# Why is an INFP often way more humanitarian than an ISFP? Is it Ne vs Se?



## uncertain (May 26, 2012)

I don't really know if it is the appropriate place to post this questions, but whatever.

Okay so some, or most, idk, INFPs are very humanitarian, as what I have noticed on PerC, and my friend whom I suspected to be an INFP. I consider myself to be sort of humanitarian. I concern about society, the poors, the working class, and different social issues, but such compassion is like nothing when comparing with an INFP's. I know it is not supposed to be compared, but I just can stop feeling that the INFPs have an invincible amount of compassion for "miserable" people or lives in general--I mean we can't even be sure if the "miserable" people are really feeling miserable--when I read some of the posts on the forum. If I were on the sky, then they would be in the universe. Oh no I'm just on the freeway. No offense but sometimes I find the compassion you guys have to be too overwhelming, which is respectable, but just too much. It's like I have to eat a pound of cheesecake every meal for a month.

ISFP just don't. We don't even have the same sort of non-emotional ideas of the INFP at the first place to generate compassion.

At first I thought the compassion is due to INFPs' dom Fi, but if it is so, how come ISFPs who are also Fi-dom often have much less compassion and consideration for big things like social issues, or even apathetic toward those things?

So is it actually more about Ne than Fi? Or is it N+F= NF humanitarian (Ne+Fi/ Ni+Fe)?


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## LiquidLight (Oct 14, 2011)

I've never heard of anything of the sort and would be interested in hearing where you go this from. Humanitarianism, as has been pointed out on a number of threads, is not really related to type. There are plenty of humanitarians of all types out there. Extraverted Thinking types who run global organizations like the Red Cross or philanthropic charities, Introverted Sensation types that might be crusaders for poverty and so forth. It's not just Feeling types and certainly not just feeling intuitives.


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## Kynx (Feb 6, 2012)

I've not noticed this myself, but to be fair I've not interacted much with ISFPs and whenever I've visited their forum, it's very quiet. Your observations do sound plausible though and I would guess that Ne vs Se would influence that. My perception links and compares a lot of varied information and seems to pull it all together. Trying to focus only on the things directly around me is difficult at the best of times and when I actually manage it, it just bores me.


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## Khiro (Nov 28, 2012)

I suppose it's Ne that compels the INFP to explore as much as possible and it's that exploration that opens them up to so many different things which can affect their Fi. Se, on the other hand, is going to draw people more exclusively to what they can see and affect in the immediate vicinity, so it draws them to less broad possibilities. If they don't directly experience something they may feel inclined to help with, the drive is less likely to be there. All the same, as LiquidLight says, anyone can still be drawn to those causes, it may just be a little more likely in some types than others.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

I do consider myself a humanitarian and I can perhaps see a little what the OP is getting at. I relate a lot to INFPs when it comes to my ethics in general, more so than to INTPs.


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## myjazz (Feb 17, 2010)

I would say it is the Ne with a good Fi running the show.


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## LiquidLight (Oct 14, 2011)

So am I understanding this right? Types without Ne and Fi don't make good humanitarians? Isn't Ghandi supposed to be INFJ (along with Jesus)? What about those philanthropic types like Andrew Carnegie was he INFP?

This kind of stuff drives me CRAZY because its a prime example of people going way too far with type. I mean for goodness sakes Jung writes


> If tolerance for the sick, the suffering, or the deranged should chance to be an ingredient in the formula, special provisions will be devised for humane societies, hospitals, prisons, colonies, etc., or at least extensive plans for such projects.


 in the chapter about Extraverted Thinking types.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

LiquidLight said:


> So am I understanding this right? Types without Ne and Fi don't make good humanitarians? Isn't Ghandi supposed to be INFJ (along with Jesus)? What about those philanthropic types like Andrew Carnegie was he INFP?
> 
> This kind of stuff drives me CRAZY because its a prime example of people going way too far with type. I mean for goodness sakes Jung writes in the chapter about Extraverted Thinking types.


