Each MBTI type features a positive and negative side of its expression. When it comes to the INFJ, this darker side can seem especially unsettling for loved ones accustomed to their gentle and compassionate nature. Here is a list of aspects about the INFJ dark side. Continue reading
“Oasis” by iNeedChemicalX
INFJs have a number of great qualities and strengths including their creativity, compassion, interpersonal insight and selfless devotion. But as with the other personality types, INFJs also carry a number of weaknesses and things that hold them back or compromise their self interests. Here is a list of the 7 major weaknesses of the INFJ personality type. Continue reading
For INFJs, the ideal career is one that empowers them to take excellent care of their family and spend plenty of time with them but also gives them a meaningful purpose in the context of society. They would like to be doing something that makes a difference and serves to ease some of the suffering in the world.
INFJs are less motivated by status and glory and more by purpose and mission. INFJs are great team members, but would seek to work for themselves so they do not have to compromise or subordinate their values and principles to the auspices of bureaucratic policies. Here is a look at some INFJ career matches that happen to pay well.
Although teachers in some areas don’t get payed as much as many people believe they should, high school teachers get payed pretty well typically. Being a great teacher requires a knack for clear communication and being able to inspire and engage their students. Teachers also play a counseling and mentorship role to their students which is something the INFJ is well suited for.
INFJs, with their capacity to relate to others and identify with what they are experiencing is a valuable trait in a school teacher who may sometimes have to contend with hard to reach students that just need a little extra support from a person who cares. Obtaining tenure would be great as INFJs value job security highly plus teaching offers a variety of tasks to perform and a highly structured environment which are things INFJs have cited as among the most important characteristics of a work environment for them.
As a dietitian or nutritionist, INFJs get to advise people and coach them in leading a healthy lifestyle. Dietitians specialize in devising an eating plan that facilitates a desired goal such as weight loss, managing an illness or just improving overall health and vitality. They can show people how to eat properly even when their budget is tighter than a pair of biker shorts.
Many nutritionists and dietitians are employed by hospitals as part of supporting staff. INFJs enjoy work that allows them to help people in a personal and meaningful way and this career is likely to provide that. Plus it offers exceptional schedule flexibility which is a great feature for INFJs who don’t want careers that rob them of adequate quality time with their family. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 14% growth from 2016 to 2026 in this field.
A career as a criminologist is likely to appeal to an INFJ because it allows them to fight crime intellectually through research and psychological analysis. The field of criminology is part of the social sciences and involves the gathering of statistics and discerning of patterns in criminal activity and behavior for the purpose of combating it.
Criminologists seek to find ways of preventing criminal behavior and reducing recidivism. Criminologists get to interview criminals to better understand their motives and mindset. They work with law officials and community officials in the development of better policies and to ensure the fair and humane treatment of felons under rule of law. INFJs may find this career to be interesting as it puts them in a rare and privileged position to learn and potentially find ways to reduce criminality and improve society as a whole.
A career as a critic would be a dream job for most people. Whether it’s film, art or food, we all partake and give our opinions freely and so the idea that someone could get payed for it seems absurd. Critics are trained to review finished works and provide a thoughtful analysis. A great film critic is someone who ought to be a true fan of the art with a special appreciation for film theory and typically has a bachelor’s degree in cinematography or journalism.
INFJs enjoy sharing their thoughts and impressions about what they see. With their Ni, they are bound to pick up a lot of interesting and insightful observations about a film’s meaning and message. They would likely excel at interpreting the significance behind events and patterns within a cinematic story that might not be noticed by most viewers.
As psychologists, INFJs get to flex their natural psychoanalytical muscles in the facilitation of other people’s emotional development. Empathy is probably an indispensable tool for doing a psychologist’s work and INFJs are bonafide empaths who naturally observe and analyze human behavior.
The insight and instincts they develop about people puts INFJ in a better position than most for understanding what makes people tick and how to help them. This career comes with an above average level of stress but excellent flexibility with regards to work schedule and work/life balance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 9% growth in the fieled of psychology from 2016 to 2026 which is above average compared to other fields.
