# INFP and INFJ differences?



## Ehre (May 10, 2010)

remer said:


> These are two forums topics I'd like to bring to the attention, they helped me to understand the functions much better:
> 
> MBTI functions explained
> the title is self-explaining.
> ...


I know I pressed the thank you button, but I just have to say thanks for that. The test was fairly definitive and gave me a nice little insight as to why I was typologically confused.

extraverted Sensing (Se) (29.7)
average use
introverted Sensing (Si) (12.4)
unused
extraverted Intuiting (Ne) (44.9)
excellent use
introverted Intuiting (Ni) (40.8)
excellent use
extraverted Thinking (Te) (11.3)
unused
introverted Thinking (Ti) (25.6)
average use
extraverted Feeling (Fe) (29.9)
average use
introverted Feeling (Fi) (46)
excellent use

I was just surprised my Fe wasn't atleast in the mid 30s.



OrangeAppled said:


> I hate that site....I think it's full of BS and written by a quack INFJ with a serious bias against INFPs. I also found it more confusing than helpful, and I concluded that woman knows little about what INFPs are actually like. Sorry, I just had to get that out. :tongue:


After having read some more, I can very easily see where you get that.



> Anyway, I suggest for you to continue to look into function descriptions, and to engage in some honest self-evaluation. IMO, the original descriptions by Jung in Psychological Types are the best, albeit a bit densely written.
> 
> You can find them here for free (the introverted functions are near the bottom):
> 
> Classics in the History of Psychology -- Jung (1921/1923) Chapter 10


I'll definitely read through those descriptions.


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## remer (Dec 10, 2009)

Ehre said:


> I know I pressed the thank you button, but I just have to say thanks for that. The test was fairly definitive and gave me a nice little insight as to why I was typologically confused.


I'm glad I can be of help. From my experience, MBTI understanding comes more easily when you have a graphical display of your used functions.



Ehre said:


> I was just surprised my Fe wasn't atleast in the mid 30s.


Yes, since your Fe, but also your Si are much lower than your other functions, you are far more likely to be an INFP instead of an INFJ.






rowingineden said:


> I've been and strongly identified with INFJ in the past - I still can behave INFJish from time to time, though I most often function as an INFP. I sometimes test about even on the Judging/Perceiving scale. I have all of the Judger's determination and stubbornness and all of the Perceiver's messiness and desire to explore all my possibilities.


This is interesting, but confusing too, I'll explain why I think so. As we have seen at the start of this thread, the common way to type personalities is to look at the original dichotomies, the four letter codes, namely E/I, N/S, F/T, J/P, and discern on which end of the scale you are. You also see this in the famous mypersonality.info banner in many signatures. You may get results as I 76%, N 65%, F 88%, J 50%. Let's look now at this particular example, when your J is 50%, what does that mean? Are you 50% P too?

This thinking is totally wrong as OrangeAppled and myself have explained only a few posts earlier to this one.


OrangeAppled said:


> Within the constraints of the MBTI theory, being INFx is impossible & does not make sense, since the functions for INFPs & INFJs are totally different.


How then, that sometimes, as rowingineden demonstrates, it seems you have at the same time typical J type and P type behavior. I have come up with two explanations, and on redirect to my earlier post.

*Redirect
*As I have been talking about before, through the cognitive functions test we understand that we have all 8 functions represented in us. That means we are capable of all sorts of behavior. However some patterns of behavior are far more common and natural than others are. And behavior that is related to the functions of the same dichotomies, i.e. N/S or F/T, these behavioral patterns are so alike, that it is not usual a person have developed both functions. To better understand what type you are, you have to pay attention, how you use the function, how are they relevant to you and differ from people who are strongly tested a certain type. And what functions are you easily able to use, but cost you more energy, since normally you lay the accent/perspective differently.

*Explanation I*
Staying true to the theory, the most logical explanation is because of the strong development of the other functions within you. In the example I have been giving earlier, the INFJ with 50% J, the results of his cognitive functions test may be as the following.

Ni 46, Ne 33, Fe 48, Fi 42, etc. 

In this example the Judging components Fi and Fe are much more used, than the Perceiving component. Ni, and in particular Ne. And this results in the MBTI to be INFJ (J50%) and not INFP (P 50%).

*Explanation II*

Another explanation can be found in other personality theory. The last months I have studied a lot of Socionics, and actually I favor this theory over MBTI. One of the main difference must be their alternate theory about the perceiving and judging components. 

Where as in MBTI, you are a Judger when your judging function has an extroverted component. I.e. Fe or Te. You are a Perceiver when your judging function is introverted Fi and Ti, since your perceiving function will be extroverted, Ne or Se.

This is differently in Socionics, and more logically to my taste. A judger in Socionics has a judging function as its dominant function and a Perceiver has a perceiving function as its dominant function. Unrelated if this dominant function is extroverted. Hence this means. 
I.e. for NF types, those in the ego block [Fi, Ne], [Fe, Ni] are both judgers and [Ne, Fi] and [Ni, Fe] are both perceivers. To me this is more logical that of each function pair, one is perceiver and the other is judger. Unlike MBTI, where only Ni,Fe can be judgers and Ne,Fi are perceivers.

The alternate theory of Socionics results however in type descriptions that are most of the time unfit to be transformed to the MBTI types. Both the EII (Fi, Ne) and IEI (Ni, Fe) are somewhat a mix between INFJ and INFP. As far as the motto of PerC, "The place to discover yourself", reading into Socionics has helped me a lot of understanding myself better. There are many websites, but I stuck to the wiki at Wikisocion eventually.


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## Iggy Hazard (May 20, 2010)

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*Pictures are worth thousands upon thousands of words. :laughing:*


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## OrangeAppled (Jun 26, 2009)

^ Rocko is sooo ISFP :tongue:


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## screwedupsweetie (Jun 23, 2010)

I usually tie between infp & infj. I can see infp but like my father has pointed out, I am extremely impatient & sarcastic and wonder if that fits the infp mold. I'm a commitment phobe but need security & structure. I'm messy yet a major perfectionist.


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## Paradigm (Feb 16, 2010)

SLN said:


> What I'm going to say next is hardly a 'fact', but rather some personal observation which may or may not be accurate. I find that INFPs will avoid conflict as much as they can while INFJs will be quite likely to directly confront anything they deem inaccurate. INFJs will attack an idea, but usually not a person. INFPs will refrain from attacking at all because they don't want to hurt the person behind the idea. They'll simply express what they believe is right instead. It's a different perspective. From what I've seen INFJs tend to pay attention to right and wrong, and INFPs to good and evil.


This paragraph is true, from what I've observed. The INFJ I know has this thing where he _has to_ "take the hard path." I'm lazy and tend to either do what I want or do it the easy way.



vel said:


> One easy way to tell: imagine a friend comes to your to tell about a personal problem - what is your first instinct?
> Immediately conjure up in your head how she should proceed next and tell her what to do - INFJ
> Immediately feel the depth of her emotional pain and deeply sympathize with her - INFP


This... not so much. What you describe as INFJ seems more like Te; the INFP description sounds more like Fe. I could be wrong, but I use the problem-solving one and my INFJ friend is the sympathizer.


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