-INFJs extrovert their feeling function (Fe), which means they spend much less time wallowing in or experiencing their emotions than INFPs do. INFPs will spend an enormous amount of time analyzing their own feelings and experiences.
-INFJs are quite adept at reading the emotions of others, but are not very good at discerning their own emotions - self-awareness is something that they have to work quite hard to achieve.
-INFPs are generally more creative and artistic in their writing; INFJs tend to be more analytical. (This is a personal observation more than anything, but I’ve noticed too that INFPs are much more likely to write about creative fantasy, with books such as The Neverending Story or The Last Unicorn - they tell stories from the depth of their imagination, and the characters are there simply to move the story along, to act as a go-between for their symbolic abstractions. However, when INFJs write, the characters ARE the story - their personal journey of the individual, such as in Memoirs of a Geisha or White Oleander, are the focal point of the book. In the writing of an INFP, the characters are just the medium through which the story is translated to the reader, but it’s much more about the experience than it is about the individual.)
-INFPs are highly individualistic, while INFJs are social chameleons. I have heard many INFJs express that they don’t feel like they have an identity unless they belong to a social group of some kind. (This can also lead INFJs to end up dating people who are ultimately unsuitable for them, or joining social groups that ultimately do line line up with their personal values - they get attached to people very quickly.)
-INFPs tend to be quite nostalgic and often struggle with letting go of people and events that were important to them in the past - they may, for example, have difficulty in getting rid of an old t-shirt that represented an important time in their life, or save old text messages from people who meant a lot to them. INFJs do not struggle with such nostalgia - they are much more future-oriented than INFPs are.
-Although INFPs and INFJs both value harmony in their relationships, INFPs are opposed to sacrificing their individuality for the sake of their close relationships, whereas INFJs are more likely to feel that a certain amount of individuality should be sacrificed in order to maintain harmony. (They also believe this to be true on a global scale.) To INFPs, the idea of losing themselves to the homogeneity of a mob is terrifying.
-An INFP, upon cutting somebody out of their life who was harmful, may struggle with re-establishing a connection with a toxic individual over and over again, because they idealize the individual and have trouble forgetting about the good times. I have noticed that INFPs have a tendency to put people in a pedestal, especially once that person is relegated to their memory. Once an INFJ finally decides to cut somebody out - although it may take a while - it’s for good.
-INFJs and INFPs will act differently when under stress. The INFJ’s inferior function is Extroverted Sensing (Se). Se acts impulsively and focuses on the present moment that takes place in the physical environment. So, stressed INFJs may make decisions without thinking through the long-term ramifications—which is unusual for INFJs, who typically are cautious decision-makers and thoroughly consider the consequences of their actions. INFJs may also overindulge in physical pleasures like eating, drinking alcohol, or shopping. INFPs, on the other hand, exhibit ruthless Extroverted Thinking (Te) when under stress. Te is concerned with organizing, systematizing, applying logic, and creating order and structure. Under stress, INFPs may no longer appear to be their usual compassionate and open-minded selves. Instead they may become cold, critical, and judgmental of themselves and/or other people. For example, they may criticize someone for not doing something in a particular way, picking at their errors and flaws.
-INFJs focus on one major insight, while INFPs will bounce around from idea to idea, or experience to experience (particularly on the basis of how that experience relates to them personally).
-INFJs use Fe to tune in to other people’s feelings; and because they are so focused on the feelings of other people, they often have difficulty identifying their own (until those feelings become so strong that they can’t ignore them). INFPs, like INFJs, are highly empathetic - however, they do it in a different way than INFJs. INFPs will tune in to the emotions of others by putting themselves in that person’s shoes, reflecting on how they themselves would feel if such a thing happened to them.
-INFJs desire to be understood. INFPs desire to be validated. INFJs tend to feel marginalized because they understand others so well, but are rarely met with that same understanding themselves. INFPs, on the other hand, may not want to be fully understood, since that may entail losing some of their individuality. Rather than being understood, INFPs would prefer to be validated that their thoughts and intentions are good.
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