INFP and INTJ personalities have a lot in common. But there are some essential differences when considering INFP vs. INTJ character traits that diverge in their approach to life.
In this article, we outline those differences so you can better understand each of them. But first, let’s have a look at their individual characteristics.
INFP Overview
INFPs is an acronym for introverted, intuitive, feeling, and prospecting personality traits. A person with INFP traits is quiet, imaginative, open-minded, and applies a creative approach to doing things in life.
Even though these people seem quiet and unassuming, they have passionate and vibrant inner lives. A person with an INFP personality is happy to lose themselves in thoughts and daydreams. They love to invent conversations and stories in their heads.
These personalities are also known as “Mediators,” given their sensitive and empathetic nature. Mediators feel their mission is to help others and long for soulful and deep relationships. It’s not uncommon for INFPs to feel lonely sometimes. They may feel like the environment doesn’t appreciate their unique traits, and they make up a small portion of the population.
Here is an overview of INFP’s strengths:
However, INFPs can often also be:
INTJ Overview
The INTJ personality trait acronym stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging. The INTJs are also known as architects, masterminds, strategists, or scientists, usually highly independent, self-sufficient, and confident. They are also creative and analytical.
A person with INTJ personality traits will always use logic over emotions. However, others often view these people as perfectionists because INTJs have high expectations for themselves and society.
INTJs can also be arrogant. They may decide without asking for other people’s opinions or overlook anyone they find inferior intellectually. These people mostly rely on their introverted intuition and always stick to their instincts.
Here’s an overview of INTJs strengths:
On the other hand, they can also be:
What Do INFP and INTJ Personalities Have in Common?
The INFP and INTJ personalities share some common traits. For example, they both like to think creatively and spend time alone. However, they lean toward introverted and intuitive types.
However, INTJs prefer logical thinking, while INFPs are more emotional. But more on the differences later.
These two personality types also share two common cognitive functions. By cognitive function, we refer to a person's mental process when they absorb new information and make decisions.
There are eight cognitive functions in total. The two that the INFP and INTJ personalities share include introverted intuition and extraverted thinking.
When an INFP and an INTJ person enter a relationship, they often find common ground in art, entertainment, TV, and music. They also typically share a common interest in traveling.
Regarding the work environment, INFPs and INTJs cannot stand routines and rules.
6 Key Differences Between the INFP and INTJ Personality
Now that you’re familiar with each personality type let’s explore six of their most notable differences.
1. On Emotions and Logic INFPs Favor Emotions, INTJs Favor Logic
INFPs are known for being emotional. They favor adaptability and emotional thinking when trying to find solutions to problems. INFPs will consider their feelings, values, and subjective ethics when approaching decisions.
The INFPs think about whether a decision is right for them and whether the emotions they feel may tell them something about it.
INTJs, on the other hand, are more logic-oriented and prefer to deal with facts. Therefore, they favor organization, checking out the pros and cons and experimenting to see which option yields the most effective and workable results.
Afterward, INTJs will consider their values, whether the decision seems right to them, and whether it’s in line with their values.
Both INTJs and INFPs value effectiveness and like to collect facts. However, INTJs prioritize rationality to a higher degree than INFPs.
2. On Approaching Work
The next big difference between the two personality traits is visible in their approach to work. When it comes to attention to detail, INTJs are perfectionists. They want to improve upon whatever tasks they find exciting and will work super hard on them.
INFPs, on the other hand, are more flexible and spontaneous in the office. They need enough freedom and space to perform work and can’t stand routine. They are diligent, productive, and loyal but fall more on the spontaneous side.
In terms of leadership at work, INTJs prefer to work independently. When they are given enough space, they can work alone for a long time. But if they do have to lead, they prefer working with like-minded people who are comfortable with intellectual debates and challenges.
The INFPs usually go for less visible roles because they prefer to work from the back. They are a great support to others. They prefer using their wisdom and insight as support instead of for leadership.
When it comes to making contributions to the team, INTJs are radical and forward-thinking. They are always up for intellectual challenges and enjoy solving complex problems. On the other hand, INFTs are usually quiet, but they can also foster excellent team spirit and act as great support.
3. On Conflict Resolution
INTJ naturally love to think about complex problems, so their initial response to conflict situations is to see them as intellectual debates rather than conflicts. This also means INTJs work at an intellectual level to solve a conflict.
INFPs, on the other hand, long for balance and harmony and tend to focus on the positives. They will look for interconnections between the arguing sides instead of outlining the negatives.
INFPs will try to see other person’s perspectives when solving issues. They will be supportive of others and try to diffuse tension.
After a conflict, an INFP person will return to their inner world and reflect on everything that happened. INTJs are used to living in internal worlds of complexity, so they see any conflict as a part of the process.
4. On Emotional Reactions
A person with an INTJ personality trait seems naturally impassive. They are often difficult to understand. They focus more on the logical side and want people to do the same. As a result, these people have a hard time expressing their feelings.
The INFP people are quite the opposite. They tend to show their reactions to feelings (instead of the emotions themselves). They may also appear difficult to understand if they bottle things up at strange moments.
The INFPs always want to make sure their actions and beliefs sync all the time. They won’t act on what they don’t think is in line with their heart’s desires. The INTJs are driven mainly by concepts or abstract ideas regarding values and drivers. They depend less on emotions and love to create unique solutions by analyzing data.
For this reason, an INTJs person may not always understand their impact on others. That’s why people consider them cold or insensitive. On the other hand, INFPs are emotional, tuned in, and happy to deal with other people’s emotions.
5. On Perceptions of Sensing
INTJs show fewer extraverted sensations than INFPs. INTJs almost always prefer the intuitive world instead of the sensations. They can have intense focus and clarity moments and jump into the present moment.
However, INTJs can also get adventurous, impulsive, or too obsessed with details. It’s almost as if they live with a thrill-seeker buried deep inside their intellectual and quiet bodies. An INTJ can spend a week thinking over a solution for a problem and then jump off the sofa, throw everything aside, and go drinking or do any other random thing.
The extraverted sensation is inferior in INTJs, so they often trip at this point. If the environment is too busy or loud, it can make them irritable. Also, sensory experiences may be shallow for them, but they may seek them when they feel stressed.
The INFPs use the introverted sensation function a lot, giving them a sense of security and relief. INFPs love comforting routines like drinking tea first thing in the morning or going to bed at the same time every night.
They can also participate in more complex routines, like going to a particular event or part of the world every year for a reason only they find important.
People with INFP personality traits can also have a subjective impression of the objects surrounding them. They may not always see the object but look for its symbolics based on past experiences.
For example, a necklace isn’t just a necklace. It’s a gift from their mom that translates to the mom’s spirit, heart, and love. For this reason, INFPs are often very sentimental.
6. On Rarity
The INTJ personality trait is the third-rarest Myers-Briggs type. People with this trait make up just over 2% of the world’s population.
The INFP type, on the other hand, is about twice as common. It’s believed that around 4% of the world population shares INFP traits.
Final Thoughts on the INFP and INTJ Personalities
The INFP and INTJ personalities have their strengths and weaknesses, much like the 14 other personality types. However, they can thrive in virtually any environment as long as they are given enough space and not overwhelmed with things that annoy them.
Knowing your personality type is crucial because it will help you better understand your needs and what you expect from others.
If this comparison article didn’t help you determine your precise personality type, you can take the Myers-Briggs personality type test or read more about each type here.
Finally, if you want to identify YOUR personality type, then take one of these 11 personality tests to better understand what makes you tick.
