Does INFJ = ADHD?

[poetrygirl]

"The only reason you are functional is because you have a 155 IQ." I had no idea how bad my ADD was until I began treatment and medication. The difference is amazing.

Wow congratulations! Although I've never taken an IQ test before ,but I bet if I got those results I'd do a little victory dance. Although it probably sucks to have a really low attention span. How significant were your academic improvements? I've been off my medication for quite a while but I'm going to be put back on it ,because being off has severely affecting my ability to organize my exterior environment and keep up with almost anything.

 

[Obijuan]

Hi there, I just joined so I could add to this thread.

I feel there is some clarification needed here. ADHD is the updated and correct way to refer to this condition. ADD is not longer being used by physicians or psychologists, but it is still very commonly used to refer to ADHD-PI (predominantly inattentive) or some people call it the "passive" ADHD.

I grew up with this condition. However, since there were no awareness of it when I was growing up, I struggled not knowing about that the challenges I was facing had nothing to do with lack of will or laziness. Fortunately for me, I had a good surrounding and my condition is moderate. ( I was able to keep my jobs, relationships, etc).

I was diagnosed being an adult, and with this information I was able to read about the condition and develop some strategies to deal with it. I am also having medication that has really helped especially at work.

I also know that it is hereditary. My 7 year old son also has it.

ADHD is a disorder, but it has some interesting characteristics. Basically we struggle to control the thoughts that appear almost simultaneously in our minds and drift from one thought to another causing sometimes feeling overwhelmed and unable to act. We struggle to control our impulses , and that is why we have difficulties focusing. We can focus, but for that we need to be very very motivated with the task at hand.

Once we develop certain techniques, we can take advantage of this condition as it is a perfect situation for creativity work. Personally I deal with my flavor of ADHD by keeping two lists. One is the todo list that keeps me in the path of what I need to do (Smartphones are very good for this). Checking the items in this list prevents me to drift away from my tasks. The second list which is very important, is where I write down all those thoughts that come to mind while I am performing the main task. Here is where I get the most of my condition as this is the creative part. Since I wrote down the idea, I can continue working on what I was doing. Once I finish, I can check out those notes and usually they are incorporated later in my todo list.

I don't believe there is a relation between having ADHD an being INFJ. Maybe there could be some personality traits that develop in a child as a response from the mind to the ADHD condition (like introversion), but they surely are also dependent on the surroundings, each person's mind may decide to cope with the condition differently.

Cheers,

Obijuan

 

[sprinkles]

[MENTION=9931]Obijuan[/MENTION]

As an aside, if you make a list, how do you remember to check it?

I've always had this problem where self made lists are pretty useless because I will forget that I have a list. I also forget to MAKE a list. So making a list and checking the list would have to go on the list, a list which I'm not checking.

This doesn't apply to immediate lists, such as shopping list or things I need to do for one task. It also strangely doesn't apply to lists other people make, since one of the first things I will do when starting something new is look for a checklist or a manual. o.o

I'm very much an instruction follower. I just suck at making my own (and remembering that I did)

 

[Tin Man]

[MENTION=9931]Obijuan[/MENTION]

As an aside, if you make a list, how do you remember to check it?

I've always had this problem where self made lists are pretty useless because I will forget that I have a list. I also forget to MAKE a list. So making a list and checking the list would have to go on the list, a list which I'm not checking.

This doesn't apply to immediate lists, such as shopping list or things I need to do for one task. It also strangely doesn't apply to lists other people make, since one of the first things I will do when starting something new is look for a checklist or a manual. o.o

I'm very much an instruction follower. I just suck at making my own (and remembering that I did)

This. I am terrible at following self-made written lists. Whether it's in the form of a SMART plan or a diary, I just lose any interest. It's strange as I'm good at creating and following to do lists in my mind, but once I put them to paper they become useless. I'm not sure whether it's because my focus is primarily on abstract plans or whether I'm simply lazy.

