we somehow convinced ourselves that more things were worth doing? Is it quality of action versus quantity of action?

What I'm questioning is whether INFJs should be taking action for the sake of taking action. Yes, that would mean more action (quantity) but that doesn't nessecarily mean less quality action.

 

[musicalpyramid]

Interesting ideas, Satya. I was thinking would it not require the infj individual to adopt a significantly different, even alien thought process to accomodate the taking of actions outwith the standard ''i have a reason'' mode?

So, if as you say infjs are naturally geared to anticipate and consider action, would that not mean that they are best suited to making careful judgements about whether or not to act and that therefor the quality of their decision making might me impaired if they adopted a more action oriented approach? Other types might be more naturally giften when it comes to 'shooting from the hip' and we might mean well but make a mess of it - I know from my experience that I have tried to be more proactive and spontaneous but am reluctant now because it has tended to co-incide with bad decisionmaking on my part, due to insufficient thought.

Perhaps that's just my own bad experience and not a universal truth, of course! My instinctive reaction to 'action for the sake of action' is comparable to my reaction to 'conversation for the sake of conversation'...ie not good, but i am actually much better now at small talk than i used to be so perhaps the same can be done for proactivity and it requires practice.

 

[Milon]

So how does one move from being lazy and reactionary to being proactive? I've known for years that this would be the single biggest improvement I can make in my life.

 

[Satya]

So how does one move from being lazy and reactionary to being proactive? I've known for years that this would be the single biggest improvement I can make in my life.

I think Silently Honest gave a good answer to that question...

Stop thinking and start doing, in the physical world, for some reason you can't use Se and Ne at the same time I've found, but at least with Se you can accept clearly defined laws, while running on Ne you make up wide encompassing theories (the what if's).

I can't think of any other cure for laziness.

 

[Satya]

Interesting ideas, Satya. I was thinking would it not require the infj individual to adopt a significantly different, even alien thought process to accomodate the taking of actions outwith the standard ''i have a reason'' mode?

So, if as you say infjs are naturally geared to anticipate and consider action, would that not mean that they are best suited to making careful judgements about whether or not to act and that therefor the quality of their decision making might me impaired if they adopted a more action oriented approach? Other types might be more naturally giften when it comes to 'shooting from the hip' and we might mean well but make a mess of it - I know from my experience that I have tried to be more proactive and spontaneous but am reluctant now because it has tended to co-incide with bad decisionmaking on my part, due to insufficient thought.

Perhaps that's just my own bad experience and not a universal truth, of course! My instinctive reaction to 'action for the sake of action' is comparable to my reaction to 'conversation for the sake of conversation'...ie not good, but i am actually much better now at small talk than i used to be so perhaps the same can be done for proactivity and it requires practice.

I'm not sure. All I know is that I don't feel so great when I'm not proactive and I feel best when I am. So I speculate that if I am proactive as much as I can be, then perhaps I will feel far better than I would if I was seldom proactive. No human can be proactive all the time.

 

[VH]

I agree with the sentiments of an attainable goal. However, in my case, I also have to be motivated by a 'worthy' goal, not just a goal I can attain.

When something appears before me as both worthy and attainable, I have difficulty forcing myself to slow down and consider how and even if I shouldn't be proactive.

I think there are two factors for this in my own experience.

First, I know I am fully capable of accomplishing nearly anything I set myself to, because I always have a very good grasp of how - and therefore how long it will take. This removes a lot of urgency from me when I have plenty of 'cushion' time. If I begin to feel that my 'cushion' is getting short or even unclear, I begin to rebuild my cushion with proactive behaviors.

Second, it is extremely difficult to get me to stop doing something once I start it. Everything else has to take a lesser priority and wait until I finish what I am working on. Some of my friends call this obsessive, but I know it is simply tenacity. Because I know that I have this trait, I factor it into my sense of how, and often delay beginning something that I know I will not be able to complete in the time I have available. For example, if a project will take 8 hours, but I only have 4 optional hours a day most days, I will often wait until I have a day with 8 optional hours to begin.

It all boils down to how I am willing to restructure my priorities. I give precedence to the most urgent, followed by the most worthy, and attainable. If these require proactive behaviors to meet deadlines, then I will be proactive. If they do not, I seldom am.

 

[just me]

I feel I am more apt to be proactive when two situations are at hand.
The first, an immediate need for something to be done as opposed to nothing being done. The second and most important to me, knowing my actions will make things better quicker. "Quicker" is with an explanation. A woman with a small dog enters the room and there is a large dog in the room and it is the large dog's home. The large dog goes for the small dog and the woman stands there and screams. There may be five other people in the room, but I grab the large dog halfway across the floor and ask the woman to exit quickly with the small dog. I question if that is not just a basic reaction, though.

 

[54192&#cmy]

I am very proactive when I care about something. Even though I try not to make waves on purpose if it's something I care about I will take the lead. Most of the time I may work behind the scenes to help although I will step in when problems arise...