The Nuances Between INFP and INFJ

knight in battle said:
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You can always tell an INTJ and INFJ apart, by the INFJ's often more enthusiastic and colored tone of voice, even when discussing issues of importance; and then the INTJ and INFJ would be drawn to different kinds of discussions/interactions in the first place. They don't watch the same movies, for example.
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Movie Examples?
 
I would say INTJ's prefer more suspense/thriller/survival/horror movies, whereas INFJ's prefer epic/sentimental/human-potential/drama movies. A friend of mine, who I type as INTJ, prefered watching "Wolfman", whereas I have little interest in movies with fear/suspense factors.

"Lost" seems to appeal more to NT's in general as well.

I enjoy comedy of many kinds. One of my friends (a pretty obvious INTJ) seems to enjoy the comedies with greater punch. I do, too, but I also enjoy light, subtle comedies.
 
My INTJ father seems to be a fan of really gritty war movies, as well as really dumb romantic comedies. It is also rather easy for sentimental films to make him cry. He does not like anything where a plot arc extends long enough for him to have to remember the events of one episode to understand the next one. He wants everything to be either stand alone or serialized to the point that everything goes back to normal at the end and the viewing order does not matter.

My mom gets really board with action movies, or really anything that goes for more than a couple minutes without dialogue.


My mom always seems to assume that I like action movies with crazy special effects, but I really care far more about a well written plot. I am the opposite of my dad in that I prefer complex plots than continue to build upon each other over a long course of time.
 
You really can't type people based on movie preference; we all like different things. That being said I do like deep movies that represent the human condition. But I also love me some good scifi and good spy flicks. Oh, and superhero movies. :D
 
magister343 said:
My INTJ father seems to be a fan of really gritty war movies, as well as really dumb romantic comedies. It is also rather easy for sentimental films to make him cry. He does not like anything where a plot arc extends long enough for him to have to remember the events of one episode to understand the next one. He wants everything to be either stand alone or serialized to the point that everything goes back to normal at the end and the viewing order does not matter.
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My (obviously) INTJ friend enjoys series and will watch them faithfully from beginning to end, even when he knows that it has gone pathetic in a later season. He learned this when he realized that certain series aren't enjoyable or "don't make sense" when they're aren't watched in order.

I've never seen him cry, though I haven't watched any movies with him -- sentimental or otherwise.

I'm just the opposite. I like to watch series out of order with unwatched episodes in between. I like having to infer what has gone before. I tend to cry at unexpected moments of sentimentality.
 
magister343 said:
...I really care far more about a well written plot. I am the opposite of my dad in that I prefer complex plots than continue to build upon each other over a long course of time.
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My INTP friend may be similar to you (in that you both have the same typology). E.g., he said that the Lord of the Rings seemed to be the only "well written" or satisfying movie he's seen. Perhaps you would agree. And he's seen a lot of movies, and any movie that he likes, he watches it multiple times and/or buys the DVD.
 
INFPs often have a goofy appearance. With the more average ones it's very subtle, 3 levels below the surface, but still discernible. The INFJs I know look like they can hold their ground, but have a smile on their face.
 
swing said:
INFPs often have a goofy appearance. With the more average ones it's very subtle, 3 levels below the surface, but still discernible. The INFJs I know look like they can hold their ground, but have a smile on their face.
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Agreed. INFPs often have to dress differently or goofily. They seem to love purple shirts. If they don't wear something different, they act goofy or off-center.
 
A fascinating thread! I really relate to the INFJ tertiary Ti obsession, I love the systematization of ideas and concepts. I see my personality structure as my dominant Ni creating ideas, my tertiary Ti organizing my ideas, and my auxiliary Fe expressing those ideas in a way that gets things done in a humane and people-centered way.

MikeA said:
If people at INTPc are saying this, then INTPc is full of shit. Doesn't surprise me at all that people over there have views as skewed and dumb as these though.

A problem with any unhealthy F function (which xxTx personality types often resort to) is that the function itself often deals in absolutes according to what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior, because people often project. At ANY rate, xxFx personality types are far better at dealing with their F function than xxTx personality types are, because they've been dealing with their function since 1st grade. You'd think someone who's been spending their entire life developing their function would be fucking good at it by now... but no, instead, people create misconceptions that xxFx personality types are horrible at using their most developed function.

If any of the personality types are crybabies, softies, explosive, insecure, and so on, it's every single xxTx personality type, not the xxFx personality types.
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The bigotry towards Feelers on INTP Central is one of the reasons I mistakenly thought I was an INTP for so long. I only realized I was an FJ type when I figured out what Fe was really all about.
 
Arsal said:
In the case of INFJs, they reject material needs and demands and reject trends, fashions, because they see them as fleeting and temporary, and yet, end up judging others who are not current with the latest trends, fashions, technology, etc.
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I can't help but see myself in this. I have spent years finding stylish/athletic looking clothes to wear that can also fit in my self-driven value (hmm not exactly Fe) of plainness. The things is I do want to look good, even if not necessarily flashy and would sure enjoy it if other people value this as much. And even if something isn't the latest flashy style, I prefer it when people could make something look neat, clean, and color-matching.
 
