[INFJ] INFJ theme and variations

[Skyward]

I've noticed that there is quite a range of kinds of INFJs.

Synarch had an interesting characterization of them (eg the delver, the crackpot, etc) in another thread.Others have also alluded to at least 3 different common enneagram types that are often INFJs.* I personally have found in online forums some INFJs that I really identify with and others that seem so far removed, I don't have much that I can relate to.

If you had to describe any distinct varieties of INFJs that you know what would you call them/how would you characterize them?*

Also, do you think that the types commonly attracted to INFJs are drawn to INFJs generally, or certain species of them, depending on type?* (eg ENTPs like one strain more while INTJs might like a different strain of them)

My idea on it was publicized before his was! Read the 'You know youre an INFJ when...' thread. Hmph. (I really don't mind, I don't listen to NTs anyway )

I think it really depends on the enneagram of the INFJ. The 'normal' Entypes for INFJs looks to be 4, 1, 2, and 9, maybe even 5. Depending on which of these is the most prevalent, could mean different distinct versions of INFJ.

En4 INFJs would be either artsy or personable in some way. By personable, I mean can understand people more intuitively than the other Entypes since they understand their own inner self better. 4s also tend to need to express their individuality in some way, which leads to an artistic bent.

En1s would be the type that constantly strive for better. They rearrange their surroundings to better fit what they've decided is the best way for it.

En2s are the ones that strive to help the people they are close to. My father is likely one of these. Their Fe is attuned to the needs of people and, I think, they love to see the people they love develop and grow, even if there are rough patches and growing pains.

En9s are probably the type that ends up with all the weirdos spilling their secrets to. They would be the casual ones that see people deeply but not penetratingly. They don't judge because they likely understand human nature enough to shrug off the kwirks people have.

En5s, like me, probably either have a less sensitive Fe and thus rely on Ni more to understand things and people. They are more likely to be the INFJ scientists with Fe taking a support role in keeping their interested fired up on a subject they got hooked on. The other way this could go is the INFJ who uses their sensitivity to the human element to understand people and create accurate theories about human nature. These would likely be the scientists/psychologists of the INFJ type.

A lot of the above is a combination of my understanding of the INFJ type and the descriptions found here.

^I was just posting this; you beat me to it!

Although I'm still working on those types...

That post made a LOT of sense and basically follows the train of thought I had! I must read into this. I'm definitely an Idiosyncratic. Could you post the link?

 

[Silent Stars]

I'm like....a lot of both of the idiosyncractic and psychologist ones....minus the moodiness/pedanticalness/self-righteousness, though.

 

[amelie]

I don't see myself fitting neatly into any of these categories, except maybe the E2 type that Skyward mentions.

 

[lane777]

LA Psychologist INFJ
[Fe(i)-focused]
This subtype of INFJ is serious, well-mannered, and diplomatic. Prefers serious conversation and rarely, if ever, jokes. Has a calm and passionless presence, and can come off as cold and reserved. Can be mistaken for ISFJ at first meeting. They are prudent in offering opinions, but when they do are very insightful. Is skilled in handling wide varieties of people and can be found giving one-on-one advice. Common occupations include teacher, librarian, psychologist, or social worker. Often religious and/or follows a system of morality. Abhors injustice, violence, and conflict, and sticks up for the underdog. May come off as pedantic or self-righteous. They are hardworking and responsible, and emanate great wisdom and life experience even when young. Seem down-to-earth, stable, and graceful. Some are interested in humanitarian issues and/or alternative lifestyles.

Often of Enneagram type 9, with a possible wing type of 1
Often attracted to introverts, especially INTxs.

Yeeep, that's me. Minus the self-righteousness ... aaaand the rarely joking aspect. Nobody understands my humour

 

[Athenian200]

I wrote this once. What do you think?

