About the Author
Deborah Ward is a writer and an INFJ. She has a passion for writing articles, blog posts and books that inspire, motivate and encourage people to build self-confidence and live up to their potential. She has written two books on mindfulness, Overcoming Low Self-Esteem with Mindfulness and Overcoming Fear with Mindfulness. Her latest book, Sense and Sensitivity, is based on her Psychology Today blog of the same name. It's about highly sensitive people and is out now. Deborah lives in Hampshire, England, where she enjoys watching documentaries, running and taking long walks in the country, especially ones that finish at a cosy pub.
Did you ever wonder why your last romantic relationship didn’t work out? Perhaps you’ve tried, and failed, to get someone to change. Or maybe you’re just not sure what you’re looking for. If you’ve taken the Enneagram test, you’ll already know how this useful and insightful tool can help you discover your true personality, learn about your potential for growth, understand how you react under stress and forge a clear path toward your career goals.
INFJs often feel misunderstood. Perhaps it’s because they’re quiet and reserved and tend to share their deepest thoughts and feelings only with select people. Or maybe it’s because they are so rare—personality test research shows they make up less than 1% of the population.
More likely though, it’s because they are walking, talking contradictions. As Introverts who want to help people, and feelers who love logic, they can seem confusing, even to themselves.
INFJs are sensitive, creative people with a passion for helping others and expressing their ideas. They may seem quiet and reserved on the outside, but on the inside, these complex folks are a bubbling cauldron of insights, energy and enthusiasm. But there’s one thing that can stop an INFJ from expressing their creativity and that’s stress. Stress can stop creativity in its tracks, leaving the sensitive INFJ to feel like they’ve failed, they’ve lost their talent or maybe they never really had any creativity in the first place.
INFJs are sensitive, compassionate people who care about other people’s feelings and want to make the world a better place. But they are also deep thinkers with a clear sense of logic and, often, a love of science. This combination of artistic vision and fact-based reasoning can make INFJs appear to have two distinct personalities, and can confuse even INFJs themselves, especially when it comes to making career choices.
Are you passionate about self-improvement? Are you always striving to reach your own potential, but care just as much about the personal development of everyone else? Creative, caring and curious, you will go to any length to find your purpose in life and help others find theirs. If this describes you, then you are an Idealist.
ESTJs are take-charge, confident people who live in the concrete world of facts and rules. As traditionalists, they like to make sure that everything is running like clockwork and that standards, laws and values are upheld. As a result, they often move into leadership roles where their strongly held beliefs can be put into action.
These go-getters don’t usually have any difficulty expressing themselves, especially when they feel someone is out of line. Their honest and straightforward approach ensures their desires are communicated clearly so that the job gets done properly.
Energetic, outgoing and creative, ENFP are highly social individuals who crave fun and freedom. The free-spirited go-getters of Isabel Briggs Myers' personality theory, they love coming up with new ideas and original solutions and sharing them in an enthusiastic way. Empathetic ENFPs also love connecting with others emotionally and helping them to express their feelings. Together these traits form a person who is friendly, interesting and popular with almost everyone they meet.
The INFJ personality is a complex type. We live in a world of hidden meanings and symbols and often struggle to fit in with a world that values action over contemplation. But while many INFJs feel misunderstood, we also share a love and passion for expressing ourselves creatively, most often through writing. So why do so many INFJs want to write? And how can we use the natural traits of our personality to enhance, rather than hinder, our writing ability?
ESFJs love people. They enjoy lots of social interaction, but more importantly, they want to help others. With their Extraverted personalities, genuine warmth and deep desire to be liked, they are usually popular individuals with plenty of friends. Despite their gregarious nature, they don’t always express their feelings openly, but prefer instead to express affection by tending to the practical and emotional needs of the people around them. Too often, however, ESFJs want to help too much, leading to problems in their relationships and for themselves.
Quiet but passionate, wise but childlike, creative but caring, these gentle, intuitive people are highly complex and often misunderstood individuals. But are we describing INFJs or HSPs? Or are they the same thing? Many of the characteristics of Myers and Briggs' INFJ personality type can also describe a highly sensitive person (HSP). Whether you are an INFJ, an HSP or both, it’s important to understand who you are and what you need to be happy.
THE FINE PRINT:
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