When we talk about INFPs, the typical image that comes to mind is of Thoreau going out to live in the woods or Chris McCandles’ character in Jon Krakauer’s book Into the Wild. We think of seekers, those people who might have left the mainstream in different ways in order to find themselves. But even though you are an INFP and most definitely a seeker, you might not have followed this path of unfettered exploration. You might not have lived out of your car, taken to the woods or taken a year off to backpack.
If you have ever wondered why you didn’t take this uncharted path (although like me, it probably called to you at some point), the answer might lie in the interesting relationship between the INFP Dominant Function of Introverted Feeling and our Inferior Function, which is Extraverted Thinking.
But first things first. Lets get an overview of the INFP functional stack.
Like all other types, we have a dominant, auxiliary, tertiary, and inferior function. And just like everyone else, the four functions are ranked according to the degree of their strength. So, the first function is our strongest and what we are most conscious of. After that comes the auxiliary, tertiary and inferior, in that order of strength and conscious differentiation.
For INFPs, the Dominant Function is Introverted Feeling (Fi), which is the reason why we have such a deep and rich connection to our internal world of feelings and why we are so sensitive to both our own and other people’s feelings. Introverted Feeling is also what helps us make decisions based on what “feels right” to us. Because this judging process does not look anything like the pros and cons approach of traditional decision-making, we might often find ourselves being not able to “justify” our decisions to other people although they invariably Feel Right to us.
Extraverted Intuition (Ne) is our auxiliary function. It is one of the primary ways in which we explore the world. This is the reason why so many INFPs like to travel or go out into the world looking for different experiences. What we hope to achieve through this experimentation is to both greater understanding of ourselves as well as a place in the world where we belong.
The combination of deep feeling, imagination and exploration of possibilities is what makes INFPs so creative.
The exploration of Extraverted Intuition are checked by our tertiary function of Introverted Sensing (Si) as well as our inferior function of Extraverted Thinking (Te). While Si is concerned with the past, Te or Extraverted Thinking is concerned with things like maintaining order through the use of rules and procedures. The pull of these two functions are the reason why INFPs might feel compelled to “be responsible” and not take the unconventional path that is typically associated with us.
These differing strains are also why we might often feel so divided. There is a deep need in us to explore the world. There is also something in us, something we don’t have as much access to, that drives us to do the conventional, tried-out thing. This is the reason why many people with the INFP personality type can go back and forth between following conventional and unconventional paths. This is the reason why we might not always match the INFP stereotypes.
Of course, these four functions all bring something different to the table. We need to be able to integrate all of them to realize more of our potential. But our dominant and auxiliary functions are our home. The realms of fantasy, deep feeling, and imagination are where we shine. It is also our deep feelings that give us the conviction to follow our ideals, which is the fuel for creating something new in the world.
But experts tell us that it is possible that we, as INFPs, can jump the stack and focus solely on our inferior or tertiary function at the cost of our strengths. When we do this, then we are in trouble. INFP Career dissatisfaction is a result.
But why does this happen? Shouldn’t the dominant and auxiliary functions naturally be more attractive to us? The answer is that they are. But there is something more to this equation.
It is the relationship between INFP Dominant and Inferior Functions that makes us behave in ways that don’t fit the INFP Stereotype.
Dr A.J.Drenth talks about this dynamic in his wonderful book The 16 Personality Types. For all personality types, at some point, there is a tug of war between our Dominant and Inferior functions. This usually happens when we have what Dr. Drenth calls “dominant function fatigue.” Something in our lives, something in us feels missing. We are tired of the same old way of relating to the world. We feel compelled to explore something new and exciting. This something new and exciting is often the inferior function, the part of us that is the least developed but that still has a measure of potential inside it.
The inferior function, which is sometimes also called the “lost” or “missing” function has an almost mystical quality. Many of us feel compelled by its its siren song. It promises experiences that are completely different from any we could have with just our Dominant function.
