INFP - The Mystic

INFPs, also known as Intuitive Ethical Integrators (IEIs), are reflective, idealistic seekers of spiritual or symbolic truth, led by Telos and supported by their Emotions. They envision profound futures and subtly bring others along with them, often through emotional resonance rather than overt persuasion. Their quiet charisma lies in blending in, not standing out, and they are skilled at surviving social currents while staying true to their inner vision.


INFP is defined by the following dichotomies:

  1. Energiser vs Integrator
  2. Sensory vs Intuitive
  3. Logical vs Ethical
  4. Rational vs Irrational
  5. Reductionist vs Holist
  6. Identifier vs Transformer
  7. Accepter vs Rejecter
  8. Clarifier vs Integrifier
  9. Determined vs Exacting
  10. Contrarian vs Obstinate
  11. Affirmer vs Denier
  12. Space-Locked vs Time-locked
  13. Sight-Locked vs Speech-Locked
  14. Thetic vs Antithetic
  15. Clockwise vs Anticlockwise

It forms the Beta quadra with ENFJ, ISTJ and ESTP.

It forms the Humanitarian club with ENFJ, ISTJ and ESTP.

It forms the Aligning temperament with ISFP, INTP and ISTP.

It forms the Truth tournament with ISTJ, ENFP and ESTJ.

1. Telos

INFPs can be characterised by a continuous search for meaning and purpose in their lives and the world in general. With a tendency to detach from daily affairs, they enter a state of deep self-reflection, looking back through their recollections and looking ahead to the probable future which they feel humanity is heading towards. INFPs tend to possess a dissatisfaction with the superficiality of daily existence, instead believing in some greater calling that must relate to and understood before being ultimately accepted. Frequently, an INFP will be disposed towards the wanderings of their imagination, running memories through their mind repeatedly to fathom the steps of their personal journey. INFPs may also try to look ahead and envision a shared utopia for themselves and those they identify with. This continual search results in a tendency of these types to philosophise on the reason for our existence, why we are here and what everything is leading up to. The focus on a single, teleological end directs much of their behaviour, with them having a strong, but often indescribable, feeling of how significant events of the present might help to shape future developments. Similarly, they will often place their actions in terms of their role in the bigger picture, adjusting their behaviour in a way serves meaningful ends. At each point, the journey is set out and INFPs seek to influence themselves and others into staying on track. Often such an approach results in a vague knowing of the importance or urgency of a moment and its relation to future developments. This allows them to know not just when it is urgent to act, but also when an outcome, whether desired or not, is inevitable. 


2. Emotions

Usually, INFPs tend to focus on the interpersonal, creating the sense of not only their personal fate but also a shared narrative for others to feel part of. Frequently, they will seek to express their insights to people, often through some art form such as music or writing, or through some political or humanitarian outlet. Often there is an alternative, dark or gothic feel to such expression, providing a sense of the fantastical but which to them feels more real than cheesy cliché. Through such approaches, they seek to inspire others and will derive a strong sense of belonging and identification with those groups and congregations who openly support them in their endeavours. INFPs look ahead to future goals and higher causes and as such, they want to persuade others to join in with achieving these goals. To this end, INFPs can motivate and encourage others with romanticised language, better conveying the specialness and importance of such developments and making people want to assist. This is not to say that all INFPs are very expressive of their emotional states in conversation, as many can be more solemn or taciturn. However, when speaking or writing, the poetic use of language can give them away. Furthermore, they tend to be socially diplomatic and subtly charismatic, adapting themselves to the interlocutor in conversation and even mirroring their needs. In this way, they can be very likeable, often giving the impression that they are on the side of whoever they are talking to and finding the right thing to say that stimulates passion without causing offence. This approach rarely stands out in public settings, but is rather more subtle and supportive than dominant, allowing them to operate smoothly in the ackground

of a community and make no enemies, often surviving any major social upheavals. Rather than drive the group conversation, they will likely focus on individuals, looking to draw them back into the fold. INFPs do well at looking ahead to see social consequences, having a good idea how to mediate and mitigate likely conflicts that would cause a schism in a group or prevent the greater goal from being achieved.


