The World of the INFP

Introverted. Intuitive. Feeling. Perceiving.

[its-an-infp-thing]

Do you cry about how broken the world is about once a week or are you normal...?

[its-an-infp-thing]

—John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed

(started reading some of this book today and was thinking about how much I enjoy the way Green connects all these different concepts and ideas to each other, including small moments and memories from his life with these larger questions about humanity and meaning. It felt similar way to how I view the world, at least when I actually slow down to let myself contemplate it. Then I remembered that John Green is allegedly an INFP, so that explains a lot...)

[artandchocolate]

Susan Sontag - “Death Kit”

[spencyart]

I thought she was very pretty so I drew her

INFP, anyone?

[its-an-infp-thing]

INFP Style Bingo ✨

[its-an-infp-thing]

from @its-an-infp-thing​ on Instagram

[januaryhoney]

upstream, mary oliver

[its-an-infp-thing]

Life of an INFP Part 2 (with The Office gifs)

when your friends stop inviting you places because you never go: 

when they finally invite you out again: 

when you’re trying to have some introvert time but someone wants to tell you about every detail of their day: 

when someone asks “why are you so quiet?”

when you accidentally get caught up reading the news: 

when you’re surrounded by loud extroverts and you’re tired: 

when someone confronts you about something with no warning: 

[its-an-infp-thing]

10 Signs You Might Be An Introverted Feeler

Taken from this article. 

1. Authenticity Is Extremely Important to You

You are determined to be “real” and honest in the way you live your life and interact with other people. Phony social niceties and small talk drive you crazy. When you spot insincerity from other people it’s an instant turn-off.

2. You Get Gut Feelings Pretty Quickly That Something is Right or Wrong

You don’t always know where these feelings are coming from, but you get a strong “intuitive” hunch when something is out of line with your ethics and values. You become anxious and might even feel sick if you do something that goes against your values.

3. You’re Private About Your Emotions

Someone has to earn your trust in a big way before you’ll share your deepest feelings and values with them. You hate when you cry in front of people.

4. You Are Individualistic

You don’t really care so much what society or culture says you should look like or dress like. You like having your own unique tastes, styles, and preferences that feel true to you.

5. You Don’t Want to Force Your Values on Others

Everyone has a right to their own unique set of values. Unless someone is hurting someone else or being a bully you don’t feel comfortable asking other people to conform to your set of morals and ethics.

6.  On the Outside You’re Easygoing. On the Inside You Have Strong Convictions

To others you might seem tolerant, open-minded, and accepting. On the inside, however, you hold yourself to a strict set of morals and core beliefs that you strive to remain true to no matter what opposition you face.

7. You’re Not an Open Book

Even if you are friendly, sociable, and outgoing, there’s a part of yourself that you tend to keep private and internalized. Some people might call you “mysterious” or “enigmatic.”

8. You Dislike Critiquing People and Being Critiqued

Who you are is not for someone else to judge, and you feel uncomfortable judging other people or evaluating their performance. You feel like everyone has their own unique gifts to bring to the table and it doesn’t feel right to make judgments about how they do things unless it’s hurting someone else.

9. You Crave Freedom

You dislike conforming to a set of rules and structures that have been made by someone else. You love traveling, exploring, experimenting, and being independent. You hate being controlled or trapped.

10. You Can Instantly “Step Into Other People’s Shoes”

You’re good at picking up on emotions and other people’s feelings, especially one-on-one. You may even notice how others are feeling before they do!

[its-an-infp-thing]

A few of my favorite fictional INFPs. I love that they represent the different ways INFPs can look, but deep down their way of approaching the world is quite similar. 

I’ll be sharing the rest of this series on my new INFP Instagram. :)

[its-an-infp-thing]

Started a new INFP Instagram because the enneagram isn’t the only great personality tool out there. ;)

A few INFP strengths and weaknesses. The beauty of it is, we can all improve in our areas of weakness. They tend to be the areas where we naturally struggle most, but with practice we can always grow in them.

