# What's My Personality Type: INFJ or ISFJ? 20 Question Format



## NYEnglishRose (Jun 20, 2011)

I will now use the 20 questions and ask my PerC friends to please type me. I have been vacillating between ISFJ and INFJ for the longest time! 

1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?
*I can remember sensory details years after the event, yet I am also a "big picture" person. When I take a walk in the woods, I am taking in all of the sights, sounds, and scents. At the same time, I ha*v*e no trouble with abstract thinking, theoretical books, or metaphors*. *I love to read and write poetry and am vocally musical. I like to have scented candles and relaxing music. I revere tradition and adore studying history as well as various types of architecture and interior decorating- Georgian versus Victorian, for example.

*2) What do you yearn for in your life? Why?
*A close relationship with God, belonging, finding my niche in society, a life partner because I yearn to love and be loved, a peaceful, comfortable home, harmonious relationships with my kids, family and friends, learning because I am innately hungry for knowledge, and a meaningful occupation in which I am making a positive difference in the lives of others.* *Why?* *Because it feels right and that's how i envision my life.

*3) Think about a time when you felt you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way.
*The first would be when I stood up to a pediatrician who was telling me to simply go to the pharmacy and get another antibiotic for my oldest daughter, then 13, who had a bladder/kidney infection. The germs were resistant to the first antibiotic. She had seemed to improve for the first 2 days, but on the third day her fever went to 102, then 106 axillary even eight hours after Advil. She was listless, flushed red, nearly delirious, and might have been on the verge of convulsions. There was no time to go to the drugstore, pick up the medicines, take a cab home, administer the dose, and wait for it to take effect. I told that doctor I was taking my daughter to the hospital whether he or my insurance carrier liked it or not, and to call ahead and tell them we were on our way. I felt that his recommended course of action would put my child's life at risk. I called 911 and got her to the hospital. The ER nurse stated bluntly that my daughter needed IV antibiotics, and following the on-call doctor's plan would likely have jeopardized her life. Second? It was when I* *was advocating for my autistic son with the Special Education Board, which was giving me a hard time about providing him with an IEP. I felt like I was his voice, his champion, if you will, and i was not about to meekly go away. *

4) What makes you feel inferior?
*Shyness, not feeling comfortable at large gatherings, not knowing what to say until I've thought it over, feeling not quite pretty enough, that I have not yet found my career niche and still am uncertain.

*5) What tends to weigh on your decisions?
*My spiritual beliefs, what has worked successfully in the past, whether or not I can live with the consequences, and how others will be affected by my choice. 

*6) When working on a project, what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome?
*My emphasis is on getting the assignment completed in an orderly, timely fashion with no detail overlooked. I care more about effective, harmonious teamwork than being in charge, and am more comfortable behind the scenes than in the* *limelight. I don't actively seek leadership and prefer to play a supporting role. *

7) Describe a time when you had a lot of fun. What is your memory of it?
*I was visiting my family in New York during the summer vacation in 1995 with my two daughters, ages 4 and 14 months. I stayed part of the time with my parents and part of the time with two of my sisters, one then the other. We visited the* *Enchanted Forest Water Safari, discount passes courtesy of my father's employer*. *We enjoyed the wave pool, water slides, simulated river rafting, eating outdoors, the ski lift ride. I remember that my younger girl Brianna was dressed in an adorable one-piece romper with a red cherry motif and a matching cap atop her blond Shirley Temple style curls.* *My older girl Brittany was laughing and having a ball. I remember lying in the sun with her on my chest. I remember most of all just simple, pleasant time with my family* *preparing meals together, shopping, staying up late talking, playing bocce ball, just being together.

*8) When you want to learn something new, what feels more natural to you (Are you more prone to be hands-on, to theorize, to memorize, etc. )?
*I am very comfortable with theory and memorization. I like to try things hands-on, but that only goes so far, and I need to know the reasons behind why things are done the way they are- the principles behind them. I like detailed, step-by-step, logical instructions. I am always asking "Why?" and "What if?" 

