INFP and proud of it!!!
They might go for long periods without noticing a stain on the carpet, but carefully and meticulously brush a speck of dust off of their project booklet.
This is NOT me! I notice everything!!!
The rarest of the types, INFPs usually have unique, unconventional takes on life. This being the case, don't be surprised if you hold some unusual views on love. You can be at once romantic and independent, sometimes both to excess.
About Your Idealist Temperament Idealists are spiritual, intuitive people who can enjoy spending a great deal of time and energy working toward a better understanding of who they are. The ultimate hope of this group is to attain true wisdom. For the most part, Idealists are enthusiastic individuals who can find joy meaningful relationships as well as the world around them. People of this temperament can pride themselves on being loving, kindhearted, and authentic. Other fine traits include being more giving and trusting than many around them. An often-passionate temperament that yearns for romance, Idealists can make intense mates, nurturing parents, and inspirational leaders.
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Being a Healer (INFP)
As a Healer, you have the capacity to care deeply about the inner lives of those close to you, as well as about favorite causes in the world at large. More than other types, you can have a great passion and ability to heal the conflicts that trouble individuals or divide groups. In your efforts, you seek to bring wholeness and health to others as well as to yourself.
Healers typically possess a profound sense of idealism, the kind that comes from a strong personal sense of right and wrong. As a result, you may view the world around you as an ethical, honorable place, full of wondrous possibilities and potential goods. For others to understand you well, they should know the kind of deep commitment you can have to the things you see as positive and good. At times, you can display an almost boundless selflessness. This willingness to make extraordinary sacrifices for the people and things you believe in can be very inspiring.
Because your type is set off from the rest of the world by a sense of privacy and the mere fact that there are so few of you (around one percent of the population), Healers like you can sometimes feel isolated in your idealism. You may also feel a sense of separation because of an often-misunderstood childhood. If your early years were as fantasy-filled as most Healers' were, you might have been discouraged or even punished for your wild notions. If grownups told you to get your head out of the clouds, you probably began believing that being fanciful or dreamy was bad. This belief may have lead to a bit of an ugly duckling complex. In truth, you likely were - and are -- quite all right just as you are. Know that you're simply different from most others, like a swan reared in a family of ducks.
In professional and scholastic situations, your type can be quite adaptable. This tendency can include an ability to welcome new ideas and information, as well as having patience when complicated situations arise. You are not, however, one to be patient handling routine details. Chances are, you have a natural interest in scholarly activities. You're also apt to demonstrate a remarkable facility with language, a talent possessed by most of your fellow Idealists (NFs). Others likely admire your gift for telling tall tales, or for writing stories of your own in lyrical, poetic fashion.
Socially, you tend to relate well with others because of your ability to keenly tune into people's feelings. However, because of your usually private nature, you can also be quite happy alone. When it comes to making decisions big and small, you're apt to follow your heart rather than your head. So although you sometimes make errors of fact, you'll seldom make errors of feeling. You're a person who tends to be well acquainted with your inner life, and who can use that knowledge to your benefit. Frequently this inner voice can call you to go forth into the world and help others. This is a message you seem ready to answer, even if you must sometimes sacrifice your own comfort to do it.
Work and Career
You may have a tendency to perceive questions of meaning in trivial office matters and to worry about far-flung consequences of your actions. In your ideal work environment, you would likely be free to pursue depth rather than breadth, and quality rather than quantity. You tend to feel most rewarded when your projects and daily tasks allow you to immerse yourself in your personal process. It's ordinarily important for you to satisfy your inner standards of quality. At times, you can be uncomfortable with the notion of authority. As a result, you may avoid both leading, as well as being led, either consciously or unconsciously. Adhering to fixed roles and rules can feel like an abdication of your responsibility to exercise your own conscience. This can make most corporate environments difficult for you.
Like other Idealists, you are wired to pursue personal growth, authenticity, and integrity. You yearn to develop yourself fully as an individual and to facilitate that growth in others. You tend to thrive when you can turn your attention to the personal concerns of your coworkers, clients, and customers - as well as to your own personal growth.
At Work with the Four Temperaments
At Work with Artisans : Artisans (SPs) are wired to seize freedom and spontaneity. They hunger for the liberty to act on their impulses, to play, and to create. They make up about 15-20% of the population.
