# Am an ISFJ, INFJ or INFP?



## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

Hi everyone, I just joined this site, and the main reason why I wanted to join was to see if anyone could help me figure out my type! As you can see, I'm rather torn between three options. (Well, I'm pretty sure I've almost completely ruled out ISFJ.... but more on that later.) Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have!

1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?

Okay, this is going to be the longest section by far because this is what has me most confused, so I'll fill out the other sections sparingly.

I've taken the free tests several times. Sometimes I get ISFJ and other times I get INFJ depending on my mood, and it would always show a really slight difference between Sensing and Intuitive. However, since I learned about the cognitive functions, I haven't been able to trust the test results that much. That's why I'm considering INFP- I would have never typed myself as a P type based on the dichotomies alone, but the cognitive functions seem to work out for me being an INFP.

Here are the reasons why I believed myself to be an ISFJ for a while: I am a very traditional person, and I get nostalgic at times. But mainly I'm nostalgic for history- times way before I was even born- instead of getting nostalgic about my own experiences. Also, I do enjoy ISFJ-ish hobbies like sewing, and I am a perfectionist. (But then again, ISFJs, INFJs and INFPs are all perfectionists, right?) I'm also good with details- when I want to be. Sometimes I love details and other times I hate them. But the problem is that I highly doubt I lead with Si! I remember things in vague images and impressions. I never easily remember names, dates, places, times, birthdays, chores, etc. Also, "concrete" and "practical" are the last words I would ever use to describe myself. My head is always in the clouds.

So, while I'm pretty sure I'm an Intuitive and not a Sensor, I haven't entirely ruled out ISFJ.

Reasons why I have considered INFJ: The cognitive functions seem to line up pretty well.... except for being Ni dominant. I think I'm pretty strong in Fe; I can be pretty aware of other people's feelings when I want to be, and I notice things about other people that many don't. I think I have reasonably well-developed Ti, because I am very good at math and other logic-based puzzles. (I just made it through Calculus II with a 96%, if you're doubting my math abilities.) And inferior Se seems to describe me pretty well; I absolutely hate noisy environments and the party atmosphere. As for the INFJ descriptions, the main thing that resonates with me is being both left-brained and right-brained at the same time. (I am a good artist, musician and writer as well as good at math and science.) The problem is that I'm not sure I fit the description of a Ni-dominant type. I'm not a psychic or a prophet. I don't know if my intuition is as powerful as it's supposed to be in INFJs. The one exception is that I got "gut feelings" about the outcomes of the two most recent presidential elections, and they proved to be right. I just couldn't see Romney winning in 2012 and I couldn't see Trump losing most recently. But other than that, I'm not really sure if I have the ability to just predict things and watch them fall into place exactly as I foresaw it.

Reasons why I have considered INFP: INFPs lead with a feeling function, Fi. This seems to make a lot of sense that I would be dominant in feeling and auxiliary in intuition. It might explain why I have always gotten such a close difference between Sensing and Intuitive on the tests, and that tertiary Si might explain why I enjoy hobbies like sewing. Also, I feel like I'm more Ne than Ni because I'm always imagining new ideas for projects and social situations. (And Ne seems less "psychic" than Ni.) But the problems are: is it possible for INFPs to be as good at math as I am? Their T function is inferior so you'd think I would be really bad at logic. And finally, I'm simply not sure whether I use Fi or Fe. Fe users are supposed to be sort of removed from their own emotions, which I am NOT. And Fi users are supposed to look really relaxed when around others, because their emotions are mainly an internal thing. And I just don't know if I look that calm and composed to other people. I am an emotional wreck inside and out.... and yet I have a pretty good understanding of logic.

2) What do you yearn for in life? Why? I want to use my ideas to create something extraordinary, and help as many people as I can.

3) Think about a time where you felt like you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way. I feel like I'm at my finest whenever I'm acing math, creating something beautiful or doting on little kids.

4) What makes you feel inferior? When everyone is trying to stifle my feelings and beliefs. When people act like my political/religious/personal views are wrong and invalid.

5) What tends to weigh on your decisions? If I felt that I could make decisions based entirely on my own feelings, I would. For example, I would like to go into fashion design because that's what makes me happiest. But instead I'm going into computer science because I know in my head that I need a reliable career, and I have the brain power for it.

6) When working on a project what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome? Oh yes, I am totally a control freak in every way. My emphasis is usually to make whatever it is beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.

