INFJ: The Advocate (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging)

INFJ is one of the 16 personality types identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Scoring as an INFJ means your personality type is best described as Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging. Learn more about the INFJ personality type below

Key INFJ Characteristics

Compassionate

• Idealist
• Organized
• Both emotional and logical
• Sensitive to the needs of others
• Highly creative and artistic
• Focused on the future
• Values close, deep relationships
• Enjoys thinking about the meaning of life

Personal Relationships

INFJs are driven by their strong values and seek to find meaning in all areas of their lives including relationships and work.

• They have a vivid inner life, but they are hesitant to share this with others except for perhaps those closest to them. They tend to be excellent listeners and are good at interacting with people to whom they are emotionally close.

Tips for Interacting With INFJs

INFJs can be difficult to get to know and place a high value on close, deep relationships

• Interacting with an INFJ involves understanding and supporting their need to retreat and recharge
• You can be a good friend by taking the time to understand their perspective and appreciating their strengths

Relationships

INFJs have an innate ability to understand other people’s feelings and enjoy being in close, intimate relationships. They flourish best in romantic relationships with people with who they share their core values.

• As a partner, it is important to provide the support and emotional intimacy that an INFJ craves.

Introverted Thinking

INFJs make decisions based on ideas and theories that they form based on their own insights.

Cognitive Functions

The MBTI was created by Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs in the 1940s based on the theories of Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung

• Four key psychological functions: thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition
• Each type possesses a dominant function that is the core characteristic of each type and an auxiliary function which is another well-developed aspect of personality

Inferior: Extraverted Sensing

This is a less developed and largely unconscious aspect of personality, but has an impact on personality.

Career Paths

INFJs do well in careers where they can express their creativity

• Co-workers tend to feel that INFJs are hardworking, positive, and easy to get along with
• In managerial roles, INFJs may struggle to exert authority
• They tend to lead with sensitivity and are good at helping subordinates feel appreciated in the workplace

Dominant: Introverted Intuition

Highly focused on their internal insights

• Once they have formed an intuition about something, they tend to stick to it very tightly, often to the point of being single-minded in their focus
• Sometimes viewed as being stubborn and unyielding

Extraverted Feeling

This characteristic of INFJs makes them highly aware of what other people are feeling, but it means they are sometimes less aware of their own emotions.

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