The Nuances Between INFP and INFJ | INFJ Forum

The Nuances Between INFP and INFJ

Arsal

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Dec 31, 2010
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I have come to notice a trend. A lot of people on this forum and others really abhor this label: INFP. Somehow telling someone they are INFP is equivalent to insulting them outright. This saddens me because not only is that never my intended purpose, but all I crave for is efficient organization and for people to recognize that we have different cognitive wiring, therefore, we will react differently to things. However, the idea is so wildly resisted by these individuals which makes me wonder if either, 1) they do not entirely understand what I mean, or 2) they understand it, but somehow need to dissociate with said qualities due to the social implications.

So let me elaborate on this and what being Fi>Ne, rather than Ni>Fe, means.

1. Fi>Ne vs.
Ni>Fe

Fi in the dominant position is a very real-time function, it exists in the present and doesn't necessarily recall previous information in order to make a judgment. Fi-dominants go into a situation and with the aid of their Ne, they decide whether or not they agree with it. In a sense, they are unconcerned with conversations before that point and only consider the present worth importance. This is different from Ni-dominants who often plan ahead and need a much longer time to digest new information.

Here's an example. An INFP friend asked me if I fretted about what I said in social situations, and say things after analyzing them. I agreed with her, because I do. However, where we differed was that, I plan ahead. I will often make very elaborate plans about what I would say in a social situation and I stack up on different responses that could possibly come up, so I wouldn't be in an unfamiliar territory, whereas she decides on the spot. She takes each statement and analyzes it with her Ne and Fi, and responds appropriately. If I tried that, not only would I find it extremely uncomfortable (inferior Pe), but get agitated at being thrown into an unfamiliar situation that I cannot predict, and consequently, control.

2. Si>Te vs. Ti>Se

[This is where I veer away slightly from the Lenore Thomson model. The tertiary function is often understood to be a replacement for when the auxiliary fails to cope. I agree, but there is more to it: the tertiary function is our aspiration function. It is what we aim to get better at with experience and are ever-so-fascinated by displays of in other people. For INFJs, it is Ti. For INFPs, it is Si.]

INFJs are often fascinated by displays of Ti. They find it incredible and inspiring, and often seek out INTPs and ISTPs to befriend so they can learn more about it. The tertiary function, however, is also their weak spot: in an argument against an INTP, for example, where an INTP writes a long, detailed, argument that is secured by Ti, the INFJ quickly deflates and backs down. [This is the easiest way to defeat an INFJ. Take notes.]

This is equivalent to how INTJs react to Fi, and often seek INFPs and ISFPs to befriend.

INFPs, on the other hand, have an identical attitude towards Si. As such, they will often keep memorabilia such as diaries, scrap-books, photographs, and such so they can feel the past over and over again, and often seek out Si-dominants who have a similar tendency to store their experiences into objects.

[Note: INFJs also keep reusing old things for long periods of time, but often because they are afraid of unfamiliarity, not because they see the past as something that needs to be preserved.]

INFJs with a Ti fetish will often obsess over things such as personality theories and any way in which they get the opportunity to categorize their experiences into efficient, non-hierarchical categories.

[Note: INFPs often do the same, but for different reasons. See Dual Nature of Inferior below.]

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Lastly, the inferior function: the dreaded Anima/Animus. The effect varies from person to person. Some people have better integrated their inferior function into their lives, and some have managed to reject it entirely. Most of the INFP and INFJ descriptions on the internet are exaggerated to the point where the effect of the inferior function is nullified. However, practically, this is often not the case. The inferior function can be described as the the part of us that we chose to reject in favor of the dominant - however, it is also our biggest weakness, and our fixation with it never really ends.

Inferior Se shows up in INFJs as an obsession with the external world, while simultaneously rejecting it. As an example, see Daria.

greenlightwiki said:
Extraverted sensation is the main theme of the Daria show. It's her (and Jane Lane's) primary obsession in life: the world of appearances, shared action and shared pleasure--dances, parties, fashion, popularity, hipness, the never-ending waves of new social manias joyfully accepted and soon forgotten. Despite her supposed braininess, she keeps showing up, keeps paying attention, keeps watching. She is obsessed. But her Ni-based self-image prevents her from ever seeing that she wants to be liked, to be popular, to be seen as pretty, to be able to tear loose and let the wild part of herself out to play. Nothing could be more frightening than that last prospect, though.

INFPs on the other hand, have a similar attitude towards Te, which shows up as rejection of organized external structure, a rejection of authority figures, a rejection of the government, all the while having an unholy obsession with all things authoritative. They often get deeply involved in conspiracy theories because in their Te-inferior eyes, no authority figure or organization is to be trusted. (See [MENTION=963]myself[/MENTION])

The Dual Nature of the Inferior:

They often abhor labels and being put into a box, no matter how correct it may be, and strive to be understood as individuals and understand everyone else with the same mentality. However, they often end up putting people into boxes much more restrictive than they intended, such as "People with lower IQ obviously cannot understand me."

In the case of INFJs, they reject material needs and demands and reject trends, fashions, because they see them as fleeting and temporary, and yet, end up judging others who are not current with the latest trends, fashions, technology, etc.

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I didn't focus much on the individual personality types as much as the differences between them. That was my intention. There may be more nuances and I might update this in near future with extended descriptions.

Thank you for reading.

Helpful links:
http://forums.infjs.com/showthread.php?t=14424
http://www.personalitynation.com/infj/3317-infj-jungian-cognitive-function-analysis.html
http://www.personalitynation.com/infp/3188-infp-jungian-cognitive-function-analysis.html
 
A lot of people on this forum and others really abhor this label: INFP.

