INFJs and INFPs

[daydreamer]

Hmm, then it seems that it changes from time to time.
I'll give an example: Last year, at christmas, some people just decided we had to give money to a good cause. Normally I would've been okay with that, but they just demanded 2

 

[acd]

I think I have Introverted Intuition with Extraverted Feeling, according to an OKCupid.com test. I don't like getting people riled up for a cause, I would like to keep the peace and raise awarness instead.

Thank you so much everyone!

Exactly. You're INFJ.

 

[acd]

Nice to know. So hum.. can I buy you a drink?
I actually really respect people who have strong values and fight for them, even if I don't agree with them. Unless if they have unfounded arguments. So no debating on religion for me, it gets me pissed off

I'd be careful respecting people like that if I were you. It's said Hitler was an INFP.

 

[The Jester]

I'd be careful respecting people like that if I were you. It's said Hitler was an INFP.

Don't get me wrong. I actually respect people if they strongly believe in their views and they don't go just 'go with the flow'. Even if they're fascists.
I don't agree with them, I'll strongly defend my point of views, but I respect people who have views because they strongly believe in them, and not just because they want to be accepted by society. But of course, how can you determine if one's views are truly their own and they aren't brainwashed by society?
I feel like discussing this right now, but then I'd just be hijacking this thread. So sorry TS :$
EDIT: Oh yea, I actually couldn't agree with fascists because I think their arguments are unfounded.

 

[Amaranth44]

I'm sorry if I'm bringing this up again, since it's on the second page now, but I found it interesting and just wanted to comment. I do agree for the most part about what's being said, however from reading INFJ descriptions, it does state that while we like to keep peace and harmony, if we see injustice being done we can quickly change and become quite outspoken about this. I also like to keep the peace and have people respect each other. If I strongly disagree with something and feeling like an injustice is being done, I do speak up, albeit tactfully and in a way that doesn't get people riled up. I don't like causing mayhem, I just want to make sure that the particular issue is addressed. The only time I may be more forward and blunt is if someone is particularly cruel.
Again sorry for bringing this thread up, I just really wanted to comment.

 

[arbygil]

Feel free to jump on in, Amaranth!

I think there is a real difference between the ways both the INFP and the INFJ react, though. I think the INFP is quicker to react, while INFJs could be thinking about it a long time. Neither side is better than the other, really - it's just a different way of responding to what's going around them.

This is my take: I don't usually react until I'm 100% sure that I (think) I know what the other person is implying. My questions will zone in on the issue - and sometimes they'll become sharper or my tone sharper - while I'm figuring out what's being said. An INFP might've already reacted and finished the conversation before I even noticed what was going on.

But.

Once I notice it, I *notice* it. And I can be like a pit bull with a bone.

 

[Kaipaus]

I'm a bit uncertain of wether I'm an INFJ or an INFP, as well. I've read some descriptions of the differences between these types, and every other description makes me go "this settles it, I'm an INFP!" and every other makes me go "oh wow, I'm an INFJ after all!" I don't know which descriptions to believe anymore.

 

[Kaipaus]

I think I can see myself as an INFP when I take a look at the functions, because:

The things that I am most extraverted about are intellectual topics. In class, I ask questions and make comments quite comfortably. I guess that's Ne at work. But then, after class, I feel like a geek who doesn't quite fit in (poor use of Fe, then, I guess). I'm afraid of approaching people and if someone approaches me, I usually get into an intellectual conversation. It is quite difficult for me to open up about my feelings or act like some kind of a mother hen-- it just doesn't come naturally to me.

The geekiness has decreased in the past few years and now I can approach people with much more ease than I used to, but I'm still getting used to the new me.

Because of my introversion and shyness and general social dorkiness, a few people have perceived me as selfish and/or arrogant. So that indicates poor use of Fe, right? But after receiving such comments I have been very worried about how others perceive me, felt quite hurt and felt the need to change my behaviour so that people wouldn't get such false ideas about me in the future. Isn't that Fe at work? I don't know.

I have kept a private journal for years. In it I write honestly about my feelings, which I don't feel I can do in the "real" world. Fi, right? I have also kept a public blog on the web but in that blog, I revealed too "personal" information, not always knowing what was appropriate to tell the world, and that led to feelings of inadequacy, shame and depression. Poor use of Fe, perhaps?

I may write more in the future, but if someone understands the use of functions better than I, I would appreciate it very much if you evaluated wether I have associated them accurately with my behaviour patterns here.

 

[Kaipaus]

Still more rambling about my use of the functions...

The weird thing is that I think I use Ti quite a lot. I study math and I enjoy ie studying functions and determining wether they are injections, surjections or neither. I like to read definitions for words (especially in math, where the definitions are so accurate, for example, how a circle consists of all the points that are at the same distance from a certain point...). When someone asks me a question like "are you a feminist", I may answer by saying that it depends on how feminism is defined/interpretted. And when people get into arguments, I often perceive the arguments as linguistc misunderstandings-- for example, if someone is a feminist and another person hates feminism and they get into a heated argument, it's usually because they understand the word "feminism" in different ways. (I may also perceive arguments stemming from real differences in values and/or beliefs depending on the nature of the argument.)

So I guess someone could suggest that I'm an INTP but I don't know... that just doesn't "feel" right. I've explored the possibility of being an INTP and, for some reason, reached the conclusion that it doesn't fit. Can't remember the reasoning perfectly well anymore *shrug* I just feel like I'm a feeler at the core. I feel like my Fi is quite strong; I have explored the world of "personal growth" (feng shui, personality types, religion etc) since my early teens and like touchy-feely things (art, music, nature, pretty pictures with cute animals etc).

 

[Soulful]

I suppose that the difference between an INFJ and an INFP doing this would be that an INFP has no problem disrupting harmony to rile people up for a cause, they act as catalysts.

The INFJ, however, will be tactful and polite and try to bring people into agreeance. They will act more as mediators in the situation with the goal of raising awareness.


That is the way I see it.

The difference is Fi which INFP's prefer and Fe, which is preferred by INFJs.

Fi is about expressing one's personal values, remaining true to one's own ideals first above the consensus. Fi is about sustaining personal freedom and expression for the individual and individuals within a group.

Fe is about making sure the group is in agreeance and coexisting harmoniously. Fe is about bringing people together and compromising.

Fi has a more difficult time compromising on what is important to them because Fi does not want to "water down" their beliefs or ideas etc. etc.
It's a blessing and a curse for INFPs. It makes us passionate and harder to "control" yet it also alienates us from others by being stubborn and obnoxious.

The good thing about INFPs is that usually we're pretty laid back and go with the flow. However, once someone crosses that one defined line with us, we dig our heels deep in the dirt and don't give in.

Hmm, then it seems that it changes from time to time.
I'll give an example: Last year, at christmas, some people just decided we had to give money to a good cause. Normally I would've been okay with that, but they just demanded 2