INFP (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving) is the ‘Idealist’ personality type in the Myers-Briggs Test Instrument (MBTI) classification. So, like everything ideal, people with this personality type suffer a lot of real struggles in a world which little understands or values their genuine, kindred spirit. So unfair, really.
Dream on…and on…and on…
Have you ever caught someone spacing out in a meeting, lecture, during a meal or even while tying their shoelaces? Chances are that they were dreaming about making the world a better place or something just as lofty. And that they are an INFP.
INFPs are the ultimate dreamers, and their daydreams are probably only manifestations of their idealistic thoughts. Such noble souls! But sometimes lost ones too.
Emotions, Emotions Everywhere
Joy, exhilaration, contentedness, longing, all at once – it would be an understatement to say that the range of emotions INFPs feel is ‘wide’. If they were given a dollar for every emotion they feel, they’d probably be a billionaire each day!
Should I Talk Now? Should I Not?
INFPs have excellent ideas that could transform the world, but just as much hesitation to talk about them. Heck, they could have the cure to cancer and not be able to express it well. Why, dear INFPs, so shy?
…And Thus I Conclude My Few Words
If one-to-one conversations make INFPs jittery, imagine what happens when they have to face a crowd. Speeches make them incredibly anxious, so much so, that after each one, they feel like retiring to the mountains to replenish their energy!
Tomorrow Never Comes
Have you ever heard someone calling finishing their work the night before the deadline as ‘deadline induced creativity’ like Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes)? They’re most probably an INFP! Ultimate procrastination is one of the downsides of their personality. Get over the anxiety, INFPs… you are awesome creators when you get down to work!
Backing Off (already)
In the same vein as oratory, debating is something INFPs detest. Given their way, the world would be a place where everybody is in sync with everyone else, and there is no need to argue or fight with anyone.
In the real world though, people with contrasting views argue (a lot), and that makes the INFPs nervous. They back off from arguments just for the sake of ending them.
The Eternal Goodness Of The Humankind
To an INFP, every human, animal or plant has some goodness in their soul, may they appear outright vicious to other people. The eternal optimists and do-gooders, INFPs believe in the power of goodness more than anyone else. The world is not so innocent, though. And INFPs get their unpleasant surprises often. *sob*
Untiring Appreciators
The sunrise, the greenery, the little streams, a tinkle in someone’s laugh, or a twinkle in someone’s eye, INFPs notice the small beauties of the world more than anyone else. So when they appreciate ‘the way someone wrote a wonderful call back message’, they are bound to be looked at with incredulity by others who’ve lost the power to admire the finer details of life.
Expressions Are Inversely Proportional To Emotions
While the INFP mind is exploding with ideas, their words are struggling to catch up. Sometimes their famous ‘wide range of emotions’ is simply too wide to be contained in words, which is why people have the impression that they in particular, and introverts in general, don’t like to talk much. No, people, it’s not that they don’t ‘want’ to, but sometimes they just ‘can’t’.
Lazy Bones
An INFP who’s an adult but yet to grow up is a recipe for laziness. Unwashed laundry, soiled dishes, and the likes are just signs of it. They need someone to make them come out of their dreams and budge, so a super-enthusiastic roommate is always of great help!
Do, Regret, Redo
More often than not, an INFP under pressure will do something they wish they hadn’t, later. They need to either not be pressurized at all, or learn to not make haste in such situations, because, such is life. *sigh*
Dealing With The Extreme Opposite – INTJs
INFPs excel in Feeling and Perceiving, INTJs (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging) in Thinking and Judging- they are, seemingly, the two ends of a spectrum. INTJs seem to intimidate everyone they meet and the INFPs are no exception. However, many people bear testimony that the two personality types can really get on well together. After all, they share a common goal – to make the world the perfect place!
One Life Is Hardly Enough
The sheer vastness of the universe (and the mundane chores of everyday life) sometimes overwhelms the INFPs. Many may chew more than they can swallow, causing them to feel like giving up everything at once, at one point of time. Classic INFP behavior!
Pending, Please Wait
Of all the fantastic, wonderful ideas that occur to the INFPs, more than half never get worked upon. If only they would complete all that they think of, each one would be a world-changing pioneer. Think about it, INFPs!
Pure At Heart
At the core, there’s difficult to find a purer heart than that of an INFP. Not for nothing are they called ‘the children of Myers-Briggs’! But such pure hearts need to defend themselves in a cynical world, keep believing in themselves and basically, keep rocking the kindness game. More power to you, Healers (as they are called)!
