Similarities and Differences between INTP's and INFP's

42474 Views 33 Replies 21 Participants Last post by narawithherthought, Aug 10, 2014

daydreamingsince1992

Discussion Starter · Jun 7, 2010

This year I had a wild experience of rooming in college with a fellow INFP. When I first met her I thought we had crazy similarities, we loved the same music, enjoyed the same classes, shared the same major, both liked photography, and were into writing. However, I soon found that our the way we perceived things was completely different. She based her opinions and made decisions solely on feelings (Strong Feeler) and everything I did was revolved around my thinking analysis of things (Strong Thinker). Although these differences caused a cross in communication and understanding at some points, after some time we came to know and understand how the other functioned and became quite the dynamic duo. We became best friends and did everything together, the only time spent apart was when we had to go to classes. With this being said, we would have the same exact day which would lead to us ultimately thinking about the same things, so much sometimes it was almost creepy. One of us would bring up something on their mind that had occurred and the other would confess to thinking about the same thing.. the only difference was the way we interpreted those thoughts. It's as if we were on parallel train tracks, the only difference being the energy fueling our trains.

..I thought it would be interesting to get some feedback from other INFP's who have been friends with INTP's or vice versa. Input would be lovely!

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NeedsNewNameNow

· #21 · Jun 11, 2010

touched said:
Infp friend: I don't know why you think that girl in our class is pretty. I think she's far from it.
Me: But she is! She has big round eyes, proportionate features... (this is basically me trying to set the table for a discussion & to invite her to present her evidence~)
Infp friend: See, this is why I don't argue with you. You always do this.
Me: o_o (at that time having no idea what 'this' means)

maybe you should have asked why she thought that first, and then said something like "I see what you mean, but I think....

I'm still learning about this too, but I think with alot of feelers, if theiir point-of-view is just dismissed out of hand like that, they get upset. I guess they want it to at least be acknowledged

touched

· #22 · Jun 11, 2010

unleashthehounds said:
maybe you should have asked why she thought that first, and then said something like "I see what you mean, but I think....

I'm still learning about this too, but I think with alot of feelers, if theiir point-of-view is just dismissed out of hand like that, they get upset. I guess they want it to at least be acknowledged

Mm yeah that makes sense. My first thought was that 'maybe she doesn't like having her beliefs picked apart so technically/nit-picky-ish... she wants me to accept them without question'. So I was a bit :dry: But your explanation makes more sense.

I wasn't dismissing her POV, I was honestly expecting her to respond to my first statement with a counter statement of her own, so we could start a friendly debate... but I notice that with NF's, or just anyone in general, wording makes a lot of difference. So I should've said what you suggested, instead of just 'But she is!'

lol this is so interesting... this scientific study of infps. It's like I'm embarking on an intellectual theoretical study of infps, analyzing their nature and the appropriate methodology of dealing with them... Okay I'm sorry if that sounded offensive or objectifying. I just honestly like you guys :wink:

NeedsNewNameNow

· #23 · Jun 11, 2010

touched said:
I wasn't dismissing her POV, I was honestly expecting her to respond to my first statement with a counter statement of her own, so we could start a friendly debate... but I notice that with NF's, or just anyone in general, wording makes a lot of difference. So I should've said what you suggested, instead of just 'But she is!'

It didn't look like you were doing that to me either. But I've been learning to see things as feelers do. It's not just NFs either, I'd get into trouble with an ISFJ for the same reason. "why do you always have to make me feel stupid?" I guess they want to feel acknowledged before you go and counter them.

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thehigher

· #24 · Jun 11, 2010

touched said:
lol this is so interesting... this scientific study of infps. It's like I'm embarking on an intellectual theoretical study of infps, analyzing their nature and the appropriate methodology of dealing with them... Okay I'm sorry if that sounded offensive or objectifying. I just honestly like you guys :wink:

lol I feel like I'm a lab rat that you secretly harbor feelings for. xD But it didn't sound offensive..... maybe a little objectifying xD.

touched

· #25 · Jun 12, 2010

thehigher said:
lol I feel like I'm a lab rat that you secretly harbor feelings for. xD But it didn't sound offensive..... maybe a little objectifying xD.

feelings? nah, intps don't feel. it's all a plot to get infps to trust me so i can harvest the Fi-essence of you guys to provide me with the emotional warmth i so desperately crave:bored:

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thehigher

· #26 · Jun 12, 2010

touched said:
feelings? nah, intps don't feel. it's all a plot to get infps to trust me so i can harvest the Fi-essence of you guys to provide me with the emotional warmth i so desperately crave:bored:

Cravings are feelings :wink:

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Psithurism

· #27 · Jul 1, 2013

As a 5w4, sometimes I feel as if I'm an INFP. I really like INFPs, especially their vivid imagination, emotional depth, sincerity and ''child-like'' sense of wonder/curiosity.

