[INFJ] You know you're an INFJ when...

[Apollanaut]

there's this thing i manage to do, not sure how INFJ related it is...

sometimes (not very often) there will be something that i just completely and utterly fail to understand. for example, a geography assignment about wastewater management systems, or something.. like that

i will write out an essay without a clue what i'm talking about, and manage to make people think i understand EXACTLY what i'm talking about. this has happened a number of times

on a particular essay i did the teacher wrote 'you have an excellent understanding of the topic, well done.'

This relates well with my own experiences. Both at school and university, I could still get decent grades for topics I failed to understand properly. When this happened, I'd study the subject in depth before an assignment or exam was pending. Even though I was unable to "get" the subject with my preferred depth of understanding, I was able to absorb enough relevant information to convince the teachers that I had mastered the topic.

I still felt like a bit of a fraud afterwards (INFJ high standards can be a real pain in the proverbial at times!). I used to possess a near photographic memory - for example, I could memorise a complicated diagram or formula and reproduce it exactly on an assignment or exam paper, without ever really knowing what it meant. After a few days, the memory faded away completely, so I had to memorise it a day or two before the due date.

At the end of the day does it really matter to anyone but us? Most people would say that if we obtained a good grade in a subject than we have succeeded, regardless of our personal feelings of inadequacy. Many of the subjects I studied have never cropped up in my life again, and even if they do, I can simply refer back to a textbook (or, these days, the internet).

 

[Kyrielle]

At the end of the day does it really matter to anyone but us? Most people would say that if we obtained a good grade in a subject than we have succeeded, regardless of our personal feelings of inadequacy. Many of the subjects I studied have never cropped up in my life again, and even if they do, I can simply refer back to a textbook (or, these days, the internet).

I suspect we might just be very good at playing the "good grades" game. Because in school, it really is a game. You don't have to know the material, neccessarily, you just have to be able to show you think you know it.

 

[Phantonym]

...you feel that you're an old soul and a novice. Simultaneously.

It is as if you're able to look at the world afresh every morning while being connected to it in some deeper, more fundamental level.

 

[Apollanaut]

I suspect we might just be very good at playing the "good grades" game. Because in school, it really is a game. You don't have to know the material, neccessarily, you just have to be able to show you think you know it.

Yes, exactly! And not just in school, either. You'd be surprised how many people who are good at their jobs started out by "pretending" to know what they were doing.

 

[Skyward]

...you feel that you're an old soul and a novice. Simultaneously.

It is as if you're able to look at the world afresh every morning while being connected to it in some deeper, more fundamental level.

Definitely. For me it comes from having a deep view of what goes on, but still making the most sensotarded mistakes. I replace words mid-speech with things that are far enough out of context to confuse anyone but my INTP friend.

I think it comes from my little theory of: Se makes simple things simple and hard things hard. Ni, the opposite, makes simple things hard and hard things easy.

I don't believe in the phrase 'this is hard' I use 'this is tough' or 'this is impossible.' To me, saying something is hard is basically saying you give up. I dont give up when my mind latches on a task.

 

[entropie]

You never seize to think you suck

<3

 

[JohnDoe]

Definitely. For me it comes from having a deep view of what goes on, but still making the most sensotarded mistakes. I replace words mid-speech with things that are far enough out of context to confuse anyone but my INTP friend.

I think it comes from my little theory of: Se makes simple things simple and hard things hard. Ni, the opposite, makes simple things hard and hard things easy.

I don't believe in the phrase 'this is hard' I use 'this is tough' or 'this is impossible.' To me, saying something is hard is basically saying you give up. I dont give up when my mind latches on a task.

Yeah I know *exactly* what you mean about simple things hard and hard things easy. Although I've lifted a saying from Entrapment, "Its impossible, but doable." I think this summarizes the use of N* pretty dang well.

 

[entropie]

To summarize the use of N, excuse me, is not within your abilities

 

[EJCC]

...you find yourself thinking "GAWD, why do all these nutjobs keep talking to me??? Why won't they leave me alone?!?!?"

 

[ReadingRainbows]

...you find yourself thinking "GAWD, why do all these nutjobs keep talking to me??? Why won't they leave me alone?!?!?"

You wonder if you are really a nutjob too

 

[professor goodstain]

...you find yourself thinking "GAWD, why do all these nutjobs keep talking to me??? Why won't they leave me alone?!?!?"

My brother does this.

 

[entropie]

My brother does this.

Your brother knows the shit

 

[Phantonym]

You never seize to think you suck

That is so true! I think I even suck at sucking.

You wonder if you are really a nutjob too

No wondering needed. I know! But I embrace my nutjobness.

