Much has been written about the importance of formulating goals to achieve success. First, you appraise your current situation. Next, you decide what you wish to achieve. Then you identify specific activities that will help you reach that goal. Simple,…
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) I is an instrument that describes the broad strokes of an individual personality. Do you tend to be “warm and sympathetic”, like an ESFJ or “logical and detached” like an INTP? One of the goals of this questionnaire is to group people who have similar general tendencies, “birds of a feather”, so to speak. However, it is also clear that even though
people have like-minded characteristics with those of their ilk, they also exhibit a vast array of individual differences. Parrots mimic; eagles eat fish; and owls like to hang out at night. However, within their type, each bird is distinctly different from another. The MTBI II serves to capture these differences in people who have the same personality type. Now there is the MBTI III, a questionnaire that gauges type development. How well does an individual use his/her dominant and auxiliary functions characteristic of that type? Can that person effectively shift to the non-preferred third and fourth functions when necessary?
My interest in the MBTI system was piqued as a result of my work with patients and families in a functional rehabilitation setting and later, in my training and experience as a life coach. Truth be told, raising 3 children and getting to know their friends was also helpful. There is no doubt that how an individual takes in information and uses it, has a great impact on what strategies will be used to attack a problem, communicate with others, and provide energy or motivation. One example that stands out in my mind is when I served a patient who suffered a memory loss after encephalitis caused by a mosquito bite. I recommended placing colorful post-it notes all over her house to stimulate her memory. To my surprise, she rejected my idea by explaining all of that clutter would drive her crazy and she preferred a nice leather planner instead. I was certain she would lose it because in my own mind, I would misplace something like that. However, she always knew where it was. More than likely, her MBTI type code contained an “SJ” possibly ESTJ or ESFJ. These types prefer order in their living space and my “brilliant” idea of eye-catching color all over her house fell flat.
A critical step in the reliable use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is verification of type through a dialogue between the individual completing the inventory and the practitioner 
interpreting the results. After receiving the results, the client will read the description of the personality type, in the aggregate, to determine if it is largely accurate. In my experience, I have found the INFJ notoriously difficult to type. Even after the verification step, the INFJ can be uncertain that this description fits. It isn’t due to shortcomings in the Myers-Briggs questionnaire. It is mainly due to the rarity and complexity of the INFJ type.
Exact percentages vary but the INFJ, the rarest of the personality types, is said to account for 1-2% of the overall population, females slightly more often than males. The INFJ has been called “The Mystic,” “The Counselor,” and “Empath”. They are described as original, gentle, caring, and highly intuitive. The quality of extrasensory perception, or ESP, is often attributed to them. People who have known INFJs for years continue to be surprised when yet another layer of their complex personality is revealed. As a result of their inferior sensing function, they can be stubborn and obsess about an inconsequential detail , usually when they are under stress. Their ability to see the big picture can be affected during these times. INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they are so genuinely interested in people — a product of the auxiliary feeling function they most readily show to the world (Introverts show their auxiliary function, or the function that supports the dominant function, to the world first). Still, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or mate. Yet, INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out those closest to them. This apparent about face is necessary, providing both time to rebuild their energy and a filter to prevent the emotional overload that can happen as they deeply experience other individuals. This is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders particularly if experience with this type has been limited. I have 3 INFJ’s in my life, my brother, my daughter, and my best friend and I can attest to the fact that they are like Russian nesting dolls, when one doll is exposed, another one lies inside.