Skip to main content

Posts

Why ISFJs Often Mistype as INFJs & How to Distinguish Between Them

  ISFJs often mistype as INFJs Almost every type has another type (or two) which it will gravitate toward mistaking for itself. This is particularly common when the auxiliary or dominant function is shared. (To learn about functions, read: The Eight Cognitive Functions .) In the case of ISFJs and INFJs, the auxiliary (Fe) is shared – giving both types a strong humanistic interest. Both types can make excellent counselors, advisors, human resource personnel, and social activists. And both types approach these pursuits with a reflective, introspective angle – not simply imbuing a career or project with energy, but with wisdom too. As an INFJ myself, when I was new to typology, I mistook many ISFJs I encountered for being INFJs like myself because we got along so well and shared so much in common. When I sit down with an ISFJ one-on-one, I’m almost always guaranteed to have an enriching conversation full of fascinating gossip. Yes, gossip. This may sound like an odd, trivial tangent, ...
Read more
Recent posts

Why INFPs often Mistype as INTPs

  Almost every type has another type (or two) which it will gravitate toward believing that it is. This mistyping is often more of a psychological defense rather than a cognitive error. For male INFPs (and possibly some female INFPs growing up in highly intellectual households), their common mistype is INTP.  (Male) INFPs often Mistype as INTPs All types tend to over-identify with their mix-max function (fourth position) on their stack. (To learn about functions and stack, read: The Eight Cognitive Functions .) For the INFP, their min-max function is Te. Thus, it is natural for INFPs to laud thought-based capabilities in themselves – and, perhaps because it is Te rather than Ti, INFPs sometimes highly laud the structural, mechanical, and systems thinking in others. INFPs, like all four IN** types, are deeply talented with introspective (I), abstract (N) thought. Thus, this quadrant of types has much in common. Your type, however, doesn’t dictate your IQ (although INTJs are the...
Read more

Cognitive Priorities: How Attention Shapes Who You Are

Cognitive Priorities: How Attention Shapes Who You Are A neurotypological look at sensitivity, dopamine, and the reward architecture of personality. Why do some people instantly notice facial expressions while others notice the literal content of speech? Why do certain minds chase novelty while others crave completion? I used to believe that humans were largely born as a blank slate for experience to inscribe upon. I’m personally uncomfortable with the ideas of pre-determination, genetic disposition, inevitability, and destiny. Why? Because I personally detest a sense of helplessness – a huge theme in my own childhood which was riddled with illnesses. Empowerment has become my middle name. I strive to understand things deeply because it gives me more power to make the changes I wish to make. Yet all of my deep research has led me to understand that a tremendous amount of who we are truly is inborn. As someone who used to believe that who we become was 90% nurture and 10% nature, I’m a ...
Read more