[goodyarn]

I'm an INFP and a playwright and I read a lot of MBTI stuff online. I notice that "playwright" is often listed as a career choice* for INFJs, but not so much for INFPs.** INFPs get poet, novelist, character actor, and generic "writer" as career choices but not playwright.***

I am wondering does anyone know is this a deliberate omission by the people who create such lists? For example, have they concluded that our Fi make us better suited to working alone or with a single editor (writing poetry and novels), whereas the Fe of INFJs makes them better suited to collaborating with actors, directors and all the other people it takes to put on a play?

From my own experience, I can say that I like the balance of working alone on a script and then sharing it with a director, cast and crew, but it took me some time to learn the skills to do this effectively (and to pick the right people to work with).

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

* -- I use the term "career choice" here loosely. Almost nobody earns a living as playwright these days. Even if you have a Broadway show, that's not going to pay your bills for more than a year or two.

** -- The only exception I have found so far is Dan Johnston's book which lists "playwright" FIRST among INFP career choices.

*** -- Yes, I know Shakespeare is often listed as an INFP. But, really, who knows what Shakespeare was like? IMHO we all tend to project our own personalities onto him because just about anyone can find their thoughts in his writing. So...let's set that example aside.

(EDITED)

 

[entheos]

What an interesting topic! Because you know what? I always prefered screenwriter and playwriter over novelist or poet. In fact I can't write poetry to save my life.
Between ages 15 and 23 I wrote screenplays and plays, I took courses, bought books on how to be a great successful screenwriter and playwriter, and so on.
Never once did I join any of the free creative writing courses offered by my local university. Being a novelist was a great idea in concept, but when it came to sitting down and write, I much prefered the play styles, and I was good at them (as opposed to poet lol). I also loved the casting process of putting faces and bodies to the characters asap, and the immediacy of an audience. I liked exchanging my plays with my friend in one of the writing groups, and tweak each other's scenes.

I think that the whole list of ideal professions associated to mbti is BS. Like INFPs get nurse all the time, and seriously I would rather stab myself in the neck than be a nurse. I have zero interest in having a career dedicated to take care of other people. As an Fi-dom, my career choices involve being self-absorbed and self-expressive, a focus on self entirely. Not a focus on other people at all. In a career, I am the most important person, not others. So I make a terrible nurse, a terrible teacher, and so on. I was a teacher for many years, and I hated it so much. The lists are usually unhelpful imo.