“I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, nor to hate them, but to understand them.”
Baruch Spinoza – INFJ
The INFJs
are one of the rarest personality types, making up only 1% of the population. These deep, insightful personalities combine perception, intellect, and empathy to “read” people in a way that is almost uncanny. They seem to intuitively understand people and situations and how events will unfold. With this intuition, they are constantly looking ahead to determine what will happen in the future. They also have a gift for understanding people and identifying their underlying needs and emotions. They care deeply about the human race and want to help people by listening, counseling, and emotionally supporting them. They crave emotional intimacy but also plenty of alone time to delve into their intuition. If you look at many of our great philosophers and authors, you will find a plethora of INFJs; people like Dante Alighieri, Carl Jung, Agatha Christie, and even J.K. Rowling!
What Does INFJ Stand For?
I = Introversion. INFJs focus inwards before outwards, analyzing what things mean to them before responding to the environment.
N = iNtuition. INFJs focus more on the abstract or potential of something than the concrete or existing reality.
F = Feeling. INFJs apply personal values and empathize in order to make a decision. They want what is best for the group or humanity as a whole.
J = Judgment. INFJs like having things settled, decided and structured. They are typically work-before-play people.
INFJ Motivations and Weaknesses
- Driving Force: To understand the “dance of the universe”. To see the underlying meaning of things.
- Backup Strength: Unique understanding of people and their needs and emotions. Strong awareness of social expectations and human dynamics.
- Weakness: Can lose track of details by focusing so much on the abstract. May become out of touch with reality or panic when having to deal with a lot of details at once.
- Stressors: Lack of alone time, over-stimulation, navigating unfamiliar places, dealing with conflict, multi-tasking, focusing on nitty-gritty details.
INFJ Personality Traits:
While people vary based on their background and their Enneagram type, INFJs often have the following characteristics:
- They are visionary and forward-thinking
- They look for insights that lie beneath the surface
- They are empathetic and considerate
- They are scheduled and prefer having a plan
- They are big-picture thinkers
- They need a great deal of alone time
- They recharge and refresh in low-sensory environments
- They can read people easily
- They tend to absorb the feelings of other people
- They prioritize the values and needs of the people around him
- They dislike sudden surprises and unexpected events or tasks
- They read-between-the-lines
- They are intellectually curious
INFJ Careers:
INFJs excel at careers that make use of their creativity, insight, and predictive capabilities. In a friendly, tension-free environment, INFJs can turn in their best work and make a real difference. Mundane repetition will stifle their imagination, so working with a variety of ideas and creative projects keeps them motivated. More than anything, it’s vital that a career line up with their personal values and that they are able to have professional integrity. Many INFJs are drawn towards careers in the arts, religion, or psychology. Being able to work creatively to understand or inspire others or create something new is something that fulfills their deeper desires.
Career Suggestions: Psychologist, Religious worker, Playwright, Marketing Expert, Crisis Hotline Operator, Philanthropic Consultant, Human Resources Representative, Teacher, Life Coach.
Famous INFJs:
Carl Jung, Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Harris, Dante Alighieri, Simone de Beauvoir, Agatha Christie, Mary Wollstonecraft, Baruch Spinoza, Arthur Schopenhauer, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Lars von Trier, David Fincher, Marilyn Manson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Adrien Brody, Cate Blanchette, Rooney Mara, Carey Mulligan, Tilda Swinton, Joanna Newsom, George Harrison, Sufjan Stevens, Benedict Cumberbatch.
Your Important INFJ Links:
24 Signs You’re an INFJ, the Mystic Personality Type
7 Things That INFJs Experience As Children
4 Reasons You Might Be Lonely as an INFJ
7 Signs That an INFJ is Secretly Unhappy with Their Life
INFJs and Their Romantic Compatibility with Every Personality Type
10 Things INFJs Look for in a Relationship
The INFJ – An In-Depth Look at the Mystic
10 Things You Should Never Say to an INFJ
Understanding INFJ Grip Stress
12 Amazing Fictional INFJ Characters
Your INFJ Personality Type and Your Enneagram Type
3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets About the INFJ Personality Type
What Responsibility Means to Each Myers-Briggs® Personality Type
The Myers-Briggs® Personality Types of the Fullmetal Alchemist Characters
The Surprising Contradiction of Each Myers-Briggs® Personality Type
What is Extraverted Feeling?