*9) How organized do you think of yourself as?
*I am fairly organized. I have my documents in hanging file folders my college coursework separated into notebooks of various colors, my house clean, and my clothes in order. My tabletops and bureau can be a bit cluttered, though, and two of the side tables in my parlor are stacked with books. Sometimes I let papers pile up and have to spend a half hour filing them. I am scheduled when I need to be for school and appointments, but more flexible with my downtime and friends dropping by.*

10) How do you judge new ideas? You try to understand the principles behind it to see if they make sense or do you look for information that supports it?
*I judge new ideas against the framework of what I already believe to be true, to study the principles behind them and see if they make sense to me and are compatible with my personal values. *

11) You find harmony by making sure everyone is doing fine and belonging to a given group or by making sure that you follow what you believe and being yourself? 
*I find inner* *peace by following what I believe and being myself. 

*12) Are you the kind that thinks before speaking or do you speak before thinking? Do you prefer one-on-one communication or group discussions? 
*I am more prone to think before speaking, and I am more comfortable with one-on-one communication.*

13) Do you jump into action right away or do you like to know where are you jumping before leaping? Does action speak more than words?
*Predominantly, I like to know what I am getting into before I take action, but I am capable of acting quickly in a calm manner when the situation calls for it. I believe that actions speak louder than words because action requires effort, time, energy, and focus. I am more inclined to trust a man's loving ACTIONS ( keeping plans, making time for me, doing things together, being helpful, chivalry, affection) than sweet words. 

*14) It's Saturday. You're at home, and your favorite show is about to start. Your friends call you for a night out. What will you do? 
*Ha ha, that never happens lol. If it were a small house party, dining out, poetry reading, karaoke, musical event, ball game, political event, or a movie, I might go depending on my energy level. Most of the time I prefer to stay close to home. After I got home, I would need time to be alone and rest in solitude.*

15) How do you act when you're stressed out? 
*I burst into tears easily and I retreat into my shell, hardly talking to anyone. I hate that I cry so easily and my emotions are so transparent. I also tend to have a close connection between my physical and emotional health. I will be more tired than usual and have headaches, stomach discomfort, and poor appetite. Thinking things out takes more energy and effort. 
*
16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people?
*Their superficiality, hypocrisy, deliberate meanness, arrogance, and their taking advantage of others for personal gain*. *Failing to honor their commitments. 

*17) Is there anything you really like talking about with other people? 
*Recipes, my favorite baseball and football teams, music, poetry, literature, politics, history, ideals, faith, family.*

18) What kind of things do you pay the least attention to in your life?*
Celebrity gossip and being fashionable, status, materialism. I am more concerned with having a meaningful life filled with purpose.*

19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? What would your friends never say about your personality? 
*My friends perceive me as dependable, kind, generous, witty, smart, creative, shy, stubborn, sometimes oversensitive, can be slow to let go of disappointments, impatient, determined, could manage money better, have hard time saying no to requests, good listener, caring. My friends would never say that I am mean-spirited or greedy. They are right. 

*20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing? 
*In the morning, after coffee and a strawberry pancake breakfast, I would go for a hike or a walk in the woods to enjoy the natural beauty around me: breeze, sunlight, bird songs, trees, crickets, frogs, flowers, etc. Shop at the Farmer's Market for delectably fresh and tasty fruits and vegetables. Bargain-hunt at flea markets and yard sales. Indulge in baking yummy cupcakes, brownies, and cookies. Spend time with my kids, then some downtime reading classic literature. Later, watch "Gone with the Wind*" *or other romantic movie while sitting close to someone I love (no one fills that place right now). Prepare a meal together. Sit down to dinner with a bottle of wine, candlelight and relaxing music.

*What do you all think, based on my answers?


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## allisreal (Mar 23, 2010)

You sound more like an ISFJ.


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## NYEnglishRose (Jun 20, 2011)

allisreal, would you please elaborate?


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## allisreal (Mar 23, 2010)

Sorry about that...I was kind of in a rush. I don't know how familiar you are with the cognitive functions,but one big difference between the ISFJ and INFJ is in their dominant functions. ISFJ's are Si-doms and INFJ's Ni-doms. Forgive me if this is all familiar. Although you say you have no problem understanding theory (which certainly does not exclude you from being an INFJ), do you find yourself in your daily life *actively* theorizing and synthesizing various bits of information to create meaning that may not seem readily apparent (Ni) or do you tend to tend to take in information and store it in a more concrete fashion (Si)? 

