I Really Don’t Care If You’re An INFJ (And You Shouldn’t Either)

The real problem with these personality types is that people align themselves to them.

By Sam Matla

Updated 8 years ago, July 23, 2016

When I was younger, I took the Myers-Briggs personality test after a friend recommend it to me.

My result? INFJ.

Naturally, I looked into it. Turns out that being an INFJ is rare.

Did I feel special? You bet.

I ended up joining an “INFJ Community” on Facebook, and that was when I realised how ridiculous the whole personality type thing is.

As an INFJ, do you ever find it hard to answer the phone? I hardly ever answer my calls because I’m too scared to pick up.

This was the first post I saw. Nothing wrong with it — it’s obviously harder for introverts to answer the phone. But it was the next post I saw that made me laugh.

Given that we make up about 3% of the world, do you ever feel like you’re out of place? Like… like you’re better than everyone else?

Wait a second.

Really?

So as it turns out, this whole INFJ Community is a massive circle-jerk. Everyone was either complaining or talking into an echo chamber about how awesome they are.

But the real problem with these personality types is that people align themselves to them.

If you take a test and learn that you’re introverted, you’re inclined to act in accordance with how an introvert would. If it turns out that you’re a “natural leader” — you’re going to think of yourself as a leader, even if you aren’t.

And personality isn’t that simple. If I didn’t have the experience I did, and simply came to terms with the fact I was an introvert, I’d have shot myself in the foot. Personality is malleable, and introversion and extraversion is, in my opinion, a spectrum and should be treated as such.

I’m not saying the test is bad, but you can’t let it define you. These things are made to make you feel good about yourself.

Not everyone is a natural leader, or a highly intelligent introspective person.

Just because you’re an INFJ, it doesn’t mean you’re the next Elon Musk.

P.S. Last time I took the test (over a year ago) I got ENFP, which means that these tests are either inaccurate, I answered dishonestly, or personality changes.