The INFJ personality has been dubbed “the advocate” and as a Human Resources manager or specialist, they can advocate on behalf of employees and facilitate a healthy and productive work environment. HR professionals are employed in almost every industry from government to private companies. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 9% increase in HR jobs from 2016 – 2026 which is about average in comparison with other fields. The highest earning 10% of people working as an Human Resources Professional earn as much as $193,550 annually.
HR People serve as the nexus between an organization’s executive management and it’s employees. They coordinate, oversee and conduct administrative functions such as hiring staff, advising staff, counseling staff and training staff. The diplomacy and tact which which INFJs communicate is a valuable asset to the Human Resource specialist. INFJs are generally very compassionate and will likely make a strong effort to be responsive to the needs of staff, uphold what is fair, and be respectful of everyone’s feelings. As such, the INFJ is well suited for the steward-like role that Human Resource professionals perform.
If you’ve heard about the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, chances are you have dived into this complex personality test to figure out where you stand. According to the test, there are sixteen personality types, with INFJ being the rarest of them all.
Do you fall into the 2% who relate to this personality type?
If so, you might want some INFJ career advice to ensure you don’t waste time with careers that don’t work for your personality.
But before we can figure out what careers to avoid, we have to understand what INFJs are all about.
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ccording to psychologist David Keirsey, INFJ and ENTP are highly compatible in both a romantic relationship and friendship despite their differences function-wise. INFJ is an introvert/feeler who prefers structure, while ENTP is an extravert/thinker who prefers adaptability. It is their mutual preference for intuition (albeit of opposite attitudes) that Keirsey estimates to be the string that ties the knot especially in the case of an INFJ ENTP marriage.
Because of their shared “N”, the INFJ ENTP couple is considered to be ideal for love and friendship. Keirsey believed that types who share the same perceiving preference whether introverted or extraverted, are bound to get along well due to the good communication and understanding this fosters in the relationship. Idealists and rationals get along best with other idealists and rationals and guardians and artisans get along best with other guardians and artisans.
Despite what type theories might suggest, I believe just about any pair of MBTI personalities have a fighting chance at forming a happy relationship. INTJs for example, are supposedly least compatible with Artisans (SPs) and Guardians (SJs) but a self proclaimed INTJ Youtuber named Ben has testified to being happily married to an ISFJ. Romantic chemistry and compatibility is a person-to-person matter and so the MBTI hopefully will not prevent individuals from keeping an open mind. Still, type theory can be a helpful tool in pointing us to the personality types with the most positive prospects.
The INFJ INTP romance could be one such pairing that holds promise. Do INFJ and INTP get along? By David Keirsey’s estimation, sure. Keirsey, author of “Please Understand Me
Whether it is an INFJ female with INTP male, or INFJ male with INTP female (or whatever way you wanna match it), here is a look at 5 aspects of the INFJ-INTP relationship that might answer the question: Why is INFJ and INTP the golden pair?
INFJs being the shrewd judges of character they are, will likely admire the INTP’s noble qualities such as their intellectual integrity, their unrelenting quest for truth and their honesty. Despite their overall candor, INTPs tend to be rather polite and tactful in how they express themselves. Although their inferior Fe makes them something of a social misfit, it still allows them to appreciate some measure of social etiquette in the service of avoiding unnecessary discord with others. INTPs will likely develop principles that govern the way they engage with people – a “rules of engagement” so to speak. It is likely that at some point early in their lives INTPs may have worked out coping mechanisms to deal with people in ways that make sense to them while still being true to themselves. These principles will undoubtedly be predicated on fairness and objectivity and may be something INFJ notices and appreciates.
Although, INFJs are more disposed to following more structured lifestyles than the INTP, they nonetheless share with them, a taste for the night life. As introverted intuitive types, both the INTP and INFJ will likely agree that night time just makes everything better. When dusk falls, the INFJ and INTP pair will enjoy staying up doing what they like to do together like watching movies, gaming and having deep conversations about things they find interesting. Their creative juices are likely to be most active during the evening hours where they are bound to get up to all kinds of introverted fun around the time when early bird-inclined personalities (like maybe ISFJ for example) begin to peter out.
