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In this episode Joel and Antonia dive deep into the needs and desires of the INFP personality type.
In this podcast on INFP Personality Type you’ll find:
- Why are INFPs misunderstood?
- The cognitive function is a mental process that helps you learn information or make decisions.
- The 4 letter code tells you how your brain is wired. It’s like an entrance on how you learn processes.
- Authenticity – Is a way that you (as an INFP) make your decisions which is more inclined what resonates with you the most as a person.
- INFPs understand emotions on a whole different level.
- Questions to ethics become very intriguing to INFPs. For example: “what determines an ethical or moral action?”
- Authenticity is very in touch with the subjective human experience.
- Authenticity is where we humans find conscience. Because that’s when we ask, “how do we honor people’s individuality?”
- Oftentimes, INFPs become masters of human experience in general.
- The ability to determine that something resonates is a maturity of the Authenticity process. As it matures, it understands that not everything they experience is the same as everyone.
- Do INFPs truly want to be understood?
- Nobody could be 100% understand them apart from themselves.
- INFPs feel being marginalized and dismissed way more than being misunderstood.
- INFPs seek validation.
- We want to acknowledge that they have a specific type of pain based from their personality type.
- Authenticity type should be balanced with Exploration. Exploration (the co-pilot function) is about advanced pattern recognition in the outside world – thinking behind the curtain.
- If you want more description or definition, check out our episode “Introverted Intuition VS Extraverted Intuition”.
- Your superpowers are developed when you learn to master your co-pilot.
- Art is one of the places where INFPs thrive.
- Art is a communication of feeling and INFPs simply flourish in this context. They create art that’s impactful.
- For INFPs, they tend to recall how they felt/reacted in the past.
- They have the ability to mirror emotions. They don’t need to mirror emotions in real time. For example, the can look at an art piece and mirror the emotion to themselves.
- Authenticity people tend to recall how they feel/how they imagined they would feel and then instantly replicating the emotion inside them.
- The emotional language can be transferred in long extensive periods of time.
- In order to be authentic, you need to have a mature and vast understanding of how the world works.
- Intent: The Darker aspect of Authenticity. INFPs tend to try to give a reason that’s combated with logic.
- INFPs tend to defend their intent, because they see a wide array of positive and negative intent. They understand how people can easily go and slip into bad intent.
- Healthy INFPs view everything has positive intent.
- Being able to understand that darkness is universal and part of the human experience will help you accept yourself.
- How to go about making a living as an INFP?
- Getting something done can sometimes be very challenging for INFPs.
- INFPs have the desire to make an impact and be an inspirational leader. Oftentimes, they will disregard the passion they have. Passion is extremely important.
- Authenticity people can have the tendency to marginalize people. Make sure you do what you’re passionate with. Check in with yourself what you really want.
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215 comments
I just came across your podcast and I found it fascinating. I’m so INFP it hurts. It was such a relief when I discovered my type and that the feeling of being “misunderstood” is just part and parcel of being wired this way.
I do agree that “misunderstood” is the wrong word. For me it’s been more a feeling of chronically not fitting in. I can certainly seem like I fit, play the part, be who I’m expected to be. I think a great deal of this comes from having to be places where you can’t be authentic. School, work, family, friends who don’t understand. I’ve spent most of my life cultivating relationships with people that I can be authentic with, and much of that “misunderstood” feeling goes away when you are with people who you can be yourself with and while doing things that you truly, to the core, care about. So you are right, we do desperately need people who validate us. Who see that we’re wired a bit different and respect that. People that we can fearlessly be our authentic selves around.
I think another commenter hit another point that I didn’t hear in the podcast, which is that who we appear to be is often very different from who we perceive ourselves to be. I was kind of shocked when I found out that others see me as quiet and shy. I don’t feel that I’m either. Inside my head I’m battling foes and slaying monsters, outside I’m sitting in a corner listening to others talk. Our internal life is so full and vibrant and there are precious few people that we can share that with. Or rather, we feel that there are few people who have any interest in our internal world. Writing, art and a strange sense of fashion help a lot.
