Understanding the INFJ Personality Type

What is an INFJ?

INFJ in Myers-Briggs’s MBTI system is short for introversion, intuition, feeling, and judgment. Also known as introverted-intuition-feeling-judgment type personality. As the world’s least personality type, the world average is only 2%.

The Rarity and Significance of INFJs

The INFJ personality type is derived from the ancient priest, also known as the child of the gods, who could understand the will of heaven and the conditions of the people. However, the profession of priest no longer exists in modern times so they may seem a bit out of place in this world. They possess extraordinary insight and intuition, often providing them with the ultimate answer (many times it is the deadline of an event’s development).

The Psychological Functions of INFJ

To delve deeply into the psychological functions of INFJ, we need to employ the Beebe model. For more details, please refer to MBTI to Jungian function . Next, I will explain INFJ based on this psychodynamic model.

Dominant Function: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

The dominant function Ni means superb intuition, insight, and epiphany. They are usually children with high comprehension. Perhaps what they see is that all sentient beings suffer, or that they see the destruction of the world, which is the final appearance of the development of things. This way of thinking is reflected in temperament, and it will make your eyes look empty , as if you have been drained from your soul. This is also a small trick to distinguish infj in the crowd. So the inside of infj is pessimistic and endless sadness. Their insight can instantly see the essence, which is reflected in interpersonal relationships in which you can know whether it is a good person or a bad person at a glance, and you can know a person’s background at a glance.

The dominant function Ni believes in the following words (including intj):

• No good results without a good start
• I want to see the essence of everything

This is reflected in Infj’s intimate relationship, which means that she believes in love at first sight and a lifelong life will be determined at first sight. Whether the two people have a story can be felt from the beginning. Or, someone will be her opponent in the future.

At this stage (before the age of 15), infj may be interested in occultism.

Auxiliary Function: Extraverted Feeling (Fe)

The second function fe means infj can handle interpersonal conflicts well. Their high emotional intelligence usually takes care of everyone’s feelings and strives to achieve a win-win situation. When he uses this psychological ability, he will feel confident and also use more exposed abilities. For example, infj usually says the following words in social interaction:

• It’s all the same to me
• I don’t know, maybe because it’s …, so maybe … (the actual reason may not be heard in your life)

But some of the other types of people who are also intuitive can clearly feel the compromise in their words (it seems that they have other plans in their minds). This is because the Fe of Infj is for ni, taking good care of everyone’s feelings, and for the ultimate goal in your mind (not necessarily malicious). Therefore, infj is easily reflected in social interaction, heat on the outside and cold on the inside.

The second function is a tool used to confront parenting during puberty. Infj faces his parents during puberty, he gives up arguments and chooses to compromise. They do what their parents want, not talking about their needs, nor arguing with their parents, but instead take care of their parents’ feelings. This satisfies the parents. This empathy ability can even surpass species, such as looking at the duck, feeling pitiful. Aliens are so pitiful, don’t destroy it (I am joking). During this stage of development (around 15-25), infj will appear extroverted and like to meet different people. It may be miscalculated as enfj/enfp on the mbti scale. But the temperaments of those are completely different.

Tertiary Function: Introverted Thinking (Ti)

After the age of 25, INFJs who consistently compromise for the sake of the group often find it doesn’t bring them the fulfillment they desire. Overly catering to others’ feelings in social situations can even be excessively draining.

Several factors may contribute to this shift:

• Disillusionment with humanity: A period of reflection on interpersonal relationships may lead to feelings of disappointment with people in general.

• Understanding objective realities: Gaining experience and exposure to history, philosophy, psychology, or scientific theories reveals the objective laws governing the world, including inherent human flaws that cannot be easily changed, rendering constant empathy and compromise meaningless.

• Observing T-type personalities: Witnessing the effectiveness of a T-type personality’s approach to life, they realize the importance of self-preservation and that there are alternative ways to navigate the world.

• Becoming a “doormat”: Years of compromising and empathizing may lead others to perceive the INFJ as a “pushover,” resulting in being bullied or becoming a receptacle for emotional dumping.

