In this brief guide, we will look at some secrets of the INFJ personality, as well as other things about this personality like the features of INFJ personality, INFJ personality disorders, Famous INFJ people, and INFJ characters in fiction.
INFJ Secrets
The biggest secret that INFJ never wants to reveal is how they are so intuitive and how they can feel everything so well, and how it is almost like psychic ability that they can figure things out using their intuition.
The INFJ secret to most things they accomplish is simply that they are great at intuitively finding things out and make plans accordingly, which to others may look seamless and instant, but there is actually quite a lot of process involved which goes on in their mind.
The secret INFJ hunches or gut feelings are something even the INFj themselves may not be able to explain because they are just so subconscious.
This secret power of the INFJ to have instinct guides so much of their actions can often also make them feel misunderstood and isolated, however, and in some cases, they may try to behave in a very ordered way so as to get back some control in their lives.
Another amazing INFJ secret they never seem to reveal is how perceptive they are despite their introverted nature, they can use their intuition to get into below the surface of the people’s psyche and figure out what their intentions may be or what they are not want to do and so on, which can put them in an immensely powerful position that can easily be abused.
Sometimes the INFJ may also get into the heads of those around them if they should so choose, and once INFJ figures out what makes them tick, they can use that to their advantage, which is likely why they are actually quite good with people despite being introverted.
The best use of this secret INFJ ability is that they can tell if someone is lying, and they don’t necessarily have to depend on the typical functions an extrovert may use in those situations.
The reason these abilities and functions are all secrets to the INFJs themselves is that they aren’t consciously aware of how they know so much about other people because these are all results of their intuition, which is an inherently unintentional and subtle process, to begin with.
Another secret INFJs never seem to be able to decode about themselves, is how they are able to understand other people’s feelings so well, and they may be confused all the time about how they reflect other people’s emotions so well.
While these are just some of the INFJ secrets, let us look at some more which may be found in INFJs more often, below.
INFJ Secret 1: Can Predict Things
Well, this should be no secret, INFJs are very skilled at being able to predict or intuit what is going to happen with a certain situation, and this often helps them plan accordingly.
This trait also makes them very skilled executors of things.
INFJ Secret 2: Love-Hate Relationship with People
INFJs are introverts, but they secretly love people too, in a shocking contradiction to their very basic ideology.
The typical INFJ may be secretive or isolated, but they are also fascinated by people, and they may often love people-watching so that they may understand others better and act accordingly in some cases.
INFJ Secret 3: Big Picture and No Details
The INFJ secret to functioning is focusing on the big picture but leaving out the details.
The INFJ maybe forever engrossed in questions like “How did life begin? Why are we here? What will the world be like in a thousand years from now?”, but they may forget to ask, “Have I left the kettle boiling?”
INFJ Secret 4: Calm but Turbulent
This is another secret INFJ trait that they don’t seem to understand or explain about themselves any more than others can, but while INFJ can seem calm and easy-going, they seem to do a great job of hiding just how turbulent their inner world can be.
INFJ Secret 5: May fight for others but not Self
The last INFj secret goes against the very name that MBTI has given them, which is the “the Advocate,”, as they may be great at standing up for others, but they can’t, or sometimes won’t, do it for themselves.
INFJ’s primary mission in life as helping others or righting social wrongs, and while they may stand for justice in the most amazing ways (think Nelson Mandela or Oprah Winfrey), they may forget to take care of themselves with such vigor.
INFJ Personality
The INFJ personality is regulated by their cognitive functions, which are layered according to their relative strength in a function stack based on the theories of Carl Jung.
The INFJ function stack is made up of 4 functions that are responsible for their personality traits, and out of these the Introverted intuition and extroverted feeling are the two main functions.
INFJ Traits
As mentioned previously, the INFJ personality is also known as the Advocate, according to the MBTI, and this name is justified by their tendency to be altruistic and wise, and their need to stick up for others at all times, even if they may not do it for themselves.
Goethe, a very famous INFJ person, said, “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being”, which encapsulates the INFJ’s behavior rather well.
The INFJ personality stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging, and these rare personalities are known for their quiet and calm manner and their ability to engage in deep thoughtfulness.
These may be some of the most humanistic people one might ever meet, but that does not mean that there are no bad INFJs.
The INFJ also has a good imagination, and they may often be able to predict how things may turn out solely based on their intuitive and imaginative abilities.
The INFJ, true to their name and fucntion stack, maybe very Idealistic and have great integrity and a staunch belief system, that may not change as a consequence of little things.
If one is interested in the Enneagram theories of personality, may of the traits the INFJ portrays be seen in the enneagram type 1w9, as their idealism is not the morally rigid kind of type that Enneagram 1 would be.
INFJ personality is that of a quiet, principled person, and if someone needs helping and guiding, despite their introverted nature you can be sure that the INFJ will be there for them, although after long periods of meeting and being with people the INFJ personality may need to take some time off for introspection.
