INFJ: “The Change Agent”

Note: If you want to read about all personality types, please go to The 16 Personality Types. If you want to learn your personality type, please go to take the Personality Type Test or one of these more sophisticated Myers Briggs Career Personality Tests.

INFJ = Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling Judger

Nickname of INFJ: “The Agent for Change”

i n f j shirt

Main Qualites of INFJ

  • Curious
  • Insightful
  • Values-oriented
  • Organized
  • Connection-Oriented

Good INFJ Careers

  • Customer Service Manager
  • Project Manager
  • Recruiter
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Team Trainer/Coach
  • Teacher
  • Internet Marketing

INFJ Careers To Avoid

  • Entrepreneur (unless you have a detail-oriented/logical co-founder)
  • Stockbroker
  • Promoter
  • Flight Attendant
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Treasurer/Controllor/CFO

Famous INFJs & Fictional INFJs

  • James Earl “Jimmy” Carter (U.S. President)
  • Martin Van Buren U.S. President)
  • Adam Sandler
  • Amelie Poulain
  • Anthony Kiedes-Red Hot Chili Peppers Band Member
  • Aristophanes
  • Billy Crystal
  • Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman), folk singer
  • Calista Flockart
  • Carl Jung-Psychiatrist
  • Carol Moseley-Braun (U. S. Senator, IL)
  • Carrie Fisher
  • Charles Xavier, X Men
  • Chaucer
  • Eleanor Roosevelt (Wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt)
  • Evangeline Lilly
  • Fanny Crosby, (blind) hymnist
  • Fred McMurray (My Three Sons)
  • Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury)
  • Gary Dourdan
  • Goethe
  • Hitler-Politician
  • James Earl “Jimmy” Carter (U.S. President)
  • James Reston, newspaper reporter
  • Jamie Foxx
  • Jerry Seinfeld
  • Jesus Christ
  • John Katz, critic, author
  • Lady Gaga
  • Leonard Cohen
  • Luke Skywalker
  • Mahatma Ghandi-Indian Politician, Spiritual Leader
  • Marg Helgaberger
  • Mark Harmon
  • Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader, martyr)
  • Martin Van Buren (U.S. President)
  • Mel Gibson
  • Michael Landon (Little House on the Prairie)
  • Mischa Barton-Actress
  • Morrissey (lead singer of The Smiths)
  • Mother Teresa of Calcutta
  • Mulan, Disney Princess
  • Nathan, prophet of Israel
  • Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Nelson Mandela
  • Neve Campbell-Actress
  • Nicole Kidman
  • Oprah Winfrey, talk show host
  • Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul and Mary)
  • Piers Anthony, author (“Xanth” series)
  • Ralph Fiennes-Actor
  • River, Firefly Tv Series & Serenity Movie
  • Robert Burns, Scottish poet
  • Rougue, X Men
  • Russell Brand-Actor/Comedian
  • Sela Ward
  • Shirley MacLaine (Sweet Charity, …)
  • Shirley Temple Black, child actor, ambassador
  • Talisa Soto-Actress
  • The Tin Man
  • Tom Selleck
  • Tori May

These Web site were helpful for this article:

KnowYourType, TypeLogic, MyPersonality, and SimilarMinds and Personality Cafe

I find these books useful:

If you are enjoying the 16 Myers-Briggs Personality Types, you may also enjoy The 9 Enneagram Personality Types.

