In summary, this guide provides seven tips to stay focused on an INFJ personality type. It emphasizes the importance of writing down ideas immediately, paying attention to details, working in intervals by creating deadlines, avoiding perfectionism, prioritizing alone time, disassociating self-worth from projects, and finding a project haven.
INFJs tend to be all-or-nothing personalities, which can affect their bedtime routine. To enhance well-being and personal growth, it is essential to focus on personal development skills that align with your values and avoid wasting time on projects or activities that don’t align with your positive qualities.
The four functions for INFJs are introverted intuition, extraverted feeling, introverted thinking, and extraverted sensing. Introverted intuition is the dominant function, focusing inwards on thoughts and ideas, while extraverted feeling is centered on the real physical world. Breaking up studying with rewards and practicing ABC four times, chores three times, and important admin tasks XYZ, etc., can help maintain focus.
To stay focused on new tasks, INFJs should write down ideas immediately, pay attention to details, work in intervals by creating deadlines, and avoid perfectionism. They have a high tolerance for learning-related stress but prefer to evenly distribute their efforts when learning new material.
Introverts often find it easier to concentrate, as they find it easier to experience “flow” in mindfulness. To stay focused on new tasks, INFJs should go for a quick walk, make a hot or cold drink, step away from their desk, and find a place with free space to spread out everything needed to study.
📹 INFJs In School- The INFJ Learning Style
INFJs In School – The INFJ Learning Style | The INFJ student is unique to say the least. With on of their most classic traits being …
What subject is INFJ best at?
INFJs are naturally skilled in the field of psychology, which combines their best qualities with the flexibility of a career. They can choose from clinical research in a lab or private therapy practices, allowing them to develop their intuition and understanding of individual human emotions. Working as a psychologist often involves working individually, relying on their own knowledge and skill sets, which appeals to INFJs who value intimate privacy.
A job in psychology also involves helping others, which is a value INFJs have. They can help others understand their inner workings and guide them through their issues, making them happy. Their empathy and thoughtfulness can help patients open up, making the process easier.
As an environmental scientist, INFJs are passionate about global issues and can actively work towards improving them. They can work in labs, educate people on the state of the world, or practice science in other ways. This job combines multiple important values for INFJs, such as helping the planet, helping others, and making a difference. They often work alone, evaluating topics from different angles, and reading about others’ work to stay on the right track with scientific trends and findings.
How to be productive as an INFJ?
This article provides practical tips for boosting productivity as an INFJ, a personality type that is part of the 16 MBTI personality types. These types include INFJ, ENTP, and MBTI, each representing a different personality characteristic. To improve productivity, individuals should schedule their time, find a work-life balance, exercise, learn to say no, and set reminders. By following these tips, individuals can enhance their productivity and work more effectively in the workplace.
Do INFJs have trouble focusing?
“Lack of focus” is a common issue experienced by individuals with INFJ and INFP personality types when it comes to finishing creative projects. They often blame themselves for not sticking with projects and getting distracted, leading to a “shiny object syndrome”. However, these individuals often realize that they are not the problem, and their lack of focus is actually a sign of a gifted neurodivergent mind. They may become excited about one project and then want to pursue another, leading to a lack of focus and a lack of commitment to the project.
What is the hardest thing for INFJ?
Individuals with the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality type of INFJ are frequently reluctant to accept criticism, particularly when it is perceived to be in conflict with their deeply held values. They are renowned for their rationality and intellectual excellence. Other personality types include Architect, Logician, Commander, Debater, and Feeling, each with its own distinctive set of strengths and weaknesses. These individuals are renowned for their capacity for empathy, diplomatic skills, and idealism.
What is the best country for INFJ?
The country with the optimal environment for an MBTI type is Norway, followed by Germany, the United States, Argentina, Switzerland, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil. Other countries that offer similar incentives include Greece’s Golden Visa, Portugal, Spain, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
Which MBTI has the highest IQ?
Individuals who are introverted with high levels of intuition tend to exhibit the highest mean intelligence scores. Additionally, they tend to perform the best academically. For instance, individuals who are INFJ and INTJ have the highest grades for all 16 types, while individuals who are INTP and INFP have the highest grade point average.
Is INFJ good at math?
INFJs, or Individuals with High Needs, are highly conscientious and can excel in math. Some careers suitable for INFJs without a degree include video editing, writing, and nutrition. Springboard is offering a Career Reboot Scholarship to help job seekers in tech upskill and stand out in a competitive hiring environment. The scholarship provides $1, 000 off any Springboard bootcamp in software engineering, data analytics, UX design, cybersecurity, and tech sales. Eligibility requirements and application can be found on their website.
Are INFJs neurodivergent?
