INFP Personality: What It Is, Functional Analysis, Weaknesses And Strengths.

The INFP personality never seems to lose their sense of wonder, one could say that they see life through pink glasses, it is as if they live on the edge of a world of glass where mundane objects come to life, where flora and fauna they acquire almost human qualities.

INFP children often display this in the “Calvin and Hobbes” way, moving from reality to fantasy and back again, with few exceptions, he is the one who easily develops imaginary playmates (as with Anne’s “library girlfriend”). of Green Gables, his own reflection) and whose stuffed animals come to life as the velvet rabbit and the fur horse.

What is the INFP personality?

INFPs are imaginative idealists, guided by their own values ​​and beliefs. For a healer, the possibilities are paramount; the realism of the moment is only of passing interest, they see potential for a better future and seek truth and meaning in their own individual style.

They are sensitive, understanding and compassionate, and are deeply concerned about the personal growth of themselves and others. INFPs, individualistic and non-judgmental, believe that each person should find their own way, they like to spend time exploring their own ideas and values, and are gently encouraging others to do the same, they are creative and often artistic; they like to find new outlets for self-expression.

INFPs may initially seem cool, as they reserve their truest thoughts and feelings for people they know well. They are thoughtful and often spiritual, and are often interested in having meaningful conversations about values, ethics, people, and personal growth. Typically curious and open-minded, the Healer continually seeks a deeper understanding of themselves and the people around them, they are passionate about their ideals, but also private; few people understand the depth of the INFP’s commitment to their beliefs.

They are sensitive and empathetic, engaging in a lifelong search for meaning and authenticity, the mundane aspects of life are of less interest to this guy, and they are more excited by interesting ideas than practical facts. They generally accept others without question, and may have a special interest in unconventional viewpoints or alternative lifestyles, they often have a special affection for the arts, especially the avant-garde, as they love to experiment with new concepts. in self-expression.

INFP Functional Personality Analysis

Introverted feeling

INFPs live mainly in a rich internal world of introverted feeling, turning inward, the natural attraction is away from the world and towards the essence and the ideal, this introversion of the dominant feeling, receiving its data from extraverted intuition, should be the source of the quixotic nature of these generally gentle beings.

The feeling gets caught up in focus: the avoidance link between concern for both people and all creatures large and small, and a psycho-magnetic repulsion of them. The “object,” be it homo sapiens or a mere representation of an organism, is valued only to the extent that the object contains some measure of the inner essence or the greater good. Doing a good deed, for example, can provide an intrinsic satisfaction that is only secondary to the greater good of striking a blow against the inhumanity of man towards humanity.

Extraverted intuition

Extraverted intuition looks outward, greeting the world in the name of feeling, what the observer generally sees is creativity with implicit goodwill. Intuition generates the philosophical inclination of this type and strengthens the perception of the pattern, combines as an auxiliary with introverted feeling and gives rise to unusual abilities in character development and fluency with language , a solid foundation for the development of literary installations. If INTPs aspire to word mechanics, INFPs would be verbal artists.

Introverted detection

Perception is introverted and often invisible, this stealth function in third position gives INFPs a natural inclination towards distraction and worldliness, however, people’s strong awareness of feelings provides a compensating effect and extenuating. This introverted perception is somewhat categorical. In the third position, however, it is easily overridden by the stronger functions.

Extraverted thinking

The INFP may turn to lower extraverted thinking for help in focusing on external aspects and for closure, they may even masquerade in their ESTJ suit, but not without expending considerable energy. The inferior and problematic nature of extraverted thinking is its lack of context and proportion, unique impersonal facts can occupy an important place or take higher priority than the more salient principles that are almost overlooked.

INFP personality strengths

Idealista

INFP’s friends and loved ones will come to admire and depend on them for their optimism, their unshakable belief that all people are inherently good, perhaps simply misunderstood, lends itself to an incredibly resilient attitude in the face of difficulties.

Seek and value harmony

People with the INFP personality type have no interest in having power over others, and they do not care too much about dominant attitudes, prefer a more democratic approach, and work hard to ensure that every voice and perspective is heard.

Open minded and flexible

A “live and let live” attitude comes naturally to INFPs, and they don’t like to be restricted by rules, they also give the benefit of the doubt, and as long as their principles and ideas are not questioned, they will support the rights of others. to do what they think is right.

Very creative

INFPs combine their intuitive nature with their open mind to allow them to see things from unconventional perspectives by being able to connect many remote dots on a single topic, it is no wonder that many INFPs are famous poets and authors.

Passionate and energetic

When something captures the INFPs imagination and responds to their beliefs, everyone gets involved, dedicating their time, energy, thoughts and emotions to the project, their shyness keeps them off the podium, but they are the first to help when needed.

