INFP VS INFJ | INFJ Forum

INFP VS INFJ

INFJs are much more ready to fling open their doors and let others come in right away. That is one of the ways to tell an INFJ from an INFP. They are nowhere near as cautious as INFPs in new associations or relationships. An INFJ will get right down to it. They say, “Let’s find out what we are all made of.” However, this is only true if the INFJ has some facility with their extraverted feeling auxiliary function. Otherwise, INFJs are the hardest of all types to know and will let no one in and be very wary of other’s motivations and intentions. Either way, they are much more intense about it.

an INFJ will have figured out a new person in the first five minutes of interaction and have made a decision about whether they wish to have anything further to do with that person. INFPs are nowhere near as judgmental of people as INFJs.

INFJs, on the other hand, like passionate intensity and often engage in dramatic relationships in which there is a lot of ups and downs and the prospect of the loss of the beloved. INFJs love is often aroused when the lover threatens to leave or actually does leave. That is when they feel the thrill of love. An INFJ may be more intensely affected if the relationship breaks up but they will get over it quicker and be on to the next thrill of love with their hearts more intact and ready to love again.

INFJs can be some of the biggest and most selfish assholes that you will ever meet. INFJs often seem nice and attentive on the surface, but that is just their Fe auxiliary, which is a show function. Deeper inside, they are quite amoral, and will do and consider things that would make an INFP cringe in agony. That is also one of the strengths of an INFJ; they will mercilessly consider many different things and possibilities, even if these are damaging to their own emotional nature, which is considerable, but totally different in structure than an INFPs.

An INFP will be very reticent about looking at realities that are threatening to their own security and comfort. An INFJ will look at realities that are threatening to their own comfort and security.

Bask in the Fe while you can and enjoy the attention while it lasts.
 
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I found this very interesting. I just found out yesterday that my aunt is an infp. It was ironic seeing an article about the differences today.
 
INFJ and INFP is the hardest type to tell apart. You are in good company. There's like, 5k threads of am I INFP or INFJ?
 
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CindyLou said:
INFJs are much more ready to fling open their doors and let others come in right away. That is one of the ways to tell an INFJ from an INFP. They are nowhere near as cautious as INFPs in new associations or relationships. An INFJ will get right down to it. They say, “Let’s find out what we are all made of.” However, this is only true if the INFJ has some facility with their extraverted feeling auxiliary function. Otherwise, INFJs are the hardest of all types to know and will let no one in and be very wary of other’s motivations and intentions. Either way, they are much more intense about it.

an INFJ will have figured out a new person in the first five minutes of interaction and have made a decision about whether they wish to have anything further to do with that person. INFPs are nowhere near as judgmental of people as INFJs.

INFJs, on the other hand, like passionate intensity and often engage in dramatic relationships in which there is a lot of ups and downs and the prospect of the loss of the beloved. INFJs love is often aroused when the lover threatens to leave or actually does leave. That is when they feel the thrill of love. An INFJ may be more intensely affected if the relationship breaks up but they will get over it quicker and be on to the next thrill of love with their hearts more intact and ready to love again.

INFJs can be some of the biggest and most selfish assholes that you will ever meet. INFJs often seem nice and attentive on the surface, but that is just their Fe auxiliary, which is a show function. Deeper inside, they are quite amoral, and will do and consider things that would make an INFP cringe in agony. That is also one of the strengths of an INFJ; they will mercilessly consider many different things and possibilities, even if these are damaging to their own emotional nature, which is considerable, but totally different in structure than an INFPs.

An INFP will be very reticent about looking at realities that are threatening to their own security and comfort. An INFJ will look at realities that are threatening to their own comfort and security.

Bask in the Fe while you can and enjoy the attention while it lasts.
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( From what I understand INFP's are more selfless, but here's my wack at it)
I feel like deep inside we do care more about others. I do have "selfish" and "immoral" urges and thoughts, but 9/10 I do , or try to do, whats best for everyone else.10/10 I would rather have everyone else's needs met before my own. So, I won't deny that we're assholes, but we're very thoughtful and try to do what is best most of the time.
 
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There seems to be a lot of good stuff in the article. But there's a few things that are a LONG way off, for me at least. Like this:

INFJs love is often aroused when the lover threatens to leave or actually does leave. That is when they feel the thrill of love.

That's called sadness, not "the thrill of love" and it's not at all enjoyable. Some people really like to make INFJs sound like dare devils with no souls or feelings. We're actually vampires, and we play with our food.

