[summer solstice]

I know for sure I am an XNFP, but still debating on whether I am an ENFP or an INFP, but probably leaning towards ENFP.

You've got ENFP in your profile now, so I'm taking it you've found some clarification or something. Perhaps sharing your insights could help others who've had the same dilemma, if you'd like to. ^^

Even though some of my behaviors don't mesh up with the behavioral profiles out there (huge fear of romantic commitment, complete failure to associate sex with love, rarely have emotional outbursts, etc.). Cognitively I'm certainly a strong INFP in all areas. Thanks for this post. I very much enjoyed it.

:) You're welcome.

I scored ENFP, INFJ twice, and INFP four times.
My P is with only 1% preference over J ha, so that explains those changes. I was pretty moderate in a lot of them, I think my N was those most dominant. I still need to redo the test to check for more specified results, now that I understand it haha!

It sounds like your being moderate is what makes it difficult for tests to find your type. I think that the tests will only give you more certainty if you start filling in the questions with less moderation, or less inhibited. ^^

as the OP stated, functional analysis is your best bet. and there is no such thing as a J or P Function.. you either have a judging or perceiving function. as dominant.. and as to whether this translates to a j or p in your type code is simply whether that dominant preference is extroverted.. for me Fe.. which means J or introverted.. Fi ... would mean P

True, true :)

Thank you for this post, @eyenexepee. I've been looking into the cognitive functions to better understand how MBTI works but I've made little progress so far, ie I can't describe what each function represents without looking up something from the internet. That means I haven't really gotten it yet.

I think the problem is that we tend to regard the functions as separate parts of ourselves, often as a psychological reflex to separate what we don't like about ourselves from ourselves (aka, splitting).

The functions are parts of our psyche, really. People often compare them to lenses. They're what we use when we look at the world: we look at it through different lenses. So because we don't want to blame ourselves, we blame our functions, distancing so much from them that we forget they are actually part of us.

Our perceiving functions are the "lenses" with which we take in information, how we see the world. Our judging functions are the lenses with which we judge that information.

Very theoretically, a function:

Function
A form of psychic activity, or manifestation of libido, that remains the same in principle under varying conditions. (See also auxiliary function, differentiation, inferior function, primary functionand typology.)
Jung’s model of typology distinguishes four psychological functions: thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition.

"Sensation establishes what is actually present, thinking enables us to recognize its meaning, feeling tells us its value, and intuition points to possibilities as to whence it came and whither it is going in a given situation."["A Psychological Theory of Types," CW 6, par. 958.]

Though all the functions exist in every psyche, one function is invariably more consciously developed than the others, giving rise to a one-sidedness that often leads to neurosis.

The more [a man] identifies with one function, the more he invests it with libido, and the more he withdraws libido from the other functions. They can tolerate being deprived of libido for even quite long periods, but in the end they will react. Being drained of libido, they gradually sink below the threshold of consciousness, lose their associative connection with it, and finally lapse into the unconscious. This is a regressive development, a reversion to the infantile and finally to the archaic level. . . . [which] brings about a dissociation of the personality.["The Type Problem in Aesthetics," ibid., pars. 502f.]

Every single time I've taken a test I've come out as INFP and my behaviour matches that expected from INFPs, but my Ne is strong, almost as strong as my Fi. For a time I even thought that Ne was the dominant function of INFPs because I had so much of it (exactly the kind of thing you're suggesting we stop doing, yes). Is there a way to determine which function is dominant and which auxiliary? Is it possible that my Fi is very strong but I'm just not paying attention? Sometimes, I feel as if my Fi has taken a few hits through the years from social pressure which often stigmatises quiet and idealistic types such as INFPs, especially men (and the general lack of respect and patronising we can easily fall victims of). Thus I'm wondering if my Fi may have been "redirected" or gone atrophic or whether it's even possible for a dominant function to stop being dominant as a "security measure" against more psychological harm.

You're saying you don't know whether you're Ne-dom or Fi-dom, right? So the situation is xNFP? The thing with xNFP is, you are either Ne dominant, having an Si inferior function, or you have Fi dominant and a Te inferior function.