7) Describe us a time where you had a lot of fun. How is your memory of it? Probably the most fun thing I've ever done is to go to England on a two-week study abroad trip. It's funny because I really don't remember any specific details of the beautiful places I went to, but I really remember how it made me feel, how exciting and magical it was. (I couldn't tell you "there were sixteen pillars in that hallway and they had gargoyle carvings on them" or anything like that, but I could tell you "it was geometric and otherworldly and spiritual.")

8) When you want to learn something new, what feels more natural for you? Most of the time I try to understand the theory first, and then I fill it in with details as necessary. I hate things like science experiments that are very tedious and hands-on.

9) How organized do you to think of yourself as? Not very organized! I'm organized with my schedule and am very time-conscious (which is why I would have never thought of myself as a Perceiver) but other than that, my room is a mess, my homework is a mess, my computer files are a mess...

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 just try to decide whether I think it's morally right or wrong, based on my religious and personal beliefs.

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 am not really a trend follower, I listen to the music I want and and dress how I want and think how I want, and none of that is very "politically correct" or "trendy." I also would rather have one or two close friends than a big group.

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? Oh, I say about 2% of what I'm thinking, and I usually plan out what I'm trying to say. I prefer one-on-one discussions. (There is no question in my mind that I'm an introvert.)

13) Do you jump into action right away or do you like to know where are you jumping before leaping? Does action speaks more than words? I always want to know what I'm doing before I do it. Fear of the unknown is one of my biggest fears. And typically, I prefer words to action, especially in writing.

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? Depends on who it is. If it's my best friend, of course I will drop the show for her, but if it's a big group of people I barely know, sorry!

15) How do you act when you're stressed out? I become a really over-dramatic, highly emotional wreck. I usually withdraw from every social thing, and I just want to do nothing for a while.

16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people? People who want to belittle me and my ideas are the worst.

17) Is there anything you really like talking about with other people? I love talking about fandoms like Star Wars, and exploring something new like learning about history or music or something together. If the friend is really close, then I love having deep discussions about the culture and the world around us.

18) What kind of things do pay the least attention to in your life? Everyday tasks like chores, and all the social drama that goes around.

19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? ? What would your friends never say about your personality ? I don't know what other people think of me, really. But I do know they would never describe me as mean or insensitive, or as a party animal. I guess my one friend thinks of me as one of the nicest people she's ever met.

20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing? Oh, I'm never bored! Today is my first day of Christmas break and I plan on relaxing on the internet, working out, reading Les Miserables, working on sewing my corset, and practicing violin.

Thanks to anyone who bothered to read this obnoxiously long post! ^.^ I look forward to meeting you!


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## redeemofself (Aug 29, 2016)

I don't know, I'd say INFJ, but my gut tells me you'd lean more into INFP. So INFP>INFJ for my guess.


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## Pastelle (Dec 12, 2016)

At first I wanted to say INFP, but when looked over again, ISFP can work too.

Are you more of a person who focuses on the here and now, what the 5 senses? Or do you more often focus on what things could be? I'll elaborate if you want..


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## redeemofself (Aug 29, 2016)

Pastelle said:


> At first I wanted to say INFP, but when looked over again, ISFP can work too.
> 
> Are you more of a person who focuses on the here and now, what the 5 senses? Or do you more often focus on what things could be? I'll elaborate if you want..


I've thought about this too. She says she has some ideas and she isn't that observant of details. Now it makes me think more of INFP.


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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

Pastelle said:


> At first I wanted to say INFP, but when looked over again, ISFP can work too.
> 
> Are you more of a person who focuses on the here and now, what the 5 senses? Or do you more often focus on what things could be? I'll elaborate if you want..


Like I've said, I walk a pretty fine line between Sensing and Intuitive. I would have to say that I'm more of an ideas person than a here-and-now person, though. As an example, I can be trying to talk to my mom who's basically a textbook-perfect ESFJ about some idea I have for a sewing or art project, or trying to explain something conceptual I'm trying to do with my writing, and she never really catches on until I've _actually_ made the project or written the thing. Also, I don't think I'm an ISFP because they have auxiliary Se, and Se is basically the bane of my existence! 

Another my note, my INTJ dad thinks I'm Intuitive. I kind of trust him on that because he's an intuitive himself.

Thanks for your input! @redeemofself, thanks for your input too!

I'm just curious, what in my post made you think I lean INFP?


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## Pastelle (Dec 12, 2016)

I saw a whole bunch of Fi so that led to XXFP. I didn't see any Fe so ISFJ and INFJ are out. The dom-inferior relationship is obvious in the question about decision making. You strong Fi desire to go into fashion design but your Te urging you to go into something lucrative. So now we're at IXFP. I didn't really see much overwhelming Se or Ne, but you focusing on ideas is more of an INFP thing.


