Key Traits of the INFP Personality Type

Key Takeaways

• INFPs are introverted, idealistic, and empathetic individuals who are driven by their values and a desire to make the world a better place.
• People with this personality type often struggle with sharing their emotions and may avoid conflict, but they are deeply committed to close relationships and value emotional intimacy.
• They often thrive in creative and meaningful careers where they can express their vision and advocate for their beliefs.

The INFP personality type is one of the 16 distinct types identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The four-letter acronym stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving. They are sometimes described as “idealist” or “mediator” personalities. While INFPs may appear reserved, they are driven by empathy, values, and a concern for others.

Verywell / JR Bee

Key INFP Characteristics

INFPs want to make the world a better place and are interested in how they can best help others. They also strive to gain a greater understanding of themselves and how they fit into the world. People with this personality type spend a lot of time exploring their own purpose in life and thinking about how they can use their skills and talents to best serve humanity.

“This personality type tends to devote themselves when interested in something, but can struggle to maintain enthusiasm when it is something they do not care about or are not interested in,” says Christopher Hansen, a licensed professional counselor at Thriveworks in Austin, TX.

The four key characteristics of the INFP personality type are:

• Introverted: The “I” in INFP stands for introvert, meaning you tend to be a little quieter and more reserved. Spending lots of time in social situations leaves you feeling drained and exhausted. You need some time to yourself to recharge after socializing. Most of the time, you’d rather spend time with a small group of your close friends than have to interact with a bunch of people you don’t know.
• Intuitive: The “N” in INFP represents intuition, which is what you use to figure out the world. You’re really good at focusing on the big picture rather than the nitty-gritty details. You can be quite meticulous about things you really care about or projects they are working on, but tend to ignore mundane or boring details.
• Feeling: The “F” in INFP stands for feeling. When it comes to making decisions, it tends to be based more on your personal values instead of pure logic. You make decisions that are guided by your personal values and emotions. You place a high priority on choices driven by empathy, and you strive to ensure harmony in groups.
• Perceiving: The “P” in INFP stands for perceiving. You tend to be spontaneous and adaptable to new situations. INFPs like to keep their options open. That means you often put off making important decisions just in case something about the situation changes.

INFPs place an emphasis on personal feelings, and their decisions are more influenced by these concerns rather than by objective information.

INFP Strengths

• Loyal and devoted
• Sensitive to feelings
• Caring and interested in others
• Works well alone
• Value close relationships
• Good at seeing “the big picture”

INFP Weaknesses

• Can be overly idealistic
• Tends to take everything personally
• Difficult to get to know
• Sometimes loses sight of the little things
• Overlooks details

How INFPs Think

The MBTI is based on a theory of personality created by Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Jung proposed that personality has four psychological components: thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition. People then direct each of these cognitive functions inwardly (introverted) or outwardly (extraverted).

In the MBTI, each personality type is made up of a hierarchical stack of these functions. The dominant function largely controls personality, although it is supported by the auxiliary and, to a lesser degree, the tertiary functions. Inferior functions are those that are primarily unconscious but still exert some influence.

INFPs tend to rely on the following four cognitive functions:

• Dominant: Introverted Feeling (Fi): INFPs experience a great depth of feelings, but process these emotions internally. They have a sense of wonder and feel great compassion and empathy for others. While these emotions are strong, INFPs tend not to express them outwardly, which is why they are sometimes mistaken for being aloof or unwelcoming.
• Auxiliary: Extraverted Intuition (Ne): INFPs explore situations using imagination and ‘what if’ scenarios before they commit. Their inner lives are a dominant force in their personalities, and they engage with the outside world through intuition. They focus on the “big picture” things that will shape the future. This can help them be transformative leaders, making positive changes in the world.
• Tertiary: Introverted Sensing (Si): When taking in information, INFPs create vivid memories of the events. They will often replay these incidents in their minds to analyze experiences in less stressful settings. Such memories are usually associated with strong emotions, so recalling one can often feel like reliving the experience itself.
• Inferior: Extraverted Thinking (Te): This cognitive function involves organizing and making sense of the world in an objective and logical manner. While it is mainly an unconscious influence on the INFP’s personality, extraversion can surface under pressure.

When faced with stress, an INFP might suddenly become very pragmatic and detail-oriented, for instance, focusing on logic rather than emotion.

Because they are typically ruled more by intuition and emotion, INFPs can sometimes struggle to feel productive and efficient. Learning to develop the extraverted thinking function can help people with the INFP personality type create a better sense of balance.

