[JoetheBull]

Any INFPs out there feel, think, or are pretty sure that the general stereo types that are often represented in various descriptions like in please understand me II or any other books or articles.

I am mainly asking because when I first took many of the MBTI tests, I would come up INFP. But I always kind of sensed something was off when reading the descriptions. Over the past couple of years I seemed to lean more towards being an INTP.

I am currently trying to explore and delve more deeply into the matter to determine my personality type. This has been one of those questions in the back of my mind.

 

[jennandtonic]

Any INFPs out there feel, think, or are pretty sure that the general stereo types that are often represented in various descriptions like in please understand me II or any other books or articles.

I am mainly asking because when I first took many of the MBTI tests, I would come up INFP. But I always kind of sensed something was off when reading the descriptions. Over the past couple of years I seemed to lean more towards being an INTP.

I am currently trying to explore and delve more deeply into the matter to determine my personality type. This has been one of those questions in the back of my mind.

Look at the cognitive functions of the INFP and see if those qualities fit you. I don't have a lot of the stereotypical qualities that people assign to INFPs. I also doubted my type until I looked into how each cognitive function worked and I realized that I am indeed an INFP.

 

[Adriana]

I agree, look at the functions.

People often think I'm an NT, but then I'd be an NT who, when healthy, uses Fi and Ne most of all the functions, which defies the definition of an NT.

 

[Michael82]

I feel like I'm too much INFP to be able to function in this society. I can't believe I actually almost finished a business studies.

 

[Cuervo21]

Like jennandtonic and Adriana said, you need to look at the functions. I took many tests in order to find out what type I am. And I got infj and intj many times. So I advice you that you should look into the functions of an infp and decided whether or not you are an infp.

 

[Ayia]

There is a good chance that I am an INFP. But I've been avoiding it a bit as the stereotype scares me. I'm pessimistic and not that emotional. And a lot of the INFPs here seem more kind and caring etc than I am. But I can relate to the functions. And I have yet to find a type where its "members" totally agree with the common descriptions of them.

 

[IAmOrangeToday]

It's all about the functions. Bearing in mind that there are seven functions that can follow Fi, this allows for a vast number of combinations of functions. If Fi is dominant, you are an INFP whatever else is going on. However, there can be really significant differences - and this is why not all INFPs are the same. I myself have strong Fe which sometimes combines with Ne to make me very sociable and look like like an ENFP (I honestly could be ENFP, but I don't think I am somehow...)

 

[Kynx]

I never felt like the type description really fits. INFPs and INTPs are very similar, even in the cognitive functions. With the same aux/tert functions and the way the dominant functions Ti/Fi seem to work in similar ways, sometimes makes it difficult to accurately type yourself.

Because I'm closely related to 2 INTPs, I could use the differences between us to help me decide my type. Otherwise I expect I would have been more confused.

 

[ethylester]

As an INFP who really doesn't understand the whole "function" thing, I will still answer your question. I don't feel like I fit the exact stereotype. There are parts of my personality that flow better with Judging or with Sensing. You don't have to fit like a glove to an INFP description. It's just a general umbrella to fall under. 7 billion people in this world and only 16 personality types? I feel like personality theory is a still a young science and the MBTI is only part of the foundation to understanding one's personality.

 

[JoetheBull]

Look at the cognitive functions of the INFP and see if those qualities fit you. I don't have a lot of the stereotypical qualities that people assign to INFPs. I also doubted my type until I looked into how each cognitive function worked and I realized that I am indeed an INFP.

I have read and tried to figure out how the cognitive functions relate to my personality(not wording this right. I just know it lol) and frankly, I feel stumped. again. Not going to get too heavy into to this since I do have a thread about typing me http://personalitycafe.com/whats-my...p-just-insane-point-where-i-argue-myself.html.

The main idea behind this thread was to see if other people thought that the common descriptions are a bit generalized and cause them to severely doubt being INFP(or make them not want to be one). INTP profiles also create doubt also. I think I could be a bit defective also lol.

 

[Dastan]

these are my derivations from some stereotype infp descriptions:
-I do not take everything personally
-I rather keep quiet than defending personal values and often behave like Fe-people (conforming)
-I don't see any problems like "it's difficult to be an INFP-male" for myself, where I live it's difficult to be an intuitive type in general
-I don't want to show individuality or uniqueness through extraordinary appearance
-I get my life under controll it's not a chaos
-but I'm still believing that I use Fi-Ne more than Ni-Fe

Derivations maybe depend on your personal life happenings or special social circumstances and not always directly on "weak Fi" and other thoughts like this. And simply on genetics!

