Reflection, Discovery, and Acceptance
The past week or two have been weeks full of self-reflection. While self-reflection is a natural, frequent occurrence in my life due to my personality, this time was different. There were changes to be made and I am not one for change. Not because it's hard, but because it's different. I like the familiar, it feels safer. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the past few years have been filled with a lot of growth. With that growth, I have both been able to understand the new me but also felt a little lost as the new me. But I guess that's the thing about growth, it never really stops, does it?
This term I am studying Psychology of Personality, which is fun and completely goes along with where I am at in life. During the first week, I was instructed to take a personality test to see which of the Myers-Briggs 16 personalities I was. I went into it thinking I was going to get INFP, which I have gotten every time I have taken the test previously. However, this time my results showed INFJ. So, not a big change, but a slight and significant one. I read the description skeptically, feeling like I was not going to relate to any of the details of the personality at all. Well, I did. So much so I would say that about 99% of the information was spot-on. Who knew that going from P to J would make such a difference?
I'll break down the basics of being an INFJ. I'm introverted, meaning I get energy by being alone. I think and act off of emotion and "gut feelings." I like order in life, i.e. planning my actions, events, and sticking to my plan. I am not a fan of change, unstructured events, or spontaneous decisions. Interestingly, everywhere I have looked it lists INFJs as a walking paradox. The most commonly listed reasons which I relate to is being introverted but also desiring to be a part of people’s lives; understanding others' feelings but have a hard time expressing my own; willing to share about myself, but only when I feel safe with the other person or that the other person truly cares to listen.
While the description is not a hard-fast rule on the qualities of the INFJ personality, it was fascinating to read and insightful. When I read the description, I audibly said, "This is me." It gave me a sense of self-discovery. I was prompted to evaluate why I responded to things in certain ways, what I liked about my personality and what I needed to work on. Moreover, it prompted me to do more research on INFJs. It was oddly freeing to know that the things I thought, felt, or did, were "normal" for INFJs. But just because things were "normal" does not mean they have to stay that way. Awareness is one of the first steps of accepting change. Remember growth? One's personality can be grown, strengthening the good parts and working on the weaknesses. I searched myself to acknowledge my strengths and my weaknesses, to mentally mark areas that could grow, areas that needed adjustments, and areas where I knew I would need to give myself grace.
While the description is not a hard-fast rule on the qualities of the INFJ personality, it was fascinating to read and insightful. When I read the description, I audibly said, "This is me." It gave me a sense of self-discovery. I was prompted to evaluate why I responded to things in certain ways, what I liked about my personality and what I needed to work on. Moreover, it prompted me to do more research on INFJs. It was oddly freeing to know that the things I thought, felt, or did, were "normal" for INFJs. But just because things were "normal" does not mean they have to stay that way. Awareness is one of the first steps of accepting change. Remember growth? One's personality can be grown, strengthening the good parts and working on the weaknesses. I searched myself to acknowledge my strengths and my weaknesses, to mentally mark areas that could grow, areas that needed adjustments, and areas where I knew I would need to give myself grace.
Interested in taking the Myers-Briggs personality test? Here are two highly recommended sites. Just remember when viewing the personalities types or your results that it is not absolute truth but rather a general overview of individuals who display some or most of the characteristics of that type. Everyone is beautifully unique. The tests are tools to help individuals understand themselves and other people.
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