According to Myers, an INFJ is a person who expresses a preference for Introversion over Extroversion, Intuition over Sensing, Feeling over Thinking, and Judging over Perceiving. This definition is based entirely upon self assessment.
However, her theories were based on the work of Carl Jung, who theorized that there are 8 different ways in which the human mind processes and analyzes information. While Jung never actually created personality types (which implies he didn't believe in such a thing, or else he would have), he did postulate that each of us has a Dominant function that we use most often and an Auxiliary function that we use most often to support it. Jung believed that any combination of functions were possible as Dominant and Auxiliary, but that they were most often paired as one rational and irrational function. (He considered himself to be a Ti Dominant and Ni Auxiliary user - which has caused an endless debate about his actual type since the man who pioneered all of this doesn't fit into the models that followed.)
Based upon the model that Jung created, Myers (and Briggs) created a typology test that makes the assumption of determining those cognitive function preferences from a series of self assessment questions based on discerning axis preferences. The assumption is that if a person scores both Introverted and Judging preferences, their Dominant function is their Perceiving and Introverted function, while their Auxiliary function is their Judging and Extroverted function. For example, if a person scored INFJ, it is assumed that their Dominant function is Ni and their Auxiliary function is Fe (even though Jung never claimed that functions must pair like this). Notice my repeated use of 'assume'. Just because someone scores a certain way on this self assessment tool, does not automatically imply these assumptions. There are a host of problems associated with self assessment, in addition to the fact that these scores could be perfectly valid, yet miss the actual Dominant and Auxiliary functions. But, I digress.
From Myers' model, many others have expanded the definition of type. Theorists like Beebe, Barrens, Thomson, and others have gone so far as to assign each function a role in one's psyche based on which type that person identifies most with. For example, in Beebe's model an INFJ prefers their functions in the following order Ni, Fe, Ti, Se, Ne, Fi, Te, and Si. Ni is Dominant, Fe is Auxiliary, Ti is Tertiary, and Se is Inferior. The other functions are assumed to be 'shadow functions' that perform inverse roles to the 'primary functions'. Interestingly, this model is highly specific for a theory that is based on self assessment, and up until the point the model was created it had no concrete scientific data to back it up. It was also based on a self assessment test by two people who didn't even have psychology degrees, based on the statements of a man who did not believe that the human mind follows any form of type model. In fact, quite the opposite. Jung believed that aside from the Dominant and Auxiliary functions, all other functions were Inferior functions. Most interestingly, Jung believed that the Dominant and Auxiliary functions were not always used, but simply used most often and most reflexively. Jung also believed that these preferences could change as a person grows, develops, and adapts.
And then came the Nardi Study, where a statistician at a University recorded the cerebral activity levels of varying subjects of people who self identify and self asses as various personality types. The findings quickly associated patterns of activity in the cerebral cortex with specific Dominant cognitive functions. Each of the 8 cognitive functions has a rather distinct set of areas in which they are most and least active, as well as how those areas interact with one another. This isn't to say that these patterns are identical from person to person, but rather that their signature is distinct. From there, a sub pattern is usually discernible as an Auxiliary function, but only as variations on the Dominant pattern not necessarily as miniature versions of another pattern. These sub patterns show a greater degree of variation. However, from this point, each of the subjects diverged into their own unique signatures. Just as Jung postulated almost a century ago, with no scientific measurements, the Nardi study seems to prove that each person has a Dominant and Auxiliary function, with all the rest being Inferior, and each function being used situationally.
According to the Nardi study, Ni is very similar to a pre-sleep state in which the mind operates in all areas at moderate levels of activity, rather than in specific areas at higher levels of activity. Everyone has the ability to enter into this 'zen state', but some do so more often and more reflexively than others. For people who self identified as INTJ or INFJ, this was more frequent than with those who self identified as other types, but by no means constant. INFJ preference subjects overall exhibited greater degrees of activity in the right and rear portions of the brain, but this does not mean they didn't also use other parts of their cerebral geography when appropriate. The visual and predictive centers, as well as the social centers were commonly used, even in activities that would not normally require them. Outside of this pattern, each of the INFJs had their own areas of activity, often related to skills they had developed. For example, an INFJ that was a life long martial artist had more activity in spatial processing regions, while a mathematician had greater activity in numerical processing regions. One could assume that these are manifestations of Se or Ti respectively, but these are not necessarily indicative of how Ti or Se Dominant minds operate, but instead are areas that are commonly used. The most interesting thing to note was that the degree to which the subjects that identified as INFJ entered and stayed in the Ni dream state varied from subject to subject, as well as the sorts of activities that triggered this state. In other words, there was no set way in which the Ni Dominant mind operated, other than it entered the Ni state more often than other minds.