Also I think people mistake INFJ relationship... behaviour. Whenever I read about it people seem to think that we enjoy breaking peoples hearts and go around shattering them willy-nilly because we get bored fast. But the only reason I've ever broken up with someone is because I realized that we weren't right for each other. I think it's also that INFJs might get into a lot more relationships that aren't as good for them because we tend to often see potential in everyone and sometimes that's all we focus on. Or at least that's me- it's hard to set aside the potential good things that could come out of a relationships and examine the bad. Or at least... that's what I find. I tend to be all like "oh I could love him!" without remembering that, yeah, I could love him, but will that love be enough? Will it be strong enough?

INFJs may dream of being great men or women of action, but the likelihood of this happening is not great for someone of their particular temperament setup.

*pouts* Speak for yourself, Mr. Article-Writer-Person!

INFJs have a lot more moral uncertainty than INFPs.

Dude, if you mess with my morals... look out. Most people tend to agree that INFJs stick to their own morals without a doubt, from what I've seen, and I'd have to agree. My morals are the things that keep me from doing things like lying through my teeth or stealing or just plain being a jerk. I think there's a difference between having the capabilities to be a jerk and being a plain jerk. With one, you could be a jerk, but you'd know you'd be being a jerk and you don't want that because it's against several of your morals, the other you just don't give a damn. Guilt is a horrible feeling and I don't like it one bit.

What this article makes me think is that some people talked to some INFJs and heard all the horrible things that go on in our brains and deducted that we're heartless, emotionless, and simply love to play games. Basically the stereotypical psychopath. But just because a person might THINK about how to get away with murder, does not mean they're actually planning on murdering anyone. Heaven forbid.

Did I mention I rant a lot? :/
 
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Hoodie said:
There seems to be a lot of good stuff in the article. But there's a few things that are a LONG way off, for me at least. Like this:

INFJs love is often aroused when the lover threatens to leave or actually does leave. That is when they feel the thrill of love.

That's called sadness, not "the thrill of love" and it's not at all enjoyable. Some people really like to make INFJs sound like dare devils with no souls or feelings. We're actually vampires, and we play with our food.

Also I think people mistake INFJ relationship... behaviour. Whenever I read about it people seem to think that we enjoy breaking peoples hearts and go around shattering them willy-nilly because we get bored fast. But the only reason I've ever broken up with someone is because I realized that we weren't right for each other. I think it's also that INFJs might get into a lot more relationships that aren't as good for them because we tend to often see potential in everyone and sometimes that's all we focus on. Or at least that's me- it's hard to set aside the potential good things that could come out of a relationships and examine the bad. Or at least... that's what I find. I tend to be all like "oh I could love him!" without remembering that, yeah, I could love him, but will that love be enough? Will it be strong enough?

INFJs may dream of being great men or women of action, but the likelihood of this happening is not great for someone of their particular temperament setup.

*pouts* Speak for yourself, Mr. Article-Writer-Person!

INFJs have a lot more moral uncertainty than INFPs.

Dude, if you mess with my morals... look out. Most people tend to agree that INFJs stick to their own morals without a doubt, from what I've seen, and I'd have to agree. My morals are the things that keep me from doing things like lying through my teeth or stealing or just plain being a jerk. I think there's a difference between having the capabilities to be a jerk and being a plain jerk. With one, you could be a jerk, but you'd know you'd be being a jerk and you don't want that because it's against several of your morals, the other you just don't give a damn. Guilt is a horrible feeling and I don't like it one bit.

What this article makes me think is that some people talked to some INFJs and heard all the horrible things that go on in our brains and deducted that we're heartless, emotionless, and simply love to play games. Basically the stereotypical psychopath. But just because a person might THINK about how to get away with murder, does not mean they're actually planning on murdering anyone. Heaven forbid.

Did I mention I rant a lot? :/
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TBH, you nailed it. I didn't take too much offense to it at first but when you pointed all this stuff out, it is pretty shitty. Compared to my INFP friend and brother , I do feel more immoral and more like an asshole but it doesn't mean we are immoral or selfish assholes. Also, I over read the whole "INFJs may dream of being great men or women of action, but the likelihood of this happening is not great for someone of their particular temperament setup." That statement is total BS.
 
