[slowriot]

Taken from "The 16 Personality Types - Descriptions for Selfdiscovery" by Linda Berens and Dario Nardi

Themes

For Foreseer Developers, life is a process of never-ending personal growth, their own and others. If something does not produce personal growth, then it is not truly worthwhile. If it does, then it is indeed worth all the effort it takes to make that growth happen. They enjoy problem solving in ways that sustain the vision they have of what can be and who we can become. They devote their lives to honoring the gifts of others, helping them to see what those gifts are and to find a way to develop those gifts.

Taking a meaningful and creative approach to all aspects of life is essential to their well-being. This gives them the inner strength to allow others the space to be themselves and make the choices they make. It is then that their talent for foreseeing becomes painful. The hard part is that sometimes people dont want to hear all the insights they have to offer.

Interpersonally, exploring issues is important and navigating through all the emotions that make up relationships is essential.

Their thought processes tend to be highly integrative as they frequently become aware of the profound significance and interrelatedness of the many ideas, relationships, and events around them. When they allow themselves the space away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, they often are conduits for profound symbols that speak to many. Symbols and metaphors come to them easily as ways to bridge differences and connect people with their potential. Yet they often find themselves engaging in quite practical problem solving, which doesnt begin to reveal the rich foresight behind the suggestions they offer and the agendas they set.

They live life with such a sense of purpose that they often present a very task-oriented side to the world that belies their more vsionary idealistid side. Such a life often presents them with a great deal of stress, which can cause them to withdraw from others to seek some sort of relief and recharge.

Relationships

For Foreseer Developers, relationships are about developing potential, their own and others. They seem to tune in to the essence of the other person and take a great pleasure in developing what they see there, usually by focusing on the positive aspects. They have a way of communicating that results in improvement and growth and often are disturbed when the negative in emphasized. They know what impact their words will have and dont want to say what they cant take back - always aware of the implications of the communications. They are usually able to manage their own emotions so well, others may percieve them as distant. While they dont like conflict, they wont avoid it if it can improve a relationship or lead to growth. Relationships are often forged around suggesting solutions to problems, and they feel validated when the other person finds them catalytic and helpful. They will work hard to avoid conflicts of interest; they must be ethical. It is difficult for them to be in relationships where they cant be who they truly are. While they may come into a relationship with expectations, they are often willing to change to meet new expectations.

Their close relationships are built on a strong vision af what a relationship will become, emotional intimacy, and shared values. They can be very intense and their partner may not share their intensity. They can be playful but cautious. Their relationships are generally long and enduring. When the relationship is right, the commitment fulfills their highest purpose and they give it their all. Even though there is a strong empathetic connection, there may still be a reserve and there always remains a piece that is private. Paradoxially they need both solitude and connectedness.

 

[periculosa]

Lately I've been on the fence about whether I'm INFP or INFJ, and this post is very helpful. The funny thing is that it also seems to describe my best friend, who has taken me on as a "project!"

 

[Anima]

@periculosa

A Self-Portrait Personality Type Description for INFJs
By Linda V. Berens Ph.D. and Dario Nardi Ph.D.

What's It Like To Be an "INFJ"???


The quest for more knowledge, the meaning of life, the philosophical questions—my mind is always occupied, and what’s exciting is when I get to follow through with an insight and do something. I am an abstract future thinker, looking at things from different perspectives. I’m about the relationships and possibilities and enjoy anything with deeper meaning that leaves me wondering, with more questions to ask and things to untangle. Connecting for me means being able to intuitively ask questions of people to get them to go deeper into the things they are talking about.
Inspiring others, helping them find their purpose or meaning, being a different kind of leader from what’s traditional—that’s really gratifying. I just do that naturally. The challenge is opening up people’s minds to have their own original thoughts. I’m a listener and guide.


I think I am a mystery to people. They never really understand me and part of me enjoys that. More often though, I long to be understood.
I tend to approach my day with a structured way of getting things accomplished. People see me as organized, thorough, and easy to get along with, pulling my own weight and eager to help out when called upon. But I’m not as outgoing or as critical as I may sometimes appear. I need a balance between people contact and working on creative projects and will break away from interactions when I get tired out. If I don’t have some long-term goals, then what’s the point?


I tend to intuitively read people very quickly, but I have to be cautious not to make assumptions. I’m an observer. I get a feeling when people are interesting, and I watch from a distance, make some assessments about the situation, and then approach them and engage in conversation. I put a little bit out and a little more and see how that goes. Do I trust and like them, are they who they say? I have a few deep friendships. A friendship comes best when it is worked to develop that investment. I quickly pick up on sincerity and withdraw if the person is superficial or obviously doesn’t care. When I see people who abuse their power or won’t stand behind what they say, that ticks me off. It’s about integrity. I feel other people’s feelings, and taking on that burden can make me too intense and serious, where I can’t be spontaneous and fun loving.