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## redeemofself (Aug 29, 2016)

aurorarogersskywalker said:


> Like I've said, I walk a pretty fine line between Sensing and Intuitive. I would have to say that I'm more of an ideas person than a here-and-now person, though. As an example, I can be trying to talk to my mom who's basically a textbook-perfect ESFJ about some idea I have for a sewing or art project, or trying to explain something conceptual I'm trying to do with my writing, and she never really catches on until I've _actually_ made the project or written the thing. Also, I don't think I'm an ISFP because they have auxiliary Se, and Se is basically the bane of my existence!
> 
> Another my note, my INTJ dad thinks I'm Intuitive. I kind of trust him on that because he's an intuitive himself.
> 
> ...


Haha, I must say I saw Fi. You said you're basically taking everything and filtering it with your set of moral values. Next to Fi I saw the Ne that's giving you a lot of ideas. You can probably easily imagine a lot of perfect scenarios, right? 

I have an INFP best friend. Well, you're both unique but something clicked, that's another reason I leaned towards INFP.


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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

@redeemofself @Pastelle Ah okay, I had been pretty torn between Fi and Fe for a while, because I am very empathetic but I also am very connected to my own feelings. It's nice to have a more objective perspective from someone else! 

Do you think that perhaps my Te would be very highly developed, since I enjoy math and science quite a bit? That's the one thing I'm still confused about, because I would have thought that an INFJ is more in tune with logic than an INFP is.


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## Pastelle (Dec 12, 2016)

Type doesn't really mean ability or hobby. An F type doesn't mean bad at math or logic. It means you live your life with Feeling rather than thinking. It's about the overall focus.


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## Shroud Shifter (Sep 9, 2015)

First of all, Fi is not necessarily bad at maths or formal logic any more than Ti is necessarily good at them. It's a completely different thing, so don't rule out Fi just because you excel in maths or logic. Ti and Fi are both judging functions and they are both incredibly logical in their own ways. The difference is that Ti will check if something makes sense to you personally, while Fi checks if it fits your value system. But both functions can be good or bad in maths or formal logic. As well as other functions can be.


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## The Dude (May 20, 2010)

Sup homeslice....
What Do All These Letters Mean Anyway? | A Little Bit of Personality


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## RexMaximus (Jun 29, 2016)

Briggs said that INFJs are just as talented at science/math type stuff as INTJs when they want to be. I thought INFJ the whole time while reading the OP. I didn't see the strong Fi-dom qualities I've come to associate with INFPs. Aux Fe seemed to fit better 

Just my two cents


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## redeemofself (Aug 29, 2016)

aurorarogersskywalker said:


> @redeemofself @Pastelle Ah okay, I had been pretty torn between Fi and Fe for a while, because I am very empathetic but I also am very connected to my own feelings. It's nice to have a more objective perspective from someone else!
> 
> Do you think that perhaps my Te would be very highly developed, since I enjoy math and science quite a bit? That's the one thing I'm still confused about, because I would have thought that an INFJ is more in tune with logic than an INFP is.


Haha that's why I am torn between INFP and INFJ. Both Ti and Te can love math. As you said, it's not clearly for me if it's Fe or Fi. This is only my opinion. Now I'm thinking more about INFJ. If you're very empathetic and you're also connected to your feelings I think that's more of a Fe thing. 
It's helping me a lot when you ask questions as I get to know what you're thinking about better. I might not be the best typer, but I am trying to help


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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

Thanks everyone for your input!
@RexMaximus that's interesting that you saw more Fe than Fi, I'm just curious what about my post made you see that?
@redeemofself that's true, though I guess Fi users don't have a complete inability to be empathetic, just not AS empathetic as Fe users?

I thought maybe it would be helpful if I posted descriptions of Fi and Fe from this really helpful site called psychologyjunkie.com, and then say whether or not I think it relates to me.

Fe traits (positive)
– Polite: Yes, I have always been extremely polite and rudeness always bothers me.
– Friendly: Oh yes, I can always have a good conversation with someone.
– Good listeners: I try to be but sometimes I get distracted.
– Empathetic: Yes! Exactly HOW empathetic I am though, that's what I'm not sure of.
– Expressive: I think so, my face usually betrays my thoughts.
– Peacemakers: Sometimes. Usually if people are fighting I just want to stay away from it.
– Crave harmony: I like it when everyone is getting along but I wouldn't say it's one of my stronger motivators.
– Easily understands and relates to others emotions: I think I have a pretty good understanding of what other people are feeling.
– Nurturing: Depends, I don't always feel like helping people with their emotional problems or other problems.
– Helpful: I can be helpful when I want to be.
– Forgiving: I can be outwardly very forgiving, but internally still holding a grudge.

