To understand better INFP’s strengths and weaknesses, here is a quick recap about the healer personality type. The INFP personality, which stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Perceiving, is one of the rarest (4%) among the 16 personality types identified by the Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI).
The INFP meaning above reflects that these people draw their energies by being alone, focusing on their instincts and drawing meanings from patterns in situations, making decisions based on their value systems, and preferring spontaneity and openness.
Based on their responses to the circumstances they face and their confidence in their abilities, INFPs are further divided into INFP-T and INFP-A types.
Because they make up a minor percentage of the population and have the tendency to distance themselves, these types are often misunderstood.
To get to know them better, the following list of INFP strengths and weaknesses is a reflection of their essential attributes:
Are you an INFP?
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INFP Core Strengths and Advantages
Idealistic / Loyal to their values
Driven by their deep sense of purpose, INFPs, also known as The Healer, are determined to make the world a better place, and always willing to reach out and help.
INFPs are strongly committed to core beliefs and are unlikely to be swayed. People with this personality type are resilient in the face of difficulties since their visions keep them on course.
This idealism also allows them to see the good and the potential in every person.
Open-minded
Due to their perceiving function, INFPs are flexible and open-minded. This makes them accepting and tolerant of others’ perspectives, choices, and decisions.
Along with their idealism, their open-mindedness allows them to be generous with chances, always giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Creative
Their unconventional thinking allows INFPs to process the world differently. Using their strong intuition, they have an uncanny ability to discover connections and find deeper meaning in things and people.
Out of all the INFP strengths, this one is the most popular as demonstrated by the vast number of artists, writers, and authors who are INFPs.
Passionate
Despite their introverted nature, INFPs are individuals who are strongly driven by passion. When a cause or an idea aligns well with their ideals, you can expect an INFP to be fully dedicated and committed to it.
You may find them speaking about their creative pursuits and devoting a great deal of their time to ideas that truly matter to them.
Thoughtful
As naturally empathetic people, INFPs are usually called The Mediators because they use their intuitive function to tune in to people’s emotions.
Their actions and decisions are always considerate of how it might impact or affect others.
Are you an INFP?
Take the free personality test to identify your true personality type. 16 Personality Types test reveals who you naturally are and why you do things the way you do. With this knowledge of yourself, you can build successful careers, find a dream job, build strong relationships, and live an authentic life.
TAKE THE FREE PERSONALITY TEST
INFP Weaknesses & Flaws You Should Be Aware Of
Self-critical
Their strong idealism makes INFPs hard on themselves. This may cause them to take criticisms personally and be too conscious about what others might say or think about them.
This can make them perceive themselves as inadequate and dwell on their failures for too long.
This is an important consideration when listing INFP careers and jobs to consider since INFPs do not thrive well in highly critical environments.
Impractical
Impracticality is the downside to an INFP’s passionate and imaginative nature. INFPs tend to follow an idea in their heads and overlook practical matters at hand.
They may pursue creative solutions over settling for realistic ones. They may be so focused on the big picture that they may neglect the important details.
Overly Sensitive
INFPs may tend to focus too much on their feelings and emotions, which may prevent them from considering facts and data objectively.
Being highly adept at using their intuition can cause INFPs to read into everything and everyone, which may lead to misinterpretation or over-dramatization of others’ emotions or actions.
They may also get disappointed when their values or ideals are not shared or respected by others, which may be a common problem encountered in an INFP’s relationships.
Overly idealistic
As passionate dreamers, INFPs are likely to get caught up with their ideals. They may expect too much from themselves and others or expect everybody to share the same standards and values.
Driven by purpose, they may try to look for meaning in everything they do and get disappointed if they cannot find it.
Hard to get to know
INFPs are generally private people who easily get tired in large crowds or intense social situations. Their difficulty in opening up and their preference for having a small inner circle may further add to the challenge of really getting to know an INFP.
Conflict avoiders
Their strong desire for harmony pushes INFPs to great lengths to avoid conflict. This, in addition to their fear of criticism, leads to a tendency to please people.
Because of this, they may develop a reliance on other people’s validation and approval for their self-worth.
Are you an INFP?
Take the free personality test to identify your true personality type. 16 Personality Types test reveals who you naturally are and why you do things the way you do. With this knowledge of yourself, you can build successful careers, find a dream job, build strong relationships, and live an authentic life.
TAKE THE FREE PERSONALITY TEST
INFP Growth and Development
INFP success is achieved when they can hone their creative skills and gifts, nourish the emotional state of the people who matter to them, and fulfill their calling or purpose.
These are most often related to serving and caring for people and bringing positive change to the world.
How To Boost and Maximize INFP Strengths
To amplify the unique traits they have been gifted with, INFPs should recognize how these characteristics are expressed in their day-to-day interaction and find ways to nurture their strengths:
- Being natural artists, INFPs get re-energized when they exercise the act of “creating.” INFPs should look for means to express their artistic and imaginative side, possibly through an artistic career or a hobby.