Discussion

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Below is an archive of comments from my older blog:

46 Responses to INFJ: “The Change Agent”

daniel says: October 15, 2011 at 9:45 am

i've always felt like i do resemble Rogue, even if im a boy… i've always been touched by her history 😀

Caroline says: October 1, 2011 at 11:27 pm

Ok a lot of people seem doubtful that super star figures like Oprah and Gaga are INFJ, but I can see it. I often appear to people as an extrovert because I'm a great speaker, can confidently lead a group, and do not appear to be 'shy'. This is only because I happen to be really good at those things, but I'm often not comfortable doing them. I guess it's just part of that INFJ genius :)

Bloogunproductions says: September 27, 2011 at 1:37 pm

It is very clear to me that GaGa IS in fact INFJ. I'm also a singer/songwriter and I have the ability to shift into extroverted entertainer mode and put all my passion into my music. If you've seen her in interviews she can be very reserved, quiet, and polite, almost unsure of herself. You all know that we have dual personalities, and I don't question her being INFJ at all.

b93 says: September 19, 2011 at 9:45 pm

To be on the same personality as Charles Xavier, X-Men is probably the greatest thing I've heard all week! Also as a Scot myself to have Robert Burns there is a great honor to be on the list apart of this personality! Bonus for Ralph Fiennes as a Harry Potter fan, myself and Rogue from X-Men.

Mae says: September 15, 2011 at 3:13 am

Personally, I feel so proud of you! I think that it took great courage and a high level of honesty for you to come out knowing that the community surrounding you, sadly, is not one to react appropriately – at least kindly! – with who you were born as. Nevertheless, you should not associate yourself much with people who found it easy to erase the loving person you've been to them. Also, you should make a clear plan aided by a job that will offer you money to leave that hostile town. Until then, keep your chin up and avoid unnecessary conflict that will only hurt you, because they won't feel a thing.
You're apart of a community greater than those you know now, one that loves you and seeks to better the world.
Praying for you 8)

Candycorned says: September 9, 2011 at 8:16 pm

I have the same personality type as Lady Gaga! Which, actually isn't surprising, because I've always felt like we were on the same 'plane' whenever I watch her interviews.
Nicole Kidman and Hitler, though… :/

K-INFJ says: September 5, 2011 at 2:25 am

You don't have the same personality as Hitler, you have the same personality type. I highly doubt you will make the same life choices as him unless you strive for it (but let's hope not.).

Aelisha says: June 15, 2011 at 4:54 am

Jamie Foxx???????????!!!!! seriously? He loves attention. I couldn't picture him as an introvert.

Both? says: June 12, 2011 at 8:15 pm

Now, my question is, why are Martin Luther King and Oprah Winfrey included as an ENFJs and INFJs? How can a person be both?

Missjendoeshair says: May 5, 2011 at 7:51 pm

What talented, soulful introvert wouldn't love to put on a costume, pretend to be someone else who is extroverted to do their talent, and then come home and nobody recognizes them when they are out of costume?

Jessica Eliana says: April 4, 2011 at 10:32 am

.Introvert person is more private and silent .INFJs are conscientious and value-driven. They seek meaning in relationships, ideas, and events, with an eye toward better understanding themselves and others. Using their intuitive skills, they develop a clear and confident vision, which they then set out to execute, aiming to better the lives of others. Like their INTJ counterparts, INFJs regard problems as opportunities to design and implement creative solutions.
INFJs are quiet, private individuals who prefer to exercise their influence behind the scenes. Although very independent, INFJs are intensely interested in the well-being of others. INFJs prefer one-on-one relationships to large groups. Sensitive and complex, they are adept at understanding complicated issues and driven to resolve differences in a cooperative and creative manner.
INFJs have a rich, vivid inner life, which they may be reluctant to share with those around them. Nevertheless, they are congenial in their interactions, and perceptive of the emotions of others. Generally well-liked by their peers, they may often be considered close friends and confidants by most other types. However, they are guarded in expressing their own feelings, especially to new people, and so tend to establish close relationships slowly. INFJs tend to be easily hurt, though they may not reveal this except to their closest companions. INFJs may “silently withdraw as a way of setting limits”, rather than expressing their wounded feelings—a behavior that may leave others confused and upset.INFJs tend to be sensitive, quiet leaders with a great depth of personality. They are intricately and deeply woven, mysterious, and highly complex, sometimes puzzling even to themselves. They have an orderly view toward the world, but are internally arranged in a complex way that only they can understand. Abstract in communicating, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. With a natural affinity for art, INFJs tend to be creative and easily inspired.Yet they may also do well in the sciences, aided by their intuition

Unfortunaly ,I 'm INFJ …….