Your answer to question 3 seemed very Si to me. You were able to recall with elaborate detail one of your finest moments and the impression it had on you. When answering question 7 you also seemed to do the same describing a fun time in your life. Si is generally very good at this. You seem to be fairly in touch with your physical reality, which INFJ's or Ni-doms generally might struggle with.


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## retroscenery (Sep 29, 2011)

You're an ISFJ, I think. I noticed in question 14 you said "that never happens". That could just be me, but it seemed like you were thinking of the quesiton in terms of the present, which is a very sensing thing to do. People with an intuitive preference tend to think of hypothetical questions like that in terms of what what happen in the future. You also tend to really notice all the details of things from years before, and lie on your personal experience. People with a more intuitive perference tend to pick up on infortmation by looking at the possibilites and trying to interpet meaning. I also noticed you tend to enjoy things based on how their senses, which is really looking into the present information of a situation.

Keep in mind, people who are sensing are more likely to be less interested in understanding theory or methaphors or philosophy. It doesn't mean they can't understand it. There's quite a few who don't, but there is also a large majority who do, and in fact some can enjoy it. People with a sensing preference just apply sensing information more than intuitive. It serves more practical use to them than someone with intuitive preferences. It's kind of like the thinking and feeling preferences. While people who are feelers are more likely to be interested in things dealing with emotions or social or people issues, it doesn't mean they can't understand or even enjoy logical theories. They just find emotional things more relatable or useful to them.


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## Paragon (Mar 15, 2011)

My Verdict: ISFJ

Note that I am not typing you about what you say; rather, I am analyzing your writing style and what you are actually doing.



> 3) Think about a time when you felt you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way.
> The first would be when I stood up to a pediatrician who was telling me to simply go to the pharmacy and get another antibiotic for my oldest daughter, then 13, who had a bladder/kidney infection. The germs were resistant to the first antibiotic. She had seemed to improve for the first 2 days, but on the third day her fever went to 102, then 106 axillary even eight hours after Advil. She was listless, flushed red, nearly delirious, and might have been on the verge of convulsions. There was no time to go to the drugstore, pick up the medicines, take a cab home, administer the dose, and wait for it to take effect. I told that doctor I was taking my daughter to the hospital whether he or my insurance carrier liked it or not, and to call ahead and tell them we were on our way. I felt that his recommended course of action would put my child's life at risk. I called 911 and got her to the hospital. The ER nurse stated bluntly that my daughter needed IV antibiotics, and following the on-call doctor's plan would likely have jeopardized her life. Second? It was when I was advocating for my autistic son with the Special Education Board, which was giving me a hard time about providing him with an IEP. I felt like I was his voice, his champion, if you will, and i was not about to meekly go away.





> 7) Describe a time when you had a lot of fun. What is your memory of it?
> I was visiting my family in New York during the summer vacation in 1995 with my two daughters, ages 4 and 14 months. I stayed part of the time with my parents and part of the time with two of my sisters, one then the other. We visited the Enchanted Forest Water Safari, discount passes courtesy of my father's employer. We enjoyed the wave pool, water slides, simulated river rafting, eating outdoors, the ski lift ride. I remember that my younger girl Brianna was dressed in an adorable one-piece romper with a red cherry motif and a matching cap atop her blond Shirley Temple style curls. My older girl Brittany was laughing and having a ball. I remember lying in the sun with her on my chest. I remember most of all just simple, pleasant time with my family preparing meals together, shopping, staying up late talking, playing bocce ball, just being together.





> 20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing?
> In the morning, after coffee and a strawberry pancake breakfast, I would go for a hike or a walk in the woods to enjoy the natural beauty around me: breeze, sunlight, bird songs, trees, crickets, frogs, flowers, etc. Shop at the Farmer's Market for delectably fresh and tasty fruits and vegetables. Bargain-hunt at flea markets and yard sales. Indulge in baking yummy cupcakes, brownies, and cookies. Spend time with my kids, then some downtime reading classic literature. Later, watch "Gone with the Wind" or other romantic movie while sitting close to someone I love (no one fills that place right now). Prepare a meal together. Sit down to dinner with a bottle of wine, candlelight and relaxing music.


These quotes are literally an Introverted Sensing (Si) Explosion and is easily your dominant function. 

This link gives an excellent description of the cognitive function. 

