An Overview of the INFP Personality Type
By Julia Simkus, published April 19, 2022
INFP (introverted, intuitive, feeling, perceiving) is a four-letter code acronym used to represent one of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types.
People with this personality type tend to be creative, idealistic, caring, and loyal. They have high values and morals and are constantly seeking out ways to understand people and to best serve humanity.
They are family and home oriented and prefer to interact with a select group of close friends. INFPs are sometimes referred to as “the Mediator,” “the Idealist,” “the Healer,” or “the Dreamer.” ESTJ is the opposite personality type of INFP.
INFP is the ninth most common type in the population. . INFPs make up:
Famous INFPs include Princess Diana, William Shakespeare, Helen Keller, Audrey Hepburn, and Isabel Briggs Myers (the creator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator).
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
Value close relationships | Difficult to get to know |
Compassionate | Self-critical |
Open-Minded | Unfocused |
Non-judgmental | Desperate to please others |
The MBTI suggests that the four different cognitive functions (thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensing) form a hierarchy where each function is either directed outwardly (extroverted) or inwardly (introverted). The order of these functions determines one’s personality.
The dominant function is the primary aspect of personality, while the auxiliary and tertiary functions play supportive roles.
As artistic and spiritual individuals, INFPs are typically found in careers that allow them to express their creativity and pursue their own visions. Many INFPs dream of becoming writers, composers, artists, or designers.
INFPs also have strong personal values and a sincere desire to connect with and help other people. They enjoy working in professions where they can bring their kindness and empathy to others. Because of this, individuals with this personality type often choose careers focused on service, such as counseling, nursing, psychology, social work, or therapy.
In their free time, INFPs enjoy pursuing hobbies like poetry, creative writing, music, photography, theater, and visual art. They also tend to be quite successful in learning foreign languages.
INFPs enjoy working in harmonious, supportive environments. They want to be given the independence and flexibility to pursue their own interests and immerse themselves in personally meaningful tasks.
They prefer to work autonomously, unconstrained by rules and regulations and with the freedom to make their own rules and do things their own way.
INFPs are hard workers, but they can become demotivated if they are pressured, micromanaged, or criticized.
When working with others, it is important to an INFP that their co-workers are cooperative, supportive, and in tune with their same values. INFPs prefer to care for and support others, rather than work alongside them.
They tend to be the most devoted to tasks with a clear meaning and purpose which is why they make excellent nurses and psychologists.
INFPs want to be in a workplace where they can have the opportunity to contribute to making a real difference and changing someone’s life for the better.
People with this personality type are introverted, so they can be difficult to get to know. They do not take pleasure in superficial, casual relationships, but rather, they crave deep, meaningful connections.
They are able to shed their insecurities and be their truest selves in the company of their closest friends and family. INFPs feel the most fulfillment from being there for someone they care about.
They are deeply committed to their intimate circle and they tend to be faithful and attentive to the people they love. They enjoy dedicating themselves to helping their friends and partners improve their lives and pursue their goals.
INFPs are dreamers and idealists when it comes to their relationships, especially romantic ones, so it is not always easy for them to make friends or find true love.
They tend to have high expectations for an ideal partner and are usually only drawn to those with shared values.
When an INFP develops a relationship with someone who fulfills this idealized image of a perfect partner or friend, they secretly hope to stay close with that person for life.
Because INFPs only forge deep friendships with a select number of people, they place a lot of value on these relationships. INFPs crave personal and emotional intimacy, but social contact can be difficult and they often struggle to share their own feelings with others.
It can be challenging to get to know an INFP, but the rewards of these friendships are worth the patience and time.
Similarly, INFPs can struggle to become close romantic partners, but they will also approach these relationships with a strong sense of loyalty and commitment.
They tend to hold overly romanticized views of their relationships, carrying with them a vision of their ideal soulmate. When they do fall in love, INFPs are devoted, loyal partners who are willing to put in a great deal of effort into their relationships and place the happiness of their partners over that of themselves.
As the partner of an INFP, it is important to be patient and understanding as they may struggle to open up. INFPs also need plenty of freedom and independence to explore life and pursue greater self-awareness.
INFPs can be overly sensitive to criticism, but they will always promote harmony over conflict.
As parents, INFPs are caring, supportive, and warm. They do not tend to establish strict rules, but rather give their children the independence to make their own decisions, form their own opinions, discover their own interests, and grow as individuals.
They care about helping their children develop strong values and about guiding them towards fulfillment and happiness.
INFP parents are good at creating harmonious and accepting home environments where their children feel loved and supported.
Julia Simkus is an undergraduate student at Princeton University, majoring in Psychology. She plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology upon graduation from Princeton in 2023. Julia has co-authored two journal articles, one titled “Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19-Related Restrictions," which was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in April 2021 and the other titled “Food Addiction: Latest Insights on the Clinical Implications," to be published in Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health in early 2022.
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