3. Senses

To an extent, INFPs can be in tune with the needs of their body and tend to look after themselves well, cultivating a good aesthetic, eating well, dressing appropriately and in general managing to make themselves appear welcoming and appeasing to others. Due to their tendency towards self-reflection, INFPs do not tend to place many demands on their bodies, allowing them to stay in a good physical state. They may even be able to relax and enjoy the moment in the company of their friends. INFPs tend to be naturally diplomatic and able to soothe tensions between people in the moment, should they feel the conflict is petty or not serving some greater goal. However, INFPs may just as easily cause conflict if they feel the peace of the environment is bringing stagnancy and a lack of meaningful development. Furthermore, the imagined, remembered or predicted worlds of the INFP can be filled with physical and aesthetic beauty, often of a slightly ethereal or unnerving nature to contrast with the dullness of present existence. However, at heart, INFPs are ascetics and do not see much value in the simplicity of the day to day. They are fundamentally dissatisfied with the world as it currently is, yearning for something more profound to give themselves to. Relaxation is often an anathema to fulfilling higher goals, and the INFP may look to artistic states of suffering as being preferable for this reason. INFPs will see daily tasks as mundane and pointless unless it serves some higher purpose, lacking the crucial elements that contribute to the big picture. As a result, INFPs

prefer not to indulge in such distractions, instead needing to relate it in some way to their purpose. INFPs instead seek out environments of exciting, more intense activity, where under great pressure, action needs to be taken with no time for leisurely delay. By doing so, INFPs are able to feel that they are getting somewhere, rather than stuck in the lazy temptations of the present.

 

4. Pragmatism

INFPs are given to heartfelt deliveries on their musings and thoughts. Such an approach is not well suited to demands for hard empirical evidence. As such, the narratives given by INFPs can come across as mystical and lacking in factual accuracy or any clear grounding. When they have a clear vision for what is going to happen in the long run, they can feel frustrated when circumstantial facts of the present contradict what they know inside. When presented with new information, the INFP will likely discard the information unless it can be shown to be consistent with other sources and able to be tied into a coherent ideology. Otherwise, the INFP will feel quickly confused by conflicting and changing sources of data and not know which to choose. It is often the case that an INFP can talk or write for a long time on their musings, what they think about the world, etc., without saying anything factually informative. INFPs tend to strongly dislike feeling quizzed and will try to avoid situations where they may be shown by others to lack knowledge in an important area. INFPs particularly dislike humdrum practical tasks where they can be easily shown to be inept and incapable of doing things properly. When faced with such chores, they will quickly feel the mental and physical strain, despairing over a messy house or unkept area that they are required to clean up but have no idea where to begin. INFPs tend to be clumsy

and not so good at carrying out tasks efficiently or particularly well. Often, they may seek distraction from their difficulty with carrying out procedure through appeals to humour, proclaiming their 'uselessness' as an endearing trait. However, should a person try to offer advice or instruction in how to do something better, they may be defensive or insulted, feeling that they are being condescended to or treated like an idiot. Additionally, will quickly tire of long, dry, factual explanations for how things work, finding such advice not only condescending but also boring and unimportant in the greater scheme of things. INFPs find it naturally hard to motivate themselves and so little is more discouraging to them than being told what they are finally attempting to do is being done wrong. 