 

[Saffronsocks]

...people ask what is going on in your mind and you're only able to envision this image but unable to put it into words.

haha, yes. To some very large extent, yes. (different image, but similar problem).

So... you know you're an INFJ when you register on a typology forum knowing full well that you'll soon get distracted by some completely different venture (in other words - get tired of/frightened of socializing) and might not ever post much, but you still can't resist doing it because this thread (yes this one) has saved your emotional butt a number of times over the past few months. *adds one infj love-token to the NF pot*

As for the exam guilt... I just considered it some huge milestone to 1. let myself NOT try to save the universe in an essay I was writing, and 2. actually verbalize that I did this to a close friend without disintegrating under the imagined judgement I was sure was heading my way.

I think they blinked at me, like "so?"

 

[ReadingRainbows]

haha, yes. To some very large extent, yes. (different image, but similar problem).

So... you know you're an INFJ when you register on a typology forum knowing full well that you'll soon get distracted by some completely different venture (in other words - get tired of/frightened of socializing) and might not ever post much, but you still can't resist doing it because this thread (yes this one) has saved your emotional butt a number of times over the past few months. *adds one infj love-token to the NF pot*

As for the exam guilt... I just considered it some huge milestone to 1. let myself NOT try to save the universe in an essay I was writing, and 2. actually verbalize that I did this to a close friend without disintegrating under the imagined judgement I was sure was heading my way.

I think they blinked at me, like "so?"

 

[Skyward]

haha, yes. To some very large extent, yes. (different image, but similar problem).

So... you know you're an INFJ when you register on a typology forum knowing full well that you'll soon get distracted by some completely different venture (in other words - get tired of/frightened of socializing) and might not ever post much, but you still can't resist doing it because this thread (yes this one) has saved your emotional butt a number of times over the past few months. *adds one infj love-token to the NF pot*

As for the exam guilt... I just considered it some huge milestone to 1. let myself NOT try to save the universe in an essay I was writing, and 2. actually verbalize that I did this to a close friend without disintegrating under the imagined judgement I was sure was heading my way.

I think they blinked at me, like "so?"

Welcome aboard :hi:


I've been noticing in myself how different I am from the more common forms of INFJs. It might be how balanced my functions are, but also I think it is how my functions are expressed. IT seems to me, that most other INFJs, IME, in art have the idea and then strive for that. one. thing. whereas I have a very vague idea to start (I don't have a vivid imagination at all) and use my intuition to try and make what I see into something interesting. This includes Ni, Ne, and Se.

And recently I've had to slow down and focus more on using intelligible grammar when speaking. I never had the problem of being incoherent until just a few months ago, mumbliness was about it. (I still have it and that makes it even worse!)

You know you're an INFJ when you knew about shadow functions before ever reading about them. (This is beyond the: 'everyone has all the functions' and into the 'I know how I use those!')

 

[Saffronsocks]

Welcome aboard :hi:


I've been noticing in myself how different I am from the more common forms of INFJs. It might be how balanced my functions are, but also I think it is how my functions are expressed. IT seems to me, that most other INFJs, IME, in art have the idea and then strive for that. one. thing. whereas I have a very vague idea to start (I don't have a vivid imagination at all) and use my intuition to try and make what I see into something interesting. This includes Ni, Ne, and Se.

That's interesting that you bring this up! I'm an artist, and even though right *now* I know exactly what I want to create (however nebulous in the end), it's taken me a long time to get that sort of vision. In the beginning it was all iN fumbling around, which usually resulted in something eerily meaningful, but totally... unclassifiable. And not useful to me. So I worked at it more and more until I named (or at least learned to corral) all the iN forces that were at work... like huskies on a sled team!

Your functions could easily be way more balanced, though. I don't even know the half of my shadow functions! Te and Si make me go "quoi"? Like... straight lines? What are those!

And recently I've had to slow down and focus more on using intelligible grammar when speaking. I never had the problem of being incoherent until just a few months ago, mumbliness was about it. (I still have it and that makes it even worse!)

Trying to speak six sentences at once has a way of weaving things together in strange ways. Do you ever just start talking and know full well that outside of your skin it's like someone just shuffled the dictionary up, but inside it's dancing a little meaningful microscopic waltz that just won't - get - communicated ??? oooh, hate that.

You know you're an INFJ when you knew about shadow functions before ever reading about them. (This is beyond the: 'everyone has all the functions' and into the 'I know how I use those!')

Admirable, sir.

 

[INTJ123]

weeirdoo, kidding, one of my best friends is infj and I can't think of anything off the top of my head except that he's eccentric.

 

[Silent Stars]

You never seize to think you suck

<3

I know how awesome I am, and would never deny it.

 

[ReadingRainbows]

You never seize to think you suck

<3

you caught me!