Individuals with a distinctive combination of cognitive abilities, such as those with autism and the general population, are perceptive to their environment. However, it is uncertain whether this is a definitive indicator.
What is the happiest job for an INFJ?
INFJs are well-suited for various careers, including education, graphic design, healthcare, and healthcare. They possess a deep understanding of human nature, creating engaging lessons and being warm and nurturing. They excel in graphic design due to their strong eye for design and aesthetic beauty, and their ability to see the big picture. Healthcare is a good fit for INFJs due to their creativity, desire to help others, teamwork skills, and natural intuition. They enjoy working independently and connect emotionally with people, making healthcare a great fit for INFJs.
Do INFJs tend to have high IQ?
INFJs, according to the MBTI® Manual, have high academic performance, including the second highest grades in high school, first-semester college grades, and one of the highest undergraduate grades. They are also among the highest college persisters and tend to score above average in IQ tests. Gordon Lawrence, Ph. D., explains that INFJs are “people-oriented innovators” who are best when they are inspired and envision ways to empower themselves and others to lead more meaningful lives. They have a knack for anticipating people’s needs and concerns and are often catalysts that put people on a trajectory that will improve their lives.
INFJs are known for their intuitive abilities, which allow them to see complexities and hidden meanings behind every aspect of life. They peer behind the scenes and look for nuances that are not immediately obvious, giving them a leg-up in abstract subjects like philosophy and psychology.
Reading, writing, imagining, and toying with theoretical complexities are all things that make INFJs come alive. In 2018, INFJs read more books than 14 of the other Myers-Briggs® personality types, placing them in second place. Reading boosts intelligence in several areas, including language, problem-solving, vocabulary, empathy, and imagination, making them often perceived as intelligent types.
📹 How to Understand the INFJ Brain
How to understand the INFJ brain is a problem for most personality types who are not INFJ personality types and also INFJs …
No joke, this is so on point. I’ve made it a point now to set up deadlines atleast a day ahead so I can trick myself into thinking that time is running out so I can start a project last moment. It’s pointless starting early cause I know it won’t get done until time is about to be up, I feel like it’s so much less work doing last minute.
Being an INFJ I learned to read/understand my teachers and how they tested. The first test in any class would always be my lowest grade on a test, after the first test I knew what the teacher would put on the following tests and study accordingly, I always got A’s on all subsequent tests. I learned how to read people so well I received straight A’s in Grad school. I looked for routines in coursework and how teachers taught their class, obviously this worked well for me and might not work for everyone.
Many INFJs have stomach issues from high stress as children so sitting through lengthy classes is more than difficult…we NEVER want to call attention to ourselves to ask for a bathroom pass. Not to mention the aggressive kids that want to fight us because they missunderstand our behaviour as being stuck up. The underlying issues for a true INFJ are pretty intense in simply getting through the school day.
Oh man, thank you. I do not like memorizing names and dates of history. I don’t understand why someone would need to remember that information. Also, I do not like someone micromanaging me. I need my freedom to think. And you’re right about not liking repetitive tasks. It’s not that I can’t because I can and get really good at it too. It’s just boring and like my brain cells are being wasted.
It hit the bullseye for me when it says INFJ need to study alone in order to absorb the information, being in a study group doesnt make me concentrated enough to get the whole picture, but i tried my best to understand by making up examples. Im too well aware of my surrounding and that makes me feel motivated but didnt give me the focus that i want. I was puzzled however this helped me understand enough to get me through my studies better so thank you 😊
It doesn’t have to be a subject that involves emotion, you can involve emotion. For example, I noticed that it helps if the teachers are nice and the atmosphere is calm or entertaining and everyone feels good. I take that with me and I remember it when I learn on my own. This is how I remember a lot of stuff. Also, listening to music helps. Like the ost of a romantic movie.
My biggest struggle with learning was, the schools themselves. I was laughed at or rejected by the teacher for the questions I asked, or for asking too many questions. Plus, I had to go at the pace of the class and the direction of the class. No one ever wanted to broaden the scope of what we were learning so I was shut down and shut out. When this happened at college, the one place I truly believed wanted students who were hungry to learn, I walked away broken hearted that I’d been lied to. College for me, was just high-school all over again. Everything you said was on point!
Nailed spot on. I do better with a simple topic but with larger freedom. Cold hard facts in a crowded environment caused me significant trouble all life. All the time, curiosity gets to me and I end up researching much more than needed. I struggle to remember dates of an event, unless it is a deeply memorable self-experience. The teamwork was where the “chameleon” trait shine. Back then I couldn’t explain why, I struggle to make friends but can always coordinate with teammates like a well oiled machine. The procrastination until last minute part got me laughing, just “thinking too much”.