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SomePeter

· #28 · Jul 1, 2013

Hello from another INFP/INTP hybrid!
It really sucks that I'm even unable to categorize my freakness. OTOH this way I can feel so unique.
Only one time in my life did I meet a girl with whom something just "clicked" as we spoke. I think she might have been an INTP.
Though she was a lot more lunatic then me. In fact I'm fairly normal when it comes to my life. It's only my thoughts which run wild.
Also, (I read it another thread but it might apply here) I'm kind of a "secondary extrovert". That is, I tend to become an extrovert when I'm amongst solely introverts.

will-o'-wisp

· #29 · Jul 1, 2013

I have five good INTP friends irl. They are lovely friends and I clicked with them all instantly. I find that we are very similar but I have noticed that they consistently have a slightly different humour in that it corresponds to mine for a long way and then theirs seems to go off at a different tangent and they laugh so much about something that may have got a bit worn out for me now. However, I love this and usually continue to laugh .... but at them laughing. I don't know if they are, by that time, also just laughing at me or what's going on, but it's very funny. They are all very good at putting an objective slant on my world. They all seem to have strange fascinations with things. For example one of them takes photographs of all the food we are about to eat when we go out somewhere. She seems obsessed with cake. Another is fascinated by people and he makes the strangest observations and twists them all around to make life interesting. They are very good at looking at life backwards (that's not a very good description but it's the best I can come up with) and it's very entertaining. (Sorry, my return key isn't working - hence the monologue) They are truly lovely people.

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Unfey

· #30 · Jul 1, 2013

I had an INTP friend who I went on a long canoe trip once for a camp thing. I think I would have been intimidated by her if I hadn't been two years older than she was. We clicked almost immediately and both thought the other was pretty cool. We talked about religion and philosophy in the canoe, which I think might have bothered some of the other campers, but the two of us enjoyed the discussion. We were both writers, with different strengths. She's already written lengthy recreational novels and I hadn't, but I had a much better grasp of language and character development and plot. We shared buttloads of ideas with eachother; on long portages we'd just tell our stories.
She knew the basics of a good story, and I knew how to tell a good story. We did some verbal editing. It was great.
The primary differences between us, besides her being a freshman and me being a junior, was that she was (a) a lot more consistently optimistic, even when we were wading through leeches, (b) she got a lot more hung up on the definitions and mechanics of things that I found insignificant or not pertaining to what we were talking about, (c) really liked mathematics and science.

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Moonshake

· #31 · Jul 11, 2014

SomePeter said:
Also, (I read it another thread but it might apply here) I'm kind of a "secondary extrovert". That is, I tend to become an extrovert when I'm amongst solely introverts.

Oh god, I didn't even know that was a thing.
This is exactly what I am.When I'm surrounded by shy people, I become energetic, outspoken and cocky.
When I'm around extroverts, I become quiet and pensive and discreetly sarcastic.
This is the part of me that always made me wonder if I was an INTP (my INTP fianceé is outspoken and cocky around pretty much everybody). But now that I think about it, it seems I choose the contexts in which to be extroverted very carefully.

Hisham90

· #32 · Aug 10, 2014

AmisAmora said:
Originally Posted by SomePeter View Post
Also, (I read it another thread but it might apply here) I'm kind of a "secondary extrovert". That is, I tend to become an extrovert when I'm amongst solely introverts.

I've been on personalitycafe for some months now, but I only few days ago got around to making an account. I just had to comment on the quote above! That is so me as well lol! I do the exact same, around extroverts I become quiet, quite snarky and indeed discreetly sarcastic lol.

lunai

· #33 · Aug 10, 2014 (Edited)

I had a friend who is INFP. We are actually quite similar in many ways, sharing many of the same interests and behavior. But I think the main difference is how we base our opinions and decisions. They would often go with what feels right, and were more connected to their emotions. To an INFP I suppose choices can be easier to make, because they often go by their internal values. When I have to make a decision, I will mull over all the possibilities until deciding what seems the best choice. I have to go over every factor and option involved in the decision, even if it's a small decision. Even then, I am always changing my mind if some new information comes up. The choice isn't always as simple as going with the obvious moral decision, but to a feeler that decision may be obvious. This tedious process annoys even myself

narawithherthought

· #34 · Aug 10, 2014 (Edited)

similarities:
- we are alien
- sometimes we disappear out of nowhere.
- we take criticize personally.
- we are honest.
- we are not confident.
- our sense of humour is a little...off. But, I can laugh INTP sense of humour though.
- we like thinking about world with different side.
- we are indecisive

differences:
- INTPs are more related to science yet INFPs are more related to human.
- INFPs are more independent, INTPs are little afraid to be alone without friend (Idk about other INTP, it based on my experience).
- INFPs don't need logic reason to do something, they do it based on their feeling.
- We are honest but how we tell it are different. Often, INFPs will tell it more careful and hopes it doesn't hurt the one who listens it feelings.

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