On the INTP forum, I found an interesting thread called "The Many Faces of the INFJ." Pretty much an INTP's analysis on INFJ's, what are your thoughts on it?
Adymus said:Preface:
The INFJ personality type is by in large most misunderstood type. This is mainly do to the incompetence of MBTI implementation, by introducing personality types by a single description. Nobody was ever meant to match up perfectly to a single description. The MBTI descriptions are really only describing what the personality type will be like if they have only their top two functions developed. You see if a personality has well developed lower functions, or a well developed Tertiary and under developed Auxiliary, then they will contradict the description. The only real way to grasp a personality type is if you took a whole free range of many different models of said personality type, and let people swim around in it. But you can't really do that on the internet, or in a book now can you? This is why I advise you all to stop relying on matching people to internet descriptions, and start experiencing the Cognitive functions and personality types on your in, in the real world. To quote the great Carl Jung:
"Anyone who wants to know the human psyche will learn next to nothing from experimental psychology. He would be better advised to abandon exact science, put away his scholar's gown, bid farewell to his study, and wander with human heart through the world. There in the horrors of prisons, lunatic asylums and hospitals, in drab suburban pubs, in brothels and gambling-hells, in the salons of the elegant, the Stock Exchanges, socialist meetings, churches, revivalist gatherings and ecstatic sects, through love and hate, through the experience of passion in every form in his own body, he would reap richer stores of knowledge than text-books a foot thick could give him, and he will know how to doctor the sick with a real knowledge of the human soul." -Carl Jung
Now while just about every type is in some way misunderstood to the vast majority of the MBTI community, the INFJ in particular was hit the hardest. There is an interesting phenomenon with the INFJ that I am pointing out in this thread: Depending on how an INFJ has developed, they can express their use of cognitive functions in ways that are radically different than other INFJ. There are INFJ that seem like T's, or S's, INFJs that seem like Extroverts or even Ps. INFJs that want to go out and save the world, and then INFJs that just want to shit on everything. The purpose of this thread is to introduce you into the possible models that INFJs in the world can turn out to be. Some them good, some of them bad, some of them just plain weird. While I am splitting INFJs into sub-types in this thread, keep in mind that none of them are a single sub-type, some of these sub-types mark a single ability that every INFJ has access to. This thread only explores the possible forms one might take when they are using the Ni-Fe-Ti-Se apparatus.
Enjoy.
The Academic:
This kind of INFJ is more often than not, confused for an INTJ, or even INTP. They still want to change the world and progress man kind in some way, but sometimes you got to play by science’s rules to cover any ground. While their focus in some way is usually still on people, they approach their research from a very academic and scientific stand point, without necessarily going out to personally teach the world in the INFJ mentor like way you would expect. Naturally these INFJs have a very well developed Ti, so well developed that they themselves would consider themselves thinkers before considering themselves feelers. But make no mistake; this is not Ni-Te they are using. Ni-Fe has a very distinct perception of worldview, and it can be maybe sense out of in a very logical manner using their Ti tertiary. But it is still just Ti’ed Ni-Fe. The Academics often do not use their Fe as warmly as the others might, this is for two reasons: Academia is srs bsns and when delivering facts and upholding an aura of authority, you don’t to look like a used car sales man. This is also because while they are talking, they are often running what they are going to say through Ti in real time, just to make sure everything is locally coherent. When you use Ti it withdrawals us from the world of personal connections, so it will actually deadpan and drop the emotion on your face (being an INTP myself, that is one I know all too well). If you grew up around a lot of Ti users, you are probably going to come out pretty similar to this, as an INFJ. Considering from day one, you really needed to have your theories tightened up in order for anyone to take you seriously. Sure it might have been brutal at first, but look at the bright side, now you have a really sweet Ti to help you take on the world with!
Fictional Examples: Professor Charles Xavier (X-Men)
Real-Life Examples: Dr. Drew, Paul Eckman, Carl Jung (Controversy time!)
The Method Actor
“Everybody knows you never go full retard”
This one right here, my friends, might just be the reason you INFJs have been documented as the rarest of types. Oh the power of the persona, when you project and image, people will create your identity based on that image, regardless of what is actually going on in your head. This marks an extremely uncanny ability that you INFJ folk have. The INFJ can invent an character within their Ni-Fe. They can write an entire story of their life, their family, their experience, their fears, their motivations, their quirks and mannerisms all within their Ni. Then when the time comes, then can channel that character into their Fe and Se to perfectly embody that role, in ways that can be so nuanced that you might not even know you are looking at the same person. Even if acting isn’t your thing, every INFJ still has this in them, and it often comes out in other ways. An INFJ could enter a completely foreign country, and within weeks, or even days, completely master their culture, and maybe even accent.
Fictional Examples: Song (M.Butterfly), Kirk Lazarus (Tropic Thunder)
Real-life Examples: Sasha Baron Cohen, and anyone who can properly play the Master of Masks prestige class in Dungeons and Dragons.
