Re: Socionics analysis of INFP and INFJ typelogic descriptio
Not for fun, but to illustrate a point.
I have always been very explicit and stated that we should compare lots of type descriptions, since you can always criticize and find minor faults in any single one of them, even those coming from Socionics. But Expat insists on comparing them one to one, so I decided to make a comparison with Filatova's, partly because they are more readable in misutii's translation than for example Stratiyevskaya's or some other machine translated Russian type descriptions.
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Originally Posted by Expat
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Originally Posted by INFP description
INFPs never seem to lose their sense of wonder. One might say they see life through rose-colored glasses. It's as though they live at the edge of a looking-glass world where mundane objects come to life, where flora and fauna take on near-human qualities. So far intuition generally, but "rose-colored glasses" suggests more Delta NF
So far :Ni: and clearly IEI > EII. Compare this passage from Filatova:
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Originally Posted by Filatova
A dreamer and romantic, IEI is easily separated from reality and taken away, by his thoughts, into the vastness of his dreams, where he scoops up happiness and ponders the meaning of his existence. He’s drawn towards novels containing fantasy and adventure. Here he participates, together with imaginary heroes, in his adventures. The IEI loves to give himself up, for long periods, dreaming. His dreams, as a rule, focus on something beautiful and elegant: the round-the-world journey aboard the comfortable ocean liner (alongside a refined public), the luxurious cottage with a fireplace and white piano, the excellent love… [...]
Introverted intuition in the leading bloc impedes others from observing the IEI, it is difficult to analyze his behaviour, and he is inclined to justify himself in everything. His tendency to ignore reality, and his difficulty in self-appraisal, can lead him to egocentrism and excessive indulgence in his own imagined world.
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Originally Posted by Expat
INFP children often exhibit this in a 'Calvin and Hobbes' fashion, switching from reality to fantasy and back again. With few exceptions, it is the NF child who readily develops imaginary playmates (as with Anne of Green Gables's "bookcase girlfriend"--her own reflection) and whose stuffed animals come to life like the Velveteen Rabbit and the Skin Horse:
"...Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand..." (the Skin Horse)
INFPs have the ability to see good in almost anyone or anything. Even for the most unlovable the INFP is wont to have pity. This is far more the typical Delta :Fi: :Ne: characteristic rather than the Beta :Ni: :Fe: .
We are not comparing quadras here, we are comparing type descriptions. So, Expat's comment is rather irrelevant. Let's see what Filatova says about the types IEI:
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Originally Posted by Filatova
If he finds himself in a loving and understanding atmosphere his best qualities are revealed: the ability to be anxious and to lend moral support. Understanding the moods of those he cares about he attempts to improve such moods, is ready to manifest warmth and sympathy. [...]
He is capable of feeling deeply for others; for years he may remember and sympathize with his significant other even if relations have soured. Frequently his dreams provide others with romantic qualities, which may not actually exist in reality.
And while it is true that she says about the EIIs that they
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Originally Posted by Filatova
often makes acquaintence with those that are weak or unhappy. These people serve to incite the desire to help, to support, and to comfort others, within her. To her others will frequently turn for help and she accepts them by examining their confessions for hours on end. She attempts to get accustomed to the psychological difficulties being experienced by the collocutor and she tries to take their side and support them.
it is also true that EIIs, in contrast to IEIs, are much more prone to criticize other people's ethics. The EIIs are not as unconditonally accepting as the IEIs. In comparison with the IEIs the EIIs tend to moralize and find faults -- both in themselves and in others:
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Originally Posted by Filatova
As far back as youth the EII uses her imagination to form a certain moral ideal, which she then attempts to reach. At the foundation of this function frequently is found the development of a feeling of duty. Thus the smallest divergence in behaviour away from the ideal is dealt with severely, internally. This tendency towards self-perfection can itself become a tyrant. This tyranny of duty, in its extreme manifestations, can lead the EII to develop contempt for herself. It can also lead her to blame others when their behaviour fails to correspond with said representation of decency. This sort of maximization, which frequently characterizes itself in the EII’s youth can lead to confrontation with her contemporaries. Such confrontations are difficult tests, which weigh heavily upon her.
Since the moral norms she considers compulsory tend to be extremely high and difficult to live up to she may often respond by gradually increasing the permanent feeling of guilt, which stems from all her misdeeds. With difficulty she deposits herself towards these laws. She considers every failure in her life to be punishment for her inadvertence. This sense of guilt can accompany the EII throughout their entire life.
