Hi, title says it. And what are some differences you personally encounter in real life?
I think I am half ISFP and half INFP.
I think I am half ISFP and half INFP.
What do you think of ISFPs?
uncertain
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I think my sister is an ISFP and we've always been really close, have a lot in common, and have a lot of shared viewpoints about the world (although at least some of that must be due to our shared upbringing). As for differences, Se and Ne I think are very opposed to each other, and sometimes I think we appreciate things on a very different plane if that makes sense; something that I would find inherently interesting she would find boring and vice-versa. It can occasionally lead to conversations where as soon as one person starts to find the conversation interesting the other person switches off and so on. One thing I admire about SPs in general is their ability to be content with reality, and the fact that they don't seem to worry about anything, that's my experience anyway.
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ISFPs and INFPs have a lot of similarities, particularly in their strong emotions and their desire to have close relationships with a few select people.
I think ISFPs tend to be more chill, and more grounded. They tend to take life as it comes. They don't come up with the weird ideas and "flights of fancy" that INFPs do. They don't have the "nobody understands me" thing as much. They have strong emotions but since they live more in the real world they don't get overwhelmed by them as much.
They also tend to get a lot of stuff done if they're passionate about it. For example I know an ISFP dude who practices drums for literally 8 hours a day. I also have an ISFP friend who just wrote a novel and is constantly organizing events for writers and artists. INFPs tend to drift more, and tend to get the "intelligent but can't apply themselves" label, at least as young people.
ISFPs also usually have the ability to relate to lots of people if they need to, but often choose to keep to a small circle. Whereas INFPs, as you can see if you read the Stream of Consciousness/Vent thread, often feel alienated and like they can't relate to a lot of people.
ISFPs can be good writers too because of their propensity for emotion. I just read a draft of a novel that my ISFP friend wrote. She had a lot of richness of sensory detail. She put in all these details to describe scenery, emotions, and actions, that really just brought every scene to life. Little things that other people wouldn't even notice. She is a really talented writer, but her characters and themes tend to be pretty archetypal. I've never seen her stray far from the conventions of whatever genre she's working in. Whereas the Ne-dom writers in our writers' group (there are a lot) tend to either want to subvert a genre or write a story that's completely out there. They don't just want to write a good story, they want to write something that's never been written before. Both types tend to include pieces of their own lives in their writing, but for INFPs it's more personal and their writing often reflects a diary of their emotions, if not of events that have actually happened to them.
Those are just my observations based on what I've seen.
I think ISFPs tend to be more chill, and more grounded. They tend to take life as it comes. They don't come up with the weird ideas and "flights of fancy" that INFPs do. They don't have the "nobody understands me" thing as much. They have strong emotions but since they live more in the real world they don't get overwhelmed by them as much.
They also tend to get a lot of stuff done if they're passionate about it. For example I know an ISFP dude who practices drums for literally 8 hours a day. I also have an ISFP friend who just wrote a novel and is constantly organizing events for writers and artists. INFPs tend to drift more, and tend to get the "intelligent but can't apply themselves" label, at least as young people.
ISFPs also usually have the ability to relate to lots of people if they need to, but often choose to keep to a small circle. Whereas INFPs, as you can see if you read the Stream of Consciousness/Vent thread, often feel alienated and like they can't relate to a lot of people.
ISFPs can be good writers too because of their propensity for emotion. I just read a draft of a novel that my ISFP friend wrote. She had a lot of richness of sensory detail. She put in all these details to describe scenery, emotions, and actions, that really just brought every scene to life. Little things that other people wouldn't even notice. She is a really talented writer, but her characters and themes tend to be pretty archetypal. I've never seen her stray far from the conventions of whatever genre she's working in. Whereas the Ne-dom writers in our writers' group (there are a lot) tend to either want to subvert a genre or write a story that's completely out there. They don't just want to write a good story, they want to write something that's never been written before. Both types tend to include pieces of their own lives in their writing, but for INFPs it's more personal and their writing often reflects a diary of their emotions, if not of events that have actually happened to them.
Those are just my observations based on what I've seen.
