A question for INFPs or anyone who knows INFPs

[spearbunny]

I have about four friends who I'm certain are INFPs, and about three of them exhibit this kind of behavior on a regular basis:

Me: Test next class.
INFP: ah! I'm going to fail! I don't know anything!
Me: ...you're one of the best at it.
INFP: I'm going to fail. I'm stupid.
*spends time until the test freaking out*

Generally the INFPs in question do exceptionally well on said test. My question: Is this normal INFP behavior, and even if it isn't, how can I help them stop it? It seems not only self-destructive, but also incredibly irritating for everyone around them to listen to.

 

[Fukyo]

Uh,I do it all the time...

It's just about low self-confidence for me,and maybe worrying too much.
I'm never sure about things like that,even if they've been true in the past,I'm still questioning them(being ready for a test in this case).

What might help?
Convincing them calmly and gently that they'll do fine,and that there's no reason for worry(if there really isn't one).
It might not work because INFPs sometimes(due to being too humble)have a bad self image,which isn't always objective.
Or maybe ask them questions relevant to what will be on the test,and if they know them they'll have no choice but to realize that they'll do good on the test.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

INFPs have an overactive Ne, so they see all the possibilities of what could happen- including what could happen on the test!

If you really get a look at the kind of worries that INFPs can develop, the worry of doing badly on a test really isn't that big of a deal. My INFPs worry about me dying, about their parents getting divorced, about social injustice across the world and about famine from global cooling.
There's definitely social injustice in the world... but the other three, there's not too much evidence for. They don't need evidence to worry.

 

[spearbunny]

Or maybe ask them questions relevant to what will be on the test,and if they know them they'll have no choice but to realize that they'll do good on the test.

Believe me, I've tried... They still insist they're going to fail.

 

[feckn_eejit]

*snip*global cooling.*snip*

thought i was the only one who called it that. even when i'm worrying about it, i call it that.

 

[Artifice Orisit]

What might help?
Convincing them calmly and gently that they'll do fine,and that there's no reason for worry(if there really isn't one).
It might not work because INFPs sometimes(due to being too humble)have a bad self image,which isn't always objective.
Or maybe ask them questions relevant to what will be on the test,and if they know them they'll have no choice but to realize that they'll do good on the test.

DON'T DO IT, THAT IS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING TO DO

Consider this: INFPs are motivated by their fears into being successful!

Thus you should accuse this person of being lazy and emphasize their fears,
for their own good of course.

 

[Kuu]

Change the subject to something controversial. That might distract them enough. Cause you just can't make them stop their worrying with reason, is my experience.

And they always end up getting better grades than me. Those fuckers.

 

[feckn_eejit]

DON'T DO IT, THAT IS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING TO DO

Consider this: INFPs are motivated by their fears into being successful!

Thus you should accuse this person of being lazy and emphasize their fears,
for their own good of course.

While on the surface it isn't what I want to hear, I know myself well enough to accept that this is definitely the case for me. I need stress, pressure, fear, whatever - some kind of emotional starting base in order to run hard and produce what I'm capable of. I procrastinate professionally at an expert level and perform best when I am running on adrenaline, when I've started way after I should have in order to meet a deadline, and I always pull it off. I'm a textbook junkie for the dopamine kick I get after I nail it. The quality of my work goes exponentially downhill the more time I have in which to complete it. This absolutely kills all the xSTJs I work with... I tell them they have to learn to just trust me and let me go through my process in order to get the best out of me, which is not an easy pill for them to swallow... anyway I have not failed yet. Don't even need to touch wood, I won't fail until I choose to.

 

[nemo]

If my friend was acting like that, I'd just start talking about something completely random and unrelated. There's nothing much you can do right before taking an exam or test, and worrying would only make it worse.

 

[echoplex]

They use their emotions, rather than logic, to filter out their Ne. So, if they "feel" very insecure, and they intuit ways they could fail, they have very little inner resources to calm them down. Conversely, if they feel invincible, they may end up unprepared.

INTPs, with Ti being dominant, can usually filter out these worries more logically.

 

[sagewolf]

My friends do that a lot too. Thing is, anything I tell them, such as 'don't worry' is always met with 'of course you don't worry, you're really smart!' ...Which I can't really counter very well, so I just resort to either helping them study if they want or trying to cheer them up by forcing them into a fun conversation. (Well, as fun as any conversation ever gets.) I don't know if it ever works, though.