INFJ in Arguments
Not all is good and kind about the INFJ though, and they can be rather explosive in arguments due to their tendency to let things build and not release the stress or anger little by little.
however, most of the time INFJs argue or get in a heated debate, it is to argue in defense of someone they care about or one of their strongly held beliefs if they are being challenged in some way, which is a very different kind of arguing that another personality like, say, ENTP, might do.
In addition, one might notice this about the INFJ in the argument that they won’t focus much on little bits or technical details, or even impersonal facts; everything is personal to them, and everything is about the big picture.
They might call the other person out for being a bad person in general or take offense over their entire attitude, and not just the problematic thing over which the argument started.
However, these people are also conflict-averse, so seeing an INFJ in an argument may not be a common sight by a long shot.
The INFJ personality will rarely if ever, instigate arguments, and that is probably why when they do they just argue about everything rather than what ticked them off in that one moment.
Lastly, the INFJ in an argument is likely to reflect the feelings their opponent reflects, so if someone seems hurt by their words they might calm down, or if the other person starts to get more combative so might they; however it goes, the end of the argument will always leave the INFJ feeling emotionally drained and in need of rest.
Is INFJ Dramatic?
The INFJ usually is not dramatic, but when things have built up for them over time they may crumble up over the slightest thing and create a whole lot of drama.
INFJs also seem to not like dramatic people much, or situations that are dramatic, one reason for which might be that they feel pulled into it involuntarily, owing to their extroverted feeling function.
INFJ Personality Disorders
To start with, there is no particular causal link between any personality disorder and INFJ personality, because adequate research is just not available.
That said, based on what is known about the INFJ personality, one might make hypotheses about what personality disorders the INFJ may be more prone to, or better yet, what various personality disorders may look like in an INFJ.
Firstly, the INFJ may often engage in a great deal of obsessive planning and future-oriented thinking, some of it may be conscious and some subconscious.
In some cases, when the INFJ starts to get to overwhelmed by the feeling inputs from their environment, they may turn inwards and start acting in ways that somehow restores some semblance of control and order, which may turn lead them to have Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, which is characterized by an extreme tendency to have order and a dislike for anything that is remotely out of place.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
A strong point in the favor of OCPD as a possible personality disorder in the INFJ personality is that they often tends to have very high expectations form people and situations, which is something that may be seen in this disorder.
In some cases, INFJ personality may also be seen as having Emotionally unstable personality disorder, which is characterized by frequent highly emotionally responsive phases and a tendency to act without concern about the consequences.
Lastly, another disorder that may be seen in INFJ, but which is incredibly rare in any population, is Antisocial Personality Disorder.
The reason this personality disorder might be seen in the INFJ personality is that they can be very calculating and they understand people very well, but at the same time, they do not have any particular need to interact with people in an emotional way.
In fact, if one needs to character analysis of an INFJ personality that has Antisocial Personality Disorder, one may look at Amy Dunne in the movie and book Gone Girl, and it becomes apparent how amazingly intuitive and thoughtful the INFJ can be when they are trying to make and execute a plan, as well as how frustrated they can get when things don’t go their way or when they feel slighted.
Famous INFJ People
Here is a list of Famous INFJ people:
- Oprah Winfrey
- Nelson Mandela
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe
- Nicole Kidman
- Jamie Foxx
- Mel Gibson
- Tom Selleck
- Gillian Anderson
- Carrie Fisher
- Shirley Temple
- Aristophanes
- Anthony Kiedis
- Billy Crystal
INFJ Characters
To understand the INFJ personality better, here is a list of INFJ personality characters you may want to study and get a better sense of what an INFJ personality may look like in a person.
- Galadriel (Lord of the Rings)
- Will Graham (Hannibal)
- Lord Varys (Game of Thrones)
- Saruman (The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit)
- Tadashi Hamada (Big Hero 6)
- Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)
- Vanessa Ives (Penny Dreadful)
- Harley Quinn (DC Universe)
- 13th Doctor (Doctor Who)
- Amy Dunne (Gone Girl)
- Olivia Dunham (Fringe)
- Faramir (Lord of the Rings)
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we will look at some secrets of the INFJ personality, as well as other things about this personality like the features of INFJ personality, INFJ personality disorders, Famous INFJ people, and INFJ characters in fiction. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments you may have about this subject.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): INFJ Secrets
Why are INFJs so weird?
INFJs are not weird, they are just misunderstood and so rare that a lot of the things that they like or that make sense to them may not be found or understanding in the general population.
It may seem weird but INFJs are actually quite social when they want to be, and then they may turn around and be introverted as their name suggests.
Is Infj really rare?
Yes, the INFJ is really rare, in fact, most estimates suggest that they are the rarest of all personality types.
INFJs are considered really rare because they make up approximately 1-2% of the overall population.
What are INFJs afraid of?
INFJ is afraid of not being able to understand things or plan things as they need to.
In a survey, it was also seen that a lot of INFJs reported being afraid of the dark.