There seem to be three types of INFJs:

Type 1, Fi-twisted: Ni+Fi+Fe. This is quite a demanding, explosive variant, often mistaken for an ESFJ or INFP at first glance. These people accept/create lots of negative Fi values which they proceed to try and impose on other people. It's much worse than dealing with an INFP, because their Fi seems to be much more negative, unwavering, and vehement in nature.
Typical alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral (by their standards of law and good, anyway)

Type 2, Normal: This is your run of the mill INFJ, Ni+Fe+Ti. They're fairly insightful about human nature, tactful, and social but not overly so. They have some interest in philosophy and science, but they're decidedly focused on self-improvement and helping other people to improve themselves. I'd like to be closer to this kind.
Typical alignments: Neutral Good, True Neutral

Type 3, Ti-twisted: Ni+Ti+Fe. This is an unusually analytical variant, often mistaken for an INTP or INTJ at first glance. These people are much more interested in philosophy and science than normal INFJs, to the point that it equals or eclipses their interest in people and self-improvement. This is often the INFJ who has started to lose faith in humanity and the value of emotion, trying to fill the void. This would probably be me.
Typical alignments: True Neutral, Lawful Neutral

I think type 2 INFJs are the best (and wish I were a type 2), but I definitely like and relate to other type 3 INFJs as well. I really don't like type 1 INFJs.

 

[Lightyear]

I'm like....a lot of both of the idiosyncractic and psychologist ones....minus the moodiness/pedanticalness/self-righteousness, though.

Me too but I lean far more towards the idiosyncratic version. Joking and dry humor is one of my main ways of overcoming initial shyness and meeting and talking to strangers and making them come out of their shells.

 

[Skyward]

There seem to be three types of INFJs:

Type 1, Fi-twisted: Ni+Fi+Fe. This is quite a demanding, explosive variant, often mistaken for an ESFJ or INFP at first glance. These people accept/create lots of negative Fi values which they proceed to try and impose on other people. It's much worse than dealing with an INFP, because their Fi seems to be much more negative, unwavering, and vehement in nature.
Typical alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral (by their standards of law and good, anyway)

I wouldn't say all Fi twisted variants have negative values, I would say they are the more values based of the INFJs.

Type 2, Normal: This is your run of the mill INFJ, Ni+Fe+Ti. They're fairly insightful about human nature, tactful, and social but not overly so. They have some interest in philosophy and science, but they're decidedly focused on self-improvement and helping other people to improve themselves. I'd like to be closer to this kind.
Typical alignments: Neutral Good, True Neutral

Mhm

Type 3, Ti-twisted: Ni+Ti+Fe. This is an unusually analytical variant, often mistaken for an INTP or INTJ at first glance. These people are much more interested in philosophy and science than normal INFJs, to the point that it equals or eclipses their interest in people and self-improvement. This is often the INFJ who has started to lose faith in humanity and the value of emotion, trying to fill the void. This would probably be me.
Typical alignments: True Neutral, Lawful Neutral

I would say that, unless they have a sufficiently stunted Fe, they would still want self improvement. Their self improvement goals would just shift away from the human element.

I think type 2 INFJs are the best (and wish I were a type 2), but I definitely like and relate to other type 3 INFJs as well. I really don't like type 1 INFJs.

My dad is likely a type 2. As his teenage son, though, he feels overbearing


These ideas could easily work. The top and bottom one could be the more 'unhealthy' versions of INFJ, with their mis-developed functions, while the middle could include the slew of types of INFJs that could angle closer to the other two versions.

 

[lillyofthevalley]

Idiosynratic. This is almost a perfect description of me.

Type 2: Pretty close.

 

[statuesquechica]

The first part of Idiosyncratic and latter part of the Psychologist type fit me very well. I also identify with Type 2 because my love of science has always focused on its applications for helping humanity, not to mention teaching the subject for a time.

I am impressed that people have broken the INFJ type down and have come up with these ideas. Thanks for all your work, it is very interesting to me.

 

[jaku]

me:
skyward entype 4
and some of 9 and 5 but only 25% of each
50% type 4 then, i guess. a 4951

defines me best:
artsy or personable in some way. understand their own inner self better. artistic bent.

then i:
strive to help the people they are close to. Fe is attuned to the needs of people and love to see the people they love develop and grow, even if there are rough patches and growing pains.

out in public:
ends up with all the weirdos spilling their secrets to.don't judge because they likely understand human nature enough to shrug off the kwirks people have.

at school i guess too:
more likely to be the INFJ scientists with Fe taking a support role in keeping their interest fired up on a subject they got hooked on. The other way this could go is the INFJ who uses their sensitivity to the human element to understand people and create accurate theories about human nature. These would likely be the scientists/psychologists of the INFJ type.

i'm just learning how to solidify theories by actually setting up fake systems and test-running them then getting my social on and seeing if it works.

and if it doesn't: i have to go hide back in my lab or my bed for a loooooong time (depending on degree of failure) before i try it again.

this is all very recent in terms of my realizing it,
i think i'm maturing this summer. i'm becoming increasingly social since my job requires it of me now that i'm a supervisor and not a cubicle sitter-inner.
and also because of the general feeling of 'things changing' in the air. the smell has been growing more pungent every month.