I identify with as an INFJ. I expressed to my ex-husband that I wanted to go to Duke and he said I was incapable of going to Duke. So, I enrolled at Duke University at the age of 48 as a divorced single mother and working full time. I graduated with a 4.0 with a Masters degree in nursing 2 years later. Talk about being determined, organized, and focused. Being a bit of a perfectionist with my projects, I did find my self pressing the “send button” to my professors at 11:58 pm more than once.🤣
I always struggled to get good grades at school ( a few decades ago), I had no idea I was a INFJ then and only found out I was one a few years ago, though I didn’t give it much thought at the time. I have found through my IT career I have had to take a fair number of courses with exams to get qualified in different areas and they all teach in the same way, where your in a class for a few days at a time expecting to remember lots of facts in which to be tested. Though I did pass, I never felt very confident with this as I always found it a struggle as during the lectures my mind was racing around the subject area trying to make sense of a specific topic in which I could match a idea or process to a persons motivation for doing something it that way, your example of the romans made that really hit home.
This was right on point! I was ok at test taking but my mistake was to sit at back of the class. I found myself scanning the room the entire time. This one looks to be struggling, that one is focused, that one got up to the bathroom, that one isn’t even taking the test, oh this one now came back from bathroom, omg that one is finished and leaving already..and I’m only on number 30 😳 …..
Your INFJ descriptions are some of the best here on YouTube. You should have way more subscribers than you currently have and I know you’ll get there. Just a suggestion. Being an INFJ, I would really appreciate if you can change your background music. It is groovy and I can get it why you might choose it for your articles but being an INFJ, I would love to watch your articles even more if you can just choose some classic piano like the one Michael Pierce has or some other sad and somber indie tune to really help my intuition go wild with ecstasy.
This is so spot on! I didn’t learn anything at school. Disruptive classrooms and too much going on. I always had to go over it at home. I was terrible at tests despite revising because facts just drop out of my head and it made me feel stupid. But in written work and assignments done at home I excelled. Even at art college, I did barely anything in class time. My teacher said I was on course for a fail but I tried to explain to her I’d done the work at home. Then on exhibition day I brought everything in and got a distinction and a special commendation from the monitor. This was so spot on. 👌
Great article! Our Fe (extraverted feeling) function is concerned with harmony, but not simply, as many assume, in its social/interpersonal form. In fact, harmony appeals to us in any form. Take, for instance, Henri Poincaré, the super-genius mathematician, physicist, engineer, scientist and philosopher. He was an INFJ and had a greater motivation to study and contribute to higher-level mathematics, philosophy, etc. thanks to his Fe. He was an off-the-charts abstract and visual thinker. He used his Ni to come up with completely new ideas and perspectives, and harnessed the power of his super Ti to impose structure and accuracy in his discoveries. Many INFJs hesitate to choose the Sciences as a career because they think they won’t be able to compete with ‘thinkers’ (INTP, INTJ, ENTP…), but they couldn’t be more wrong. You can use your gifts to offer different kinds of contributions to humanity. Follow your passions, never stop improving, and you’ll get there! I’ll follow my calling, will you follow yours? (English is not my main language)
As procastination is one of our biggest mistakes, i try to make preparations of the asignment, so when the last day comes, at least i have everything prepared for a smooth start. basically if its a conceptual map of some lectures, i try to read them all in the first week, then another day i prepare mini conceptual maps of each one, so when the day comes i have everything set up and ready to do it the last day, as fast and efficient as possible, also something else im recently trying to fight procastination, is to set the dayline one day earlier than is supposed to, not a lot but it helps in emergencies.
With overwhelming introverted intuition, I was far too busy in my own mind to pay any real attention to my teachers.Although I remained just aware enough to pass with mediocre grades With a tested IQ of 137 I took care of the education I actually wanted and valued 40+ years ago I formulated several equations based on Hippocrates 4 base temperaments and discovered the quadra matrixes only to verify my findings through Meyer’s Briggs most recently was that genius or do I remain quiet and humble
00:33 📚 INFJs are attracted to learning topics involving emotion and human connection, where they can utilize their empathic abilities. 01:54 🧠 INFJs prefer a conceptual learning style, relating everyday topics to human experiences for better understanding. 03:18 📝 INFJs prefer structured learning with freedom, disliking repetitive tasks that inhibit creativity. 04:44 🔄 INFJs are adaptable to different learning environments and tactics, thriving in calm surroundings. 05:43 ⏳ Alone time is crucial for INFJs to focus and integrate information, amidst their sensitivity to external stimuli. 06:38 🧠 INFJs prioritize understanding over memorization, often researching to gain a deeper comprehension of topics. 07:34 ⏳ INFJs may procrastinate due to perfectionism and fear of failure, despite their drive for excellence.
