INFP

INFPs’ Fourth/Inferior Function: Extraverted Thinking (Te)

For those unfamiliar with the powerful influence of the inferior function on personality, as well as common strategies for dealing with it, I strongly encourage you to explore my post, Understanding the Inferior Function.

As is true of other types, INFPs can be easily blinded to the degree to which their inferior function impacts their decisions and behavior. Without sufficient awareness and integration of their inferior, INFPs will continue to feel incomplete and be prone to unwise decision-making in their lifestyle, careers, and relationships. They may also struggle with fear, anxiety, self-defensiveness, and a sense of personal impotence or helplessness. Consequently, INFPs seeking self-knowledge and personal growth must work to understand the ways their inferior function, Extraverted Thinking (Te), manifests in their personality:

INFPs and ENFPs may share similar struggles with their less conscious functions, since both types have Te and Si in the bottom half of their functional stack. Te and Si are both “left-brained” functions, rallying for order, control, routine, and predictability. When influenced by these less conscious functions, INFPs can be overly rigid, anal, and dogmatic. This is especially true when they feel one of their core values is being threatened. What happens in such instances is INFPs bypass their open-ended Ne function and skip directly to their Te, which repackages and expresses their subjective Fi judgments in a rigid and dogmatic fashion. INFPs can also be nitpicky about certain things. When preparing a meal, for instance, they may be insistent that a recipe be followed precisely as it is written.

We can better understand INFPs’ relationship to their lower stack by examining their attitudes toward STJ types, types who embody the more conscious version of INFPs’ tertiary Te and inferior Si. In some regards, INFPs struggle with STJs more than they do other types. To an INFP, STJs can seem excessively anal, rigid, authoritarian, or closed-minded. What INFPs often overlook or refuse to admit, however, is that many of these same tendencies exist in themselves by way of their Si and Te functions. And the more strident they are in denying them, the more at war at themselves they will be.

While disliking certain TJ characteristics, INFPs also envy them. They admire their ability to express and stand up for themselves, to set and accomplish goals, and to function as confident and competent leaders. This is why it is not uncommon for INFPs to pair with ETJs, unconsciously feeling that ETJs’ strength might compensate for the INFP’s perceived personal deficits. Elaine Schallock explains this beautifully:

What often starts out looking like a fairy-tale opportunity to feel “whole” (aka individuated) when we pair with our typological opposite can quickly destruct into a nightmare and the eventual realization that we’ve “lost ourselves” somewhere. Relationships become tinged with co-dependent behavior as the partners attempt to use one another to supply them with the inferior needs that they enviously wish they could provide for themselves. This is how a love-hate relationship develops…When we pair with our typological opposite without sufficient understanding of type dynamics or awareness of the powers of our unconscious over us, we put ourselves at great risk for experiencing this extreme tension and love-hate volatility in our relationships. In plain language: what happens is we view our partner as the same thing as our tertiary and inferior functions. Therefore, all of our unresolved issues with our tertiary and inferior functions become projected onto our partner and are acted out in our relationships – and usually in very destructive ways. Typically, the things that initially draw opposite persons to one another end up being the same traits that create conflict and resentment down the road. When reality sets in and we realize that becoming “whole” by using our partner as a crutch or “stand-in” for those inferior functions we haven’t conquered yet is an illusion, the relationship may begin to crumble. The unconscious psyche, not one to be easily fooled, realizes that our partner is not an authentic or sufficient substitute for our own psychological growth.

The Fi-Te polarity involves a tension between personal subjectivity (Fi) and collective objectivity (Te). Consciously, INFPs tend to emphasize the unique values and preferences of the individual (Fi). This may lead them, especially early in their development, to scoff at notions like “political science,” rejecting the idea that Te systems can effectively govern a body of unique individuals. Despite their tendency to consciously reject Te systems, INFPs are unconsciously drawn to facts and more standardized ways of doing things (Te). They may be consciously opposed to universal theories and collective rules but unconsciously more authoritarian, feeling that everyone should submit to a common set of rules and universal principles.

Later in life, after the dominant and auxiliary functions have been strengthened and differentiated, there is a pull toward differentiating and integrating the lower functions. This generally requires a loosening of the identity, a “letting go,” to allow room for the opposing functions to become more conscious. For INFPs, this entails a loosening of their allegiance to their Fi and Ne to make way for the development and incorporation of their Te and Si. In doing so, INFPs must befriend the more logical, controlling, and rule-oriented parts of themselves rather than denying or fighting against them. A good starting point is for them to simply notice when their Te is active, when they are acting in ways that would otherwise seem inconsistent with their top two functions.

Self-actualizing INFPs also learn to tap into the strength and confidence that their Te offers them. Like other IP types, INFPs are known for their conflict avoidance and lack of assertiveness. Those who develop their Te find the courage to stand-up for themselves and and authentically act on their convictions. They become less co-dependent and passive-aggressive, committing themselves to being forthright in all aspects of their lives. They become less controlled by their fears and find the courage to believe they will be able handle whatever challenges life has in store for them. INFPs will never exemplify or reap the full rewards of the authenticity until they tap into this place of inner strength. And since INFPs elevate their values and ideals above all else, little could be more meaningful than living out those values and ideals, even when life makes it difficult to do so. In the end, for INFPs to find the inner peace they are seeking, they must be willing to face their fears and live out the authenticity they espouse.

INFPs who develop their Te and courageously commit themselves to authenticity feel more at home with themselves. They discover that their mission-to be authentically themselves-is not contingent on external circumstances; it follows them regardless of what they are doing or whom they are with. It’s not that careers or relationships no longer matter to self-actualizing INFPs, but their wholeness comes from subscribing to a higher source of value, one of commitment to authentically pursuing, expressing, and living out truth, regardless of circumstance.

INFPs looking for further guidance with regard to personal growth and integrating their Te might consider my post on Integrating the Inferior Function.

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Famous INFPs:  Ralph Waldo Emerson, J.D. Salinger, Soren Kierkegaard, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Vincent Van Gogh, Georgia O’Keefe

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Related Posts:

Understanding the Inferior Function

Integrating the Inferior Function

Why INFPs Struggle with Communication in Relationships

INFP Careers, Jobs & Majors

Related type descriptions/profiles/portraits: ENFP INFJ INTP

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Notes:

This INFP description may also resonate with Enneagram Threes (3w4), Fours (4w3, 4w5) & Nines (9w8, 9w1).