[MBTI General] ISFP versus ISFJ

[ayoitsStepho]

Ok, somebody please tell me the difference. I mean in personality wise and maybe relationship wise. The first time i tested as an ISFJ and yes, some of those traits apply to me. [caring for others, putting others before myself, being a bit organized]
but my S and J are typically low. [the J the lowest] so the second time i tested, i recieved ISFP. I can relate to that type just as well [im an out going Introvert when im comfortable, im extremely artistic and can put colors and patterns together very well, plus im very much into adventure and dancing and such]
So yes, i would like to know the differences. Thank you

 

[tetsuwanatom]

ISFP: Fi Se Ni Te
ISFJ: Si Fe Ti Ne

HUGE HUGE difference. They don't even have an overlapping functional attitude!

Dominant Si (ISxJ):

p. 174: "ISJs...don't believe for a minute that the universe is inherently rational. For these types, the outer world is a jumble of ever-changing perceptual experiences, dictating ever-changing behavioral responses. What ISJs maintain, and maintain unconditionally, is their priorities, which stabilize perceptual reality and give it consistent meaning."

p. 170: "Introverted Sensation gives us the will to accumulate information--names, dates, numbers, statistics, references, guidelines, and so forth--related to the things that matter to us. ... Such facts are highly selective. ... They're part of our self-experience. They define the specific nature of our passions and interests. They become our basis for taking in new data."

p. 171: "From an Introverted Sensate viewpoint, immediate conditions have no stable meaning. They're just an influx of data impinging on the senses. And our response to these impressions depends on our mood, our state of mind, our desires, our feelings. It's our commitments and priorities, the facts we hold inalienable, that give our circumstances enduring significance."

Dominant Fi (ISxP):

As a Dominant Function, Fi leads IFPs to live a life based on empathy and harmony between self and others--and/or to see life as a never-ending conflict between souls that are intrinsically different and opposed. ISFPs typically seek out a space in which they can be completely and spontaneously themselves, following their artistic impulses without regard to social expectation or definition of any sort. Some do their best to live life as a soap opera: creating and living out intense drama wherever they go. INFPs typically seek to understand the world in terms of drama, emotion, and people seeking their own unique callings (perhaps Garrison Keillor is a good example of that). Some, like John Gray, attempt to help others understand each other through empathy with each other's differences, and thereby find peace and synergy.

Developed Fi naturally leads people to favor mercy or forgiveness for people who have done heinous acts--anything from theft to murder to genocide--acts that, under the ordinary laws that make a society manageable (see Extraverted Thinking), would usually merit their imprisonment or execution. From a developed Fi perspective, the criminal is still a living soul, still unique and precious despite whatever he may have done. If we walked in his moccasins for a while, maybe we could see it his way. Without condoning his crimes, maybe we could see how we ourselves could have done the same things under similar circumstances. This use of empathy as one's ultimate anchor of orientation leads to a resolute non-judgementalness. First empathize--find something in your own heart that lets you see how someone could feel and act the way he did--and then you will probably find that you no longer feel hatred or a desire for retribution.

--Quotes from The Lenore Thomson Exegesis Wiki

 

[/DG/]

First of all, you can't have a "low S" or a "low J." I thought it was this way too when I first learned about MBTI, but then someone told me about the functions. Every person has and uses eight different cognitive functions and the order of preference of these functions determines your MBTI type. As tetsuwanatom has stated, the first four functions for an ISFP are Fi (which stands for introverted feeling), Se (extraverted sensing), Ni (introverted intuition), and Te (extraverted sensing. For an ISFJ, the first four functions are Si (introverted sensing), Fe (extraverted feeling), Ti (introverted thinking), and Ne (extraverted sensing). Now, I'd only worry about the first two functions for each type in order to type yourself. This may sound a bit confusing at first, but don't worry, it's not that bad.

tetsuwanatom has provided an excellent website for examples of different cognitive functions. You should relate to one of the quotes in the above post more than the other one (although sometimes it's hard to decide :/). Which one do you relate to more?