I'll post it here for convenience:


> Si (Introverted Sensing):
> 
> 
> Reliability: Si types are dependable, reliable and trustworthy. They like to belong to solid organizations that have reasonable in their ambitions and loyal to their employees. They are thorough and conscientious in fulfilling their responsibilities.
> ...


It's almost as if you were physically right there in the situation, recalling all the details to the nitty-gritty; youu reviewed upon your past experiences, and literally "packaged" the information as a treasured memory, remembering the facts, numbers, and signs with clarity. 



> 6) When working on a project, what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome?
> My emphasis is on getting the assignment completed in an orderly, timely fashion with no detail overlooked. I care more about effective, harmonious teamwork than being in charge, and am more comfortable behind the scenes than in the limelight. I don't actively seek leadership and prefer to play a supporting role.


This slightly suggests Extraverted Feeling (Fe). 



> Fe (Extroverted Feeling):
> 
> 
> Personal Connection: Fe is connecting with others. The process of Fe often involves a desire to connect with (or disconnect from) others and is often evidenced by expressions of warmth (or displeasure) and self-disclosure. They carry conversations well, finding common ground with their speaker. They tend to find the correct and gracious way to respond in any given situation, no matter how tense or uncomfortable it is. Fe types typically radiate goodwill and enthusiasm. They are optimistic about life in general and human potential in particular. They prefer to focus on the positive, harmonious and uplifting aspects of people and human relations, paying little attention to negative, pessimistic, limiting, and divisive messages, situations and conclusions. Their primary goal is to create and maintain good feeling and harmony among people.
> ...


Extraverted Feeling is an objective process of team building, ritualizing, group cohesion, and interpersonal consideration. It considers ethics on a broad, objective, macro level.


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## Paragon (Mar 15, 2011)

Also, I'd like to mention that the reason why you are probably a lot more comfortable with abstract thought is because you are getting older (judging by your profile saying you are part of Generation X) and are 39 years old, and you might be just starting to get in touch with your tertiary and inferior functions, Introverted Thinking and Extraverted Intuition. 

You mention in your profile "intellectual curiosity" and "learning more"; this is because you are starting to indulge in your weaker functions.

Remember that these cognitive functions are merely preferences; they only show how you are naturally inclined to process information, not necessarily how strong they are. I am an INTP, literally almost the polar opposite letter-wise, but we share the same 4 functions: TiNeSiFe. 

The difference, however, is that it seems that you value dependence, past experiences, and the physical world (Si) and interpersonal, objective ethics and consideration (Fe) a lot more.

I am an INTP, and I primarily use Ti and Ne, and intellectual curiosity and truth seeking and logic are the end-all-be-all of my existence, literally. I struggle keeping up with the physical world, and I am god awful with dealing with people.


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## NYEnglishRose (Jun 20, 2011)

Paragon, I started college classes only last fall. I was busy taking care of my family- had my first baby at 19. second at 22, third at 25, fourth at 28, fifth and final at 29. 3 girls, 2 boys, in that exact order. The second-to-the-baby was born with a congenital heart defect (corrected at 7 weeks) and diagnosed with autism at 20 months. Now that my kids are somewhat older, I have decided to pursue university education. I have a 3.85 GPA and belong to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor society. I am also politically active on the local level.


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## Paragon (Mar 15, 2011)

NYEnglishRose said:


> Paragon, I started college classes only last fall. I was busy taking care of my family- had my first baby at 19. second at 22, third at 25, fourth at 28, fifth and final at 29. 3 girls, 2 boys, in that exact order. The second-to-the-baby was born with a congenital heart defect (corrected at 7 weeks) and diagnosed with autism at 20 months. Now that my kids are somewhat older, I have decided to pursue university education. I have a 3.85 GPA and belong to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor society. I am also politically active on the local level.


I didn't mean to offend you or anything; I was trying to explain why I typed you as ISFJ and explained why you are becoming more comfortable with theoretical abstraction. I apologize if that came across as rude somehow.

Anyways, it must have been rough raising all of those kids, especially with one with autism; kudos for keeping up with him and supporting him, and to anyone who deals with people with special needs. And good luck with your education and your political work.


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## NYEnglishRose (Jun 20, 2011)

Paragon, I am not offended, believe me. You're cool.


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