• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

[NF] INFP vs INFJ

Fidelia

Iron Maiden
Staff member
Joined
May 31, 2009
Messages
14,497
MBTI Type
INFJ
Fia's descriptions resonate with me and my experiences with an INFP boyfriend and several INFP close friends very well.

I also have found as time has gone on that while Fe/Fi may seem like a clear difference, Ni/Ne differences are actually probably even more profound and affect outlook and thought process considerably.

I might add that for me, my dom/tert loops (Ni-Ti) tend to be centred around organizing things in my life which don't seem to easily resolve themselves - whether behaviour of other people, or content of information I need to be responsible for and so on. It seems that when there is a strong emotional element involved that includes some contradictory information, I get stuck endlessly looking at things from different perspectives, structuring the information, and then feeling that I left out something important and having to start the whole process from scratch, leaving me stuck for a time and looking for some kind of Se escape like sleep, spending money, watching mindless TV, being overindulgent, etc.

On the other hand, INFP dom-tert loops (Fi/Ne) seem to be centred around their own internal beliefs/feelings about themselves (at least from an observer perspective) and both coping mechanism escape and the key to getting out of the loop are in different areas than with an INFJ, as the loop is centred around different issues.
 
A

A_priori

Guest
The most clear examples of how the two types are distinguished would be that INFPs are more.. whats your buisness is yours and what's mine is mine, while the INFJ is more inclined to want to have a mutual openness, exposing more and wanting more exposed. INFJ types essentially want to get everything out on the table in attempts to analyze and understand while INFPs tend to be more comftrable keeping some things held back. Another thing you will notice is that the INFJ is more pushy and seeks to get down to the focal point of problems while INFPs are a little more open ended and in my opinion tend to make better listeners.

It's important that INFJs take the time to listen to INFPs without trying to figure everything about them out. The INFP needs breathing room and must be recognized for there boundaries and incredibly rigid morals and values. The INFJ seeks more interpersonal understanding which the INFP generally has to push themselfs out beyond what they feel is nessicary to keep the fire stoked so to say.

These are a few things that I typically notice but overall we are far more simular when both types are healthy then people assume.

Cheers :)
 

anti-villain

New member
Joined
May 6, 2013
Messages
39
MBTI Type
INFJ
Here are my lame generalizations.

infj = crude, don't take themselves seriously
infp = not crude, take themselves seriously


Crude as in generally unrefined, and kind of raw? Crude as in having a vulgar sense of humour? Or all of the above?
 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
Staff member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
12,342
MBTI Type
JINX
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Crude as in generally unrefined, and kind of raw? Crude as in having a vulgar sense of humour? Or all of the above?

I'd relate to both; though I can do that poise & grace shit if/when required...
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
14,037
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
496
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Lol sarcasm again?
You should have seen what DJ wrote before editing. It was terrible and hilarious. It struck me even funnier that it was changed. I think it is all joke. ;)
 

Azure Flame

Permabanned
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
2,317
MBTI Type
ESTP
Enneagram
8w7
My post was intended to be serious yet humorous. INFJ's have a crude earthy sense of humor and INFP's don't.

Otherwise, in general, INFJ's are aggressive sluts and INFP's are flower sniffers
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
14,037
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
496
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
My post was intended to be serious yet humorous. INFJ's have a crude earthy sense of humor and INFP's don't.

Otherwise, in general, INFJ's are aggressive sluts and INFP's are flower sniffers
And put them together... :wubbie:

I'm not crude until someone says I am and then I *have* to live up to the reputation.
 

Azure Flame

Permabanned
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
2,317
MBTI Type
ESTP
Enneagram
8w7
And put them together... :wubbie:

I'm not crude until someone says I am and then I *have* to live up to the reputation.

I'm serious. If you're not a crude person I'd be willing to throw you into INFP or ISFJ category.

INFP's are all listening to "arrival of the birds" and watching disney movies while INFJ's are listening to ganga-clouds and practicing their hindu lapdances.

You shouldn't be "acting" if you're actually an Ni Fe Ti Se.
 

Typh0n

clever fool
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Messages
3,497
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Ne is goofy and says random things, Ni is serious and purposeful?
 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
Staff member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
12,342
MBTI Type
JINX
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
My post was intended to be serious yet humorous. INFJ's have a crude earthy sense of humor and INFP's don't.

