If you find yourself here on Truity reading articles and dipping your toes into the wonderful world of personality theory, chances are you have at least a cursory understanding of the Myers-Briggs® personality model. I sometimes find myself reading social situations and attempting to understand others through the tenets of personality theory. I doubt I’m alone in this activity!
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.
If you’re an INFP, chances are you want a flexible life. A life of autonomy and authenticity, where you’re free to pursue your ideals in creative ways.
As a fellow INFP, to me this sounds wonderful. After finishing college, while living in a new city with no attachments, I expected to live this ideal life. My schedule was wide open and the possibilities seemed endless.
There are several languages for understanding ourselves which have evolved over time and which carry their own converts and skeptics. What follows is a translation of salient overlaps between two of those languages: astrology and the personality system created by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers. My aim is to show similarities between these two approaches to personality.
Hands up if you read this title and immediately answered, "ESTP!" I know I did. These types are renowned for being high-adrenaline risk takers who live life in the fast lane. If there is a type that's the most likely to zoom down the face of an active volcano on a plank of reinforced plywood, it's surely the ESTP.
When you're super creative and inventive, must you always be an Intuitive in the parlance of Myers and Briggs? Does seeing the big picture mean you're too abstract to survive in the real world? And if there were no Intuitives, would we really still be using stone tools?
We have separated the wheat from the chaff and identified some classic "N vs S" hogwash so you don't have to. Here are seven pesky myths about Intuition debunked.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting.... So where shall I put you?"
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
As an ENFP, being put into any kind of box is restricting and makes us feel misunderstood. Unfortunately, there are plenty of stereotypes out there about our personality type! Let’s take a look at some of the specific misconceptions the ENFP might encounter and whether or not they hold any water.
Quick personal story.
A few years ago, I met a woman at a real estate conference. (Yawn, right? Sometimes, I wonder how I survived my previous career).
Two things were remarkable about this interaction. One: the woman was an INTJ. Two: she knew she was an INTJ, which in the circles I reluctantly socialize in, is uncommonly rare.
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.
THE FINE PRINT:
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The Five Love Languages® is a registered trademark of The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, which has no affiliation with this site. You can find more information about the five love languages here.