Fe traits (negative):
– Can be phony and insincere: Sometimes I am guilty of acting differently depending on whom I'm around.
– Are too easily embarrassed: I am easily embarrassed.
– Can say “yes” to everything, and become burned out: Yes, definitely! Both me and my ESFJ mom are particularly bad at this.
– May hold on to bad relationships for too long: This happened to me once and I haven't been in a relationship since.
– May become so obsessed with having harmony that they avoid any type of conflict, even necessary conflict: I guess I do avoid necessary conflict sometimes.
– Fe can be very manipulative; since it understands and reads others emotions so well, it can know how to manipulate others easily: I don't think I have ever tried to manipulate someone once in my whole life. Usually I'm the one getting manipulated.

Fi traits (positive):
– Deep personal values: Oh yes, I think that much was evident from my responses to the questionnaire.
– Champion of the downtrodden: I do care very much about people who are oppressed by the powerful.
– Emotionally intelligent: I think this refers to whether or not you have good control over your emotions, which I don't.
– Accepting: Depends. I'm accepting of a good percentage of people, but if their values strongly oppose mine then I have a harder time.
– Empathetic: See, Fi users can be empathetic too!
– Merciful: I guess so, I always have a hard time punishing little kids even if they deserve it!
– Helpful: It depends, but sure.
– Stands up for their beliefs: Oh yes, if anyone challenges my beliefs online or otherwise, I will not shut up about it!
– Sincere: Sometimes I mean what I say, but sometimes I don't.
– Sensitive: Heck yeah! I get criticized for being overly sensitive.

Fi traits (negative):
– Overly dramatic: Lolololol yes! I am way too dramatic.
– Self-centered: I do think this is one of my biggest problems. I often am more concerned about myself than I am about others, and I don't like it, but it is one of my flaws that I don't tell many people about.
– Takes everything too personally: YES. I cannot endure any sort of criticism without being a big baby about it.
– Overreacts to things or is overly-sensitive: Again, a big yes!
– Can be emotionally manipulative: Like I said, I have never tried to consciously manipulate anyone, and I feel like I'm the one who's more likely to get manipulated.
– Fails to take responsibility for mistakes: I guess I can be eager to shift the blame on someone else.

What do you guys think, was this helpful at all?


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## redeemofself (Aug 29, 2016)

@aurorarogersskywalker I am still not 100% sure, but now I'd say INFJ. It's a bit confusing, but as I've seen people don't need Fi to hold onto their beliefs. My third function is Fe, when I am around people I pretty much want to make everyone feel good and I can bend myself to the people even if our values are almost opposing, if this happens I would change the subject of the discussion. I can say I see what everyone is feeling, but I don't necessarily relate to them, and if I can use their mood to my advantage I'd do it. 

This is how I perceive Fe and to be exact mine. 

What I've noticed with Fi is that they can be selfish with others, possibly dragging them into their mood. They're emotionally intelligent and rather than understanding how the other feels I think that Fi can relate to them as they'd live what the other person is feeling. They can help you out of a bad mood by making you feel like you're not alone or something alike this. 

This is what I've noticed from my INFP friend.

I hope this has helped you. It's just things I've noticed. What do you say?


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## RexMaximus (Jun 29, 2016)

aurorarogersskywalker said:


> Thanks everyone for your input!
> @RexMaximus that's interesting that you saw more Fe than Fi, I'm just curious what about my post made you see that?
> @redeemofself that's true, though I guess Fi users don't have a complete inability to be empathetic, just not AS empathetic as Fe users?
> 
> ...


Even in this you yourself agreed with more of the Fe statements. No offense, but your grasp of the functions seemed rather weak in your OP. I didn't see the moral rigidity and strong principles that I see in INFPs. Or the inferior Te. Like I said in my other post, INFJs are actually pretty good at science/math when they choose to be. Also, don't take this the wrong way, but you seemed pretty passive in the way an Fe user can. All NFs will have very strong morals, it's more the origin and expression that varies. Fe is more communal, harmonious, and based off of societal standards (of whatever groups you identify with). Fi is internal, and a strict moral code for yourself. You don't care about trying to get everybody else to buy in in the way an Fe user would. You don't say anything like "it's deeply important to me to take care of the planets health because it's a personal value of mine." 

