I am an INFJ-T. At least that’s what the 16Personalities test said when I took it—four times. Yes, I really did take it that many times, just to be sure it was accurate. The percentages varied each time, but overall, everything was the same.
If you don’t know, the Meyers-Briggs Typing Indicator assessment is something a lot of people do and obsess over. As far as I’ve seen, the results seem pretty accurate. As long as you are truthful in your answers, the outcome seems correct, and the page that tells you about your personality type seems to know a lot about everyone…in an almost creepy way.
I thought it would be fun to go over my test results and see what these people have to say about me. I will be critiquing their words and telling you guys why or why not I agree. Just a warning: if you don’t like deep topics, personality assessments, or long blog posts, this is one of those.
General Overview
To start off, the website gives me a general breakdown of my personality. They say I am “idealistic,” “principled,” and that I want to change the world for the better in a lofty and ambitious way. They also add on a lot about how conscientious I am—basically that I have a clear sense of my values, value integrity, and will define what truly matters in an independent way (not letting society or peers influence me).
Okay, I completely agree with this. I am a perfectionist, and I strongly value my morals. Definitely true on wanting to make a difference in the world. Maybe my ideas aren’t always the most realistic, but you can’t say I didn’t try. 😜
As for conscientiousness and all that stuff, I am in 100% agreement. I value integrity very highly. In fact, one of my main goals in any relationship is for my peer to be able to trust me without question. Trust is probably the thing I value highest. I work hard for it, and I want people to be able to talk to me freely—about anything—knowing I will listen without judgement and guard their information with discernment and diligence.
On the other hand, I have noticed my recent oversharing of other people’s thoughts 😳 I guess getting integrated into a workplace takes some getting used to. My brain is still having some trouble categorizing different scenarios and information and trying to process what’s shareable and what’s been gifted to me as private information. I’m learning, though.
Anyway, back to what I was saying….
I want people to know that I have an open mind. I want to be a safe place—where someone can come to sort out their thoughts and feel heard and loved. A place where they can feel free to be themselves, knowing that no matter our differences, I care for them for who they are.
As for integrity, it is true that I hold certain values very strongly. Peers and society aren’t going to make much of a difference. The only way my values are going to change is if experience or wisdom tells me they should, and I don’t really care if it’s not cool with the rest of the world; I don’t want to become like everyone else just for the sake of it.
Seeking Purpose
According to the website, I have a “commitment to make the world a better place.” I see my gifts as something to use to uplift others, and when I spot injustice, I don’t hesitate to step up for what is right—to the point that I want to fix society’s deeper issues.
Again, I think they’ve hit the nail on the head. I see my gifts as something God has given me to help others and glorify Him. As mentioned before, I have a strong sense or right and wrong, so I hate injustice. I do feel a need to fix everything wrong in the world. However, as a Christian, I know this world is a fallen one. My purpose is not to fix it, but to bring others to Christ.
Digging deeper, seeing how I interact with my workplace really affirms this. I’m a change-bringer. I step into work with an ideal, give it my all, and try to bring about a positive change. When things are less-than-ideal, or when things butt their heads against my efforts, I feel frustrated—suffocated even. And I work in pizza.
Pizza.
It’s not a life goal whatsoever. I’m not looking at it as a potential career. It’s a short-term occupation, and here I am, giving it all of my energy; treating it like I’m the head of management or something. Truly, sometimes I just need to step back and give myself a break. I have to keep reminding myself that I can’t change everything. Not everything problematic is my problem to fix.
Connecting
I am introverted, yet I care about deep, authentic relationships, which I pour a lot of energy and care into.
True. I couldn’t have said it better myself. (When are we going to get to the part where I start disagreeing with everything?😂 ) I value relationships highly. When I care about something, I care with passion. If I care about you, you can bet I’m going to pour a lot—if not all—my heart into our relationship.
On the flip side of this, having friends means I am exhausted the higher the number. I prefer to have a few good friends rather than a bunch of people I don’t know well.
Criticism
Oh wait. Here comes the part where I start disagreeing with stuff 😅
“…even constructive criticism may feel incredibly personal or hurtful to these personalities.”
