What You Need to Know About the INFP Female
What You Need to Know About the INFP Female
Who is the mediator?
The INFP personality type is one of the rarest of the 16 personality types, accounting for only 4% of the general population. INFP females are slightly more common than their male counterparts, with 4.6% of women claiming this title compared with 4.1% of males.
Otherwise known as the Mediator, this personality type tends to be quiet and unassuming—until you get to know them. Then you’ll find that the Mediator harbors depths of vibrancy and passion, boundless creativity, and a capacity for empathy second to none.
The Mediator is also commonly referred to as the Idealist, INFPs have an endless drive for fulfillment in their lives, be that in their hobbies, their relationships, or their careers. You’ll often find them pursuing passions in the arts that satisfy their creativity and imagination, and they’re unlikely to settle for a boring or typical career path that only serves to pay the bills.
But every personality type has its flaws, and the Mediator is no exception. Prone to perfectionism and harsh self-criticism, INFPs need to ensure that they treat themselves as kind-heartedly as they treat those around them.
Strengths and weaknesses
Empathy and emotional vulnerability
The INFP female is generally an incredibly empathetic person. Not only does she care for those around her, but she also has an acute sensitivity to others’ emotions. She is often greatly affected by the feelings of others, making her arguably the most thoughtful and kind-hearted of the personality types. However, this has its drawbacks. Due to this sensitivity, the Mediator is often emotionally vulnerable and is at risk of absorbing and internalizing the negative emotions of others.
Generosity and the need to please
Alongside her caring nature, the female Mediator also tends to be incredibly generous and open-minded. She supports and uplifts those around her, gives credit where credit is due, and is extremely compassionate.
Nonjudgemental and accepting even of mistakes, this woman often makes for a wonderful confidant. She struggles though when the people around her don’t return her kindness. If she’s disliked by someone, a Mediator can become fixated on changing that negative opinion, potentially to an unhealthy degree. And if this doesn’t work, she may end up self-isolating as a way to protect her feelings from the perceived rejection.
Creativity and self-criticism
The INFP female is a tremendously imaginative and passionate individual. She can create entire living worlds in her mind and sees things from unconventional perspectives.
When an idea or cause captures her interest, the Mediator will chase it with all of her heart and conviction, and won’t compromise on what she thinks is right. As positive as this can be, she often gets caught up in her passion. When she sees the world through rose-tinted lenses, reality’s harsh imperfections can be confronting and disappointing.
Similarly, when her passions lead her in so many directions at once, the INFP female finds it difficult to commit to a single course of action, leaving her floundering and unproductive. When this happens, her introspective nature can take a turn for the worse. Perceived failure breeds self-doubt and harsh self-criticism in the Mediator’s mind, which can lead her to give up on even her most heartfelt of dreams.
Relationships
Friendship
We already know that the INFP female is a compassionate friend and an excellent listener. To this introverted yet people-centric woman, friendship is a precious commodity and an opportunity to form a meaningful connection with another person built on support and positivity.
She values authentic and genuine friendships, and will prove unfalteringly loyal; being there for those she cares for bolsters her sense of purpose like little else. Female Mediators tend to cultivate a small circle of deep connections rather than the vast web of acquaintances that other personality types may prefer. She invests heavily in these few friendships, forming fulfilling connections that are likely to last her a lifetime.
Romance
When it comes to romance, the INFP female believes in true love—whether it’s realistic to the situation or otherwise. She’ll search for a partner who completes her and hopes to never settle for anything less.
Superficial traits such as wealth and appearance mean little to the female Mediator, who’ll search for someone with whom she shares deeper, more meaningful compatibility; likemindedness in personality, hobbies, humor, and values are all very important.
With a strong desire for harmony and peace, this passionate woman can be difficult to communicate or compromise with due to a conflict-avoidant nature and a tendency to view disputes as personal attacks. Once she comes to understand that no relationship is perfect and always requires work, the INFP female will prove a most devoted, genuine, and loyal partner.
The bottom line
When it comes down to it, the female Mediator is among the gentlest, most kind-hearted, and passionately creative personality types out there. Though she can get lost in her fantasies, they also drive her to chase her goals and allow her to view the world through an optimistic lens.
Alongside following her dreams, having supportive and genuine relationships goes a long way to creating a rewarding life for this compassionate and imaginative woman. With some work on setting emotional boundaries—both on herself and those around her—and banishing those self-doubts, the INFP female is sure to find the happiness and fulfillment she desires.
