Exploring my own personality type as an INFJ

7 min readSep 10, 2021

A chart with descriptions of each Myers–Briggs personality type and the four dichotomies central to the theory (Source: Jake Beech, 2014)

I took the MBTI assessment a while ago while I was studying education and I really did not think much of it. This is because when I have taken most assessments that are based on psychology or psychometrics, I never really took them seriously. Plus I already knew that I was an INFJ which is one of the 16 personality types. The INFJ personality type stands for Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling and Judging.

As briefly as I can write it and source it, The MBTI was created by American Authors Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs in the 1940s. The MBTI was officially published in 1962 and it was based on the theories of Swiss Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Jung believed that several mental processes made up each individual’s psychological type.

This lead to the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which is a questionnaire with about 80+ questions. The MBTI is used to indicate differing psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. Since the MBTI is a psychological assessment; it is restricted for use by certified professionals. There is more information about the assessments through the official Myers-Briggs Foundation.

So, Why am I bringing this up now?

Well, it wasn’t until a colleague of mine asked me a few months ago to take the 16 Personalities test through 16 Personalities.com. The 16 Personalities test is a free personality assessment tool. This is based on the Neris Type Explorer model which is a part of their framework. The framework is mainly constructed on the Myers-Briggs theories and a version of the Big Five Personality Traits.

As I did the test, I did their version of the personality typing and I got the INFJ result. Woopie do, INFJ again. However, this time I started to break down my results even further. Please note that I am not a psychologist and the closest I have studied in the line of psychology is in pedagogy. That is also completely different. Here are my results below:

Traits: Introverted — 78%, Intuitive — 77%, Feeling — 81%, Judging — 69%, Turbulent — 65%
Role: Diplomat
Strategy: Constant Improvement

What does this four-letter code mean?

Introverted (I)

As I am 78% Introverted vs 22% Extraverted, according to 16 Personalities that means I am Mostly Introverted. In their words, Introverted can be defined as:

Introverted individuals prefer solitary activities and get exhausted by social interaction. They tend to be quite sensitive to external stimulation (e.g. sound, sight or smell) in general.
Source: 16Personalities.com

Here are some results I have found with INFJs and Introversion:

They tend to prefer their alone time and focus their energy inwards.
INFJs who are more introverted are likely to listen to others more carefully.
They prefer alone time to digest their internal thoughts, beliefs and ideas. Unlike their extraverted counterparts who focus their energy outwards and are more interested in engaging with their environment. Extraverts tend to feed off the responses of the people and events around them.

From my experience, I think this is mostly true. I have mostly spent my time alone and have taken on the role of a councillor. I have been dragged into circles by extraverted people and I thank them for it.

I have been mistaken for being extraverted because when I am passionate about a cause or a topic, I will release that side of me and I can talk about it for hours. However, I would find myself not leaving my bed for a few days to recharge.

Intuitive (N)

As I am 77% Intuitive vs 23% Observant, according to 16 Personalities that means I am Mostly Intuitive. Intuitive according to 16 Personalities can be defined as:

Intuitive individuals are very imaginative, open-minded and curious. They prefer novelty over stability and focus on hidden meanings and future possibilities
Source: 16Personalities.com

Here are some results I have found with INFJs and Intuitive:

INFJs are intuitive and focus their energy on collecting information from impressions, trying to understand meaning and patterns.
INFJs are quite interested in new things, abstract theories and thinking about what might be possible.
They tend to think more about the future than the past.

I found this quite interesting because I am a curious individual and I even got kudos at work for being curious and always learning. I did not really think I was quite intuitive but I am a person who is always thinking about what is possible in this world, how I can achieve it and what the future brings.

Feeling (Fe)

INFJs have a Feeling personality trait means they have a great concern for others and base their decisions on their emotions and values.

As I am 81% Feeling vs 19% Thinking according to 16 Personalities that means I am Mostly Feeling and in their words can be defined as:

Feeling individuals are sensitive and emotionally expressive. They are more empathic and less competitive than Thinking types, and focus on social harmony and cooperation.
Source: 16Personalities.com

Here are some results I have found with INFJs and Feeling:

INFJs have quite an ability to understand other people’s feelings and enjoy being in close relationships.
INFJs have deep insights into people and situations and make their decisions based on how they will affect people. This leads to how INFJs struggle to say NO when it comes to other people’s requests.

Having an extraverted feeling trait from my experience, means I have been able to read and know how someone else is feeling before that person knows they were feeling it. It also makes it difficult for me to say No to people who have come to me and ask to be involved in more initiatives because I love to help.

Judging (J)

As my personality makes up 69% Judging vs 31% Prospecting, according to 16 Personalities that means I am Mostly Judging and in their words can be defined as:

Judging individuals are decisive, thorough and highly organized. They value clarity, predictability and closure, preferring structure and planning to spontaneity.
Source: 16Personalities.com

Here are some results I have found with INFJs and Judging:

INFJs have a Judging personality trait which means they prefer to have a plan and stick to it. This is not to be mistaken for the word Judgemental in its negative sense about people and events.

I think having the Judging personality trait and experiencing how I love structure is something that I can relate to. As I reflect back on events that have occurred in my personal and career, I enjoyed a more systematic approach to my life as this reduces unnecessary stress.

Why is this one of the rarest personality types?

Scoring as an INFJ means that the personality type is best described as being the ‘Advocate’, ‘Protector’ or the ‘Counselor’ and this is due to their personality traits. It is one of the rarest personality types because it makes up about 2.3%* of the population and with the majority identifying as female. If you do jump onto Reddit it has one of the biggest MBTI communities. I guess we are quite introverted, INFJs want to meet with other INFJs.

*Please note that the percentages are approximate and based on a number of sources.

INFJs are gentle, kind and empathetic individuals but can easily be mistaken as extraverts. This is because they are usually very warm and interested in people when they are on a personal level.

INFJs are known for their strong intuitive capabilities and having strong insights into people and situations.

Interested in taking the test or assessment?

The MBTI is widely used in fortune 500 companies and in Education settings in the past. It has been labelled online as the Astrology for Business people or glorified Horoscope. Even though MBTI resembles some psychological theories, it has been criticised as pseudoscience by many in the Psychology community.

If people are interested in taking the MBTI, it is a psychological assessment and it is restricted for use by certified professionals. There is more information about the assessments through the official Myers-Briggs Foundation.

For those who are still curious and want to have a look at 16 Personalities or try out other MBTI versions online, I highly recommend you explore those options and do your research.

What I have learnt is that there is still a lot more to learn about myself. I have found that doing these tests is an interesting approach in understanding some of my personality traits. I do know at the end of the day, the personality type that I’ve been typed as doesn’t define me as an individual. I do think it is important to highlight that if you are interested in doing any of these personality tests, please note that whatever four-letter code that you get typed as, doesn’t define you. There is also a possibility that if you re-sit these tests, you will get typed as another personality type. There are a number of things that can change in your environment or life that can impact the outcome of each test.

So I will leave you with this quote from Albert Einstein:
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”