# INFJ or ISFJ? (Ni or Si?)



## Cassieopeia (Jan 9, 2012)

Hello! I appreciate any attempt to help me figure this out. First, I'll provide some information that might be helpful in determining my type. Then, I'll answer one of the questionnaires.

- I'm nineteen years of age.
- I originally thought I was a Sensor.
- My mom, dad, brothers, grandparents, aunt, and cousins are all Sensors and all Extraverted besides my grandma (ISFJ).
- I've felt like an outcast in my family. Literally none of them care to talk about the same things I like to talk about. I feel like we're not on the same wavelength.
- If I am an iNtuitor, I feel like maybe since I have an all Sensing family, I've learned to be like a Sensor. Maybe?
- Whichever I prefer, Si or Ni, it's a slight preference obviously. I relate to both in some ways.
- Nothing else is in question. That I use Fe and Ti respectively couldn't be more clear to me.
- I've felt out of place with both "hardcore" Sensors and "hardcore" iNtuitors.
- I just took the online HumanMetrics test, tried to be as honest as possible, and got INFJ with 12% iNtuition.
- I am very detail-oriented. I remember very precise yet random details from my past.
- I have an incredibly accurate visual memory. (I hope I don't sound like I'm bragging, but yeah, it's true.)
- I am not spontaneously creative whatsoever.
- However, I do try to look for deeper meanings behind things and find out how certain occurrences relate to each other.
- I'm "gifted" in linguistics. I dunno if this is relevant.
- I've deviated from the religion of my family because I researched many religions on my own and questioned everything and just ended up as a secular humanist.
- I sometimes can't keep up with more-extreme theoretical talk without concrete examples.

~

0. Is there anything that may affect the way you answer the questions? For example, a stressful time, mental illness, medications, special life circumstances? Other useful information includes sex, age, and current state of mind.
I have a bunch of congenital health defects and have spent a lot of my life in hospitals. That's affected me in huge ways... mostly life lessons. I dunno if it's relevant to this. I take pain medicine on the regular that might make me a little more passionate about my emotions than normal.

1. Click on this link: Flickr: Explore! Look at the random photo for about 30 seconds. Copy and paste it here, and write about your impression of it.









The girl looks pensive; she's not focusing on what's going on around her. The moths flock to the light, but she doesn't feel that attraction. She seems too deep in thought to care what's happening in her environment. I love the glow of the light on the grass; that kind of thing is something I always love to see in nature.

2. You are with a group of people in a car, heading to a different town to see your favourite band/artist/musician. Suddenly, the car breaks down for an unknown reason in the middle of nowhere. What are your initial thoughts? What are your outward reactions?
I feel disappointed that I won't get to see my favorite band, but I feel calm because it's the perfect way to kind of stop time and feel whatever's going on in the present moment. I usually have a weird contentment in situations that stress other people out. Outwardly, I keep quiet unless somebody's freaking out, then I'd try to calm them down. In situations like those, somebody else usually takes charge and decides what to do before I suggest anything, but if nobody does anything, I'd call someone for help.

3. You somehow make it to the concert. The driver wants to go to the afterparty that was announced (and assure you they won't drink so they can drive back later). How do you feel about this party? What do you do?
I ask how many people will be there and how crazy it's supposed to be. I don't like wild parties. I go anyway and hope that I manage to make a connection with a person or two. If not, I just sit back and observe everyone or think to myself.

4. On the drive back, your friends are talking. A friend makes a claim that clashes with your current beliefs. What is your inward reaction? What do you outwardly say?
My inward reaction depends on how offensive the remark is. I am extremely passionate about my beliefs, so I could feel a storm inside. Outwardly, I come up with a logical yet empathetic reason why their point is "wrong" to me and tell them how I feel. (By "empathetic reason", I mean that my ideals stem from my empathy towards others.) I mean if the friend is just talking about being a Christian (which I'm not) or something like that, I don't care at all. He or she has that right, but if he or she is using that and being discriminatory to a certain group of people, then I'll definitely say something.

5. What would you do if you actually saw/experienced something that clashes with your previous beliefs, experiences, and habits?
Depends on 1. how bad I consider what they're doing or 2. how well I know the person... like for example: if I see a woman smoking while clearly pregnant, I'm not going to say anything if she's a stranger, but if I know her, I'll tell her she shouldn't do that. Another example: if I experience someone being really rude to a person, I'll stick up for the person being attacked if they're not sticking up for themselves. I guess it depends on the situation.