 

[sprinkles]

This. I am terrible at following self-made written lists. Whether it's in the form of a SMART plan or a diary, I just lose any interest. It's strange as I'm good at creating and following to do lists in my mind, but once I put them to paper they become useless. I'm not sure whether it's because my focus is primarily on abstract plans or whether I'm simply lazy.

Yeah.

With me it's definitely not lazy though. It's like when you can't find your keys. You just can't find them. If you could remember where they were, you'd find them.

Except with me it's like I forget that I ever had keys. I forget what keys are!

Also some times I can't find my glasses because I'm wearing them. Or I'm actually not wearing them, and I reach to put on glasses which I don't actually have yet in hopes of seeing better to find the glasses which I need. o.o

 

[Tin Man]

Yeah.

With me it's definitely not lazy though. It's like when you can't find your keys. You just can't find them. If you could remember where they were, you'd find them.

Except with me it's like I forget that I ever had keys. I forget what keys are!

Also some times I can't find my glasses because I'm wearing them. Or I'm actually not wearing them, and I reach to put on glasses which I don't actually have yet in hopes of seeing better to find the glasses which I need. o.o

My experiences are similar. It's difficult not to label yourself a certain way when people keep telling you that you should have your keys; that your keys should be right there, but you're too unmotivated to look. Then you look for keys that might not even exist and end up feeling stupid and lazy for not finding them.

 

[La Sagna]

I have a hard time believing that an INFJ would have ADHD. The only INFJ characteristic that I could see could be interpreted as an adhd symptom would be daydreaming but that is the sign of a creative and active mind.

My 20 year old son has been diagnosed with ADHD and my husband definitely fits the characteristics of someone who has ADHD. He is an ESTP. I believe an ESTP is way more likely to behave in ways that would be characterized as being ADHD. As an INFJ I am completely different from him. He is extremely impulsive and I am not impulsive at all. I don't think INFJs are impulsive. I think that if you are impulsive you are probably not an INFJ but if you daydream a lot you could be an INFJ.

I don't believe that ADHD is a 'disorder' but I do believe that people who are considered to have ADHD have brains that function differently than those of people who aren't considered to have ADHD. This is the same way that introverts have brains that function differently than brains of extroverts, and I certainly don't consider being an introvert as having a disorder, although I know many extroverts who think being an introvert makes me 'not normal'. I think they're the ones who aren't normal

I think that Thom Hartmann's Hunter vs Farmer theory is probably the most accurate explanation of ADHD.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis

My husband and son can have a difficult time fitting in to the expected standards of the modern Western world and I don't, but they also have some talents and strengths that I don't. My husband has a faced-paced job where he has to pay attention constantly to different things happening all at the same time and if he misses one thing disaster can literally happen. He is very good at this and it keeps his attention because there is so much going on and there is an element of danger. I would never be able to do what he does. I would be completely stressed out and would really mess up. He loves it and is very good at it. I think only somebody who has ADHD traits could do his job. This is why I think many people with ADHD end up working as chefs or in kitchens because it is such a faced-paced environment and most of us who don't have ADHD would not function well in such an environment.

You have to remember that psychology is an accumulation of theories and these theories change all the time when new information comes out. When my son was diagnosed with ADHD I read many books on the subject and there were so many contradictions. Many people believe they have the real story on ADHD. Whatever that is it is still all just theory. Every one of our brains works differently and what is considered an illness or disorder is simply the result of someone not fitting in to somebody else's standard of what 'normal' is. I don't believe ADHD is a disorder. It is simply a group of strengths and weaknesses that don't fit well with our current standard of 'normal'. You have to realize that sitting hours in a classroom has only become the norm in the last hundred years or so.

 

[the]

Seems like infjs just have many interests, =|= adhd. In fact they seem to have a good amount of focus to progreas at least a moderate amount in the things that interest them.

 

[Obijuan]

I don't believe there has to be a significant impact in your personality type by having ADHD. I consistently score as INFJ most of the time, with a couple of times scoring as ISFJ. The fact that it is a disorder is widely accepted. It doesn't mean that it has to limit your potential though. I respect La Sagna's opinion though when she says it is not, and I appreciate the fact that she has the opinion it is just a brain that works differently.