Here are some more descriptions. Which fits you better?

Introverted Sensing often involves storing data and information, then comparing and contrasting the current situation with similar ones. The immediate experience or words are instantly linked with the prior experiences, and we register a similarity or a difference—for example, noticing that some food doesn’t taste the same or is saltier than it usually is. Introverted Sensing is also operating when we see someone who reminds us of someone else. Sometimes a feeling associated with the recalled image comes into our awareness along with the information itself. Then the image can be so strong, our body responds as if reliving the experience. The process also involves reviewing the past to draw on the lessons of history, hindsight, and experience. With introverted Sensing, there is often great attention to detail and getting a clear picture of goals and objectives and what is to happen. There can be a oneness with ageless customs that help sustain civilization and culture and protect what is known and long-lasting, even while what is reliable changes.

It is often hard to assign words to the values used to make introverted Feeling judgments since they are often associated with images, feeling tones, and gut reactions more than words. As a cognitive process, it often serves as a filter for information that matches what is valued, wanted, or worth believing in. There can be a continual weighing of the situational worth or importance of everything and a patient balancing of the core issues of peace and conflict in life’s situations. We engage in the process of introverted Feeling when a value is compromised and we think, “Sometimes, some things just have to be said.” On the other hand, most of the time this process works “in private” and is expressed through actions. It helps us know when people are being fake or insincere or if they are basically good. It is like having an internal sense of the “essence” of a person or a project and reading fine distinctions among feeling tones.

 

[ayoitsStepho]

First of all, you can't have a "low S" or a "low J." I thought it was this way too when I first learned about MBTI, but then someone told me about the functions. Every person has and uses eight different cognitive functions and the order of preference of these functions determines your MBTI type. As tetsuwanatom has stated, the first four functions for an ISFP are Fi (which stands for introverted feeling), Se (extraverted sensing), Ni (introverted intuition), and Te (extraverted sensing. For an ISFJ, the first four functions are Si (introverted sensing), Fe (extraverted feeling), Ti (introverted thinking), and Ne (extraverted sensing). Now, I'd only worry about the first two functions for each type in order to type yourself. This may sound a bit confusing at first, but don't worry, it's not that bad.

tetsuwanatom has provided an excellent website for examples of different cognitive functions. You should relate to one of the quotes in the above post more than the other one (although sometimes it's hard to decide :/). Which one do you relate to more?

Here are some more descriptions. Which fits you better?

honestly....both of them are pretty close to how i think. which is weird...how the heck does that happen? lol.
but thank you for providing this information

 

[/DG/]

Hmmm. Well, do you tend to empathize or sympathize more with others?

 

[ayoitsStepho]

Hmmm. Well, do you tend to empathize or sympathize more with others?

i sympathize i believe. im capable of both, but my heart cries for others more.

 

[Jeffster]

First of all, you can't have a "low S" or a "low J."

She can if she wants!

Anyway, Stepho, the difference is: ISFJs scold the ISFPs. ISFPs try to get the ISFJs to lighten up.

 

[/DG/]

She can if she wants!

Anyway, Stepho, the difference is: ISFJs scold the ISFPs. ISFPs try to get the ISFJs to lighten up.

Haha.

Yeah, you can really do whatever you want. I labeled myself 'TARD.'

Your other result indicates a more ISFP attitude. How does this description fit with you? You can also compare it with this one.

 

[ayoitsStepho]

She can if she wants!

Anyway, Stepho, the difference is: ISFJs scold the ISFPs. ISFPs try to get the ISFJs to lighten up.

ohh, i like it. i find the idea of being an ISFP appealing. but i do like ISFJ's which i suppose keeps me thinking im one...i personally dont know.
but hey im good either way.

 

[ayoitsStepho]

Haha.

Yeah, you can really do whatever you want. I labeled myself 'TARD.'

Your other result indicates a more ISFP attitude. How does this description fit with you? You can also compare it with this one.

hahaha, TARD would be perfect! xD
both of those links were really helpful and i think i lean more towards ISFP once again. that individual was just me