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Both introversion, intuition, feeling, judging (INFJ) and introversion, intuition, feeling, perceiving (INFP) are personality types from the Myers-Briggsy type indicator. There are 16 personality types altogether, made up of the traits determined by how you score on the test.
The main types are extroversion (E) versus introversion (I), sensing (S) as opposed to intuition (N), thinking or feeling (F), and, lastly, judging (J) versus perceiving (P).
In this article, we’re just focused on the difference between INFP and INFJ, where the difference lies between perceiving and judging. Both of these personality types score on the introversion, intuition, and feeling side of the scale; the difference just is in how they present themselves outwardly and deal with others.
Key Takeaways:
| Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judgment (INFJ) | Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception (INFP) |
|---|---|
| This is the rarest of the personality types, with just 1.5% of the United States population scoring this. | While on the rarer side, it’s closer to the middle, with 4.4% of the United States population landing here. |
| This has judgment as the fourth preference, which means they appear outwardly task oriented and like to have things planned. | Perceiving is their fourth preference, which means that they’re open to information and avoid firm plans. |
| Doesn’t mean that they’re judgemental. | Doesn’t mean that they’re perceptive. |
| Will sometimes overlook or miss necessary information as they’ll be too focused on their task. | Will sometimes fail to come to a decision in time due to being so open to new information and plans. |
What Is the Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judgment (INFJ) Personality Type?
This personality type is the rarest according to the Myers and Briggs Foundation, clocking at a mere 1.5% of the population in the United States. Of course, this is an estimate, as data is only pulled from those who have taken the tests.
Both the INFJ and INFP personality types are similar due to sharing three preferences with one another. The major difference, however, is in the final category. In INFJ, it’s judging. While that sounds negative – as if you’re prone to judging others – it’s important to remember that the original handbook was published in 1944, which means that the terms may be a bit dated.
Beyond that, the Myer-Briggs scale uses this terminology in terms of psychological observation and study.
Judging, in this case, is the descriptor of how you interact with the outside world. Those who score toward judging tend to be highly task-oriented and decision-based. They often make and utilize lists, as it helps them feel like they’re getting things done and staying on task.
Those who are in the judging category also prefer to separate work and play. They like to get their work done first and are prone to planning out tasks so that they aren’t rushing at the end of a deadline.
Because of that inclination, however, those with a preference for judging can become so focused on their goal that they’ll fail to take in new information or changes in circumstances.
It’s important to note that these preferences are not mutually exclusive. People can have a mix of judging and perceiving, and, even without that, this is about how you appear to the outside world.
A person who rates as judging may feel they are flexible and spontaneous, as well as open to new information, but present themselves as deadline focused and with multiple lists. And not just feel that they are that way, but also be that way – at least some of the time.
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What Is the Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception (INFP) Personality Type?
The INFP personality type isn’t as rare as the INFJ is, with the Myers and Briggs foundation putting it at about 4.4% of the United States population. While that may seem to imply that the perceiving preference is more common, the Myers and Briggs Foundation actually rates judging to be slightly more prevalent overall, falling at 54% while perceiving is at 46%.
As with the judging preference, perceiving has to do with how you present yourself to others and the world. It is also unrelated to perceptive, in the sense that you pick up on subtle clues and hints well.
Those who have a preference for perceiving prefer to put off making decisions to give themselves time to accrue information. They often appear spontaneous, as they like to stay open and not make definite plans so that they can respond to what happens.
This also translates into those who lean towards perceiving to be less regimented about work and play. They’ll often mix the two or put off work in favor of play. This doesn’t mean that they are inherently disorganized – either preference can be organized – but they prefer to be open to new information.
They are also energized by approaching deadlines, which will push them to work harder. They often work in bursts of energy rather than being a steady worker. Due to their being open to new information before making a choice, they will sometimes fail to come to a decision quickly enough, as they’ll still be gathering information.
Tips for Understanding the Personality Types.
In the above sections, the difference was explained between judging and perceiving. However, without understanding what the other personality preferences mean, it’s difficult to truly understand either personality type.
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Introversion. The term introversion or introvert is commonly used in the vernacular to describe someone who recharges by spending time alone. However, this isn’t the way that introversion is used in the personality test.
In Myers-Briggs, those who prefer introversion would rather deal with the images and ideas that are in their inner world, which is in their mind. They often spend time alone or with a person or two that they’re comfortable with.
They’re reflective, liking to take time to come up with a clear course before taking action. They often spend time alone and will sometimes get so caught up in their own inner world that they’ll fail to compare it to the outside world.
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Intuition. This term is also commonly used to describe a feeling that doesn’t have a clear basis. However, as with the other words, that isn’t correct for the personality test.
People with a preference for intuition are more focused on patterns and impressions than they are on their five senses. They’re big-picture-focused and prone to reading between the lines in terms of interpretation.
They also like to try new things and are willing to look into things that are different or unusual. Because of this, they can sometimes get so caught up in possibilities and perceptions that they won’t take steps to make it actually happen.
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Feeling. This isn’t to be confused with someone who is highly emotional or simply makes choices based on emotion – everyone’s emotions factor into their decisions.
Those with a feeling preference think it’s best to make decisions by weighing how they and others feel about a situation and will feel about the solution. Avoiding conflict and maintaining harmonious relationships is a major factor in their decision-making process.
Due to this, they can be seen as indirect, as they’ll try to avoid hitting someone with a “hard” or “cold” truth. They are focused on what’s important to other people and focus on compassion.
It’s also very important to understand that these are preferences. Just because someone scores towards introversion doesn’t mean that they won’t have extroverted tendencies – or be a mix of the two.
It’s also equally important to know that there isn’t a right or wrong answer in a personality test – it’s just a way to help understand your own preferences and what’s likely to work best for you.
For comparative purposes, here are the alternate preferences.
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Extroversion. This is commonly used to describe people who are socially focused and boisterous. However, that’s not the meaning in the personality test.
As opposed to introversion, those who prefer extroversion are more taken with the outside world. They like to be involved in events and have a large social base. Many with this preference like to “think out loud” by sharing their problems and conversing with others to solve them.
They’re often seen as outgoing and prefer to be in groups. Many will have a tendency to act without fully thinking things through.
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Sensing. This is not the same as sensitive or sensual – the terms are unrelated.
Those with a sensing preference are focused on what they can perceive. They are focused on their five senses – what they can taste, touch, smell, hear, and see.
They’re highly practical and tend to start from the bottom up – building the bigger picture from the facts that they gather on the ground. Experience is important to them, and they learn best by doing.
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Thinking. This isn’t the same as intelligence or the opposite of being impulsive. It just has to do with the basis of how you make decisions.
Individuals who lean towards the thinking preference try to be very practical and logical about the choices they make. They try to keep emotion out of what they decide and see being truthful as more important than trying to spare others’ feelings.
Fairness is an important part of their decision-making process, but they can sometimes be seen as indifferent or unfeeling due to downplaying the emotional part of their choices.
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Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
