INFP Wiring of the Mind.
Hey it’s Joel Mark Witt from Personality Hacker.
As an INFP your mind is fundamentally wired differently from other personalities.
You’ve probably already heard that you are an introvert, intuitive, feeler, perceiver.
And a lot of articles and resources focus on the behaviors you show the world as an
INFP.
Behavior can be helpful - but it isn’t the complete picture when figuring out your personality.
I want to give you a peek inside your mind to expose the mental wiring that makes you
an INFP.Let’s get started.
Your four letter code INFP gives us insight into how your mind is learning information
and making decisions.
The primary way your mind makes decisions is a mental process we’ve nicknamed “Authenticity.”
It’s technical name is Introverted Feeling.
When evaluating any decision - Authenticity asks the question “Does this feel right?”
It’s a feeling process concerned with core values, motivation and conviction.
Imagine a four passenger car.
If one of your mental processes could drive - it would be Authenticity.
Using this mental process puts you in flow.
You’ve been using it your whole life.
It’s how you decide what to do each day.
If Authenticity is how you make decisions as an INFP, then the mental process we’ve
nicknamed Exploration is how you learn new information.
The technical name for Exploration is Extraverted Intuition.
When looking at the world - Exploration asks the question “What if?”“What if time
is relative?”“What if everyone was forced to hug each other instead of handshakes?”“What
if numbers had gender assignment - what gender would you assign to the number eight?”Think
about that four passenger car again… if Authenticity is in the driver seat - then
Exploration is in the front passenger seat.
It is your co-pilot mental process and what we call your growth state.
Of course - this is a four passenger car so you also have two mental processes in the
backseat.
Sitting right behind the co-pilot is a mental process we call Memory.
Memory is all about precedent, safety, doing the reliable thing.
It’s about realizing who you are based on your past and your ties to the past.
This mental process has the development of about a ten year old child.
Finally - behind the driver of Authenticity sits a mental process called Effectiveness.
We call this your blind spot or three year old mental process.
Effectiveness is a thinking process and asks the question, “What works?”
or “What gets the job done?” without regard to personal feelings.
Notice - we haven’t talked about INFP behaviors.
Instead, I’ve been talking about the mental wiring of your mind.
Behaviors can only give us clues to how your mind is wired.
It’s far more interesting to dive into WHAT CAUSES our behaviors as people.
Here at Personality Hacker - We don’t talk about personality types for their own sake.
We think understanding your personality is one of the best ways to frame your personal
growth journey.And we attract INFPs who are interested in personal growth.Next up - I
want to talk about the best way to grow yourself as an INFP.
Remember the car model we used to show the mental wiring of your personality?
As an INFP your co-pilot is the mental process called Exploration (it’s technical name
is Extraverted Intuition).
This is what we call your growth position.
It’s the highest leverage point for growth in your personality.
Exploration allows you as an INFP to test your convictions and core values in real-life
situations.
Are they authentic to you?Do you have unrealistic expectations for the outer world?Is there
a piece of awareness you’re missing?
Sometimes the only way to experience your own myopia is to get out into the world and
see for yourself.
Exploration helps you get clear on what’s true for both yourself and the outside world.
Instead of being seen by others as having your ‘head in the clouds’ you become inspirational.
There may even be a radically new way of experiencing a new point of view, leading to an awesome
new innovation.
Growing your Exploration can be a challenge.
Every personality type tends to avoid growing their co-pilot mental process.
But here lies the power of understanding your personality.
It feels right to focus on something that can expand your experience of the world.
It feels like it’s in alignment - that to feel more authentic - you’ll need to continue
expanding the experiences and information you work with.
It should feel in alignment - that to continue doing the right things - you’ll need to
get outside yourself and experience the world for what it is - not what you wish it was.
Only then can you discover what really matters to YOU on a core level.
As an INFP - Your Exploration process can help you refine what’s right for you.
Don’t ignore this advantage of increasing your awareness of the outside world.
Start asking “What if” questions.
Start pushing buttons all around you just to see what happens.
Explore a new part of town.
Get up on a Saturday and just start walking with no agenda.
Let yourself ramble.
Try a new food each time you go out.
Join an improv class.
Do what it takes to start messing with the environment around you.As an INFP you will
bring the best version of yourself to the world when you get outside your comfort zone
and explore every aspect of life.
Developing Exploration makes you as an INFP grounded and approachable.
We’d love for you to keep us up to date about your journey.
