My Personality Type. What Are You?

This was originally written on Thursday, July 2, 2009:

THIS IS SOOOOO ME! Now that I've embraced a part of me that I never saw clearly before (read my previous post, My Update On My Writing), I took the Myers-Briggs personality test. I took it back in college and scored the exact same now, but this time I noticed parts that I didn't before! It make so much sense to what I was talking about yesterday. That "three year itch" is just who I am!

I'm an INFJ - that means Introverted Intuition Feeling Judging. In other words, everyone is either dominant in Introversion or Extroversion. (Our flow of energy) That's where my "I" came from. Then, everyone is either dominant in Intuition or Sensing. (How we take in information) That's where my "N" came from. Next, everyone is either dominant in Thinking or Feeling. (How we prefer to make decisions) That's where my "F" comes from. And finally, everyone is dominant in either Judging or Perceiving. (Whether we prefer structured, organized environments or casual environments) That's where my "J" comes from.

Here is what Myers-Briggs says (paragraph 6 goes 100% with what I talked about in my last post):

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.

But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals.

INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.

The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.
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I guess those who've been reading my blog for awhile probably know this already. All of my posts are pretty much written in INFJ form! (Yes, even the paragraph about being private - what it said was right: I choose to share what I share when I want to share it. . .i.e. believe it or not there really are things I haven't shared here!)

Here is the percentage of the population:

ISTJ: 12-16%
ISFJ: 10-13%
INFJ: 2-3%
INTJ: 3-4%
ISTP: 5-7%
ISFP: 5-7%
INFP: 4-5%
INTP: 5-6%
ESTP: 5-7%
ESFP: 6-9%
ENFP: 6-8%
ENTP: 4-7%
ESTJ: 10-12%
ESFJ: 10-12%
ENFJ: 3-5%
ENTJ: 3-5%

What are you? I'm interested so if you take this test (click on the link in the first paragraph), be sure to let me know!!!