Portrait of an INFJ - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging (Introverted Intuition with Extraverted Feeling) The Protector As an INFJ, your

primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take th ings in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your per sonal value system. INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one p ercent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare o f all the types. INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their o uter world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for gettin g things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives . On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pi npoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usua lly right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict b etween the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organ ized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk. INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs repor t experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there b eing a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car a ccident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which ca n be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are de ep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to unders tand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive. But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special plac e in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their specia l gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and c annot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may driv e the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They ma y tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress. Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own in stincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to i gnore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other han d, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full pote ntial. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always somet hing else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their acc omplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in ac cordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of the ir personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. Th ey don't believe in compromising their ideals.

INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving pa rents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expecta tions of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But genera lly, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined wit h deep caring. In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel i n the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or ve ry detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the oth er extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no lo nger see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not. The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not nece ssarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and pe rsonal achievement. Jungian functional preference ordering: Dominant: Introverted Intuition Auxiliary: Extraverted Feeling Tertiary: Introverted Thinking Inferior: Extrav erted Sensing Careers for INFJ Personality Types Whether you're a young adult trying to find your place in the world, or a not-so -young adult trying to find out if you're moving along the right path, it's impo rtant to understand yourself and the personality traits which will impact your l ikeliness to succeed or fail at various careers. It's equally important to under stand what is really important to you. When armed with an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and an awareness of what you truly value, you are in a n excellent position to pick a career which you will find rewarding. INFJs generally have the following traits: Intuitively understand people and situations Idealistic Highly principled Complex and deep Natural leaders Sensitive and compassionate towards people Service-oriented Future-oriented Value deep, authentic relationships Reserved about expressing their true selves Dislike dealing with details unless they enhance or promote their vision Constantly seeking meaning and purpose in everything Creative and visionary Intense and tightly-wound Can work logically and rationally - use their intuition to understand the goal a nd work backwards towards it The INFJ is a special individual who needs more out of a career than a job. They need to feel as if everything they do in their lives is in sync with their stro ng value systems - with what they believe to be right. Accordingly, the INFJ sho uld choose a career in which they're able to live their daily lives in accordanc

e with their deeply-held principles, and which supports them in their life quest to be doing something meaningful. Since INFJs have such strong value systems, a nd persistent intuitive visions which lend them a sense of "knowing", they do be st in positions in which they are leaders, rather than followers. Although they can happily follow individuals who are leading in a direction which the INFJ ful ly supports, they will very unhappy following in any other situation. The following list of professions is built on our impressions of careers which w ould be especially suitable for an INFJ. It is meant to be a starting place, rat her than an exhaustive list. There are no guarantees that any or all of the care ers listed here would be appropriate for you, or that your best career match is among those listed. Possible Career Paths for the INFJ: Clergy / Religious Work Teachers Medical Doctors / Dentists Alternative Health Care Prac titioners, i.e. Chiropractor, Reflexologist Psychologists Psyc hiatrists Counselors and Social Workers Musicians and Artist s Photographers Child Care / Early Childhood Development INFJ Relationships

INFJs are warm and affirming people who are usually also deep and complex. They' re likely to seek out and promote relationships that are intense and meaningful. They tend to be perfectionists, and are always striving for the Ultimate Relati onship. For the most part, this is a positive feature, but sometimes works again st the INFJ if they fall into the habit of moving from relationship to relations hip, always in search of a more perfect partner. In general, the INFJ is a deepl y warm and caring person who is highly invested in the health of their close rel ationships, and puts forth a lot of effort to make them positive. They are value d by those close to them for these special qualities. They seek long-term, lifel ong relationships, although they don't always find them. INFJ Strengths Warm and affirming by nature Dedicated to achieving the ultimate relationship Sensitive and concerned for others' feelings Usually have good communication skills, especially written Take their commitments very seriously, and seek lifelong relationships Have very high expectations for themselves and others (both a strength and weakn ess) Good listeners Are able to move on after a relationship has ended (once they're sure it's over) INFJ Weaknesses Tendency to hold back part of themselves Not good with money or practical day-to-day life necessities Extreme dislike of conflict and criticism Have very high expectations for themselves and others (both a strength and weakn ess) Have difficulty leaving a bad relationship INFJs as Lovers "To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to gr ief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before." -- Rollo May

INFJs are warm, considerate partners who feel great depth of love for their part ners. They enjoy showing this love, and want to receive affirmation back from th eir mates. They are perfectionists, constantly striving to achieve the Perfect Relationship . This can sometimes be frustrating to their mates, who may feel put upon by the INFJs demanding perfectionism. However, it may also be greatly appreciated, bec ause it indicates a sincere commitment to the relationship, and a depth of carin g which is not usually present in other types. Sexually, INFJs view intimacy as a nearly spiritual experience. They embrace the opportunity to bond heart and soul with their mates. As service-oriented indivi duals, it's very important to them that their mates are happy. Intimacy is an op portunity for the INFJ to selflessly give their love, and experience it in a tan gible way. Although two well-developed individuals of any type can enjoy a healthy relation ship, INFJ's natural partner is the ENTP, or the ENFP. INFJ's dominant function of Introverted Intuition is best matched with a personality type that is dominat ed by Extraverted Intuition. How did we arrive at this? INFJs as Parents "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth... Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable." -- Kahlil Gibran INFJs usually make warm and caring parents. Their goal is to help their children become adults who know the difference between right and wrong, and who are inde pendent, growth-oriented individuals. Along the path to that goal they are generally very warm and caring, and are lik ely to treat their children as individuals who have a voice in family decisions. They want their children to be able to think for themselves, and make the right decisions. They also can be quite demanding on their children, and may have ver y high expectations for their behavior. Although they are generally soft-spoken and gentle, they may become stubborn and sharp-tongued at times when their expec tations aren't met, or when under a lot of stress. INFJs take their parenting role with ultimate seriousness. They will make sacrif ices for the sake of their children without a second thought, and without remors e. Passing on their values to their children is a serious priority in their live s. Children of INFJs remember their parents fondly as warm, patient, and inspira tional. INFJs as Friends Although the INFJ is likely to put friends behind their God and their families i n terms of importance, they do value their friendships. As idealists who have st rong value systems, INFJs seek authenticity and depth in their close relationshi ps, and especially value people who can see and appreciate the INFJ for who they are and what they stand for. The INFJ is likely to spend a lot of time socialing with family members. If they are religious, they probably are social with members of their religious communi ty. After that, the INFJ may have friends represented from any of the personalit y types. They are usually extremely intuitive individuals, who will have no pati ence for anyone they feel is dishonest or corrupt. They'll have no interest in b eing around these kinds of people.

All kinds of people are drawn towards the INFJ. They are usually quite popular, although they may be unaware of it themselves, because they don't place a lot of importance on it. The INFJ is valued by their close friends for their warmth and consideration, th eir new and interesting ways of looking at things, and for their ability to insp ire and motivate others to be the best that they can be.