 

[Herp]

I never bought the concept of a meek hippie INFP for myself. In fact, it took me a whole lot of soul searching before settling down on who i was. Even then, i have to admit there was room for doubt, especially due to these awful sterotypes regarding the softness of this type.

Then, i found out i was a Fi user through experience, which narrowed the chances. I'm still trying to settle on S vs N, since my preconceived ideas on sensing had fallen apart.

 

[LibertyPrime]

Any INFPs out there feel, think, or are pretty sure that the general stereo types that are often represented in various descriptions like in please understand me II or any other books or articles.

I am mainly asking because when I first took many of the MBTI tests, I would come up INFP. But I always kind of sensed something was off when reading the descriptions. Over the past couple of years I seemed to lean more towards being an INTP.

I am currently trying to explore and delve more deeply into the matter to determine my personality type. This has been one of those questions in the back of my mind.

I feel the same. The emotional/artistic/poetry descriptions of INFP don't really apply to me, however it still is the type and description that fits me the best. I don't express emotions much and I'm not inclined to "heal" people or to be interested in whoever they are (unless I find them interesting...which isn't the case most of the time). Despite this I still follow what I feel is right, my default mode is definitely Fi - Ne first and I have been dissecting my type for 16 months now, which is more then most people here. I always end up back at INFP, I read the description and see the other INFPs here on the forum only to shake my head in disbelief.

I also actively use and in many situations prefer to use a Te-Si approach to things. A good example would be me seeing and understanding the facts, drawing an objective logical conclusion from it while others still stand there and "fantasize" about crap that isn't going to happen. (I think they are just naive and I'm kinda cynical) The facts are the facts and objective logic is rarely wrong. Despite this I can see many other possibilities in such situations as well . <___< seriously sometimes I see so many possibilities I'm unable to decide...it took me more then a year to decide on my type...but always felt like INFP fit the best for some reason.

It would take a lot to fully describe how I relate and how I don't, but the bottom line is, that I use and prefer NFP functions consciously all 4. Some NFPs suck at Te or Si, I don't suck at Te ...Si..maybe...I'm not sure hehe.

I am also unwilling o comply to this INFP stereotype stuff that keeps floating about these forums. The descriptions are crap and plenty of other INFPs have said this before me.

I'm the kind of guy who will cut you and myself down with cold logic if you stress me out enough. Stress reaction Te <---hallmark of INFP.

>) I'm a 6, so questioning is always the norm haha <.< sometimes I still wonder....

PS: People on here don't fully understand the functions.

The closest diagram to my actual situation regarding the 4 letter brand:

EDIT: XD oh yeah! Feel my Fi-Te!!!

 

[jennandtonic]

I feel the same. The emotional/artistic/poetry descriptions of INFP don't really apply to me, however it still is the type and description that fits me the best. I don't express emotions much and I'm not inclined to "heal" people or to be interested in whoever they are (unless I find them interesting...which isn't the case most of the time). Despite this I still follow what I feel is right, my default mode is definitely Fi - Ne first and I have been dissecting my type for 16 months now, which is more then most people here. I always end up back at INFP, I read the description and see the other INFPs here on the forum only to shake my head in disbelief.

You know, I don't know whether the description that I see a lot in which INFPs express emotion more than other types is right. I could be wrong here, so no worries if someone corrects me, but isn't Fi about introverted emotion--i.e NOT expressing it all the time? I tend to keep my emotions inside, unless in an unhealthy state, or unless I know it's okay to express them (anger, laughter, etc). While operating under Fi, I'm not necessarily sharing this with anyone.

Also, I really relate to the part of your post that I bolded.

I also actively use and in many situations prefer to use a Te-Si approach to things. A good example would be me seeing and understanding the facts, drawing an objective logical conclusion from it while others still stand there and "fantasize" about crap that isn't going to happen. (I think they are just naive and I'm kinda cynical)

I do the same thing.

It would take a lot to fully describe how I relate and how I don't, but the bottom line is, that I use and prefer NFP functions consciously all 4. Some NFPs suck at Te or Si, I don't suck at Te ...Si..maybe...I'm not sure hehe.