Otherwise, in general, INFJ's are aggressive sluts and INFP's are flower sniffers

I can't say I'm an aggressive slut, by any means. Not due to moral qualms- I have some serious trust issues/inferiority complexes and other things, so those are factors, perhaps (even when there is someone I'm interested in, there's cognitive dissonance there). Also too much in my head to be sensual, in general.
I don't do that wistful flower-sniffing shit, either. Gross. Some INFP's here don't do that.. [MENTION=13147]senza tema[/MENTION], [MENTION=360]prplchknz[/MENTION], to name a couple.. (or if they do it, they keep that shit under wraps)

INFP's are all listening to "arrival of the birds" and watching disney movies while INFJ's are listening to ganga-clouds and practicing their hindu lapdances.

Some INFJ's like Disney songs/Broadway showtunes & thrash metal. More apt try to teach themselves guitar, & do spinkicks off an amp than do lapdances. So, some of your [amusing] generalities may be off, haha. :cool:

(but ey, what're generalities for, right)
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
14,037
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
496
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I can't say I'm an aggressive slut, by any means. Not due to moral qualms- I have some serious trust issues/inferiority complexes and other things, so those are factors, perhaps (even when there is someone I'm interested in, there's cognitive dissonance there). Also too much in my head to be sensual, in general.
I don't do that wistful flower-sniffing shit, either. Gross. Some INFP's here don't do that.. [MENTION=13147]senza tema[/MENTION], [MENTION=360]prplchknz[/MENTION], to name a couple.. (or if they do it, they keep that shit under wraps)



Some INFJ's like Disney songs/Broadway showtunes & thrash metal. More apt try to teach themselves guitar, & do spinkicks off an amp than do lapdances. So, some of your [amusing] generalities may be off, haha. :cool:

(but ey, what're generalities for, right)
DJ Arendee must be just completely joking. (S)He seems to be aiming for a nerve center for both types - attacking INFP originality by using the most worn stereotypes of their kind, and placing the INFJs in a semi-shaming social position? If it's serious then I would assume it is based on personal experience with two individual people - a supposed INFJ who seemed slutty and a supposed INFP who was unattainable and presumed to be off smelling flowers. It has to be joke.
 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
Staff member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
12,342
MBTI Type
JINX
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
DJ Arendee must be just completely joking. (S)He seems to be aiming for a nerve center for both types - attacking INFP originality by using the most worn stereotypes of their kind, and placing the INFJs in a semi-shaming social position? If it's serious then I would assume it is based on personal experience with two individual people - a supposed INFJ who seemed slutty and a supposed INFP who was unattainable and presumed to be off smelling flowers. It has to be joke.

Well, if he's ESTP, anything's possible, right? :laugh:

They, like ENTP's, often have a hamfisted, ''PROVE ME WRONG!"/In-Your-Face way of expressing a point of view/approaching a topic.. just different textures.

Either way, I'm entertained.
 

OrangeAppled

Sugar Hiccup
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Messages
7,626
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
The INFP needs breathing room and must be recognized for there boundaries and incredibly rigid morals and values.

Each type seems to view the other as more rigid. I don't have "incredibly rigid morals & values". The word rigid is just.... wrong. I always think Fe types assume a Je attitude when interpreting Fi, and it's just....wrong.

I'm reminded of some anecdote MBTI author Naomi Quenk wrote (I think...?). Basically, some INFP shocked her INTJ husband with some action or interest because it made her seem inconsistent. This is usually because of a Je mentality being applied to a Ji mentality. With Ji, the inner consistency is deep & more conceptual than specific, but its interpretation becomes broad and very flexible with Pe, which sort of brings the real world application.

The reason it's hard to change an INFP's mind is because
1) You probably don't really know their mind to begin with. You've bought into the sweet, gentle social mask or the temperamental artist image, or whatever they put out.
2) There is no value so much as a feeling of fundamental truth about human nature, which is the sort of gauge for value. This concept has been built & refined since birth & is much deeper & more well though out than most can imagine. This is hard if not impossible to change because you'd be telling someone their internal experience is false, and for an introvert, this will just make them angry. And with Ne, there are few arguments we have not anticipated and already explored mentally. But rarely does anyone even manage to hit the crux, as Fi is mostly indirectly expressed, if at all.

