INFJ
INFJs are caring folks and good listeners to boot. Kind and affirming, they make others feel safe around them and tend to have many good insights into people. INFJs have their insights emerge in the form of literature, poetry, illustrations, blog posts, etc.
Always on the hunt for meaning and symbolism, INFJs readily express themselves in metaphor and symbols. They seek to display warmth and authenticity in their creativity and day-to-day interactions.
Quite gentle and soft spoken, INFJs prefer to be out of the limelight, but will work long and hard behind the scenes to maintain harmony. They are also intensely independent—both of thought and spirit—and will be outspoken in their defense of human values, the downtrodden, and the oppressed. INFJs are so dedicated and motivated that they may devote their total being to a cause, a purpose, and sometimes a person. They may tend to idealize to their own detriment. Also, INFJs may get very involved in others’ problems.
INFJs tend not to care much about the details of a project; they prefer to map out the broad strokes and let the who-what-when-where-why-how work itself out. They do make plans and set goals, but they avoid getting into needless detail.
Do you want to learn more about your type? Register for our online course: Be Your Real INFJ Self Without Feeling Frustrated. Personality type expert, Penelope Trunk, will show you how to leverage your unique INFJ strengths to accomplish more in your life.
Characteristics
- Quietly forceful
- Concerned for others
- Puts his/her best effort into work
- Single-minded concentration
Areas of Growth
- Be objective and flexible
- Try to see beyond own values
- Communicate insights in a language understood by others
- Set priorities and stick to them
- Be open-minded and listen
Attitude
INFJs tend to manage in a predictable, orderly, and very personal fashion. They enjoy being responsible both to the organization and to the people they feel responsible for. INFJs are dedicated, serious, hard-working, and exceptionally loyal.
Energizers
- Ability to achieve closure on projects
- People who communicate directly and honestly
- An organized and predictable work environment
- Clarity in role definition and limits of responsibilities
- Full autonomy
- A flexible schedule with control over work and results
Stressors
- Repetitive details
- Ignorant, irrational, or illogical people
- Too much extroverting
- A disorganized workspace
- Lack of follow-through from coworkers
(Note: INFJs are among the most stressed out type in the categories of work, intimate relationships, and school. They are also the second-most stressed out type in the category of balancing home and work.)
To function at their best
INFJs do not take “just a job.” They prefer a cause, something they can believe in and into which they can channel their incredibly serious and earnest energy. They often take charity roles or roles that require standing up for the downtrodden or oppressed. Such roles satiate their need for meaning and provide a platform for their values.
INFJs think deeply and intensely about their actions. Everything needs to fit into their values ecosystem so that work, life, beliefs, and people are all connected to the whole. Once they buy in, they are incredibly hard workers who will assume roles and responsibilities, even in areas others might avoid, as they are true crusaders for whom the cause can be everything.
INFJs will need an outlet for their imaginative and innovative side. Whatever it is the organization does—product or service—must be important to them so they can immerse themselves in it.
Relationships
Getting emotionally close to an INFJ will be difficult, take time, and may never happen. The INFJ world is so driven by values and a complex belief system, that it is difficult for outsiders to “get in” unless invited. Even then, trust will be a process, not an event. Once given, it will be seen as something precious and can be taken back easily if the INFJ perceives someone as having transgressed one of their values.
Acutely suspicious about others’ motives, INFJs are not easily led. These are the people that you can rarely fool. Though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are selective about their friends. Such a friendship is an important bond that is not to be taken lightly. The problem is that INFJs are so complex, individualistic, and unforthcoming that the other person may not realize that some value or deeply held belief has been transgressed. He or she may be quite surprised how sharply INFJs can react and how outspoken, assertive, and stubborn they can suddenly and uncharacteristically become.
INFJ at work
INFJs are honest and trustworthy, exuding integrity and sensitivity, and have a single-mindedness that will see them plan, organize, and work tirelessly to achieve their goals. In this lofty pursuit, they may be difficult to deflect from their chosen course of action—not as with the ESTJ, from a desire to “get it done,” but from the standpoint of “it” being a worthwhile cause and having been arrived at by tortuous deliberation. Therefore, it must be right, and INFJs will always do what is right.
Because their focus is on “the bigger picture,” their primary drivers and values, and the desire to “do good,” sometimes INFJs will find that reality or factual details get in the way of their lofty ideals, serious schemes, and dreams of a better tomorrow. Facts that do not support their ideas or that get in the way of the grand scheme may be ignored in their aspirational desire to reach nirvana.
INFJs value harmony and authenticity, and they will bring an incredible work ethic and duty of care to anything they perceive as worthwhile and are unlikely to work on any projects they feel do not meet their values. They combine idealism with a structured approach and tireless work and thus can affect real, lasting change in the organizations they work in. INFJs may not be the most easily known type, but they want to support and nurture others.
Do you want to learn more about your type? Register for our online course: Be Your Real INFJ Self Without Feeling Frustrated. Personality type expert, Penelope Trunk, will show you how to leverage your unique INFJ strengths to accomplish more in your life.
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