At this point, they begin to reflect on when to maintain relationships and when to remain silent, employing a discerning approach. This dialectical thinking reflects the development of Ti (Introverted Thinking). In familiar settings or solitude, this trait becomes amplified, making the INFJ appear calm and thoughtful. This developmental stage typically spans from 25 to 40 years old. During this period, INFJs may be drawn to xxtp personality types (those with Ti as their dominant or auxiliary function). They will find their perspectives insightful and helpful in clarifying their own thoughts. This interaction fosters their growth. Concurrently, they may develop a keen interest in psychology, scientific theories, and natural laws.

Blind Spot: Extraverted Thinking (Te)

3ti corresponds to 7te. Te is a kind of extroverted judgment, a kind of goal-oriented ability to make the best use of external objects. But it appears in the 7th place here, which means that infj will not consider the constraints outside things (such as the company system, country, and law. Those constraints that rely on exchange of interests to maintain). The opposite of 7te, 3ti, means that infj innocently believes that what is true is what should be accepted. They think as long as she makes it clear why she is doing this, she will definitely be supported. Ignoring the needs of other people what to want from her. About the development of things, they naively believe that if what they do is interlinked, they will definitely succeed. Blind spot Te leads to it being difficult to tell whether a thing is useful to the goal. And it is impossible to determine how much a certain thing has an impact on the achievement of the goal.

This is reflected in the life scene as：

• infj’s mobile phone is out of power. She will tell passers-by as much as possible how she made her mobile phone out of power. She wants to get help from other people, instead of just saying, “I’ll give you 10 doller and help my phone fully charge”

• infj seriously divided the biscuits in the area into portions for several days. Eat two pieces today, two pieces tomorrow, and leave two pieces to others.

• There are also two things. If one thing gets stuck, they will foolishly wait for the first thing to be resolved instead of solving the second thing first. For example, she needs to line up to buy coffee and then print things. As a result, those who buy coffee need to line up for ten minutes, so infj will wait foolishly for 10 minutes instead of printing first.

Thus, infj with te blind spots Te (this is also the case with isfj) seem to beat around the bush in the eyes of others. But in fact they are already talking very directly. They get the help of others by explaining their situation as much as possible. Unfortunately, usually mbti on the ti-fe axis is willing to understand them.

Shadow Function: Introverted Sensing (Si)

Si (Introverted Sensing) is an internal feeling about the world. It can exist independently of external realities. But, for INFJs, Si being their eighth function means they tend to access its shadow side. This functions as a susceptibility to depression triggered by past experiences. It leads to their minds being filled with painful and distorted memories. Because their dominant function is Ni (Introverted Intuition), which is future-oriented. When INFJs look back, they experience a kind of “god’s-eye view”—perceiving past events as having negatively impacted their future in ways that feel inescapable. They might berate themselves for past mistakes, thinking, “Why was I so stupid?”.

This contrasts sharply with the positive use of Si, where one might conclude, “Because it happened in the past, I can learn something, then leads to the positive impact in the present.” INFJs don’t enjoy the benefits of healthy Si. Rumination serves no purpose for them, and they are inherently present-focused individuals. Let’s discuss how to address these issues next.

Mental Health Challenges for INFJs

Perfectionism and Its Impact

Beyond the problems caused by 8th Si, there is also the paranoid type of ni, most of them have a tendency to be perfectionist. However, the real world is full of ambiguity and imperfection. Failing to acknowledge this leads to disappointment, even despair and pessimism, in INFJs. For example, they might fear dying alone or feel like failures. In fact, they are already excellent.

Furthermore, if the information processed by INFJ lacks realistic basis (lack of Se - Extroverted Sensing), their Ni can lead to subjective speculation and delusion. They use Ti to keep suggesting they’re thinking the right thing. This easily results in grandiose, unrealistic ideas with no practical value. The conclusions drawn are often pessimistic, one-sided, and biased. This trait makes INFJs often appear aloof and ethereal, with a vacant stare.

Grounding in Reality

Four words: Bring them back to reality. As an INFJ or as a partner of she, you’ll often need to ground them. High-quality real-world experiences are immensely helpful. Examples include a cozy café or pub with a great atmosphere, a room filled with flowers, or a sunny afternoon spent in the park on a bench, enjoying coffee, sunshine, music, and a book. More stimulating options could be concerts, VR experiences, firework displays, or movies.