DJ Arendee must be just completely joking. (S)He seems to be aiming for a nerve center for both types - attacking INFP originality by using the most worn stereotypes of their kind, and placing the INFJs in a semi-shaming social position? If it's serious then I would assume it is based on personal experience with two individual people - a supposed INFJ who seemed slutty and a supposed INFP who was unattainable and presumed to be off smelling flowers. It has to be joke.

The only truth in it would relate to the inferiors.

Se can be crude. Certainly anyone could have crude humor, but Se probably takes the cake. So inferior Se may result in some crudeness. However, IMO, many NJs really recoil at crudeness because their Se is inferior. Vulgarity is often a real turn-off to these, and they may only be receptive to it in areas like humor (I notice people enjoy humor which sort of utilizes their inferior; ie, SJs seem to like & sometimes use the absurd, random imaginativeness of Ne).

On that show Frasier, both Frasier and Niles are NJs, IMO. They're caricatures of that attitude, where they indulge a lot in high brow sensory stuff but have a distaste for anything very ordinary, earthy or crude.

INFPs have inferior Te though, which means rawness belongs to us. This is often in communication & expression. While we generally don't like to hurt people's feelings or be direct in a bossy way, INFPs often have a sarcastic, blunt and very direct side. This is usually if we're under stress though, and it varies with individuals.

I've also seen NPs in general find amusement in crudeness because of an absurdity aspect. You'll see a lot of NTPs in general be crude in their humor, but it's not really the same as sensing crudeness.

IMO, "ridiculousness" tends to go over NJ's heads. In some ways, I'd say they take themselves way more seriously than NPs. Visit any INFJ forum & it has a much more serious tone than an INFP forum, where self-depecating humor abounds. What INFPs probably take more seriously are things which are important to us. This is because we have a less viable take on values. Fe is more flexible in a "what works" way, whereas Fi is more about an unattainable perfection. But Ne is obviously more flexible than Ni, which is where NJs will take themselves too seriously (and sometimes miss their own ridiculousness, as a result).

I'm e4, so last, so I tend to be a bit more cantankerous than some INFPs. I don't know how much enneagram comes into play here either... I don't like vulgarity a lot because of that e4 aesthetic snobbery. I also dislike a lot of cutesy stuff - not into Disney, although I don't hate it. I also dislike a lot of fantasy genre associated with INFPs, although I have a penchant for some whimsy and imaginative stuff; I just like more refined or exotic things. I actually relate somewhat to the NJ Se rejection, but I'm way less uppity than they can be. I would occasionally horrify my INFJ ex by doing something very Pe-ish which was not inline with Je social protocol; the kind of casual & oblivious blunder of propriety NFPs tend to make. He was way more class conscious. I was definitely something closer to "bohemian".

For the record, I also actually speak some Hindi and have taken some interest in some of the more sensual Indian dances - hahaha.

One thing I never found incompatible with my INFJ ex was humor. Neither of us was extremely vulgar nor uptight. I was the funnier of the two (and I wouldn't describe myself as funny) and much more inclined to wordplay and dryness, but I've occasionally met a funny INFJ (not common, IMO).

Oh here's a good distinction - while both types can have an other-worldy feel, INFPs are more classically "absent-minded", as are all NPs. INFJs tend to have sharper, more scanning eyes & a heavier physical presence, as do all NJs, IMO.
 

Standuble

New member
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
1,149
DJ Arendee must be just completely joking. (S)He seems to be aiming for a nerve center for both types - attacking INFP originality by using the most worn stereotypes of their kind, and placing the INFJs in a semi-shaming social position? If it's serious then I would assume it is based on personal experience with two individual people - a supposed INFJ who seemed slutty and a supposed INFP who was unattainable and presumed to be off smelling flowers. It has to be joke.

I think the guy is serious. He got seriously dumped by an ISFP girl, was butthurt and has now declared war on IFs. I guess he hasn't realised yet that trying to get under an INFPs skin is like a game of battleships. You don't know where you're aiming for as it's different each time and even if you do hit the right spot that no way means you have sunk them. As for INFJs just mock him for when he re-typed himself as an NF a few weeks ago.
 

Cellmold

Wake, See, Sing, Dance
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
6,266
One is likeably insane

The other is insanely likeable. Of course if you believe that you will believe anything.
 
S

Society

Guest
One is likeably insane
The other is insanely likeable.
Of course if you believe that you will believe anything.

didn't we agree that all the MBTI "profiles" are actually mental illnesses yet to be diagnosed, and it's really only the untypable like yourself who are the sane ones?
 
Top