5. Force

The introspective nature of INFPs leaves them quite unaware of the events happening to them in the present. Naturally caught up in their thoughts and reflections, INFPs often have a clearer view of vague future events than what is in front of their face. This causes INFPs to be very indecisive in their daily behaviour, knowing the outcome they are hoping for, but lacking the presence to take needed action and ensure such an outcome. The paralysis can be so severe that INFPs can come across as weak wallflowers, or people who bend too easily to higher authority. However, to reach desired outcomes, INFPs feel that reality has to be confronted and pushed onto the right path. As a result, INFPs tend to be attracted to those with strength of will, who have the energy to make things happen. INFPs may make subtle appeals to their emotions and sense of urgency when they feel it is the right time to act, causing the more powerful to fight in their stead. Alternatively, many INFPs will seek to be less passive, looking to strong, wilful people as examples that can inspire them to act, if only for a limited duration. Lacking a connection to the reality of the situation, INFPs can appreciate a firm shake by the shoulders to ground them and an authoritative tone to tell them how things really are. Indeed, no other type can maintain both a compassion for the suffering of the underdog, and a reverence for the brutality of the strong, as the INFP.

 

6. Laws

INFPs tend to possess a strong desire to prove their intellect to others and often approach this need in trying to form a consistent, clear understanding of themselves and the world they occupy. With a naturally fluid and ever-changing perception of events, it is common for an INFP to adopt an ideology or credo that outlines the principles they believe in, providing needed structure to their vision and beliefs. Sometimes, this can lead to fanaticism, with an obsession on their chosen ideology at the expense of real needs and common sense. Often drawn to philosophy and structures of thought, INFPs can spend a lot of time trying to figure out their priorities in life and the standards for them to live by. When deciding on these standards, they can become rather stubborn and resist challenges to their logic, instead being more open to those who can validate or add to their understanding and bring some of the finer points into clarity. Despite this stubbornness, the INFP may decide not to make their disagreement obvious to others, sometimes giving the impression of agreement. However, they can give way if exposed to superior or flawless reasoning. They will only appreciate structural or principle-based logic, rather than any practical 'how-to' advice. This brings a sense of integrity in their ideals, where, despite being agreeable and adaptable, the INFP maintains a sense of their core principles.


7. Ideas

With their focus on a singular purpose, the INFP has little interest in speculating or brainstorming multiple possibilities. Although they are perfectly capable of considering multiple alternatives, they choose not to unless it is necessary to the situation. After all, considering back-ups or alternatives to the main vision suggests that the predicted outcome may be wrong, and would only lead to confusion and dissolution of resolve. Rather than dip into a variety of areas and interests, INFPs prefer to focus on a particular area that they feel brings personal meaning to their existence and will devote themselves to that area. However, they may be happier exploring a range of areas within their scope of devotion if that somehow adds to the meaning of their activity. For them, what could possibly happen is unimportant and meaningless in comparison to the destiny that will happen, with their approach being to limit the number of possibilities available and ensure the desired outcome. For an INFP, the possibilities often serve as distractions from the right path and as such, possess no merit.

 

8. Relations

INFPs tend to operate on a one-on-one basis, being able to form intense, emotional connections with individuals. Furthermore, they have a good sense of people and tend to be able to make the right friends in the right situations. Nevertheless, INFPs are not so interested in character judgement and the formation of close bonds for its own sake. Instead of keeping good people close and bad people at a distance, INFPs prefer to assess whether a person's destiny is tied with their own and others, creating long term relationships with those that do. The purpose for this is less directed towards the individual's worth in relation to the INFP, but rather to pull compatible individuals together into a circle of belonging and camaraderie. Rather than judging the inner character of an individual, INFPs will instead look to see if a person belongs within their desired circle, being able to subtly draw the right people in and leading out those they feel do not belong. In this way, once they have the people they feel they need, they are less inclined to seek other people out to get to know. With those who they feel belong, INFPs wish to close the gap and connect profoundly and authentically, although successfully closing the gap often requires a clear demonstration of interest and desire from the other person. In this way, the INFP attempts to experience intensity of feeling and longing in a company of significant others, rather than deciding whether a particular person is appropriate to experience such feelings with. Within such circles of belonging, the INFP can feel that something

momentous and important will come to pass.

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