I don't know if I'm misremembering or not, but you said something about bumping into stuff and being clumsy at times? If you did that's inferior Se.


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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

Sorry for my late reply guys, I have been busy with Christmas stuff!
@redeemofself I see what you're saying. Oftentimes it is not enough for me to hold onto my own values and opinions. If everyone is saying my values and opinions are stupid, even if they're not directly insulting me in the process, I get very upset and try to get them to change their mind or at least be more open to my side of things. A kind of lighthearted example of this is my struggles in the Star Wars fandom. I am a big fan of the prequels (made between 1999-2005) and most of the fandom hates them with a passion. I can't really get over this, lol, and I tend to get really dramatic about it. And my INTJ dad seems kind of mystified by this. He's like, "You like those movies, why do you care so much what everyone else thinks?" I have similar feelings about bigger things like politics and culture, because my views are rather in the minority in most cases. 
@RexMaximus I thought it somewhat unnecessary that you called my grasp of the cognitive functions weak. I know I don't have as good an understanding of the cognitive functions as some other people do, that's why I'm here asking for help! However, I do get what you're trying to say. It makes sense that an Fi user wouldn't care so much about what other people think of them and their opinions. I wouldn't necessarily say that all my values come from societal standards of the groups I identify with. Many of them do, but others are internal, based mostly off my own observations. And lol, I don't think I brought up clumsiness but I am really clumsy. Inferior Se makes a lot of sense in my mind.

While I'm here, would you guys help address the Ni function? I don't really relate to a lot of the descriptions of dominant Ni. They make it seem like Ni-dominant people get such powerful intuitive insights that they know the future better than everyone else does. I am always thinking about the future, but I don't find myself trying to predict it. But there is that one exception I already mentioned, the one where my gut told me the outcomes of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. My head didn't really believe my intuition either time, but those "gut feelings" proved right.


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## RexMaximus (Jun 29, 2016)

Ni is really hard to understand. I think the easiest thing would be to determine whether you're just S or N in general. But in general if you can't understand or relate to Ni, then you don't have it. Especially as a dom


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## Shroud Shifter (Sep 9, 2015)

I would say you are INFP. ISFP is right out. I don't think I know any INFJs in real life so can't tell for sure... but I think you're most likely INFP.


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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

Lol, the general consensus has been from INFP to INFJ to INFP again. XD
@RexMaximus I'm definitely not S, I have figured out that much. Maybe it's possible that I have Ni, but maybe not as extreme? The one thing I do relate to is taking a vague concept and building it up into a real thing through the cognition process.
@Shroud Shifter Interesting, what makes you say that?


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## Shroud Shifter (Sep 9, 2015)

Well, this:



> Reasons why I have considered INFJ: The cognitive functions seem to line up pretty well.... except for being Ni dominant.


If you are Ni-dominant you should be able to relate and understand the concept really well. I can't, because I don't even have it in my stack. INFJs and INTJs _are_ introverted intuition, it's their core function.


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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

@Shroud Shifter Yeah I see your point. But now I'm confused, lol. People here seem to be telling me that the other 3 functions fit well- people are saying I'm more Fe than Fi, and tertiary Ti and inferior Se. But I have a hard time understanding/relating to all the descriptions of Ni.

I did read a good article on here that had really good descriptions of Ne and Ni. Now I understand both functions better, but I'm not sure which one applies more to me. However, I'm sure that one of them is auxiliary or dominant, as opposed to a Sensing function.


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## RexMaximus (Jun 29, 2016)

@Aurorarogersskywalkee take a look at this article. This site explains Ni very well. 

http://www.personalityhacker.com/infp-vs-infj/


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## italix (Sep 26, 2015)

I felt INFJ through your OP. Skimmed the rest of the thread. I'm leaning pretty strong saying your an intuitive.

I didn't see a lot of dom Fi traits, although you could argue that some specific points you said can fit into the Fi description. (but I use Ti and I catch myself phrasing things that would fit Te; phrased differently, sentences I spoke I'd label Te if I was analyzing myself) 

What really got me was how you decided to solve the what's my type question. You seemed to have gathered all your facts that were _useful_ in finding your type. You stated reasons why some _facts_ were not weighted as heavily as others. It seemed that you were narrowing it down to come to one solution. That struck me as Ni. Ne gets so expansive with ideas and I didn't see you expanding much.



aurorarogersskywalker said:


> While I'm here, would you guys help address the Ni function? I don't really relate to a lot of the descriptions of dominant Ni. They make it seem like Ni-dominant people get such powerful intuitive insights that they know the future better than everyone else does. I am always thinking about the future, but I don't find myself trying to predict it. But there is that one exception I already mentioned, the one where my gut told me the outcomes of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. My head didn't really believe my intuition either time, but those "gut feelings" proved right.


