Persuading INFPs about the MBTI

[Reverse Transcriptase]

I know a fair number of INFPs, and a lot of them have resistance against the idea of the MBTI. I was just trying to convince Phil my male INFP friend of it. We got into it by talking about people's fundamental differences. I said that I think there are, and he said that he didn't think so- at least at some level. He also feels that people get all their differentiation from their experiences, rather than being hard-wired to be that way.

I used the arguement that children raised by the same parents in the same environment still end up very differently, he responded that there are still minor differences. He used the example "say a friend started talking to you about art when you were young, that could make a difference for the rest of your life".

My counter-argument to that (with the assumption of the MBTI) is that all types respond to experiences differently. Some people might be influenced a lot by that kind of experienced- but it's going to be a trend of types who are influenced by that. (I didn't use this argument.)

And then I pulled out the arguement that INFPs are naturally skeptical of abstract theories and also want equality in many cases. He chuckled, but was kinda annoyed. (It's not a persuasive argument, but it drives INFPs bonkers )

INFPs prefer the valuing process over the purely logical. They respond to the beautiful versus the ugly, the good versus bad, and the moral versus the immoral. Impressions are gained in a fluid, global, diffused way. Metaphors and similes come naturally but may be strained. INFPs have a gift for interpreting symbols, as well as creating them, and thus often write in lyric fashon. They may demonstrate a tendency to take deliberate liberties with logic. Unlike the NT, they see logic as something optional. INFPs also may, at times, assume an unwarranted familiarity with a domain, because their global, impressionistic way of dealing with reality may have failed to register a sufficient number of details for mastery. INFPs may have difficulty thinking in terms of a conditional framework; they see things as either real or fancied, and are impatient with the hypothetical.

I was reading the INFP portrait with Zoe, another INFP. In the first few paragraphs she had been pretty skeptical about the whole system, and then this paragraph came out at her. It was pretty funny.

Rachel, my INFP ex-gf, was absolutely against the MBTI. She just dislikes the idea of categorizing people. I've tried all my arguments on her, and she just refuses. I suspect it's because we're exs, and I only learned about the MBTI a couple months after we broke up.

Phil is still not convinced, Zoe kinda agrees with the idea but hasn't gotten into it.

Finally King_Vash (female infp i know IRL who lurks here- for a long time with me knowing!) is totally convinced and uses it in her daily life. I was asking her what arguments helped her.

The argument that helped her was the one that Jung (and later, Myers & Briggs) weren't trying to create an absolute mold. He just noticed a trend and reported it. That's also the the thing that really convinced me, when I learned that Jung was probably INTP. I thought, "OH, Jung would have been thinking about this the same way that I'm thinking about it! He knows that there's lots of holes and exceptions, but painted the web of psychological types anyway!"

So yeah. I <3 INFPs, so I often want to share the wonder of the MBTI with them. They can just be a little stubborn.

Questions/comments/concerns?

Also, INFPs here- please tell us how you learned about the MBTI! And anyone who has convinced an INFP, please share your story too.

 

[ViS]

Find the website that paints the prettiest pictures of the types and show them along with the test.

<3

 

[Cobra]

Interesting! As explained here, I stand on the barbed wire fence between INTP and INFP. I, too, have qualms with being categorized, despite the Descendents quote attached to my signature I put there to be ironic (I'm handling on a blog that is devoted to a form of that exact modus operandi).

I think I share a small part of that with other INFPs; the part that says, "This is basically like statistical astrology... I could be any one of these things, if I put my mind to it." But the fact of the matter is, I'm a nail's head; M-B hit me hard. It was like reading a creepy stalker's diary about the last 15 years of my life through their eyes. Still, that's no reason to just up and believe it all. I'm afraid I have no good answer for why I believe it. Perhaps it's the stubbornness of the INTP that makes it so hard for me to not. Think about that.

 

[echoplex]

Your description of INFPs reminds me that while I often think I have INFP tendencies, I know I'm not really one of them.

 

[FacetiousPersona]

MBTI's the new religion for us and we must enlighten other people with its brilliance.

 

[Tyria]

Try to convince someone when they take the MBTI that it is not 100% accurate in all cases, and that it is a tool that can help each person understand more about themselves. They don't have to believe in it, but it could help put into words things about themselves that they don't understand.

 

[wadlez]

Aight I had this friend who was an INFP on my msn list and we would talk everyday. He loved MBTI and was sometimes better than typing people and understanding it than me. I have read jungs book on the personality types and understood the theory behind it much better but he used his feeling function to be able to apply the theory to people in real life.
When discussing people we didnt both know we would just say what type they were and from that could understand the situation better.
Once he came over to my house while I was living with my brother and I wasnt home so he waited for me, he was stuck with just my brother for 5 minutes and my bro didnt talk. When I talked to him he summarised my bro was an ISTJ and could describe him and make jokes about him because he also had an ISTJ in his family, I was impressed.

 

[nightowl]

Posted this a few days ago and then nuked it out of frustration with myself when I read Crimson Knight's few sentence summary and sent a copy to the OP for my input. However, in rethinking the differences between the two posts, I decided to repost it as the OP is appealing to INFP's, not INTP's, who would appreciate the elaboration as how MBTI is an excellent device for INPF's in their desire for harmonious communication. Thanks.

New member here! Hi, everyone! I am an INFP. Appeal to their values through your INTP logic, of course. Here are a few thoughts. Hope I am "logical" enough for you INTP's!

1. First, acknowledge that MBTI is a tool (scientifically based on research and observation) that enables us to better understand each other. This "tool" is not absolute and all inclusive, but it is an excellent guide to knowing what makes a person "tick."

2. We, as individuals, all have varying life's experiences and degrees of maturity, but individuals in each type will share certain charactertistics. (Remember, you are overcoming an INFP's reluctance to have a person coldly and scientifically categorized--it is dehumanizing). ex. knowing that an INTP will approach any person or thing more with detached logic helps me know that they are not cold-hearted, it is the way their brains are truly wired to work.

3. MBTI intuitively "feels" right to this INFP. It accounts for the different ways we see and process thoughts and emotions. It gives me a language and a structure to express those differences. I try to accept people as they are and to look for the good in them. But now, instead of thinking person X is just person X and "that's the way they are," I can evaluate if they are I/E, P/J, etc. Do I dare write this process is helping develop my analysis skills and detached logic?

4. It's a way for an INFP to grow, both in self-knowledge and understanding. Remember, an INFP is an Idealist and seeks understanding and knowledge, too. I admit how a message is delivered influences my reception of the points being made, especially if I perceive it to be in a hostile and/or insulting manner. By a basic understanding of MBTI, it helps me listen more to a person's message rather than the delivery by realizing, "Okay, they are XXXX, that is why they are talking to me this way," and , "Okay, as an INFP, I am prone to take remarks too personally--be careful here and re-evaluate, act--not react ."

5. It's a way to help people grow as their own individuals and for them to better understand others. My child is mostly likely an ESFP. By studying ESPN's and Artisans, identifying her characteristics in a nonjudgemental way helps me communicate with her and how to "tailor" discussions to where she is more receptive to the points I am trying to make. Really helps with the "You are just not listening to me" thing which runs BOTH ways! More true communication with much less drama for both of us!

Please note that in #5, I wrote "grow," not "change." Do you not agree that is a very significant difference! With understanding, we all can help each other learn and grow, but we are people--not "projects" to "change" or "improve"!

Hope these comments are helpful!

 

[requiem]

Your description of INFPs reminds me that while I often think I have INFP tendencies, I know I'm not really one of them.

Ditto.