INFJ

INFJ

General Details
Type	INFJ
Global Population	1%
Keirsey Temperament	Idealist (NF type)
Keirsey Descriptor	Counselor
Characteristics
Adaptive Traits	Imaginative
Maladaptive Traits	Over-controlling Fearful of others Perfectionistic
Cognitive Functions (Harold Grant Stack)
Dominant	Introverted Intuition (Ni)
Auxiliary	Extraverted Feeling (Fe)
Tertiary	Introverted Thinking (Ti)
Inferior	Extraverted Sensing (Se)
Shadow Functions
Opposing	Extraverted Intuition (Ne)
Critical Parent	Introverted Feeling (Fi)
Deceiving	Extraverted Thinking (Te)
Devilish	Introverted Sensing (Si)

INFJ (Introversion, Intuition, Feeling and Judging) is a personality category used in the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and similar typology systems based on Carl Jung for individuals to describe persons who self-report introversion, intuition, feeling and judging preferences. Keirsey referred to the INFJs as Counselors, one of the four types belonging to the temperament he called the Idealists.

Cognitive Stack

Dominant: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

Using their intuitive skills, INFJs develop a clear and confident vision, which they then set out to execute, aiming to better the lives of others. Like their INTJ counterparts, INFJs regard problems as opportunities to design and implement creative solutions.

Auxiliary: Extraverted Feeling (Fe)

INFJs, with reasonably developed auxiliary Fe, are conscientious and morality-driven. They seek meaning in relationships, ideas, and events, with an eye toward better understanding themselves and others. INFJs prefer one-on-one relationships to large groups. Sensitive and complex, they are adept at understanding complicated issues and driven to resolve differences in a cooperative and creative manner. INFJs are congenial in their interactions and perceptive of the emotions of others. Generally well liked by their peers, they may often be considered close friends and confidants by most other types; however, they are guarded in expressing their own feelings, especially to new people, and tend to establish close relationships slowly. INFJs may also "silently withdraw as a way of setting limits" rather than expressing their wounded feelings—a behavior that may leave others confused and upset.

Tertiary: Introverted Thinking (Ti)

INFJs are believed to adapt easily in social situations due to their complex understanding of an individual's motivations; however, they are true introverts, and as such, they need to retreat every so often. INFJs are private individuals who prefer to exercise their influence behind the scenes. INFJs are intensely interested in the well-being of others, but also wanted to be seen as independent (Fe-Ti). Despite having a rich, vivid inner life, they may be reluctant to share it with those around them due to perceived trust issues.

Inferior: Extraverted Sensation (Se)

INFJs may develop interests in cooking and exploration as a means to develop their inferior function: Extraverted Sensation (Se). However, because of its low position in the cognitive stack, use of it by INFJs tends to result in overly extreme or overly cautious behavior. INFJ trust issues or lashing out may be triggered by poor impulse control over the environment due to primitive development of the Se function. This creates a blind spot for INFJ where they did not see how their aesthetic perceptions draws people away.

Type Dynamics

Fe-Ti

INFJs may wrestle between auxiliary Fe and tertiary Ti, where because of aux. Fe, they grave social interaction and validation. However, Fe may make an INFJ suspectible of becoming easily hurt when such validation is not achieved, causing the INFJ to withdraw into meaningless logical reasoning as a means to cope with the emotions (Ti). Ti acts defensively to detach the INFJ from the social world, causing them to bury emotions under a thick blanket of logic. This, in turn, creates an Ni-Ti loop.

Ni-Ti Loop

INFJs detach from the social world using Ti and then reason using logic why their intuitions are correct and why the world is the problem, creating a harsh and detached mindset that leads to pointless reasoning. In its extreme, the INFJ internalises their problems, using Ti to blame themselves for the mess they have caused and fail to see why they have become so upset (lack of awareness of emotions). INFJs can feel a sense of pride or superiority from disconnecting from emotions because the underlying emotions cause pain that the INFJ is unable to process because of underdeveloped Fe. Ni-Ti loop provides a temporary solution to the problem that provides immediate relief (Se). In the long term, use of the Ni-Ti loop leads to emotional problems including symptoms of clinical depression.

Se Grip

Eventually, INFJs' lack of social validation creates tension between dominant Ni and inferior Se. Their inferior Se drives the INFJ to, rather unconsciously, seek out validation by appeal to aesthetics and immediate concrete results. The INFJ becomes desperate to realise their visions and sets out to make them a reality in a harsh and miscalculated manner by use of Se force. Typically, like an ESTP, the INFJ feels that they are superior to others, introjecting environmental perceptions via Se. However, unlike an ESTP, who may derive a sense of pride from their perceived good looks and muscle tone, the INFJ derives a sense of pride from the fact that they are not like that, that it is precisely why they are different is why they are cool and so attractive. INFJs in such a grip state may assign sensation to the abstract, that is, seeing how their visions are attractive or cool or how by implementing their vision, they will be well liked and physically attractive. They may also be attracted to ESTPs or like the sense of ease that ESTPs provide as Se disposes them towards the similar function as an unconscious means to promote its development. Grip behavior may also manifest as disdain for the concrete, a perceived attitude that Se is a useless function lacking meaning, that ESTP types are superficial or that the world, in general, is too sensual and gross. This, in turn, may lead to complete delusional distrust of the environment and a need to stay within their own little subjective world.

Instruments

NERIS

In the NERIS, the INFJ is known as The Advocate, in the role group Diplomats (along with the types INFP (the Mediator), ENFJ (the Protagonist), and ENFP (the Campaigner)).

References

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