You brought up a lot of good points, and while it is good to get out of one’s comfort zone in order to evolve, it’s also important to be true to oneself and establish those boundaries with others. It’s interesting that you type as INFP; I also type consistently as INFP, and with Introverted feeling dominant, authenticity of our ourselves and our feelings is very important to us. Just a personal observation, but I’ve found that oftentimes those who use Extraverted feeling (even if inferior) are more likely to say what we “should” be feeling. Many people that I’ve been close with have Fe: INTP father, ISFJ mother, INTP boyfriend, INFJ ex, ENTP high school friends, etc. One area where we consistently clashed was in the expression of self and feelings. If my Fe loved ones felt that somehow my emotions or self expression were “inappropriate,” they would often tell me, and then give me advice as to how I “should” feel and act. I tried to understand their concerns, but at the same time I resented them for trying to (what I saw as) mold me into a socially acceptable person with socially acceptable feelings. This is troubling to an INFP, especially a young INFP, who wants to please those he or she cares about, but also has that powerful Fi that says “I am ME and this is what I FEEL.” It still comes up every now and then: with loved ones, on social media, in therapy (you know your therapist really is an INFJ/ISFJ as she claims when she tells you what you “should” be feeling). But this system has helped me understand how people view the world differently and think differently, and how that’s not always a bad thing. My Fe-using loved ones are so perceptive when it comes to other people, and I admire that. But it’s okay to be a stubbornly authentic INFP too.
redglitter (not verified)says...
You brought up a lot of good points, and while it is good to get out of one’s comfort zone in order to evolve, it’s also important to be true to oneself and establish those boundaries with others. It’s interesting that you type as INFP; I also type consistently as INFP, and with Introverted feeling dominant, authenticity of our ourselves and our feelings is very important to us. Just a personal observation, but I’ve found that oftentimes those who use Extraverted feeling (even if inferior) are more likely to say what we “should” be feeling. Many people that I’ve been close with have Fe: INTP father, ISFJ mother, INTP boyfriend, INFJ ex, ENTP high school friends, etc. One area where we consistently clashed was in the expression of self and feelings. If my Fe loved ones felt that somehow my emotions or self expression were “inappropriate,” they would often tell me, and then give me advice as to how I “should” feel and act. I tried to understand their concerns, but at the same time I resented them for trying to (what I saw as) mold me into a socially acceptable person with socially acceptable feelings. This is troubling to an INFP, especially a young INFP, who wants to please those he or she cares about, but also has that powerful Fi that says “I am ME and this is what I FEEL.” It still comes up every now and then: with loved ones, on social media, in therapy (you know your therapist really is an INFJ/ISFJ as she claims when she tells you what you “should” be feeling). But this system has helped me understand how people view the world differently and think differently, and how that’s not always a bad thing. My Fe-using loved ones are so perceptive when it comes to other people, and I admire that. But it’s okay to be a stubbornly authentic INFP too.