MikeA said:
I'm amazed at how you all managed to turn my "If they say this," into "They tend to be," and then "They are." You people are lacking in your so called iNtuition.
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You have a point here. As an INFJ, I tend to think that I hold tentative, changeable perspectives on things and may enjoy conjecturing rather than settling with what people may have "determined to be true". In fact, what is "determined true" may need to be further discovered and tested. I would think that Intuition in this case that something that is proven or stated is tentative anyway. It could change in the future, because frankly we anticipate possible change or sharpening of our knowledge/perspective.
 
InvisibleJim said:
That's an unusual because all preferences are an active preference. One can easily see Fe as 'active social harmoniser' by restraining internal desires in favour of external harmony whereas Fi is an 'active internal harmoniser' restraining external pressures in favour of internal harmony. It's the same function even if the attitude is different.
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Finally... A contrasting description that I can grasp! I don't find disharmony pleasing, so perhaps this means I prefer Fe, but sometimes I will argue my point in a non-inflammatory style--even if I'm angry. When it comes to clothing, however, I can often use Se to dress more noticeably and fashionably than I normally feel safe doing.
 
problemz said:
I don't know. I know some INFPs and they strike me as humorless dummies for the most part. I kind of hate them. INFJs strike me as smarter. So I'd kind of rather be an INFJ.
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I find the same thing about INFPs. Lots of play time but also a lot of seriousness. Very little in terms of humor, except one INFP I know who will bring up humor sometimes. In fact, they can be quite insistent on their views, though sometimes they will not let you know verbally. Frankly I used to think I was serious and stonefaced, but INFPs tend more to laugh at my jokes but I rarely hear any from them, despite their cheerfulness.

I think INFPs are socially smarter and more spontaneous. I heard that INFPs are more capable in debates. I can debate, but I don't care to do it for long unless people are prepared to listen to my views.
 
Saru Inc said:
I've always seen NFPs as society's ideal version of what an NF should be. They don't push on people, they see the big picture very easily, they want everyone to be themselves, but they can still respect the way things have been, and the hierarchy of things. If an NFJ goes awry they're just like a hot mess. A psychic hot mess. Oooh, this could get steamy.
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I don't see NFPs as non-pushy. In the effort to get away from structure/authority, INFPs can be very subtly insistent on conformity. "This is how it is, whether we like it or not." Yet at other times - when they're more themselves - they'll tell me to get out of my little boxed-in thinking and refuse to conform to what people think I should be. ENFPs are more pushy than ENFJs, in a way, because they'll push into my psyche and get into my emotions and thinking and practically insist that I divulge my thoughts.

I know one ENFJ, and she has a quieter disposition. There was a coordinator at our church, and I wonder if she was ENFJ. Very take-charge. Non-traditional/non-conciliatory thinking. Possibly ENTJ also.
 
TaylorS said:
A fascinating thread! I really relate to the INFJ tertiary Ti obsession, I love the systematization of ideas and concepts. I see my personality structure as my dominant Ni creating ideas, my tertiary Ti organizing my ideas, and my auxiliary Fe expressing those ideas in a way that gets things done in a humane and people-centered way.
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Since Ni is left brained and linear/categorizing, an INFJ is primarily categorizing and left brained. I can see this as a big contrast to Fi in INFP which is right brained and global, which makes them right brained. An INFJ is more methodical in his leftbrained Ni. An INFP is more methodical in his left brained Si/Te. Since INFPs are predominantly right-brained in their F/N, they unify people in their internal feeling/meaning and in their expressed/perceived intuition? And INFJs are predominantly left-brained in their N/F, so they categorize/analyze people in their expressed feeling (selectively offering affection to specific people) and perceived intuition (analyzing specific persons bit by bit)?
 
knight in battle said:
Finally... A contrasting description that I can grasp! I don't find disharmony pleasing, so perhaps this means I prefer Fe, but sometimes I will argue my point in a non-inflammatory style--even if I'm angry. When it comes to clothing, however, I can often use Se to dress more noticeably and fashionably than I normally feel safe doing.
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Glad to be of assistance *tips hat*
 
Response to the specific examples given

Arsal said:
Here's an example. An INFP friend asked me if I fretted about what I said in social situations, and say things after analyzing them. I agreed with her, because I do. However, where we differed was that, I plan ahead. I will often make very elaborate plans about what I would say in a social situation and I stack up on different responses that could possibly come up, so I wouldn't be in an unfamiliar territory, whereas she decides on the spot. She takes each statement and analyzes it with her Ne and Fi, and responds appropriately. If I tried that, not only would I find it extremely uncomfortable (inferior Pe), but get agitated at being thrown into an unfamiliar situation that I cannot predict, and consequently, control.
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I am an infp and really relate to what you say is caused by your infj-ness. I really struggle in unfamiliar situations and rehearse answers. But it's not with anyone. It's with people that I have identified as feeling very vulnerable around. It's not a default behavior. But with people with whom I tend to repeatedly miscommunicate my agitation is through the roof and my only protection is rehearsal rehearsal rehearsal.
My default responses when comfortable are not extremely thought out, in general I don't know what to respond because if I am listening I am waiting for more from you. But I do think I use ne and fi for them.
I think I do tend to take into account what was said in the past a lot. With certain people I have entire frameworks built for what I think is ticking with them based on all sorts of things in the past. I try to adjust when stuff doesn't fit. Am always trying to understand them.
 
I don't "prefer" my type more than others, it's just how I am wired and it runs more efficiently if I am true to my type. But I don't "like" my type more than others. I promise. In fact, I truly believe that I am in the dark about my own type. I believe that unconscious 4th function stuff is more visible to others.
 
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