[OrangeAppled]

Very much so. Being quiet and having a girly appearance, people often underestimate my intelligence. In school, my math & science teachers were often shocked to see I was one of the top students. As an adult, I bet few people would peg me as having a lot of intellectual interests. To many, I look like a girl who likes to shop & get her nails done. My Ne-aux nervous randomness doesn't always help (it says "airhead" to some people).



People may also underestimate my friendliness, and write me off as aloof or snobby. Many seem to think I am dull, or a goody-goody, or very serious because I am shy at first.

On jobs, I am underestimated for being quiet also. Extroversion is associated with so many positive traits and introversion with so many negative ones that you are almost seen as "incompetent" at first when you're an introvert. I usually earn respect over time and employers really grow to value & depend on me, but not enough will give me that chance based on their bias towards people with a reserved demeanor.

[refugee]

i think it's delightfully perverse how INFP's we dissect the minute details of our lives...but without my ability to do so, I would wither and die like a cheap flower.

[Daimai]

It is a good thing. It means you can hit them twice as hard when they least expect it (figuratively speaking, of course).

[Sily]

..I usually earn respect over time and employers really grow to value & depend on me...

I completely agree, if I may steal your sentence and words up there. This applies in my life also.

[nikkii]

It is a good thing. It means you can hit them twice as hard when they least expect it (figuratively speaking, of course).

what you said reminds me of my best friend(taylor) shes in INTJ too. I dont want to do that though I just want to live in peace and not worry about who is the best at something.

[FallenofTrack]

People may also underestimate my friendliness, and write me off as aloof or snobby. Many seem to think I am dull, or a goody-goody, or very serious because I am shy at first.

On jobs, I am underestimated for being quiet also. Extroversion is associated with so many positive traits and introversion with so many negative ones that you are almost seen as "incompetent" at first when you're an introvert. I usually earn respect over time and employers really grow to value & depend on me, but not enough will give me that chance based on their bias towards people with a reserved demeanor.

Definitely agree with this.

[crazitaco]

totally. this morning in band class (in high school) i played a very hard part on my clarinet and my middle school band director heard me and he said he never knew i was actually GOOD at playing clarinet.

[Dreamer]

someone said to me once 'SHE TALKS!'
actually a couple times actually. Now I know why I don't talk much with people laughing at me when I do. sigh

[hellogoodbye]

I had to revive this thread! Does anyone else say things in order to be silly or stupid because it's fun to, and then get annoyed when people actually think you were serious? It makes me think people must think I really am stupid. Besides giving up on humor that no one else gets, what are some other ways to avoid being underestimated? I look young and I know makeup would probably help in the corporate world, but I don't really like to put on makeup; it feels like there's junk on my face.

[OmarFW]

If someone likes to throw people in different categories, what do they do with an INFP?

you can't categorize an INFP when the categories available were created by an E society.

if anything, people try even harder to categorize INFP's in some sort of stereotypical role in their mind simply because they can't.