The accumulation of materials values and career success never supercede the EII’s goal of existence: to find their purpose, to make a life before it passes them by, to realize their talents. For their moral ideal they are willing to go to the “executioner’s bloc”. In the psychologically extreme situation they stick to their ideal. However, in ordinary situations EII prefers to leave states of conflict, assuming that kindness and decency are the best ways of deciding any misunderstandings.
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Originally Posted by Expat
Of course, not all of life is rosy, and INFPs are not exempt from the same disappointments and frustrations common to humanity. As INTPs tend to have a sense of failed competence, INFPs struggle with the issue of their own ethical perfection, e.g., performance of duty for the greater cause. (that is far more IJ than IP, more :Fi: than :Fe: )
I am inclined to agree with that. INFPs and IEIs should not be described in that misleading way.
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Originally Posted by Expat
An INFP friend describes the inner conflict as not good versus bad, but on a grand scale, Good vs. Evil. Luke Skywalker in Star Wars depicts this conflict in his struggle between the two sides of "The Force." Although the dark side must be reckoned with, the INFP believes that good ultimately triumphs. All this is sheer Delta and not Beta.
Irrelevant. The quadras should be left out of a comparison between the types IEI and EII. In general IEIs have a more positive outlook than EIIs, and it is more correct to say that IEIs are the believers in the ulitamate triumph of the good.
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Originally Posted by Expat
Some INFPs have a gift for taking technical information and putting it into layman's terms. Brendan Kehoe's Zen and the Art of the Internet is one example of this "de-jargoning" talent in action. Is that a characteristic of :Te: PoLR? Hardly.
The :Te: PoLR is totally irrelevant here. An IEIs "gift for taking technical information and putting it into layman's terms" doesn't have to be expressed in a :Te: format to be understood (except from in Expat's case perhaps). IEIs are often very gifted with language, and they are often highly skilled writers. They know how to tell a story.
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Originally Posted by Expat
Functional Analysis:
Introverted Feeling
INFPs live primarily in a rich inner world of introverted Feeling. Being inward-turning, the natural attraction is away from world and toward essence and ideal. This introversion of dominant Feeling, receiving its data from extraverted intuition, must be the source of the quixotic nature of these usually gentle beings. Feeling is caught in the approach- avoidance bind between concern both for people and for All Creatures Great and Small (is that a Se-dual seeking IEI?)
The view presented here is an aspect of :Ni:, especially "the natural attraction is away from world and toward essence and ideal".
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Originally Posted by Expat
and a psycho-magnetic repulsion from the same. The "object," be it homo sapiens or a mere representation of an organism, is valued only to the degree that the object contains some measure of the inner Essence or greater Good. That is :Ne: + :Fi: )
No, it is not. It is more of the :Ni: attitude.
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Originally Posted by Expat
Doing a good deed, for example, may provide intrinsic satisfaction which is only secondary to the greater good of striking a blow against Man's Inhumanity to Mankind. More of the same.
Indeed.
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Originally Posted by Expat
Extraverted iNtuition
Extraverted intuition faces outward, greeting the world on behalf of Feeling. What the observer usually sees is creativity with implied good will. Intuition spawns this type's philosophical bent and strengthens pattern perception. It combines as auxiliary with introverted Feeling and gives rise to unusual skill in both character development and fluency with language--a sound basis for the development of literary facility. If INTPs aspire to word mechanics, INFPs would be verbal artists. This does not really point either way.
Probably not.
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Originally Posted by Expat
Introverted Sensing
Sensing is introverted and often invisible. This stealth function in the third position gives INFPs a natural inclination toward absent- mindedness and other-worldliness, however, Feeling's strong people awareness provides a balancing, mitigating effect. This introverted Sensing is somewhat categorical, a subdued version of SJ sensing. In the third position, however, it is easily overridden by the stronger functions. Neither does this.
"[A] natural inclination toward absent-mindedness and other-worldliness" points to IP temperament with leading :Ni:.
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Originally Posted by Expat
Extraverted Thinking
The INFP may turn to inferior extraverted Thinking for help in focusing on externals and for closure. INFPs can even masquerade in their ESTJ business suit, but not without expending considerable energy. The inferior, problematic nature of Extraverted Thinking is its lack of context and proportion. Single impersonal facts may loom large or attain higher priority than more salient principles which are all but overlooked. Does not mean much.
Probably not.