Note: This doesn’t include bungee jumping, roller coasters, skydiving, scuba diving, drop towers, haunted houses, binge eating, excessively playing video games, or endlessly scrolling through videos that strain eyesight. These experiences lack substance; they’re merely stimulating and don’t aid INFJ introspection. In extreme cases, these might be useful. For example, if an INFJ seems deeply pessimistic, these activities might temporarily distract them from their worries. Something simpler, like taking them for a new flavor of ice cream, also works. If you’re their partner, consider activities like a long bath, being caught in the rain, or gazing at the ocean, a body of water, or a vast sky and prairie.

INFJs’ secondary function, Fe (extroverted feeling), thrives on feedback. If their social circles are low-quality and lack a sense of mutual benefit, it can lead to self-doubt. As a friend of an INFJ, provide appropriate feedback and act fairly. Encourage them to take part in community service or volunteer work; this helps them feel a sense of purpose and self-worth.

INFJ career planning

INFJs in ancient times are the priest. They try to build large-scale social cohesion by nurturing group relationships and guiding communities towards benevolence. Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) in Buddhism and Jesus in Christianity are considered examples of infj. In an ideal society, Infj acts as a lubricant between social classes. They unified people and effectively transmits the needs of ordinary population to higher levels. Infjs can improve others living and mental conditions. Their deep insight gives them a strong sense of the future. It allows them to lead groups towards fairness, justice and mutual interests. A strong sense of social mission and responsibility drives them to achieve this.

Building Healthy Feedback Systems

Before, we mentioned that INFJs are helpful individuals who need feedback. This need for feedback is crucial. Many people misunderstand this, believing INFJs don’t need it. In reality, xxFJs, with their Fe (extroverted feeling) function, need feedback to feel things are fair.

When choosing a career, consider these three points:

1. Appropriate interaction with people. (Satisfy Fe)

2. Good feedback. (Satisfy Fe)

3. Opportunities to fulfill their sense of mission. (Satisfy Ni and Ti)

It’s also important to avoid the distractions of power struggles driven by self-interest. The Fe-style community INFJs strive to build clashes with Te-style organizational structures. They dislike highly competitive or hierarchical work environments. They prefer harmonious, collaborative team atmospheres. Such environments are crucial for them to realize their ideals and long-term goals.

Careers suitable for this personality type include:

1. Mental Health & Therapy: Clinical psychologist, marriage and family therapist, school counselor, career counselor.

2. Social Work & Non-profit: Social worker, NGO project manager, international relief organization coordinator.

3. Education & Research: Primary/secondary school teacher, university lecturer, educational consultant, academic researcher.

4. Writing & Editing: Writer, editor, content planner, social media manager.

5. Human Resources & Organizational Development: HR consultant, training specialist, corporate culture manager.

6. Arts & Design: Graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, art therapist.

7. Healthcare: Nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, public health worker.

8. Consulting & Planning: Brand strategist, management consultant, market research analyst.

INFJ Relationship Compatibility

Based on the MBTI best match theory , the theoretically best matches for an INFJ are ENTP, ENFP, and ESTP.

INFJ x ENTP

INFJs and ENTPs have complementary perceiving functions and consistent judging functions. The ENTP’s Ne (extroverted intuition) provides the INFJ with a different perspective, easing their tension. Their shared judging function axis represents aligned ideals, allowing them to work towards common goals. In exploring the world, they often reach similar conclusions:

For example:

• We may not be happier than our ancestors.

• The benefits of societal progress haven’t reached the broadest segments of the population.

• Many hardships remain unheard.

This is a mutually fulfilling pairing, but certain issues need attention during interactions. For details, please see entp infj relationship .

INFJ x ENFP

INFJs and ENFPs are mirror personalities, each bringing out unexpected sides in the other. For example, the INFJ might learn from the ENFP’s behavior patterns:

• That letting loose isn’t so bad.

• That sometimes clearly expressing needs strengthens relationships.

• How they manage to be so energetic.

For the ENFP’s perspective on the INFJ, please see the next article.

This is a pairing conducive to mutual learning.

INFJ x ESTP

This pairing is somewhat akin to a princess and a warrior. The warrior admires the princess, and the princess protects the warrior. The famous anime Inuyasha features this pairing with Kikyō and Inuyasha. While communication and understanding may be challenging, the mutual protection is enough. The INFJ appreciates the ESTP’s vitality, while the ESTP admires the INFJ’s serene, fated aura.