More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
What the world needs is more INFPs who aren’t afraid to be their passionate, creative, quirky and idealistic selves.
We refer to our intuitive and sensing functions as our perceptive functions, since we use them to perceive the world around us. We refer to our thinking and feeling functions as our judging—or decision-making—functions, as we use them to make decisions.
In the case of INFPs, you use the following functions in the following order: Introverted Feeling (or Fi) Extroverted Intuition (or Ne) Introverted Sensing (or Si) Extroverted Thinking (or Te)
Above all else, introverted feeling seeks truth and authenticity.
Fi is the reason why you search for the deeper universal meaning behind everything that happens to you. Fi is the reason why you experience intense emotional highs and lows, which sometimes feel out of your control. Fi is the reason why you spend so much time daydreaming about an ideal version of yourself or your life. Fi is the reason why you feel the strong need to advocate for your values and beliefs when someone says something that contradicts or offends them. Fi is the reason why your life sometimes feels more like a story than an actual real-world experience. Fi is the reason why you
...more
It dwells primarily in the future and gains energy through connecting ideas and exploring new possibilities.
Ne possesses the unique ability to consider multiple opposing views simultaneously
It is indubitably Ne’s quick ability to shift perspective that makes the INFP so adept at putting themselves in other’s shoes.
Ne is the reason why you have to examine a situation from absolutely every possible angle before you can form a decisive opinion on it. Ne is the reason why you gain a surprising amount of energy through discussing big picture ideas with other intuitive types.
Ne is the reason why you are able to look at things from just about anyone’s point of view, whether you agree with their viewpoint or not. Ne is the reason why you are attracted to intense, unusual and provocative ideas or people.
Ne is the reason why you crave novelty and variety in your life.
Si is the reason why you’re good at remembering small facts and subtle details about the people you love and the things you’re passionate about. Si is the reason why you function best within a structured routine, even though you inherently crave variety. Si is the reason why you are able to quickly recall relevant facts that will support the opinions or ideas you’re trying to convey. Si is the reason why you can be uncharacteristically detail-oriented or perfectionistic about the projects you really care about. Si is the reason why you are keenly in tune with social norms and societal rules,
...more
Te doesn’t fully develop in the INFP until approximately middle age,
Underdeveloped Te is the reason why you can be harshly critical of your own creative work when you are attempting to determine how others may view it. Underdeveloped Te is the reason why you secretly fear that others will perceive you as incompetent, and you take extreme measures to ensure you are coming across as well read and intelligent in conversation. Underdeveloped Te is the reason why you occasionally apply black-and-white thinking to your judgments of people who display immoral or ignorant characteristics. Underdeveloped Te is the reason why you have a tendency to convince yourself
...more
Healthy Te is the reason why you are able to follow through on the projects and plans that you have committed to. Healthy Te is the reason why you can form persuasive arguments around the topics that you believe in.
Healthy Te is the reason why you welcome constructive criticism from external sources. Healthy Te is the reason why you can brush off other people’s opinions of you—because you are secure with the life that you’ve chosen, no matter what others may think of it.
These need development.
the surface, INFPs appear to be peaceful and cerebral individuals who are focused on the comfort and happiness of those around them. However, this cerebral front masks a deep and complex inner world
The INFP is constantly seeking to discover universal truths about the world that surrounds them.
They enjoy speculating over future plans and projects with others, gleaning energy through the joint exploration of far-out and fanciful ideas.
Despite their affinity for the strange and unconventional, INFPs are also deeply sentimental individuals who place a significant focus on their past experiences and thoughts. This type enjoys reflecting on where they’ve been in life, where they’re going next and what greater meaning or Universal plan links their experiences together. Even if they are not members of any particular religion, there is an undeniably spiritual component to the INFP’s personality that keeps them endlessly searching for patterns and links behind seemingly unconnected experiences.
the INFP feels almost physically unable to engage in any career, relationship or activity that they do not feel passionately connected to. If their heart is not in whatever they are doing, they are unable to simply ‘grin and bear it.’ This type values authenticity above all else and must constantly be engaged with the world in a way that feels meaningful to them.
Gods. I have managed to grin and bear it because I can't think of a way to support myself and my horses that is true to me. I thought I was finally on that path, but then I got sick. Even if I became well, It would take me a while to catch back up financially so I could get training and then more time to build a business.
At least this makes me feel a little less crazy for having SUCH a hard time with work, even when I was healthy. And being out of the toxic work environment and having more autonomy at work helps.
At their best, INFPs are passionate, insightful and wildly creative individuals who are naturally adept at picking up on the deeper meaning behind almost every situation they encounter. This type possesses a unique mixture of childlike wonder about the world around them and keen, beyond-their-years insight as to the way it works—making
it enjoys dreaming up scenarios for the future that are both exciting and wildly ambitious. When the INFJ thinks toward the future, he or she envisions a more realistic chain of events. The INFP’s visions of the future are ambitious and indulgent but the INFJ’s vision of the future is more pragmatic and cautious.
The INFP is able to easily understand the inherent egotistical biases and underlying motivations that all humans possess, across a wide range of scenarios. This ability gives them the unique insight as to why and how many important decisions in the world get made. In many ways, the INFP is able to see the world in a more comprehensive and realistic fashion than many of their thinking counterparts, as they see not just the logic involved in the big-picture issues but the realistic outcomes that are likely to arise, based on the illogical nature of human behavior.
