Am I an INFJ or an ISFJ?

This mix-up is actually more common than most people probably realize. I think some people get it in their heads that these two types will appear drastically different, because Ni is drastically different from Si. However, considering the dominant placement in these two types and the fact that both are introverted, that’s actually not the case. Granted, they are different. I wouldn’t suggest otherwise. However, the extreme nature of the stereotypes surrounding both types make the chasm of differences sound larger than it actually is. I’m going to take some time to dive into some differences this article, and hopefully, clear up some of this misunderstandings.

BEWARE OF BIAS

The INFJ is probably the most desired personality type out there. They’re described as rare, mystical, insightful, empathetic, rational, and etcetera. INFJ descriptions are often written as if the type has no flaws. I’ve seen the INFJ described as both emotional and rational, a dreamer and a doer, and etc. The best of all possible worlds. Meanwhile, the ISFJ gets the short end of the stick, with that pesky Si, which is typically described as being rigid, stuck in the past, and unwilling to change. In this article, I’m going to flesh out the realities of both types, and present a balanced perspective, but try to set aside all of your preconceived notions now, so you can identify your true type.

Prerequisite Information

Cognitive Function Stack

The most basic thing that you need to know about these types before we begin is their cognitive function stack. This is going to be the primary basis for how I rationalize the differences and similarities between these two types. (Of course, I’m going by experience as well, but I always ensure the two are consistent with each other, else my understanding is wrong.)

The ISFJ stack is: Si-Fe-Ti-Ne
The INFJ stack is: Ni-Fe-Ti-Se

The primary thing to note here is that their middle functions are the same, and the only difference lies with their dominant and inferior functions. ISFJ has Si/Ne, and INFJ has Ni/Se.

Mistypes Muddying the Waters

The other thing to keep in mind is that some of things I’m about to say may contradict other INFJ material. But, I’m going to explain the rational for it so that you understand why I’m saying what I’m saying. See, here’s the problem. Because of how idealized INFJs are, there are a lot of people out there claiming to be INFJs who really aren’t. (Check out 6 Types That Mistype as an INFJ). As a result, positive attributes tied to other types sometimes get incorrectly attributed to INFJs, essentially causing them to be known as a conglomerate of all the best cognitive strengths, while leaving other types to only be know by their negatives. Si users get the brunt of this. I’m not trying to tear down INFJs, but I am trying to present a fair balance between the types.

Comparing and Contrasting

Cognitive Similarities – Fe/Ti

Both ISFJs and INFJs have Fe/Ti in the exact same position. Both will be observers first, and extraverted judgers second. They will have an equal capacity for being both empathetic and logical. Sometimes I see it assumed that INFJs are more logical than ISFJs, and that simply isn’t true. Both have the ability to tap into that tertiary Ti equally well, which also means both have the potential to be equally detached from their own personal emotions. Both will be concerned about others, and concerned about maintaining harmony via following the commonly accepted social convention. Who is or is not more willing to break the rules here is not specifically relevant to this section. I’m speaking generally.

Cognitive Differences – Ni/Se vs. Si/Ne

Ni is heavily stereotyped, so the major flaws of Ni don’t get spelled out very often. When people say that Ni struggles with details, what that means is that Ni users are not conscious of or naturally concerned with details. They devalue concrete information. What Ni users tend to do is speak in a vague way such that they are not supporting their assertions with actual observations or facts. They’ll state a conclusion, but not share the thought process or information behind the conclusion. They’ll often expect people to trust their intuition, like they do, and get frustrated when people do not. Ni users are like this because they themselves are not fully conscious of their thought process, and it takes an exorbitant amount of effort to sift through it and verbalize. (This will be the hardest for Ni dominants, and the INFJ even more so due to the Ti-Ni combo).

Unhealthy Ni/Se users do primarily one of two things. (1) They fall back into inferior Se by falling into a state of complacency, where they avoid all of their problems and give in to immediate gratification (something that high Se users do naturally). (2) Ni will tunnel vision onto one main, bad outcome and see that outcome around every corner. Their paranoia will essentially focus onto one thing and see everything in their life leading up to that inevitable end. Ni/Se users do not naturally feel the need to account for every possible outcome, like Ne does. Ni/Se users just pick the one, two or maybe three most likely possibilities, and focus their efforts onto those.

