INFP - The Idealist

Introverted Intuition with Extroverted Thinking

Compassionate, Virtuous, Committed, Creative, Devoted, Reticent, Gentle, Adaptable, Loyal, Contemplative, Empathetic

General: 

​INFPs focus deeply on their values, and they devote their lives to pursing the ideal. They often draw people together around a common purpose and work to find a place for each person within the group. They are creative, and they seek new ideas and possibilities. They quietly push for what is important to them, and they rarely give up. While they have a gentleness about them and a delightful sense of humor, they may be somewhat difficult to get to know and may be overlooked by others. They are at their best making their world more in line with their internal vision of perfection.  

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Living:

​INFP children often create their own fantasy world and live very much within it. Sometimes others wonder if they are in touch with reality. They often get lost in their thoughts and books, and may develop a special ability of communicating, such as writing. They are somewhat reserved, especially in new situation. INFPs decide early on what is valuable to them. They tend to rely on themselves for direction and do not ask others for help. As teens, they like to have small group of close friends to share good times and they are often quite entertaining, since they see the world in a different and special way.  When they set their minds on things, INFPs will not give up easily.  As young adults, INFPs may have some difficulty finding the ideal career and the ideal mate.  INFPs may drift from one job to another as they have a need for perfection connecting with their values. They need a purpose beyond paycheck. They become burned out easily if their job does not fit their value system. In retirement, INFPs need to look back and feel that they have led a worthwhile life that has made a difference. 

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Learning:

​INFPs learn best in flexible situations where they know the teacher takes a personal interest in them.  They want to feel free to dig into subjects that are of their interests. An INFP graduate got A in all the courses that were the most difficult for others because she was interested in them. INFPs may appear not paying attention the details of the assignment so it is best if they have teachers who appreciate their unique approach. Having both flexibility and creativity rewarded is encouraging to them. 

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Working:

​INFPs contribute their creativity, their value system and their ability to work with others. They see what needs to happen in a broad sense and dislike dealing with red tapes. They see the large picture and how specific program fit in. They do not dwell on the trivialities or details. They may have trouble to finishing what they start because of their perfectionistic nature.  Their job must be fun, and must be meaningful to them.They want to be recognized and valued, without undue attention given to them. People usually like working with INFPs even though they may not know them well. They enjoy occupations such as counselor, editor education, fine arts journalist, psychologist, religious educator, social scientist etc that engage their values. 

Leading:

The INFP leadership style is subtle, gentle, indirect, and inclusive of others. They are good at assigning right people for the right tasks and working with them to get the job done. They are not aggressive but highly persistent; only reluctantly do INFPs assume leadership roles. They encourage others by appreciation and praise.  They do not like following all the rules and regulations, they seek to get things done in their own style. 

Leisure:

Leisure activities are very important to INFPs, but at times it is difficult for them to separate work from play. Many of the INFPs leisure activities are done alone –reading, gardening, or reflection time likely appeal to them. INFPs often enjoy leisure time with loved ones as well. When they want to be sociable, they can be exceedingly charming and outgoing. Their flexibility, gentleness, and sense of humor can make them quite popular in social situations. 

Loving:

For INFP, love is a very deep commitment, and one that is not easily attained. With their ideal firmly envisioned, the first date is carefully planned and prepared. INFPs may have difficulty sharing their feelings about others. They keep so many of those feelings inside that they may forget to tell their partner how much they love and appreciate them. They also need reminders of their partner’s love. When things go wrong, the INFP takes it to heart but does not readily discuss it with others.