The Difference Between INFJ and INTJ

Von Hase said:
INFJs and INTJs both share Ni Dominance, and that can make us appear very similar, even to each other. We also share Inferior Se, which gives us a similar approach to processing all around.

However, I've found that it is even easier to discern the difference if you consider the Secondary and Tertiary functions as a set.

INFJs have Fe and Ti.
Fe and Ti mix to create a support for Ni that is emotionally macro, and logically micro oriented. Fe focuses more on others than the self, emotionally. Ti sees the detailed workings more than the big picture.
Fe asks "How can I help?" Ti asks "How does this work?"
Fe is concerned with doing the right thing. Ti is concerned with what makes something tick.

INTJs have Te and Fi.
Te and Fi mix to create a support for Ni that logically macro, and emotionally micro oriented. Te sees the big picture more than the detailed workings. Fi focuses more on the self than others, emotionally.
Te asks "How does this relate?" Fi asks "How do I feel about this?"
Te is concerned with understanding how something can be applied. Fi is concerned with being a good person.

To tell INFJs and INTJs apart, the best way is to determine how each one uses their logic and their emotions, because we often come to the same conclusions and have similar motivations.

INFJs are more likely to go along with the group, try to keep everyone emotionally healthy, and focus on the emotional needs of others. INFJs have much less difficulty interacting with others, as well as less difficulty initiating relationships - such as introducing themselves to others, or welcoming them into a new group.

INTJs are more likely to take a stand for what needs to be done even if it will hurt feelings, try to keep everyone physically/financially/realistically healthy, and focus on the practical needs of others. INTJs have much less difficulty balancing their own needs with the needs of others, as well as less difficulty pulling away from others.
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What you've written is spot on. My wife is a balanced INFJ and one of my sons is an extreme INTJ (my other son is an INFJ, like his mother). My wife is an academic physician and medical scientist who can brilliantly out-argue the most ruthless INTJ colleagues when necessary. But, she uses her INFJ skills to pick up on the most subtle symptoms and feelings of her patients--she is known as a brilliant diagnostician. My INTJ son, on the other hand, is a hard driving commodities trader who, although still in his twenties, is incredibly successful even in these hard economic times. He discounts feelings and thinks that logic rules. My wife and I, although proud of his accomplishments and drive, hope that some day he'll become more balanced and recognize that emotions are important to everyone. If he could just find a good "F" woman! (Ladies, he's good looking, very athletic, and can be rather sweet and charming despite his classic INTJ disposition)
 
To be honest, the descriptions about the INFJ/INTJ distinction have never really made much sense. I've never been, especially in the past, Fe oriented. I only developed Fe in grad school and while teaching. I was always more Fi than anything else. I love and seem to be good at analysis which i guess is Ti. I care about people's feelings but i still think that it's important to get the details right. So, i believe i'm on the borderline. But i'm not trying to put myself in a box. We are who we are.
 
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Restraint said:
To be honest, the descriptions about the INFJ/INTJ distinction have never really made much sense. I've never been, especially in the past, Fe oriented. I only developed Fe in grad school and while teaching. I was always more Fi than anything else. I love and seem to be good at analysis which i guess is Ti. I care about people's feelings but i still think that it's important to get the details right. So, i believe i'm on the borderline. But i'm not trying to put myself in a box. We are who we are.
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This is my case too, I disagree with a lot of the descriptions given to ''INFJ's'' and I also don't like many of the stereotypes associated with Fe, I know I use it..I just don't apply it in the ways many seem to define it, I don't seek social interaction, I just aid people, when making judgement, I focus on humanity as a whole. My Ti can sometimes bee overpowering, making me sometimes look analytical or to distant, or detached, though I still think I am an INFJ, just a big I score. I think in the end we should not worry about this too much, and just try to find our own defenition of our type.
 
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Raccoon Love said:
This is my case too, I disagree with a lot of the descriptions given to ''INFJ's'' and I also don't like many of the stereotypes associated with Fe, I know I use it..I just don't apply it in the ways many seem to define it, I don't seek social interaction, I just aid people, when making judgement, I focus on humanity as a whole. My Ti can sometimes bee overpowering, making me sometimes look analytical or to distant, or detached, though I still think I am an INFJ, just a bi I score. I think in the end we should not worry about this too much, and just try to find our own defenition of our type.
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Agree.
 
Interesting video. I always wanted to know who Vicky Jo is since she has the INFJ.com site.

I'm certainly not an INTJ. However, I'm not sure I'm ready to claim I'm an INFJ because I have very weak Fe and my Ni tends to get me into a lot of trouble.
 
Also keep into concideration, that for INFJ's and INTJ's, Fe and Te respectively are not going to be used to their fully capacity. Ni is the only function used fully. Even then it is rare for an individual to express everything that Ni stands for. Whether it be from not being fully developed, something about it disliked, or interference from other functions.

Fe and Te are the secondary functions. They act as support for Ni, and are not at the forefront. It's easy to think in this context that an INxJ would need to use Fe or Te to full capacity and express all the things about it. As such it makes people think, when they look at just functions, "well, I don't like this part of Fe or Te, therefore I am not sure if I am this type". That is totally normal for the secondary functions, there will always be locations that don't fully get used. They are often filled in with the tertiary function. Again, for INFJ's and INTJ's, Ti and Fi resepectively.

It's easy to get caught up in the details of individual functions, and lead to over-questioning. Funtions need to be thought of as a whole, in an order. Not so much as individual pieces.
 
True, but its hard when one of your strongest functions is suppose to be your tertiary. I feel like a lopsided INFJ.

