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[shadowkat]

Found this article entitled How Each Myers-Briggs Type Reacts to Stree and How to Help to be interesting.

I'm more or less an INFJ. I say that, because depending on my mood while answering the questions, I can be an INFP or an INTJ. The only two categories that stay the same are IN. (Introvert/Intuitive).
But mostly, I come out INFJ. The weird one.

That said, it doesn't entirely nail me.

What stresses out an INFJ:
– Having to focus too much on sensory/concrete details
– An overload of sensory stimulation or noise
– Interruptions
– Distress within a close relationship
– Having their values violated
– Not enough alone time. Too much extraverting.
– Working with closed-minded people
– Lack of appreciation or understanding
– Unfamiliar environments with overwhelming amounts of details
– Having plans disrupted
– Not having a clear direction
– Lack of harmony
– Criticism and conflict
– Not being able to use their intuition or envision the future
– Having to focus too much on the present


Eh, more or less true. Particularly not having a clear direction or plans disrupted. Also, not having enough alone time, violation of values, close-minded people irritate me (in case you haven't figured that out by now), lack of harmony... all fit.

There's a few things in there that are ironic. Considering, I live a huge urban environment, surrounded by sensory overload...I think I'm less stressed out by this than the list makes out.
OTOH - I tend to avoid the areas of the city that are overwhelming in this way. For example? I stay clear of Times Square. And most crowded areas. And hate rock concerts.

Amusing that "having to focus too much on the present" and "not being able to envision the future" stress INFJ's out - sort goes counter to the whole Power of Now/Mindfulness training that I'm doing. I'm rather amused by the irony of that. Oddly it's not stressing me out, focusing on the now or moment. If anything I find envisioning the future more stressful. So the last two -- don't quite fit. Also, I'm getting better at handling the lack of appreciation or understanding bit - right now, I don't care. Which is freeing in a way.

I wonder if I'm shifting myself more towards an INFP at the moment?

When under stress, the INFJ feels fragmented or lost. They feel like they can’t be themselves, and feel an urge to act a part to “survive” or fit in. This disassociation can cause physical symptoms for the INFJ, like headaches, IBS, or nausea. The repressed feelings they’re holding onto can cause them to become immobilized. If they are under chronic extreme stress, they may fall into the grip of their inferior function, extraverted sensing. When this happens, they may engage in indulgent, self-destructive habits like binge-eating, cutting, over-exercising, alcoholism, or excessive pornography use. This often feels like an out-of-body experience to them. What they do provides no pleasure, but feels somewhat robotic and out of control. After this occurs, they dwell in self-hatred, falling even more into guilt over what they’ve done. They may become uncharacteristically angry and quick-tempered, unreasonable, and irrational. They may become obsessed with details in their outer world; obsessively cleaning or doing housework. They stumble over their words, and their intense feelings eventually lead them to a state of complete exhaustion.

While the first three or four sentences got me nailed. Not sure about the indulgent behavior. Binge-eating, binge-watching, yes, definitely. And yes - if feels robotic and out of control. And yes, I do dwell in self-hatred and guilt over it. So sort of?

But..

I don't tend to obsessively clean or do housework, usually, I just can't get motivated to do it.
And definitely don't cut, over-exercise (I wish) or engage in excessive pornography...well, not unless you count fan-fiction or reading romance novels... does getting off on 50 Shades of Grey and Nautibitz's Spuffy fanfic count as excessive pornography??? Maybe?

How to help an INFJ experiencing stress:
– Give them space.
– Reduce sensory stimulation; music, interruptions, TV, etc,..
– Let them express their thoughts and feelings.
– Understand that they may be irrational. Don’t judge them.
– Don’t give advice. This will only stress them out further.
– Let them take a break from some of their responsibilities
– Encourage them to spend some time in nature, walking or reading a book.
– Take a walk with them if they want company.
– Encourage their less serious side, and let them relieve emotional tension by letting them cry through a sappy movie or novel of some sort.
– Be forgiving if they’ve been overly harsh or critical while under stress. Chances are, they will feel very guilty about it.

This actually nails me in various ways. In particular:

"Don't give advice, this will only stress them out further"

- So true. I tend to get furious and yell at the person. Because it completely stresses me out.
Mainly because usually the advice entails me doing something that makes no sense and I can't figure out how to accomplish and just doesn't work for me. And I feel guilty because I can't do it and am letting the other person down as a result.

