INFP Personality (The Mediator)

n .a negotiator who acts as a link between parties

INFP personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even
the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better.
While they may be perceived as calm, reserved, or even shy, INFPs have an
inner flame and passion that can truly shine. Comprising just 4% of the
population, the risk of feeling misunderstood is unfortunately high for the INFP
personality type but when they find like-minded people to spend their time
with, the harmony they feel will be a fountain of joy and inspiration.

Being a part of the Diplomat (NF) personality group, INFPs are guided by their
principles, rather than by logic (Analysts), excitement (Explorers), or
practicality (Sentinels). When deciding how to move forward, they will look to
honor, beauty, morality and virtue
INFPs are led by the purity of their intent, not rewards and punishments. People
who share the INFP personality type are proud of this quality, and rightly so,
but not everyone understands the drive behind these feelings, and it can lead
to isolation.

Listen to Many People, but Talk to Few

Unlike their Extraverted cousins though, INFPs will focus their attention on just
a few people, a single worthy cause spread too thinly, theyll run out of
energy, and even become dejected and overwhelmed by all the bad in the
world that they cant fix. This is a sad sight for INFPs friends, who will come to
depend on their rosy outlook.
If they are not careful, INFPs can lose themselves in their quest for good and
neglect the day-to-day upkeep that life demands. INFPs often drift into deep
thought, enjoying contemplating the hypothetical and the philosophical more
than any other personality type. Left unchecked, INFPs may start to lose touch,
withdrawing into "hermit mode", and it can take a great deal of energy from
their friends or partner to bring them back to the real world.
Luckily, like the flowers in spring, INFPs affection, creativity, altruism and

idealism will always come back, rewarding them and those they love perhaps
not with logic and utility, but with a world view that inspires compassion,
kindness and beauty wherever they go.
INFP Strengths

Idealistic INFPs' friends and loved ones will come to admire and
depend on them for their optimism. Their unshaken belief that all people

are inherently good, perhaps simply misunderstood, lends itself to an

incredibly resilient attitude in the face of hardship.
Seek and Value Harmony People with the INFP personality type have
no interest in having power over others, and don't much care for
domineering attitudes at all. They prefer a more democratic approach,
and work hard to ensure that every voice and perspective is heard.
Open-Minded and Flexible A live-and-let-live attitude comes naturally
to INFPs, and they dislike being constrained by rules. INFPs give the
benefit of the doubt too (fair judgment when some of the facts are not
known, ex. take your word for it If money is missing, we give you the
benefit of the doubt. We assume you didn't take it. ), and so long as their
principles and ideas are not being challenged, theyll support others right
to do what they think are right.
Very Creative INFPs combine their intuitive nature with their openmindedness to allow them to see things from unconventional
perspectives. Being able to connect many far-flung dots into a single
theme, it's no wonder that many INFPs are celebrated poets and authors.
Passionate and Energetic When something captures INFPs'
imagination and speaks to their beliefs, they go all in, dedicating their
time, energy, thoughts and emotions to the project. Their shyness keeps
them from the podium, but they are the first to lend a helping hand where
it's needed.

 Dedicated and Hard-Working While others focusing on the

challenges of the moment may give up when the going gets tough, INFPs
(especially Assertive ones) have the benefit of their far-reaching vision to
help them through. Knowing that what they are doing is meaningful gives
people with this personality type a sense of purpose and even courage
when it comes to accomplishing something they believe in.
INFP Weaknesses

Too Idealistic INFPs often take their idealism too far, setting
themselves up for disappointment as, again and again, evil things happen
in the world. This is true on a personal level too, as INFPs may not just
idealize their partners, but idolize them, forgetting that no one is perfect.
Dislike Dealing With Data INFPs are often so focused on the big
picture that they forget the forest is made of individual trees. INFPs are in
tune with emotions and morality, and when the facts and data contradict
their ideals, it can be a real challenge for them.
Take Things Personally INFPs often take challenges and criticisms

personally, rather than as inspiration to reassess their positions. Avoiding

conflict as much as possible, INFPs will put a great deal of time and
energy into trying to align their principles and the criticisms into a middle
ground that satisfies everybody.
Difficult to Get to Know INFPs are private, reserved and selfconscious. This makes them notoriously difficult to really get to know, and
their need for these qualities contributes to the guilt they often feel for
not giving more of themselves to those they care about.

