This Explains A Lot

Someone I know was doing some research for a class and wanted to look at correlations between personality types and astrological signs. So I took the test she directed me to and I feel like the explanation of my results explains a lot of the types of criticisms I tend to get here on the blog! It’s so helpful to look at things like this to remind us  that we’re different from one another and we have different strengths, goals, and interests.

So I come up as INFP and a “diplomat.”

Here are some of the things the website said about this personality type…

INFP personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better. 

Definitely true. I’ve never been able to believe that evil is natural to anyone.

Comprising just 4% of the population, the risk of feeling misunderstood is unfortunately high for the INFP personality type

Interesting. The rarity may explain why it seems like many friends here don’t always understand why I focus on what I do or what the purpose of the blog is.

Understanding themselves and their place in the world is important to INFPs, and they explore these ideas by projecting themselves into their work.

And there it is: exactly what the blog is about!

Unlike their Extraverted cousins though, INFPs will focus their attention on just a few people, a single worthy cause – spread too thinly, they’ll run out of energy, and even become dejected and overwhelmed by all the bad in the world that they can’t fix.

I know that feeling of being overwhelmed very well. I manage my day to day life carefully to avoid being flooded with too many causes and problems that I can’t fix.

If they are not careful, INFPs can lose themselves in their quest for good and neglect the day-to-day upkeep that life demands. INFPs often drift into deep thought, enjoying contemplating the hypothetical and the philosophical more than any other personality type. Left unchecked, INFPs may start to lose touch, withdrawing into “hermit mode”, and it can take a great deal of energy from their friends or partner to bring them back to the real world.

Since I was a child I’ve been accused of being too inwardly focused and not quite in touch with the world. I see in myself the tug towards withdrawing and it’s something I’m actively keeping an eye on. I do become distracted by philosophical pondering and struggle to fulfill basic daily needs…like tidying.

Their unshaken belief that all people are inherently good, perhaps simply misunderstood, lends itself to an incredibly resilient attitude in the face of hardship.

People with the INFP personality type have no interest in having power over others, and don’t much care for domineering attitudes at all. They prefer a more democratic approach, and work hard to ensure that every voice and perspective is heard.

This may explain why the Guru system in Hinduism has been difficult for me. I definitely don’t want power over others but I also am fearful of others having power over me.

A live-and-let-live attitude comes naturally to INFPs, and they dislike being constrained by rules. INFPs give the benefit of the doubt too, and so long as their principles and ideas are not being challenged, they’ll support others’ right to do what they think is right.

INFPs combine their intuitive nature with their open-mindedness to allow them to see things from unconventional perspectives.

I may be wrong about this, but I’ve often felt like it is one of the strengths of this blog: that I tend to see things from an unusual direction.

 INFPs are often so focused on the big picture that they forget the forest is made of individual trees.

I am a big picture person and details often escape me.

 INFPs often take challenges and criticisms personally, rather than as inspiration to reassess their positions. Avoiding conflict as much as possible, INFPs will put a great deal of time and energy into trying to align their principles and the criticisms into a middle ground that satisfies everybody.

I’m getting better with criticism but it is a challenge not to take things very personally and every negative comment causes me days of angst and self-examination. Perhaps not the best quality in a blogger, but I think it helps me learn and grow.

First and foremost is seemingly every INFPs’ dream growing up – to become an author. While a novel is a classic choice, it is rarely an accessible one, and there are many viable options for freedom-loving INFPs.

This is funny because I actually am a writer! Apparently it was a natural choice given my personality. Freedom-loving? Yeah. Absolutely. I have a really hard time with standard jobs full of rules and schedules. Which seems to conflict with my Aspie-ness. But I think that’s just part of what makes me a unique person: a slightly Aspie brain with a wildly creative personality!