6. What are some of your most important values? How did you come about determining them? How can they change?
I value honesty above all. I see no point in lying about anything, although we can tailor our opinions and provide more empathy than normal if you know somebody's feelings might get hurt. I value the determination to do something worthwhile and make some kind of difference. I value empathy a lot. I feel like every person is going through some kind of battle and people deserve genuine kindness. However, if I feel that I'm not being treated right, I'll take the kindness away. I won't be mean, no matter how mean they are to me, but I won't let someone take advantage of my natural empathy. I value loyalty. I am extremely protective of those I care about. Actually, I feel protective of people in general. I'm hesitant to stand up for myself, but I have no problem standing up for others. I always feel like I have to because I feel what others feel. I value equality very much, like with race and gender and sexual orientation and age and whatnot. I believe we should be judged on character and not trivial things like that stuff. I developed those ideals by getting to know all kinds of people and realizing that I can relate to every single person on some level. I believe in focusing on the good in people. I mean everybody deserves opportunities to show the good they can do and we should show everyone their special qualities. My ideals are pretty much set in stone.

7. a) What about your personality most distinguishes you from everyone else? b) If you could change one thing about you personality, what would it be? Why?
a) Well, I'm sensitive as a motherfucker. People tend to tell me that they naturally trust me, and I get life stories told to me before I really know someone, and I tell mine back. I think maybe I'm different from the norm in that I have a huge passion for like... everything. I'm so passionate inside, if you haven't noticed by now, but it doesn't show on the outside. I have a calm energy for the most part. It's weird because I usually feel calm yet passionate which is obviously a contradiction. Yeah, I don't get it.
b) I would definitely change the intensity of my sensitivity. I get my feelings hurt so easily. I get embarrassed easily. I cry easily. I fight it though; I tell myself sometimes that what I'm feeling is irrational.

8. How do you treat hunches or gut feelings? In what situations are they most often triggered?
I trust my gut feelings. I sometimes get a vibe/feeling for what's going to happen or what somebody's going to do, and I'm right a lot of the time. Although, sometimes, I've gotten gut feelings when I've felt more insecure that people didn't like me but knew deep down it really wasn't rational.

9. a) What activities energize you most? b) What activities drain you most? Why?
a) Learning about things I'm interested in, talking one-on-one about personal stuff, being outside and letting all of my senses take in the beauty of nature and marveling at the simplicity yet complexity of it all--because I love to feel my emotions freely, I love to connect with people, and nature makes me feel alive. Oh and I feel energized thinking and talking about my plans and goals for the future and the good things that lie ahead.
b) Mindless partying, hearing or seeing people fight--because I'd rather experience life sober and aware and because I kind of absorb the emotions of people around me.

10. What do you repress about your outward behavior or internal thought process when around others? Why?
When I'm around people, I'm a lot more conscious of what my body's doing and try to look less awkward. I have way better posture around others. About my internal thought process: it really depends on who I'm with. With some people, I show my laid-back, humorous side. With others, I show my intellectual and inquisitive side... then there are those awesome people I can feel totally myself around. I also try to hide my passion and sensitivity to some extent because I'm crazily sentimental and people could think it's weird and it kind of is, haha. I never act like someone I'm not; it's just I don't reveal all of who I am to everyone sometimes.

~

To anyone who read all of that: thank you so much ^.^


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## Haydn (Sep 20, 2012)

If I had to make a guess I would say that you sound neither ISFJ nor INFJ. You sound and come across a lot like an INFP.


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## Cassieopeia (Jan 9, 2012)

...Posted the same thing twice... irrelevant box, carry on... c:


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## Cassieopeia (Jan 9, 2012)

Haydn said:


> If I had to make a guess I would say that you sound neither ISFJ nor INFJ. You sound and come across a lot like an INFP.


I know for sure I use Fe and Ti though. I don't relate to Fi-users as well as Fe-users.

My best friend is an INFP, and he really doesn't understand me when I get upset about the way people are to me and how I react.

Ne is just totally out of the question for me.

Aside from that, my Judging is a much higher preference than anything else.


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## cyamitide (Jul 8, 2010)

You can try finding out your inferior function instead of leading function.
Inferior function for INFJ is Se, while for ISFJ this is Ne. See which one you relate to more: *Form of Inferior*


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## Cassieopeia (Jan 9, 2012)

I'm gonna tag an INFJ and an ISFJ I know around here for their opinions: @Lady Lullaby and @teddy564339. If you guys have the time and want to help, that would be great!

Anybody else's input will still be appreciated.


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## Haydn (Sep 20, 2012)

Why do you think that you use Fe and Ti?


