INFP

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INFP (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving) is an acronym utilized to refer to one of the sixteen personality type^[1] preferences.^[2] These preferences are based on the work of the prominent psychologist Carl G. Jung. In his book Psychological Types, Jung proposed a psychological typology based on his theories of archetypes.

From his work, others developed psychological typologies. Well known personality tests and their developers are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), developed by Isabel Briggs Myers; the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, developed by David Keirsey; and Socionics, founded mainly by the Lithuanian researcher Aušra Augustinavičiūtė.

According to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, INFPs belong to the temperament^[3] of the idealists and are called Healers.

In Socionics INFps belong to the club of the Humanitarians^[4], the beta Quadra ^[5], and are named "Lyricists" and "Romantics". (Another notation for INFp is IEI (which is an acronym for Intuitive-Ethical Intratim, referring to the cognitive functions)).

Contents 1 The INFP Personality 2 MBTI cognitive functions 3 Socionics cognitive functions 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] The INFP Personality

• As Introverts, INFPs tend to be quiet and reserved, have few close friends, and expend energy in social situations (as opposed to Extraverts, who tend to gain energy in social situations).^[6]

• As Intuitives they tend to focus on the "big picture" rather than the details, and the future rather than the "here and now".^[7]

• As Feelers they tend to rely on a personal, internal sense of right and wrong rather than external, objective criteria. They tend to make decisions based on feelings and social considerations rather that logic.^[8]

• As Perceivers they tend to withhold judgement and delay important decisions, prefering to "keep their options open" should circumstances change.^[9]

[edit] MBTI cognitive functions

Isabel Myers (drawing upon Jungian theory) proposed a hierarchy of cognitive functions where each of the personality types possessed a dominant function (i.e. the function which most informs the individual's personality), and then three more functions (called "auxiliary", "tertiary", and "inferior") listed in descending order of strength and importance. For the INFP, the functions are:^[10]

Dominant: Introverted Feeling (Fi): INFPs live primarily in a rich inner world of emotion.
Auxiliary: Extroverted Intuition (Ne): INFPs engage the outside world primarly with intuition, adept at seeing the big picture, sensing patterns and the flow of existence from the past toward the future.
Tertiary: Introverted Sensing (Si): This function gives INFPs a natural inclination toward absent-mindedness, and makes them more easily distracted.
Inferior: Extroverted Thinking (Te): This functions helps INFPs focus on external details, but being the inferior function requires the expenditure of energy, so it not often used.

Later personality researchers have added four additional functions to the descending heirarchy, so-called "shadow" functions to which the individual is not naturally inclined, but which can emerge when the person is under stress. These shadow functions are:

• Extroverted Feeling (Fe)
• Introverted Intuition (Ni)
• Extroverted Sensing (Se)
• Introverted Thinking (Ti)

[edit] Socionics cognitive functions

1. introverted intuition (Ni)
2. extroverted feeling (Fe)
3. introverted sensing (Si)
4. extroverted thinking (Te)
5. extroverted sensing (Se)
6. introverted thinking (Ti)
7. extroverted intuition (Ne)
8. introverted feeling (Fi)

IEI (INFp)

Model A

[edit] References

1. ^ Type
2. ^ Preference
3. ^ Temperament
4. ^ Club
5. ^ Quadra
6. ^ Introvert
7. ^ Intuitive
8. ^ Feeler
9. ^ Perceiver
10. ^ Functions

[edit] See also

• Keirsey Temperament Sorter
• MBTI
• Socionics
• Personality psychology
• Basic Concepts in Sociology (book)

[edit] External links

MBTI and Keirsey

• http://www.geocities.com/lifexplore/infp.htm?20075
• Description from www.typelogic.com
• Description from typetango.com
• Description from keirsey.com
• Research on INFPs
• "The Happy Introvert" about INFPs
• INFP Introverts - The Blog
• INFP type

Socionics

• http://www.socionics.com/advan/prof/infp.htm
• http://socionics.com/prof/infp.htm
• http://socionics.us/socioniko/en/1.1.types/te.html
• http://the16types.info/types-INFP.php

Chat Groups and Forums

• http://infp.globalchatter.com/

Jungian psychology
	Myers-Briggs Type Indicator | Keirsey Temperament Sorter | Socionics
Personality types:	ISTJ | ISTP | ISFJ | ISFP | INTJ | INTP | INFJ | INFP | ESTJ | ESTP | ESFJ | ESFP | ENTJ | ENTP | ENFJ | ENFP