As some of you know, I am really into the topic of Psychology, and have my Bachelor's in this area. A few years ago I took the Myers Briggs Personality Test, and discovered I was an INFJ, and pretty much left it at that, until last night I got recommended different videos on YouTube of the sixteen personalities and found out that the type of introvert I am is a social introvert, and that an INFJ personality is actually the most rare personality out of the 16.
Bear with me here. If you don't know what the Myers Briggs Personality Test even is or what the letters signify. I will give an explanation. The Myers Briggs Personality Test is a questionnaire about different psychological preferences you have in your life, and the way that you do things in life.
The First of the four letters indicates whether you are an Introvert ot Extrovert. So for me I am an introvert. The second letter has to do with if you are intuitive or if you use your senses more for gathering information about the world. For me I am more intuitive. The third letter has to do with if you are a more thoughtful or feeling person. It answers the question if we value our emotions or rationality when making decisions For me I am Feeling. The last letter has to do with how people make decisions Judging or Prospective. Judging individuals like to have a plan in their lives, and prospective people deal better with uncertainty and are more flexible.
To reiterate I am an I= Intovert N= Intuitive F= Feeling J= Judging individual.
One of the videos I watched had a link to a blogpost about the 4 types of Introversion: Social, Thinking, Anxious, and Restrained. After reading about all the different types I found that I fell strongly under the social introversion type. If you are an introvert like myself and would like to know which type you are you can go to this website: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/what-kind-of-introvert-are-you/
Social introverts like to hang out one on one with people or in a small group versus a big group of people. Social introverts also prefer to have deep relationships with people instead of more surfacey ones. Social introverts like all introverts like to have some time for themselves during the day. Also as with all introverts when I am around a lot of people for a few hours, I like to go and be by myself afterwards to recharge. Along with deep relationships I like getting to know people. Another characteristic of a social introvert is how I may be misunderstood by others.
After reading up about the four types of introversion I watched a video of 15 facts about INFJ's I will list the ones that most stood out to me for my life in particular.
- People with the INFJ personality type feel like outsiders because they are on different wavelengths with how others perceive the world due to their strong intuition. (I have very much felt like an outsider throughout much of my life and do think differently about the world than most people.
-Exude Warmth and are Welcoming: People feel really comfortable talking to INFJ's and feel comfortable enough even to reveal things about themselves that they don't share with others. (I've had people tell me they think I'm really welcoming, and at my new job a coworker has shared a lot about herself with me, because INFJ's make people feel comfortable and at peace when around them. I love this part of my personality, and that people feel like I can be a safe place to share some hard things with.) INFJ's are also really good listeners. :)
-Think deeply about other people and why they do the things they do (With my new job I think deeply about what made the kids I work with not do well in school, and how much it has to do with home life, their interactions at school, and other things. Really digging beneath the service, and figuring out what makes each individual unique. If I'm close with someone I can intuitively know how they are feeling and why at points.)
-Ability to feel other's emotions and provide comfort to them through understanding.
-Very relational and seek to form strong emotional bonds with people. (Although I may seem shy with people I don't know very well, I strive to connect with people on a deep level. Small talk is okay, but I'd much rather have deep and meaningful conversations with people. )
-Optimistic in nature (I tend to notice the good in people first and focus on that) .
-Drawn to people who need help due to their empathetic nature
-Intellectual thinkers: Think deeply about their lives and purpose (this is very me.) Enjoy reading, music, and spiritual matters because of their love for learning new things and gaining more understanding of the world. Because of thinking deeply they might overthink things.
-Gifted in language in their writing instead of speech. INFJ's prefer to share how they feel through writing instead of speech. They are much better at expressing their thoughts through their writing. (This one speaks for itself, and is probably why I am writing this in blog form, and have a talent in writing.) :P Avoid talking a lot or only talk when necessary when it comes to opinionated matters because these conversations can easily turn negative or into gossip.
I hope this was an interesting read, and can help you understand me a little bit better. I know after watching this video I have gotten to know myself a little more, and some of the reasons I choose to do the things that I do. Shout out to any other INFJ's out there even though we are the minority :P. Let me know what your Personality Type is, and the things you identify with strongly under that type.