Regarding the questions about the lists..

First of all, I missed explaining that the task list is not just for me to remember what has to be done. Most of the time I know what is in the list. The problem is that we (people with ADHD), have a extremely hard time starting a new task, so the list becomes the "main task" and every item in the list is a "sub task". I know I need to finish the main task and checking the items help me transition to the next item.

As a matter of fact, I keep a few lists and I use my smart phone for that. For chores, I use an application that reminds me it is been a week since the last time I did the laundry for example. For other tasks i use another app. I can just add the task and set a reminder. This way i won't forget.

When I start my work day, I go through my emails, and then I write down a list of things I want to accomplish during the day. More often than not I won't complete the list, but the items i did not complete will be the first ones on the next day's list.

Anyways that works for me, and if you think about it, some of the characteristics of INFJ are probably helping me cope with this condition:

"INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done"

Cheers,

Obijuan

 

[sprinkles]

[MENTION=9931]Obijuan[/MENTION]

Oh, ok, I didn't get that. I'm not really like that at all.

I have no problem starting a task. I've also never really had work where I decide what I want to accomplish. I still really don't understand the point but oh well.

And I do place importance on having things orderly and systematic. I don't think this is necessarily lists though, as lists can be poorly made. Lists work if you're good at seeing how to organize lists. o.o

Anyway, I will shut up now.

 

[sprinkles]

Also it was thought I had ADHD, but I don't believe this anymore. I'm too focused and attentive! It is hard to not pay attention and I've never actually had the problem where you can only focus on things you're interested in because I have a thirst for absorbing things, so I find it very easy to listen to any instruction or any lecture. I seem to pay more attention overall than even supposedly 'normal' people do.

Rather I believe my issue is having a different value system, and being prone to stress and depression, and sleep deprivation.

 

[Tilheyra]

Many of my teachers in 5th grade thought I had ADHD, so they pressured my parents to get me tested at a counseling center. The tests said I did not have ADHD. It turns out I was just a weird child. It seems our schools can't stand it when a student does not sit still, so they look for something to blame.

The situation seems completely different once a student is in college. I knew so many people who had never been diagnosed with ADHD, had no history of ADHD, and probably did not have ADHD, but self-medicated with Aderall because they claimed they had trouble studying. They did not want to admit that they were not adequately prepared for college.

 

[Barendvj]

Hi all. I have recently ventured into the world of psychology and psychiatry. For some time I have been diagnosed with bipolar depression. After a recent burn out episode of a lot of work load resulting in severe depression, I was admitted to a psychiatric clinic where I spent some time doing attending therapy classes. During this time I had a lot of time doing research on mindfulness and understanding my personality and the psychiatric problems that I have. This was when I found out about the whole MBTI system and so it turns out that I am indeed a INFJ. Now, having journeying for some time with this information about myself, I still have so much to figure out. I also recently started wondering if INFJ = ADHD and I agree that there are very similarities.

I have been in several jobs recently and I can say, that the stimulus in each job played a major role in my motivation. That being said, it doesn't matter how stimulated I am with the work - If I did not take my ADHD medication, I could not get myself to lift as much as a pencil to start a task. So, my conclusion at this moment is that your personality type and a psychological impairment are two different things affecting that may affect a certain behavior. That is in my opinion what makes it difficult to distinguish what is contributing to behavior in question.

My suggestion is to apply a method of elimination. If you and your psychiatrist discuss the matter, you might consider trying medication for ADHD and monitor the outcome. If it stays the same, the trait might be predominantly driven by your personality. If your motivation increases drastically, the behavior might lie with the disorder.

My question currently, is if certain personality types are affected more by ADHD than others.

Well, that is my opinion on the whole matter.

 

[charlatan]

I don't see why INFJ would be ADHD-ish even intuitively, if J is positively related in a very significant way with the Five Factor Model dimension of Conscientiousness. It's certainly possible to be any type and have a relevant such condition, but at least I don't see why one would expect it.