Though many young INFPs struggle to keep themselves motivated or in line with their long-term goals, the eventual development of introverted sensing and extroverted thinking form a powerful combination of functions that allows the INFP to excel at just about any project they put their minds to. Because introverted feeling and extroverted intuition fuels the INFP with an unmatchable level of passion, this type is often able to achieve feats that other types would balk at from the get-go. Impossible is not a word that INFPs care to entertain—and as a result, they are capable of accomplishing
...more
INFPs are known for their tendency to believe the best in other people and then find themselves sourly disappointed with their reality. While this may be true in many cases, it is important to note that INFPs are not unaware of the negative characteristics of those around them. They simply prefer to focus on the potential in others, and give them the benefit from the doubt. Though this may occasionally lead to disappointment, it does not make the INFP blindly naive or helpless.
I do see myself as kind of innocent and naive in my 20's.
INFPs feel everything on an incredibly deep level—and this applies just as fully to positive emotions as it does to negative ones.
because once they are committed to supporting you, they are committed in a way that is unmatchable by almost any other type.
seeks to confirm their individuality by studying and understanding their areas of creative interest as thoroughly as possible. They wish to delve as deeply as they possibly can into the topics that interest them, believing their personal depth to be valid only insofar as it is supported by an extensive knowledge base. This type is particularly conscious of coming across as intelligent and knowledgeable to others—they feel as though their individuality will be called into question if they cannot support their passion with evidence.
Type 9 INFPs: The Peacemakers
This one sounds like me.
Or it did until I read type 6! Holy moly, that one sounds like me.
defined by their need for deep personal and spiritual connections.
They are happy so long as they are in tune with the people and systems around them, so they may come across as less individualistic than other INFP types.
The type 9 INFP often has a calm, harmonious presence to them. This type is diligent about keeping themselves in balance and in close touch with their innermost selves. Unlike their type 4 counterparts—who seek out emotional extremes—this type strives to feel balanced and at peace within their bodies and minds. They may turn to spiritual or religious practices as a means of better understanding themselves, others and their connection to the world around them.
At their best, type 9 INFPs are stable, serene and deeply in touch with themselves, others and the world that surrounds them. At their worst, they are avoidant, neglectful of their own needs and desperate to feel any sort of connecti...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
The type 9 INFP’s deepest fear is of loss and separation. They need to feel as though they are a part of something bigger than themselves and they will strive to make themselve...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
they will often attempt to emotionally transcend their problems, rather than actively confronting them.
prone to getting caught up in his or her emotional experience of the world, sometimes to a problematic extent. But the more this type engages in new opportunities—using extroverted intuition—the more they will come to understand that their chances to connect with the world around them are boundless and plentiful. The development of introverted sensing will also help this type to trust that when they must move through negative or painful emotions, they will eventually come out the other side—as their introverted sensing can call upon past instances of them having done exactly that.
At their core, this type fears that they are unable to provide fully for themselves and therefore must rely on others to help them get by.
Whoa, that sure sounds like me.
The Type 6 INFP often presents as cheerful and agreeable in social situations, and may come across as significantly less individualistic than their type 4 counterparts. Though the Type 6 INFP also lives in a world of intense emotions and deep thoughts, they are highly conscientious about being accepted by others—therefore they are likely to keep their appearance and surface interactions more conventional than other INFP types.
introverted sensing function. They crave the security and stability that this function provides them with, but doubt their own ability to implement it. They may be prone to frequently second-guessing themselves, obsessing over past experiences in an attempt to determine whether or not they chose the correct course of action and placing an over-reliance on the suggestions and opinions of others. Though this type knows at their core that they are com...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
On the flip side, the 6 Type is often excellent at forming quick relationships with others, both personally and professionally. They take direction well and tend to excel at almost any career they take on as they are able to submit to the company’s wishe...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
At their best, type 6 INFPs are stable, cooperative, trustworthy and rich in interpersonal relationships. At their worst, they are anxious, codependent, self-defeating and preoccupied with feelings of inferiority.
The type 6 INFP’s deepest fear is that if they were left on their own, they would be unable to provide for themselves.
! So me!
In an unhealthy state, Type 6 INFPs become confused an indecisive—looking to others for guidance about what to do next. They may become trapped inside of anxious or obsessive thoughts and find external ‘scapegoats’ for their struggles—believing that if a particular problem would resolve itself, all of their issues would cease to exist. They may become self-defeating in their actions, secretly hoping that someone will notice their destructive behavior and come save them from themselves and their misery.
To combat and even this out, they must develop extroverted intuition and extroverted thinking in a healthy way. The more they begin to expand their awareness of the plethora of opportunities that exist in their external environment—and the more they enact concrete plans to go after them—the more confidence they will gain in their ability to achieve security.
vision of a kinder, more compassionate world.
They are likely to be highly concerned with issues of social justice and often report feeling pain for underprivileged members of society as if it were their own.
This type displays honesty and vulnerability in their interactions with loved ones, hoping to inspire others to open up and do the same. The type 2 INFP wants to support their loved ones in a genuine and meaningful fashion—they strive to help others realize their full potential and push them to become the absolute best versions of themselves.
Though they are agreeable and eager to please those around them, the INFP child experiences life on a highly sentimental level—one that those around them may be completely unaware of. This type is deeply tuned into the emotional experiences of themselves and those around them,
Are happiest in peaceful, harmonious environments. Enjoy imaginative, independent play as toddlers. Gravitate toward meaningful one-on-one interactions with others. Shy away from crowds or aggressive environments. Are extremely sensitive to criticism of any sort. Are eager readers and learners as they reach school age. Direly want to please their teachers and parents. Invest themselves heavily in deep, loyal friendships with selected peers.
