By Jesse Gerroir and Ryan Smith
Introverted Feeling in INFPs
The dominant function of INFPs is Introverted Feeling. Often confusing to others, Introverted Feeling is an attenuation towards inner feeling. On the surface, this might make it seem like it would make INFPs self-centered, or like they would care more about themselves than others. But to the contrary, most INFPs care deeply about others, oftentimes at their own expense.
Introverted Feeling tends to be highly attuned to personal sentiments that, by their nature, are inherently subjective. For example, when we get nostalgic and feel intensely for some aspect of the past just by looking at something ordinary that reminds us of memories deeply personal to ourselves. Or when we are beset by disappointment as we come to the realization that something isn’t going to pan out the way we thought it would; indeed that it will not live up to the expectations that exactly we had.
Other examples of deeply personal sentiment might include the feeling of emptiness when a person we love is gone or when we cannot do the things that we used to enjoy. Or the nervous anticipation about a dream we have had that we might be able to tell others about, but which nobody else would be able to experience in exactly the way we did.
In each of these cases, the emotional reaction we undergo is a nuanced reaction triggered more by a complex web of personal sentiments than by the thing that happened in itself.
In essence, all such emotion is being felt internally, as opposed to the more immediate emotional reactions we undergo when we react directly to internal stimuli in the world, such as being moved by a fine arts painting for no other reason than for the sheer beauty of it; or when we react to it (as with Extroverted Sensation) because others have told us that we should react to it in a certain way or feel a certain thing about it (as with Extroverted Feeling).
Now, this is not to say that INFPs – or indeed people in general – do not experience both of these types of emotional reactions. Rather, the point is that INFPs are often more attuned to the reactions that were hatched and bred internally, that is, towards the introverted side of the feeling spectrum. Indeed, INFPs tend to develop strongly nuanced inner ideals through repeated emotional experiences; a process that builds upon the internal emotional significance until a whole world of sentiment and values has been constructed on the inside.
This process in INFPs all takes place in much the same way that INTPs develop inner frameworks of theory and throught to explain how the things they have come across work. Much like INTPs, INFPs will experience objects and occurrences in the outer world that will over time coalesce into intensely held and realized judgments.
However, unlike the INTP, the judgments formed in the psyche of INFPs are not theoretical definitions or abstracted principles, but rather living organic webs of meaning that are keenly felt by them. Most of the time, these webs of meaning are lived out so keenly by INFPs that they do not even realize that they are in fact deeply embedded in them; or that these webs are subjective and of their own creation. They just feel a strong sense that something is right or wrong, or that the thing has a particular significance or meaning.
Because INFPs are so embedded in their internal frames of reference, they can become riled up if they see others ignoring or ridiculing the significance that the INFP has seen in them. This, in part, accounts for much of the reason that many INFPs take up activist careers and become defenders of the downtrodden and the overlooked. They tend to care first and foremost about individuals and the individual’s struggles and lot in the world, as opposed to impersonal circumstances or faceless social forces. Letting someone know that they are not alone in their struggle will often be more important to them than pretending that everything can be understood in general impersonal or mechanical terms. In short, most INFPs are more concerned about helping others and genuinely connecting with them than they are in formulating general rules and observations that are ostensibly true for everyone, always.
This is all because while INFPs genuinely want to reduce suffering in the world, they are often paradoxically cognizant in recognizing suffering as part of the human condition. INFPs are often very different from the Extroverted Feeling types in this regard, where many Extroverted Feeling types will respond to suffering with soothing and assurance, reassuring the downtrodden that there is a place for them too in the world and that everything will be okay.
Extroverted Intuition in INFPs
While the descriptions of INFPs can make them out to be somewhat morose or angst-filled individuals who go about having such immense feelings about seemingly innocuous things that they swoon like maidens in Victorian novels, this is far from the truth.
In fact, it often tends to be ISFPs who are the more quiet or more reserved individuals due to their auxiliary function, Extroverted Sensation, and the differences between introverted and extroverted intuition. Where ISFPs are often very expressive in how they dress and have a great capacity for spontaneity in their actions, ISFPs are more likely to put their energy elsewhere than in the verbal or conceptual off-the-wall chaotic bubbliness that INFPs showcase on account of their Extroverted Intuition.
In general, Extroverted Intuition tends to prompt INFPs to jump more from idea to idea and to appear to be more animated than ISFPs in thought and conversation. INFPs are often spontaneous, and witty, and like to provoke smiles in others and disarm awkwardness. They often express themselves more freely verbally and seek this same kind of free, off-handed expression in others. They will often tease others in order to try and bring some life and emotion to the conversation, or to make it meaningful. In this respect, INFPs are not too different from the Extroverted Intuition-dominant brethren, the ENFPs and ENTPs.