One of the best places to do that is our Facebook page (Facebook dot com forward slash Personality
Hacker).And of course - come over to Personality Hacker dot com and leave a comment - ask a
question - or take our personality test.
Next I want to talk about the defense strategies your mind uses that steal happiness from you.And
of course - what to do about it.The word defensive.
You probably think of of an emotional state - or someone getting offended in the moment.
“She’s acting so defensive.”
someone might say.
But I’m not talking about emotions.
I’m using the word positionally.
As an INFP you have a specific area of your mind that you defend.
As an INFP - That’s your Memory process sitting in the backseat of your car.
It has the sophistication of a 10-year-old child.That’s okay when you use this process
to create intimacy or playfulness.
The trouble starts when you begin to rely on this 10 year old process to convince yourself
of core values you haven’t tested in the real world.
Since Memory is concerned with precedent and what came before - it can stop you from expanding
your worldview and the experiences you take in.
Memory (it’s technical name is Introverted Sensing) generally shows up when you’re
afraid to take a risk – a risk you may intuitively know is right for you.
For other people, playing it safe is the best choice.
But as an INFP you’re much better at taking risks.
If you let your 10 year old of Memory do your thinking for you, it will encourage you to
become an “experiential shut-in,” closed to any new experiences and your convictions
will become unrealistic.
At worst, INFPs can even become physical shut-ins, so afraid of taking risks they rarely leave
the house and instead choose to entertain themselves in a “safe” environment.
You need to explore and take chances to prevent becoming stagnant in your choices and worldview.
Don’t let your Memory process steal your happiness.The solution is to focus on growing
your Exploration process like we’ve talked about before.
I want to hear from you.
How are you letting your 10 year old of Memory hijack your happiness?
What are the ways you as an INFP are playing it safe?
You can leave a comment or take our personality test over at Personality Hacker dot com.
Next we’ll talk about how you best show and receive love as an INFP.I’ve got two
quick lists for you today.
First - how INFPs ask “do you love me.”
Second - how INFPs show other people love.
Here are a few examples of how INFPs ask do you love me?
Imagine an INFP asking these questions: Do you think I’m being real with you?
Do you trust my motives and intent?
Will you support me no matter what - do you have my back?
Will you give me space to be me?
Here are examples of INFPs saying “Yes - I love you” Imagine an INFP making these statements:
I will be patient with your honest expressions I will honor your feelings and identity, even
if it’s a struggle for both of us.
I will hold space for you and give you alone time when you need it
I will have your back no matter what the fight is
I will trust you have my best interests at heart
As an INFP you are probably nodding in agreement.
Just remember that other personalities can sometimes see these ways you show love passive
or self absorbed.Feel free to share with the people in your life how your mind works.
Let them know the ways you show love are authentic for you.
If you want to go deeper in your personal development - we have tons of resources, articles
and recordings about personal development through the lens of understanding your personality.
Come over to Personality Hacker dot com.
Next up - let’s talk about where to go next in your personal growth as an INFP.
I have some action steps for you.
We’ve been talking about YOU - the INFP personality type.
I’ve already detailed the mental wiring of your mind.
We’ve talked about your highest leverage point for growth and shed light on your defensive
strategies.
And we’ve outlined how you give and receive love.
So what’s next for you as an INFP?
How will you launch yourself on a personal development journey that resonates with YOU?Understanding
that each of us have a unique personal growth path seems obvious.
And yet - self help authors and teachers often teach a one size fits all model of growth.
At Personality Hacker - It feels right that personal growth will be personalized to you
as an INFP.
So that’s how we’ve designed our frameworks and models.
You now know the mental process to grow yourself as an INFP is Exploration.
The enemy of Exploration is the mundane and the rote.
Exploration requires freedom to experiment, and too much mundane activity or reliance
upon procedure is disheartening to your Exploration process.
Set up your conditions to access this mental process as much as possible.
A good way to practice this technique is to seek out new situations you would normally
avoid.
If there’s a question of doing something that feels right to you, but may have hassle
or an ‘unsafe’ element to it, practice taking the risk instead of playing it safe.
It’s common for INFPs, once they get past the ‘scary’ part, to say “Was that it?”
Most of your growth happens by being adventurous and letting go of the belief that you must
live the way others want you to live.
If you really want a deep dive into your individual growth plan as an INFP I invite you to check
out our INFP Personal Development Starter Kit.You can find more information at Personality
Hacker dot com.
Let me know what personal growth actions you are taking in your life and what has already
worked for you.I’m Joel Mark Witt for Personality Hacker.Talk with you soon.