Well, I love ISFPs, as I am married to one! <3
Some key differences I've noticed: ISFPs are more in the moment and in their bodies, feeling their senses, than INFPs. I can get lost in my head thinking. I can ask him, "What are you thinking?" and he kind of gets this deer-in-the-headlights look and explains he was literally not thinking about anything and is now trying to think of something to think. I can't imagine sitting there without a thought in one's head, blankly, just experiencing life (sounds rather zen, actually), but he is very good at it. ISFPs, if they are like my husband, don't get drawn into long, weird, meta-focused musings about the nature of the world, universe, life, non-life, etc. He's extremely intelligent, started college at 15, achieved a lot, etc, but he doesn't waste thoughts. He does enjoy every sensory experience he can, though. I love that because being with him helps me appreciate experiences more.
It isn't my experience that INFPs have trouble applying themselves. It may be a common thing but I've not experienced it. Maybe I'm a little bit of an ISFP because I have a few passions/skills I like to hone, finished a novel, etc. My ISFP husband doesn't really fit the mold, either, because he isn't really the creator type. He does not write or create visual art or really have creative output of any kind.
I experience higher highs and lower lows than him, on average, emotionally.
He is less sensitive to negative physical sensations than I am like hunger etc,.
I am more empathetic; he asks me often how to word things tactfully. I don't know if his tact "problem" is due to personality or just other factors.
He absolutely CRAVES travel, while I find travel to be a great way to experience the world but I don't feel a "lack" if I stay in one place for a long time.
Similarities: We're both procrastinators. Ugh. Haha. We both tend to be a little bit cluttery, but since we finished college the house tends to stay a lot more presentable as we both have more time to pick up after ourselves. We both have about the same level of tolerance for mess, so that's good. I'm a little more absentminded than him, more likely to forget to throw the dryer lint away (which bothers him) but I'm more likely to get down to business and clean something. (Also I am more likely to be resentful of having to clean that thing if he said he was going to clean it and then didn't get around to it for four days or a week or whatever.)
If I am upset about something, I tend to let him know, whether or not there is anything we can do about it. He's usually pretty straightforward with me, too. However, one time I found out SIX MONTHS LATER from him that something I had done or failed to do had hurt his feelings. I was distraught; why didn't he tell me sooner so I could fix it? He said he did not want to distress me and it could not really be fixed so there was "no point" in telling me. Still, though, it was good to finally be able to apologize once I was aware...!
We both love animals (cats particularly).
We both struggle with melancholy and depression.
We both draw deep enjoyment from nature and the world around us, but in different ways. We both deeply appreciate beauty in the world.
We both hate injustice and believe in standing up for what is right and fighting oppression.
We both like cuddling.
We both need our alone time, but handily, time "together" doesn't sap us if we are both doing our own introverted things separately in the same room.
We both care deeply about people and desire close relationships.
Another difference here: In life, it is common for once-close friendships to drift apart over time. I, the INFP, react to this with laissez-faire acceptance. I feel like we will always have a common thread and that in the future if we ever want to talk again at any time we can pick right back up, but if they need to move on with life it's all good. I feel like if I reach out once or twice and don't get much back, it would be forcing it to ask for more. For my ISFP husband, when such friendships fade it is *extremely* painful for him. It's just agonizing. He feels it as such a loss. Along with being empathetic, I try to comfort him by saying that we have been close to *so* many people in our lives that it is physically impossible to keep up with all of them forever; there aren't enough hours in the day. He says he knows but it's still horribly painful anyway.
Some key differences I've noticed: ISFPs are more in the moment and in their bodies, feeling their senses, than INFPs. I can get lost in my head thinking. I can ask him, "What are you thinking?" and he kind of gets this deer-in-the-headlights look and explains he was literally not thinking about anything and is now trying to think of something to think. I can't imagine sitting there without a thought in one's head, blankly, just experiencing life (sounds rather zen, actually), but he is very good at it. ISFPs, if they are like my husband, don't get drawn into long, weird, meta-focused musings about the nature of the world, universe, life, non-life, etc. He's extremely intelligent, started college at 15, achieved a lot, etc, but he doesn't waste thoughts. He does enjoy every sensory experience he can, though. I love that because being with him helps me appreciate experiences more.
It isn't my experience that INFPs have trouble applying themselves. It may be a common thing but I've not experienced it. Maybe I'm a little bit of an ISFP because I have a few passions/skills I like to hone, finished a novel, etc. My ISFP husband doesn't really fit the mold, either, because he isn't really the creator type. He does not write or create visual art or really have creative output of any kind.