 

[Sarcasticus]

I came in to relate these variations to Enneagram type variations in the INFJ type, but I see that it's already been covered extensively above. I'd say there's three distinct types for sure, based on the E4s, the E1s, and the E9s. I know one of each IRL and they're all quite different from each other but all tested solidly as INFJ.

The E4 corresponds to the quirky, artistic, moody INFJ, the E1 to the idealistic, driven (Ghandi) type, and the E9 seems to be more like the E1 type with out all the hyper-J drive, and the E4s emotional angst; almost INFP-ish.

 

[lane777]

I came in to relate these variations to Enneagram type variations in the INFJ type, but I see that it's already been covered extensively above. I'd say there's three distinct types for sure, based on the E4s, the E1s, and the E9s. I know one of each IRL and they're all quite different from each other but all tested solidly as INFJ.

The E4 corresponds to the quirky, artistic, moody INFJ, the E1 to the idealistic, driven (Ghandi) type, and the E9 seems to be more like the E1 type with out all the hyper-J drive, and the E4s emotional angst; almost INFP-ish.

Yep, I thought I was an INFP for awhile.

 

[cascadeco]

Yeah, I'm somewhere between the 1 and 9, and call myself 1w9 rather than 9w1 just because on those tests I always score higher on the 1 - and outside of career, which is my achilles heel, 1 is probably my higher motivation than 9.

I do think the enneagram is a good 2nd filter for distinguishing between INFJ's - as others have said, the different enneagrams can result in very different-looking INFJ's.

I also kind of like nightning's take as well -- i.e. those INFJ's who have very high, very noticeable Fe (she called them InFJ's, but I almost view them as iNFJ's), those where Ti plays a large role (INfJ), those where formal Fe takes more of the backseat, with Fi bumped up (INFj).

 

[MonkeyGrass]

I'm an interesting INFJ...I have a counselor friend who's constantly trying to retype me, and always coming back around to INFJ for me.

I think I owe a lot of my quirks to my idealism and upbringing. In my family, being a performer was the holy grail of parental approval, so I learned to switch into "performer" mode when in social situations. i can recall so many instances being pushed onto a stage or thrust into the middle of a crowded room and being commanded to do some silly impressive thing. To protect myself, I made a nice mask. Being that I was naturally intuitive, it was easy enough to do it and still hide the real me.

It became such a habit, I still have a very Enfp persona that I whip out in awkward situations with people I'm not close to. I can be quite the charming social butterfly when I want to, and as result, I often pick up people who are just sure we're bestest best friends from only a few meetings, and I end up horrified. They're attached to someone who doesn't really exist.

With my real friends, I talk slowly, gesticulate deliberately, and actually self-disclose about things that I've already thought through. I have mayyyybe 4-5 people in the world that I'll do that with.

I waffle between 7 and 2. Funny, innit? Somewhere along the way, I encoded into my value set that in order to constantly grow, a person must stretch themselves and seek out new experiences. I enjoy creative pursuits, and after force feeding myself new experiences on principle for a while, it's become a habit that I enjoy. I love being a student of humanity, and learning about new experiences and points of view that could inform my insight.

 

[cascadeco]

I'm an interesting INFJ...I have a counselor friend who's constantly trying to retype me, and always coming back around to INFJ for me.

I think I owe a lot of my quirks to my idealism and upbringing. In my family, being a performer was the holy grail of parental approval, so I learned to switch into "performer" mode when in social situations. i can recall so many instances being pushed onto a stage or thrust into the middle of a crowded room and being commanded to do some silly impressive thing. To protect myself, I made a nice mask. Being that I was naturally intuitive, it was easy enough to do it and still hide the real me.