For those of you who don't know how the cerebral cortex operates, try to imagine it like the hard drive for a computer. Imagine each area is a separate folder, containing similar files. In neurotypical people, the mind stores entire files (memories) in associated folders, and records them from start to finish. When accessing those memories, the cerebral cortex stimulates other memories in that region, creating an associative effect. For example, if you store your math memories in the math section of the brain and you think about math, you're likely to slowly remember other math principles the more you access the specific memory you're looking for.
However, because of the way the Ni Dominant mind operates, it is most likely that instead of storing any given memory in one area, it breaks that memory in component parts and stores the parts in related folders. Think of it like how torrents break a file into a bunch of tiny chunks to move them, then repairs them once they are accessed. This requires extra effort from the cingulate gyrus (the mental switchboard), but creates a situation where a person is accessing memories in many areas, and is therefore able to associate each of those memories with much more specific memories - and 'subconsciously' detect patterns that neurotypicals otherwise miss.
So what IS an INFJ exactly?
It is a person who commonly enters the Ni zen state, and has more development on the right, rear and social areas of the brain than not. It is also someone who self identifies as INFJ, either through self assessment or self discovery, as well as someone who has a clear N preference, but also prefers F. However, this creates a very broad spectrum of mental configurations and capacities. Varying degrees of social activity, energy levels, and performance in a host of different areas. While the number of people who can fit into this category are rather small, the category itself is actually rather broad. Some are extremely withdrawn or shy due to greater activity in the 'introverted' areas of the brain, personal experiences, or otherwise. Some are rather outgoing due to greater activity in the 'extroverted' areas of the brain, personal experiences, strong libido (in the classic sense) or otherwise. Some are very passive and reactive, while others are very assertive and active. What makes all of these people INFJs is the fact that their mental configuration falls within the spectrum of how the minds of those who self assess as INFJ operate.
However, her theories were based on the work of Carl Jung, who theorized that there are 8 different ways in which the human mind processes and analyzes information. While Jung never actually created personality types (which implies he didn't believe in such a thing, or else he would have), he did postulate that each of us has a Dominant function that we use most often and an Auxiliary function that we use most often to support it. Jung believed that any combination of functions were possible as Dominant and Auxiliary, but that they were most often paired as one rational and irrational function. (He considered himself to be a Ti Dominant and Ni Auxiliary user - which has caused an endless debate about his actual type since the man who pioneered all of this doesn't fit into the models that followed.)
Based upon the model that Jung created, Myers (and Briggs) created a typology test that makes the assumption of determining those cognitive function preferences from a series of self assessment questions based on discerning axis preferences. The assumption is that if a person scores both Introverted and Judging preferences, their Dominant function is their Perceiving and Introverted function, while their Auxiliary function is their Judging and Extroverted function. For example, if a person scored INFJ, it is assumed that their Dominant function is Ni and their Auxiliary function is Fe (even though Jung never claimed that functions must pair like this). Notice my repeated use of 'assume'. Just because someone scores a certain way on this self assessment tool, does not automatically imply these assumptions. There are a host of problems associated with self assessment, in addition to the fact that these scores could be perfectly valid, yet miss the actual Dominant and Auxiliary functions. But, I digress.
From Myers' model, many others have expanded the definition of type. Theorists like Beebe, Barrens, Thomson, and others have gone so far as to assign each function a role in one's psyche based on which type that person identifies most with. For example, in Beebe's model an INFJ prefers their functions in the following order Ni, Fe, Ti, Se, Ne, Fi, Te, and Si. Ni is Dominant, Fe is Auxiliary, Ti is Tertiary, and Se is Inferior. The other functions are assumed to be 'shadow functions' that perform inverse roles to the 'primary functions'. Interestingly, this model is highly specific for a theory that is based on self assessment, and up until the point the model was created it had no concrete scientific data to back it up. It was also based on a self assessment test by two people who didn't even have psychology degrees, based on the statements of a man who did not believe that the human mind follows any form of type model. In fact, quite the opposite. Jung believed that aside from the Dominant and Auxiliary functions, all other functions were Inferior functions. Most interestingly, Jung believed that the Dominant and Auxiliary functions were not always used, but simply used most often and most reflexively. Jung also believed that these preferences could change as a person grows, develops, and adapts.
