INFJ Personality Type [The Counselor]

The Rarest Personality Type

The INFJ is the rarest personality type and makes up only about two percent of the general population. Caring, nurturing, and understanding, INFJ men and women often seem to understand us better than we understand ourselves. As the rarest type among men and the third least common type among women, INFJs are not easy to find — and honestly, we could use more of them.

Are you an INFJ? This test will help you find out.

INFJ Meaning

The INFJ four-letter combination means that:

• their focus is directed inward toward their own thoughts, feelings, and impressions (I for introversion);
• they look for patterns, meanings, and possibilities rather than focusing only on concrete facts (N for intuition);
• they prioritize relationships, emotions, and other people’s needs when making decisions (F for feeling);
• they prefer structure, planning, and organization over spontaneity (J for judging).

Being introverted means that you are a private person who gets energized by spending time alone or with a small group of close friends. Being intuitive means you tend to focus on patterns and possibilities rather than facts and details.

Being feeling means you listen to your gut feelings and prioritize relationships with other people. Being judging means that you like structure and organization and prefer to plan things in advance rather than act on impulse.

Other Names for INFJ

The official MBTI site calls this type “Insightful Visionary.”

David Keirsey called it “Counselor” or “Counsellor” in his second book, “Please Understand Me II,” but in his first book, “Please Understand Me,” which he co-authored with Marilyn Bates, he called it “Author.”

Alan Brownsword called this type “Visionary.” Linda Berens, in “The Sixteen Personality Types,” called this type “Foreseer Developer.” Jonathan P. Niednagel called it “Creative Wordsmith” in his brain typing theory.

Other names include “Adviser,” “Protector,” “The Advocate,” and “Confidant.”

In terms of the four classical personality types, the INFJ is similar to a Melancholic-Phlegmatic temperament.

How to Recognize an INFJ

INFJs usually appear quiet but friendly and caring. Although they are very private people, it quickly becomes clear that they have rich and complex inner lives.

Because they are so complex themselves, INFJs can often understand others effortlessly, including troubled people whom everyone else avoids.

INFJs are not natural leaders in the obvious, forceful sense, but they can be very influential. Unlike some other personality types, they influence others in a quiet and unimposing way. It is almost as if they are working behind the scenes, gently shaping the atmosphere around them.

INFJs are concerned with matters of morality and often think deeply about ethical issues. When making a decision, they check their internal moral compass first and then choose according to their values.

INFJ Interests, Hobbies, and Learning Style

INFJs learn best in an independent environment that gives them room for reflection and creativity. They particularly enjoy writing and will often choose liberal arts as a college major.

INFJ writers are masters of metaphor and are more likely than other writers to raise ethical and moral questions in their work. For reserved and private INFJs, writing is a way to express themselves and share their values with the world.

The INFJ’s physical energy is not as high as that of some other types. In their free time, they often enjoy reading, writing, photography, museums, art exhibitions, gardening, music, cinema, and theater.

INFJ in Love, Dating, and Relationships

INFJs yearn for romance, and while they may appear reserved with everyone else, they certainly do not hesitate to express their emotions with the people they love.

If things are good, their faces light up with joy. If things are bad, it will be written all over their faces too. Their friends and partners need to be careful with what they do and say because INFJs get hurt rather easily.

Because of their strong empathetic abilities, INFJ men and women may become aware of their partner’s emotions and intentions even before the other person is fully aware of them. This INFJ ability can make their partners feel as if their minds are being read — and not everyone likes that feeling.

People with the INFJ personality type like peace and harmony in their homes and will avoid conflict as much as they possibly can. They are loyal and committed to their partners, very romantic, and physically affectionate.

Some of the INFJ’s most important priorities include their partner’s physical health, emotional well-being, physical comfort, and overall happiness. This makes INFJs dream partners for many people.

How to Get an INFJ to Like You

• Listen to them. As the rarest personality type, INFJs often feel alone and misunderstood. They crave emotional connection and want someone to understand and appreciate them.
• Be loyal to them. INFJs need to know where they stand and cannot handle uncertainty when it comes to relationships.
• Open up. Share your feelings. When you share your emotions, you speak the INFJ language.
• Allow them to be alone when they need it.
• Keep your promises. INFJs need their partners to be reliable.
• Initiate conversations because they do not always know how to approach you first.

INFJ Strengths

INFJs are warm and friendly people who inspire others with their positive example. With their natural tact and altruistic tendencies, they help their friends, families, and colleagues understand themselves better and feel more at peace.

INFJ Weaknesses

Because INFJs are so committed to their vision and ideas, they may sometimes appear stubborn and single-minded. They also tend to skip essential facts and details, and some of their ideas may be unrealistic.

Once INFJs make up their minds about something, they may struggle to assess things objectively or see conflicting information. Another INFJ weakness is their extreme sensitivity to criticism.

6 Mistakes INFJs Make in Life

INFJ Decision-Making Style

When INFJs have to make a decision, they consider their values first and foremost. A typical INFJ will not do anything they believe is not right.

Because of this INFJ trait, there are many potential points of conflict when making a decision, especially in a corporate environment. First, things have to be right according to the INFJ’s moral standards. Second, the INFJ may struggle when forced to choose between the organization and people.

INFJs will usually take time to make their decision because they want to consider all possible implications of their choice. Because they spend a lot of time reviewing and debating possible options, others may begin to see them as procrastinators.