I like whatever gets us to think beyond the box, where people can function better because they are not afraid to say things they really feel. I have a lot of imagination and by and large can amuse myself. I love independent projects and reading and writing. I do my best thinking alone, and I like getting out in nature, being alone to go inside and center myself. I have always been drawn to the spiritual. Everywhere, I see life in symbols. Symbols give me focus.

Sometimes the connections and perceptions in my mind are so abstract there are no words to explain. A lot of times I just know something and can’t explain it—a premonition that’s hard to articulate. If it’s strong I usually say something or explore where it’s coming from, but I will keep it to myself if people don’t seem to understand. Informed decisions require lots of information and looking at a situation from as many different points of view as possible. I find it amusing, the absurdity in everyday situations.

It is painful when there is conflict or when I offer advice and someone chooses not to take it. For me, I have to prepare myself for what is going to happen so I can either support people in a positive way or get away and wait out the inevitable heavy duty stuff before returning to fix things. How will it impact me and the people in my life? Will it put me in another place or another level where I can grow more? Not knowing the right thing to say and do is stressful.

Everything revolves around growth. Caring is about the ability to help others grow. What I bring is caring about people, not things. If we spent more time trying to understand each other’s point of view, to communicate more effectively, we would grow. In an honest, open, sincere relationship, I can accomplish anything. My challenge is to create those kinds of relationships. I respect most the person who is willing to come forth and be an individual—to make the world a better place, or make a difference in a person’s life, where we reach each other’s hearts.

I hope this is more helpful, because it's actually the words of an INFJ.

And here's the INFP self- portrait

I have a very internal focus. I think I look at myself through other people’s eyes, but sometimes I can lose touch with how things work for me. Then I can get introspective, going very deep and staying there, not coming out too quickly or easily. Somehow I find it very difficult to put into words and communicate the things that really matter to me. Most people don’t have the foggiest notion about what goes on with me.

I like harmony and seek consensus and do well with the deep issues. My values and the things that are important to me often feel outside the mainstream in the sense that I feel impinged upon and uncomfortable with so much of what goes on. I’m too private to push my values on to other people, but I am convinced that one ought to be congruent in their own life if they are going to expect congruence from others. In a sense I hold other people to that standard, and I worry about my own incongruities, inconsistencies, and contradictions. Groups can be hard. I can put myself in the group process so rapidly and so completely, and it’s important not to get sucked in. I need to be predictable about what I believe.


I am a global thinker and I like to learn interactively. My thoughts need to be connected with some person or value. On reflection, don’t all thoughts have to be connected to something? I feed new information into other things I’ve read and my thoughts, and I can have a marvelous time just sitting with ideas. And I like to discuss or write things because I seem to have a lot in my head and I’ve got to get it out. I love bringing together different eclectic ideas and seeing what’s similar. I like to have my own ideas, hear others ideas, and have ideas challenged, bantering back and forth. Chitchat has no interest for me. I tend to do a lot of mental rehearsal and play in problem solving, and the fun part is figuring out how to do something. Motivation comes when something has real meaning or value for me, and while I enjoy ideas I don’t like having my values challenged.

For me, asking questions is just a different form of being quiet, a way to explore an inner thought stream or check out of reality and back into my thoughts. Sometimes I chuckle at myself that there is really no sequential way that I work though tasks.

I have always trusted my intuition, even before I was aware of it. I enjoy talking to people. It’s interesting to learn about them, where they’re coming from and how they invent their reality. And I have an innate talent for reading between the lines—to hear what hasn’t been said—and a sense of what needs to be said and done. I tend to form impressions right away about people, and most of the time I feel pretty good about my impressions but sometimes I am way off. At least if the people have good intentions, I can relax.

I enjoy seeing people enjoy who they are, and I get a lot of joy helping others discover that they have value. Being able to help someone in their darkest hour, to communicate across differences and find common ways of working together, that is very satisfying because then there is a real sense of closeness and acceptance and a genuine pursuit of helping people heal and achieve their goals. I hold on to relationships even though we may go long periods without seeing each other, and I cherish those long associations.

I’m concerned about how others feel when they are around me. Lack of honesty or ethics or integrity in interactions—when someone is saying one thing but doing another—really puts me off. So does when someone doesn’t honor, or accept as valid, my communication or feeling as I try to talk to them about something that matters to me. And I don’t need to talk about myself. I don’t enjoy it. Sometimes I’m frustrated trying to communicate, and sometimes a metaphor or a joke or a story is a way to effectively express myself so what I’m saying can be heard by someone who hears or experiences things differently.

I don’t know what I am going to do next, but I trust in myself that something will come in as a new idea, with challenge and inner meaning. Whatever it is, it will be right. Although I would never actually say it, it feels as though I am grounded in the very being of who I am when I talk like this.


I think that if you read both of these self- portraits, the differences between the INFJ anf the INFP are very distinct