In business, Artisans are crisis managers and troubleshooters. They can be expert at solving problems and doing what is necessary, whether they are expressly permitted to or not. They are practical, resourceful, flexible, and risk-taking individuals. Coworkers are apt to enjoy their creativity and verbal wit, but may perceive Artisans as indecisive or even as troublemakers.
At Work with Guardians : Guardians (SJs) are wired to seek belonging to a group or community. They often stabilize relationships and institutions through their responsible, conventional behavior. They make up about 40-45% of the population.
At work, Guardians tend to be administrators and managers. They can be expert at doing what needs to be done, and in the manner is must be done. They are dependable, accountable, realistic, and service-oriented. Coworkers likely appreciate their desire to belong and contribute, but may perceive Guardians as being either slave drivers or sticks-in-the-mud.
At Work with Rationals : Rationals (NTs) are wired to acquire competence and intelligence. Ordinarily, they strive to learn, know, predict, and control the resources and ideas in their environment. They make up 5-10% of the population.
In the workplace, Rationals are often the researchers and strategists. They can be expert at conceptualizing and seeing the big picture, as well as architecting and implementing the necessary systems. They are logical, precise independent individuals who usually are responsive to new ideas. Coworkers often appreciate their ingenuity and competence, but may perceive Rationals as being impersonal and not good with follow-through.
At Work with Idealists : Idealists (NFs) are wired to pursue personal growth, authenticity, and integrity. They can yearn both to develop fully as individuals and to facilitate growth in others. Idealists make up 20-25% of the population.
In work environments, Idealists are usually positive, helpful, and people-oriented. They can be expert at dealing with the human resource concerns of an organization, whether these issues are part of their job description or not. Idealists are warm, idealistic, caring individuals. Coworkers are apt to appreciate their authenticity and loyalty to the human side of the business, but may perceive Idealists as not being effective enough or even of being flaky.
Tips to Help You Find the Right Workplace
- Try to seek out an aesthetically pleasing, personal, and democratic environment in which you and your co-workers are free to be yourselves and to build friendships.
- Be wary of career moves that take you away from the core of what you love or compromise your strong ideals.
- Don't underestimate the value of life experience you picked up outside the parameters of formal schooling or paid work. Give yourself credit for all of your talents.
- Consider creating your own job.
In general, as an Idealist, you're part of a pretty satisfied bunch when it comes to work. About 75% of Idealists are either extremely or somewhat satisfied in their current positions. This contentment doesn't appear to be related to flexible schedules, lucrative stock options, altruistic practices, allowing pets in the workplace, or even company-sponsored parties on Fridays. Having challenging work seems to tip the scales a little bit. However overall, Idealists like you simply seem to like what they do. With this statistic in mind, it appears that career choice in itself will be the key to your workplace happiness and success.
Love and Relationships
Rare are those people able to leave you enough space for your solitary quest while still meeting your need for deep connection. You're apt to seek a partner who won't be frightened by or critical of the expanse of your imagination. Oftentimes, you'll fall for "diamonds in the rough" because of your rare ability to see the positive qualities that others have overlooked in them.
In loving relationships, you're likely to a seek partner with a well-developed inner life. You want to be with the kind of person to whom you can freely express your wild ideas. However, because you can tend to go through periods of extreme withdrawal, followed by periods of wanting intense closeness, you'll also be wise to find a partner who can roll with the punches. Idealists are known for being high-maintenance mates in this way. Still, over time you're one to give as good as you get, and then some.
What Each Letter Means
The pair of letters are E-I, S-N, T-F, and J-P. No single letter should be taken as naming a type of person. For example, there are no "Extraverts" or "Thinkers," as such. A personality is a complex union of traits. These letters merely suggest stronger or weaker tendencies in a person's overall makeup. The pairs of letters stand for the following qualities:
| E = Extraversion | I = Introversion |
| S = Sensation | N = Intuition |
| T = Thinking | F = Feeling |
| P = Perception | J = Judgment |
The terms Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I) describe two vastly different social styles. People who score high in Extraversion on the Temperament Sorter tend to be gregarious and expressive; those scoring high on Introversion tend to be private and reserved.