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## Cassieopeia (Jan 9, 2012)

cyamitide said:


> You can try finding out your inferior function instead of leading function.
> Inferior function for INFJ is Se, while for ISFJ this is Ne. See which one you relate to more: *Form of Inferior*


Thank you  it seems like inferior Ne fits better... hmm


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## Cassieopeia (Jan 9, 2012)

Haydn said:


> Why do you think that you use Fe and Ti?


I relate to just about everything I've ever read about Fe and Ti, and I don't relate to descriptions of Fi and Te. I dunno. It's simple for me.

Like... "Fe seeks social connections and creates harmonious interactions through polite, considerate, and appropriate behavior. Fe responds to the explicit (and implicit) wants of others, and may even create an internal conflict between the subject’s own needs and the desire to meet the needs of others." ...and... "Ti seeks precision, such as the exact word to express an idea. It notices the minute distinctions that define the essence of things, then analyzes and classifies them. Ti examines all sides of an issue, looking to solve problems while minimizing effort and risk. It uses models to root out logical inconsistency." Everything about this seems right.

Fe: I care a lot what people think of me... like a lot a lot. My INFP friends can be harsh sometimes, and it hurts my feelings, and whenever I'm talking to them, I keep their feelings into account. All of my values are about other people. I'm really good at knowing how other people feel and I purposely do things to make people happy. Nothing makes me happier than knowing people are happy with me. Although, I won't compromise my ideals to make anyone happy. I know that sounds Fi, but all of my ideals are Fe-based to me.

Ti: I definitely seek precision. I take a long time to do work because I want every detail right, and I can feel myself breaking everything down to its parts and sorting everything logically. When I'm talking to people in person, I don't look them in the eyes at all until I'm done talking. I think that my Fe wants too much to study their reactions and my Ti is trying really hard to focus on finding the right words.


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## Cassieopeia (Jan 9, 2012)

The more I read, the more I go back to ISFJ.


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## Acerbusvenator (Apr 12, 2011)

@Cassieopeia, I'll share descriptions for Ni, Si and Fe (that have became my new test subjects  lol ).



> *Ni*, or *introverted iNtuition*, is dominant for INxJ, secondary for ENxJ, tertiary for ISxP and inferior for ESxP. It is an inward sense of abstract perceptual shift. Rather than imagine different ways we could change the outside world, Ni acknowledges many different ways we could change the subjective meaning of things to ourselves by looking at them from different angles. Rather than directly confront an issue, Ni will often solve problems by simply looking at them from a different angle. Doing a bunch of community service sucks? Just think of it as an opportunity to get lots of exercise! Note that Ni doesn't think about how to change the outer world the way Ne does; it only thinks about how to change *the way we interpret* the outer world. Ni leads you to try and see "through the smoke and mirrors" to what is REALLY going on below the surface, that other people are not perceptive enough to pick up on...so in its unhealthy form, it turns into conspiracy theories, a la Dale Gribble from King of the Hill.
> 
> Strong Ni users like being the person behind the scenes who pulls all the strings (even better if most people don't even realize it) and understands the dynamics of everything on a deeper level than everyone else. They are threatened by the idea that there might be any perspective or angle they cannot see, and as such they sometimes overestimate their own ability to fully grasp and work around the attitudes of others.
> 
> ...





> *Si*, or *introverted Sensing*, is dominant for ISxJ, secondary for ESxJ, tertiary for INxP and inferior for ENxP. It's related to Se in that it deals with sensory experience, but rather than constantly scan for everything about what's going on now, it relies on internalizing those experiences into an extremely detailed internal map of highly vivid *memories* of those past sensory experiences. This dependence on reliving past experience and using it as a guide for the present leads to an extremely good memory for detail, and a general attitude that going with what we know for sure from having experienced it before is usually best.
> 
> Si is the opposite of Ne because rather than relate new information to some larger external, constantly changing pattern, it tries to relate all new information to something it already knows, some sensory data that it's absorbed from its past experiences. This leads to the classic Ne vs. Si battle: Ne wants to try something new just for the sake of doing something different and finding something interesting; Si wants to stick to what we've done before because its vivid memories of direct experience allow us to relate the new information to that past information we've already absorbed.
> 
> ...