Though, finding someone who does understand is actually pretty magical. A couple years back I made friends with an INFJ, and it’s wonderful having someone who knows without me having to painstakingly try to explain. Not having to turn feelings into words. It’s also great, because both types are so sensitive and work so hard to take care of other people, it’s a relief for both of us to have someone who instinctively looks out for the other. (this isn’t to say that other types don’t do this, lots do, but it usually requires more overt communication)
Anyhow, I’m sorry for the ramble. I’m excited to find a new resource. You guys do a great job!
Thanks!
INFP :)
I thought the part about finding your secret weapon of the opposite type was really on point. My best friend is an ESTJ and we complement eachother so well in the world, even though we’re opposite types. I smooth things over for her socially sometimes/ make the vibe good no matter what’s happening and she sets up all the fun stuff we’re going to and gives me “what to pack lists” etc. My older sister is an ISTJ and in our youth we didn’t get along that well at all, but now I help her by listening to her life stresses and giving advice and she helps me with practical things like where to get my car fixed and which credit card has the best benefits. We love eachother lots and appreciate the other’s strengths.
Loved the “logistics is just your cross to bear” message. Ya know, I’ve accepted it too, can make me feel very frustrated sometimes, but I know that everybody has their burdens. It was also useful to me to hear that the energy you spend doubting the meaning of your work saps what little is available for logistics/ organization/ efficiency purposes. It’s so easy to push your passion under the rug to try to achieve efficiency, but hearing that I can have both and in fact my efficiency is DEPENDENT on my passion was really useful.
I also thought you handled the issue of self harm really compassionately.
Nice work
Are you doing okay? For an INFP your comment is uncharacteristically impolite. If you’d listened to the podcast you would have understood that both your flow and your growth states work better when you’re considering feelings will be impacted by your words and behaviors, and coming at things with an open mind.
Maybe you should push through that first six minutes. Or don’t. Either way life will be just fine. :)
A
Thanks for trying but…I’m 6 and a half minutes in and you are still explaining what the technical definition of MBTI vs. your nicknames of the functions mean, which is making my mind hurt. Perhaps you should have an INFP explain us to us. We don’t want or need to hear all of these details to “get” the point. yawn
Just watched this Podcast. Fascinating! Numerous valuable insights for me. I’m a recently retired (mid 50’s) HR professional who worked with the Myers-Briggs framework during my career and always deeply appreciated the contributions it delivered. But I did not reach this depth of understanding.
My life has been and continues to be graced, for which I feel deeply fortunate. Nonetheless, you’ve shed (validating!) light on key struggles I’ve faced (how would we grow without struggle?) and I thank you for that. The notion of validation vs understanding fully resonates completely with me. One of the most stressful periods of my career was during a time when I did not feel my boss valued the unique perspectives and contributions I had to offer. I found that so stressful, I changed jobs (within the same company) rather than persevere in working through it. Fortunately, for the balance of my 30 year career, I had great bosses. They were sometimes puzzled by my views, we sometimes disagreed and often discussed and debated, but I felt consideration and appreciation for my perspectives and inputs. That allowed me to flourish. I stumbled into working in talent management, identifying, developing and coaching future and current leaders in the organization and found my passion. Helping others discover their real career interests and professional strengths was hugely rewarding to me and played beautifully to my strengths. (By the way, I absolutely recognize the challenge at setting up systems to get things done, my forte having been coaching and advising). Despite my passion for the work, when I qualified for early retirement, I leapt at it. Now I could get back to spending full time on my own development and exploration, and hanging out with my beloved husband (an ESTP, he helps bring out the playful side of me and keeps me from taking myself too seriously)! No more press for efficiency and systems. Time to spend with family and friends. Heaven! I was taken aback by the number of colleagues who seemed truly puzzled by my decision to retire at a relatively young age. Seemed to me that everyone would love to do that. Guess I still have some maturing to do. I now get why that decision fit me but wouldn’t necessarily be desirable for all.
Thanks for the insights! Wishing all my fellow INFPs joyful inspiration and appreciation.