I love my personality tests like I love my Baja Blast Mt. Dew. Only yesterday I spent a good hour discovering what Disney princess best suits my personality (apparently Belle, Mulan, and Ariel). Of course, I really should have spent that time studying, but almost all college students would rather take ridiculously cheesy personality tests with no bearing on their lives than study for an actual quiz which could actually decide their futures. I consider Hermione Granger the only real exception.
Yet, despite the public’s mutual love for personality tests, most of us take these tests and don’t think twice about it. That’s true until you took the Myers Briggs Personality Test. You probably expected a rather generic result based off of the color of your toothbrush or the first letter of your name. Instead, you received a four-letter acronym; and, considering the title of this blog post, they most likely read INFJ. After you read the INFJ description, you probably realized that, despite all the fun but admittedly phony personality tests out there, you stumbled across one that actually described you perfectly.
INFJ: The Very Basic Overview
INFJ stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging, and the chart at the top of the next page offers a brief explanation on the break-down of these letters.
For more information on the basics of the Myers Briggs personality types, try accessing 16 personalities or Truity. Both of these sites provide basic analysis of all the Myers Briggs results if you feel confused. If not, keep both hands and feet in the kart at all times and prepare yourself for a bumpy ride as we explore the life of an INFJ!
INFJs: The Good
First off, welcome to less than two percent of the population. Of the sixteen Myers Briggs personality types, the INFJ is the rarest. So, yes, that kind of makes you special. You may ask, what makes us so different?
INFJs sometimes act more like extroverts than introverts. So, yes, we INFJs go out and party with the best of them, often causing others to see us INFJs as extroverts. Then we retreat to our homes and hibernate for about a week by binging on Netflix, Nutella, and kittens. Regardless, our more extroverted abilities allow us INFJS to enjoy conversation and often makes us good public speakers (although we most likely hate every moment of it).
INFJs utilize both idealism and rationalism. We INFJs dream a dream and wish upon a star, but then we trust ourselves and get to work like rabid squirrels. Our dedication and passion may frighten some people because once we make a goal we will do almost anything to accomplish it. While we INFJs look for the best in people, we also expect the worst in most situations, which might explain why at night I always check my car twice for murderers and then drive home as if auditioning for NASCAR.
INFJs also demonstrate great insight and perceptiveness. We INFJs just know things and we understand people, but we would probably fail miserably as detectives. Unlike Sherlock and Shawn Spencer, we INFJs often miss our surroundings and the details because we focus so much energy internally. Despite this, we INFJs understand people, but sometimes we have to tone down our insights so we don’t scare them to death. Also, just because we INFJs tend to understand people doesn’t make us Jedi or anything (if only). No, most INFJs cannot read minds or convince people that “these are not the droids you are looking for.”
INFJ: The Bad
So, yes, INFJs sound pretty awesome if I do say so myself; but, like every Myers Briggs personality type, INFJs have their drawbacks.
As the rarest type, we INFJs often feel misunderstood, and we yearn for other individuals who understand us on the same level we understand them. However, like most introverts, INFJs only require a few close friends to feel included and loved. While Shawn Spencer and Gus Burton possess completely different personalities, they stay the truest of friends, which INFJs should remember.
INFJs also struggle with facing conflict, partially because we want to please others but dislike deception. I like to think of it as a cat who needs to use the bathroom while it is raining outside. We INFJs hate confrontation because it forces us to either sacrifice honesty or kindness, both of which we consider important. So, like the cat during the rainstorm, we are stuck with two hopeless alternatives.
Adding on to the last point, INFJs struggle with emotional sensitivity. INFJs possess this strange saving-the-world-and-puppies vendetta; so, naturally, we INFJs often invest ourselves emotionally even though it drains us like a Monday morning after an all-nighter. Even more, forget watching the news or sad movies unless you want a tear fest. I personally suffer from terminal sympathetic crying disease, much like Gus.
Just stay aware of your limitations and recognize that we INFJs cannot tackle every little problem that comes our way, although we will always want to try (which makes us great).
Chart courtesy of Keahey Cash and pictures courtesy of Pinterest.