You've probably heard of the Meyers-Briggs Personality Test. It's the most used and well-known personality test since it was created by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Meyers, based on the theories of psychiatrist Carl Jung. Of course, the Meyers-Briggs test is not completely accurate, and assumes generalizations. However, since learning about the Meyers-Briggs test in some of my psychology classes, I was very interested that my result seemed to apply to me perfectly. I am an INFP, and most of the characteristics used to describe INFPs are the same words I would use to describe myself.
About four percent of the population are INFPs like me. INFP stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Perception in the Meyers-Briggs test. Introversion was not a surprise to me; I have always felt more comfortable in smaller groups than bigger ones, and I expend rather than gain energy from being around others. I am also quiet and calm in most situations, which is also true of most introverts.
Intuition means that INFPs tend to think in a more abstract, rather than concrete, way. They see all sides of an argument, and look for alternative options. Feeling refers to valuing personal emotions and opinions over objective fact. If they are forced to make a decision, they will follow their hearts instead of their head. The perception aspect of our personality means INFPs tend to withhold initial judgements when experiencing something, and would rather keep an open mind and delay major decisions until all aspects of a situation are known.
INFPs are considered to be passionate, tolerant, understanding and hard working. They often prefer to work alone in less rigid environments than work in groups. Their main goal is to see the possibilities beyond what is possible. Rather than accept things at face value, INFPs would rather dissect and analyze the situation before making an opinion about it. They are also considered the mediators in groups, which means they are the peacemakers in times of conflict, and like to avoid confrontation at all costs.
This is why many INFPs make good teachers, therapists, artists, or writers. They are idealists and dreamers, and are good at conversing with others about topics that they are passionate about, which is why they tend to share their inner souls with the world by either expressing themselves through the arts or teaching through education or psychiatry.
For me, the drawbacks of being an INFP personality relate to the inversion aspect. Being shy and needing to exert energy to be around a lot of people means spending time alone, and that can make people who don't know me well think I am standoffish. Since so much of my emotions and thought processes are internal and sometimes difficult to read, it can be hard to make small talk. My social anxiety compounds this problem. Other common weaknesses of INFPs are sensitivity to criticism, bad organization skills, and difficulty asserting themselves, all of which I experience as well.