> *Fe*, or *extroverted Feeling* is dominant for ExFJ, secondary for IxFJ, tertiary for ExTP and inferior for IxTP. It is an attitude that encourages adherence to the ethics of the cultural/social/familial groups we feel emotionally connected to. Fe leads you to derive your moral viewpoints from some sort of externalized consensus. This doesn't mean you automatically fall in line with whatever moral viewpoints happen to surround you, just that (unlike the accompanying Ti view on logic as something you don't need external input to understand) you don't see how ethics can be decided reasonably without some sort of external context. (Fe views ethics as dependent upon collective consensus in the same way Te views logic/impersonal ideas.)
> 
> Fe leads people to adjust, hide or set aside entirely their own emotions in favor of fitting the emotional needs of the broader groups that are important to them. This leads to a certain respect for the common consensus among those important groups regarding interpersonal behavior and treatment of others. If you were to criticize someone's behavior from an Fe standpoint, it would be from the standpoint of, "Your behavior is inconsistent with the group's standards--most people would consider it wrong or inappropriate." Fe appeals to the collective morality of the whole; the fact that "most people would agree" serves as externally objective evidence to support Fe's moral standpoints.
> 
> ...


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## Cassieopeia (Jan 9, 2012)

Acerbusvenator said:


> @Cassieopeia, I'll share descriptions for Ni, Si and Fe (that have became my new test subjects  lol ).


Those were such helpful descriptions! I'm almost certain I use Si.  I think the way some people have been describing Si and SJ's has been throwing me off...


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## Haydn (Sep 20, 2012)

Cassieopeia said:


> Those were such helpful descriptions! I'm almost certain I use Si.  I think the way some people have been describing Si and SJ's has been throwing me off...


O.k most likely not INFP. Why are you almost certain that you use Si? What about the Si and SJ descriptions are throwing you off?





By far the most intelligent person I know is an ISFJ and I work with scientific NFs & NTs all day long. One of the things that always bothered me about SJ descriptions is that they tend to descibe a kind of basic average SJ and not the really intelligent ones, some of the really bright SJs have really quite strong Ne which can lead to type confusion.


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## Chocolava (Dec 10, 2013)

Screams ISFJ.


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## Kendall_Rene (Feb 5, 2014)

My opinion would be ISFJ. Your deep concern for what others think and the fact that you take their opinions into account illustrate extroverted feeling. The fact that you tend to be a perfectionist, making sure that everything is broken down and executed correctly shows that you introvert thinking. I would conclude that you have introverted sensing because you seem to live much more in the past and the future, not the present moment. In addition to this, ISFJs are known for their "desire to serve others" and you stated many times that you do things that you know will please people or make them happy...btw, my sister is an ISFJ so I have a lot of experience with them first-hand and you definitely seem like one.


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## BrittanyAnn (Feb 9, 2014)

I would guess you're an ISFJ. I was stuck between those two as well and I also think I'm in between S and N but a lot of what you said I related to, in every response actually. So I'd definitely say look more into ISFJ if you're still unsure


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## Raawx (Oct 9, 2013)

@Cassieopeia

After reading this all, I would have to say ISFJ. I don't quite see the Ni leaps in how you write, or describe yourself.

Saw a lot of Si in this:


> The girl looks pensive; she's not focusing on what's going on around her. The moths flock to the light, but she doesn't feel that attraction. She seems too deep in thought to care what's happening in her environment. I love the glow of the light on the grass; that kind of thing is something I always love to see in nature.


This shows introverted Fe:


> 1. how bad I consider what they're doing or 2. how well I know the person... like for example: if I see a woman smoking while clearly pregnant, I'm not going to say anything if she's a stranger, but if I know her, I'll tell her she shouldn't do that. Another example: if I experience someone being really rude to a person, I'll stick up for the person being attacked if they're not sticking up for themselves. I guess it depends on the situation.


And so does this, to an extent:


> *I value honesty above all.* I see no point in lying about anything, although we can tailor our opinions and provide more empathy than normal if you know somebody's feelings might get hurt. I value the determination to do something worthwhile and make some kind of difference. I value empathy a lot. I feel like every person is going through some kind of battle and people deserve genuine kindness. However, if I feel that I'm not being treated right, I'll take the kindness away. I won't be mean, no matter how mean they are to me, but I won't let someone take advantage of my natural empathy. *I* *value loyalty. I am extremely protective of those I care about. Actually, I feel protective of people in general. I'm hesitant to stand up for myself, but I have no problem standing up for others.* I always feel like I have to because I feel what others feel. I value equality very much, like with race and gender and sexual orientation and age and whatnot. I believe we should be judged on character and not trivial things like that stuff. I developed those ideals by getting to know all kinds of people and realizing that I can relate to every single person on some level. I believe in focusing on the good in people. *I mean everybody deserves opportunities to show the good they can do and we should show everyone their special qualities.* My ideals are pretty much set in stone.


This sounds a bit like ISFP:


> Learning about things I'm interested in, talking one-on-one about personal stuff, being outside and letting all of my senses take in the beauty of nature and marveling at the simplicity yet complexity of it all--because I love to feel my emotions freely, I love to connect with people, and nature makes me feel alive.


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