Just to point out, but no one once claimed that other types cannot be humanitarian, but that it is perhaps so that the Ne + Fi combination makes it more likely for an xNFP type to be humanitarian. Even Lenore Thomson writes that:



> Developed Fi naturally leads people to favor mercy or forgiveness for people who have done heinous acts--anything from theft to murder to genocide--acts that, under the ordinary laws that make a society manageable (see Extraverted Thinking), would usually merit their imprisonment or execution. From a developed Fi perspective, the criminal is still a living soul, still unique and precious despite whatever he may have done. If we walked in his moccasins for a while, maybe we could see it his way. Without condoning his crimes, maybe we could see how we ourselves could have done the same things under similar circumstances. This use of empathy as one's ultimate anchor of orientation leads to a resolute non-judgementalness. First empathize--find something in your own heart that lets you see how someone could feel and act the way he did--and then you will probably find that you no longer feel hatred or a desire for retribution.


I would say that's a pretty defining trait in order to be humanitarian right there because how can you be humanitarian if you cannot see another person's point of view and relate to their suffering? Logically then, if the xNFP type is more aware of this multi-layered nature of human experience then naturally it should also come as a conclusion that the xNFP type would be more likely to live this out and ascribe herself humanitarian traits.

Also, regarding the quote of dominant Te types, I would say that the quote is a perfect example of inferior Fi shining through, which again, ironically, links it all back to that humanitarian tendencies are linked to Fi as a function.

Or alternatively, if you adhere to Thomson's view of the functions which I do (I arrived at that conclusion independently), then it would be natural for any type to at times exhibit traits of Ne + Fi-ness and if Ne and Fi are strongly developed, it would again lead the individual towards humanitarian tendencies irregardless of the logic of their dominant function and auxiliary functions.


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## SoulShield (Jan 17, 2013)

I'm a humanitarian INFJ.


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

Andrew Carnegie - haha, something about him being an Fi dom smells off to me...I know humanitarian ENTJs - I know humanitarian ISTPs...Ehehe, sounds like people thinking thinking means tactless and poor manners (I know INFPs with terrible manners - actually one of the most mature/gracious people I've ever met was a 15 year old INTP). Those stereotypes just show people don't understand the functions and mistake them with having a cynical bastard kind of persona (that can be anyone).


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## uncertain (May 26, 2012)

I want to clarify that I'm simply comparing ISFP with INFP, whose dom and aux happen to be Fi and Se/Ne. I don't mean that types other than INFP are not humanitarian. 

The "N+F=NF humanitarian" is just some extra thing which doesn't mean to be particularly important. Sure xNFx are said to be humanitarian and any type can be humanitarian. The difference between ISFP and INFP is just one of the things that I've observed.


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## LiquidLight (Oct 14, 2011)

I just don't even know how someone would even begin to quantify something like this. It's like saying ESFPs are more loving than ENFPs. How would we even judge this? Monetary contribution? Time spent in volunteer work? Are charitable donations or endeavors of other types not as 'humanitarian'? Is a Ti or Te type incapable of meaningful contribution? I mean we can make the argument that the feeling function may incline a person toward more human related things, that argument has been made, but to say that someone's aux Se or Ne is the defining characteristic sounds like MBTI type forum/introvert-thinks-his-aux-is-the-most-important-function mumbo jumbo to me. Not to be offensive to anyone specifically, that's just how it comes across to me. 

I would dare someone first to _properly_ identify an ISFP vs an INFP (because its not nearly as easy as people try to make it they are both introverted feeling types after all and in many cases its the description people identify with not necessarily the functions). I wouldn't even try to do it personally. If I had a gun to my head, I'd just have to rely on stereotypes and probably be wrong a good chunk of the time. Secondly we'd need to delineate in some sort of concrete term how one introverted feeling type is markedly different from another in terms of his 'humanitarian' outlook. And how you would even begin to create criteria to identify this? Wants, needs, upbringings, values, don't come into play here? It's just the difference between Se and Ne (as an aux to boot)? I mean we could just as easily argue Introverted Feeling types don't have either Ne or Se as their aux before we get into assumptions about what that function would do to a person's outer presentation.


