About the Author
Diane Fanucchi is a freelance writer and Smart-Blogger certified content marketing writer. She lives on California’s central coast in a purple apartment. She reads, writes, walks, and eats dark chocolate whenever she can. A true INFP, she spends more time thinking about the way things should be than what others call the “real” world. You can visit her at
www.dianefanucchi.naiwe.com
or
https://writer.me/diane-fanucchi/
.
Introversion is not one thing but a spectrum that includes varying levels of introversion. Some people are
ambiverts
who sit close to the middle of the spectrum and can flex happily between introversion and extraversion as the situation demands. But some are definitely, even extremely, introverted. You may be on the far side of introversion, having very limited energy and desire for being around people.
If you have an
INFP
in your life, you might sometimes view them as an exotic, high-strung horse that you don’t quite understand or know how to deal with.
First, remember that we’re not animals, or children, so please don’t try to manage us, humor us, or endeavor to bend us to your will.
What you can do is learn about what makes us tick and become a partner who helps us manage our weaknesses and utilize our strengths. We have a great deal to offer, if you give us the chance to do it in our way.
As an
INFP
, I know that the good and the bad things about our personalities are often just different sides of the same coin. Even the good traits we have can be hard to live with at times, and the parts that may seem negative can be turned into positives when we put our ability to see things differently to good use.
Run. Hide. Triple-bolt the door. Declare yourself permanently busy.
One of these is probably your first response when dealing with one of those people who has to always be right and not only expects you to agree with them, but to do whatever they say while feeling you must hand them your dignity and personal choice on a silver platter.
Unfortunately, sometimes there will be such a person in your life that you just can’t avoid. They could be your co-worker, your boss, your (not so) Great-Aunt Clarice, or your best friend’s boorish boyfriend.
Although empathy is certainly a quality that can be cultivated, some of us find that we are naturally more empathetic than the average person. So, if you have it in abundance, is empathy an asset or a liability?
Much of the time, the answer is both. Like with any “superpower,” empathy can come with some downsides. Sometimes you just need a break from saving, or understanding, the world.
But if empathy is your superpower, there are things you can do to tip the scales in your favor by minimizing the negatives and accentuating the positives.
Do you think you might have imposter syndrome? How can you tell? What can you do about it? Is it even a bad thing if you do? And how many people have imposter syndrome? That’s what we’re looking at in this article.
First, some definitions.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Clearly, a person with imposter syndrome feels like an imposter. That feeling alone likely proves they are not an imposter.
Huh?
If you care about the needs and feelings of others, you might be praised for being “sensitive.” If you’re easily overwhelmed, hurt, or overstimulated, you might be censured for being “too sensitive.”
Each personality trait has its own strong points. No type is “better” than the other. We’re just each better at certain things. And, we should value our own strengths and rightly expect others to respect us as we are, too.
Our preferences usually are our strengths. However, there are times when even our strengths can hold us back in certain situations, or when we’d just benefit from trying out the opposite way of doing things for a more balanced approach.
Take the case of Thinkers vs. Feelers. Both traits have benefits, and both tendencies are valuable.
So, you’re ready to enter the world of self-discovery that a personality test can lead you to. Whatever type of test you choose, it will help you the most if you take measures to ensure that your results are as authentic as possible.
When it comes to making your testing experience more effective, how you think about, approach, and take the test, as well as how you view your results, can make a difference in your ability to get the most benefit from the experience.
It might be easier to relate to, like, and be liked by people with personality traits similar to your own.
But you will need to interact with people of different personality types and traits as well. The experience will likely be more pleasant if you can not only tolerate each other, but figure out ways to enjoy and benefit from each other’s company. Even better if you can help people with different personality types to like you, and find that you like them in turn.
THE FINE PRINT:
Myers-Briggs® and MBTI® are registered trademarks of the MBTI Trust, Inc., which has no affiliation with this site. Truity offers a free
personality test
based on Myers and Briggs' types, but does not offer the official MBTI® assessment. For more information on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator® assessment, please go
here
.
The Five Love Languages® is a registered trademark of The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, which has no affiliation with this site. You can find more information about the five love languages
here
.