While INFPs tend to embody a certain archetype or style in their tangible presentation (e.g., fashion or lifestyle), this look is rarely as distinct or archetypal as with ISFPs. On account of their Extroverted Intuition, INFPs tend to present as much more eclectic; indeed their style is often a bric-a-brac; a combination of a bunch of inspirations and ideas that they pulled from a variety of different stimuli that happened to tickle their imaginations – almost as their fancy struck them. In this manner, INFPs tend to contain an almost childlike curiosity and glee – and sometimes even innocence – where they tend to look at things with that unspoiled sense of wonder that only a child could.
One must be aware, however, that this presentation can be deceptive, for however childlike INFPs seem at first glance, they are far from intellectual simpletons or ingénues. Indeed, INFPs are often extremely reflective and serious, if also sometimes vulnerable people with a rich inner world. In their inner worlds, they nurture deeply held ideals and beliefs and despite their somewhat laid-back façade, are often keenly motivated individuals. Some might even speculate that the innocuous façade is a means to avoid compromising – or keep others from scrutinizing – this sensitive and unique inner world of theirs.
It is this inner sense of idiosyncrasy and wonder that, in terms of lifestyle, often drives INFPs to drift from person to person, from place to place, learning, feeling, and growing, while following their passions in a way that is true to them and letting them flourish in a personalized way. Most INFPs take years to achieve a sense of growth and transformation in and through what they do, by which they can carry themselves with authenticity, and explore life to further develop their authentic selves.
To others, particularly to Extroverted Feeling types, this yearning may make INFPs come across as self-centered at first glance, but in reality, INFPs tend to view almost all actions undertaken by an individual in earnest as transformative. So the exploration, the engagement, and the feeling out of what they are engaged with do not need to revolve around or be focused on the INFP themselves in the least. Indeed, many INFPs are in fact among the most selfless, giving, and altruistic of all the types in the way they relate to others.
One aspect in which INFPs, despite their auxiliary Extroverted Intuition, tend to be very different from ENFPs and ENTPs, is that they are fundamentally internally driven. They will take on challenges and jobs not so much for the external rewards or status they provide, but for the inner transformations and greater alignment with the values they can bring. On the other hand, unlike ISFPs, INFPs can be pulled in multiple conflicting directions because of the multifaceted nature of Extroverted Intuition. Whereas the Introverted Intuition of ISFPs tends to give them a deeper, if narrower, focus.
On account of the oppositions between their two topmost functions – their Introverted Feeling and their Extroverted Intuition – INFPs often long to freely express and explore their authentic selves while also longing for true, real, singular, and inner transformation and growth. The kaleidoscopic nature of Extroverted Intuition can thus sometimes mean that their ever-present yearning to explore conflicts with their inner (and greater) need to commit and to make singular values and avenues the main focus of their character.
Introverted Sensation in INFPs
In younger or immature INFPs, Introverted Sensation is often seen as restrictive or dogmatic. However, as freeing as endlessly exploring different avenues and values of life is, it by itself also leads to a vague sense of self unless coupled with something more continuous. Sometimes, one simply cannot find or discover one’s authentic self unless one also builds that self through integration with experience.
It is this semi-conscious sense of wanting to build character through experience that imparts the often-seen yearning in INFPs to get “back to basics.” That is, to want to reduce some of the cluttered or self-contradictory elements in their lives (discovered through Extroverted Intuition) with a more self-reliant and perpetual attitude. This yearning often takes the form of minimalism In INFPs, for example, in the desire to become less beholden to commercial, consumerist culture; to focus less on worldly possessions; to leave one’s life behind in order to go traveling for a while; to live in recluse; in harmony with nature, or perhaps join a community where everyone leads simple lives in the pursuit of common values.
Regardless of what form this yearning takes, it is when INFPs develop and make contact with their Introverted Sensation that they tend to realize that to further develop themselves, they will have to seek out and challenge themselves through simplicity rather than through multiplicity.
The challenges INFPs face in doing so often give them an inner reserve of strength. Their connection to Introverted Sensation makes them more aware of what they need and do not need in their lives; more aware of what they can and cannot do, and indeed more aware of themselves because they are finding the limitations of their authentic self rather than seeking to push those limits beyond what existence allows or expand one’s self indefinitely.