@littlexxghost I think the trick is to take these articles with a grain - or an ocean - of salt. There will be parts that will give you some of the best insights and clues into yourself, that will help you grow and understand how you work, but there will be other bits that simply don't mesh- and they might mesh for other INFJs, and that's okay. I like to think of our personality types as some sort of blueprint, a rough draft of how our brains work and how we perceive and digest our world. But that's just the foundation. Also I'm rambling again oh dear XP But I've found that some articles will have some good points and some less good points- take from it what you can! Even what I'm saying could be completely irrelevant to you, right now.
 
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Also I realized that I kind of skipped your initial purpose for your thread... which was figuring out if you were an INFJ or an INFP? I'm not entirely sure how to pin point the differences myself, but when it comes down to it, you're the one that knows you best- research the two types and you should be able to eventually get a feel for which one better suits you. If you haven't checked already, I would suggest youtube videos made by INFJs (and maybe INFPs?). INFJ youtubers tend to be very clearly INFJs, from what I've seen. When I watch them I'm always like "holy COW I know what it feels like to be all like that person there" if that makes sense. XP
 
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Hoodie said:
There seems to be a lot of good stuff in the article. But there's a few things that are a LONG way off, for me at least. Like this:

INFJs love is often aroused when the lover threatens to leave or actually does leave. That is when they feel the thrill of love.

That's called sadness, not "the thrill of love" and it's not at all enjoyable. Some people really like to make INFJs sound like dare devils with no souls or feelings. We're actually vampires, and we play with our food.

Also I think people mistake INFJ relationship... behaviour. Whenever I read about it people seem to think that we enjoy breaking peoples hearts and go around shattering them willy-nilly because we get bored fast. But the only reason I've ever broken up with someone is because I realized that we weren't right for each other. I think it's also that INFJs might get into a lot more relationships that aren't as good for them because we tend to often see potential in everyone and sometimes that's all we focus on. Or at least that's me- it's hard to set aside the potential good things that could come out of a relationships and examine the bad. Or at least... that's what I find. I tend to be all like "oh I could love him!" without remembering that, yeah, I could love him, but will that love be enough? Will it be strong enough?

INFJs may dream of being great men or women of action, but the likelihood of this happening is not great for someone of their particular temperament setup.

*pouts* Speak for yourself, Mr. Article-Writer-Person!

INFJs have a lot more moral uncertainty than INFPs.

Dude, if you mess with my morals... look out. Most people tend to agree that INFJs stick to their own morals without a doubt, from what I've seen, and I'd have to agree. My morals are the things that keep me from doing things like lying through my teeth or stealing or just plain being a jerk. I think there's a difference between having the capabilities to be a jerk and being a plain jerk. With one, you could be a jerk, but you'd know you'd be being a jerk and you don't want that because it's against several of your morals, the other you just don't give a damn. Guilt is a horrible feeling and I don't like it one bit.

What this article makes me think is that some people talked to some INFJs and heard all the horrible things that go on in our brains and deducted that we're heartless, emotionless, and simply love to play games. Basically the stereotypical psychopath. But just because a person might THINK about how to get away with murder, does not mean they're actually planning on murdering anyone. Heaven forbid.

Did I mention I rant a lot? :/
Click to expand...

Lol, true. I agree with all of this to some extent. I just like that there's an article that doesn't describe as as saints because we aren't. I understand their perspective. In my experience people enjoy Fe so much that over time they become disappointed with us when they really get to know us past Fe since Fe is just on the surface so to speak. That is their heartbreak and ours since our Ni and Fe sees the potential in people and we can make that a false reality of who the person actually is; what we think is their potential and not who they actually are. Neither are true.

I agree with you on the morals as well. This is what grounds me to my identity knowing I am since Fe can make our identity seem shifting to others on the surface, but there are firm lines that I won't cross ever, and more delicate lines I might cross initially or say so on the surface but stop toeing once Fe starts to lose it's grip on the relationship. I am who I am no matter who I meet but I also have a silly desire to be whoever you want me to be if I care about you and my Fe has a lock on you. I think the shift from what we mirror to who we actually are is what is described in the article because we are real people not just walking balls of NiFe. It just just the stark contrast between the two. Being a jerk doesn't make one a psychopath anyway.
 
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CindyLou said:
Lol, true. I agree with all of this to some extent. I just like that there's an article that doesn't describe as as saints because we aren't. I understand their perspective. In my experience people enjoy Fe so much that over time they become disappointed with us when they really get to know us past Fe since Fe is just on the surface so to speak. That is their heartbreak and ours since our Ni and Fe sees the potential in people and we can make that a false reality of who the person actually is; what we think is their potential and not who they actually are. Neither are true.