Talking about their ideas is something INTPs like to do because the exercise of finding the right words to clearly articulate their message out loud helps reinforce the clarity of it in their own minds as well as help them discover any flaws or holes in their thinking. INFJs are good conversation partners for INTP because they are excellent listeners and one of the types whose eyes won’t glaze over when INTP goes into their involuted and sometimes hard-to-follow streams of thought.
INTP likes to jump around connecting one idea with another and then suddenly in a leap of intuition, veers off into what appears to be a non-sequitur to the person listening but actually follows a meaningful connection the INTP may have to explain. INFJ is great because they will entertain the topics that INTP broaches and follow it to it’s natural conclusion without trying to change the subject. Because of their shared “N”, they have the potential for playing off each other nicely in conversation with a good back-and-forth rapport that feels natural and easy.
INTP’s trouble with intimacy stems from their persistent fear of rejection. They are painfully aware of their awkwardness in this arena and often shy away from opportunities to give or receive affection if they feel pressure. INFJ is able to put INTPs at ease with their calm soothing manner of speaking and sympathetic ear. They make INTP feel protected and understood. INFJ’s have Ti as their auxiliary function and this allows them to share a desire to understand rather than judge or condemn aspects of INTP that may baffle or annoy them.
INFJ-INTP dating may initially face certain problems or challenges until INTP can lower their guard and give INFJ the intimacy they desire. Deep down INTP wants to express that part of themselves because beneath their reserved demeanor lay intense emotions that they try to keep under rational control. It is worth noting that in a Thoughtcatalog love language survey, INFJs and INTPs reported the same love language preferences on average with physical affection ranking as the 3rd most popular love language of these two types.
INFJ INTP Love Languages – Thoughtcatalog.com
INTP absent-mindedness and social gaffes can be a source of comedy in itself, but INTPs also tend to have a smart and clever sense of humor that often involves punny quips and well placed one-liners. They can be intentionally funny and their sense of humor promises to be unusual and irreverent. INTPs observe a great deal of behavior in others that they regard as absurd. They are good at mocking the things that vex them and poking holes in it, exposing the ridiculousness with satirical and sarcastic hyperbole (a la Larry David).
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[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he INTJ INFJ combination is one that looks good on paper mainly because of the shared intuition preference, specifically that of dominant introverted intuition. David Keirsey, author of “Please Understand Me” posited that types who share the same perceiving preference (“N” or “S” regardless of their introverted/extraverted attitude) are more likely to get along well. This he believed was because it allowed for better communication and understanding between one another. Rationals (NTs) therefore tend to get on best with other Rationals and Idealists (NFs), while Artisans (SPs) and Guardians (SJs) tend to pair best with each other.
On the question of compatibility between Myers Briggs types, it is generally accepted that in matters of romance and friendship, idealists pair best with other idealists. This notion is supported by a study published in the book “Just Your Type” by Tieger and Barron-Tieger (2000). Idealists in the sample reported a higher satisfaction rating with other idealists than with any other temperament group. Continue reading
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ccording to David Keirsey, author of “Please Understand Me”, Rationals and Idealists get along well due to their shared preference for intuition. A mutual perceiving preference was by Keirsey’s estimation, the crux of a beautiful relationship supposedly because it fosters better understanding and communication. As it turns out, Idealists pair best with other idealists. Tieger and Baron-Tieger (2000) found that Idealist/idealist relationships report a satisfaction rating of 73%. This is the second highest satisfaction rating in the study exceeded only by the Guardian/Guardian relationship which flaunts a 79% satisfaction rate. Continue reading
Getting into a relationship with an INFJ can be challenging. INFJ people are very shrewd and they put careful thought and consideration into personal decisions including who they associate with and open themselves up to. This extends into matters of dating and the process of partner selection where they put their sensitive hearts and emotional well-being on the line. Continue reading
[dropcap]E[/dropcap]veryone has a zodiac sign and you likely knew what yours was long before you ever discovered the Myers Briggs. Some people don’t completely identify with their star sign personality traits but everybody is generally on board with the descriptions about their MBTI type. You can check out this poll surveying people’s zodiac signs and MBTI types. This is understandable since your zodiac sign is determined by your date of birth (something you had no control over) whereas your Myers Briggs type is determined by your self-determined preferences. There is little to no science supporting a cosmic influence on one’s personality except for a few studies showing that people with certain mental disorders such as schizophrenia tend to be born in winter months (especially February). Personally, I don’t take astrology seriously but I do take an interest in it. I’ve noticed that there are many MBTI snobs who are staunchly against it and there are some “astrology people” who similarly view the MBTI as bogus and flawed. I imagine that most people fall somewhere in the middle with an interest in one and a mild indifference for the other. For the INFJ types out there, here are interpretations of 12 different versions of the INFJ personality based on the 12 zodiac star signs.
