The INFJ personality type is considered rare because it is estimated that only 1-2% of the population has this personality type. This is because the INFJ personality type is characterized by a few unique traits, such as being introverted, intuitive, and feeling, which are uncommon among most people.
INFJ is the rarest personality type across the population, occurring in just 2% of the population. It is also the rarest personality type among men. INFJ stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging.
Because INFJs require commitment early on, many people shy away from dating INFJs. While this trait can make it difficult for INFJs to start a romantic relationship, it also serves them by weeding out potential partners who are afraid of commitment.
In short: INFJs are decisive, efficient, and organized while still being emotional, warm, and empathetic. They are also Introverted yet acutely sensitive to others' feelings and needs. These apparently contradictory characteristics make INFJs the most complex personality type.
INFJs are often misunderstood because their personality makes them seem more intense than the average person. As introverts, they are prone to deep thinking and ongoing internal monologues. As intuitive feelers, they are adept at reading and understanding the emotions of others.
At their best, INFJs make modest, reliable teammates, and allow others to take the lead. INFJs may undervalue their own needs, ideas, and contributions, acting overly shy and not taking credit when due. At their worst, INFJs can be excessively submissive, ineffectual, and too dependent on direction from others.
They tend to dislike last-minute changes and repeated mistakes, which they see as thoughtless or uncaring. At work, INFJs may find it difficult to keep their personal feelings out of their interactions with others. They'll likely become stressed if they feel unappreciated, dismissed, or ignored.
#3: INFJs look for long-term commitment
In fact, INFJs are a personality type that takes dating very seriously. From an INFJ's point of view, this all-or-nothing approach makes sense. After all, it can take a long time for an INFJ to trust someone and open up to them.
INFJs' sensitivity means they have a deep appreciation for beauty and the arts. They can be moved to tears by music, art, theatre, books, films, food or flowers.
As sensitive personalities, INFJs feel attracted to people who show kindness towards others. Extraverted Feeling is their auxiliary function, which means INFJs try to connect in a gentle way, and appreciate those who can do the same.
INFJs preferring Quality Time and/or Words of Affirmation is also supported by a survey conducted by Heidi Priebe. According to Priebe's survey, 35.67% of INFJs list “Quality Time” as their preferred love language.
Intuitive Weirdness
INFJs have an abstract, futuristic approach to the world around them. Rather than seeing things for what they are, they see things for what they “mean.” When forced to focus all their attention outside the intuitive plane, they can come across as stressed, unsteady, or overwhelmed.
INFJs are unique not only because they are the rarest type, but because many people liken them to having a sixth sense, of sorts, because they often seem to leap intuitively to the correct answer, without having to know all of the facts beforehand.
Despite the fact that INFJs are complex individuals who are highly empathic and intuitive, they do commonly struggle with trust issues. These trust issues may be rooted in their private nature, their idealism, their empathy, or past experiences of hurt or betrayal.
When they're depressed or uninspired, they feel fatigued and drained. INFJs without a vision for the future feel listless and apathetic, as if they're lost in a fog and unable to find a light to guide them home.
In addition to being highly sensitive (sometimes to an extreme degree), many INFJs also struggle with high amounts of anxiety and depression. A lot of INFJs report that they experience a low-key depression running in the background of their lives, even when it appears that everything is going well on the surface.
INFJs have one of the highest IQ levels alongside INTP and INTJ with different knowledge measures but stem from one core aspect – intuitive intelligence. Many personalities have a sensing input function, while others have concrete information as a processing function.
INFJs don't like to open up to others right away. We need time to feel comfortable with someone and feel that connection before we start to share our innermost thoughts and feelings, so we can appear somewhat aloof or cold to strangers who don't realise we're just waiting for someone to ask.
Although there are exceptions to this rule, INFJs aren't usually the types who go for flings, one-night stands, or meaningless sexual romps. They are looking for someone who will stick with them through the good and bad and who will want a deeper and more purposeful relationship.
INFJs are so concerned with maintaining harmony and improving the moods and emotions of others, that they can leave their own emotions and feelings untended. As a result, they can wind up feeling overloaded with other people's feelings and lost and alone when managing their own.
In my experience as an MBTI® practitioner, one of the most common struggles I hear from INFJs is the struggle of being misunderstood. INFJs feel misunderstood in their external environment and even by themselves.
Their introverted nature allows them to be excellent listeners. Careers for INFJs in counseling, therapy, or psychology are good choices to consider because of this natural trait. They tend towards introversion, so career paths involving writing and research can suit this personality type particularly well.
INFJs search for meaning and purpose in their lives and in the outer world. They tend to have an immense interest in deeply understanding culture, society, and the universe as a whole. INFJs naturally see how every thought or action could potentially have important consequences, either positive or negative.