Jakob says: March 18, 2011 at 10:05 pm

If you ever saw Gaga in an interview, you would know there's not a chance in hell she could be an extravert. All the over the top costumes is her way of distracting the attention from her personal life. Besides, she has expressed many times that she's actually very insecure, thus all the self-empowerment stuff she tireless promotes.

Aarthi Raghavan says: February 28, 2011 at 7:16 pm

Thats a truly inspiring list of people and now I get it why I admired all these people at some time or the other, cause I could find that connection in terms of character and beliefs. WOW!

Ffcodeblack says: February 27, 2011 at 7:26 pm

In interviews, Lady Gaga will actually say that she grew up with few friends and never felt like she fit in. Seems like a typical introvert but she became famous.

LatinaINFJ says: January 13, 2011 at 7:53 pm

But then again INFJ's often feel very confident in their surroundings if they feel they have the upper hand in the situation.

LatinaINFJ says: January 13, 2011 at 7:51 pm

yea that is very true. Lady GaGa seems way too confident in her self, where an INFJ personality often second guesses themselves and are often worried about what people think.

Thirdeyepain says: December 21, 2010 at 4:15 pm

Indeed you are very right. Currently I am partner with a ISTJ whom is much more detailed and orientated then me.We are planning to start a business soon. But I wonder I could be quite outgoing type yet prefer privacy.

Luke says: November 20, 2010 at 7:59 am

Lady Gaga could make perfect sense as an I. Many introverted people are actually completely in their element when THEY are the the one that has the floor and performing…that's how a stage is different than say, a court room.

The one that surprises me is Oprah.

Matthew says: October 30, 2010 at 3:16 pm

I'm 37 and, like you, found myself in a very difficult situation while living with my dad as a young man. I too couldn't do much about it at that time and I felt stuck. My 'stuck' turned into anger, then depression and then alot of thinking about how to get out of the situation. Suicide seemed to rule my thoughts. I'm not a sick person. I'm not a negative person. I was in a situation that I wanted out of and couldn't figure out how to do that. Worse than being stuck I was still under the 'control' of my parents. This was one of the darkest times of my life.

It WILL get better. You won't stay in this place for ever. Soon you will be old enough to start carving out your own life…seperate and independent from your parents.

You are NOT a sinner. You are not a bad person. I am happily married to a women that I've loved for 18 years. We have a son who lights up my life. Your being gay is not offensive to me. There are a lot of people who feel that way. But right now your surrounded by people who are not of like-mind and your having to fight that battle constantly.

Patience will go a long way right now.

Stay true to yourself. Recognize your in a battle that will end. You WILL look back at this time and be a stronger person for having survived it.

Get busy training. Training for the day when you can leave home. Educate yourself for that day.

I'm sorry your going through this, yet it may be exactly what you need to be ready for your next chapter. (The world still does not treat homosexuals very well)

Anonymous says: October 20, 2010 at 6:04 pm

First off, congratulations on sharing such personal information with the public. It takes a courageous soul to do so — so nice work!

I'm certainly not qualified to give you professional counseling. Based on your challenges, I would recommend you seek out a professional Counselor (if you haven't already done so, try searching Google for “Family Counseling [name of your town/city]”

And then I recommend that you start hanging around more with like-minded people. For that, you might consider going to http://www.MeetUp.com and search through [“your city/town”], “North Carolina,” “Gay” and “Family Counseling” — There are a number of “MeetUp” groups that will likely be of help.

I received this advice from someone who had been in the rabbit hole I was once in: “you're not alone and you WILL one day feel better!” And I did!

Rob Kelly says: October 20, 2010 at 5:59 pm

First off, congratulations on sharing such personal information with the public. It takes a courageous soul to do so — so nice work!