If it's the stuff about INFJs being introverted intuitives, that's one of the least sensible aspects of the theory. May INFJs as validly scored by the instrument in fact REJECT introverted intuition as defined by Jung.

 

[hush]

No.

 

[JJJA]

Does INTJ = Asperger?

No. It doesn't. It's your personality type, not a disorder.

 

[Artisan]

I don't have ADHD, and a lot of INFJ's on this forum here don't either. So I do not think that this is the case.
[MENTION=13855]JJJA[/MENTION] has a point. just because some have it, does not make it a diagnose for a specific personality.

 

[Anu]

Yes. The only problem is it's difficult to properly define. All psychological labeling is done symptomatically. Two similar symptoms can have very different causes; and until the science–neuroscience mainly–has been improved, there is no way to understand them fully. Nowhere is this more evident than in ADD vs. ADHD: they couldn't be two more separate things, and almost certainly are caused by different neurological issues.

That being said, I think all introverted intuition is closely related to what we currently call the autism spectrum–most psychologists see a link between Asperger's and inattentive ADHD, as well. INFJ is stereotypically inattentive ADHD (previously ADD), and INTJ is stereotypically Asperger's. Autism is realistically a bunch of disorders sweeped into one term. It covers everything from Rainman to an INTJ with a mild deficiency in social skills.

Autism and inattentive ADHD–which many INFJs will have–seem to have a difference in information processing from a "neurotypical"–a somewhat insulting term, if you ask me. At the same time, the difference in information processing is what makes Ni users useful to society. That's always been the stereotype of Ni users: the people who can't be bothered with the sensory world and the daily grind, but are obsessively caught up in their own pursuits. (It should be noted that it's on a continuum: if you use sufficiently high levels of Te or Fe, you will function much better in society. This is the bulk of Ni users.)

You aren't alone in thinking this. This has been a conclusion that I've come to as well. I think most Ni users aren't very good at functioning in society. The stupid Ni users just get wrote off as mentally deficient, and the intelligent ones get hailed as geniuses. Exteme Ni always leads to an extremely cerebral personality, though not necessarily high intelligence.

 

[PintoBean]

Forgive me for an anecdotal generalization here, but my 2 cents on this are that INFJs may be higher on the neurotic scale than many other personality types. Yes, sorry, this is not a nice thing to say about us, but I believe it is probably true. It certainly is of myself, much as I wish it weren't because my life would be much happier and easier. I think being neurotic can involve a whole host of behavioral traits and emotional problems that are counterproductive to normal life goals. The end result may appear that some INFJs have problems associated with ADHD/ADD. For example, I have pretty bad anxiety issues. This causes me to procrastinate and to have difficulty focusing. The outcome of those problem can look a lot like ADD, something I'm quite sure I don't have. Just my two cents. I hope I have not offended anyone.

 

[Artisan]

Forgive me for an anecdotal generalization here, but my 2 cents on this are that INFJs may be higher on the neurotic scale than many other personality types. Yes, sorry, this is not a nice thing to say about us, but I believe it is probably true. It certainly is of myself, much as I wish it weren't because my life would be much happier and easier. I think being neurotic can involve a whole host of behavioral traits and emotional problems that are counterproductive to normal life goals. The end result may appear that some INFJs have problems associated with ADHD/ADD. For example, I have pretty bad anxiety issues. This causes me to procrastinate and to have difficulty focusing. The outcome of those problem can look a lot like ADD, something I'm quite sure I don't have. Just my two cents. I hope I have not offended anyone.

ouch ! you wound me so ^^! ;P

I think this might be true to some degree, but just like with the add/adhd stuff, I doubt it would be the vast majority of us.
These days people are very / too quick to talk themselves and eachother into having mental issues to explain their quirks.
So when someone thinks I'm; neurotic, I got ADHD, ADD, etc. Then it is unwise to blindly assume that this is the way it is, even if you recognise parts of it.