one - the MBTI is just a fictional categorization system developed by a bunch of psychology nerds. it wasn't made to box anyone in, and it only applies to you however much you believe in it.
two - to me, being upset about type usually seems because it resonates too much with someone. it emphasizes things one sees as failures - but part of the great thing about the jungian system is it gives you a structure for strengthening your personality, too. i get annoyed at the P in my type a lot, but it has advantages, too, and this system has helped me see that. so... my advice is, try to figure out what your best strengths are (in real life), and then use your type to see if maybe you have some strengths you aren't seeing. and let type help you see and address your weaknesses. being an INFP means you're better at introverted Feeling than all 14 groups of us with other types, which is a definite strength.
also, i'm going to be kind of blunt here and risk some negative comments and just go ahead and say that introverted Feeling (Fi) is a really undervalued function. plenty of people - probably some who have worked on MTBI tests, personality descriptions, etc - like to talk shit about Fi because they don't know what they're talking about. but if i'm anywhere near correct about my own typing and understanding the idea of what Fi is, it's a lot more than just values, standing up against animal testing, being an emo, etc. it's also being able to read people, being able to understand where they're coming from and having the patience and the skill to help them get where they want to go (not a strength of extraverted Feeling (Fe), by the way - Fe is good at getting you where
it wants you to go), it's being able to understand why someone would sacrifice justice for mercy because you know that some things are just more important than "getting back", and paired with intuition it's being good at knowing when something's not quite right, and how to go about fixing it before it starts hurting people.
I have creative interests but I cant express myself
keep trying genres! i have a friend who is a terrible drawer despite trying and trying but is an excellent musician and a very good knitter as well. personally i can't sing very well but i play the violin instead, and that's a substitute "voice" for me. check out unconventional forms of expression like pottery, dancing, interior decorating, drama, massage. there are lots of arts to find yourself in
I care about people but I cant seem to express my feelings or show them how much I care
play to your strengths... if you're a Fi dom, you're probably very good at telling what other people like and dislike, and how they're feeling. my favorite form of showing i care is leaving little notes or flowers or sending little presents when people are going through a rough time. it's not as blatant as other ways, but it's totally unexpected and it can feel extra special. what do you already naturally do for others? i think just try to amp that up a little. do it more often, more obviously. i usually find that it's pretty obvious that INFPs like others and are just quiet about it.
Im unaware of what people are up to manipulation etc.
i suck at this too, but honestly, sometimes that's not a bad thing.
one of my favorite things about being an NFP is that we care but we can always see a back door - a way out. Js often see things as locked in... Ps not so much. everything is more fluid. and it's a strength of Ne to see lots of ways around something. so, engage your Ne and start thinking of ways around being the stereotype that you don't like.
you can be an expressive, outwardly caring, aware INFP. and actually, that really doesn't even sound far removed from the usual INFP. you'll probably just want to work on Ne and Fe some more. it's not like you're trying to go for ESTJ, lol. so yeah.
plus INFJs and ENFPs or whatever type you've considered wanting to be... we have our weaknesses too. check out the NF forum, INFJs often express not feeling like they fit in, and ENFPs have a little problem with getting fed up with things and unleashing hellish verbal attacks, among other things. so play to all your personal strengths, whether they correspond to your type or not, and use what type can tell you to address your weaknesses. you can be either an
INFP or an infp, if you know what i mean. you can reach for balance, like an xxxx, and at that point, you do have the power to be like whatever type you want. it's what we should all aim for - though if we were all xxxx, we'd be boring!
marmalade.sunrise said:
Live in the world of ideas. Embrace the ridiculous. Practice bullshitting. Make arguments you don't believe in. Play games with other people. Expand the possibilities.
Ne manifesto!