Si/Ne works quite differently. Si dominants value concrete information, so they’ll have a tendency to hone in on details. While they may not always know exactly how to relay what they’re thinking, they’ll put much more of an emphasis on doing so. This can lead to them taking great care to supply in depth explanations to those around them. They’ll want to support their claims with concrete information, otherwise they will not be confident in them. While Ni doms devalue the concrete, Si doms may devalue the abstract by discarding possibilities that they cannot support with concrete information.

Unhealthy Si/Ne users fall back into inferior Ne, which leads to obsessing over a vast array of potential negative outcomes, no matter how obscure or unlikely. High Si naturally feels the need to account for everything, and when Ne is on overdrive, it’ll be feeding up an unbearable and overwhelming amount of scenarios to account for. This will make them extremely prone to analysis paralysis, and often make them feel the need to make very specific and detailed plans.

Future and Past Orientation

It is often said that Si is about the past, and Ni is about the future. That is an over-simplification. Both Si and Ni users are concerned about the future. Why? Because both feel the need to prepare for it. They’re dominant introverted percievers, which makes them weak in the adaptability department. This is common sense that people often don’t seem to think about, but in order to prepare for the future, we must think about the future. (Deep, I know.)

Now, here’s where the stereotype comes from. Si users value the concrete, which means they value experience. Something they can see and point to, showing it brought up the optimal result. This means that they’ll consciously access their past experience (and/or seek the experience of others) to aid in their decision-making.

Ni dominants don’t tend to consciously access their past experiences. Their experiences are internally stored in general impressions which color how they view the world. These impressions will often be vague and detached from their personal past. They usually don’t believe or admit to accessing past experience because they legitimately don’t believe that they do. (However, since they’re not actually psychic, that’s where their information is ultimately coming from.)

Change

INFJs are often described as being visionary and proponents of change. However, any dominant introverted perceiver will struggle with change. Once again, they’re low on adaptability. Both ISFJs and INFJs will tend to feel uncomfortable with new experiences, feeling a strong urge to prepare. ISFJs are more likely get caught on the specific details when determining their path forward, which can make them seem more cautious than INFJs, but INFJs will also be cautious in their own way.

Now, with that being said, INFJs get the reputation of focusing on big picture changes, large scale changes for the good of humanity. In contrast, the ISFJs get described as being stuck in the past and overrun by nostalgia. This is an unfair comparison. Ne is what provides the adaptability, willingness to consider new ideas, and etcetera in an Si user. If an Si dominant has suppressed their inferior Ne, they will refuse change in any form. However, a healthy Si user with a positive connection to their inferior Ne will not be like this. Bottom line: only imbalanced or unhealthy ISFJs will be stuck in the past, and thus feel the urge to fight change of any kind. Both types can be equally concerned with humanity as a whole or their current social group (via their Fe), and thus fight for a change that they feel will benefit everyone.

Abstraction

INFJs are known for being abstract. Intuition functions desire to read between the lines, beyond the concrete. Ni specifically is internalized intuition, which makes it more abstract than Ne and vaguer, harder to explain or verbalize. However, I need to make a clarification here. Intuition in the realm of typology is different than real world intuition. People often fail to recognize this. Feeling functions are often “intuitive” in the classic sense, because feelers are often good at intuitively understanding what other people are feeling (IE: “women’s intuition” so to speak). With that being said, a healthy INFJ should be fairly classically intuitive, and abstract, but that’s not the same thing as saying an ISFJ can’t be.

ISFJs are not given enough credit. Ti is an abstract logic function. This means that when an ISFJ looks inward, they will likely feel abstract. While they have Si to make concrete observations, Ti will make it difficult to verbalize their thought processes. (Check out Ti vs Ni: Am I an NJ or a TP?) In addition, an ISFJ who has tapped into their Ne will probably have an internal world that’s somewhat reminiscent of an INFP. This is why SFJs often mistype as INFPs.

In Conclusion…

I feel like I’ve barely touched the surface, if I’m being honest, but I think this article has gone on long enough. The main thing that I’d like every reader to take away from this is that neither the INFJ personality type nor the ISFJ personality type is objectively better. There are strengths and weaknesses to each. If you’re caught between these two types, try your best to be honest and unbiased when you evaluate your tendencies and thought patterns.