I can’t understand how people can study around other people. Im usually distracted by their very presence around me. I hear people speak and my mind wanders to their conversation. It seems hard AF to be alone. Once I was doing homework in a park and a guy who just got out of prison approached me for conversation, later on a police officer showed up running a search on both of us.
Procrastination is something I counter before it sets in lol. I know myself this well to have a plan at least. I love the accuracy around structure the details annoy me so I abstract learn and usually am right. Yes to INFJ feels the room and make it my own for my own comfort. I love this explanation of INFJ, its timely and much needed thank you.❤️
When I was still in uni taking up engineering there’s this exam that you have to draw the orthographic projection of this particular problem..when I entered the room and saw the problem on the board I immediately said ” excuse me sir but the problem is wrong”…well the prof challenged me but he lost it.. you can’t challenge the mind of an infj that automatically tranforms iso to solid ortho in an instant…and it’s in 3d by the way…and imagine all the math formulas..i don’t memorize I understand…and i have a photographic memory…
I would say depending on the mbti of the parents and teachers will determine an infjs enthusiasm for school. A strong positive support system/environment is crucial. They already love learning but it’s like Natalie Portman said, she loves learning but studying sucks 😅 so yes sometimes people don’t realize it’s the way in which a material is presented, the perfectionists side needs be able to dive in before measurements/numbers are given in order associate it with the subject imo
It wasn’t until I watched this article that I finally understand why I struggle learning through the standard manners of note taking. Despite jotting down what my college professors lecture on, I struggle remembering on these notes. combined with notes taken on the text books, too. The irony is that I have no challenges with literature and writing classes–my majors–its remembering biology and astronomy that kick my arse.
I’m not sure… I realized I cannot learn something I just don’t want to. Took Biology 101 three times, and failed all three semesters. I appreciate biology, but I passed Physics 101 the first time. Physics made more sense to me because I experienced a lot of what it talks about and was able to connect it to my life in one way or another…never thought of it that way before; even though I mentioned this to my wife many years ago. Lol. But yeah…I just can’t learn things I don’t want to and can connect with my emotional moments in time, is what interests me. I kinda feel exposed bro! LOL!!!
When I was in elementary school, I suck at math. It’s not like I’m good at it now but at least I had better understanding why we need math in our lives now than before. Before, I always envy my classmates because they can easily get it (memorizing the pattern and how the problem be solve at its own formula), because when I was the one who tried to solve it, my mind go places, trying another formula that my mind randomly offer. And that makes me procrastinate my homework too much because of taking a different route in my own ways to come up a solution. And that makes me hate math more because I always tell myself that, I won’t need all those new invented problems that math ask you to solve, because the only thing that is most important are the basics ( +, ×, -, ÷), because foundation is really crucial in our lives. Then after reflecting, I don’t know if it’s an Infj thing to always reflect especially at night to deal or gained a new perspective but it’s really effective anyway (the internal monologue scenario). I understand that we need math for our brain to boost our critical thinking and have a solid observation skill (though, scientist study that the part of our brain for critical thinking on the frontal lobe, is still not fully develop until you become 25 years old). Still I don’t like math. But there be a day when I have this new found hobby and me writing this on a several papers, experimenting, having lots of data to analyse how many days, and information to observe so I can ace the project I was invested in.
Something that helped me a lot in school was doodling on all of my classwork. I was either the first one finished, or the last one with tests, depending on the subject, but i usually had good grades in all of the classes i had moderate to high interest in. Turns out that I’m a kinetic learner. It helps me have a memory to associate with what i learned so that i can recall the information easier. There were even times i corrected the teachers, but I never did it in a stuck up way but more like you forgot this or remember this? Types way. I guess it won’t come across the same way through typing but i made sure my tone was appropriate and not so as to say that i thought i knew better than them. I was respectful. The classes that i strongly disliked, i got bad grades in, but if i had a good teacher in a subject I didn’t like, i did pretty ok and would get Bs. I had friends in every kind of clique but i wasn’t in any myself. Most of my teachers liked me, although gym class wasn’t great as i got older. I preferred to conserve my energy for other things that were more important since i only have a limited supply of it, since middle and high school were more draining. I tried to stay to myself as much as possible and i got along well wih my teachers usually. I always felt like they understood me better than my peers. I felt like i was way older than everyone which made it difficult to participate with my peers as normal teens would be expected. I was terrible at getting my homework done but i always made a point to get homework done for the teachers that hardly gave any homework, or if it was a fun writing assignment
Really wanted to learn about infj student.Clearly I’m a big procrastinatinator and last semester at school,I repeated sophomore year because my results didn’t meet the requirements to get into junior,so I went through that year like it was the last.It’s also due to me being a perfectionist when it comes to certain subjects since I usually get very good grades in maths and languages studies,but I’m trash in everything else.In fact the subjects I had to choose were very limited and didn’t appeal to me,of course I can’t just perform badly in a class because I don’t like it or I’m lazy,but I just don’t see where it’s supposed to help me later on since I want a job that doesn’t involve anything with those although I’m still indecisive about my future career at that point.