[adirabennett]

[its-an-infp-thing]

the life of an INFP: a summary

[its-an-infp-thing]

Great little video of some of the different facets of INFPs. 

It does make me sad to see some INFPs talk about how they don’t like being this type, when I think we have been given a lot of strengths. Sure, we have our  flaws, and we don’t fit into the expectations of society as well as other types. But a lot of good comes from that. More than anything, I like that we generally have easygoing natures unless one of our values is violated. The world would be a more peaceful place if more people adopted a similar attitude. 

What do you guys think?

[aureat]

I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life. And I am horribly limited.

Sylvia Plath (via aureat)

[circleskirtfeminine]

I’m content with the quiet things, the soft times, and the gentle moments. I’m at peace in the rain, reading on a porch as the wind so gently blows by. I’m satiated by the way the leaves rustle, and the gentle dance of the branches. I’m contented by the little pieces of time in living.

[popculturembti]

Peyton Sawyer (One Tree Hill) - INFP

Though Peyton has a fairly large social circle, it’s clear in her interactions that she’s not naturally adept at interacting for long periods of time, making her the most obvious introvert to me. Peyton rarely interacts in groups larger than 3 or 4, and quickly retires to her bedroom to draw right afterward. She is highly artistic, off-beat, and idealistic – all characteristics your typical INFP would exhibit.

Introverted Feeling (Fi): Peyton has always been a very emotionally driven person, but she has a tendency to keep her deepest emotions to herself rather than openly sharing them with those around her. When she listens to music, she deeply internalizes the meaning and builds a connection to it. In her relationships with Nathan, Nathan was always the one ranting about his emotional struggles to her while she just sat there offering little input or sharing of her own emotions in response. She is guided by an internalized moral compass that is unaffected by the morals of those around her. She was guilty of cheating with Lucas on multiple occasions, but to her it was justified because of their strong bond and affection for each other. She also has a very strong sense of her own identity, which she refuses to let go of despite it being a bit off-beat with the rest of the town.

Extroverted Intuition (Ne): Peyton is typically not one to neglect the possibilities of a situation. She is often hesitant to make a full commitment to anything, because she is either subconsciously waiting for a better option or she is afraid of what the commitment could possibly become. When her biological mother, Ellie, comes into town, Peyton recurrently rejects her because of her fear of where their relationship could possibly go. When Lucas proposes to her, she rejects because she is not yet ready to make the life-long commitment that Haley and Nathan made a couple of years prior. She is also the last of her friends to figure out what she wants to do with her life, only figuring it out with the aid of a guidance counselor.

Introverted Sensing (Si): If being emotionally connected to the past doesn’t describe Peyton, then I don’t know what does. She spends the majority of the first season in an Fi-Si loop, the height of which is shown in her recreation of her adoptive mother’s death by running red lights. Even when she breaks out of the loop, though, she remains very connected to her past. She enjoys Classic Rock music because it’s what she grew up with and she frequently listens to the same bands over and over again. She became a cheerleader (even though she despises nearly every aspect of cheerleading itself) because her mother was a cheerleader, and it makes Peyton feel connected to her. She also has trouble getting over past romances. When Jake leaves, Peyton cannot bring herself to move on from him. When she and Lucas go through their many ups-and-downs, she is never able to fully let go of him.

Extroverted Thinking (Te): This is obviously the function that Peyton has the least access too. She has trouble removing emotions from her decision-making process and she is not naturally very structured in any aspect of her life. In fact, she goes out of her way to defy structure at nearly every turn she takes in the series. Part of her, however, desires for some form of structure. She rejects the way the record label she originally worked for had structured itself, so she goes on her own and creates a new label that will have a structure that reflects her own ideals.

[purplebuddhaproject]

“I used to dislike being sensitive. I thought it made me weak. But take away that single trait, and you take away the very essence of who I am. You take away my conscience, my ability to empathize, my intuition, my creativity, my deep appreciation for the little things, my vivid inner life, my deep awareness of others’ pain, and my passion for it all.”

— (via purplebuddhaquotes)