On the contrary, I’m a blunt person, and I like people to be blunt with me. If I did something, and it’s bugging someone, I want to know right away. I never want an invisible obstacle to stand between us. Friends or not friends—there is no in between (although I’m trying to work on that). When in doubt, it’s better to say something or apologize than wait for the other person to bring it up.
To be fair, this is probably because of my upbringing. I have a mom who is very blunt and criticizes me none-too-rarely (for my own good, of course). She touches on everything—from motives, to decisions, to actions. I’ve become so accustomed to this, the only thing that really hurts me (concerning criticism) is non-constructive criticism. If you are just saying things that have no reason or logic behind it, that’s when it really hurts.
To be extremely fair, though, whenever I feel like someone’s upset with me (e.g., when I’m criticized), it hurts. I don’t like when other people are upset. Being the cause of said upsetness is never fun. Furthermore, when the person is right in their criticism, it can sting a little bit, but I like to think that I’m good at distinguishing fact from emotion, and I don’t express the hurt. I disregard the emotions, treat the issue as such, and take any constructive criticism with a grain of salt. It’s good to grow. I don’t want to scare away any potential growth for the future (because if you react poorly the first time, you can’t expect people to come to you with honesty in the future).
Strengths
Creative: Um, yeah. Writing, art, dance, anything beautiful—I love it.
Insightful: 100% true. Give me enough information, and I’ll develop an entire picture. I want to know everything about everyone. Motive is something I find intriguing, and when my mom asked what I would do for college if I had to choose something, I said psychology. I love understanding humans. Because I do, it gives me insight into my relationships, situations I’m in, and the inner workings of complex systems around me. I’m not saying insightfulness is always a good thing. It can lead to a lot of self-doubt, anxiety, and offended people. However, I find it a useful and sometimes fun tool when interacting with the world.
Principled: True. Integrity and trust are two things I value highly.
Passionate: When I care, I care deeply. Some people are surprised an introvert can be so talkative and excited about something so insignificant.
Altruistic: I want to do things for the greater good. I take into consideration how others are affected, and I make decisions based on that, even if I’m affected negatively. In fact, sometimes I find myself doing things for the welfare of others, despite the fact that it hurts me.
Weaknesses
Sensitive to Criticism: Again, nope. I want what you have to say, and I want it quick and straight to the point. Please don’t beat around the bush. (Maybe just don’t say it in public.)
Reluctant to Open Up: True—to an extent. It takes me a while to get to know people, but once you gain my trust, I’m pretty much an open book. I need to be careful of letting people take advantage of me.
Perfectionistic: If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it well. If I don’t feel like doing it, I won’t even attempt it.
Avoiding the Ordinary: Yes, I don’t want to be just like everyone else or just do what everyone else does. I want to accomplish great things. However, you need to do ordinary things in order to get to the extraordinary.
Prone to Burnout: I often sign up myself for a lot of stuff without realizing the energy it will take. I’m learning to manage my time and energy better. Scheduling helps me a lot.
Um…
*scrolls down the page and looks at the website’s table of contents*
- Romantic Relationships
- Friendships
- Parenthood
- Career Paths
- Workplace Habits
Oh, my. That is a lot. If you guys want me to go over it all, I can do that in another blog post or two. (I honestly haven’t even read all the material). Tell me in the comments if you want to see more like this.
T
*pops back in* I forgot to explain the “T” connected to the end of my personality type. T stands for turbulent, meaning I have a lot of self-doubt, self-criticism, and pessimism when it comes to…well, everything. I agree with this, but I hope to become more of an “A” (opposite of T; also known as “assertive”) as I grow up. Not too much assertiveness, though. There’s a balance between the two.
Conclusion
I think the personality quiz and results were pretty accurate. It was interesting seeing an outsider’s take on my thought process and motivations. Everything was on point pretty much, and the only thing they got wrong was the criticism stuff. Supposedly only 1.5% of the population is INFJ, but that’s still a lot of people, so I think they did a great job of dissecting my personality.
I enjoyed doing this blog post, and I hope you guys enjoyed getting an in-depth look into my brain! And if you want to see more like this, tell me in the comments below. If you want to take the test yourself, you can check it out here:
https://www.16personalities.com/
Again, thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day!