I'm not sure if I'm an INFJ.

[bambieyes]

I know, I know, another one. I don't know if this even belongs in this particular forum/subforum part, but it seemed to be the best place for it to fit and since there's such a large amount of INFJs here, I thought it would be a good forum to ask on. I'm sorry if this is breaking any rules or anything like that.

I'm basically going to post the story of my MBTI journey and see what impression all of you get from me. If you have any questions for me to help determine if I'm an INFJ (or any other type) or not, please please ask, I would be more than happy to answer!

Well, I've been into MBTI since I was 12-13ish, and I'm 15 now. My brother is the one who introduced me to MBTI. I asked him what type he thought I was, and he said "I don't know much about the types that aren't INTP or INTJ, but if I had to guess I'd say you were an ENFP." He's an INTJ, so the INTx types were the only ones he studied closely. He told me to look into the functions and not to take any Internet tests seriously, and I asked if I could take a test just for curiosity to have a starting point on where I should begin my studies. He said go ahead.

So I took the humanmetrics test, and I got ISFP. When I told my brother he literally laughed and said that was not me, but I read a profile (the one on personalitypage) and I thought it sounded pretty much like me. There were no earth shaking revelations of "this is what I am, finally someone understands me!" but I thought it was close enough, thinking that there were likely going to be huge gaps in this personality type test, like everything else with personality types.

But I now had my interest piqued, and I was trying to type other people that I knew. So I read all of the portraits on personalitypage, and the INFP one suddenly had me confused. Was I ISFP or INFP? I related to all the behaviors described by both profiles. I went back and forth on this for a long time.

I eventually discovered that there were MBTI forums, so I joined PersonalityCafe. (I have a different username there--I'm paranoid about leaving internet trails, so I'm not going to post anything on here about my account there or the other way around.) I posted on there with a questionnaire. I already had the thought in my mind that I was an ISFP, so I was trying to stick to that. I wanted to see if that was the answer I got. Someone did think I was an ISFP, but someone else thought I was an xNFJ. I kept trying to figure out if I was an ISFP or an INFP, and they kept saying "look into the functions!"

So I did. I looked into the functions and studied as much as I could. I read Lenore Thompson's descriptions and Naomi Quenk's and every function thread I could find on PerC. I posted several other questionnaires there, getting as much input as I could. I even tried to suffer through some Jung, but I ended up getting more confused than getting anything out of it by the archaic language. I looked into enneagram, trying to figure out how that would skew my personality type, and I believe my tritype, in order, is 4w3-6w7-9w1. I say that tentatively, but it would take a lot to sway me otherwise.

I'm now uncertain, and as I've mistyped myself before and it's generally annoying when people do that, I'm very hesitant to put the "INFJ" label on myself. It really is the type I think fits the best, but I'm afraid I'm only saying that because INFJs are typically seen as the "special unicorns of the MBTI" and I may be biased towards wanting to be that.

This is my view on the functions: I know I use Se. To me, Se is the most concrete of each of the functions. It was the easiest one for me to figure out I used. Maybe not necessarily because it's in my top two stack, but... well, you either get charged by external details in the environment around you and everything else that is Se, or you don't. Not too hard to figure out. By default, then, I have to use Ni--but where does it go in my stack?

The F/T ones are a little blurrier for me. I could present to you a very good argument on using Fe/Ti, but at the same time you could also find other reasons I may be behaving that way that could say Fi/Te. I want to say Fe/Ti, but I'm not sure if I just want to be an INFJ.

It's hard for me to tell where my Ni fits into the stack because it's such an unconscious process for me. It just does what it does and I don't even think about it, so I don't know how much I actually use it.

In my opinion, my two most likely types are INFJ and ISFP. If I was an extrovert, which I doubt because I'm very much convinced I'm an introvert, I would probably be an ENFJ or an ESFP.

And that's where I currently stand in my journey of self-discovery. If you could help me out that would be great! Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Barnabas]

A lot of the problems with trying to understand your type, is that personality theory tend to work by approximation, and when you look at just about any MBTI type you can you usually see a good bit of stuff that fits you. I prefer to take a persons first results as their type mostly because they don't have a bias for selection when they don't know anything about it.

Also a lot of the psychologist behind personality theory are crazy, take everything with a grain of salt.

 

[bambieyes]

A lot of the problems with trying to understand your type, is that personality theory tend to work by approximation, and when you look at just about any MBTI type you can you usually see a good bit of stuff that fits you. I prefer to take a persons first results as their type mostly because they don't have a bias for selection when they don't know anything about it.

Also a lot of the psychologist behind personality theory are crazy, take everything with a grain of salt.

