An INFP's functions...

...how do they support popular (and more than not true) stereotypes?



INFP's are known for their compassion and listening skills, as well as a good poker face to a stormy emotional inside. We're also known for biting back at someone who infringes on our morals, despite our usual quiet and laid back exterior. And idealistically daydreaming, that's a huge one.

Fi explains the lashing back and idealism parts, Ne explains our daydreaming, but what explains compassion and listening? That almost sounds more Fe, unless I'm wrong, which is why I'm asking: which function explains the listening and emotional understanding an INFP is known to have?

if you spend a lot of time contemplating how you feel about stuff and sorting out your values i think it probably implies that you have a well-developed understanding of stuff like what usually triggers certain emotions or where people are coming from (at least based on your own projections from understanding yourself well in that regard, if anything). i don't think this means that you necessarily have to be thrilled to take on the role of counselor or whatever, but i think that this understanding usually breeds some empathy for other people, at least those who you resonate/are compatible with.

Originally Posted by xIrony

Fi explains the lashing back and idealism parts, Ne explains our daydreaming, but what explains compassion and listening? That almost sounds more Fe, unless I'm wrong, which is why I'm asking: which function explains the listening and emotional understanding an INFP is known to have?

That's just Feeling in general; not specific to one attitude, though people try to assign specific behaviors to one or the other.
If anything; understanding might even lean towards Fi, because it references the subject's own personal relating to the situation. Listening would be either (both are focused on the humane or "personal"), to take in the data, and the attitude then is just the internal or external standard related to.

Originally Posted by xIrony

Fi explains the lashing back and idealism parts, Ne explains our daydreaming, but what explains compassion and listening? That almost sounds more Fe, unless I'm wrong, which is why I'm asking: which function explains the listening and emotional understanding an INFP is known to have?

compassion and listening are Fi also. Si and Ne might play a role on it also, but Fi builds the compassion and introversion + P(Fi dom) explains the willingness to listen.

N = where did it come from and where is it going? oriented extraverted this allows Fi to find things that you can feel compassion to.
S = is there something there? oriented introverted this function can help you to build an internal framework(from the things you perceive outside and what you have already perceived about your life or others, and perception of your current and previous judgments(mainly Fi as Te is inferior)) that you can relate to with your Fi and feel compassion, because you get the person and know(or think you know) what the person feels.

imo Fi doesent explain the idealism or lashing back, thats something that non Fi types can do also. INFJ is pretty much as idealistic as INFP is and pretty much all types > INFPs on lashing back.

Originally Posted by xIrony

INFP's are known for their compassion

Feeling, namely Introverted Feeling valuing the concept of grief as something to feel compassion for.

and listening skills, as well as a good poker face to a stormy emotional inside.

Introverted Perceivers. Judging Functions(F/T) are more manual and intense than Perceiving Functions(S/N). As a Perceiver you will extravert the less intense Ne, but as an Introvert your primary world is the intense Fi.

Also, an I can be brooding and a P can blend rather well. Then the extraverted Ne is much calmer and more hypothetical than applicable like Se is. This is why INFPs and INTPs are typically called the MBTIs with the most passionate inside.

We're also known for biting back at someone who infringes on our morals, despite our usual quiet and laid back exterior. And idealistically daydreaming, that's a huge one.

Both a primary result of our Fi. Imagine Fi as a large reservoir of emotion shrouded by mist that has a small stream coming out of it. Typically only small amounts are seen to most, in the form of a timid stream. But infringe upon the innermost morals, and you break the reservoir's dam.

As for the idealistic daydreaming, that's you simply chillin' in a boat on your reservoir of Fi, drawing upon Ne and Si to further sculpt it.

Fi explains the lashing back and idealism parts, Ne explains our daydreaming, but what explains compassion and listening? That almost sounds more Fe, unless I'm wrong, which is why I'm asking: which function explains the listening and emotional understanding an INFP is known to have?

Whoops. Responding to a post piece by piece in what you believe to be an efficient manner until you get halfway through and realize you've been going about this the wrong way = inferior Te at work.

Well, to explain the first scenario more efficiently.

The Non-Infp says that they believe in "X" belief because Infps are quiet and people end up telling us their awful beliefs. The Infp gathers what they can recall about the belief using their Si. This information is then built off of and evaluated through Ne. The now expanded belief is filtered through Fi to see why they would believe that. If needed, your own Fi is altered through Ne to accommodate the belief better. As a result, the Infp says that they can understand the Non-Infp and even brings up points about the belief that the Non-Infp didn't mention. This all happens rather fast, and is why emotionally stable and not entirely self-centered Infps are very empathetic and understanding.

Problems with this process include:
-Si gathering defunct information, creating a poor rendition of the belief.
-Ne expanding off of irrelevant Si data, also creating a poor rendition of the belief.
-A stubborn Fi found in immature INFPs will make empathy practically impossible if the beliefs to not significantly align with the Fi of the INFP.
-In the process of molding their Fi through Ne the INFP may begin to possess alternate belief systems at the same time and value each of them, creating Dissociative Identity Disorder.
-Te should be sprinkled on at the very end. If the INFP doesn't Te it up at the very end and think, maybe this person's belief in alien gods that sculpted Earth isn't all that rational and worthy of recognition on certain levels then, as I'm sure people on MBTI message boards have seen, you'll find INFPs defending people who are clearly wrong. This is often to the detriment of those around them, who they ironically do not happen to emphasize with as they've clearly stopped using Te and no longer notice the problems of others.

Man, what an awful trait.

Wow! Thank you Corporal Atlas! That really made me understand these functions a bit better I think.

No problem. As an easy point of reference, these are situations where an INFP's functions will typically show themselves:

Fi: Judging worth, feeling intensely, preaching, helping
Ne: Generally utilizing your imagination, Brainstorming, Speculating
Si: Comparing, Analyzing, Reminiscing
Te: Feeling Oddly Practical, Organizing, Impacting the outer world in the image of your inner world