The Guru
“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”
Whether they are aware of this or not, just about every INFJ is in some way in search for enlightenment, some of them actually find it (Well, at least they think they did), and these are the Guru INFJs. The mentor instinct runs strong in the INFJ breed, and the sage illuminates those that surround her. So the next step is to use that collection of Ni natural law to progress the consciousness of the rest of humanity, by teaching it to the world… Or a handful of disciples. Now hopefully what they teach is something that can be applied to all personalities, and not just their own; I’m looking at you Eckhart Tolle, you German bastard! Just because you are an INFJ doesn’t mean we all are! You can just send any personality type into the desert for a few days, and expect them to come back thirty years older and with a boat load of insights of natural law, like the INFJs can. What is up with that anyway? I swear, you INFJs could stare at a chair for an hour and end up seeing the meaning of life somewhere in it.
Fictional Examples: Jesus, lol (If any Christians are reading this, then I am totally kidding. If not… Yeah…)
Real-Life examples: The Dalai Lama, Timothy Leary, Thich Nhat Hanh
The False Guru
“You can get your vitamins and nourishment from vitamins and minerals contained within food, or you can bypass food and hook into what we call the universal life force which is prahna.”
Again, the search for enlightenment and the mentor drive is pervasive among the INFJ. But not all that glitters is gold, and with all do respect, some of them are completely full of shit. Some of them are even aware that they are full of shit, and some of them are not, either way, these are the False Gurus. Just peruse the New Age movement for a little while and you are bound to see quite a few of these. They are usually surrounded by a cohort of poorly developed personalities (mainly NFs and SFs, But I have seen many others in these circles, even NTs) because all of the strong personalities who can smell their bullshit a mile away, leave. Which is all the better, weak minds don’t ask questions, which is perfect because the False Guru can’t answer them. All they can really do is sound really mystical and wifty and charm the hell out of you. Generally speaking, this is mainly the result of an INFJ who avoided their Ti, and are scared to death of the rest of the Ti and Te in the world, so they make sure they surround themselves with people with even weaker abilities than they have. While most False Guru’s teachings are pretty benign, some of them are very dangerous (Google the word Breatharianism), and could lead to cults as well as very destructive behavior. There is also the breed of false gurus that are deliberately manipulating and lying to people, just so they can be validated and worshiped as a messiah. Watch out for them, they are nothing more than energy vampires feeding off the praise of the faithful. So the next time you hear a Guru trying to tell people about the world, you really need to think critically about what they are saying. Nature wouldn’t have given us judgment if we were not expected to use it.
You didn’t really think I would have only good things to say about types of INFJs, right? Where light is cast, there will always be shadows. Don’t think for a second that just because Kiersey decided to call your kind “The Protectors”, it means you are all going to be a bunch of god damn do-gooders. Ni with Fe can give extremely powerful abilities, and with great power comes great responsibility. Sometimes this power falls into the wrong hands, and that is why there is a light and dark side to Ni.
Fictional Examples: I got nothing.
Real-Life Examples: Jazmuheen, Harley "SwiftDeer" Reagan
The Cobra:
“OoOoOoOo, That’s a bingo!”
INFJs are not necessarily only good for long-range planning and being a visionary. They can be pretty damn scary when using that Ni and Fe for manipulative purposes.
The Cobra uses their Fe to be playful and seductive to get people to disarm and loosen up, all the while keeping a close Ni look on what is going on, drinking in as much information as possible with Se, and reserving their actions until their Ni tells them the perfect time to strike. And when they do, they go straight for the jugular. The name “Cobra” comes from the posture they sometimes take with their head upright and eyes narrowed, still, and looking straight forward onto their prey. Cobras make perfect secret agents and interrogators, which is why many of them are. They can read their subjects with uncanny accuracy and know just what to say and exactly how to act to get what they want out of anyone. Sometimes they can even get people to admit to crimes they didn’t even commit; luckily they know when they are lying too. Ever heard a person who could talk their way out being charged for murder? They were probably a Cobra INFJ. Don’t get charmed by the smile, watch the eyes, if you get strung along by their hypnotic Fe display, they fucking got you where they want you. All INFJs have a little bit of Cobra in them, what you do with it is entirely up to you. For the most part it is actually a defense mechanism, and they will embody the cobra for a quick escape when trouble arises.
Fictional Examples: Col. Hans Landa (Inglourious Basterds), Jarlaxle Baenre (Forgotten Realms, The Dark Elf Saga), Bill (Kill Bill)
Real-Life Examples: Bjork (Seriously.)