INFJ Leadership Style

As leaders, INFJs are future-oriented. They strive to create an atmosphere of harmony and cooperation where individual contributions are recognized and appreciated.

INFJ leaders inspire with their creativity, motivate with their positive attitude, and encourage others with their trust in people’s abilities.

On the negative side, INFJ men and women can frustrate others with their excessive focus on possibilities and their almost complete neglect of reality. They may overlook important facts and details and set unrealistic standards. Although they tend to avoid confrontation, INFJs still feel very frustrated when things do not go the way they hoped.

Random Facts About INFJs

• Although people with the INFJ personality type appear calm, they are not weak and do not want to be told what to do. They will politely listen to your suggestions and then do what they intended to do.
• INFJs spend a lot of energy making others feel happy and comfortable, only to find themselves stressed and drained in the end.
• INFJs may sometimes disregard logic and follow their intuition.
• INFJs are very observant; they can see things other people do not even notice.
• INFJ men and women are prone to overthinking and often feel mentally exhausted.
• Because the INFJ is the rarest personality type, people who belong to this type often feel like outsiders who do not fit in anywhere.
• An INFJ person can confuse others by being amiable and introverted at the same time.
• The INFJ forgives easily, even when treated poorly.
• The INFJ may act differently with different people, but not because they have no personality. INFJs are highly relational and can adjust to the individual needs of each person they interact with.
• Even though INFJs cannot take criticism, they are their own harshest critics.
• The INFJ may open up to you and talk about their feelings only to apologize afterward.
• INFJs can see our weaknesses, yet they do not typically use them to their advantage.
• Unless the INFJ is comfortable with you, they may appear boring.
• Although INFJs understand other people’s feelings very well, they do not spend much time sorting out their own emotions and still need support.
• The INFJ type is often confused with the ISFJ. Here is the list of their commonalities and differences.

Adjectives to Describe INFJs

• sensitive,
• caring,
• nurturing,
• intense,
• loyal,
• private,
• reserved,
• assertive,
• authentic,
• conscientious,
• committed,
• persistent,
• insistent,
• organized,
• decisive,
• deep,
• insightful,
• determined,
• compassionate,
• holistic,
• creative,
• visionary,
• intuitive,
• introverted,
• quiet,
• warm,
• wise,
• sympathetic,
• complex,
• growth-oriented,
• inspiring,
• understanding.

INFJ Careers

INFJs prefer to work in a peaceful atmosphere where their integrity is respected, their contributions are appreciated, and the work itself is something they believe in. They thrive in environments where they can use their imagination and creativity, especially if they are allowed to organize their own schedules.

INFJs are happiest when they are given responsibility and control over their projects.

INFJ Job List

• Adult Day Care Coordinator
• Animator
• Artist
• Career Counselor
• Child Welfare Counselor
• Chiropractor
• Clinical Psychologist
• Corporate Trainer
• Corrective Therapist
• Costume and Wardrobe Specialist
• Counselor
• Crisis Hotline Operator
• Curator
• Customer Relations Manager
• Desktop Publisher or Editor
• Developmental Psychologist
• Dietitian
• Diversity Manager
• Documentary Filmmaker
• Early Education Teacher
• Editor
• Editor or Art Director (magazine or web)
• Educational Consultant
• Educational Program Director
• Educational Software Developer
• Elementary Teacher
• Employee Assistance Counselor
• Employee Assistance Program Coordinator
• Environmental Attorney
• Environmental Lawyer
• Environmental Scientist
• Exhibit Designer
• Family Physician
• Film Editor
• Food Scientist
• Freelance Media Planner
• Fundraising Director
• Genealogist
• Grant Coordinator
• Graphic Designer
• Health Care Administrator
• Holistic Health Practitioner
• Human Resources Manager
• Human Resources Recruiter
• Interior Designer
• Interpreter
• Job Analyst
• Legal Mediator
• Legislative Assistant
• Librarian
• Literary Agent
• Marketer
• Massage Therapist
• Mediator or Conflict Resolver
• Medical Researcher
• Mental Health Counselor
• Merchandise Designer and Displayer
• Merchandise Planner
• Multimedia Producer
• Museum Research Worker
• Novelist
• Nutritionist
• Occupational Therapist
• Organizational Development Consultant
• Outplacement Consultant
• Parenting Instructor
• Philanthropic Consultant
• Physical Therapist
• Physician Assistant
• Poet
• Preferred Customer Sales Representative
• Project Manager
• Psychiatrist
• Public Health Educator
• School Counselor
• Set Designer
• Social Scientist
• Social Worker
• Sociologist
• Special Education Teacher
• Speech Pathologist
• Staff Advocate
• Substance Abuse Counselor
• Teacher (especially art or social sciences)
• Technical Writer
• Technology Consultant
• Translator
• Universal Design Architect
• Writer

Famous INFJ People

We already have an INFJ hall of fame here. It includes Nicole Kidman, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Mel Gibson, Lars von Trier, and their quotes that suggest they belong to the INFJ personality type.

INFJ Characters

Fictional characters often listed as INFJs include:

• Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, and Lily Potter from “Harry Potter”
• Anne Elliot from “Persuasion”
• Magneto and Professor X from “X-Men”
• Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable from “The Cosby Show”
• Luke Skywalker from “Star Wars”
• Gandalf from “The Hobbit”
• Haku (Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi) from “Spirited Away”
• Lord Varys from “Game of Thrones”

More on the INFJ type: 6 Mistakes INFJs Make in Life.

Some background on the origin of this theory here: Jung Personality Types.