I use Te a lot, even though I'm not great at the verbal part of it because I tend to talk EXACTLY as I think, which means lots of tangents and jumping around (not so much that it's not understandable; it only gets bad for listeners when I'm literally thinking out loud). However, at times I'll think through what I'm going to say before I say it and it's better.
And I'm always looking for a logical explanation or a way to keep concepts organized so I can have a better view of what the big picture is, if that makes sense.

I am also unwilling o comply to this INFP stereotype stuff that keeps floating about these forums. The descriptions are crap and plenty of other INFPs have said this before me.

I'm the kind of guy who will cut you and myself down with cold logic if you stress me out enough. Stress reaction Te <---hallmark of INFP.

>) I'm a 6, so questioning is always the norm haha <.< sometimes I still wonder....

PS: People on here don't fully understand the functions.

The closest diagram to my actual situation regarding the 4 letter brand:

EDIT: XD oh yeah! Feel my Fi-Te!!!

Indeed to everything you say here.

Great post! You get a gold star!

 

[Ayia]

I agree that it's frustrating. Especially when fi is about understanding your own feelings, while fe is more about others. But sometimes it seems as though the super-empathy types end up here, while the more introspective types end up at the INFJforum. It seems a bit as they might have switched places...

 

[OrangeAppled]

Please Understand Me is one of those books with an INFP description that doesn't suit me very well. The sweet, passive, warm INFP description doesn't suit me, and sometimes I feel authors have mistyped a gaggle of ISFJs & don't really know what an INFP looks like.

Many of these profiles sound enneagram 9 to me too. When I come across an INFP description that is more 4ish, then it resonates with me. I think personalitypage.com one hits a nice balance between the two (and maybe even the other common INFP enneatypes), & that one actually helped me to consider I could be an NF & not INTP (as I often test INTP).

What made me settle on INFP is the Van Der Hoop Fi description here & the Fi + Ne descriptions by Jung in Psychological Types.

"The introvert of feeling-type finds support and guidance by shaping his own feeling-attitudes in accordance with an inner ideal. Here the activities of feeling are hidden, and from the outside there is, as a rule, little to tell us that we are dealing with a person of feeling-type. Feeling aims more especially at an inner harmony, trying to discover what under various circumstances should be the right relationships between people if life is to be beautiful and well balanced."- Van Der Hoop on the Fi-dom

"There is little effort to respond to the real emotions of the other person, which tend to be damped and rebuffed, or to put it more aptly, are 'cooled off' by a negative value judgment. Although there is a constant readiness for a peaceful and harmonious co-existence, strangers are shown no touch of amiability, no gleam of responding warmth, but are met with apparent indifference or a repelling coldness. Often they are made to feel entirely superfluousness." - Jung on Fi-doms

 

[OrangeAppled]

I agree that it's frustrating. Especially when fi is about understanding your own feelings, while fe is more about others. But sometimes it seems as though the super-empathy types end up here, while the more introspective types end up at the INFJforum. It seems a bit as they might have switched places...

haha...I don't have that impression of the INFJ forum.

 

[Arrow]

I think sometimes people take the stereotypes a bit too literally at times. When I read them I just tend to process them in regards to how I have felt at times and then I apply the stereotypes towards extremes and usually find that they may be right in those cases. I also think the Enneangram types and variants have a very pronounced feel of each Meyers-Briggs type. That could be a reason why you may not be a people person or why you may not be overly flowery or emotional. That being said I think the descriptions have a good handle on the general type in some situations and best explain who I am at my best and at the core of who I am/want to be.

 

[ComedianINFP]

When I took the Myers-Briggs test, I thought I got the wrong results, because I have always enjoyed performance. They called me a "closet INFP" because, to others, I looked like a more gregarious personality type. But there more I dig into the INFP description, the more the descriptions resonate with me, except for that one misleading difference.

 

[illicit iridescence]

The main idea behind this thread was to see if other people thought that the common descriptions are a bit generalized and cause them to severely doubt being INFP(or make them not want to be one). INTP profiles also create doubt also. I think I could be a bit defective also lol.

100 bucks says everybody here doesn't relate 100% to the INFP type descriptions. Wait, make that 1.000.000 bucks. I mean, how are 16 profile types going to be so good they fit over a million people? Only by writing them in such a general way that they're like astrology readings.

Like everyone says, it's about the functions. But heck, even going by the functions won't be 100% conclusive.

Heavens, that thread you linked is like 30 years old. ^^ Okay, more than a year old, but uhm, what happened in the mean time? It seemed you (and they) were going for the INTP angle. The keys2cognition.com test you took is also a year old. Have you taken it again recently?