The Gypsy King:
The Gypsy King (or Queen) actually goes hand in hand with the Cobra, because they are really two sides of the same coin; the twin masters of INFJ trickery. However, the Gypsy uses their manipulation tactics for outright conning people. Now there seems to be an association with the ESTP and confidence artistry. I would say it is pretty undeserved; when it comes to manipulation, the sharky used car salesman ESTP, is child’s play when compared to the cunning foresight and hypnotic charm of the INFJ. The Gypsy King can figure a person out within seconds. A tattoo, a bruise, dark circles under the eyes, person looks down and to the left while talking, an expensive watch, tan lines on arms, all kinds of these random details that they take in through Se are their gateway into the minds of people, and then with a little speculation out of their Ni-Fe and Ti, they can have your whole life figured out within a blink of an eye, and know exactly how to approach you. Have you ever been to a psychic, who seemed to know everything about you? Things they couldn’t have possibly have known? Yeah, you just got INFJ’ed, Gypsy style. Conning people isn’t all malicious either, sometimes it is just good entertainment. That is why many of the Gypsy INFJs are Magicians; casting spells of perceptual redirection with displays of Fe and Se, to distract the audience in order to miss what is happening behind it all.
Fictional Examples: Shawn Spencer (Psych)
Real-Life Examples: John Edward, Criss Angel (MINDFREAK!!!111)
The Revolutionary:
“The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.”
Fuck yeah! What would this guide be without the INFJ Revo-motherfucking-lutionary!? The Revolutionary aspect is to the INFJs, as Superman is to the Superfriends, INDESPENSIBLE! I mean, this isn’t even a face of the INFJ, this is the INFJ. The INTJs might have been nick named “The Mastermind”, but being a mastermind really comes from being an Ni dominant more than it does from being a Thinker. The INFJ Revolutionaries are masterminds in their own right, visionaries of the people. Literally beginning as children, INFJs go through life observing the world. The inner workings of society, human behavior, and natural law become clear to them through their observations and experience. Naturally, their Ni begins expanding as their worldview, and through it they acquire a future vision of what the world should be like. The world would be so much better if it worked the way it did in their Ni, but it doesn’t, and that just fucking pisses them off. This deep dissatisfaction for the world as it is now is what fuels the revolutionary fire that burns in the hearts of the INFJ. Because the solutions to all of the world’s problems are obvious, so obvious that it is maddening to think that they and a few others are the only people who can see it. This dissatisfaction for society creates a certain adversarial nature for the INFJ, it is them against the world. But no matter, if the world we live in sucks, just make a new one!
Fictional Examples: V (V for Vendetta), Drizzt Do’Urden (Forgotten Realms, The Dark Elf Saga)
Real-Life Examples: Che Guevara, Martin Luther King
The Destroyer of worlds:
“Why me, because it's my revenge on this robotic society, because someone has to do it.”
The adversarial nature and discontent with society, is natural for the INFJs. However, at times, their adversarial worldview can become so strong that it turns to hatred, and the point of view that humans are just too stupid to live up to what they think they should live up to. The worse cases are when INFJs are also not in touch with their Fe. Their Ni will continue growing, and their Ti will make sense of it, but because they never get that push back for Fe, their worldview just becomes more and more detached and distorted from reality. This only perpetuates their hatred, because at the times they do try to articulate their distorted worldview, they are met with resistance from other people. Which leads them to a perspective that is no humans are worth saving, they are all just mindless idiots. Obviously these are very extreme cases, but make no mistake; they do exist, and have always existed. The Destroyers might even gain enough power to lead their own revolution, but it will be a revolution of hatred, destruction, and death. These kinds of INFJ also make some of the best villains in fiction, which everyone mistakes for INTJs on the forums. Apparently evil = T.
Fictional Examples: The Joker (Batman), Rorschach (The Watchmen), Tyler Durden (Fight Club), Light Yagami (Deathnote)
Real-Life Examples: GG Allin, Hitler (More controversy time!)
The SP Wannabe:
“Let me tell you a little something about the universe. Fuck you.”
Nobody expects the SP wannabe! They are the face of INFJ that as soon as most people see, they automatically think “ESTP”. Little do they know there is a massive worldview and understanding of human kind and natural law behind that rough and tumble exterior. They are by in large the most in your face and Alpha Male/Female you can get with the INFJ breed. It is actually quite normal and even common for all personality types to have a fetishy relationship with their inferior function. For the INFJ, this fetish comes in the flavor of Se. They go out into the world, grab Se by the balls, and show the world who’s in charge. This is how they master their shadow, by fighting it head on becoming their Shadow’s master. Most if not all INFJs take on the aspect of the SP wannabe for at least brief periods of time. It could be through martial arts, racing, cooking, a good friend of mine does it through Hula Hooping. It is all a part of learning how to live in the now. Some INFJs take this fetish to a whole new level, almost fascinated with the sensations; Retelling stories emphasizing every gory detail they can remember in full detail.
Fictional Examples: The Comedian (The Watchman)
Real-Life Examples: Henry Rollins, GG Allin again.
