Whhheeewwww. I've been putting off making a more dedicated thread to the big question around here: INFP or INFJ. But, a lot of my trouble comes from the way people view structure and leadership for INFJs. So, structure is a lot more clear for SJs, it's about having plans decided, it's about having closure on many ideas using tradition and precedent, it's about a very tangible perfectionism, it's about moving in a straigher line, it's about actual structure. It's that way for leadership also, it's just so much more obvious with SJs, the map makers set specific plans for concrete action to meet real goals in an anticipated way.
So then we have all of these floaty, heady, and cerebral introverted NF characters... For the most part, my leadership probably looks more like that of the category of a perceiving type. I'm always taking huge girths of information and various perspectives and sort of tying them together, finding that meaning and noticing how it connects to everything. Looking back at my old journaling, I used the language of Ne like that a lot. I would frequently have deep journal entries about this idea of "everything connects to everything". And would sort of cut through perspectives wildly looking for that depth..... From what I've read, that probably makes me sound like an INFP...
If in fact I am an INFP, perhaps I'm one that has matured so much as to explain for how deeply bothered I am when ideas are tainted by the feelings that have provoked them. I care about integrity and consistency so much, and even in my crazier journaling days, I was driven mad by the angst that was sullying the integrity of my thoughts. Plus, INFPs have a sort of spontaneous lifestyle that I just cannot relate to. I am soooooo "safe". I order things with a hellish amount of obsessiveness. I have many collectibles that I just cannot percieve to be flawed. I mean, a lot of that has to do with the ol' OCD, but, I think there's more to it than that. I repeatedly go to the same restaurants sitting at mostly the same spot when I can. I organize wildly. I have my FRIENDS even on a schedule where we do things on Friday night, mainly to preserve the health of the relationships so that I don't seize far too much alone time, and so that they can stomach my resistence to doing "extra" get-togethers, which I do often let happen because I'm a sucker.
At work I can be kind of a mapmaker in that I'm a horrible delegator who just needs everyone to feel equipped with what promotions to be mindful of and helping them see habits to protect themselves from all of the trouble-areas that I see to be most likely. But, I could also come across as the INFP leadership of just sort of rallying them for the perspectives that will propell them into good actions.
So the powerful division that INFPs and INFJs supposedly have in leadership is "directing"(INFJ) vs. "informing"(INFP).
"Informing communication: The light is green.
Directing communication: Go."- from http://www.infjorinfp.com/
Sadly, I have to concede that I am indeed on the "informing" end of things... But after reading about it, it of course seems like it isn't just that simple. How many of you really feel like you are "directing" honestly, where you make direct requests rather than informing people of what needs to be done or of availability. I'm all for easing people into information that is necessary for them, which is supposely pretty INFP. But there are just so many things about Ni with Fe that work loudly for me. And I am not sold on INFJs being anything that resembles delegation or bald-faced bossy. I bounce about perspectives with ease at this point, and will always amass and integrate data together before making decisions, and all largly out of motivation to have closure on the right decisions that I will invest heavily into it so that I don't waffle about, and IS about fighting uncertainty. Does that make me an INFP?
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