Here's how you (if you're stuck between Ne and Fi) can go about discerning your dominant.
1) Understanding whether you prefer introverting or extraverting. Introverting means you're orientated to direct your energy inward: you prefer busying yourself with your thoughts, ideas and concepts. You like being busy in the inner environment and it's what cost you the least energy to do, gives you the most energy actually. On the other hand, extraverting means you prefer the outer environment: busying yourself with objects in reality. People, nature, whatsoever that's not inside your head. If you're an extravert and you're being busy with inner stuff, say you were Ne-dom trying to focus on Fi stuff, it would exhaust you more, cost you more energy than when you're leaning mostly on your Ne.
2) Identifying your inferior function. The inferior is interesting because it leads to pretty characteric behavior. I've linked sources in the first post, but I'll link it again below. It must be said though that sometimes you may experience some influence from the tertiary.
- INFP has Te as inferior and Si as tertiary.
- ENFP has Si as inferior and Te as tertiary.
3) You're prone to 'using' your dominant more than your auxiliary, because it's the function you prefer the most. As to that, only you can really tell which one is more dominant in your head. :)

So basically you find your dominant and inferior. In your case, finding your dominant will tell you automatically which is the auxiliary.

(Sidenote, xNFP's don't exist, because they don't have one dominant, whereas per definition, everybody has one dominant.)



Anyways, as for your question about Fi-suppression (that's what I'm coining it for now, I think that's what you mean, no?).

People's type or preferred cognitive function order doesn't change. Remember that they are about how you perceive and how you judge. What does change is your behavior. Sometimes you're under the influence of moods for example, which make you act different than you usually do. For instance, I know I'll fill in type questionnaires differently if I am in a mood, or have recently been emotionally affected by something. There are all kinds of things that can make you behave like you're "suppressing" Fi. But whether you're truly suppressing Fi remains to be seen per occassion.

You have all four functions 'available'; the other four fall in your shadow. 'Available' in the sense that your dominant function is conscious and the fourth/inferior very much unconscious. I don't know much about the shadow functions, other than that the inferior is like the gateway to your unconscious and the shadow functions are like the contents.

You lean mostly on Fi as an INFP. Sometimes you'll lean more on your aux. I've seen it happen as something that I call Ne-overdrive: being obsessed with possibilities and not being able to come to a conclusion - which implies not leaning enough on your Fi and Te to reach conclusions.

There's also the Fi-Si loop, a loop in which Fi fuels Si and vice versa. I guess in your experience, Fi should still be pronouncedly present but accompanied by a strong experience of Si.

Now the inferior is actually quite... "notorious" for compensating one-sided leaning/usage of Fi (and therefore helps with typing yourself correctly). It usually arises when you're stressed out and is often identified as a short term thing: having a sensitivity associated with this cognition, having outbursts. But there's also a long term thing which is called "being in the grip". It's all pretty much explained here:

Recognizing the Inferior Function in IFPs (worth the long read!)

Being in the grip, or having an outburst, you could see that as 'suppression', I guess. However! It's behavior based on the inferior. It doesn't change your dominant function. In fact your dominant function doesn't change ever. But you can definitely act and behave sometimes like it wasn't your dominant function.

See what I mean? So yeah, Fi-suppression is sort of possible, depending how you'd define it, but you won't lose your dominant function.

[pretyhowtown]

Figuring out your dominant function is half the battle. If you are Fi-Dom (or Te, or Si, etc.), that eliminates 14 of the 16 types ...either you're ISFP or INFP. @eyenexepee helped me determine that I do not use Se as an auxiliary function, though I think my Ne could be a bt more developed.

Truly, I think once you've figured out your dominant function, you have only two choices as an auxiliary. And the auxiliary will help you to determine what your type is.

[mimesis]

as the OP stated, functional analysis is your best bet. and there is no such thing as a J or P Function.. you either have a judging or perceiving function. as dominant.. and as to whether this translates to a j or p in your type code is simply whether that dominant preference is extroverted.. for me Fe.. which means J or introverted.. Fi ... would mean P

True, true :)

Hmm...not so true. ESFP, ETSP, Se dom. ISTJ, ISFJ, Si dom, ENTP, ENFP, Ne dom, and INTJ, and INFJ...Ni dom

Better to use: If perceiving function is introverted, J and when extraverted P

I don't know about S, but Ni is convergent - narrowing options back to one (kind of a decision), while Ne is divergent - expanding options.


wiki:
Because ENTJ types are extroverts, the J indicates that their dominant function is their preferred judging function (extraverted thinking). ENTJ types introvert their auxiliary perceiving function (introverted intuition). The tertiary function is sensing and the inferior function is introverted feeling.
Because INTJ types are introverts, the J indicates that their auxiliary function is their preferred judging function (extraverted thinking). INTJ types introvert their dominant perceiving function (introverted intuition). The tertiary function is feeling, and the inferior function is extraverted sensing.

[username]

@eyenexepee

Thank you! I really enjoyed this, but I disagree with one part:

Having borderline T and F and a strong N is actually a good indication for being an N dominant, since the auxiliary and tertiary don't really develop as much as the dominant function.


