INFJ's and German Ethnicity/heritage

What is your ancestral heritage?

  • German/Austrian/Swiss

    Votes: 11 37.9%

  • Other European

    Votes: 16 55.2%

  • Africa

    Votes: 5 17.2%

  • Middle East

    Votes: 1 3.4%

  • Asian

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • South American

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Pacific Islander (Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, etc...)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    29
Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams

Community Member
MBTI
IxFJ
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2w1
I am curious about how many INFJs out their are of German/Austrian/Swiss heritage?

Here is why I am curious: I am a poster child for the INFJ (as I am sure the rest of you are) and on my father's side the ancestry is German (my family ancestry comes from the Rhineland Pfalz and Baden-Werttumberg; SW Germany area).

When I lived in Germany from 1998 - 2002, the German people are very much to themselves until you get to know them but, once you know them, they are funny and warm but they are somewhat of an enigma with complex personalities much like INFJs.

Does any know if Germany has more INFJs than other countries?

As a culture, does it seem more INFJish than other cultures? For example, I was in Italy and they are more like an ESFJ culture (as a whole), it seems like.

There may be no connection to this whatsoever but I am curious and I thought this would be a good forum to ask the question.

Please let me know your thoughts or any research that you know of to bring some light on this subject.

Thank you in advance for your help on this.
 
[MENTION=5927]Patrick Williams[/MENTION]
Interesting question, I always get Germans as ISTJs:) Though I don't think this kind of stuff is correlated much. Maybe in a way that in some cultures some typology issues are more welcome and seen as positive so people adjust. Example, I always get USA as veeery E country, at least from what I see at TV:) Japan is more I oriented.
I am from Europe, middle, and somehow my country more respect ESXJ combination I think...even ESXP
 
I think I've read that Germany is mostly a istp nation culturally.
 
Jana said:
[MENTION=5927]Patrick Williams[/MENTION]
Interesting question, I always get Germans as ISTJs:) Though I don't think this kind of stuff is correlated much. Maybe in a way that in some cultures some typology issues are more welcome and seen as positive so people adjust. Example, I always get USA as veeery E country, at least from what I see at TV:) Japan is more I oriented.
I am from Europe, middle, and somehow my country more respect ESXJ combination I think...even ESXP
Click to expand...

Thank you for your thoughts on this. That is a good point about society rewarding certain type behaviors more and, thus, encouraging their development and expression; really good point, thanks!
 
I'm as German as one can get being born in the US. My Mom's side of the family was ashamed of being German so the culture was squashed on her side of the family (we were not allowed to speak German around them) Dad's side of the family is cool.

Not sure of my INFJ status though.
 
I am INFJ and have a very mixed heritage, with some German in it.

Also, why isn't Native American listed as a choice?
 
I agree that Northern Germany is probably more ISTP-ish, but Southern Germany is definitely more INFJ/P-ish.

My father's side is Austrian/Bohemian - and I don't think there are any extroverts on that side of my family at all.
 
Serenity said:
I am INFJ and have a very mixed heritage, with some German in it.

Also, why isn't Native American listed as a choice?
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You know, you are right! I omitted North America (USA / Canada) because I was thinking that everyone who lives here ultimately had ancestors who migrated there but...you are right, both the Native Americans and Eskimos are native North Americans - good catch, thanks for pointing that out. I am still trying to learn and will add that to the poll.

My apologies to all and especially those who are native North Americans, the oversight was a mistake on my part and was in no means meant to disparage or neglect any group and I will try and correct that in the poll.
 
Well, I have German origins (my grandpa was from Bremen, in the north) . My favourite writers are Herman Hesse and Thomas Mann, and I would say they are NF, probably Infjs.

That being said, I've lived in germany and I have tons of german friends, included an ex girlfriend. Most of them live in Berlin, then I have a couple in Wien. They are all very practical, down-to-earth, traditional people. They work to buy a house and a nice car. Istp - istj all the way. BUT that's only my experience, doesn't make a general trend. My impression is that they are very strict rule-followers, and that's why a train never comes late in berlin.
 
Um.

An ethnicity poll? Really?

Because we are going to take fuzzy science (MBTI) mix it with more fuzzy science (ethnicity and nationality corresponding to personality) and do what exactly?

Not a fan, sorry.
 
Patrick Williams said:
I am curious about how many INFJs out their are of German/Austrian/Swiss heritage?

Here is why I am curious: I am a poster child for the INFJ (as I am sure the rest of you are) and on my father's side the ancestry is German (my family ancestry comes from the Rhineland Pfalz and Baden-Werttumberg; SW Germany area).

When I lived in Germany from 1998 - 2002, the German people are very much to themselves until you get to know them but, once you know them, they are funny and warm but they are somewhat of an enigma with complex personalities much like INFJs.

Does any know if Germany has more INFJs than other countries?

As a culture, does it seem more INFJish than other cultures? For example, I was in Italy and they are more like an ESFJ culture (as a whole), it seems like.

There may be no connection to this whatsoever but I am curious and I thought this would be a good forum to ask the question.

Please let me know your thoughts or any research that you know of to bring some light on this subject.

Thank you in advance for your help on this.
Click to expand...

They say Hitler was an INFJ does that count?
 
I picked African since all humans come from Africa. And it doesnt make sense to me to say my family is European, because yeah the msot recent ones were, but saying I am "other European" would be insulting to my ancestors from 20,000+ years ago.
 
I don't think there is much correlation between MBTI and culture. A culture will have it's mores and accepted forms of behavior, but that doesn't dictate who a person is on the inside. I can only see introversion and extroversion as culture-specific with exceptions.

My father is half German and ISFJ.

<-------------
 
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Funny, people at my last workplace used to call me Eva Braun :D
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lady_of_Paviland
The Red Lady of Paviland is a fairly complete Upper Paleolithic-era human male skeleton dyed in red ochre. Discovered in 1823 it is the first human fossil to have been found anywhere in the world, and at 33,000 years old is still the oldest ceremonial burial of a modern human ever discovered anywhere in Western Europe.[SUP][1][/SUP] The bones were discovered between 18 and 25 January 1823 by Rev. William Buckland, during an archaeological dig at Goat's Hole Cave; one of the limestone caves between Port Eynon and Rhossili, on the Gower Peninsula, south Wales.[2
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My folks were born in the West of Ireland. I recall reading recently that the genome of the Irish and British indicates that they are genetically the same people for the past 40,000 years. The influence of geography on culture and history is a well regarded theory. Most recently Jared Diamond's series of books on the clash of human cultures demonstrates its influence.

I just heard a story on NPR which focused on Europeans not wanting to live in countries other than the one they grew up in, most notably French and Spanish folks not wanting to relocate to Germany for work.


There has yet to be a definitive study of MBTI prevalence in individual nationalistic societies that I am aware of but it certainly could be done.
 
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