I don't see being intuitive as reading the future. I think that's just a lot of mumbo jumbo hype on horoscopic typing sites. But where that's coming from is Ni tries to find the _right idea _behind a situation where Se has picked up all the sensory data. It's not really reading the future, it's being able to be a good guesser of the future. Ne looks into the future too but not necessarily looking for the _right idea._ My Ne thinks of all the possibilities and I can use Ti to pick the right one if I need to, but a lot of times i just think of possibilities for fun. 

Intuitives pull out the whys to everything. The how comes to situations, ideas, etc. Like when I wrote above "I think that's just a lot of mumbo jumbo hype on horoscopic typing sites" did you ask yourself why I stated this and wanted to know my reasoning or did you just move on and accept my statement as being my statement? 

Here's a (probably better phrased) example of what I was trying to say as posted by an INTJ:


> I'll give an example from my life just the other day that made me actively recognize my use of Ni.
> I saw an older woman (60s)crossing the street arm and arm with a young girl(8-12). The average person wouldn't pay much mind to that. Nothing important to be received information wise from this situation. As a Ni dominant type though our mind IMMEDIATELY gathers information about events we experience. My mind flashed to "Is the young girl holding her arm because she is older and needs help walking or is the older lady helping the other safely cross the street? Walking upgright at a slower pace than the average walk but not a crawl. Odds are woman needs help walking more so than child needs help being safe." All of that happens within 1-5 seconds of any given event we experience.


And I do this for everything. I need the meaning for everything. So I think asking yourself if you do this can narrow yourself down from Sensing or Intuitive and then from there decide Ni/Ne.


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## TheDarknessInTheSnow (May 28, 2016)

I'm an ISFJ and I can barely remember my own birthday. No seriously though, Si isn't about remembering random detail in that way. It's about remembering impressions derived from detail. Think The Giver... all those memories of experiences and internal sensations that come with experiences. I can't remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday, let alone what I ate this morning. Se and Te are actually better at recalling pointless information. The only way Si is detail-focused is that it needs all details in place sequentially or else it gets confusing. I can't leap to the big picture comfortably without having all the necessary information. It's like I won't be comfortable continuing to watch a movie if I missed 10 minutes of it, even if nothing remarkable happened in those 10 minutes (actually it depends but I'm generalizing). 

One way to help you find out what you are-- ISFJ, INFJ or INFP is by seeing how you're like when you're stressed. What do you fall to-- Ne, Se or Te? That's very telling. So let me quote some helpful indications of a stressful ISFJ, INFJ and INFP and you can say which you relate to the most:

"What stresses out an ISFJ:
– Overexerting themselves by saying “yes” to too many projects.
– Conflict or criticism
– Lack of positive feedback
– Environments filled with tension
– Looming deadlines
– Being asked to do things in a way that isn’t clearly defined
– Having to overuse their type by having to constantly act as “the responsible one”
– Dealing too long with abstract or theoretical concepts.
– Unfamiliar territory or an uncertain future
When faced with stress, ISFJs become discouraged and depressed. They start to imagine all the things that could go wrong, and they may feel a strong sense of inadequacy. They may feel that everything is all wrong, or that they can’t do anything right. If they are in a state of chronic stress, they may fall into the grip of their inferior function, extraverted intuition. When this happens they may start acting completely out of character. They may be at odds with normally relied upon facts and details, they may see everything as awful and feel “doomed”. They may become withdrawn, angry, irritable, and pessimistic. They will probably feel emotionally overwhelmed and find themselves worrying about all kinds of horrible possibilities.
How to help an ISFJ experiencing stress:
– Give them space or time alone to work through their feelings. 
– Provide provable affirmations about ways they’ve overcome situations like this in the past.
– Help them break down problems into manageable pieces
– Don’t give generalized compliments. Make compliments specific.
– Put a problem or task in sequential order.
– Don’t brainstorm. When they are in the grip of extraverted intuition, this will only make things worse.
– Let them engage their auxiliary extraverted feeling by reading materials that are personally moving, or spiritual.
– Encourage them to get some physical exercise (without making it sound like an insult).
– Let them talk about their irrational fears or feelings, and give them quiet, calm reassurance.
– Take them seriously. Don’t patronize or judge them.