I'm a 5w4 - I test with borderline T/F and high intuition. 5w4's frequently test as INXP's. I have a very strong preference for introversion and perceiving, so I cannot be an N dominant. Just because someone tests with very strong N, it doesn't mean it's his/her dominant function. In my case, I think my extraverted intuition aids my extraverted feeling to help me gain a better understanding of others' feelings, making me appear (and test) more F than the typical thinker.

[Mitch Skiles]

Is it possible to be a combination of personality types?

[Mitch Skiles]

How do you determine that?

[TaleofMisunderstood]

I'm assuming he took a very authentic test that had 9 options per question, and he got an INFx, saying that INFJ was probably his first choice, and INFP was his second choice. Personality Test

However, I do believe in this: What the Myers-Briggs Personality Test Can and Can't Tell You - SitePoint
Good luck!

[Mitch Skiles]

Hmm I'll look into that, I feel that I am certainly idealistic, but I'm also really good with numbers, I enjoy thinking, and I'm great at science/problem solving and writing and music can be very relaxing/inspiring. Those are all things I'm interested in both externally and internally

[HappyRedux]

Hmm...not so true. ESFP, ETSP, Se dom. ISTJ, ISFJ, Si dom, ENTP, ENFP, Ne dom, and INTJ, and INFJ...Ni dom

Better to use: If perceiving function is introverted, J and when extraverted P

I don't know about S, but Ni is convergent - narrowing options back to one (kind of a decision), while Ne is divergent - expanding options.


wiki:
Because ENTJ types are extroverts, the J indicates that their dominant function is their preferred judging function (extraverted thinking). ENTJ types introvert their auxiliary perceiving function (introverted intuition). The tertiary function is sensing and the inferior function is introverted feeling.
Because INTJ types are introverts, the J indicates that their auxiliary function is their preferred judging function (extraverted thinking). INTJ types introvert their dominant perceiving function (introverted intuition). The tertiary function is feeling, and the inferior function is extraverted sensing.

Yeah thanks for pointing that out. Maybe what I really meant.. Lol.

[summer solstice]

wiki:
Because ENTJ types are extroverts, the J indicates that their dominant function is their preferred judging function (extraverted thinking). ENTJ types introvert their auxiliary perceiving function (introverted intuition). The tertiary function is sensing and the inferior function is introverted feeling.
Because INTJ types are introverts, the J indicates that their auxiliary function is their preferred judging function (extraverted thinking). INTJ types introvert their dominant perceiving function (introverted intuition). The tertiary function is feeling, and the inferior function is extraverted sensing.

I must've read over it. Thanks for the correction. ^^

Thank you! I really enjoyed this, but I disagree with one part:

Having borderline T and F and a strong N is actually a good indication for being an N dominant, since the auxiliary and tertiary don't really develop as much as the dominant function.

I'm a 5w4 - I test with borderline T/F and high intuition. 5w4's frequently test as INXP's. I have a very strong preference for introversion and perceiving, so I cannot be an N dominant. Just because someone tests with very strong N, it doesn't mean it's his/her dominant function. In my case, I think my extraverted intuition aids my extraverted feeling to help me gain a better understanding of others' feelings, making me appear (and test) more F than the typical thinker.

You have a good point here :) Yeah it could be that 5w4's test as INxP's a lot, but not all who get this 'result' of being INxP are 5w4 or 5w6. Is that true for you, @Neverontime @mimesis ? But I don't really get what you're saying with preferring perceiving? Cause as I use it, with perceiving I mean having a dominant perceiving function, regardless of which and its attitude. You probably mean being an extraverted perceiving type (xxxP)?

Also, I did say it's an indication, and I still think it's a good indication. It is true that it's not 100% so, but hey, that's what indications are for. They don't present a 100% chance. That's why I've explained other ways to determine your type. No one should just go by one method. ^^

Anyways, good point about the 5w4.

Is it possible to be a combination of personality types?

To set things straight. Nope. It is not possible.

There are only 16 types. Being a combination of some screws up the theory. If you screw up the theory, you're basically saying "to hell with MBTI, I'm making my own theory".

The thing is that the test mentioned from MMDI is a test like many other ones, in that it gives other possibilities too. This MMDI test gives a lot of space; it allows itself to be wrong or conflicted, thus giving INFx, yet saying which ones are the most probable. So you still have to figure out which type *truly* is your type. Nowhere does the test say you're both types or several ones.

That's just a gross misinterpretation of the test result.

It is true however that you can show *behavior* that is associated with other types. Behavior isn't "restricted" to one type. With that, I'm saying you are one type but you may sometimes show behavior that is frequently associated with a different type.

One shouldn't confuse that for "you can be several types". That simply isn't true.

Keep in mind that you're an individual and that you're not going to be exactly like the descriptions say :)


Edit: saved the picture where it says about being between types but that you should clarify (by buying stuff lol).