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[INFJ] Aren't INFJs supposed to be a very rare type?

Words of Ivory

facettes de la petite mor
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This is actually taken from something I started to think about after looking at an user created group on the forums called "All INFJ". This original message is here.

INFJs are supposed to be... what? A type that is held by as little as 1% - 2% of people? If this is in fact true, why does it seem to me that there in fact an huge abundance of people who claim to be this type? How do you tell the bogus ones from the real ones?

Below is my own opinion as to why. I'm interested in hearing everyone else's thoughts, from both non INFJs and people who believe they are.

-----------

Through my own observations over the last few years, I've come to the conclusion that many attempt to identify themselves to the type simply because it's considered so rare and "special". It is very easy to believe you are a good and understanding person, but the reality is often completely different.

People come to the belief that if they can relate to other equally confused individuals, they somehow possess the ability to "understand" each other. This creates a false blanket of misguided empathy that is easy to cling to, but very hard to maintain. I have found with a lot of INFJs though that their supposed capacity for understanding people does not in fact extend beyond themselves and their own common interests and similar personality traits.

Some (many?) kid themselves about their capacity for empathy, their ability to understand other people's feelings, and their emotional sensitivity because the INFJ template paints us as some sort of reclusive saints, and that's a very attractive image to aspire to.

When push comes to shove though, I've seen very few INFJs hold true to the type's description. They show themselves to be selfish and self-serving, only connecting with people for their own benefit and emotional security.

I think real INFJs know just how confusing this sort of thing can be, and especially how hard and emotionally stressful it often feels to try and figure it all out. It's just the way we think.

---------

This is mostly a random string of thoughts that I've just thrown down on the page (the screen?). It's not constructed, tidied or put down in any particularly organised fashion. So please don't take it too literally. I'm far more interested in what you people have to say.
 

JocktheMotie

Habitual Fi LineStepper
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To be honest these questions confuse me. It's the equivalent of hanging out a fly strip and wondering why the hell there are so many flies on it, and not other bugs too.
 

Fidelia

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I'm a little suspicious of everyone I know having an ex-gf that was an INFJ. Either there are some INFJs out there who date a whole lot more than the ones I'm acquainted with or someone is misdiagnosed. On the other hand, I would be careful not to tell someone that they were or weren't a specific type, as they know themselves better than I do. I'm quite sure I'm an INFJ, but I suppose it's possible that I'm not. Maybe others are equally deluded...
 

INTP

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i didnt read this, but i think they might just be a rare type to test themselves or then many isfjs are confusing themselves as infj
 

Eckhart

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I cannot really contribute much to the topic. But where do you get that statistics which type manifests in how many % of people? Do they exist for all types? Are they to be considered accurate?
 

Fidelia

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Yeah, there are a few places where I've read stats for how many of each MBTI type there are roughly - I think the stats are mostly North American. And I agree that there are likely quite a few ISFJ/INFJ mixups. Maybe even a few girl INTJs that misidentify because of cultural norms.
 

Words of Ivory

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On the other hand, I would be careful not to tell someone that they were or weren't a specific type, as they know themselves better than I do. I'm quite sure I'm an INFJ, but I suppose it's possible that I'm not. Maybe others are equally deluded...
This isn't really aimed at anyone in particular, but just as a general observation of the entire INFJ spectrum of people I've encountered. I'd never question anyone directly about their type without lots of first hand personal experience.

I cannot really contribute much to the topic. But where do you get that statistics which type manifests in how many % of people? Do they exist for all types? Are they to be considered accurate?
There's been a few tests and stat collecting here and there over the years. You can find a few of them documented online. I can't speak for the validity of these observations, but I'm simply going on what I've seen and heard. It's quite possibly I'm completely wrong, and if I am, I'd be perfectly happy if someone is able to inform me otherwise.

It just feels to me, as someone who feels very comfortable in the skin of my type, that the INFJ type seems to crop up far more often than it should. And I'm very wary of who people claim to be as opposed to who they really are.
 

runvardh

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1% of 6 000 000 000 is 60 000 000. Even if we cut it to one third for those with access to internet we get 20 000 000 people. Have you met that many claiming to be INFJ yet?
 

Words of Ivory

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1% of 6 000 000 000 is 60 000 000. Even if we cut it to one third for those with access to internet we get 20 000 000 people. Have you met that many claiming to be INFJ yet?
I'm working on percentages, not direct numbers. The law of averages and all that.
 

Andy

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I cannot really contribute much to the topic. But where do you get that statistics which type manifests in how many % of people? Do they exist for all types? Are they to be considered accurate?

There is an example here, along with a referance to their source:

My MBTI Personality Type - My MBTI Results - How Frequent Is My Type?

I have nodoubt that that many people mistype themselves for a variety of reasons. Even if the mistyping was random, rather than showing a bias towards INFJ, I'd still expect to see the apparent number of INFJs go up because if you gave some on a new type with a 1/16 chance of it being INFJ, thatg still higher than the actual number that exosts. The number of SJs would go down. That's close to the type of distribution that iss actually seen on this forum. Without more exact figures, I can't do much more in the way of statistics.