I agree with you on the morals as well. This is what grounds me to my identity knowing I am since Fe can make our identity seem shifting to others on the surface, but there are firm lines that I won't cross ever, and more delicate lines I might cross initially or say so on the surface but stop toeing once Fe starts to lose it's grip on the relationship. I am who I am no matter who I meet but I also have a silly desire to be whoever you want me to be if I care about you and my Fe has a lock on you. I think the shift from what we mirror to who we actually are is what is described in the article because we are real people not just walking balls of NiFe. It just just the stark contrast between the two. Being a jerk doesn't make one a psychopath anyway.
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I get what you mean for sure! It's kind of silly that when I tell people I'm an INFJ I feel the need to joke about the magical unicorn thing- err, if that makes sense. We're definitely just people. But that's something that I've noticed with INFJ articles; we're portrayed as either being from heaven or hell- there's seldom an in between. I'd like to see someone write an article about people people, and not some abstract extreme. It really doesn't help the whole "people don't seem to understand me" feeling when people writing about your personality type don't even seem to know what they're talking about.

Also just to be clear, I'm not upset- sometimes I feel like when I talk like this people think I'm upset or riled up, but I'm just talking. c:
 
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@Horatio and @charlatan can probably offer advice on cognitive function. They've both replied on other INFP / INFJ threads. :)
 
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Hoodie said:
Also just to be clear, I'm not upset- sometimes I feel like when I talk like this people think I'm upset or riled up, but I'm just talking. c:
Click to expand...

Lol, I hear you. It happens to me all the time. ;)
 
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This is all based on a certain interpretation of Harold Grant's functions theory. Which is very subjective ultimately (though the popular one circulating). It's worth noting that this theory conflicts with Jung's theory, which conflicts with many other interpretations.

My personal view is to recognize functions theory as typically practiced is full of dogmatic, religious belief. I personally liked some of the ideas in it so much that I synthesized my own take on it, but I regard the existing ones with skepticism. I share my take to those interested.

The official MBTI is tapping into the same personality dimensions as 4/5 of the Big 5, roughly. I find interpretations in that light to be reasonable, and I find SOME select few functions-y interpretations good (although, to be clear, these lead to very different personality theories).

The idea that Fi leads to one sort of stubbornly sticking to one's values and Fe is more chameleon-like and/or less rigidly fixed (particularly if dominated by a perceiving function) is often found...if you want my own personal theoretical interpretation, I think of there being some truth to the perceiving function part, but I find the other part is exaggerated. I think Fi OR Fe can be incredibly forcefully fixed in value judgments, and EITHER can lead to being "genuinely nice" or "superficially nice."

In fact, some sources would say Fi is about one's "personal values" and thus is more closed to seeking harmony with the outside, and thus suggest Fi is more likely than Fe to be harsh to the outside, solely committed to maintaining consistency with the inner values. So the tables can be turned to suggest Fe types are more likely to consider external factors in value judgments and thus are more interested in showing consideration.
NEITHER OF THESE REALLY MAKES SENSE!!!! Why should considering external factors highly lead to thus being nice -- it could lead to being vengeful to the external world! Why should considering a more internal value standard lead to being either nicer or not?

Now, you might argue -- OK, charlatan, let's grant that neither Fe nor Fi leads to being nicer. But AT LEAST accept that Fi value judgments are "more genuine" because they come from the inner self, not from just adapting chameleon-like to outside circumstances. Even this is false.
I can argue as follows, in a more sophisticated reading of the theory: Fe is ABOUT external factors, so whatever judgments an Fe type exercises concerning external stances are more genuine, because their ego is presently concerned with the external world.
As the Fi type treats the external world as secondary, whatever consideration they do show for external factors is more forced, and more an expression of their inferior-Te than of their Fi.

See? I can spin it any way!
 
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littlexxghost said:
I've been thinking on whether I am an INFJ or an INFP so I meandered on the web and found this helpful article. After reading it I am sure I am an INFJ. Does anyone find it accurate or is another internet hoax?


https://www.stellarmaze.com/infj-vs-infp/
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I have done extensive research on this question. This book helped me to find out beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am an INFJ.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LKRXH8E/?tag=infjs-20

But I have to bow to this article. It so reconfirms in its unique way that I am an INFJ. Thank you.
 
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