INFP Personality Type and Their Cognitive Functions
INFP Personality Type and Their Cognitive Functions
INFP personality types are widely known to be the introverted dreamers of the sixteen personalities. They are creative people who naturally want to dissolve conflict, which makes them natural mediators.
The personalities are based on a spectrum of traits:
- Introverted (I)-Extraverted (E)
- Intuitive (N)-Sensing (S)
- Feeling (F)-Thinking (T)
- Perceiving (P)-Judging (J)
All individuals will fit in this scale somewhere. Matching personalities are not exactly the same as one another; you will fall into this scale at varying percentages. No person is exactly the same as another.
INFP functional stack
These traits are broken down even further into what is called the ‘functional stack.’ These are expressed in the following manners: dominant, auxiliary, tertiary, and inferior. For an INFP, their stack is as follows:
- Dominant: Introverted Feeling (Fi)
- Auxiliary: Extraverted Intuition (Ne)
- Tertiary: Introverted Sensing (Si)
- Inferior: Extraverted Thinking (Te)
These are the cognitive functions of an INFP. This is what makes these people dreamy, caring, and extremely creative. The thing that makes them all the more unique is that they can fall anywhere on the spectrum of these traits. Some INFPs will be more introverted than others, and some could be more intuitive or feeling.
Introverted Feeling (Fi)
INFP types are naturally in touch with their inner feelings and often live inside their head. That is because of their dominant function; introverted feeling. INFPs focus inwardly, and this makes them proficient at acknowledging their personal values and emotions. Because this is an introverted function, INFPs would rather handle their personal thoughts independently without an outsider’s input.
Despite this, INFPs often feel a sense of self-doubt, when they try to further understand themselves. They sometimes feel that they don’t know themselves enough to achieve a sense of inner peace.
Although INFPs are known to be deeply feeling people, because of their introverted nature, people around them will often not perceive them as so. Oftentimes, INFPs will express their feelings through acts of service and caring for others.
Extraverted intuition (Ne)
This is the aspect of an INFP’s personality that craves the creativity they so often express. Extraverted intuition is why so many INFPs usually pursue something in the creative industries as a career.
Towards other individuals, this makes an INFP actively interested in engaging deeply with them. INFPs crave a deep connection with all the people they are close to. They love to listen to other people’s inner thoughts and opinions.
The Ne function spurs an INFP’s sense of curiosity and the way they like to make sense of everything in the world. INFPs love to float in the sense of the unknown, the unpredictability of life.
Introverted sensing (Si)
Introverted sensing contributes to an INFP’s need to not have a rigid routine. These personality types thrive when they are not bogged down by set traditions and have a sense of variety in their everyday life. This is why an INFP struggles in mundane careers like a job in administration, stuck behind a desk.
Having the Si trait also contributes to an INFP’s attitude to materialistic things such as money and possessions. To an INFP, these things do not hold a high priority in their minds. They would rather be focused on finding their purpose in life and pursuing what is truly important to them.
This also relates to personal relationships and the way that an INFP can easily make friends with anyone. Because they don’t believe in relationships built on superficiality, it makes them more open and focused on learning about the person on the inside rather than the exterior.
Extraverted Thinking (Te)
This being the inferior function, the extraverted thinking of an INFP is usually expressed on a more unconscious level. This is something that INFP needs to develop and understand in themselves over time. Saying that this trait is deeply influential to the personality of an INFP.
Extraverted thinking can be seen as something of a contradiction to an INFP type. This is the trait that, once cultivated, gives an INFP the ability to be more assertive in themselves. This is the function that comes to life when they find someone challenging their personal beliefs and morals.
Even though INFPs are seen as disorganized and a bit of a mess, this function is what gives this personality a sense of organization. INFPs have a mental picture of what they would like their life to look like. But because this trait is the weakest of the four, INFPs often do not have the luxury of seeing the picture in their heads come to life.
The bottom line
The my personality types are based upon a complicated system. Each one of these traits is built and put together to make a person who they are.
For an INFP, reading and understanding these traits helps them discover and make sense of who they actually are. As people want to truly understand their inner selves, knowing how their brain ticks are extremely important to them.
Beyond just being known as creative daydreamers in the world, having this information will help them establish their true sense of self. INFP personalities are more than just the shy mediators that other people see them as.