Through their connection with Introverted Sensation, INFPs are also often forced to develop skills that give their life a sense of regularity and reliability, which ultimately manifests in a greater sense of confidence in themselves. Once they have honed a set of practiced and proven methods that they can rely on to give them regular specific results, more of their personal potential will be unlocked for them to draw upon. Such methods could range from becoming more organized (e.g., using a planner or schedule) to learning how to budget and pay attention to money or mastering more job-specific skills that make them resourceful in terms of work and careers and thus end up giving them more freedom and self-assurance.
In this manner, Introverted Sensation can help mature INFPs feel like they have a handle on things. It helps them focus and to direct themselves, which also tends to mean that they become less opposed to the idea of settling down or establishing a base off of which they can build the lives they envision.
Likewise, a healthy connection to Introverted Sensation helps many INFPs realize that some things in life, as well as a true sense of character, can only be built through overcoming repeated experiences in a consistent and integrated manner.
Extroverted Thinking in INFPs
As their inferior function, Extroverted Thinking exists largely unconsciously in INFPs. This is most apparently seen in their dislike of rigid systems that prevent individuals from expressing their authentic selves. The most common expression of this dislike of systems is probably the oft-seen stereotype or cliché of the INFP as an activist or hippie who wants to escape from or dismantle ‘the system’ with its tax returns, bankers, lawyers, accountants, and large corporations.
While only one possible outcome of the INFP’s relationship to their inferior Extroverted Thinking, this trope is nevertheless illustrative, as many INFPs do indeed rebel against the impersonally regimented modes of organization around them. And in this respect, what may be seen as greedy corporations; industrialization that destroys the natural environment; corrupt governmental bodies, militaries, or police forces that act with impunity – indeed all of these large impersonal hierarchies – appear as evident targets to many an INFP.
Coming face to face with these ways of organizing human beings; systems where the personality of the individual tends to be overshadowed or repressed by the structure is thus the outer parallel to the INFP’s inner struggle to relate to their inferior function. Many INFPs tend to be noticeably wary of such structures and regard them as inherently flawed.
INFPs who have a particularly strained relationship with their inferior Extroverted Thinking might even see these structures as evil. Some may also judge individuals based on what 'system' they are part of and represent and may thus paradoxically end up ignoring or reducing the individuality of those persons in the same way that the system does. For example, a peace activist may accuse a soldier of being a murderer without stopping to get to know the soldier and their story; why they fought; why they did what they did, and what they truly believe.
INFPs who have a truly unhealthy relationship with their inferior function may even end up destroying or sabotaging whatever activist goal they are trying to achieve by unconsciously making their activism an expression of themselves rather than an activity that can potentially achieve tangible societal changes or benefits. For example, when certain animal welfare activists attack random passersby wearing fur coats to make a statement and end up making enemies instead of raising awareness. Without some healthy attempt to understand their own Extroverted Thinking, such people often end up taking actions so extreme that they end up alienating others and making statements so fanciful and unworkable that they become expressions of the INFP’s individual sentiment rather than attempts to bring about meaningful change.
It should be borne in mind, however, that these are examples of Extroverted Thinking at its most unhealthy in INFPs, and that all types have the potential to struggle with their inferior function in an analogous manner (the concrete pitfalls being different, but the challenge to relate to one’s inferior being structurally the same). It should also be recognized that while these fluctuations of the inferior may veer into excesses at times, they usually come from a genuinely idealistic striving to make the world a better place for the downtrodden, the marginalized, the ignored, and the underdog.
Conversely, a more mature relationship with the inferior function will generally lead INFPs to realize that while not ideal or agreeable to their values, the affairs of the world sometimes requires a “lesser of two evils” type of thinking. Or that it is, quite simply, sometimes hard to achieve meaningful change without the help and work of other people and that it is, to this end, very hard to get people to work together without some overall hierarchy or structure that inevitably suppresses individual authenticity for a collaborative purpose to some degree.
In this way, mature INFPs tend to realize that such large-scale systemic ways of organizing are not inherently evil but often a consequence of the need to organize people and the necessity to get things done.
It is through such integration of the inferior that INFPs are often able to find solace in the fact that it is indeed not just possible to protest but to bring about meaningful social change. That their lives will be much richer if they focus on developing skills to help others and bring about meaningful improvements with regard to the things they can change, and that incremental realistic improvements are often better than no improvement at all.
As with all of the types, the inferior function is largely unconscious in INFPs. Rather than getting caught up with wanting to attack or dismantle the system, INFPs are often better off turning to their tertiary Introverted Sensation to continuously and methodically work through the steps required to bring about the change they want to see in the world and to realize that it is these concrete and often smaller-scale steps toward change that over time that ultimately flourish into the large-scale impacts that so many INFPs desire.