The 7 Key Differences Between The INFJ & INFP Personality Types

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, all of us can be split into 16 distinct personality types based on factors like sociability, emotionality, information processing, and more.

When two types have only a one-letter difference—like an INFP and INFJ—you might assume they have a lot in common. And while this is partially true, these two types have some important distinctions that make them very different people.

INFJ stands for introverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging, and it's the rarest Myers-Briggs personality type, making up only 1 to 3% of the population.

INFJs are typically more introverted and rely on their intuition to gather information, making decisions through feelings and emotions as opposed to logic. They also prefer to approach their life with more structure and scheduling, as opposed to flexibility and spontaneity.

This personality type has a strong concern for doing the right thing and helping others, often referred to as the "Advocate" of the MBTI, according to licensed therapist De-Andrea Blaylock-Solar, MSW, LCSW-S, CST. You can expect an INFJ to be altruistic, complex, unique, creative, and thoughtful.

INFP stands for introverted, intuitive, feeling, and perceiving. As such, this personality type often results in a quiet, more reserved person, with a significant emotional world and a "go-with-the-flow" kind of attitude. INFPs are also quite rare, at around 4% of the population, with female INFPs outnumbering male INFPs two to one.

According to John Hackston, head of thought leadership at the Myers-Briggs Company, INFPs are loyal, creative, and thoughtful, "but at a first glance, people with this personality preference can be seen by others as cool and distant." Some other characteristics to describe an INFP include reserved, supportive, abstract thinking, and a strong moral compass.

According to Dario Nardi, Ph.D., a personality expert and author of Neuroscience of Personality, you might think INFJs and INFPs are pretty similar, both being imaginative, quiet, emotionally aware, and focused on the big and small questions of the human condition. "But looking closely," he says, and "we find they work in different, even opposite ways."

As Blaylock-Solar tells mindbodygreen, the INFJ can be a bit more empathic, or seemingly more in touch with the emotions of others when compared to the INFP. And further, according to Nardi, INFJs focus on socially driven or displayed emotions (i.e., noticing things about other people).

According to Nardi, another key contrast between these two Myers-Briggs types is how they handle energy. "INFJs tend to act as a sensitive antenna to others' energy—they pick up and absorb a lot, especially what is not obvious or even in others' awareness," he explains.

Meanwhile, he says, INFPs tend to use their imagination to understand other people and fill in the blanks, asking, What if I felt this way? "They act as a mirror for others rather than an antenna, and they can endure a lot continuously, so long as they've sorted themselves," he adds.

Looking at their difference in judging versus perceiving, the INFJ and INFP have different ways of approaching decision-making.

As Blaylock-Solar explains, an INFP is going to be more spontaneous and less concerned with structure, while an INFJ definitely does want that structure. "If you're traveling together, INFJs are the ones with the itinerary, and INFPs are the ones who just want to see where the day goes," she notes.

The difference between judging versus perceiving can impact how organized or structured these two types are in general too. From the outside, the INFJ is more analytical, neat, scheduled, and "presentable" than the INFP, while INFPs "look more casual, free-flowing, open to surprises, and relatively messy," Nardi explains.

When it comes to the workplace, an INFP focuses more on the "success of individuals within the group," according to Nardi.

For example, he explains, they'll observe and support the different gifts that people bring to an organization, noting that INFPs like to believe there is room for everyone to be themselves.

Both the INFJ and INFP have a sense of humor, but their humor is very different. INFP humor is softer, more narrative, and more spontaneous, according to Nardi, and is typically used to share an important point in an indirect way.

Lastly, you can spot the difference between an INFJ and an INFP based on how much they stray from the norm. Namely, INFPs are likely the ones who seem to operate on the fray.

With the MBTI, slight nuances in the 16 personality types go a long way in how people behave, think, and approach their lives in general.