I'm an INFP

Sunday, July 15, 2007

The other day a friend described me as an "INFP". What? I immediately assumed this was an acrostic for something not so nice. As he further explained, this was my personality type based mostly on the Myers-Briggs test offered by many employers. I just had to know if his perception of me was good or bad. Being a people pleaser and all.
After a Google search, I found www.personalitypage.com. Of the 16 personality types listed, this is mine. Fascinating. Somehow the act of reading a three page description of myself was validating. Some things about me are simply hard wired. Such as? I'm an Idealist. I'm driven to help people and make the world a better place. (sigh) I process through my feelings and make conclusions based on that rather than fact or logic. Surprised? I loved this part: "INFP's are usually talented writers. They may be awkward and uncomfortable with expressing themselves verbally but have a wonderful ability to define and express what they're feeling on paper."
Now for the flipside. The "personal growth" link points out the "potential problem areas". That's a creative description of one's flaws. To be fair, I'll share some of my personality's weaknesses.

  • May be extremely sensitive to criticism
  • May perceive criticism where none was intended
  • Under stress, may obsessively brood over a problem repeatedly
  • May be unable to see or understand anyone else's point of view.

OUCH! Do any of those sound accurate to you? Wait, don't answer that. That was not fun to read but very enlightening. I know where work (and a lot of prayer) is needed. Check out the website, take the test and tell me what your type is.

1 Comment »

One Response to “I'm an INFP”

Anonymous said...

Gee Dane,
I went to see what kind of personality I had and was immediately comfronted with reality. The cheap kind. $5 to learn something about myself that I probably already know or am in denial about! :)
Hope all of you are doing well.
Love,
Shell
P.S. I think that you are very good with communication as well. I think that you express yourself verbly as well as written.