People strong in Extraversion are typically more comfortable socializing with groups than being alone. They often report that they're energized by contact with other people. These individuals usually have a large circle of friends and are happy to approach others, even strangers, to talk. For people high in Extraversion, social banter is usually an easy and pleasant thing. Interaction is something that makes them feel alive. As a result, too much quiet and seclusion can actually exhaust such persons. They tend to report feelings of loneliness or power drain when not in contact with others.
On the other hand, people prone to Introversion often seem more comfortable alone than in a crowd. They tend to draw energy from private, solitary activities, including reading, listening to music, and working by themselves on their latest project or favorite hobby. Introverts usually have a few, long-time friends, and can remain in contact with larger groups only so long before their energies are depleted. If their job, family, or social responsibilities require them to be outgoing or take center stage, they can soon become exhausted and need down time in quiet places to rest and recharge their batteries.
Remember, however, that no one is simply an "Extravert" or an "Introvert." These terms are merely end points on the E-I scale, with most everyone falling somewhere in between. Most individuals embody a mixture of these two social styles. Also, different tasks or roles at work or in the family can bring out more Extraversion or Introversion in a person. This dimension of personality, more than the other three, is fluid and situational.
The Sensory/Intuitive (S-N) scale on the Temperament Sorter differentiates between two distinct kinds of human focus. People with high Sensory scores pay more attention to what is going on outside themselves in the world of concrete things; people with high Intuitive scores pay more attention to what is going on inside themselves in the abstract world of ideas.
Sensory people make up the vast majority of the population -- upwards of 85%. These people seem more at home in the material world, where they spend their time looking after the business of everyday living: food and clothing, transportation and shelter, job and family, recreation and social life. With their eye on physical realities, they tend to see all the particulars of what is right in front of them. They typically focus on what's happening in the here-and-now, or what has happened in the past, rather than speculating about future possibilities. These are practical, down-to-earth people who want facts, trust facts, and remember facts. They believe in common sense and usually trust that experience is the best teacher.
In contrast, people who are strongly Intuitive seem more at home in the abstract, conceptual world of ideas. Intuitive types deal in inferences, theories, daydreams, musings, speculations, and symbols -- things that can only be seen with the mind's eye. In fact, because they're so often focused on their internal world, these individuals can sometimes miss a great deal of what's going on around them. For highly Intuitive people, reality is not a solid, present thing, but is more a mental image or a stage of development toward some future ideal. The possible almost always looms large for Intuitive people: whatever "is" can be better. They can be fascinated by hypotheses and potentials. They are also often absorbed by their vivid and complex imaginations. The S-N scale measures the most fundamental of the four dimensions of personality. It's the first cut, so to speak, in evaluating one's type.
However, this delineation doesn't mean that being Intuitive or Sensory is an "either-or" proposition. Intuitive individuals certainly turn outward at times and pay attention to the world at large; they're just far more inclined to become preoccupied with their own ideas. So too, Sensory people do sometimes look inward to ponder and to dream. However, for the most part their flights of imagination lag well behind their real-world observations. Neither type can occupy both worlds at once, and each will usually show a clear preference for one over the other.
The Thinking/Feeling (T-F) scale assesses how people govern themselves and make decisions. Everyone has both thoughts and feelings. However those who score high on Thinking tend to use their head more when making choices, while those scoring high on Feeling tend to follow their hearts.
People falling on the Thinking end of the scale tend to be more comfortable basing their actions on impersonal, objective factors. Thinking people can be critical and exacting, both with themselves and others. They're often convinced only by hard data and sound reasoning. Individuals who scored highly in Thinking tend to be frank and straightforward. They are the kind of people who are usually willing to speak their minds and stick to their guns, even if it causes conflict with others. They're known for being tough-minded in their decisions, preferring to keep emotions and desires out of the process as much as possible. Thinking types do have powerful feelings, but a strong show of emotion can embarrasses them. As a result, they'll usually keep their feelings in check rather than appearing to lose self-control, even at the risk of seeming hard-nosed or cold.
