Lauren Ashley
Revelation
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2008
- Messages
- 3,067
- MBTI Type
- INFJ
- Enneagram
- 4
- Instinctual Variant
- sx/sp
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.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I typed myself as INFJ because that is what I scored on official and unofficial tests and the description was amazingly accurate for me, whereas none of the others came even close to my personality. I didn't know INFJs were supposed to be rare and special until I started posting on this forum; all of the literature I read claimed INTJs, INTPs, etc, to be as rare if not moreso than INFJs, and leaps and bounds more substantial.
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.
I can understand a wide range of people, but that doesn't mean I will agree or sympathize with them.
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.
True enough.
What I have seen is that INFJs, like all types, are very diverse, so if you're looking for one INFJ "type" amongst those that have INFJ listed as their type, you're going to be disappointed. There are common threads that tie us all together, but I would be wary of stereotyping types.