INFP Relationships
INFPs are dreamy idealists, and in the pursuit of the perfect relationship, this
quality shows strongest. Never short on imagination, INFPs dream of the
perfect relationship, forming an image of this pedestalled ideal that is their
soul mate, playing and replaying scenarios in their heads of how things will be.
This is a role that no person can hope to fill, and people with the INFP
personality type need to recognize that nobody's perfect, and that
relationships don't just magically fall into place they take compromise,
understanding and effort.
Love All, Trust a Few, Do Wrong to None
INFP Friends
The true friends of people with the INFP personality type tend to be few and far
between, but those that make the cut are often friends for life. The challenge is
the many dualities that this type harbors when it comes to being sociable
INFPs crave the depth of mutual human understanding, but tire easily in social
situations; they are excellent at reading into others' feelings and motivations,
but are often unwilling to provide others the same insight into themselves it's
as though INFPs like the idea of human contact, but not the reality of social
contact.

How Poor Are They That Have Not Patience

In a lot of ways, this limits the potential pool of friends to other Diplomat (NF)
types, who are able to pick up on the subtle clues left by their INFP friends, and
who are more likely than not to enjoy something of a human enigma.

A friendship with an ESTJ on the other hand, governed by social conventions

and community participation as they are, would almost be a non-sequitur
though INFPs may find the idea of being paired with their opposite fascinating
enough to outweigh the practical challenges to such a friendship.
To top it all off, ideas like networking and "the friend of my friend is my friend"
hold little weight with INFPs. Friendships are earned on their own merit, by dint
of the intuitive respect INFPs have for those with similar principles and values,
rather than more practical alignments like those of coworkers.
INFPs' tendency to protect their sensitive inner cores and values from criticism,
especially if they are on the more turbulent side of the spectrum, means that
acquaintances will likely get nowhere near them without sustained and tactful
effort.
But, if INFPs' shields are properly navigated and they decide to open up and
trust another person, a strong, stable friendship will ensue, marked by
passionate support and idealism, subtle poetic wit, and a level of emotional
insight that is hard to match.
INFPs' friends will be rewarded with calm, sensitivity and depth, and an everpresent desire to help, learn, and grow. But even the most confident and
assertive INFPs will only be able to keep up this relaxed and present exterior
for so long.
Even as friendships grow stronger and deeper, and friends are lulled into a
sense of mutual understanding, INFPs' enigmatic qualities will never truly
vanish.
INFPs will always need to disappear for a while, removing themselves from
others so they can re-center on their own minds and feelings. Often enough
people with the INFP personality type will emerge from this time alone having
come to some momentous decision that even their closest friends didn't know
was weighing on them, evading even the option of receiving the sort of support
and advice they so readily give. Such is INFPs' way, for better or for worse.
INFP Careers
It is perhaps more challenging for INFPs to find a satisfying career than any
other type. Though intelligent, the regimented learning style of most schools
makes long years earning an advanced degree a formidable undertaking for
people with the INFP personality type at the same time, that's often what's
needed to advance in a field that rings true for them.
INFPs often wish that they could just be, doing what they love without the
stress and rigor of professional life.

Oftentimes, as with so many things, the answer lies somewhere in the middle,
in a line of work that begins with passion and dedication, but which comes to
require training so that the academia feels intimately linked to that passion.
Too many INFPs drift in frustration, ultimately succumbing to the necessities of
day-to-day life in a job that wasn't meant for them. But it turns out that,
despite such exacting demands, modern economics places a premium on the
very keys to INFPs' challenges: their creativity, independence, and need for
meaningful relationships with individuals who need their help.

