INFP Personality Type (Fi-Ne)

What is an INFP Personality Type?

INFP stands for Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving. Originally, it was a term from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (or MBTI), which was developed by Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs. The Myers-Briggs theory (which many incorrectly refer to as just “MBTI”) originally labelled 16 personality types. Myers and Briggs drew their inspiration from Carl Jung’s theory of the cognitive functions. The 4-letter acronyms have now become commonplace within various offshoots or interpretations of Carl Jung’s original work.

INFP Meaning

The INFP personality type is Introverted, which does not necessarily mean that they are socially introverted, although many are. They will, however, be cognitive introverts. In Carl Jung’s description of the cognitive functions, Introversion simply means a focus on the subjective, or their own internal world.

The INFP personality type values Intuition, which means they prioritize abstract information over concrete information. Being an Intuitive does not mean the INFP is incapable of interacting with the concrete world in an effective way, but rather they will prioritize abstract information when making decisions.

The INFP personality type values Feeling, which does not mean they are irrational, cry babies. Rather, they will have a natural focus on emotional data, or on how decisions impact themselves and others on an emotional level.

The INFP personality type prioritizes Perceiving, which means they prefer a spontaneous and flexible lifestyle. Perceiver types are prone to feeling smothered by too much structure or organization.

INFP at a Glance

INFPs start out as idealistic dreamers. Their identity is extremely important to them, and thus they prioritize introspection as a means for self-discovery. They need to understand themselves, their values, and their feelings, so they can figure out their purpose, or what will give them meaning. Once they set their minds to something, INFPs can be extremely dedicated and determined individuals. These types have a deep capacity for empathy, especially as they gain life experience. They value authenticity and individuality. In addition, they enjoy speculating about abstract possibilities. These need not have a basis in reality, since INFPs love to exercise their imagination.

Common Strengths (when healthy)

Authentic
Caring
Idealistic
Laid-back
Adaptable
Speculative
Verbally Expressive

Common Weaknesses (when imbalanced)

Judgmental
Sensitive to criticism
Indecisive
Disconnected from reality
Struggle to form realistic goals
Needing an external source to provide structure

Cognitive Functions of an INFP

The cognitive functions for the INFP personality type, in order, are Fi-Ne-Si-Te. Below, we attempted to break down each cognitive function and practically explain how it will surface in an INFP. Please realize however that everyone is unique, and the entire world cannot fit into 16 personality type boxes. Ergo, it’s unlikely that an INFP will relate to or demonstrate every single quirk or trait mentioned below. However, an INFP should relate to the underlying principle of each function, and most of what is described below. Exceptions may occur when the INFP is stuck in a Fi-Si loop or in the grip of Te. These scenarios may be briefly mentioned in the description below, but this page is not specifically written with those scenarios in mind. With all that said, we hope you find this description useful for self-analysis or understanding the minds of others.

Dominant Function: Introverted Feeling (Fi)

INFPs leads with the trait Introverted Feeling (Fi). Dominant Fi users, like INFPs, have a strong personal sense of what they believe to be right or wrong. (Click here for a more in-depth description of Fi.) INFPs are very individualistic. Those with this personality type will wish to be recognized as unique, and may impress upon others the importance of being unique and staying true to one’s self. Since INFPs are leading with a judging function, albeit introverted, they may appear more judgemental once they begin sharing their value system with you. If you cross one of those boundaries, there is a good chance they may uncomfortably but passionately voice their objection to it. Although, bolder INFPs might be completely comfortable with stating an objection, depending on the circumstances or the gravity of the offense. Having a feeling function in either the dominant or auxiliary position will usually result in a desire for harmony, because feelings and values are considered first. However, those with the INFP personality may quickly discard that need to uphold harmony in situations where their internal value system is threatened. At the very least, they will feel compelled to maintain their values with great conviction, and will struggle to fake an agreement or allow themselves to be associated with something they disagree strongly with. INFPs in an argument will tend to appeal to someone’s emotions, values, or humanity, rather than relying on cold, hard facts.

Fi will lead INFPs to constantly ask “Who am I?” as they analyze their feelings, reevaluate their stances, and continually seek to discover their true self. (Self-discovery is a never-ending journey for most high Fi users.) Fi dominants on average struggle to find their personality type because of this subjective, over-analysis. INFPs may or may not be emotionally expressive in public. Many INFPs are extremely private. Some can even come across as somewhat cold as a result, although others may be more expressive and warm. Those with this personality type feel very deeply, but will probably only share the full extent of these feeling with a few close friends or family members. When faced with a challenging situation, they’ll probably look inward first and cope in solitude, while they sort through their feelings or stance. This is in stark contrast to the high Fe user who may immediately seek the support of someone else, to externally sort through their feelings. INFPs that are not extraverting with their Ne will probably seem distant, rigid, uninviting, or perhaps emotionally cold. Fi may also lead those with INFP personality to assume they understand what you’re feeling, even if they do not. After all, the INFP would feel that way, so everyone else probably would, right? Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Also, dominant Fi can cause self-consciousness since it may be very important to INFPs to only portray their “true” idealized self to others. In addition, it will likely be important to INFPs that their work or career have some kind of meaning or higher purpose in accordance with their value system.

General note: Morality is not synonymous with Fi. One can lack morals and still be an Fi user. Inversely, having morals does not automatically make someone an Fi user.