What stresses out an INFP:
– Rigidity in rules and timelines
– Having values violated
– Not enough time alone. Too much extraverting.
– Too many demands on their time
– Small-talk
– A lack of authenticity from others
– Having their creativity stifled
– Having to focus too extensively on sensory/concrete details
– Criticism or confrontation
– Fear that they might lose someone or something (relationship/task, etc,..)
When under stress, an INFP gets lost in internal turmoil. They feel caught between pleasing others and maintaining their own integrity and taking care of their well-being. Their natural tendency to identify with others, compounded with their self-sacrificial tendencies, leaves them confused about who they really are. They feel lost and perplexed during stressful times; and as stress builds they can fall into the grip of their inferior function, extraverted thinking. When this happens, they will do things that are typically out of character. They may become obsessed with fixing perceived problems, and righting wrongs. They may blurt out hostile thoughts or engage in destructive fantasies directed at just about anyone available. They also may have biting sarcasm and cynicism. They may become aggressively critical to others and themselves, dwelling on all the “facts” necessary to support their overwhelming sense of failure.
How to help an INFP experiencing stress:
– Give them space and time alone to sort out their feelings.
– Validate their feelings.
– Remind them of their strengths.
– Don’t give them advice. This will only make them feel worse.
– Let them “get away” from it all.
– Exercise can help. However, with these types it’s best not to suggest it when they are stressed, but after, as a solution.
– Forgive them if they’ve been overly critical while stressed.
– Let them work on a project they’ve been interested in, but maybe have been too busy to spend time on.


What stresses out an INFJ:
– Having to focus too much on sensory/concrete details
– An overload of sensory stimulation or noise
– Interruptions
– Distress within a close relationship
– Having their values violated
– Not enough alone time. Too much extraverting.
– Working with closed-minded people
– Lack of appreciation or understanding
– Unfamiliar environments with overwhelming amounts of details
– Having plans disrupted
– Not having a clear direction
– Lack of harmony
– Criticism and conflict
– Not being able to use their intuition or envision the future
– Having to focus too much on the present
When under stress, the INFJ feels fragmented or lost. They feel like they can’t be themselves, and feel an urge to act a part to “survive” or fit in. This disassociation can cause physical symptoms for the INFJ, like headaches, IBS, or nausea. The repressed feelings they’re holding onto can cause them to become immobilized. If they are under chronic extreme stress, they may fall into the grip of their inferior function, extraverted sensing. When this happens, they may engage in indulgent, self-destructive habits like binge-eating, watching too much television, over-exercising, or drinking too much. This often feels like an out-of-body experience to them. What they do provides no pleasure, but feels somewhat robotic and out of control. After this occurs, they dwell in self-hatred, falling even more into guilt over what they’ve done. They may become uncharacteristically angry and quick-tempered, unreasonable, and irrational. They may become obsessed with details in their outer world; obsessively cleaning or doing housework. They stumble over their words, and their intense feelings may eventually lead them to a state of complete exhaustion.
How to help an INFJ experiencing stress:
– Give them space.
– Reduce sensory stimulation; music, interruptions, TV, etc,..
– Let them express their thoughts and feelings.
– Understand that they may be irrational. Don’t judge them.
– Don’t give advice. This will only stress them out further.
– Let them take a break from some of their responsibilities
– Encourage them to spend some time in nature, walking or reading a book.
– Take a walk with them if they want company.
– Encourage their less serious side, and let them relieve emotional tension by letting them cry through a sappy movie or novel of some sort.
– Be forgiving if they’ve been overly harsh or critical while under stress. Chances are, they will feel very guilty about it."


My guess: INFJ.


One thing I wanna say, ISFJs, INFJs, and INFPs are all really incredibly strong in Fi. For INFJs and ISFJs though, Fi is overrated and not valued. It makes us slightly uncomfortable when things get too intimate (but we're still good at being intimate) and we roll our eyes at ourselves engaging in it. For example, I'm highly moralistic and refuse to drink or smoke, but it's like I feel like I'm being annoying myself when I bring it up or judge others for doing those things. So I think it makes sense why you're stuck between INFP and INFJ... but I agree with others, you seem to be an INFJ.