I wish I knew all this stuff in school, because I had so many problems that they placed me and special education classes and then couldn’t figure out why I was there when they did Place me there, because it seemed as though that I was intelligent enough to understand things at a higher education, and then it just made it a roller coaster.
I am so awful with math and logic. I am great with abstract concepts and bigger picture ideas. I love learning about people, but struggle to fit in anywhere. I have ideas of what things could be, but neglect the things I should do. If I could have a career that lets me study people while being alone, that would be perfect. … I just don’t have the confidence or skills to make up for my inadequate ability for socializing. And I don’t have the drive or discipline to perfect a craft on my own. sigh
my INFJ learning style? full on autodidactic and nothing else. i walked out of school and never looked back, so disgusted was i with the lack of morals, the teachers and the other students, i would wake up everyday after feeling like id grown another 10 IQ points in my sleep. i still thought i was retarded for years after school but it turns out that was just the decade long intellectual hangover, not to mention the bollockings and shitty remarks id get from teachers and parents about ‘being in my own little world all the time’
So…..I agree with this entire article, except….. being a sigma INFJ empath I feel like there’s a lot more to the process depending on the circumstances…… myself for example…… recently because of work I had to learn in a group (my job is probably one of the worst jobs for the INFJ but I’m limited in the area that I live so this is what I got so I could take care of my kids as a single mother) of people who some I know, some I don’t, some I can feel their bullshit hater vibes radiating off of them poisoning the room in their efforts to be the dominant………the new people I’m trying to read so I can become comfortable with them, half of the people who I knew before hand are awesome and the other half disrupt my energy like none other……..the learning in question is pretty difficult and going into it knowing there was little to no faith in my abilities from the majority of the people that I’d be working with really had me on the fence about doing it because I am Soo underestimated and severely misunderstood……….all of these energies on top of the “difficult” topic, on top of the resentment because not only was I succeeding I was excelling and apparently faster than some of them when they first started…….my point is, with all of that stimulation, excess negativity directed at me personally, under a lot of pressure to be successful in order to get the things that I need (benefits) all surrounding something that is not something that would be beneficial to me in a way that makes me feel good about my purpose in life, it makes me feel exploited.
How to read a book in INFJ way… book is a type of box, try think out of the box/book… the book is dead but my brain is alive… common sense is a needed… lost in my head with imagination yet can’t focus the huge thick mind taxing textbook, nevermind just add some symbol/shape/pattern/rhyme/poem/make up story/parable/joke whatever crap is in my head as long as i understand the crap, teach other to make memorize deep with feeling. digest one point of word not the whole sentence, one word equal to full of meaning to me, one word can create a universe to me, is very full for my head to digest just one word with trillion of perspective way. Meanwhile, during exam…my brain flush out write all a lot of crap sentence with too much information gathering input in once… until out of paper, and become novel… 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 all the time
I usually want to talk about deep things, like what are the causes of war or why is society so materialistic, and the other person will give a simplistic reply (A causes B which causes C) and not follow all the twists and turns of my thoughts. As a biology tutor, I would draw diagrams and charts to explain how things work. That’s really intuitive.
Some people get overwhelmed when you present your thinking (that usually the ones that are more intuitive and can understand some of the things that you’re saying), but then there’s the sensor that haven’t got a clue and who looks at you like you’ve just presented some conspiracy theory to them and they will say something like “I don’t think that’s how things are” or “I think you’re reading too much into it”.
As an INFJ myself, I know the difficulty of trying to explain myself to most others and failing. Even some other intuitives seem to not fully follow but at least understand allot of it. INTJs though, they do fully understand us and where we are coming from. Also, they too share the rarest dominant cognitive function as us so of course they follow. Putting our ideas in writing helps but if we have an INTJ friend, we could ask them to help us simplify our ideas and most of the time, they will help. We are good at complexity and feel it is easy to us. When I am trying to figure something out and keep trying all the complex answers and it doesn’t work, it blows my mind when I find out the answer is so simple. People don’t seem to understand that either.
I’m an INFP, not an INFJ, but I definitely get this way of thinking. Then again, I’m autistic and a pattern seeker by nature, so my mind tends to tie all sorts of things together that can make no sense to others and so I’ve definitely been there with people not understanding what I’m trying to communicate. 😀
Interesting concept of INFJ thinking processes. I’m in my middle 70’s, a SIGMA INFJ. Have worked w/FBI on a massive RICO Investigation since 98. It’s highly complex and learning about it was very consuming from the start especially since it involved me, Family and later all of us. It’s currently in our daily news and parts deeply threatens us. When learning at times, it’s easier for me to grasp the top then go down through the rabbit hole details. As they say, “you can see everything with a top down view”.
