INFJ: Cope vs. Cognition

The test showed you a result. It might have shown you a mask.

A lot of people take the MBTI and come up INFJ. A lot of them aren't. That's not gatekeeping—it's just how these tests work. They capture how you're coping with reality, not necessarily your actual cognitive stack. My advice when sending anyone to take the test: go with your first instinct. Don't overthink the answers. The moment you start reasoning your way through, you're measuring your adaptations, not your wiring.

Jung's system isn't perfect—he was human, not a prophet. But he got something fundamental right: people have real preferences for how they deal with reality. Introverted intuition isn't a mood. It's pattern recognition running constantly in the background, shaping how we react to people and situations before we consciously decide anything. If you know someone with extroverted intuition, you'll notice the difference—broader interests, less depth. Still intuition. Just aimed differently.

Here's what most people miss about us: we're reacting to patterns, not events. We see trajectories. When we pull back or push forward, it's because we've already mapped where things are heading. That's also why we can destroy a plan before it starts—we intuit everything that can go wrong. And sometimes, performance anxiety from that same Se blind spot keeps us from sharing our gifts at all. The fear of not meeting expectations holds us back more than any external obstacle.

You passed the test. But the real question is whether the test saw you—or just your cope.

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