However, as it happens, I do suspect that their s a positive bias towards INFJs because thy are so often seen as specially. I also think that their is a negitive bias away from the SJs in general and the ISFJs in particular.
 

runvardh

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I'm working on percentages, not direct numbers. The law of averages and all that.

Percentages only allow for scaling to different collection sizes. Percentages are useful, but when you start to get to the actual people you need to apply it to sample size for it to have any meaning. One must also take into account the basic tendencies of any particular type you are looking at. In different activities and interests you will see shifts in the percentages based on the types that have a higher tendency to be into that activity or interest. Using direct numbers is just a way to visualize how many are possible in a given sample size to start with. The single base percentage only provides the most general amount of information.
 

BlackCat

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I've only met one INFJ in real life. I really doubt that there are a lot of them. They probably have mistyped themselves and they are another one of the I_F_ types or maybe an ENFJ.
 

runvardh

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I've only met one INFJ in real life. I really doubt that there are a lot of them. They probably have mistyped themselves and they are another one of the I_F_ types or maybe an ENFJ.

Two for me and I have been social enough to at least encounter several thousand people.
 

eclare

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A couple things:

First, it's hardly surprising that a group called "All INFJ" is going to attract most of the INFJ's that visit this site.

Second, even working with averages, the 46 people in that group doesn't strike me as a particularly large percentage of folks who visit this site.

And perhaps most importantly, it strikes me as extremely likely that INFJs will naturally be overrepresented on an internet forum like this one. INFJ's as a group tend to enjoy thinking about and discussing introspective topics like typology. We have a natural tendency to want to understand how people work. In addition, the internet forum format is ideally suited to our communication style. We can be alone without the drain of immediate distractions in the form of other people and we actually get to write out our thoughts, rather than communicate verbally.

So, while it may very well be the case that many people are mistyping (especially if they use that one test created by the guy whose wife was an INFJ and consequently thought INFJs were the most perfect type), it's also pretty likely that there are just more INFJs lurking around here than you would meet in your day-to-day life.
 

Chris_in_Orbit

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This is a bit strange to me. I almost think you don't want too many people to be INFJ because you yourself think that INFJs are so special and nice and reclusive saints etc etc.

When was the last time there was an accurate test to see the percentages of certain types? What were their methods for ascertaining those numbers? Why do you believe it? And why do you care?

It just doesn't seem like a big deal, whether there are 1% or 50% INFJs, you are still an individual.

Oh, and I think it's a little pompous to think someone mistyped themselves (even if they have) because it makes it seem like they are gravitating towards a "better" type.
 

Words of Ivory

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First, it's hardly surprising that a group called "All INFJ" is going to attract most of the INFJ's that visit this site.

Second, even working with averages, the 46 people in that group doesn't strike me as a particularly large percentage of folks who visit this site.[

And perhaps most importantly, it strikes me as extremely likely that INFJs will naturally be overrepresented on an internet forum like this one.
You seem to be under the wrongly assumed belief that my observation is based entirely on looking at this group and this forum. It's not.

It's an observation I've been dwelling on for years. The group was simply the thing that got me motivated to write down something about it on the forums at this particular moment in time.

This is a bit strange to me. I almost think you don't want too many people to be INFJ because you yourself think that INFJs are so special and nice and reclusive saints etc etc.

If you read my post in any great detail, you would see that I directly stated that this is a misrepresented and rose-tinted view of the type that I don't subscribe to. I frankly get tired of hearing about how "understanding" and "easy to open up to" INFJs are supposed to be, like we're some sort of priests or something.

When was the last time there was an accurate test to see the percentages of certain types? What were their methods for ascertaining those numbers? Why do you believe it?
1) I don't know.
2) I don't know.
3) I never said I did. That's why I'm asking other people. If someone can provide me with some concrete information, I will gladly look at it. If someone can show me that INFJs are actually extremely common, I will gladly believe them if they provide some certifiable proof.

And why do you care?
I had a feeling someone would ask this.

Because it's the type of thing that interests me? I like trying to figure out how people think. Duplicity, masks, people's personal observations of each other. I find that sort of thing intriqueing.

Whether there are 1% or 50% INFJs, you are still an individual.
Agreed entirely.
 

eclare

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You seem to be under the wrongly assumed belief that my observation is based entirely on looking at this group and this forum. It's not.

It's an observation I've been dwelling on personally for years. The group was simply the thing that got me motivated to write down something about it on the forums at this particular moment in time.


Ah, I see. That part was not clear to me. My apologies.

Still, I am curious as to where it is that you're seeing all of these INFJs. Again, I think INFJs are more likely to be interested in typology and more likely to actually test for their type than most other types.
 

Tiltyred

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My thinking echoes Eclare's. I've only met 2 INFJs in real life and I'm old as dirt. Throw a rock in any direction online, however, and you will hit one.
 

runvardh

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What other than online experiences cause you to believe there are too many INFJs to account for only 1-2% of the population? Specifics please.
 

Billy

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WoI as we both know from the INFJ forums there are many self professed INFJs who are clearly not INFJs.

:p
 
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