I'm certainly not qualified to give you professional counseling. Based on your challenges, I would recommend you seek out a professional Counselor (if you haven't already done so, try searching Google for “Family Counseling [name of your town/city]”

And then I recommend that you start hanging around more with like-minded people. For that, you might consider going to http://www.MeetUp.com and search through [“your city/town”], “North Carolina,” “Gay” and “Family Counseling” — There are a number of “MeetUp” groups that will likely be of help.

I received this advice from someone who had been in the rabbit hole I was once in: “you're not alone and you WILL one day feel better!” And I did!

Anonymous says: October 19, 2010 at 6:11 pm

I am an INFJ living in rural Eastern, North Carolina as an openly gay man. Before my parents discovered my sexuality my mother and I had a very deep relationship. Even as a child I was her confidant and she was mine as well. However, now my family and I do not get along at all. They are deeply conservative Christians who constantly tell me I am sinful, need to change, and they will not allow me to move away from them. I am only 20 years old and thus cannot afford to move any substantial distance from my home town on my own. I am stuck in a place I find deeply disturbing for me, and with a family I feel is not my own. My mother and I rarely speak with one another (we usually fight now), she does not like me see my friends (I haven't seen any of them in over two months), and she does not want me to move away because she knows I will being dating and living my life as an openly gay person. I just don't know how to deal with everything that is going on in my life. It feels as if everything is spinning out of control and I have nothing to grab and hold on to. I know that my mother's actions are based upon her love of me and the fact she wants me to live a happy and healthy life. What do I do about this? Where do I turn? What do I do?? I have no one that I completely trust as most of them have betrayed me or left me feeling that I cannot trust any of them with anything of import.

robkelly says: October 5, 2010 at 11:49 pm

Great question, Robyn. No hard and fast rules here and I believe you could

be terrific at whatever you invest yourself in.

And INFJs certainly have great qualites for entrepreneurship (including

their NF ability to connect with people) and their Judgership that pushes

them to get things done!

An INFJ's challenges with entrepreneurship (especially early-stage (i.e.

you're all alone!)) do lie in the details (Sensor), as you mentioned.

Additionally, an INFJ's Feeler quality could make some early-stage business

challenges all the more frustrating (such as asking an investor for money or

forecasting).

That's why I recommend that any NFs who want to be business leaders surround

themselves with Sensing Judgers (SJs) for balance (an SJ financial advisor

would help in the above examples).

An internet marketer is usually part of a larger team (ideally surrounded by

detail-oriented, logical people) and thus has more wiggle room on these

items.

Hope that helps!

Robyn Lee says: October 4, 2010 at 12:47 pm

Hi, thanks for the post, I was wondering why entrepreneur was listed as a career to avoid but internet marketer was a good career? Aren't you essentially an entrepreneur as an internet marketer or are their other was to be an internet marketer without being an entrepreneur? I would appreciate any insight as I have tried being an entrepreneur and the details do get to me. Also I am in interenet marketing now and want to know which way I should go to be more successful? Thank you.

Erica Avery Arthur says: September 29, 2010 at 1:07 am

Also, we can't assume she doesn't need recoup time. She may have many ways of retreating. Keep in mind, we probably see the majority of her extroversion–she doesn't need to be extroverted all the time. :)

Ryan says: September 15, 2010 at 5:36 pm

I'm a recruiter. There's no better feeling than helping people put food on their table for their families.

😀

Alexvn12345 says: September 11, 2010 at 4:51 am

I would definitely agree about the INFJ careers to avoid.
Moreover, I have a sense that we people of this type find it uncomfortable to do jobs which involves saying good words about something which are not (promoter, broker,..) or deceiving people sometimes in a harmful way or not ( like business). We appreciate justice and prefer doing things which are not to the detriment of others.

Philippa says: August 31, 2010 at 11:28 pm

Why would Lady Gaga be an INFJ? I am pretty sure she's an extrovert person. Me, as an INFJ, I really know what it means to have an introvert personality and I am 1000% sure she is not introvert, she wouldn't be able to behave like she does with the same type of personality as I have.