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Okay finished the Typology 101 test? And I suggest you head over to Personality Hacker and do that one. It's a better test. Personality Junkie - typed me as INFP, (I got 60% P, so barely) and to get more info? You have to pay. While Personality Hacker gives you a complete workup for free and only asks payment if you want to use it for personal growth.

Go here: http://www.personalityhacker.com/

Here's the youtube video on INFJ and how the brain is wired, which I've never seen anyone do before. Usually they just give a general overview of each type like the Personality Junkie site did.



Thought it was rather fascinating and fit.

Depending on the test, I jump between INFJ and INFP, which according to this site can happen a lot, because people get confused about the types, and sometimes the tests aren't accurate in their questions. This one has an added question section that includes comments. And it's a lot more thorough. Also the questions are clearer and less ambiguous.

So much of psychological typing and diagnosis is dependent on how questions are phrased and answered. And how the test is administered. (I know this because I've had professional psychologists run tests on me at various points. And done it myself in psychology courses. So much of it is pattern analysis. I remember when I was in law school, one psychologist almost misdiagnosed me as ADD, but another, who was trained in the field, said, uh no, you're a normal law student struggling with a visual coordination disability. Don't fret about it.)

It's a called a soft science for a reason -- there's no hard facts or proof of anything. And a lot of the hard sciences make fun of it because of that. Philosophy gets the same flak. As does quantum physics. So it's in good company. People who like concrete facts and figures, and proof, tend to get annoyed with the softer sciences or so I've discovered.
While I prefer them, because I tend think that nothing is set in stone and everything is variable. So for me, the softer sciences are more interesting and more honest. ;-)

[elisi]

Okay finished the Typology 101 test? And I suggest you head over to Personality Hacker and do that one. It's a better test.
I did say the test was bad. But the articles (101, 201, 301 and 401) lay out the basics, and take you through the functions in a very clear way, which I wish I'd discovered sooner. Once you get your head around the functions - how they work and fit together, and the different function stacks - that's when it gets properly interesting.

Here's the youtube video on INFJ and how the brain is wired, which I've never seen anyone do before. Usually they just give a general overview of each type like the Personality Junkie site did.
I've only watched a little, but that's what I mean. Speaking of the difference between INFJ and INFP, then they share no functions at all, they just look alike from the outside. INFJ's function stack goes: Ni-Fe-Ti-Se and INFP's go: Fi-Ne-Si-Te. Often it takes time for people to work out what they are - especially if they have other issues that distort their true functions. (But it's so worthwhile to stick with it! Understanding how Darcy & I differ, f.ex., has made life simpler in many ways. Yes, he still annoys me, but now I know *why*, which makes a big difference.)

When I first started, I found a chart similar to this one & printed it off:



It was extremely helpful to have to hand before I got it all fixed in my head. :)

I also came across this which offers nice definitions:



(What they call 'Observing' is what usually known as 'Perceiving' and 'Deciding' is probably a better term than 'Judging'. Overall it helps to remove F & T from 'feeling' & 'thinking' which are so misnamed!!)

So much of it is pattern analysis. I remember when I was in law school, one psychologist almost misdiagnosed me as ADD, but another, who was trained in the field, said, uh no, you're a normal law student struggling with a visual coordination disability. Don't fret about it.
*nods a lot* I don't even want to think about how those things can be skewed...

While I prefer them, because I tend think that nothing is set in stone and everything is variable. So for me, the softer sciences are more interesting and more honest. ;-)
Well, I'll back away now, but if you want to know more/discuss it further, I can bring my NTP friends (one INTP & one ENTP), who can talk about this at more length and in more detail than you would ever have thought possible! But they can also ask all the right questions to help you work out what type you are... (I've been 'studying' typology for 2 1/2 years, but it's a proper rabbit hole and the more you learn, the more you realise there is to know.)

ETA: Actually Inferior functions are often a good short-cut to working out which type you are, as it can be difficult to decide between your strengths, but your Achillies heel is easier to ascertain...

Inferior Te (for INFP)

Inferior Se (for INFJ)

(I was never really in doubt that I was an INFJ, but that article above was so unerringly accurate that I began predicting what would show up next... And I was right.)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the details.