Understanding the INFJ Personality Type for Personal Growth

Finding out that you fit the INFJ personality type gives you a lever for the rest of your personal development work. The information only helps if you actually understand the type, though, so it's worth getting clear on what drives these people before trying to put the knowledge to use. INFJs tend to be inventive and devoted, and they have a knack for walking other people through their struggles by coming up with solutions nobody else thought of.

The type is sometimes called The Counselor. People who hold it carry a firm sense of personal integrity, and they often take on the role of a creative caretaker, someone who wants others to grow into what they could become. Their read on other people runs deep. An INFJ can often feel what someone is going through before that person has named the feeling themselves, and they lean on those perceptions because their instinct for people rarely misses.

Most INFJs keep to themselves. They guard their inner world and hand over their private thoughts only to a small circle. A strong set of personal values steers their choices. Because they are so idealistic, they can picture a future that is close to flawless, which is both a gift and a weakness: the gap between that vision and a rough reality can leave them discouraged. What pulls them back up is their willingness to act. They genuinely want to leave the world better than they found it, and they will do what the job takes.

If you're wondering how many people share the type, the short answer is: not many. INFJ is the rarest of all the Myers-Briggs categories. Roughly two percent of the overall population comes out as INFJ. Split by sex, it lands around one percent of men and about two percent of women.

Hobbies matter in personal development because the right ones move you toward the life you actually want. With a sense of how INFJs operate, you can guess at activities that suit them. Small, close gatherings where conversation can go deep tend to appeal more than big crowds, so socializing in intimate settings sits high on the list.

A few patterns show up when you look closer at the type. On trait scales, INFJs score as sympathetic, sincere, patient, reserved, unassuming, submissive and easygoing. They are among the most likely to stay in college, and they frequently end up with a high GPA. When stress hits, this type is more likely than any other to see a therapist to work through it. Their values circle around learning, spirituality and service to their community. One less flattering finding: compared with every other type, INFJs report the highest levels of dissatisfaction in marriage. Careerwise they often gravitate toward religion, teaching, counseling and the arts.

Studying the type gives you a starting point, nothing more. You can take what fits and apply it to choosing work that suits you and shaping the other parts of your life so they feel more complete. The real payoff is self-knowledge: a clearer sense of why you act the way you do and who you actually are. References: http://www.truity.com/view/types and http://www.mbtilist.com/