And then came the Nardi Study, where a statistician at a University recorded the cerebral activity levels of varying subjects of people who self identify and self asses as various personality types. The findings quickly associated patterns of activity in the cerebral cortex with specific Dominant cognitive functions. Each of the 8 cognitive functions has a rather distinct set of areas in which they are most and least active, as well as how those areas interact with one another. This isn't to say that these patterns are identical from person to person, but rather that their signature is distinct. From there, a sub pattern is usually discernible as an Auxiliary function, but only as variations on the Dominant pattern not necessarily as miniature versions of another pattern. These sub patterns show a greater degree of variation. However, from this point, each of the subjects diverged into their own unique signatures. Just as Jung postulated almost a century ago, with no scientific measurements, the Nardi study seems to prove that each person has a Dominant and Auxiliary function, with all the rest being Inferior, and each function being used situationally.
According to the Nardi study, Ni is very similar to a pre-sleep state in which the mind operates in all areas at moderate levels of activity, rather than in specific areas at higher levels of activity. Everyone has the ability to enter into this 'zen state', but some do so more often and more reflexively than others. For people who self identified as INTJ or INFJ, this was more frequent than with those who self identified as other types, but by no means constant. INFJ preference subjects overall exhibited greater degrees of activity in the right and rear portions of the brain, but this does not mean they didn't also use other parts of their cerebral geography when appropriate. The visual and predictive centers, as well as the social centers were commonly used, even in activities that would not normally require them. Outside of this pattern, each of the INFJs had their own areas of activity, often related to skills they had developed. For example, an INFJ that was a life long martial artist had more activity in spatial processing regions, while a mathematician had greater activity in numerical processing regions. One could assume that these are manifestations of Se or Ti respectively, but these are not necessarily indicative of how Ti or Se Dominant minds operate, but instead are areas that are commonly used. The most interesting thing to note was that the degree to which the subjects that identified as INFJ entered and stayed in the Ni dream state varied from subject to subject, as well as the sorts of activities that triggered this state. In other words, there was no set way in which the Ni Dominant mind operated, other than it entered the Ni state more often than other minds.
For those of you who don't know how the cerebral cortex operates, try to imagine it like the hard drive for a computer. Imagine each area is a separate folder, containing similar files. In neurotypical people, the mind stores entire files (memories) in associated folders, and records them from start to finish. When accessing those memories, the cerebral cortex stimulates other memories in that region, creating an associative effect. For example, if you store your math memories in the math section of the brain and you think about math, you're likely to slowly remember other math principles the more you access the specific memory you're looking for.
However, because of the way the Ni Dominant mind operates, it is most likely that instead of storing any given memory in one area, it breaks that memory in component parts and stores the parts in related folders. Think of it like how torrents break a file into a bunch of tiny chunks to move them, then repairs them once they are accessed. This requires extra effort from the cingulate gyrus (the mental switchboard), but creates a situation where a person is accessing memories in many areas, and is therefore able to associate each of those memories with much more specific memories - and 'subconsciously' detect patterns that neurotypicals otherwise miss.
So what IS an INFJ exactly?
It is a person who commonly enters the Ni zen state, and has more development on the right, rear and social areas of the brain than not. It is also someone who self identifies as INFJ, either through self assessment or self discovery, as well as someone who has a clear N preference, but also prefers F. However, this creates a very broad spectrum of mental configurations and capacities. Varying degrees of social activity, energy levels, and performance in a host of different areas. While the number of people who can fit into this category are rather small, the category itself is actually rather broad. Some are extremely withdrawn or shy due to greater activity in the 'introverted' areas of the brain, personal experiences, or otherwise. Some are rather outgoing due to greater activity in the 'extroverted' areas of the brain, personal experiences, strong libido (in the classic sense) or otherwise. Some are very passive and reactive, while others are very assertive and active. What makes all of these people INFJs is the fact that their mental configuration falls within the spectrum of how the minds of those who self assess as INFJ operate.
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