Dedicated and hardworking

While others who focus on the challenges of the moment may give up when the going gets tough, INFPs (especially assertive ones) have the benefit of their long-range vision to help them get through. Knowing that what they are doing is meaningful gives people with this personality type a sense of purpose and even courage when it comes to achieving something they believe in.

INFP personality weaknesses

Too idealistic

INFPs often take their idealism too far, setting themselves up for disappointment as evil things happen in the world over and over again. This is also true on a personal level, as INFPs can not only idealize their partners, but also idolize them, forgetting that no one is perfect.

Too altruistic

INFPs sometimes see themselves as selfish, but just because they want to give so much more than they can, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as they try to push themselves to commit to a chosen cause or person, forgetting to care. of the needs of others in their lives, and especially of themselves.

Impractical

When something captures the INFPs imagination, they may neglect practical matters like daily maintenance and simple pleasures, sometimes people with the INFP personality type will take this asceticism to the point of neglecting eating and drinking while pursuing their passion or cause.

You don’t like data

INFPs often get so focused on the big picture that they forget that the forest is made of individual trees, they are in tune with emotions and morality, and when facts and data contradict their ideals, it can be a real challenge for them. .

Take things personally

INFPs often face challenges and criticisms on a personal basis, and not as an inspiration to reevaluate their positions, avoiding conflict as much as possible, INFPs will spend a great deal of time and energy trying to align their principles and criticisms. in a middle ground that satisfies everyone.

Hard to know

INFPs are private, reserved and self-conscious, this makes them notoriously difficult to really get to know, and their need for these qualities contributes to the guilt they often feel for not giving more of themselves to those they care about.

INFP personality development

Phase I (Childhood)

Phase I is characterized by the exploration and development of INFP’s dominant function, feeling introverted, Even as children, often “highly sensitive people”, sensitive to their own feelings as well as those of others, they feel restless and anxious in conflict situations, this can lead them to seek refuge only in time, finding comfort in solitary activities such as daydreaming, reading, drawing, listening to music, etc. Therefore, young people enjoy exploring their own interests, without external interruptions, and over time, they develop a unique sense of self through the exploration of their feelings and imagination.

Phase II (Adolescence – 30 years)

Phase II involves further development of your auxiliary function, as well as increased polarity and conflict between your dominant introverted feeling and your lower function, extraverted thinking.

While INFPs function as child finders, in the sense of exploring the world through their feelings and imagination, their search tendencies become more intense and explicit as they approach adulthood, this is due to less to some extent, to concerns about adulthood, which makes them think more seriously about the trajectory of their lives.

Extraverted intuition is the INFP’s preferred extravert function and one of the main tools they use to explore the outside world, these explorations can include things like foraying into countercultures, experimenting with drugs, starting their own gang, traveling abroad, joining the Corps. of Peace, etc. Through these experiences, they hope to get a better idea of ​​who they are and where they might fit in and by this process of world exploration (which is the same, if not more, about self-exploration), many INFPs will modify or depart from the points of view. religious and political with whom they were raised.

The liberal and exploratory ways are controlled and countered by the introverted tertiary sensibilities and lower extraverted thinking of INFPs, urging them to “be responsible” and follow a more traditional path. INFPs who heed this suggestion will function more conventionally (eg, finish their degree, get a job, get married, etc.) and may appear less seeker. However, they may be more open to an identity crisis in mid-life if they conclude that the path they chose was not their own.

Perhaps most commonly, Phase II INFPs sit bouncing between unconventional and conventional paths, while trying to discern what works best for them. While other types must also find a way to reconcile opposing forces within themselves, INFPs (along with INTPs) tend to be more aware that they are on a journey of self-discovery and self-development.

Phase III (30 years – 40 years and over)

Phase III represents the well-integrated personality, according to Elaine Schallock, integration occurs when the functional stack is used consistently in a “top down” manner, this means that functions are prioritized and best used in a dominant-auxiliary sequence. Lower-tertiary, if used consistently over time, suggests that the top-down approach will result in further development and integration of all functions.

The first and probably most important step for INFPs seeking integration is learning how to make an effective and routine transition into perception.To understand why this is so critical, we must remember that introverted feeling is not just an introverted function, but also an evaluation function (all T and F functions are evaluation functions). Therefore, balancing requires both extroversion and perception and this is precisely what extroverted intuition, as a function of extroverted perception, is.

Phase III INFPs develop a clearer sense of who they are and how to live authentically and effectively, this allows them to feel more secure, secure and grounded in themselves, as well as, if by some act of magic, in the world.

Georgia Tarrant
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Hello, how are you? My name is Georgia Tarrant, and I am a clinical psychologist. In everyday life, professional obligations seem to predominate over our personal life. It's as if work takes up more and more of the time we'd love to devote to our love life, our family, or even a moment of leisure.