Exploring The Dreamy World of the INFP Personality Type
What is the INFP personality type like?
The INFP personality type is characterized by a powerful desire for authentic existence. As quiet and unassuming as INFPs may seem at first sight, they don’t let anyone—be it family members or society at large—dictate their dreams and decisions.
Life for the INFP personality is an everlasting quest for self-discovery and personal growth. However, INFPs seek more than merely to know themselves inside out; they want their actions, relationships, careers, and everything in between to be an accurate reflection of who they are deep down.
Though their inward focus is undeniable, this isn’t to say that INFPs are self-centered. On the contrary—they are immensely compassionate and often altruistic individuals. While they accept people as they are, their unwavering dedication to living an authentic life often inspires those around them to tap into their true selves and embrace their uniqueness.
Words that best describe the INFP personality type
- Gentle
- Dreamy
- Reflective
- Imaginative
- Quirky
- Creative
- Perceptive
- Free-spirited
- Artistic
- Idealistic
- Thoughtful
- Introspective
What does INFP mean?
What does INFP mean?
INFP stands for Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.
INFP stands for:
- - As introverts (I), INFPs are more than happy being all by themselves. Not only does solitude replenish their energy, but they also find comfort in their inner worlds and often enjoy daydreaming.
- - Staying grounded and dealing with mundane matters, though, can be quite challenging for them. Their preference for Intuition (N) determines that they are far more interested in future possibilities and the grand scheme of things than the practicalities of life or specifics.
- - As Feeling (F) personalities, INFPs let their hearts take the lead when making decisions. Though perfectly capable of analytical thought, they want their decisions to reflect their beliefs. As such, it’s only natural that they rarely, if ever, form judgments based on factual, objective data, such as statistics.
- - Lastly, the Perceiving (P) trait brings a sense of spontaneity and unpredictability to the INFP personality. Rather than carefully planning their lives, they prefer to go with the flow—even if it means they have to roll with the punches sometimes.
How to recognize an INFP?
You can recognize an INFP by their guarded disposition, non-conformist attitude, and thoughtfulness, all of which are classic INFP personality traits and characteristics.
Here’s what each of them might look like in real life:
Thoughtfulness
INFPs are thoughtful in both senses of the word. While you can often find them absorbed deeply in thought, they are also very considerate of others.
Guarded disposition
It takes time for people with the INFP personality to warm up to others. Before you get to know them better, they may seem shy or cold.
Non-conformist attitude
Though generally calm and peaceful, INFPs stand up for their beliefs. They might also dress in a unique, sometimes even eccentric way.
INFP-A vs. INFP-T
INFP-A and INFP-T—or assertive INFP and turbulent INFP—are two subtypes of the INFP personality type, which primarily differ in terms of self-confidence.
INFP-A
INFP-A personalities are more confident than their turbulent counterparts. Since they accept themselves as they are, they tend to be more positive and relaxed. However, they can be hyper-independent and careless, too.
INFP-T
Meanwhile, INFP-T personalities are more prone to self-doubt and self-criticism. What they lack in self-confidence, though, they make up for in open-mindedness, empathy, and willingness to grow.
How rare is the INFP personality?
The INFP personality type is fairly rare—only 4.4% of the general population falls into it.
Furthermore, 4.6% of women identify as INFP females. Meanwhile, INFP males comprise 4.1% of the male population.
How are INFPs perceived?
INFPs are typically perceived as private yet easygoing individuals. While they may seem distant around people they don’t know, they usually come across as bubbly extroverts around their friends. They are also often perceived as tolerant, open-minded people who are genuinely interested in others and what they have to say.
What do INFPs value?
INFPs value authenticity and autonomy more than anything in life. They strive to remain true to themselves, even if it means they have to go against the grain.
Since they firmly believe that each person is inherently unique, conformity has no place in their lives. It is no surprise, then, that they look down on those who try to force them into a box, even though they aren’t overtly rebellious.
Interesting fact about INFPs
Although the INFP personality type is stereotyped as extremely emotional, this isn’t exactly true. While their emotions run deep, they rarely, if ever, wear their hearts on their sleeves and tend to come across as more cold and detached than other feeling types.
The most common form of despair is not being who you are.
Søren Kierkegaard
INFP cognitive functions
Cognitive functions are psychological mechanisms that define the information-processing and decision-making approaches of each personality type.
The primary INFP cognitive functions are:
Dominant introverted feeling (Fi)
As dominant Fi users, INFPs strive to live in harmony with their values. Not only are they guided by their strong moral compass, but they also have a rock-solid sense of self.
Auxiliary extraverted intuition (Ne)
Thanks to auxiliary Ne, INFPs are abstract thinkers endowed with the ability to analyze ideas from multiple angles and spot patterns and connections between them. This function also makes them inquisitive and imaginative.
Tertiary introverted sensing (Si)
Though Si isn’t their strongest suit, INFPs often find familiarity comforting and can be quite sentimental and nostalgic. They tend to recall memories vividly and in great detail, which may trigger an emotional response in them.
Inferior extraverted thinking (Te)
Te is the weakest INFP function, meaning the INFP personality type might struggle with structure and organization. Developing this function can help INFPs be more productive and efficient.
Famous INFPs you might know
Björk
an Icelandic singer-songwriter, producer, and composer
Kurt Cobain
an American musician best known as the frontman of the grunge band Nirvana
Johnny Depp
an American actor, musician, and philanthropist
Audrey Hepburn
a Belgian-born British actress and humanitarian
Søren Kierkegaard
a Danish philosopher, theologian, and social critic