Just as neurodivergents learn masking skills that are increasingly adept over time, all people learn to compensate for their blindspots and weaknesses more adroitly over the course of their life. Every cue, symptom, and distinction will become less clear as a person matures and broadens their capabilities.
Because everyone’s general performance – including skills at masking, coping, and compensating – is improving and diversifying over the decades of their life, you’ll find it easier to type people in their early twenties than people in their sixties.
Childhood & Twenties
In our twenties we are relying extremely heavily on our dominant function at almost all times – and our blindspot (seventh position) is a glaring hole in our abilities. Let’s say you’re an INFP: your dominant function (Fi) is the air you breathe and seems ordinary to you. When you’re young, it’s confusing that other people aren’t as morally grounded. You can simply feel what’s right, so why can’t everyone else? As a child, you seem bad at virtually everything besides Fi, but Ne gives you a bit more interest in exploration than the average child.
In your twenties as an INFP you will likely be utilizing your skills with emotions (Fi dominance) to develop rapport with others who will compensate for your clumsy, oblivious, and/or disorganized nature (Se blindspot).
Furthermore, in our twenties we tend to be obsessed with our inferior (fourth position), which our ego has decided we’re great at – even though we actually are mediocre at best. For the INFP this is Te, and this may manifest as pride at having figured out how to fill out a complex form (such as an application or taxes) – something that those with high Te simply do without thinking it’s any big deal. In contrast, those with Te blindspot (I*FJ) may feel purely “dysfunctional” about certain Te tasks (although the ISFJ can often draw upon Si dominance to compensate for many practical life tasks, whereas the INFJ may feel more lost at the same tasks as their Ti tertiary becomes exhausted from prolonged use).
Thirties & Forties
In our thirties our auxiliary is so well developed (Ne for INFP), that we might easily come across as any type with high Ne – perhaps even an ENFP or ENTP for short bursts of time.
In our forties our tertiary may be exceptionally strong (Si for INFP), and our inferior looks increasingly like a superpower (Te) – which often continues to fuel our ego’s obsession with this part of our capabilities. Because our tertiary and inferior skills require much effort over years to acquire, we are much more consciously aware of these skills. For example, Se dominants (ES*P) often become quite proud of their introspections (Ni inferior) as they age. In their thirties and forties they often become enamored with lines of thought which are quite philosophically profound. For the Ni dominant (IN*J), these same lines of thought were common in their teens and early twenties, but the ES*P is more likely to be discussing their ruminations with other ES types who also have not considered these inquiries before, and thus, the ES*P will receive the feedback that they are a very deep thinker. This isn’t to say that they aren’t – they have, indeed, become a deep thinker. However, that isn’t the most inherent, core, or obvious specialty of their type.
Fifties & Beyond
In our fifties and sixties we may find our interest in growing our tertiary and inferior skills has grown to the point where we almost seem to have “a flipped stack.” For an INFP that would mean Te dominance with Si auxiliary, making the INFP almost seem like an ESTJ – except that they would feel like the most easy-going, compassionate ESTJ you could imagine.
Introversion and Extroversion Mistyping
It’s quite common that, at the least, introverts begin seeming more like extroverts and vice versa (which means we’ve simply put more emphasis onto our auxiliary and inferior cognitive functions). If we’ve always been a homebody, later in life we become more curious about getting out and exploring. If we’ve always been a busy-body, we begin to slow down and become more introspective.
Because two types who share the last three behavioral letters of their type (ENFJ and INFJ, for example) have the same “high” or “compulsory” cognitive functions, and the same “low” or “discretionary” cognitive functions, it is particularly easy to mistype your first letter – at any age. Both ENFJs and INFJs have high Fe and Ni, being Fe-Ni and Ni-Fe respectively. This means their cognitive skills and preferences can be remarkably similar.
This is further compounded by “introversion” being conflated with preferring alone time, and “extroversion” being conflated by being fueled by socializing. On the contrary, extroversion is about focusing on things external to yourself – whether that be the sensory world, social interactions, or concepts. ESTPs are focused outward on concrete matters, but not necessarily on people. ENTPs are focused outward on abstract concepts, but not necessarily in the form of discussing concepts with others. Introversion is about being more inward, but that doesn’t mean all introverts are self-centered (as ISFJs, in particular, tend to be service-oriented), and that also doesn’t mean that introverts aren’t social (as INFJs, in particular, tend to be very outgoing).
Midlife Crisis
Another common trend is that people who were not adventurous as children or teenagers go through an exploratory phase in their thirties or later in life – which often looks like a mid-life crisis. Suddenly the person who never partied is trying drugs for the first time at thirty-five. Suddenly the person who had no interest in travel is backpacking across a foreign country at forty. Suddenly the person who struggled with allergies and asthma is interested in an active, outdoorsy lifestyle at fifty.
Not everyone goes through an abrupt shift or “phase” of their life, but most people do gravitate more toward experiences they neglected earlier in their life. People are often quite well-rounded by the time they reach their fifties.
Traumas Shape Behavior
Of course, exceptions abound – especially when large life events shift the course of someone’s development. An accident, heartbreak, or global catastrophe can inspire a particular focus outside of typical development. For example, a bad accident which could have been avoided through greater awareness of one’s external environment can cause more focus and development of Se – regardless of where it is on the stack. A heartbreak can cause more interest and focus on the development of Fe – also, regardless of its stack location.
Getting Typed Accurately
Finding your type may be easy if you happen to be the poster-child example for your type – the epitome of what one expects your type to be like. However, cognitive type expression has a broad distribution, and while a lot of people land near the middle, there are many reasons why tests still fail to type people accurately.
Related Article: Six Reasons Why Tests Don’t Work
To uncover your own type, you can think back to “how was I as a child?” to narrow down your typology cues and eliminate the distractions of how you’ve grown or learned to mask. However, if you don’t wish to become an expert in order to uncover your type, sign up for a neurotypology session with Raederle.