It became such a habit, I still have a very Enfp persona that I whip out in awkward situations with people I'm not close to. I can be quite the charming social butterfly when I want to, and as result, I often pick up people who are just sure we're bestest best friends from only a few meetings, and I end up horrified. They're attached to someone who doesn't really exist.

With my real friends, I talk slowly, gesticulate deliberately, and actually self-disclose about things that I've already thought through. I have mayyyybe 4-5 people in the world that I'll do that with.

I waffle between 7 and 2. Funny, innit? Somewhere along the way, I encoded into my value set that in order to constantly grow, a person must stretch themselves and seek out new experiences. I enjoy creative pursuits, and after force feeding myself new experiences on principle for a while, it's become a habit that I enjoy. I love being a student of humanity, and learning about new experiences and points of view that could inform my insight.

Actually one of my best friends is an INFJ who may be similar to you. She would be typed as an extrovert by pretty much everyone, hands down, and when she was seeing a counselor, the counselor had the same reaction pretty much everyone else does - 'Really? An INFJ? Huh.'

Needless to say people would not type us the same, as we can come across so differently externally. But internally we have pretty much the same thoughts, and can finish each others sentences. (And she considers herself a definite introvert.) She would be more the iNFJ, with me the INfJ -- if we're comparing each other.

I, as well as she, attribute it to her upbringing. She was raised Jehovah's Witness (and since broke out of it), and in that culture you pretty much MUST train yourself to be extroverted - I mean, the entire system is built on talking to others, socializing, trying to 'convert' others, etc. Contrast that with my upbringing....I was major-introvert, never out in the public arena so to speak....and we end up being remarkably different in how we carry ourselves and our social abilities.

Although, she isn't like you in the sense that even with her close friends, she talks rapidly and can talk my ear off.

 

[nightning]

It looks like we all converge on three "main" forms regardless of whether you look at it from the enneagram or cognitive functions perspective.

Type 4 INFp (Ni + Fi + Fe)

Type 1,9 iNFJ (Ni + Fe)

Type 5w4, 4w5 INfJ (Ni + Ti + Fe)

Which form do you identify the most with? I'm the last one INfJ

 

[Phantonym]

I guess I could identify myself with Type 4 INFp (Ni + Fi + Fe). I'm an En Type 4 down to a T. The function order is still troublesome for me to grasp, so I couldn't swear on this one for me.

 

[cascadeco]

It looks like we all converge on three "main" forms regardless of whether you look at it from the enneagram or cognitive functions perspective.

Type 4 INFp (Ni + Fi + Fe)

Type 1,9 iNFJ (Ni + Fe)

Type 5w4, 4w5 INfJ (Ni + Ti + Fe)

Which form do you identify the most with? I'm the last one INfJ

lol....depends on the situation and my mood!! haha. Funny enough, I consider myself to have a decent understanding/usage of Fi, but when it comes to enneagram, I don't relate much to type 4 except when I'm depressed/unhealthy. Maybe that means I in fact *don't* use Fi much. Ha!!

1,5, and 9 are the strongest for me. Actually I identify a lot with Ti, but don't know that 5 is where I reside (as I mentioned in my previous post). Hence, 1/9 it is.

 

[amelie]

It looks like we all converge on three "main" forms regardless of whether you look at it from the enneagram or cognitive functions perspective.

Type 4 INFp (Ni + Fi + Fe)

Type 1,9 iNFJ (Ni + Fe)

Type 5w4, 4w5 INfJ (Ni + Ti + Fe)

Which form do you identify the most with? I'm the last one INfJ

I think we may need a 4th type in there - I'm another of the type 2E. INFJ's who appears very outgoing at first, I like novelty, and etc.

 

[Lauren Ashley]

It looks like we all converge on three "main" forms regardless of whether you look at it from the enneagram or cognitive functions perspective.

Type 4 INFp (Ni + Fi + Fe)

Type 1,9 iNFJ (Ni + Fe)

Type 5w4, 4w5 INfJ (Ni + Ti + Fe)

Which form do you identify the most with? I'm the last one INfJ

I relate to both the first and last (though I don't have weak J).

I think we may need a 4th type in there - I'm another of the type 2E. INFJ's who appears very outgoing at first, I like novelty, and etc.

And a 5th. That combines the first and last.

Interesting that there are type 2 INFJs. I don't believe I know any. I'll have to think about that for a while. Are you sure you're not 4 sx?