From an INFJ perspective: What's so bad about being an INFP?

I once read this, I think on INTPc. Although it's not a nuance, apparently the difference between INFP, INFJ, INTJ and INTP is as follows:

1. INFP: soft outside, soft inside
2. INFJ: hard outside, soft inside
3. INTP: soft outside, hard inside
4. INTJ: hard outside, hard inside
 
People tend to equate emotions with weakness or stupidity..Probably because emotional development isn't really valued in our culture, so people do not develop their own and feel insecure in that area.

INFPs are driven by their feelings, the world is an emotional place to them-- As they are not a large percentage of the population, they are under represented and misunderstood.

I think it is projection, as people are uncomfortable with their own emotions.
 
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Public image is srs bsns.

Why would you want people to think you're selfish, self indulgent, whimsical, flaky and self involved to the cost of everyone else?

I blame it on people who make it a point that the crucial difference between Fi and Fe are personal vs. collective ethics. I also blame the people who always bitch about certain types who wrong them irl without realizing they're spreading myopia, which is unjustified because they can't even be sure they typed these people right. Pretty much the entire typological community is at fault, and that's why I actually resent typological forums now.

Then you also get people who think all Fe users actually derive their morals form the group. Bull.Shit.
 
1. INFP: soft outside, soft inside
2. INFJ: hard outside, soft inside
3. INTP: soft outside, hard inside
4. INTJ: hard outside, hard inside
If people at INTPc are saying this, then INTPc is full of shit. Doesn't surprise me at all that people over there have views as skewed and dumb as these though.

A problem with any unhealthy F function (which xxTx personality types often resort to) is that the function itself often deals in absolutes according to what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior, because people often project. At ANY rate, xxFx personality types are far better at dealing with their F function than xxTx personality types are, because they've been dealing with their function since 1st grade. You'd think someone who's been spending their entire life developing their function would be fucking good at it by now... but no, instead, people create misconceptions that xxFx personality types are horrible at using their most developed function.

If any of the personality types are crybabies, softies, explosive, insecure, and so on, it's every single xxTx personality type, not the xxFx personality types.
 
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I wrote a bitchload, forgot I wrote it, and then clicked refresh to check for new posts. GAH.

Like, I once thought I was INFP, but that was due to many people saying I was heavy Fi. Frankly though, XXXJ and XXXP are pretty much the easiest ones to figure out. Perhaps for INFJs it may be a tad more difficult. My ENFP sister told me a story of her driving down the road in the rain, she said

"I was driving in my car, the phone rang but I didn't care, I had to focus on what was going on in my life. I looked up into the road, and I was thrown into a barrage of deja vus, everything I saw reminded me of this thing I've known before, I've been down this road, not this road, but in all of what everything is, this is a road I've been down, and I know I will go down much more. I felt like all these Deja Vus came together to show where I was in my entire life, and how this little road signified all of that humanity can be, I just zoomed and the big picture came clear to me, and now I knew what I wanted to do. So I put my foot to the floor of the car, and a cop pulled me over. Fucking cops."

If I am correct, that shows Fi/Ne/Si. Not sure if any of that is Te, maybe the cops part is Te, but I think we all dislike rules a little bit. (If you're an F dom/aux). She is a definite ENFP, and I've always modeled all my actions off of her. I just admire ENFPs way more than INFPs. INFPs bug me, no offence to any out there. While ENFPs... Yum. Well, they cry a lot. But so do F doms... :m150::m040::m183:

Also though, I've had similar experiences to my sister, except my is Se, not Si. I see all these things around me, and yea. Don't wanna go into that.
 
I was thinking I was INFJ for a while but it didn't quite fit. :p
 
I was thinking I was an INTJ for awhile but it didn't quite fit :D
 
1. INFP: soft outside, soft inside
2. INFJ: hard outside, soft inside
3. INTP: soft outside, hard inside
4. INTJ: hard outside, hard inside

If people at INTPc are saying this, then INTPc is full of shit.

Actually, that's a pretty good assessment in my opinion.
 
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I read the posts above closely and still don't know what I am.. I was an INFJ and I think I am more of INFP, however, I am pretty logical about my emotions. And after all it all doesn't matter. I think I can be both. I was raised mostly by my INFJ mother so I know very well who she is and I probably adopted her character quite well but there are drastic differences in the way we think and behave, nonetheless.
I am a logical INFP who does decisions spontaneously but not forgetting about the logical importance in the decision making process.
Like an INFJ I can plan ahead, which I do often, but when facing the situation I often disregard the plan and instead act according to my feelings and intuition. Things such as love are illogical, which I found and emotionally driven in most individuals even in ESTJ.. There's good time and place to exercise different faculties, it's all about the ability.
 
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haters+gonna+hate.jpg
 
I have really liked INTPs I have met here, and don't find them to be cold at all, rather the opposite. Warm, caring & curious. Annnd my esteem for INTJs is well documented.
 
Yeah, the "soft on the outside" stems from that masterful ability to redirect and distract from their own shortcomings. Cute.

as cute as Fe.
 
I have really liked INTPs I have met here, and don't find them to be cold at all, rather the opposite. Warm, caring & curious. Annnd my esteem for INTJs is well documented.

Just because most of the INTPs I know are pricks and bitches doesn't mean I don't like them. I just know what they are. I also like snakes, and have had them as pets. I just don't forget that they're snakes.
 
Ick. Strongly disagree. :m051:
 
After INTP's and INTJ's, all types are equally worthless.