Okay... So I am going through a lot lately.. And I am under a bit of stress... I have heard of this thing, called the shadow side. I know next to nothing about it, so I am doing a bit of research. I heard that occasionally under a certain amount of stress an INFJ can go into a shadow state, and was wondering if anyone could explain it further to me.. This is what I found.
Does anyone else have experience with this, or been with someone who has experienced this?
As stress increases, 'learned behaviour' tends to give way to the natural style, so the INFJ will behave more according to type when under greater stress. For example, in a crisis, the INFJ might:
Under extreme stress, fatigue or illness, the INFJ's shadow may appear - a negative form of ESTP. Example characteristics are:
- find a place of solitude in which to think and work
- tell everyone else how well they are coping
- try to solve the long term problem, and neglect the short term
- make errors of fact, or ignore routine matters that might nevertheless be essential
The shadow is part of the unconscious that is often visible to others, onto whom the shadow is projected. The INFJ may therefore readily see these faults in others without recognising it in him/her self.
- acting very impulsively, making decisions without thinking them through
- doing things to excess - e.g.: eating, drinking or exercising
- being critical of others, and finding fault with almost everything
- being preoccupied about unimportant details and doing things that have no meaning
- acting in a very materialistic and selfish way
- cutting corners, breaking the rules, and even contradicting the INFJ's own values
Does anyone else have experience with this, or been with someone who has experienced this?