I experience higher highs and lower lows than him, on average, emotionally.
He is less sensitive to negative physical sensations than I am like hunger etc,.
I am more empathetic; he asks me often how to word things tactfully. I don't know if his tact "problem" is due to personality or just other factors.
He absolutely CRAVES travel, while I find travel to be a great way to experience the world but I don't feel a "lack" if I stay in one place for a long time.
Similarities: We're both procrastinators. Ugh. Haha. We both tend to be a little bit cluttery, but since we finished college the house tends to stay a lot more presentable as we both have more time to pick up after ourselves. We both have about the same level of tolerance for mess, so that's good. I'm a little more absentminded than him, more likely to forget to throw the dryer lint away (which bothers him) but I'm more likely to get down to business and clean something. (Also I am more likely to be resentful of having to clean that thing if he said he was going to clean it and then didn't get around to it for four days or a week or whatever.)
If I am upset about something, I tend to let him know, whether or not there is anything we can do about it. He's usually pretty straightforward with me, too. However, one time I found out SIX MONTHS LATER from him that something I had done or failed to do had hurt his feelings. I was distraught; why didn't he tell me sooner so I could fix it? He said he did not want to distress me and it could not really be fixed so there was "no point" in telling me. Still, though, it was good to finally be able to apologize once I was aware...!
We both love animals (cats particularly).
We both struggle with melancholy and depression.
We both draw deep enjoyment from nature and the world around us, but in different ways. We both deeply appreciate beauty in the world.
We both hate injustice and believe in standing up for what is right and fighting oppression.
We both like cuddling.
We both need our alone time, but handily, time "together" doesn't sap us if we are both doing our own introverted things separately in the same room.
We both care deeply about people and desire close relationships.
Another difference here: In life, it is common for once-close friendships to drift apart over time. I, the INFP, react to this with laissez-faire acceptance. I feel like we will always have a common thread and that in the future if we ever want to talk again at any time we can pick right back up, but if they need to move on with life it's all good. I feel like if I reach out once or twice and don't get much back, it would be forcing it to ask for more. For my ISFP husband, when such friendships fade it is *extremely* painful for him. It's just agonizing. He feels it as such a loss. Along with being empathetic, I try to comfort him by saying that we have been close to *so* many people in our lives that it is physically impossible to keep up with all of them forever; there aren't enough hours in the day. He says he knows but it's still horribly painful anyway.
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I think ISFPs are kind of like INFPs but not as intelligent, in an intellectual way. ISFPs are very obsessed with sex, and sometimes violence. They can sometimes act like ENTJs because they think that's how they're supposed to be and they don't have any self esteem. They don't really have strong beliefs but they are very quick to tell you what they think you want to hear, and they are usually wrong. They also tend to put other people down a lot because they don't have any self esteem. Once you get to know an ISFP really well they start acting more like themselves, which usually means getting really into sensory experiences by going to restaurants or concerts or whatever.
This is complete bullshit, aside from the gratuitous "LOLOLOL, Sensors are dumb jocks" crap.
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I dated an ISFP briefly, and my (rather intense) feelings for him last. He's gorgeous, tattooed, artsy, plays the guitar, was always very attentive sexually, a wonderful soul to be around. Despite this, he's also fickle, and a lot of bad things have happened to him in his life and he's very emotionally damaged; this mixed with his indecisiveness meant he felt he could't continue a relationship with me. I miss being around him on a regular basis, I felt relaxed and accepted, and he made me feel special. I really hope he's doing okay.
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Impossible. Can't be half one personality type and half another- especially when the two types don't even share the same functions. Although the primary function is the same, both the auxiliary and tertiary functions are completely different.
INFPs: extroverted intuition- thinks about all the possibilities, solutions, outcomes.
ISFPs: extroverted sensing- takes in raw information through their 5 senses. Loves concrete details and pleasing their senses. Does not like to engage in abstract and hypothetical thinking but rather focuses on the here and now, what's before them.
Nah I know that. Don't take that line of mine too seriously. I am not really trying to figure out my type here. This thread is rather random.
I think sharing the same dominant function is a big thing, though.
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Yep, I would agree.
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