See how the INFJ's personality dimensions combine to yield several remarkable patterns
Reading time: 5 minutes
INFJs tend to have distinct patterns on the Big Five personality traits, and these patterns lead to a few common strengths among INFJs.
INFJs are often genuinely interested in the world around them. However, they are usually much more curious about the world of ideas and information than the world of relationships and other people.
These preferences follow from INFJs’ blend of low Extraversion and high Openness, two dimensions that shape styles of exploration. INFJs will happily immerse themselves in new ideas and become fully absorbed in learning everything about them. Yet, they might struggle to find a fraction of that same enthusiasm in most social engagements.
Similarly, most people who score highly on the Feeling (F) preference also score closer to the Extraverted side of the Introversion-Extraversion dimension. INFJs also stand out here, because they score highly on Feeling and Introversion.
INFJs express this unusual blend through their interpersonal warmth and empathy while also being reserved and, at times, socially withdrawn.
In terms of the Big Five dimensions, INFJs display a combination of low Extraversion and high Agreeableness. Again, this is an unusual blend, as these two dimensions are typically positively correlated with each other — people falling lower on Extraversion tend to also fall lower on Agreeableness.
INFJs are characteristically low on Extraversion, leading to less social enthusiasm and assertiveness, and a greater need for occasional solitude and social downtime.
At the same time, INFJs tend to be high on Big Five Agreeableness, with a heightened awareness of the emotional world. The higher Agreeableness of INFJs is related to their relatively high compassion, politeness, empathy, and desire to resolve interpersonal conflicts.
INFJs’ combination of lower Extraversion and higher Conscientiousness often results in a more serious, cautious, and principled nature.
In many different contexts, INFJs will hold back their enthusiasm, preferring to analyze cautiously and carefully. They will often find it difficult to be spontaneous, silly, or impractical, even when the situation calls for it.
Understanding an individual’s unique strengths requires more than just knowing a personality type or Big Five personality traits. Even among INFJs, every person has their own set of strengths that they use when they are at their best.
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