The reason why I don't want to take ISFP as my type just because I got it first is that I got the result on a test that asked questions like "would you rather read a book or go to a party?", and then I became biased towards that type alone because I'd gotten it as a result. Then when I read the profile, all it really said was behaviors and generalizations that any other type could have. Not the best way to find your type, in my opinion. XD

I am taking it with a grain of salt, but I would like to know what my type is because I find people fascinating. It might be a better way to try to connect with people, sharing my type with them and looking at how their type behaves. (While it isn't your entire personality, the way you process things does affect the rest of you.) I think I feel like maybe then I'd actually be understood by someone, although I know that's probably just a dim hope that I shouldn't even consider.

 

[Barnabas]

The reason why I don't want to take ISFP as my type just because I got it first is that I got the result on a test that asked questions like "would you rather read a book or go to a party?", and then I became biased towards that type alone because I'd gotten it as a result. Then when I read the profile, all it really said was behaviors and generalizations that any other type could have. Not the best way to find your type, in my opinion. XD

I am taking it with a grain of salt, but I would like to know what my type is because I find people fascinating. It might be a better way to try to connect with people, sharing my type with them and looking at how their type behaves. (While it isn't your entire personality, the way you process things does affect the rest of you.) I think I feel like maybe then I'd actually be understood by someone, although I know that's probably just a dim hope that I shouldn't even consider.

If your really interested I'd advise you try and find an actual MBTI test, and not one of the hundreds of one thrown about the internet. I had to take one for a class in college it was infinitely better then anything I've seen on the internet. But if your looking to be understood, this forum is a good place to be regardless of your type, most people are more then willing to sit down and read your stories and empathize with them if not understand them.

 

[bambieyes]

If your really interested I'd advise you try and find an actual MBTI test, and not one of the hundreds of one thrown about the internet. I had to take one for a class in college it was infinitely better then anything I've seen on the internet. But if your looking to be understood, this forum is a good place to be regardless of your type, most people are more then willing to sit down and read your stories and empathize with them if not understand them.

Are the ones that you have to pay for the real ones, or is there a specific website where you can find one? I'd love to take the real one, but I don't have a job, so my mom would have to pay for it. So it currently depends on if I could convince her it was a worthy place for her money to go.

It's really great that the forum is like that--it's the impression I got when I made my thread in the introductions. There aren't too many like that. I may not post a lot at first, but I'll definitely stick around.

 

[Barnabas]

I'd go to your local college and see if they have certified MBTI instructor, they'll probably be the best bet for getting the test done for free or cheap. That being said, if you want to do it on your own it's going to cost money(The official online test cost fifty dollars).

 

[bambieyes]

I'd go to your local college and see if they have certified MBTI instructor, they'll probably be the best bet for getting the test done for free or cheap. That being said, if you want to do it on your own it's going to cost money(The official online test cost fifty dollars).

Alright, thank you very much for the tip

 

[Flavus Aquila]

The types describe clear preferences.

You might not have clear preferences.

 

[bambieyes]

The types describe clear preferences.

You might not have clear preferences.

Is there a possibility that my preferences just haven't developed yet, with my being 15? I read somewhere that one is in the first stage of their MBTI development until the age of 20.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

Is there a possibility that my preferences just haven't developed yet, with my being 15? I read somewhere that one is in the first stage of their MBTI development until the age of 20.

I have heard that lack of preference may occur because of either:
* Dysfunction, such as apathy/depression.
* Type development and broadening of confidence/comfort zone.

 

[bambieyes]

I have heard that lack of preference may occur because of either:
* Dysfunction, such as apathy/depression.
* Type development and broadening of confidence/comfort zone.

The last one basically fits the bill at this point in my life.

Though, I have to ask--what were some things that helped you realize you were an INFJ? (as that's what you have listed.)

 

[Flavus Aquila]

The last one basically fits the bill at this point in my life.

Though, I have to ask--what were some things that helped you realize you were an INFJ? (as that's what you have listed.)

[video=youtube;0wAlL99vDn4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0wAlL99vDn4[/video]
Borrowed from [MENTION=5861]Horatio[/MENTION] 's blog

 

[bambieyes]

[video=youtube;0wAlL99vDn4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0wAlL99vDn4[/video]
Borrowed from [MENTION=5861]Horatio[/MENTION] 's blog

I've already seen the DaveSuperPowers videos--he's pretty great (Though I am quite annoyed by the fact that he hasn't gotten his website up yet, haha.)

I do relate strongly to how he describes the INFJ, but I'm just worried that I'm biased or that I'm skewing my perceptions and picking and choosing what parts of myself I look at. I act differently with different people (they bring out different parts of me). It is a thought that crosses my mind that perhaps I'm picking a layer of myself to look at and base my MBTI off of, rather than myself as a whole. Everyone always goes on tirades about how people mistype as/pretend to be/want to be INFJs, so I don't want to be one of them.

I also continually dig for information. Even if it's all that's out there, it's not enough if I'm interested in the topic or trying to decide something that I might be. I always look for pieces of information that flip a switch and tell me 'true or false', and I haven't found that yet for my MBTI type.