INFPs You Might Know

Some famous INFP people include:

• Audrey Hepburn, actress
• JRR Tolkien, author
• Princess Diana, British royal
• William Shakespeare, playwright
• Fred Rogers, television personality

INFPs in Relationships

• High (sometimes overly idealistic) expectations: INFPs are idealists, so they tend to have high expectations—including in relationships. That means that you might hold an idealized image in your mind of your perfect partner, which can be a difficult role for any individual to fill.
• Deeply empathetic: If you have an INFP personality type, you care deeply about other people. Yet, as an introvert, you can be difficult to know. You *do* tend to become very close and deeply committed to the few that you forge close relationships with.
• Conflict-averse: INFPs also dislike and try to avoid conflict. So when conflicts or arguments do arise, you usually focus more on how it makes you feel rather than the actual details.
• Expressive and sometimes emotional: During arguments, INFPs might seem overly emotional or even irrational. However, they can also be good mediators by helping others involved in a conflict identify and express their feelings.

INPF Compatability

INFP is the opposite personality type of ESTJ. Other similar personality types include INTP and ENFJ.

Top Careers for INFPs

INFPs typically do well in careers where they can express their creativity and vision.

• While they work well with others, they generally prefer to work alone. 
• INFPs tend to be very creative, artistic, and spiritual.
• They are often skilled with language but may prefer to express their thoughts and feelings through writing rather than speaking.

Because they have strong ethics and values, INFPs also become passionate about advocating or defending their beliefs. While they feel strongly about their own values, they are also interested in learning more about others and are willing to listen and consider many sides of an issue.

Popular INFP Careers

Popular careers for an INFP personality include:

Misconceptions About the INFP Personality Type

While they like to be alone, this should not necessarily be confused with shyness. Instead, it simply means that INFPs gain energy from spending time alone. On the other hand, they have to expend energy in social situations.

This personality type does not necessarily avoid people; they simply prefer close friends and small groups and like their alone time.

—
CHRISTOPHER HANSEN, LPC

Because they are so reserved and private, it can be difficult for other people to get to know INFPs. They tend to be quite devoted to their circle of close friends and family and place high importance on the feelings and emotions of their loved ones.

Much of an INFP’s energy is focused inwardly and characterized by intense feelings and strong values. They tend to be very loyal to the people they love and to beliefs and causes that are important to them.

Tips for Interacting With INFPs

If you are friends with an INFP, have an INFP parent, or are involved in a relationship with an INFP, knowing how to interact with them may help improve your relationship. When you really *get* someone, you can communicate more effectively, which can reduce conflict and help you feel closer.

Friendships

INFPs typically have only a few close friendships, but these relationships are generally long-lasting. While people with this type of personality are adept at understanding others’ emotions, they often struggle to share their own feelings.

Social contact can be difficult, although INFPs crave emotional intimacy and deep relationships. Getting to know an INFP can take time and work, but the rewards can be great for those who have the patience and understanding.

Parenting

INFP parents are usually supportive, caring, and warm. They are good at establishing guidelines and helping children develop strong values.

An INFP’s goal as a parent is to help their children grow as individuals and fully appreciate the wonders of the world. They may struggle to share their own emotions with their children and are often focused on creating harmony in the home.

Relationships

As with friendships, INFPs may struggle to become close to potential romantic partners. Once they do form a relationship, they approach it with a strong sense of loyalty.

INFPs can sometimes hold overly romanticized views of relationships and may have excessively high expectations that their partners struggle to live up to. They also tend to take comments personally while, at the same time, struggling to avoid conflicts.

If your partner is an INFP, understand that they may struggle at times to open up. They may also be overly sensitive to perceived criticisms and will often place your happiness over that of their own.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Myers IB. Introduction to Myers-Briggs type: A guide to understanding your results on the MBTI assessment. 7th ed. Consulting Psychologists Press; 2016.

2. Murie J. Knowing me, knowing you: personality and peer appraisal. Br J Gen Pract. 2010;60(574):382–384. doi:10.3399/bjgp10X502001

3. Pestana JV, Codina N. Being conscious of one’s own heroism: An empirical approach to analyzing the leadership potential of future CEOs. Front Psychol. 2019;9:2787. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02787

4. Zárate-Torres R, Correa JC. How good is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for predicting leadership-related behaviors? Front Psychol. 2023;14:940961. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.940961

5. Tang R, Yang P, Miyauchi R, Inoue Y. The correlation between the MBTI-based personality analysis of anime characters and their popularity. Behav Sci (Basel). 2024;14(7):522. doi:10.3390/bs14070522

6. Wu W, Hao W, Zeng G, Du W. From personality types to social labels: the impact of using MBTI on social anxiety among Chinese youth. Front Psychol. 2024;15:1419492. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1419492

7. Yang C, Richard G, Durkin M. The association between Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and psychiatry as the specialty choice. Int J Med Educ. 2016;7:48–51. doi:10.5116/ijme.5698.e2cd

Additional Reading

• Myers, I. B. (1998). Introduction to Type: A Guide to Understanding Your Results on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Mountain View, CA: CPP, Inc.

• The Myers & Briggs Foundation. (n.d.). The 16 MBTI Types.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.”

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?

Helpful

Report an Error

Other