According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, I am, as one of the sixteen personality types, an INFJ—Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, Judging. INFJs are referred to as Counselors, and belong as one of the four types in the temperament group called the Idealists. According to Wiki’s entry on INFJs:

The basic characteristics are:

  • sensitive

  • quiet leaders

  • great depth of personality – intricately and deeply woven, mysterious, and highly complex, sometimes puzzling even to themselves

  • introverted

  • abstract in communicating

  • live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities – part of an unusually rich inner life

  • artistic (having a natural affinity for art), creative, and easily inspired

  • very independent

  • orderly view towards the world but within themselves arranged in a complex way only they could understand

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 vision, which they then execute decisively to better the lives of others. Like their INTJ counterparts, INFJs regard problems as opportunities to design and implement creative solutions.

Counselors usually have intricate personalities and rich inner lives. They tend to keep their innermost thoughts and emotional reactions to themselves, which can make them tough to get to know. Counselors tend to be private people, possibly because their ability to take in the emotional experiences of others can cause them to be easily hurt. They have great depth of personality and can understand complex issues and individuals.

Counselors often prefer to work on a one-to-one basis with others or to work intensely with people close to them. Counselors are happy doing jobs that require solitude and close attention. They are also happy working with others provided that the personal interactions are not superficial and they are given some quiet time in order to reenergize themselves. Counselors usually exert their influence behind-the-scenes rather than being a visible leader.

Sensitive and complex, they are adept at understanding complicated issues and driven to resolve differences in a cooperative and creative manner.

Accounting for 1–3% of the population, Counselors have a vivid inner life that they may be reluctant to share with those around them. Perceptive of the emotions of others, Counselors are themselves easily hurt, though they may not reveal this except to their closest companions.

INFJs are affable people. They are generally well-liked by their peers and are thought of as close friends and confidants by most other types. Nevertheless, it is difficult for INFJs to let their guard down, which in turn makes it difficult for them to establish close relationships with strangers and new people.

And when it comes to career for INFJs:

The INFJ is a special individual who needs more out of a career than a job. They need to feel as if everything they do in their lives is in sync with their strong value systems – with what they believe to be right. Accordingly, the INFJ should choose a career in which they’re able to live their daily lives in accordance with their deeply-held principles, and which supports them in their life quest to be doing something meaningful. Since INFJs have such strong value systems, and persistent intuitive visions which lend them a sense of “knowing”, they do best in positions in which they are leaders, rather than followers. Although they can happily follow individuals who are leading in a direction which the INFJ fully supports, they will very unhappy following in any other situation.

It is interesting how I got the same result as I did when I last took the MBTI test 11 years ago. And, interestingly, Carl Jung, whose work the MBTI was developed from, was himself an INFJ.