I love the web explanation! Spot on, that explains the process so well. I’m fortunate in that my husband is an INTJ…we have some amazing conversations. But even he doesn’t understand me at times…complains about the leaps I make. However, it’s usually on subjects that I’ve researched much more extensively but am having a problem myself in understanding just how I know what I know…😂. I’m old enough now though that I trust my gut implicitly and if he or others don’t get me, it’s no big deal. They don’t have to. Thanks for your insight!
Sometimes my web thinking worked. I used to be an airport shuttle driver and people would complain about how bad the traffic was going through downtown. Their solution was to “widen the road”. I would always invite them to look at a different perspective by asking “Do you think that this section of the interstate is crowded at 2:00 AM?” I then went on to explain that widening the interstate would be insanely expensive and take years because A. Their would be expensive legal battles against the expansion B. It would cost billions of dollars to acquire all of the real estate and demolish it and C. This would go on for at least a decade….while traffic increased. So, the real issue is too many road users for about 6 out of 24 hours, 5 days per week. So, remove vehicles by : 1. Having staggered shifts for office workers. 2. Encourage more people to work from home. 3. Have mini shuttles running from transit hubs to office buildings. 4. Put an $8.00 toll on the road during the afternoon rush hour. 5. More transit. 6. Encourage businesses not 100% reliant on being located in the urban core to relocate. The response always seemed to be “But I paid for this highway. I don’t want to pay the toll” 😏
Very well presented! I recognized many of the issues you were detailing right away. I’m very much an INFJ and my other half is most definitely not. When a problem comes up, I automatically see all of the different angles. The pros and the cons. When I start to explain them, she automatically sees it as me being negative and gets defensive. Not an easy dynamic to navigate…
This is also probably part of why I have such difficulties on standardized tests. When a question doesn’t line up with choice answers to the same level of specification, then this “web thinking” comes into play and I find more than one possible answer, so it turns into “what answer do they expect?” This is where I get into trouble.
Thank you for this article, it helps with my radical acceptance that I will always feel misunderstood or unheard in a lot more scenarios than I think. Words I’ve heard so far as a result of the way I think or communicate my thoughts: overexplain, overanalyse, overthink, deep, ‘you’re such a lateral thinker’ etc. There’s a whole vocabulary and I was for a long time under the assumption plenty of people think the way I do or see details and patterns I see or know. I guess I’ll always have to go back to the slides to compress my thoughts for others to GET my ideas.
This was a great article, and something that really resonates. I struggle with conveying ideas most at work or when under pressure. I tend to think of my brain as thinking about things holistically, as a constellation or system but webs are a great analogy too. I’m not sure if you’re open to article suggestions but I’d love to see a follow up on ways to help INFJs convey there ideas or help them be heard. Because of thinking in webs, I tend to get overwhelmed when communicating on the spot, or under pressure – like I get flooded with ideas, the answers are there but I can’t filter or pull them to the surface, so instead I shut down and my anxiety takes over. No one would ever know how much is in my head as I can’t convey it. Even by myself I can see the main points of the web but can’t always put stuff into words. I also feel less and less like bothering nowadays unless I feel like someone will be interested because I feel like ‘I have nothing to prove, I am more than my mind’, but the draw back of that is that it prevents me from sharing. If anyone has any tips or suggestions for things that have helped them convey their ideas I’d love to hear! Thanks a lot.
Lol. Hey Miss Lauren. Well, that certainly explains why my thinking has many folks confused. The web concept is accurate, it’s just hard to formulate into words. Sometimes it comes out as imagery and people can sort of follow it. But I think it’s people who are more aligned with a dominant intuition that will see it. Thank you for the article. CYA!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
This is so true! My thinking is weblike. I build a full picture like a puzzle, everything is connected and I know when a piece is missing and incomplete. I can live with it but love an “Aha” moment of finding that last piece. I get so frustrated when people think in lines. It feels so incomplete and limited.
This helped me out soooo much . I’ve been feeling so confused as to why people don’t understand me. I mean well but I feel like sometimes their reactions are as if I’ve told them the earth was flat 😆….. or more accurately explained, it’s as if they thought what I was saying wasn’t connected to what they were saying so they thought I wasn’t listening to them and went off on my own tangent but I didn’t ….. it was definitely connected yet they seem to think it wasn’t ??? In my mind the connections are front and center. So it doesn’t even dawn on me that they aren’t seeing the connection.
I tested INFJ .. my friend guessed it and asked me to take the test. I can’t tell you how helpful your message today is for me. I get teased for “circling the airport too long before I land my plane” a lot .. I definitely think like this .. I often feel frustrated and mis understood. Thank you for you message !