In contrast, people on the Feeling end of the scale are typically more comfortable basing their actions on personal, emotional factors. When considering their course, this type will consult their feelings first and will almost always show concern for others. For the most part, these individuals are sympathetic and sentimental. As a result, many times they can be swayed by powerful desire or a touching appeal. Feeling people tend to be softhearted when making decisions. They don't like to hurt anyone's feelings. It's not that Feeling individuals necessarily have more or deeper emotions than those on the Thinking end of the scale. They simply let their feelings show more easily. This tendency makes them seem warmer and friendlier, which in turn can give them an easier time getting along with others.
The Judgment/Perception (J-P) scale measures how people process information and arrange their lives. Those who score high on Judgment tend to make up their mind quickly and commit to schedules, while those scoring high on Perception prefer to keep their options open and their timetables flexible.
People strong in Judgment waste no time forming opinions or drawing conclusions. They often report feeling a sense of urgency until a decision is made, and can rest only after everything is settled. Closure and finality are important to these individuals, as is orderly procedure. As a result, they can be quick to make schedules, agendas, or timetables for themselves and others to follow. People strong in Judgment will establish deadlines and take them seriously, expecting others will do the same. They're usually comfortable with routines and can be willing to do all sorts of maintenance and cleaning up after a task, feeling that these are necessary steps for a job's completion. For this type, neatness counts. They usually feel unhappy or unsettled when their personal space is a mess. Straightening things up is often near the top of their list.
For their part, people given to Perception keep their eyes open to what's around them, gathering information and looking for opportunities and alternatives that might be available. They usually feel no hurry to nail things down or settle on a finished product. Instead, they tend to prefer exploring possibilities. These individuals are often playful and spontaneous in action. Schedules can make them feel hurried and over-controlled; they tend to look upon deadlines as mere reminders to get on with the job. Also, People high in Perception prefer their work to be enjoyable and meaningful. If a task of routine maintenance or clean up falls to them, they may balk at doing it, or may leave it to someone else. Easy-going, even somewhat impulsive, these people are usually quite tolerant of mess. Their personal spaces are often cluttered with an assortment of things they've picked up, used, then dropped and forgotten about.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is temperament?
There are two sides to personality: One is temperament and the other is character. Temperament is a set of inclinations we are born with, while character is a set of habits we acquire as we grow and mature. Character is disposition, developed over a lifetime; temperament is predisposition, hardwired in from birth. Thus, those of the Artisan temperament are predisposed to impulsive action, those of the Guardian temperament to responsible service, those of the Idealist temperament to personal development, and those of the Rational temperament to objective analysis. Each type of person, unless blocked or deflected by an unfavorable environment, will develop the habits of character appropriate to his or her temperament.
Put another way, our brain is a sort of computer that has temperament for its hardware and character for its software. Our hardware is the physical base of our personality, placing on each of us an unmistakable temperament signature, some facets of which can be observed from a very early age. Our software on the other hand, is made up of our individual experience and social environment -- the forces around us that, with time and occasion, give shape to our individual character.
Thus temperament is the inborn form of human nature and character is the emergent form that develops through the interaction of temperament and environment. Personality, your unique personal style, is a combination of the two.
How can the Temperament Sorter help me?
Fundamentally, the Temperament Sorter helps you to do two things: Understand your own temperament, and gain insight to other peoples'. Possessing this valuable knowledge of human nature can have a variety of far-reaching effects on your life.
In the work world, being savvy about your temperament can lead you to a clearer understanding of your natural role and functions within an organization. It can also help you better capitalize on your personal strengths to build your success. By comprehending your coworkers' temperaments and how each temperament relates, you can begin to master your interactions with supervisors and staff. In addition, being able to interpret others' innate styles can help you to meet their implicit expectations, as well as increasing your own leadership abilities.
In your personal life, being knowledgeable about temperament can help you build strong, lasting ties with others. This is true because it aids you in anticipating your loved ones' needs and respecting their different ways of dealing with life. When you are responsive to others, you will naturally be looked upon as dependable, responsible, helpful, and empathetic. These are all wonderful qualities to bring to your personal relationships. In addition, coming to terms with your own temperament and innate tendencies can bring new levels of wisdom and self-knowledge to all of your interactions, as well as identifying how your particular temperament impacts and influences others.