Ti, Ni, Fe, Se
 
IndigoSensor said:
Also keep into concideration, that for INFJ's and INTJ's, Fe and Te respectively are not going to be used to their fully capacity. Ni is the only function used fully. Even then it is rare for an individual to express everything that Ni stands for. Whether it be from not being fully developed, something about it disliked, or interference from other functions.

Fe and Te are the secondary functions. They act as support for Ni, and are not at the forefront. It's easy to think in this context that an INxJ would need to use Fe or Te to full capacity and express all the things about it. As such it makes people think, when they look at just functions, "well, I don't like this part of Fe or Te, therefore I am not sure if I am this type". That is totally normal for the secondary functions, there will always be locations that don't fully get used. They are often filled in with the tertiary function. Again, for INFJ's and INTJ's, Ti and Fi resepectively.

It's easy to get caught up in the details of individual functions, and lead to over-questioning. Funtions need to be thought of as a whole, in an order. Not so much as individual pieces.
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Agreed, and I have found myself in tis situation quite often lol, I guess us INFJ's in our questioning tend to overthink things.
 
There is only one important difference, and that is all you need to know:

INFJ > INTJ
 
Satya said:
True, but its hard when one of your strongest functions is suppose to be your tertiary. I feel like a lopsided INFJ.

Ti, Ni, Fe, Se
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That's almost the classic configuration for an INFJ who is leaning on their introverted functions.

Ni, Ti, Fe, Se

If you are an INFJ with that configuration, something is causing you to introvert, and possibly seek the security of your tertiary function, aka our inner child function. It is common for child abuse victims to cling to their tertiary function, even in adulthood.

Satya said:
I guess being humble is not part of the INFJ awesomeness.
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Nope. Why would we diminish something that is true, good, bad, or otherwise? Our lack of humble is balanced by our lack of shame. We have no trouble admitting when we are awesome and when we suck.
 
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Von Hase said:
That's almost the classic configuration for an INFJ who is leaning on their introverted functions.

Ni, Ti, Fe, Se

If you are an INFJ with that configuration, something is causing you to introvert, and possibly seek the security of your tertiary function, aka our inner child function. It is common for child abuse victims to cling to their tertiary function, even in adulthood.



Nope. Why would we diminish something that is true, good, bad, or otherwise? Our lack of humble is balanced by our lack of shame. We have no trouble admitting when we are awesome and when we suck.
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Does this occur only in INFJ types or does this happen in all types? Also, why is this? Also, of course, (assuming that this just isn't referring to INFJs) why is our tertiary function referred to our inner child function? ( I have a similar function as Satya so i'm interested)
 
Von Hase said:
That's almost the classic configuration for an INFJ who is leaning on their introverted functions.

Ni, Ti, Fe, Se

If you are an INFJ with that configuration, something is causing you to introvert, and possibly seek the security of your tertiary function, aka our inner child function. It is common for child abuse victims to cling to their tertiary function, even in adulthood.



Nope. Why would we diminish something that is true, good, bad, or otherwise? Our lack of humble is balanced by our lack of shame. We have no trouble admitting when we are awesome and when we suck.
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Yes Von, I do resort a lot to my Ti, and i have always been abused since I was very little physically and verbally, would explain my extreme introversion and why I often score higher on Ti. Thank You :)
 
Von Hase said:
That's almost the classic configuration for an INFJ who is leaning on their introverted functions.

Ni, Ti, Fe, Se

If you are an INFJ with that configuration, something is causing you to introvert, and possibly seek the security of your tertiary function, aka our inner child function. It is common for child abuse victims to cling to their tertiary function, even in adulthood.
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Oh goody. And what is the suggestion for relieving this condition?
 
Reon said:
Does this occur only in INFJ types or does this happen in all types? Also, why is this? Also, of course, (assuming that this just isn't referring to INFJs) why is our tertiary function referred to our inner child function?
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Yes, all types' tertiary function is the inner child function. For INTJs, that would be Fi, etc.

Why this happens, I don't know. This is part of Beebe's theories on how functions operate. Here is a link to a fairly good site for info on each of these.

http://www.vtwellness.net/type_and_archetypes/archetype_based_self_exam/

Satya said:
Oh goody. And what is the suggestion for relieving this condition?
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I'm not sure really, other than trying to focus more on your Fe. According to the theory as it is presented, Fe is the parental mode of INFJs. Step into a parental mode with others, and it will help pull you out of it. You can also try focusing on Se, which for us is much more easily accessed by activities, and redefining our self identities to include being good at those activities.

http://www.vtwellness.net/assets/self-exam_INFJ.pdf

However, in cultivating our Fe, it also helps a great deal for us to try to refute our Fi, which is our 'Senex'

• Fights to defend the personality
• Discourages & casts doubts
• Shaming, blaming, limit-setting parent
• Defends by refusing, belittling or vetoing
• Stern & authoritarian (pulls rank)
• Cryptic &/or bad advice
• Intolerant
• Immobilizes

When we introvert, we often start to substitute Fe with Fi, so this is something to definitely watch out for. Fi is not a good thing in us.
 
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Von Hase said:
I'm not sure really, other than trying to focus more on your Fe. According to the theory as it is presented, Fe is the parental mode of INFJs. Step into a parental mode with others, and it will help pull you out of it. You can also try focusing on Se, which for us is much more easily accessed by activities, and redefining our self identities to include being good at those activities.

http://www.vtwellness.net/assets/self-exam_INFJ.pdf
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Edit: Much appreciated, thanks for the assistance. I think I have found what I was searching for.
 
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