how infjs show love – signs INFJ likes you – image via pixabay
INFJs are sociable introverts with a capacity to develop a wide variety of friendships with many types of people. What they truly desire however are deep, meaningful connections with people and these types of relationships are few and far between. INFJs are very selective in who they open themselves up to and when they’ve chosen to do so, it is because they’ve found someone truly special to them.
We all express love in our own special way but there is a idea that there are 5 types of love expression:
In a survey posted on Thought Catalog, “quality time” was cited as the most popular ‘love language’ voted by INFJs followed by “words of affirmation” and “physical touch”. Here is rundown of the ways in which INFJ show affection and signs that they like or are in love with you.
INFJs are normally reserved around most people but become more “handsy” with people they like. When they like someone they will look for ways to make physical contact in playful ways such as poking or casually smushing themselves uncomfortably close to them. They will want to invade the personal space of the person they like to feel closer to them. They tend to have trouble initiating though, and will likely test the waters first before they feel comfortable enough to do this. For them, hugs, cuddling and hand holding are very important expressions of INFJ physical affection and when they fancy someone they will try to get very cozy.
INFJs while fairly social, still are very selective about how they spend their time and who they spend it with. If you find an INFJ voluntarily spending a considerable amount of time with you that could’ve otherwise been spent elsewhere, (particularly by themselves) it is a good sign that they probably dig you. INFJs show love by spending quality time as an important part of their relationships and they will use that time to get to know everything about a special someone including all their interests and dreams. If they clear their schedules to hang out with you then chances are they really like ya.
When an INFJ has decided they like someone, it’s as though that person can do or say no wrong (almost). Any joke no matter how corny or lame will be rewarded with amusement from the INFJ. They listen intently and give their undivided attention. This benevolence INFJs show for people they like extends to their tendency to believe the best in their partner even when it is against their better judgment. They are the least likely personality type to give up on relationships and will try to salvage them for much longer than is advisable. When they like someone, the power of their love compels them to act in ways that defy reason.
INFJs like to help people in general but for someone special, they will go an extra step. When they like someone they will take it upon themselves to do thoughtful things like bake desserts, clean, and help with errands. If they like you, they want to take care of you.
When they receive a text from their VIP, INFJs will be eager to reply and will apologize for any delay in doing so. They don’t want that person to think they were ignoring their message or blowing them off in any way. Furthermore, the INFJ will be inspired to write lengthy texts and maybe wax poetic. They will have much more to say than normal and will likely be self-aware over the implications of their long-winded texts. They only do this when they are thrilled to communicate with someone and they will be flowing with feelings they want to express.
Another example how INFJs show love is by being protective. At the slightest provocation, INFJs rally to the defense of someone they care for. They will fight for them or seek vengeance on their behalf in the name of justice. They can be self-sacrificing and hyper-vigilant, valiantly guarding against random mishaps and predatory romantic rivals.
When an INFJ likes you, you will gain special access to the private world only they and few others get to see. You will know they like you if they share their art, music and personal writings. Doing so shows their willingness to subject themselves to your appraisal and the potential of rejection or disapproval which they don’t take lightly. The latter of course would be devastating for them but should they receive the acknowledgement that they hope for, they will feel deeply accepted and a sense of connection with that person.
There are some people who cannot decide if they are INFJ or INTJ. I have come across people who have succumbed to typing themselves as INxJ, a hybrid that cannot exist according to cognitive function theory. If you are one of those people, it is likely that you believe your T and F are very close to each other or that they are balanced. But as I have mentioned in a previous post, the MBTI is not a trait theory and does not measure preferences quantitatively. I will compare the two types and show key differences between the two to help you decide. Continue reading
