Oh, hello.
In one of my last posts I talked about the Five Love Languages after I took a quiz to determine which love language I was most interactive with, and most receptive to. In the midst of taking personality quizzes, I decided to take the Myers-Briggs personality test on 16personalities.com to determine which one of the sixteen personality types I fall into. The website breaks down your personality in different scenarios: the workplace, relationships, friendships, etc. I'm just going to be going over the basic overview, and the strengths and weaknesses.
My result was INFP-T, which is the abbreviation for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception, -Turbulent.
"INFP personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better. While they may be perceived as calm, reserved, or even shy, INFPs have an inner flame and passion that can truly shine."
(source)
"INFP personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better. While they may be perceived as calm, reserved, or even shy, INFPs have an inner flame and passion that can truly shine."
(source)
Reading the description took a weight off of my shoulders because it was relieving to see the way I feel and act put into words, which sounds obvious because that's the point of a personality test, but I've gotten so much grief for finding the silver lining in things instead of being a realist. It's relieving to know it's not a bad trait, and I'm not the only one that shares this mindset.
"INFPs are led by the purity of their intent, not rewards and punishments. People who share the INFP personality type are proud of this quality, and rightly so, but not everyone understands the drive behind these feelings, and it can lead to isolation."
(source)
"INFPs are led by the purity of their intent, not rewards and punishments. People who share the INFP personality type are proud of this quality, and rightly so, but not everyone understands the drive behind these feelings, and it can lead to isolation."
(source)
While reading this entire last quote, I was thinking, "YES. YES. YES."
A lot of my actions are driven to help people, and I'm not looking for anything in return. I do things based on my desire to make things easier on other people because these are actions that I would appreciate if people did them for me. Basically the Golden Rule.
I haven't touched on the -T! It stands for Turbulent.
Turbulent types are more likely to be self-conscious perfectionists, concerned about their abilities or about how others perceive them.
Turbulent person to leave the impression of someone who cares enough to prepare – even overprepare – for something that matters.
The desire of Turbulent people to master everything “just in case,” though it can stretch them thin at times, also prepares them for the kind of unexpected eventualities that life throws our way all the time.
Turbulent types may wish to look for satisfaction not in satisfaction itself, but rather, in the search for satisfaction: the quest, in itself, being their reward.
Turbulence explains to me why I make sure to cover all of the bases before finishing a project, turning something in, and the reason that I need a second set of eyes to make sure something makes sense. It's probably the reason I've decided to run three different events at work, and take the reigns on Secret Santa. It also explains why I worry about what people think about me, along with a handful of personal reasons. I try to be well-prepared so I can be helpful to people, and every thread of this explanation ties together and composed me.
- Idealistic – INFPs’ friends and loved ones will come to admire and depend on them for their optimism. Their unshaken belief that all people are inherently good, perhaps simply misunderstood, lends itself to an incredibly resilient attitude in the face of hardship.
- Seek and Value Harmony – People with the INFP personality type have no interest in having power over others, and don’t much care for domineering attitudes at all. They prefer a more democratic approach, and work hard to ensure that every voice and perspective is heard.
- Open-Minded and Flexible – A live-and-let-live attitude comes naturally to INFPs, and they dislike being constrained by rules. INFPs give the benefit of the doubt too, and so long as their principles and ideas are not being challenged, they’ll support others’ right to do what they think is right.
- Very Creative – INFPs combine their intuitive nature with their open-mindedness to allow them to see things from unconventional perspectives. Being able to connect many far-flung dots into a single theme, it’s no wonder that many INFPs are celebrated poets and authors.
- Passionate and Energetic – When something captures INFPs’ imagination and speaks to their beliefs, they go all in, dedicating their time, energy, thoughts and emotions to the project. Their shyness keeps them from the podium, but they are the first to lend a helping hand where it’s needed.
- Dedicated and Hard-Working – While others focusing on the challenges of the moment may give up when the going gets tough, INFPs (especially Assertive ones) have the benefit of their far-reaching vision to help them through. Knowing that what they are doing is meaningful gives people with this personality type a sense of purpose and even courage when it comes to accomplishing something they believe in.
Weaknesses:
- Too Idealistic – INFPs often take their idealism too far, setting themselves up for disappointment as, again and again, evil things happen in the world. This is true on a personal level too, as INFPs may not just idealize their partners, but idolize them, forgetting that no one is perfect.
- Too Altruistic – INFPs sometimes see themselves as selfish, but only because they want to give so much more than they are able to. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as they try to push themselves to commit to a chosen cause or person, forgetting to take care of the needs of others in their lives, and especially themselves.
- Impractical – When something captures INFPs’ imagination, they can neglect practical matters like day-to-day maintenance and simple pleasures. Sometimes people with the INFP personality type will take this asceticism so far as to neglect eating and drinking as they pursue their passion or cause.
- Dislike Dealing With Data – INFPs are often so focused on the big picture that they forget the forest is made of individual trees. INFPs are in tune with emotions and morality, and when the facts and data contradict their ideals, it can be a real challenge for them.
- Take Things Personally – INFPs often take challenges and criticisms personally, rather than as inspiration to reassess their positions. Avoiding conflict as much as possible, INFPs will put a great deal of time and energy into trying to align their principles and the criticisms into a middle ground that satisfies everybody.
- Difficult to Get to Know – INFPs are private, reserved and self-conscious. This makes them notoriously difficult to really get to know, and their need for these qualities contributes to the guilt they often feel for not giving more of themselves to those they care about.
I saw a post titled, "Why Should We Care About Our Personality Tests?" and my answer to that is that there are reasons that we all act and react a certain way, and sometimes others don't understand the reasoning behind it, nor do we. To me, it's relieving to see traits that I've known about myself, but only at surface level, broken down in different scenarios. It gives some reason to the feelings of being an outsider, and being an introvert. Sometimes I find myself thinking why are you like this, but now there's an answer and it's just because I'm wired that way, as is everybody in their own way. This has reinforced me to keep differences in mind while meeting new people, and talking with those that I don't necessarily agree with. I am in a sliver of 4% of people wired like me, and it's a beautiful thing to be so unique.
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