MT-Jogger says: July 26, 2010 at 7:37 pm

Attempting to hide truth because you find it distasteful, is, well, what Carl Jung would likely call “insane” if we were to translate into English.

While you are at it, why don't you blot out the fact that you are responsible for living in the only country in the world who has ever used nuclear weapons on human beings (babies, children, teens, adults, the elderly and infirm) … yeah, that would be distasteful – wait, no it wouldn't it would be true!

Being an INFJ, truth and justice is important, so rightfully including INFJ's even those who were mentally ill monsters IS “tasteful” because the truth is never in bad taste although it certainly may leave a bad taste in the mouths of those with their heads buried in the sand. :-)

MT-Jogger says: July 26, 2010 at 1:37 pm

Attempting to hide truth because you find it distasteful, is, well, what Carl Jung would likely call “insane” if we were to translate into English. While you are at it, why don't you blot out the fact that you are responsible for living in the only conuntry in the world who has ever used nuclear weapons on human beings (babies, children, teens, adults, the elderly and infirm) … yeah, that would be distasteful – wait, no it wouldn't it would be true! Being an INFJ, tuth and justice is important, so rightfully including INFJ's even those who were mentally ill monsters IS “tasteful” because the truth is never in bad taste although it certainly may leave a bad taste in the mouths of those with their heads buried in the sand. :-)

robkelly says: July 14, 2010 at 2:40 pm

Great question, Rita. Some INFJs might find being a promoter challenging due
to their introversion (not enjoying the large groups that a promoter often
has to deal with), Intuition (promoters are often faced with many details)
and judgerness (promoters often have to wing it while judgers want
closure!).

That said, an INFJ can be a great people-person strong at recruiting (a key
skill needed for Promoting) and if you surround yourself with folks strong
in a couple of those other areas, you can do great as a promoter.

robkelly says: June 28, 2010 at 6:08 pm

Thanks for your comment, Holly.

In my experience, real estate brokering would be emotionally draining for
INFJs because INFJs will sometimes “Feel” like getting things done now
(their J) and might miss out on details (S) that the customer needs.

I believe an INFJ can pull this career off if they surround themselves with
a good Sensing Judger (perhaps as an admin assistant).

robkelly says: June 20, 2010 at 6:56 pm

Hi Lyndsey,

Indeed you are correct: It is a misspelling.

You and Amelie Poulain are both INFJs!

Thanks for pointing it out.

robkelly says: June 20, 2010 at 5:11 pm

Thanks, Shayla — you caught at least one error on my part! “Internet Marketer” is supposed to be listed as a “Good Career” for INFJs. I have made the correction.

As for why I listed Entrepreneur as a “Career to Avoid” for INFJs, my experience is that Entrepreneurship requires paying close attention to detail (Sensing) and logic (Thinking) — if you want to be an entrepreneur, I do believe you can enjoy it if you were to surround yourself with a partner/co-founder (or other senior-level employee) who is detail oriented and logical.

An ISTJ, for example, would compliment you well if you can find one you work well with.

robkelly says: June 20, 2010 at 4:27 pm

That's a good point, Phil. The reason I included Hitler on the list was that a number of people on the Web were curious his personality type…and I'm just trying to be informational.

I do not condone Hitler's activities.

Phil_walker80 says: June 18, 2010 at 9:19 pm

I'm not sure if putting Hitler on the list was very tasteful. Surely the list is about seeing the list is about recognising different 'qualities' of the infj in the different people. Are we supposed to be recognising INFJ qualities in Hitler?

Shayla says: June 17, 2010 at 1:38 pm

I'd like to know more about your list of careers for INFJ to avoid. Why do you include internet marketer and entrepreneur?

Lyndsey says: March 28, 2010 at 9:47 pm

The fourth on the list, Amelia Poulain… I assume it is a typo of “Amelie Poulain”? I am very curious about this because INFJ is my personality type and Amelie is my favorite movie. :)

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