This is what Dr.Drenth says about the attraction of the inferior function:
“Consider the difference, for instance, in seeing the world through the lens of logic (T) versus that of the heart (F), or from the point of view of a philosopher (N) versus that of the athlete (S). In light of the stark distinctions, the inferior function is often experienced as magical, mysterious, exciting, or blissful. Some have described it as “a whole new world.” It thereby serves as a powerful source of life energy and motivation. This is why all types display a strong appetite for, and curiosity toward, their inferior function.”
The pull of our inferior function is why many INFPs, Dr. Drenth tells us, are attracted to T-oriented careers in Math, Science, Law, Economics, Computers etc. While there is nothing wrong in following T-type careers, the problem comes in when we are not able to integrate our strengths – our needs for feeling, personal meaning and imagination – with the T-type career. Also, Extraverted Thinking is not really our strength (This does not mean we are not good at thinking. It is the kind of thinking that involves maintaining order using rules and procedures and other Te concerns that we are not good at). It remains hard to access for us. Because it is not as developed in INFPs, we are often not as good at it as those types to whom it comes naturally.
To me, this inter-relationship feels like the ultimate choice of first working on our strengths versus shoring up our weaknesses.
But like other INFPs, I have also felt this mysterious pull of the inferior function that can drive us unconsciously. In my corporate job (I had a corporate career for around 7 years), not a typical INFP career, I worked at a process-oriented company where the work was bound by rules and procedures. Although the work felt increasingly meaningless, from time to time, I felt a “hit,” every time my inferior function was engaged. Day to day, I was bending myself out of shape trying to fit my round self into the square 9 to 5. While there were many reasons for it (including a lot of fear), there was also a drive that came from inside me. Looking back and now understanding type theory a little more, I can see that it was the clarion call of my inferior function.
Whenever it was engaged, it felt like there was some potential there. That if I just got better at it, maybe I would be happier than I was. This engagement didn’t happen a lot because most of the work was bound in linear processes that I made a huge effort to follow, but that resulted in a huge amount of strain. But because some parts of the work appealed to something unconscious inside me, it created a lot of confusion.
This is what Dr. Drenth calls the dark side of the inferior function. If we can’t integrate it in a healthy way, we feel stuck and all the meaning seems to be draining out of our lives.
It was only when I unraveled my fear and my low self-esteem and started exploring and using my Extraverted Intuition and trying on new things for size that things shifted for me.
Of course, I don’t mean and I don’t think that this means that T-type careers are not for INFPs at all. But I think it does mean that T-type careers that have little personal meaning or where we have to do things by rote or stick too closely to policies and procedures are just not right for us.
Our strengths are our feelings, our imagination and our deep need for meaning. That is why we resonate so deeply with heroes like Thoreau who question conventional wisdom, who seek to create meaning. Whatever our winding outer path looks like, our real struggle is always this struggle to find meaning.
On the way to this ultimate goal, as Dr.Drenth says, we might keep bouncing between the unconventional and conventional paths for a variety of reasons. But we have to honor our deep need for meaning if we are to be happy at all.
So, what is the solution for this tug of war that results because of the attraction of the INFP inferior function?
Experts say that we must integrate our functions in a top-down manner, and look for healthy ways to satisfy our Te desires. An interesting example that Dr. Drenth gives and that resonated with me as an INFP writer is of INFPs choosing to write a nonfiction book. This is an example of a healthy marriage between our dominant and inferior functions. We are working on things that we care deeply about. Then, we are molding it in a container that has some rules associated with it.
What do you think? Did Dr. Drenth’s words resonate with you? Did they call to mind times when you might have been in the grip of your inferior function?
What might your own marriage of your dominant and inferior functions look like?
If you liked this piece, please share it online or with someone who might enjoy it as well.
If you want to understand the INFP functions in depth, check out this page with a fabulous compilation of resources on Personality Hacker. In these videos and articles, the importance of developing our Extraverted Intuition is discussed (among other things). I am finding this is extremely important for me. Without it, feeling intensely can become a cage or a never-ending loop.
If you liked this piece, you might also like these pieces:
Interview with Lauren Sapala, author of The INFJ Writer
Nice article! I resonated with it, thanks for sharing your experience.
Note: typo “that things shifted fro me.”
Thank you. Happy to hear that !