Auxiliary Function: Extraverted Intuition (Ne)

The INFP personality type has Extraverted Intuition (Ne) as their second, or auxiliary, function. The Fi-Ne combination is what gives those with the INFP personality the reputation of being idealistic dreamers. While INFPs will probably be prone to daydreaming, this does not mean that they will waste the day away daydreaming, or that daydreaming equals Ne. Instead, Ne in tandem with the INFP’s Fi values, will entertain all of the possibilities that exist in the world. They will try to focus on the positive ones, the ones that line up with their Fi. Their minds will be filled with “What if”s and general dreams of what could or should be. Many INFPs will be drawn to fantasy or mythology as a result. The more you get to know the INFP, the more you’ll hear these thoughts and dreams. However, an extremely introverted INFP may keep most of these thoughts to themselves.

Ne users, like INFPs, tend to connect thoughts and ideas together even when the connection is slight. This may cause them to produce an abundance of references (movies, music, etc.). Their conversations, once you get them talking, may also seem “off the wall” and random, leaving you wondering “How did the conversation end up here?” They’ll probably enjoy debating and discussing new ideas and theories, and will be prone to rabbit trails (or going off topic) when telling a story or explaining something. Their humor will likely be referenced based, witty, quirky, and possibly very “punny”. Ne by itself is a rather talkative trait because of it enjoys entertaining ideas and calling out patterns in the real world, so once you get them talking, you may find that they have a lot to say. They may struggle with rambling, or putting their foot in their mouths, so to speak, often feeling compelled to apologize and back-peddle out loud. Ne users are especially good at ‘falling down the rabbit hole’ of YouTube, or Wikipedia, or the internet in general. They go online to look up one thing, and then several clicks later, find themselves somewhere completely unrelated.

Extraverted Perceivers are prone to having many hobbies because they get bored of just one. Ne specifically will get bored of an idea once it has finished fully analyzing it, which is why INFPs may struggle to see their dreams through to reality. Fi dominants are known for being drawn to “art”, and the INFP’s focus on the theoretical is where people get the idea that INFP’s are drawn specifically to writing or poetry. While this may be true for many INFPs, one’s hobbies are influenced by a number of factors beyond just personality type so don’t use hobbies to determine which personality you are. Ne users like INFPs are drawn toward abstract things, which may spark an interest in philosophy or debate.

Tertiary Function: Introverted Sensing (Si)

The INFP personality type has Introverted Sensing (Si) as their third, or tertiary, function. This function aids the aforementioned Ne by allowing them to retain much of the random information you might hear them eagerly sharing. It will also allow them to compare their ideas and theories with what they’ve already experienced in the past. It may also cause them to cling to any past tragedy, since they introverted all of those negative experiences and feelings. Fi users have a strong memory for past emotions, which is further enforced in an INFP with tertiary Si’s tendency to retain specific details of memorable moments. This can lead them to want to cling to childhood traditions since repeating those experiences evoke the fond memories and feelings from their childhood, assuming their childhood wasn’t tragic.

Si will also give them an underlying desire for stability and routine, although they may struggle to maintain it in their everyday life. Si in tandem with Fi and possibly inferior Te may also result in a fear of consequences for breaching established rules. This may lead to them desiring to enforce a rule exactly as it has been written, resulting in them extremely rigid and unyielding in these scenarios. They may not look at the reasoning behind the rule which could lead to a misapplication of it.

Inferior Function: Extraverted Thinking (Te)

Lastly, the INFP personality type has Extraverted Thinking (Te) as their fourth, or inferior, function. Inferior Te in the INFP personality type can surface in a few different ways, a major one being a failure to form and act upon goals within the real world. They may struggle to see how to realistically pursue their lofty ideals, and be at a complete loss as to how to form an actionable plan or pave out a single life path. They may need the help of another person or external system/organization to order their life or enforce deadlines. Those with this personality might often feel as if everything is spinning out of their control, and fear that they will never accomplish anything in life. More developed inferior Te may result in a desire for order amongst their chaotic life, or allow them to concentrate somewhat on efficiency in their daily life. It may influence their hobbies or just generally cause the INFP to feel the need to be more organized. Perhaps later in life, the INFP will find enjoyment in organizing or cleaning as a weak, non-threatening use of Te.

INFPs may also find themselves extremely bitter against external systems or hierarchies, feeling as if their individuality is being snuffed out. They may feel the need to fight against them for the sake of it. Inferior Te can cause INFPs to get incredibly rigid and stubborn when they feel like their Fi (identity, value system or etc.) is being attacked. Te will cause them to lash out at the perceived attacker in an attempt to defend themselves and convince the other person that he/she is wrong. Te can be very black and white, as mentioned in the general function description. In the positive, inferior Te will allow them to view life in an objective way, and will cause them to seek external sources to support and explain their Fi stances, rather than basing their arguments entirely on feelings.

INFP Careers and Job Ideas

At Practical Typing, we hesitate to list specific careers, because each person is far more than their personality type. Cognitive functions do not determine skills, only cognitive preferences. However, there will be certain aspects within a given career field that play better to an INFP’s strengths. For instance, INFPs will be drawn to work they can personally identify with. They want to believe in the work they are doing, and want to find fulfillment in it. Positions in which they can personally contribute to the goals and mission of their employer will keep them encouraged and motivated. They may struggle in positions that feel physically disconnected from the greater objective. They will appreciate jobs that lean into their abstract nature, allowing them freedom to explore possibilities and use their creativity to solve problems. In addition, they’ll likely struggle with overly repetitive or tedious tasks. They will flourish in positions where their passion has the opportunity to infect others, and their input can be used to keep purpose from being lost in procedure.

INFP Relationships and Compatibility

INFPs desire a deep, intimate connection with their partners. They will want to understand them and to be understood by them better than anyone else ever could. They are devoted partners who want a long, rich relationship with their significant other. Likewise, they love to share their thoughts and feelings, and explore new ideas together. They highly value authenticity and honesty within a relationship. INFPs often bring a whimsical spirit to their relationships, and appreciate spontaneity. They will need the freedom to be themselves, and continue to pursue their passions.