[William I am]

Hello hello.

I have a favor to ask you - Are there any articles of INFP's describing other types? My girlfriend is an INFP and is curious about how INFP's would describe other types, but I just don't quite know how to find articles of that type - and I'd like to help her out. I think the point is to understand how INFP's are different from other types and how they experience the world.



In particular, she wants to know how other types experience the world and make decisions. She finds the descriptions of INFP's sort of self-explanatory and not surprising.

Could you describe a situation through your eyes, then through some other types' eyes? I'm not sure this is even possible, but it would be interesting to see what develops.

Thanks!

[StaceofBass]

Does she need to describe all 16 types? That'll be a challenge.

I can give my own descriptions of ESTJ and INFJ. My best friend has yet to take the MBTI but I think he's ENTP like yourself.

ESTJ - stubborn, hard-headed, and "always right". I never want to fight with her because she will cause me to go into shadow mode which gets very explosive or I'll retreat into hiding. However, she's my mom and she's been there for me my whole life. She's your typical mom who will fling her arm across you if she slams on the brake. The seatbelt is never enough. I have such intense respect for her even if she's easy to piss off. Her lighthearted moments are rare, but so funny. She'll start acting childish at random which makes my inner kid so happy.

INFJ - Caring, funny, and loyal like a dog. My mom's boyfriend, Mike, and I have this friendship where we never really have to talk...we just goof around and rough house (much to the chagrin of my ESTJ mother). If one of us screams, she becomes a "fun-sucker" and tells us to behave and act our age. -.- If I ever need to talk though, he's there to listen to my troubles.

[ImnottheonlyINFP]

Hello hello.

I have a favor to ask you - Are there any articles of INFP's describing other types? My girlfriend is an INFP and is curious about how INFP's would describe other types, but I just don't quite know how to find articles of that type - and I'd like to help her out. I think the point is to understand how INFP's are different from other types and how they experience the world.

In particular, she wants to know how other types experience the world and make decisions. She finds the descriptions of INFP's sort of self-explanatory and not surprising.

Could you describe a situation through your eyes, then through some other types' eyes? I'm not sure this is even possible, but it would be interesting to see what develops.

Thanks!

You're in luck! Isabel Myers Briggs was an INFP. All of her describes of type were written by an INFP (herself). If you have a more specific question, I can take a shot at it.

[ImnottheonlyINFP]

Could you describe a situation through your eyes, then through some other types' eyes? I'm not sure this is even possible, but it would be interesting to see what develops.

Here is an example of a situation that happens over and over in our house - as seen through my eyes (INFP) and my husband's eyes (ENTP). The main thing causing us problems here is the T-F difference.

We are having a nice time watching TV with the kids. Then it happens: hubby notices that someone knocked over something or the remote is missing. He goes into lawyer mode. All that matters to him (as a T) is getting to the truth. The children deny whatever crime he's accusing them of and their voices go up. He declares that they're "throwing a fit" and he takes away a privilege (like TV or computer time) as a punishment. Then I step in and defend the children. He gets mad because I've taken their side again.

Here's my perspective... I want harmony. Maybe a child knocked over the stack of papers, maybe hubby did, maybe the cat did. It doesn't matter. (Or someone moved the remote, but doesn't remember moving it.) I have no interest in getting at the truth. We don't have evil children who go around knocking things over on purpose. We probably won't remember what happened and digging for it will just make everyone unhappy. He starts the inquisition. The kids try to defend themselves. Either they don't remember if they did it, or they're afraid of their dad being mad at them. They get very upset and stressed (at being put on trial again) and their voices go up. He accuses them of "throwing a fit" and/or lying. They get even more upset because he's yelling at them and punishing them, but they didn't do anything wrong. Hubby has shattered the peace again, over something that doesn't matter. I step in and defend them. He's punishing them for having a normal, stress reaction to his inquisition. They should not be punished for having their voices go up from stress. He is being unreasonable and they aren't IMO. He gets mad at me for defending them. I wonder if the only answer is divorce, since this happens several times a week and I'm sick of feeling like the kids and I are always on trial.

Hypothetically...

[Marimeli]

As an INFP she's likely skilled at that herself. Maybe she ought to read the other type descriptions and see if she can think of anyone who matches them.

Let's see.... Situations....

A good friend of mine's mom died recently and my family's responses are probably pretty typical:

ESTJ (my husband)--following the funeral, my friend laid in bed for three weeks, literally, and did not leave her house at all. She's married with three small kids. He was irritated with her for wallowing in her emotions and not taking care of her family, which he sees as her obligation and her duty. "I know she's sad," he said, "but the bills have to be paid, the house has to be cleaned, her kids have to be supervised." and he told her so. He was fairly gentle about it, but he couldn't understand why she was angry. He was honestly trying to help her by pointing out the things that need to be done.

ESFJ (my sister)--immediately ran out the door and cooked two weeks' worth of meals for the family, arranged babysitting for the kids for a couple of days, drove elderly people from a local nursing home to the funeral, and fielded sympathy calls. She did all this while simultaneously taking care of her own three kids and husband. She was so focused on meeting our friend's needs that she never asked what my friend DID actually need, and never asked herself whether she was enabling our friend to avoid getting her life back together by doing everything for her.

INTP (a mutual friend)--called to say he was sorry for her loss, but didn't want to attend the funeral because it is full of meaningless platitudes. He also dind't want to go to the wake because he didn't feel sad and he felt it would be awkward because he had nothing constructive to add to it. "what possible reason could there be for me to go there?" he asked. When I pointed out that she might appreciate a show of support, he was like, "but i support her all the time. We're friends." eventually I pointed out that of the two, the funeral was likely to be the least awkward because even if he didn't agree with the words of the officiant, he would not be called upon to say anything, the idea of which made him uncomfortable because he didn't know WHAT to say. So he went to the funeral and stood near her silently and she was so grateful that he was there, and he was totally baffled by that, because he didn't even DO anything.

Hopefully this gives you an idea. And I am INFP so of course I noticed all this. And I went and I felt for her deeply, but I wasn't really sure what to say either. Bt I knew the importance of BEING there.