Another problem I personally face when I try to at least be honest with people regarding how my brain works is since most people don’t think things like a web and don’t even conceive thinking like that, they often think people with dominant introverted intuition want to appear pedantic and make it look like they’re much more intelligent when they’re trying to explain it, when in reality we’re just trying to be honest. For INTJs it’s certainly not that important but for INFJs who really want to establish connections with others it really hurts. I mean INFJs can choose to avoid people then, but that’s just not how they work and relationships are very important for them so I guess the best alternative is always not saying too much and appear like most people even though we always feel like an impostor in some way. Beside that, it is not talked about in the article but does extraverted intuition users get the web thinking too ? They seem to somehow get it from what I’ve seen even though their brain pretty much processes the opposite way by starting from one idea to expand it as a web, which is the reason why they notoriously appear so weird externally when the weirdness is rather internal for INFJs/INTJs I feel like.
I’m not sure that I’m an INFJ, but I surely am a heavy intuitive. I am constantly feeling like I’m an alien to other people because they don’t understand my leaps of thinking – they tend to feel puzzled or amused (especially when talking to ISFJs for a reason. ISFJs are pretty stereotypical in the way they’re functioning). And I feel like I’m neurodivergent just for that reason. And I can get so angry that I get misread – people don’t understand what I’m saying, they laugh or smile and think that they’re more intelligent than me. But it’s just because I don’t tell them all the details, and when I bother to spell out the f’ing details for them, they suddenly understand and realize that I’m not weird or crazy, but actually have thought about things a lot.
So thoughtful and helpful. I recently tried to describe said phenomenology to a friend. I found it helpful to describe convergent vs. divergent thought, with an analogy to breathing–where you need periods of convergence and linear thought, punctuated and enlivened by periods of divergent thought, where free association just does what it will; expand, contract…you get the breathing analogy
WOW 🥰, thank you!!! This truly came to me at the right moment and obviously divine timing. I had been racking my brain effortlessly in hopes of being more malleable to my family. It makes perfect sense and you have a beautiful way of breaking it down! I thoroughly enjoyed sweet spoonfuls of medicine that easily absorbed into my subconscious mind. Blessings to you and all who enjoy 🙏🏼
When I was a graduate student, and now when I write stories or paint pictures, yes, the holistic, synthesizing approach has served me well. But I’ve also been a classroom teacher, so I’ve learned to be uncluttered and precise in my directions, especially for the task-oriented types. Knowing my passion for generating material and options, I try more now to bring closure to instructions and refrain from adding complexity. Where I might run into conflicts now is my interest in beauty. Not everyone shares it. But does my brain operate “differently”? Yes, if the reactions of friends, especially girlfriends, is any indication. But I don’t tend to share a lot of private stuff anymore, which I used to justify as part of openness. I don’t have the need now, whether to heal trauma or to satiate guilt and shame. I tend to ask questions of others and listen.
Golly. No wonder I hated office meetings and even teacher meetings. I would sit, respectfully listen, but when I synthesized the information aloud, or made suggestions, people just stared and dismissed me. I am a pretty humble person, so it was not my manner, it was my ideas. Very frustrating. Another frustrating aspect is that though I am very emotional, I have kept emotions hidden or in deep lockup, and friends think I am cold- hearted and my current partner thinks i am crazy……oh dear, I am starting to sound … they don’t see the gap between what I am feeling and what I say.
Thanks for sharing! Indeed it is easier for me to understand if I have a web of my thoughts 🕸️ and are visually available. I have a comment on 10:26: I always feel that this acceptance is one sided 😂 Like I’m the one who always adjusts – sometimes it doesnt feel natural and I feel like I am the only one who puts more effort.
My brother told me the way I communicate is wrong and insinuated that I’m trying to impress people with word salad which felt very confusing and hurt. I didn’t want to upset him so I said sorry, but I wish I had put my foot down. It kinda put a fork in our friendship that hasn’t been undone because I don’t know how to talk to him and I feel his judgement.
