A glimpse of what INFJs of each enneatype tend to look like, with a focus on positive traits of psychologically average to healthy individuals of each type:
INFJ Type 1
Very strong on values, they are like a bulwark, and you can count on them. In mentoring and counseling others, they are extraordinarily gifted in achieving the perfect balance of holding others accountable in a gracious but firm way, while trying to help them work through their issues. One of their strongest ethics will be kindness - their ethical fortitude, combined with Fe, makes for someone who will be very loving and gracious. Their demeanor wonât be overtly emotional but it will have an emotional undercurrent you may be able to sense, a âflairâ about it - itâs hard to put this into words. 1s in general are very self-critical and perfectionist by nature, and they will notice in the environment where others arenât living up to their ethics, and are likely to try to inspire, direct, or prompt them to do so. An INFJ 1 will do so, but with the magnanimity and sensitivity of Fe. they often crusade for a cause; or they may become courageous, inspiring, effective agents for social change. Their 1 core, combined with Fe, will look a lot like Fi, so they may seem to be INFPs; but they arenât.
INFJ Type 2
One of the warmest, most friendly, almost extrovertish-seeming INFJs, they thrive on making connections with other people. This INFJ is likely to talk to you first, befriend you, be overtly compassionate and empathetic, and help you out in any way possible. You wonât be able to miss their Fe ~ they will be encouraging you, being sweet to you, all the things you expect from Fe. For instance, if you are in the hospital, this INFJ is likely to anticipate what all your needs may be - come and bring your family food, drive your kids around to their errands, then visit you and try to cheer you up (thus appearing ISFJish in behavior at times). They may feel obligated to help anyone who needs them, and find it difficult to say no. They will want to spend time with you, lots of it - they show caring partly through quality time - and they want a reciprocally warm relationship. So they arenât going to seem distant, emotionally disconnected, or cold, nor will they come across as introverted as they really are. Because of Feâs drive towards harmony, an INFJ 2 is going to be more focused on the health/harmony of the relationship and, because of that, highly in tune with how they think others feel about them, more so than 2s already areâŠand therefore more troubled by lack of reciprocity or problems in the relationship.
INFJ Type 3
The humanely-driven-for-success INFJ, for whom affirmation is bread and butter. I have rarely seen this combination on this forum, so this information is a synthesis of theoretical data. They would be driven both to be, and to appear to be, very good at whatever they do. Success and the esteem of others would translate to security for them, so whatever their role is, they would try to be the very best possible at that role. Therefore accolades would be welcome - since they would care what others thought of them - and they wouldnât be shy to have positive attention drawn to themselves. In interacting with them, you would find them extraordinarily charming and likeable and caringâŠwhile not overtly emotional (they would tend to suppress their emotions, although a 4 wing might change that). Within each setting, they would intuitively be able to determine what others were expecting of them, and what was deemed as success; and - unless those expectations or standards of success conflicted with their Fe values - would do their best to live up to that ideal, and be afraid to fail. Likely, they would feel an internal conflict between their independent thinking (Ni) and the thinking of society at large (what society considers âintellectualâ or âacceptable patterns of thoughtâ), and also struggle with societyâs definitions of success through stepping on others to get to the top since that violates their Fe. So they would be likely to be principled in that they would have a problem with achieving success at cost to others or in a way that would have to put others down in order to elevate themselves.
INFJ Type 4
The artsy INFJ that typically has a penchant for eye contact, who can talk to you with their eyes, they are going to seem like they understand you, and you are likely to feel safe around them. They are going to have their soul wed to some form(s) of art (it could be painting, drawing, music, literature, dance, photography, acting, etc.), through which they express their wide range of emotions, because they are very emotional people. What 4s feel, they feel deeply, no matter what the emotionâŠand INFJs feel the feelings of those around them via Fe - so INFJ 4s are deeply empathetic. They are passionate, can fall into very dark moods, and can appear dramatic (although a 5 wing will temper somewhat how much of that shows) or, sometimes, focused on their own problems. When in the middle of a dark mood they may withdraw from everyone for periods of time, but an INFJ 4âs Fe can drag them out of self-absorption if someone in emotional crisis needs their help. Theyâre drawn to reach out to you during the darkest crisis points in your life and really be there for you - they know how to deal with the most severe of emotional states and are drawn towards the melancholy element of life. They will prize authenticity and being true to themselves, even if this means diverging from convention, so they often have a unique flair. Highly individualist, donât expect them to follow the crowd in how they present themselves. Creative by nature, they are typically not boring conversationalistsâŠ.yet, at times, their topics may naturally veer towards and linger upon the poignant or tragic elements of lifeâŠor their own problems, for which they may expect your emotional support.
INFJ Type 5
The INFJ who may wonder if they are actually INTP or INTJ, they will come across as thinkers and will have a lot of interesting insights. If you are fascinated by the theoretical, you will probably be able to talk with your INFJ 5 friend for hours about their thoughts about life ~ and will find that they have a voracious hunger for knowledge and a very analytical mind. They will be sensitive to your emotional states and care about them because of their Fe, while not coming across as emotional or invasive, and tending to be detached (although a 4 wing will temper that). 5s in general want to be independent, and donât deal well with clinginess or people who âinvadeâ their space too far or violate their privacy, so they may not initiate contact or open up as often as some enneatypes. An INFJ 5âs Fe will make them seem more extroverted than they really are. Fe concern about others will be expressed in ways native to the 5 interaction style, which is less self-revealing (unless in a place they feel safe) than that of some enneatypes. There is a subtlety and depth to them that is not always recognized by those who donât know them well. 5s with Fe can seem aloof even though they have very warm feelings inside, because of thisâŠthe better you get to know them, the more you realize how much rests below the surface. and even when they arenât with the people they care about, they think about their connections with them and feel closer to them. During solitude, they nourish their internal love towards others and sometimes become aware of feelings they werenât conscious of, before. if they become aware of feelings during your absence, they may spill them out suddenly when they are around you againâŠin a somewhat gushily affectionate way, at times.
