Profile: INFJ
Revision: 1.4
Date of Revision: 4 Aug 94
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Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging
by Joe Butt (jabutt@sacam.oren.ortn.edu)
Beneath the quiet exterior, INFJs hold deep convictions about the weightier
matters of life. Those who are activists -- INFJs gravitate toward such a
role -- are there for the cause, not for personal glory or political power.
INFJs are champions of the oppressed and downtrodden. They often are found
in the wake of an emergency, rescuing those who are in acute distress. INFJs
may fantasize about getting revenge on those who victimize the defenseless.
The concept of 'poetic justice' is appealing to the INFJ.
"There's something rotten in Denmark." Accurately suspicious about others'
motives, INFJs are not easily led. These are the people that you can rarely
fool any of the time. Though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are
selective about their friends. Such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that
transcends mere words.
INFJs have a knack for fluency in language and facility in communication. In
addition, nonverbal sensitivity enables the INFJ to know and be known by
others intimately.
Writing, counseling, public service and even politics are areas where INFJs
frequently find their niche.
Famous INFJs:
Nathan, prophet of Israel
Aristophanes
Chaucer
Goethe
Robert Burns, Scottish poet
U.S. Presidents:
Martin Van Buren
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter
Nathaniel Hawthorne, author, poet
Fanny Crosby, (blind) hymnist
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Fred McMurray ("My Three Sons", various movies)
Shirley Temple Black, child actress, ambassador
Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader, martyr
James Reston, newspaper reporter
Shirley McClain, actress (_Sweet Charity_, ...)
Piers Anthony, author ("Xanth" series)
Michael Landon, actor ("Highway to Heaven," "Little House on the Prairie")
Tom Selleck, actor ("Magnum, P. I.," _Mr. Baseball_)
Oprah Winfrey, talk show host
John Katz, critic, author
Paul Stookey, folk singer (Peter, Paul and Mary)
Angela Lansbury, actress ("Murder, She Wrote")
U. S. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL)
Richard Gere, actor (Pretty Woman_, _Sommersby_)
Billy Crystal, actor, comedian
Carrie Fisher, actress (_Star Wars_)
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Profile: INFJ
Revision: 2.0
Date of Revision: 16 Oct 95
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Introverted iNtuiting Feeling Judging
by Marina Margaret Heiss (mmh0m@poe.acc.virginia.edu)
INFJs are distinguished by both their complexity of character
and the unusual range and depth of their talents. Strongly
humanitarian in outlook, INFJs tend to be idealists, and because
of their J preference for closure and completion, they are
generally "doers" as well as dreamers. This rare combination of
vision and practicality often results in INFJs taking a
disproportionate amount of responsibility in the various causes
to which so many of them seem to be drawn.
INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals
as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact,
sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing
and are so genuinely interested in people -- a product of the
Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the
contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally
intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-
term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates". While
instinctively courting the personal and organizational demands
continually made upon them by others, at intervals INFJs will
suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out even
their intimates. This apparent paradox is a necessary escape
valve for them, providing both time to rebuild their depleted
resources and a filter to prevent the emotional overload to which
they are so susceptible as inherent "givers". As a pattern of
behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the
enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often
misunderstood -- particularly by those who have little experience
with this rare type.
Due in part to the unique perspective produced by this
alternation between detachment and involvement in the lives of
the people around them, INFJs may well have the clearest insights
of all the types into the motivations of others, for good and for
evil. The most important contributing factor to this uncanny
gift, however, are the empathic abilities often found in Fs,
which seem to be especially heightened in the INFJ type (possibly
by the dominance of the introverted N function).
This empathy can serve as a classic example of the two-edged
nature of certain INFJ talents, as it can be strong enough to
cause discomfort or pain in negative or stressful situations.
More explicit inner conflicts are also not uncommon in INFJs; it
is possible to speculate that the causes for some of these may
lie in the specific combinations of preferences which define this
complex type. For instance, there can sometimes be a "tug-of-
war" between NF vision and idealism and the J practicality that
urges compromise for the sake of achieving the highest priority
goals. And the I and J combination, while perhaps enhancing
self-awareness, may make it difficult for INFJs to articulate
their deepest and most convoluted feelings.
Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as
they tend to have strong writing skills. Since in addition they
often possess a strong personal charisma, INFJs are generally
well-suited to the "inspirational" professions such as teaching
(especially in higher education) and religious leadership.
Psychology and counseling are other obvious choices, but overall,
INFJs can be exceptionally difficult to pigeonhole by their
career paths. Perhaps the best example of this occurs in the
technical fields. Many INFJs perceive themselves at a
disadvantage when dealing with the mystique and formality of
"hard logic", and in academic terms this may cause a tendency to
gravitate towards the liberal arts rather than the sciences.
However, the significant minority of INFJs who do pursue studies
and careers in the latter areas tend to be as successful as their
T counterparts, as it is *iNtuition* -- the dominant function for
the INFJ type -- which governs the ability to understand abstract
theory and implement it creatively.
In their own way, INFJs are just as much "systems builders" as
are INTJs; the difference lies in that most INFJ "systems" are
founded on human beings and human values, rather than information
and technology. Their systems may for these reasons be
conceptually "blurrier" than analogous NT ones, harder to measure
in strict numerical terms, and easier to take for granted -- yet
it is these same underlying reasons which make the resulting
contributions to society so vital and profound.