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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

Yay, these answers here seem pretty helpful!
@RexMaximus Thank you, I have seen that link before. I can relate to many of the INFJ things but also many of the INFP things. I think I have the INFJ need to be understood instead of validated, and as far as the Fi/Fe stuff goes I can definitely relate to mirroring emotions. However, I can also relate to absorbing people's emotions whether I want to or not. Oftentimes I can sense a strong emotion in someone, but it can make me uncomfortable if it is overly strong, especially if I don't feel like I can help, so I don't act much on my knowledge.
@italix Interesting! You have reflected my thoughts somewhat as I've been trying to read more about Ni and Ne. The direction of the functions can be confusing to me sometimes, since there can be a fine line as to whether or not something is inward or outward focused. Now I'm beginning to realize that Ni is just a learning style, it's not a psychic thing. I appreciate that you seem to think that my method of gathering information seems to be organized and logical! Sometimes I feel like my learning style is expansive and coming up with new ideas for everything the way Ne is, but probably not as much as I like to "narrow things down" as in Ni.

Lol, you're right, I am constantly asking the "why" to everything. The basic information is not enough for me. I need to know how you got it and why you believe in it. When you mentioned the horoscopic mumbo jumbo, I did indeed have a desire to know why you think that, because if I'm going to believe it too I need a good reason for it.

I think I have figured out that I'm Intuitive and not Sensing. And now I think I am more Ni/Fe than Fi/Ne. Thanks for your help!
@TheDarknessInTheSnow Lol yes, I get what you're saying! Si is more focused on learning from your past experiences, and not so much on random useless information, right? It makes sense that I was getting a bit confused between Ni and Si for a while because both involve impressions and details, but what they do with them is different. You mentioned that you need all the details in place before you can understand the big picture, but I think I'm the opposite, I need the big picture first and then I can fill it in with details.

I have actually read that article about what stresses the types! There is certainly a lot of overlap with the three of them. But I don't think I'm stressed out by the theoretical like an ISFJ is. Sensory overload and disorganized environments stress me out quite badly. Sometimes I don't like the rigid rules and deadlines, but many times I like them as a tool to help keep my life organized. Thank you for your help!

A note to everyone, I'm starting to think that Ni reflects my learning style pretty well. Whether I'm studying math or music or history or pretty much anything else, I have to take in the data, figure out what's important and what's not important, and then I start to understand the patterns. From there, there is only so much I can do. It can take a while before something just clicks, and then I have an overall "rule" that can be applied to almost anything in the rest of the subject. Definitely a "narrowing things down" approach.


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## asrivast03 (Dec 10, 2016)

Most of it is like me but I too am struggling to get my type.
Though people say that I am an introverted feeling dominant.
Maybe that could help you.


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## italix (Sep 26, 2015)

@aurorarogersskywalker something that helped me at the beginning was just hanging around the ENTP forum and seeing if I fit in. I'd go over to the INFJ/INFP forum and hangout for a while and you'll probably get a hunch what feels right.  but as I said before I think INFJ for you. 

I got too detailed with my type and didn't perfectly match other ENTP's and it took me two years to be completely comfortable with my type. The cookie cutter approach doesn't work with typing because everyone is so different! After you tackle mbti & cognitive functions I'd check out enneagram if you're interested. It further clarifies differences between people of the same mbti type. It might be overload to tackle both at once, but I'm thinking of myself needing to know how all the pieces fit together and enneagram just adds more pieces. 

Hope that helps!  



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## RexMaximus (Jun 29, 2016)

Alright INFJ then


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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

@italix Good idea, I will check out both the forums just to see, but I think I'm comfortable identifying myself as an INFJ now. Thank you everyone for your help! Outside opinions mean a lot to me.  Is there a way for me to close this thread/let people know that I think this is resolved?


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## italix (Sep 26, 2015)

aurorarogersskywalker said:


> @italix Good idea, I will check out both the forums just to see, but I think I'm comfortable identifying myself as an INFJ now. Thank you everyone for your help! Outside opinions mean a lot to me.  Is there a way for me to close this thread/let people know that I think this is resolved?


You could edit your first post and add a statement saying you've identified with INFJ etc. I think right under the title so its the first thing people saw would save them the trouble! Glad you found your type  

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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

@italix For some reason I seem to be unable to go back and edit any posts that are older than a few days. Is there some setting where I can change this, or is it just because my rank on this site is not very high?


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## RexMaximus (Jun 29, 2016)

aurorarogersskywalker said:


> @italix For some reason I seem to be unable to go back and edit any posts that are older than a few days. Is there some setting where I can change this, or is it just because my rank on this site is not very high?


You can only edit posts in the 24 hours after you post them (that's universal)


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## italix (Sep 26, 2015)

RexMaximus said:


> You can only edit posts in the 24 hours after you post them (that's universal)


I learned something new haha

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## aurorarogersskywalker (Dec 17, 2016)

Aww that sucks! I can't go back and edit the original post then. Oh well.

Note to anyone who is visiting this thread! The issue has been resolved! Thank you!


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