- Since INFPs are advocates of justice and equality, looking for ways to make a social change will give their empathetic and compassionate nature a tremendous sense of gratification. This may be in the form of choosing a career in the social sector or the service industry.
- Not only INFPs are gifted artistically, but they are also highly intelligent people. Thus, avenues that engage their minds are likely to be fulfilling and rewarding for most INFPs.
- While they can quickly learn new concepts and achieve success in any endeavor, they will not find it satisfying if it’s not in line with their ideals. INFPs are most energized when they are doing something that is meaningful to them. Strengthening the connection between what they do and their core values will help INFP reach a long-term state of happiness.
- Combining their intuition with a strong sense of purpose and deeply ingrained belief system gives INFPs great potential to be the champions in any social change process.
Are you an INFP?
Take the free personality test to identify your true personality type. 16 Personality Types test reveals who you naturally are and why you do things the way you do. With this knowledge of yourself, you can build successful careers, find a dream job, build strong relationships, and live an authentic life.
TAKE THE FREE PERSONALITY TEST
How to Minimize and Deal with INFP weaknesses
As much as INFPs should capitalize on their strengths, it is vital to be aware of their weaknesses and work on them to lead happier lives and grow their potential further.
Here are some of the problematic attributes that are common to their type and what could be done to achieve INFP growth:
- Their sensitivity to criticism may lead INFPs to perceive a different point of view as a personal attack against them. INFPs should adopt an open perspective to view the world more realistically. Doing so allows them not to be threatened by information that is not in line with their value system. Ultimately, they must learn to see criticisms as an opportunity to improve and grow.
- INFPs should be aware of their tendency to discard information that does not fit with their core beliefs. They should consciously strive to be objective in evaluating incoming information. They should try to use information as a way to understand others and the world better instead of using it to support their existing perceptions, assumptions and opinions.
- Because of their introversion, INFPs may have difficulty expressing their emotions until they become difficult to manage. Thus, they should practice processing their own feelings and learn how to express them.
- INFPs possess several traits that make them good leaders. Being introverted must not keep them from exploring leadership roles, especially if their capabilities and skills benefit the greater good.
- The idealism of INFPs leads them to have high expectations towards themselves and others. They have a difficult time forgiving themselves when they fail to meet their high standards. INFPs must learn to preserve their mental health by learning not to compare themselves to others. Besides, learning to manage their expectations will result in a more positive outlook on life in general.
Are you an INFP?
Take the free personality test to identify your true personality type. 16 Personality Types test reveals who you naturally are and why you do things the way you do. With this knowledge of yourself, you can build successful careers, find a dream job, build strong relationships, and live an authentic life.
TAKE THE FREE PERSONALITY TEST
INFP Strengths and Weaknesses FAQ
What strengths do INFPs have?
Here are some of the typical strengths of INFPs:
- Expressing empathy and understanding others’ feelings.
- Looking at things from a broader perspective.
- Creative thinking and efficient decision-making ability.
- The motivation to make a positive impact on the world.
- Being extremely committed in relationships.
- Ability to live a harmonious life even with people they disagree with.
What is the weakness of INFP?
Sometimes INFPs get too sensitive when other people around them are in trouble. This can be considered their major weakness because being overly sensitive disrupts their normal functioning, makes them anxious and diverts their attention from vulnerable people.
Another great weakness of INFPs is that they are selfless people. This means that they often suppress their own needs in order to help others or maintain peace. As a result, sometimes it can be hard for them to achieve their goals and have fulfilling professional or social lives.
What things are INFPs good at?
INFPs are very good at understanding other people’s emotions and helping them overcome their problems. Most of the time, INFPs are focused on other people’s needs.
They have strong interpersonal skills and deep intuition, which makes them great teachers, therapists, and psychologists. Besides, they are good at pursuing their values. They are idealistic individuals who believe that everyone should pursue their interests and goals.
What is unique about INFPs?
The thing that makes INFPs unique individuals is, indeed, their deep sense of empathy. They sincerely care for other people and want to do something worthwhile for them in order to change the world for the better.
They’re kind people who are always in touch with their emotions and have the ability to understand others completely. Due to the fact that they often daydream, INFPs often appear to be introverted people who often get lost in their own minds. They have a rich inner world and always explore their own minds to find their inner selves.
Conclusion
Any gift of strength comes with an associated weakness. While it is normal to delight in our strengths and ignore our weaknesses, recognizing and embracing them and dealing with our weaknesses will lead to greater self-acceptance and growth.
Not only that, but coming to terms with every aspect of one’s personality leads to becoming more in sync with one’s inner self, something that any INFP would love to attain.