ISFP Personality (The Adventurer)

I change during the course of a day. I wake and I'm one person, and when I
go to sleep I know for certain I'm somebody else.
ISFP personality types are true artists, but not necessarily in the typical sense
where they're out painting happy little trees. Often enough though, they are
perfectly capable of this. Rather, it's that they use aesthetics, design and even
their choices and actions to push the limits of social convention. ISFPs enjoy
upsetting traditional expectations with experiments in beauty and behavior
chances are, they've expressed more than once the phrase "Don't box me in!"

Happy to Be Who They Are

ISFPs live in a colorful, sensual world, inspired by connections with people and
ideas. ISFP personalities take joy in reinterpreting these connections,
reinventing and experimenting with both themselves and new perspectives. No
other type explores and experiments in this way more. This creates a sense of
spontaneity, making ISFPs seem unpredictable, even to their close friends and
loved ones.
Despite all this, ISFPs are definitely Introverts (I), surprising their friends further
when they step out of the spotlight to be by themselves to recharge. Just
because they are alone though, doesn't mean people with the ISFP personality
type sit idle they take this time for introspection, assessing their principles.
Rather than dwelling on the past or the future, ISFPs think about who they are.
They return from their cloister, transformed.
ISFPs are sensitive to others' feelings and value harmony. When faced with
criticism, it can be a challenge for people with this type to step away from the
moment long enough to not get caught up in the heat of the moment. But
living in the moment goes both ways, and once the heightened emotions of an
argument cool, ISFPs can usually call the past the past and move on as though
it never occurred.
Meaning Is in Every Expression of Life
The biggest challenge facing ISFPs is planning for the future. Finding
constructive ideals to base their goals on and working out goals that create
positive principles is no small task. Unlike Sentinel types, ISFPs don't plan their
futures in terms of assets and retirement. Rather, they plan actions and
behaviors as contributions to a sense of identity, building a portfolio of
experiences, not stocks.

If these goals and principles are noble, ISFPs can act with amazing charity and
selflessness but it can also happen that people with the ISFP personality type
establish a more self-centered identity, acting with selfishness, manipulation
and egoism. It's important for ISFPs to remember to actively become the
person they want to be.
Developing and maintaining a new habit may not come naturally, but taking
the time each day to understand their motivations allows ISFPs to use their
strengths to pursue whatever they've come to love.
ISFP Strengths

Charming People with the ISFP personality type are relaxed and warm,
and their live and let live attitude naturally makes them likable and
popular.
Sensitive to Others ISFPs easily relate to others' emotions, helping
them to establish harmony and good will, and minimize conflict.
Imaginative Being so aware of others' emotions, ISFP personalities use
creativity and insight to craft bold ideas that speak to people's hearts.
While it's hard to explain this quality on a resume, this vivid imagination
and exploratory spirit help ISFPs in unexpected ways.
Passionate Beneath ISFPs' quiet shyness beats an intensely feeling
heart. When people with this personality type are caught up in something
exciting and interesting, they can leave everything else in the dust.
Curious Ideas are well and good, but ISFPs need to see and explore for
themselves whether their ideas ring true. Work revolving around the

sciences may seem a poor match for their traits, but a boldly artistic and
humanistic vision is often exactly what research needs to move forward
if ISFPs are given the freedom they need to do so.
Artistic ISFPs are able to show their creativity in tangible ways and with
stunning beauty. Whether writing a song, painting an emotion, or
presenting a statistic in a graph, ISFPs have a way of visualizing things
that resonates with their audience.
ISFP Weaknesses

Easily Stressed ISFPs live in the present, full of emotion. When

situations get out of control, people with this personality type (especially
Turbulent ones) can shut down, losing their characteristic charm and
creativity in favor of gnashing teeth.
Overly Competitive ISFPs can escalate small things into intense
competitions, turning down long-term success in their search for glory in
the moment, and are unhappy when they lose.
Fluctuating Self-Esteem It's demanded that skills be quantified, but
that's hard to do with ISFPs' strengths of sensitivity and artistry. ISFPs'
efforts are often dismissed, a hurtful and damaging blow, especially early
in life. ISFPs can start to believe the naysayers without strong support.