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

I know a lot of humanitarian ISFPs (as in, they're practicing vegans, supporters of political causes, etc.). Both types can be, but I don't think they have to be that committed either, necessarily - it tends to come down to sort of the persona and upbringing of the people. I know some that aren't really particularly "humanitarian" - they might stand for something, but it's not really that clearly in the sphere of "humanitarianism" (animal rights advocates, etc.). Generally, these types might just play this up more than other types (even though other types may show equal passion for these causes, etc.), just because they tend to downplay thinking so much (thinking for them is sort of all-or-nothing, get-on-the-bandwagon-or-not in it's quality) - then again, I know some others that calling "humanitarian" would be kind of a lie - I mean, they support politicians, etc. the way anyone else would, but once again, they tend to play feeling alliances up more than other types for the reason I mentioned before - they tend to dislike being seen as "thinkers" (to them, people who live in the abstract rather than focus on the more important things). These things are certainly not limited to these types though - you may get plenty who really don't show any kinds of humanitarian leanings in particular (I mean, it depends on how you're conceptualizing "humanitarian") - I think I've known some who seriously show nothing in the way of humanitarian leanings as well. I think with Fi and intuition though, you might get more of an idealist than Fi and sensation, so perhaps those things with potential attract these types more, but that's likely a stretch.


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## firedell (Aug 5, 2009)

I would call myself a humanitarian.

It's just that sometimes I don't believe that some of my beliefs are achievable. I will then consider it's real worth, and if I cannot do something about it on a tangible level, then why waste time thinking about it?


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

LiquidLight said:


> I just don't even know how someone would even begin to quantify something like this. It's like saying ESFPs are more loving than ENFPs. How would we even judge this? Monetary contribution? Time spent in volunteer work? Are charitable donations or endeavors of other types not as 'humanitarian'? Is a Ti or Te type incapable of meaningful contribution? I mean we can make the argument that the feeling function may incline a person toward more human related things, that argument has been made, but to say that someone's aux Se or Ne is the defining characteristic sounds like MBTI type forum/introvert-thinks-his-aux-is-the-most-important-function mumbo jumbo to me. Not to be offensive to anyone specifically, that's just how it comes across to me.
> 
> I would dare someone first to _properly_ identify an ISFP vs an INFP (because its not nearly as easy as people try to make it they are both introverted feeling types after all and in many cases its the description people identify with not necessarily the functions). I wouldn't even try to do it personally. If I had a gun to my head, I'd just have to rely on stereotypes and probably be wrong a good chunk of the time. Secondly we'd need to delineate in some sort of concrete term how one introverted feeling type is markedly different from another in terms of his 'humanitarian' outlook. And how you would even begin to create criteria to identify this? Wants, needs, upbringings, values, don't come into play here? It's just the difference between Se and Ne (as an aux to boot)? I mean we could just as easily argue Introverted Feeling types don't have either Ne or Se as their aux before we get into assumptions about what that function would do to a person's outer presentation.


I think they're simply humanitarian in different ways. I find that for ISFPs based on the people who post here and people I have observed, their humanitarianism must be related to something they can see or experience or have experienced. An INFP tends to perhaps with the use of Ne be drawn more towards bigger and larger causes of potentials. If they don't act this or that will happen. That's my personal observation, anyway.


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## fruitarian (May 31, 2012)

I wonder how many of these xNFPs you're referring to are actually mistyped ExFJs. I've met a lot of ISTPs who come off as the stereotypical INFP, too. Humanitarianism seems like more of an Fe trait.


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## Kito (Jan 6, 2012)

I think ISFPs are more likely to have an "it is what it is" attitude, and so while they may have humanitarian values and outlooks, they won't spend as much time wishing to change something that is highly unrealistic. That's just my assumption, though.


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## armoorefam (Feb 15, 2012)

Could one be focused on people and the other focused on animals or concrete objects? For me, an INFP, I am a volunteer admin/trainer/instructor/curriculum designer for an online course co-op. It is all about getting people to work together to meet the educational needs of homeschool students. It is focused on student growth, teamwork, and the curriculum design is a wonderful creative outlet. Would that appeal to an ISFP or is it an INFPish sort of thing?


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## fruitarian (May 31, 2012)

I can't even count how many humanitarian xSFJs I've met... Of course, this gets omitted, since most people won't consider the possibility of being a "sensor" due to the pejorative nature of their descriptions.


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## ih8thereptilesincharge (Jul 13, 2012)

armoorefam said:


> Could one be focused on people and the other focused on animals or concrete objects? For me, an INFP, I am a volunteer admin/trainer/instructor/curriculum designer for an online course co-op. It is all about getting people to work together to meet the educational needs of homeschool students. It is focused on student growth, teamwork, and the curriculum design is a wonderful creative outlet. Would that appeal to an ISFP or is it an INFPish sort of thing?


I don't know whether that would really appeal to either of the IxFPs. It sounds more of an ISFJ or ESFJ kind of thing, to be honest.. curriculum design and teamwork? Si and Fe.


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