Is INFJ the rarest personality type?
It is difficult to determine this because so many factors make up personality, especially nature vs nurture.
However, specific types make INFJ stand out in a world where extroverts get societal rewards.
These specific traits make the INFJ rare and a minority.
Anytime you are not part of the majority, you will always stick out without trying. That is what makes you seem rare.
Insightful Problem Solving
INFJs can understand and comprehend complex ideas and situations.
Being able to sit back observe and listen rather than jumping in and talking is a skill.
Inside the minds of INFJs is a world of vivid visions and imagination. One trait that comes with this mindset is the skill of being insightful. INFJs can combine their imaginations and insights to solve complex problems.
This also allows them to problem-solve from an unorthodox point of view.
As someone who relates to the INFJ personality type, I have used my insights to create solutions for myself throughout my life.
I used to have issues meeting people like me. The people in my environment or my city just weren’t interested in anything I was interested in.
I had to step back and look at my problem from a different angle. I needed to put myself in an environment where people valued what I did.
At the time, this place was Los Angeles, California.
When I used to work as a gate agent, I used my job to travel to Los Angeles every month to build a network out there.
I still keep in touch with those people to this day.
Innate Altruism
INFJs have a willingness to help others without expecting anything in return.
Giving with the expectation of something in return is called networking but for INFJs, it is called using people.
INFJs are natural givers but this doesn’t mean they don’t want something in return. They do want something in return but nothing like shallow favors that come along with world networking. They prefer small things such as appreciation.
It is just in an INFJ’s blood to give to others without thinking about it.
As stated earlier, most people are consumed with everyday survival. This makes people consumed with their personal needs and makes people selfish.
It is very challenging for non-INFJ personalities to give without wanting something in return. This does not mean non-INFJs are not capable of compassionate giving, it just means they tend to put themselves first before others without having to think about it.
This mindset is the complete opposite of INFJs.
INFJs live healthier lives when they give their gift or skills away instead of giving away their time or physical things.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” —Pablo Picasso
Creative Super Power
The artistic and creative nature of the INFJs, and examples of their creativity.
One of the best things about being creative is problem-solving.
Creativity exists in everyone but INFJs can harness this ability in their sleep. They use creativity in just about everything they do in life. They see art in everything.
Everything is an art form to an INFJ.
One reason INFJs get overly obsessive with hobbies is because they look at activities as art forms. They look at the most boring and trivial activities as art forms.
I remember during my customer service jobs, I had to treat it like an art form. I used the job to work on my communication skills. I did this for my sanity and also for purpose reasons.
Stats about creativity from Linearity:
- 94% of hiring managers consider creativity important when hiring job candidates.
- Creativity is the most important skill in the world.
- 35% of workers are only given time to be creative a few times yearly.
- Creative problem-solving sessions with groups trained in creativity tools and principles generated 350% as many ideas, which were 415% more original than those from untrained groups.
- 78% of college-educated workers over 25 wish they had more creative ability.
- High Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores correlate with lower confidence in entrepreneurial capabilities.
- Creativity is linked to 9 of the top 10 essential skills.
- 89% of respondents in a survey believe that creative work is essential for meeting business objectives.
- Only 31% of creative teams are measuring their return on investment
Future-Oriented Mind Sets
INFJs often think about and plan for the future.
Some people are great at taking action without a plan and some are great at making plans but afraid to act.
INFJs tend to fall into the latter. This is because INFJs are always thinking about the future. These obsessive thoughts slowly become overthinking which leads to analysis paralysis.
But before the procrastination starts, a beautiful process happens in the planning stages for the future.
I have almost a decade’s worth of plans in a journal. These plans were part of my lifeline. It gives me a road map to my life and my future.
I meticulously planned every detail but left room for flexibility due to the unpredictable nature of life.
INFJs don’t just plan for the future but they try to plan for everything. They come up with many scenarios on how things will play out and how they will react.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Privacy Over Social
The reserved and introverted nature of the INFJs, often prefer solitude over social interactions.
The less people know about you, the more they respect you.
This is one of the reasons people may be drawn to INFJs. INFJs don’t let everyone into their world. They would rather spend a lot of time alone in solitude.
Their reserved nature comes with a price.
Having a preference for solitude over social interactions is considered anti-social by most. Society is taught that being constantly social is a sign of being a good person. Being the opposite of this bad or rude.
People don’t realize that we burn calories and use energy from socializing. Introverts specifically INFJs have a finite amount of energy to socialize.
Their energy comes from solitude.
This is why privacy is needed for INFJs like fish need water.
The challenge comes from finding a balance in a world that is always demanding your mental energy and attention.
“They have a habit of underestimating me when I go into hiding.
My power thrives in privacy. I’m laying the foundation brick by brick behind the scenes.”
– Samira Vivette
Sensitive and Empath Abilities
The emotional sensitivity of INFJs and empathy affect all of their relationships.
Being sensitive is a gift and a curse.
INFJs have an uncanny ability to read rooms like a supercomputer and quickly understand how people are feeling. This comes from being extremely sensitive and feeling these sensitive feelings strongly. This also comes with being innately empathetic.
Like most things in life, being sensitive and empathetic comes with a lot of responsibility.
A Superpower of being sensitive told by Jill Suttie
“Sensitivity is a heightened “ability to perceive, process, and respond deeply to one’s environment,” which means sensitive people absorb more sensory information (often unconsciously), think more deeply, and find more interconnections among disparate things than less sensitive people typically do.
“If you are a sensitive person, your body and mind respond more to the world around you,” the authors write. “You respond more to heartbreak, pain, and loss, but you also respond more to beauty, new ideas, and joy.”
The definition of an empath told by Lena Firestone
“Empaths are highly sensitive individuals, who have a keen ability to sense what people around them are thinking and feeling. Psychologists may use the term empath to describe a person that experiences a great deal of empathy, often to the point of taking on the pain of others at their own expense. However, the term empath can also be used as a spiritual term, describing an individual with special, psychic abilities to sense the emotions and energies of others. This particular article will focus on the psychological aspects of being an empath.”
Idealistic World View
The idealistic nature of INFJs has a lot of control over their hopes, dreams, and the high standards they keep for themselves and others.
Having a strong sense of idealism leads to a lot of disappointment and a strong foundation of resilience.
INFJs see the world from the lens of a child. They see the world as they want and not as it is. As they gain life experience, their idealism starts to slowly fade away for better or for worse.
Idealism for INFJs is the foundation for their hopes and dreams.
I have long reflected on all of the adversity that I have been through in my life and wondered how I got through all of those obstacles.
I realized it was the thought of my idealized dreams. The possibility of having the lifestyle I am still creating gave me a sense of purpose and strength.
As I have gotten older, I realized a combination of realism and idealism is key to living a great life.
As an INFJ, you are a minority and this process may leave you confused. It is important to know what makes you unique.
Once you become aware of these traits, you can learn to adjust to the world around you.