As I reflected on the value of these needs in the lives of the INFJs I know, as well as my own life, I was reminded of two others:
Independence
Beauty
In the past few years, again and again, I’ve observed just how important these four needs can be to the quality of your day, whether at work or at home. They’re certainly not everything, but they’re a phenomenal starting point.
Do they resonate with you? If so, why are these needs so important to us? Read on to learn a few reasons why.
In this article, number three in the INFJ Superpowers series, we’ll examine several abilities that are the products of introverted intuition (Ni) and extroverted feeling (Fe) synergizing.
Read on to learn how your top two cognitive functions work together to give you your Ni-Fe-Driven gifts.
The INFJ personality type is the rarest, comprising only one-and-a-half percent of the population. INFJs may never meet another person like themselves in their lifetime, and as intuitives, they’re numbered among the outliers since sensors make up 70 percent of the population.
In America, the preferred personality type is the ESTJ – the polar opposite of the INFJ. With the INFJ personality type being so rare and the culture at large favoring your opposite, it can be easy to feel left out, broken, misunderstood, and unappreciated. Complicating matters, INFJs possess a powerful desire to make a difference with their lives, fulfill their potential, do meaningful work, and live a life congruent with their high personal standards. INFJs put a great deal of pressure on themselves and expect that the ideal futures they vividly envision will become reality, but most people have a hard time understanding this desire.
For these reasons and more, it’s vital that people with the INFJ personality type understand themselves. They need to grasp who they are, understand their strengths, gain an appreciation of what makes them different from other types, and realize that they are normal – just different. When an INFJ learns these things, he or she can be more confident and plan a better, more productive path into the future.
I’ve gotten this question a lot lately, and it’s a good one. At first, it can be hard to tell the two apart because they do seem to share a lot in common. For a long time, before I got a better understanding of the Myers-Briggs personality system, I thought that I was an INFP. If you’re struggling to tell the difference like I was, there are some clear ways to tell the two personalities apart.
I know that I did and do every day. I have a hard time justexisting. I’ve got to know that I’m living my life purposefully and that I’m making a difference in the world, directly in individual people’s lives and indirectly for the betterment of the whole world.
This is one of the reasons that I struggle to do work that just pays the bills and puts food on the table. I know that covering expenses and eating are important, but I long to positively influence others, to inspire them to reach their potential, and to do it in an original, authentic way.
I don’t know if that’s your specific longing, but I bet you want the world to make sense, to understand it on a deep level, and to make a difference with your life. Most INFJs do.
But why is that? Why the intense longing for meaning?
I’m glad you asked. I applaud your healthy curiosity and willingness to learn more about the quiet people around you. While I can’t speak for all introverts, I can give you a glimpse of what being an introvert is like for me.
Allow me to take you inside my head for a quick look at what it’s like to be an introvert.
On what should have been my first day of kindergarten, I hid under the bed, unwilling to trade the quiet familiarity of my home for the unsettling clamor of elementary school. My mother determined that I needed another year of preschool, bless her heart.
Since that time, I’ve managed to integrate somewhat successfully into society at large, but there are still many challenges that confront me as an introvert living in an extroverted culture. They are the same ones that confront every introvert at some time or another.
In this post, I’ll share what are, in my opinion, the top 5 introvert struggles.
What do you do when you don’t want to be around extroverts? More specifically, how can you live happily with the extroverts in your life with out getting overly drained or frustrated?
In this episode of the I Speak People show, we discuss those questions and explore the biological differences between introverts and extroverts. We also talk about three common situations where introverts and extroverts butt heads as well as some possible solutions that can help you through those circumstances when they arise.
Picture this. You’re sitting on your porch, enjoying a novel and a cup of coffee, basking in the sunlight. Robins are singing, and there’s a pleasant chill lingering in the air. It’s the perfect morning.
Suddenly, unannounced and uninvited, your rowdy neighbor rolls up in his Mustang. Windows down and “Stones” blaring, he yells from the street up to your porch, startling you and ruining the moment. For no good reason, he tries to start a conversation from 50 feet away, eliminating all but the memory of your peace and quiet. This is your plight, an introvert in an extroverted world.
While you may never have experienced the above scenario, I’ll bet you’ve been…
Interrupted when trying to concentrate
Talked over while getting your thoughts together
Put down for needing more alone time
Your struggle is real, so you wonder: Why are extroverts so draining?
Let’s take a look at a possible explanation, specific circumstances where extroverts frustrate you, and some potential solutions.
