One Person's Journey
Years ago
when I was in high school I was given a MBTI test which indicated that I was an
INTP. I thought it was all fairly interesting but since the description didn't
speak to me and only seemed to really address superficial aspects of my
personality I disregarded the whole thing.
Recently I have become interested in type again and took a rather dodgy online
test which said I was an INTJ. While INTJs described the more rational side of
me which likes to over-analyze everything, the description was even less like me
than INTP. Confused, I began to learn more about what the the letters meant and
how they all related to each other. I understood my mistake: it's less about who
you are on the outside and more about your inner motivations. Less like the
qualities you think you have and more about the patterns to your actions. When
taking the MBTI it was like I couldn't really figure out what perspective I was
supposed to be answering questions from as often both choices were equally
compelling when looked at with different things in mind. Are INFJs often mis-classed
in this manner?
The IN letters always felt right, but what confused me is that it seemed like I
was in the middle of the F/T and had no idea what the J/P were supposed to
represent. I've always described myself as a thinker who is equally emotional
and passionate. My folly was taking the literal meanings of "thinking"
and "feeling" when looking at type. When I asked myself do I handle my
thinking process by looking at the facts or by putting myself into a situation
and vicariously experiencing, it became clear that I really was an F after all!
I've always been a master of looking at things from other angles, thus endlessly
doing something to satisfy my Ti. At the core of it all, as much as I hate to
admit it for how much I value logic, have been my feelings, values, and a strong
sense of what I'm focusing on having to be something worthwhile. They pull the
strings and direct what outlets my Ti obsesses.
I began reading about the INFJ type and those descriptions read more like the
real me than any other type. I then stumbled on your websites. Nearly everything
you've described in the INFJ
handbook fit me eerily well. Charting the course fits the way I work out
problems perfectly (actually it's more about the problems we most enjoy to work
out, isn't it?). Even though I chose to develop and favor my introverted
thinking (often getting caught in what you perfectly described as "analysis
paralysis"), my real type was always there behind the scenes coloring the
way I perceived the world and pulling my strings. It was a really amazing
epiphany. I'll admit I've always been addicted to those "AHa!"
moments. Like the flash from the camera in a dark room. in that moment of brief
illumination, part of the steel skeleton that holds everything together becomes
visible. Though you may never be accurately able to convey the beauty you
glimpsed, for that moment you finally UNDERSTAND and the whole way you look at
the world shifts around.
There are so many other things I could point out; so many of the personal things
you mention are mirrored perfectly in myself, but the real point
is to thank you for compiling all of this information on your websites. You have
really opened my eyes to a lot of things about myself I took for granted, was
scared to admit, or was even flat-out wrong about.
--John
* * *
A Second Story
I first tested INFJ many years ago, and I didn't follow up on it; I just accepted the test result. Years later, when I read Keirsey's book PUM2, I came up INFJ several times on those questionnaires--but my J/P score was always very, very close. If I just interpreted one or two questions a bit differently, I could come up INFP instead of INFJ. Still, the INFJ description sounded close enough (as long as I interpreted certain passages liberally so that they fit me), so I stuck with the result.
Then I met some INFJs online, and over time I noticed that they seemed very different from me in certain ways. It's hard to articulate, but I guess they were more proactive, more intent on reaching out to people and being catalysts for transformation. In terms of Linda Berens's interaction-styles model (see www.interactionstyles.com), INFJs have a chart-the-course style, while I'm pretty clearly a behind-the-scenes person.
That made me wonder, and I started reading more type descriptions. Some of the ISFJ descriptions sounded more like me than the INFJ ones. So, I started wondering if maybe I'm an ISFJ. That really shook up my mindset, because it meant I had a Guardian temperament and was not an Idealist after all. (If you really want to understand the other temperaments, try them on for size!)
Around the time Dr. Berens was making an official appearance as guest speaker in Temperament Talk, I decided to take the actual MBTI "test" and see what came up on that. I ended up taking the Majors PTI "test" as well; and I came up INFP on both.
Meanwhile, I had started reading about the cognitive processes (see www.cognitiveprocesses.com), and as I read the descriptions closely, I noticed that only the INFP pattern really fit me. That was the strongest indicator so far. The key factor for me was Si (introverted Sensing): I knew it was relatively strong in me (which is part of the reason I thought I might be an ISFJ, since that type has dominant Si), but for INFJs it's extremely weak (or manifests in a more negative way).
So, I went back to the type descriptions and compared INFJ and INFP (and ISFJ for good measure), reading them from a new perspective. Now I could see that chart-the-course style in INFJs and the behind-the-scenes style in INFPs (the latter being another reason I considered ISFJ briefly). So, for now I have my best-fit type. Unless some contradictory evidence comes along, I'm pretty sure my type is INFP at this point.
But it took some study to get to this point. It wasn't just a matter of filling out a questionnaire and being done with it.
--Patrick (informing, responding NF/Idealist)
Let me remind you that I have a structured process that is a *surefire* route to your best-fit type. (This is no "test and tell" experience -- my sessions include 90 minutes of learning and validation experience, followed by a session of coaching to integrate the learning.) Please visit my professional site at TypeInsights.com to learn more.