Wow. I’m impressed with the accuracy of this explanation. I’m also thinking “ya right, I can’t mitigate possible outcomes when I explain things because THEY’RE STILL POSSIBLE OUTCOMES AND I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN’T SEE THIS!” I’m kidding, but those that know this feeling, REALLY know this feeling
I see all my projects/events=choreogeahies/fairy-story-films in the whole-with every little detailbefire my inner eye -long before I let my team starts rehearsing…..they follow me because they trust me-and in the end rhey say” you did it again” BUT when I talk to others outside my inner circle,I can see in rheir faces,that they think” qhat is she talking about?’- …they talk to others about me”she is very nice-but a bit crazy….”-or even say to my face,that I talk balagan….. they cannot follow… I know …ao I try to explain and then they get boared-but after the show-I hear ” Oh-now I see”…. I work a lot with children….All age groups -3-17 years….. THEY ALLWAYS UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING….and wven come up with more ideas to tune the story… I liked yiu article a lot -THANK YOU❤❤❤
I stumble over words and meaning while my whole energyfield wants to communicate holographically and telepathically..and I do, but often its not received…like a blockage of meaning and understanding in the other that I have to talk around or I try to find the right symbology or term that does sink in with the other and so I get lost in all kinds is sideways…and I end up feeling like an eternal weirdo, but I dont care anymore. 😂 This healer will (mostly) only heal herself from now on and let others have their path, as long as they dont expect too much from me.
In highschool our class of advanced learners was required to take standardized tests. Our marks were too high for their liking . We also messed up the marking of the tests by maschines because we wrote in multiple answers because the question was not soecific enough, after 3x’s giving the same test to us and we just got evrn better because many in the class had photographic memories and we all helped each other out so the designers came to us to ask how to design a better test. First they had to narrow their petameters and make the questions so specific that only one answer could possibly be correct. The student would have had yo learn thr material being tested to know the answer. Also they had to develope a more random correct answer pattern. For years C was often, over 60%of the time to be the correct answer.it was very hard to be presented with whole classes of intuitives mostly FJ and T J . The lowest IQ was 124 but he was a savant on piano and pretty good at everything else. This type of test design is also very good for everyone since guessing really does not work. Those who need help will get it sooner than later.
The web is a great way to put it. I use a lightning strike going off in my head, triggering my neurons. Where the most logical idea is the main part of the bolt and the ideas are all the forks of lightning shooting off in all directions. In my relationships with my partners I would sit down with them and actually draw and write stuff down to show them exactly what I was thinking.
Body on the bed but the brain is not fully shut down or sleep (still on going working process) Think of the past, Think of the future, think of the current Trying to connect (Past + Current = Future outcome) Or (Future – Past = Current present) Or (Current x Past + Future * Current) Or (What ever math is left or right there is something in the middle) Till peace and zen is made out
My wife is a infj and I’m a infp and we have been working but she while being right about a lot I live on and she sees my reaction as the same thing and seems to have a blind spot maybe lack of trust which is fair but tough but I do understand most of the time but her actions doesn’t make sense and that’s same things she says about me,now she won’t listen to anything,what’s best way to let her know I hear her😊?😊
Before I began a regular meditation practice Ni would hijack me whenever it wanted to. It would drop me off 5 miles past my exit, or keep me from being present in very important situations. Meditate regularly. Lol, my Ni is simply “knowing” the answer. Once I’m asked and find that I “know” the answer, I’m able to draw the lines from the answer back to all the connecting points that created that answer.
Hi Lauren, I’m an influencer on this year’s Taylor Swift album which is titled, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’. Taylor chose me to promote her album. Artists need each other for inspiration. I have to change my direction a bit. I should be able to write a screenplay or a book with illustrations that has value and impact and movie manifestation potential. The absurdity that I ask ordinary people to believe in about my identity and about my internet celebrity story is often unquestioned even by curiosity. Most people that I meet do not belong in my life, really. I talk to psychiatrists about my influence. Psychiatrists do not know a rat’s titty-winkle about the internet. Psychiatrists are behind the curve of understanding in many areas and psychiatrists often ask questions that they never answer as part of procedures of invalidation. I’m here to make psychiatrists feel small and appropriate to their size which is tiny. Psychiatrists disagree with me initially about my celebrity spy story until I educate them about who I am and what is up and who is really ignorant about what. I know my truth. I do not allow people to invalidate my truth. When some medical professional invalidates my truth I throw up and I throw my diaper at them. Lauren, I get upset and I throw my diaper at people. I’m a man baby. I wear a massive diaper full of saucy pork ribs. Perhaps momma Swift will help me to be a warrior. Momma Swift will transform me into a warrior. Many people are ignorant about many things and they do not understand things in this universe like internet sex cults.
I learned to treat my own children like aliens and to stop assuming that they automatically understood even accepted ideas like what say a tree was. Most people especially teachers tend to assume too much in my opinion. We all need to learn to look at things from different perspectives. The world will be a better place for it. Ultimately it increases our own brainpower too.
just got a haircut, cannot stand how they pry, where is my daughters father uhhh that was 40 yrs ago, really? why is this still part of my identity? why to women dive between your legs when you first meet and open up old wounds you do not think about daily and personify them as your ID and upset you until the next dog comes along to sniff? can we not talk about ANYTHING else than this hurtful personal stuff, are we pigs and amateur therapist or can we not always slight and invade others privacy.