INFJ Type 6
The âunswervingly loyal friendâ INFJ, this friend, once they trust and become devoted to you, can be counted on through thick and thin, no matter what. This is not to say that other types arenât loyal; loyalty definitely isnât limited to 6s; but 6s are notable for this. They are likely to be there for you, supporting you, and âfairweatherâ isnât in their vocabulary. An INFJ 6 is usually kind and likeable, empathetic, and very understanding in a down-to-earth, âmake you feel comfortableâ way. They may (depending on the direction their core fear takes) have a noticeable strength about them, a fortitude and courage that can persevere through difficulty or - despite profound fear - act heroically on behalf of those they care about. They very actively read others and try to sense where others stand in relation to one another and themself, and are very intuitive. 6s in general may doubt how others feel about them or whether others can be trusted. Cp6s in general feel a need to look strong or be proactively confrontational in order to protect themselves, but they are softer than they appear, and a cp6 INFJ is going to temper their tendencies with diplomacy, and use that ability to protect those they care about as well.
INFJ Type 7
The âhappy-go-luckyâ-ish INFJ, since their 7 mimics Ne in certain respects, complete with the typical ENFP playfulness, there will sometimes be an ENFP-ish vibe. An INFJ with 7 influence in their tritype is likely to get asked âAre you happy all the time?â or âAre you ever not happy?â by those who do not know them well. While Fe can make any INFJ appear extroverted, it is especially pronounced in those with 7 in their type, because 7s tend to be outgoing, and find happiness in the company of others. INFJ 7s would most likely be typed by others as ENFJs or ENFPs, seeming energized by socializing while possessing the contrarily strong drive to get needed solitude. So one would expect an INFJ 7 to struggle with the introversion vs. extroversion dichotomy and find it difficult to land decisively on either side of the spectrum. Inhibitions may be lacking (but the restraining hand of Ni would hold the INFJ back often, by predicting potential negative consequences of giving in to impulse). Clinginess by others is quite disturbing to them, but their Fe is likely to make them feel an obligation to be kind anyway. Fascinated by a wide variety of things, they will attempt to stay a step ahead of what could make life miserable, or escape the inevitable struggles of life through indulgence in mood-elevating activities. This opens the door for entanglement in such activities, because of the addictive emotional high they provide. 7s with a 6 wing tend to joke around a lot, or enjoy making others laugh. 7s are drawn towards the positive side of life, so they try to cheer up others around them or repel negativity. An INFJ 7 would likely use humor to dispel a negative situation, or to restore harmony and positivity in conflict settings.
INFJ Type 8
The passionate, straight-talking, natural-leader INFJ, they are intensity incarnate. There will be a palpable warmth about them (because of Fe), combined with strength - without their having to show off their strength, you will knowthey are a force to be reckoned with. INFJs in general are sensitive to and tend to be guided by their intuition, but an INFJ 8 will rely on their gut even more. Theyâll be able to suss you out quickly and know who you are and what you are capable of, and sense if you are being dishonest, more so than INFJs already do. Fe makes INFJs protective of those they care about, and a healthy 8 is driven to defend and protect anyone they care about - so the combination of the two is double-protectiveness. 8s in general are comfortable in the presence of conflict, while Fe favors harmony, so an INFJ 8 will have those two conflicting attitudes within, which will be evident in their behavior. 8s in general do not want to appear weak and have a need to protect themselves from those who might try to control them, and there are people in the world who deem certain tender displays of Fe as âweakness,â so itâs likely that an INFJ 8âs Fe will look quite different on the outside from that of other enneatypes, although it will be experienced the same on the inside. They will really care about people, and they will feel things deeply, and a healthy 8 will use their dominance and position of power to benefit others.
INFJ Type 9
The easygoing, empathetic INFJ with a calming presence, they are easy to talk to, easy to be around, diplomatic in how they interact with others. Their Fe is very evident, in a somewhat understated way. They will be there for you and listen empathetically and know how to comfort you. they want you to feel comfortable around them, and they strive for a harmonious environment, and know very well how to make both happen, often with remarkable skill and charm. They will dislike conflict more intensely than most enneatypes - if they have a 1 wing, they may be avoidant of it in general; and if they have an 8 wing, they may be reluctant to engage unless necessary or angry, but not afraid of it. 9s may intervene between those in conflict in order to re-establish peace. 9s in general seem passive and relaxed, although they have a strong, passionate will about whatever matters to them; you may not see their strong will unless you try to force them into something they donât want to do.
Caveat 1:
Take into account that an environment where anyone feels secure, or psychological growth, is going to bring out the traits of the enneatype in the direction of their âintegration.â Conversely, a stressed-out individual will appear like a not-so-healthy version of the enneatype in their direction of disintegration. While certain behaviors are typical of each type, behaviors themselves are not diagnostic of enneatype - motivations are - and various types can share the same behaviors while having very different motives for them. I am just pointing out what certain INFJ-enneatype combinations TEND to look like (there will be exceptions and the same type can look very different depending on their psychological state at any given point in time)âŠsince some combinations tend to follow distinctive, recognizable patterns of behavior.
Caveat 2:
The descriptions I gave largely represent (psychologically) average to healthy versions of those enneatypes. While enneagram theory tends to focus on the negative traits, I was focusing more on the positive and the most obvious traits here. so these arenât intended to be complete delineations of the behavior of each type, just some traits that are easy to notice or recognize when interacting with these types.
stormborns
origamiaround
titsay
ellievsbear
snowghoul
dededos
prguitarman
