[Fi] How to tell an ISFP from an INFP?

[WALMART]

ISFP's are like water.

INFP's are like a river bend.

 

[Ginkgo]

ISFP's are like water.

INFP's are like a river bend.

[MENTION=5494]Amargith[/MENTION]

 

[Firebird 8118]

OMG thank you!! I'm not the only one who thought of this!

 

[WALMART]

Of note, the river bend never sees beyond itself

 

[SpankyMcFly]

ISFP's are like water.

We SHOULD all "...empty our mind, be formless, shapeless, like water."

 

[Ginkgo]

Of note, the river bend never sees beyond itself

If only it were so simple.

 

[Blakebelladonna]

How to Tell INFP vs. ISFP - Myers Briggs Typing you should probably look at this link to help you i am a isfp and my sister is infp so i looked at this site

 

[Thessaly]

You should never actually mess this one up. ISFPs and INFPs are very little alike. ISFPs = concrete, practical thinkers with kinaesthetic talents like sports and musical instruments. INFPs are abstract, idealistic thinkers with a high aptitude for language and psychology.

The only similarity is we both tend to be moody and jaded BUT THAT'S IT. Yes, we both have Fi, but that's internalized and one of the least obvious aspects of our personalities in every day life.

 

[Eluded_One]

ISFPs and INFPs are very little alike. ISFPs = concrete, practical thinkers with kinaesthetic talents like sports and musical instruments. INFPs are abstract, idealistic thinkers with a high aptitude for language and psychology.

What if I'm all these above things, not by my own self-analysis, but by the criticism of others? Oh, I'm so screwed beyond belief.

 

[Eluded_One]

double post. I'll be back.

 

[Arctic Hysteria]

I think it's more difficult to tell if someone is INFJ or INFP. From my experience ISFP and INFP are quite different. I have an ISFP friend and he appears to be much more practical, direct and sensible than me - an INFP.

An INFP is far more difficult to pin down, abstract, live in their heads, full of conflicts and lots of time in a love-hate relationship with themselves. ISFP, on the other hand, are not very fond of abstract talks, philosophies, things that cannot be put to practical practice/purpose/use.

In terms of being creative, ISFP by book would make good artists, cooks, designers, homemakers, etc. They create with their hands, ideally; while INFP tend to mark their success by being writers, philosophers, musicians, psychiatrists, filmmakers, etc.

 

[Raffaella]

For a long time, I thought I was ISFP... not anymore.

One key indicator is their perception of people and how they determine the intentions of people. ISFPs have a very clear understanding of how people feel and what their intentions are, they can pinpoint the subtle facial expressions of someone and determine the underlying feeling. It's concrete. For INFPs, they'll get a feeling of someone's intentions though not always be able to phrase it due to the abstract nature in which they receive the information.

For instance, I had a conversation with two ISFPs and an ESFJ recently. Over the night, I felt that something was "off" and that the ESFJ wasn't as keen though the feeling wasn't strong and I could only determine that there something definitely wrong when I'd gone home and thought about it. Both ISFPs instantly deduced that the ESFJ wasn't interested and the exact point the ESFJ switched off. It wasn't perceptible to me and their power of deduction was reading the body language - "she sneaked a glance, did you notice that?" um... no, not instantly.

There are other differences that I've noticed. ISFPs in stress tend to be more aggressive than INFPs (regardless of enneagram) and they're also more outspoken than the INFP. ISFPs are more likely to pay attention to their health and wellbeing as their interests tend to be more practical. In fact, even in spontaneity, they appear more practical compared with the INFP which is more unrealistic.

Here's another good indicator, ISFPs focus on who you are, INFPs focus on who you have the potential to be. Ask an INFP how you're perceived and listen to the positive aspects and possible future applications of your talents. INFP might also struggle putting their perception of you into words. Ask an ISFP, and receive a frighteningly accurate account of who you are right now as they're focused in the present. They also tend to be more pessimistic.

 

[indra]

My cousin is ISFP. The one word that describes her wholly is ethereal.

INFP's are much more engaging.

 

[senza tema]

My cousin is ISFP. The one word that describes her wholly is ethereal.

INFP's are much more engaging.

There you go again with your bizarre comments. You must explain this, sunyata.

 

[indra]

There you go again with your bizarre comments. You must explain this, sunyata.

Intuition is marked by a particular mental proclivity.

 

[senza tema]

Intuition is marked by a particular mental proclivity.

So INFPs are more likely to engage you intellectually? That doesn't sound unlikely at all ... but at the same time, I'd say I associate "ethereal" with "physically ungrounded", which seems highly unlikely for ISFPs unless they're extreme FiNi introverts or something, I guess. What did you mean by ethereal?

 

[Raffaella]

So INFPs are more likely to engage you intellectually? That doesn't sound unlikely at all ... but at the same time, I'd say I associate "ethereal" with "physically ungrounded", which seems highly unlikely for ISFPs unless they're extreme FiNi introverts or something, I guess. What did you mean by ethereal?

I had to check the meaning of ethereal, I wasn't sure what Sunyata meant since I associate it with unrealistic, too.

Unless you meant spiritual, [MENTION=21883]sunyata[/MENTION]?

 

[Alomoes]

Interesting. He means etheral as in they don't communicate with him that much.

INFP probably would be more social with an INFJ. Meeting one right now, actually I think.

I know the person, but... not well. At all.

 

[bg67]

[MENTION=23551]Alomoes[/MENTION] Some things I observe from my INFJ cousin, we often discuss and share the same ideals but she is better at putting it into strong logical argument, must be her Fe.
In contrast, when I post strong opinions on facebook, I return 2 minutes later to delete it ASAP before anyone sees it LOL.

 

[lulabelle]

i have an ISFP friend and while we have that Fi connection, we are VERY different in all the ways you'd expect. she is VERY attuned to her environment, all the light and colors and birds around her. She expresses herself through color and touch. She is incredibly tactile to the extent that I was a bit uncomfortable at first. She went to art school and at first did more conceptual stuff (that tbh was pretty basic) and then went into fibers, which is basically weaving. Now she's doing carpentry--very typical of ISFPs to do stuff with their hands. She's much more an artisan than a conceptual artist. I am much more of a space cadet/dreamer, always ruminating and thinking up bizarre abstract things. Not to toot my own horn, but I am definitely funnier---in certain moods I can be very silly, absurd and dark in a way that many others (especially INTPs it seems) find hilarious. I constantly trip over myself and she doesn't. I'm more tortured. She's much better at moving forward. She's earthy and I'm ethereal.