Are You an INFP? Or an INFJ? Or… Both?
It’s 11 PM on a Tuesday. You’ve just finished your third personality quiz of the night. The first one, glowing with friendly graphics, declared you an INFP. The second, a more serious-looking one from a forum, typed you as an INFJ. A third suggests you might be an ISFP. The screen's blue light illuminates a familiar feeling of frustration. You're not closer to clarity; you're just collecting labels that feel like ill-fitting clothes.
This cycle of seeking self-knowledge only to end up with a handful of conflicting acronyms is incredibly common. The search for 'how to find my MBTI type' often leads to a rabbit hole of quizzes that measure momentary moods rather than a stable cognitive structure. This isn't just a quirky internet phenomenon; it speaks to a deep human need to be seen and understood, a need that is often exploited by oversimplified tests leading to common MBTI mistypes.
The Frustration of Conflicting Test Results
Let’s just pause here and take a breath. If you're feeling completely lost in a sea of contradictory results, I want you to know that your frustration is valid. It's not a sign that you're broken or 'untypable.' It’s a sign that you are a complex, nuanced human being who can’t be neatly packaged by a 10-minute online quiz. That feeling of confusion is the starting point of a much deeper, more authentic journey.
Think of it this way: that very frustration is your intuition telling you that the simple answers aren't good enough. It’s your inner wisdom pushing back against a system that tries to put you in a box. So instead of seeing this as a failure, see it as a courageous desire to be known accurately. You’re not just looking for a label; you're seeking a framework that resonates with your soul. And that search is one of the most important ones you can undertake.
Why Tests Fail: Behavior vs. Cognition
Alright, let's cut through the noise. Here's the reality check you need: most free online MBTI tests are fundamentally flawed. They are the BuzzFeed quizzes of the psychology world. They don't measure your cognitive wiring; they measure your current behavior and self-perception, which can change with your mood, your job, or whether you’ve had enough coffee.
These tests ask questions like, 'Do you enjoy parties?' You might answer 'yes' because you're feeling social this week, or 'no' because you're exhausted. An accurate mbti test wouldn't care if you go to the party. It would want to know why. Do you go to absorb the collective energy (Extraverted Feeling)? Or to scan for interesting new ideas (Extraverted Intuition)? The 'what' is behavior. The 'why' is cognition.
This is the core issue with self-typing vs online tests. The tests can’t access your internal motivation. They see you choosing an apple and mark you down as 'healthy.' They don't know if you chose it because you love the taste, because it was the only thing available, or because you're trying to impress someone. This is why relying on them leads to so many common mbti mistypes.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Accurate Self-Typing
The confusion stops now. We're moving from passive quiz-taking to active, strategic self-discovery. Finding your true type isn't about finding the right test; it's about learning to observe your own mind. Here is the move.
Step 1: Shift from 'What' to 'Why'.
For the next week, stop judging your actions and start questioning your motivations. When you make a decision, ask yourself: Was that driven by my internal values (Introverted Feeling - Fi)? Or by objective, impersonal logic (Introverted Thinking - Ti)? Understanding how to tell Fi from Ti is a foundational step in cutting through common mbti mistypes.
Step 2: Identify Your Information-Gathering Process.
How do you prefer to take in the world? Are you focused on the concrete, tangible reality in front of you—the details, the facts, what is (Sensing)? Or are you more drawn to the patterns, possibilities, and 'what could be' (Intuition)? This is often the source of the classic 'Am I an ENFP or ESFP?' dilemma. Both are extraverted perceivers, but their focus is fundamentally different.
Step 3: Uncover Your Core Cognitive Stack.
Every type has a 'stack' of four primary cognitive functions. The infamous INFP or INFJ confusion is a perfect example of why this matters. An INFP leads with a deep sense of personal values (Fi), supported by an exploration of possibilities (Ne). An INFJ, however, leads with a powerful insight into patterns (Ni), supported by a focus on group harmony (Fe). As psychology resource Truity notes, many people who are thoughtful and value-driven may be mistyped as an INFJ, when their cognitive process is actually quite different. You must look at the entire system, not just one letter.
Step 4: Observe Yourself Under Stress.
When you're overwhelmed, which part of you comes out? This is called your 'inferior' function, and it's a massive clue. The typically logical thinker might become uncharacteristically emotional. The empathetic feeler might become cold and critical. Tracking your stress response provides undeniable data about your core cognitive wiring, helping you finally solve the problem of common mbti mistypes.
FAQ
1. Why do I get different MBTI results every time I take a test?
You get different results because most online tests measure behavior and mood, not cognitive functions. Your answers can change based on your stress levels, recent experiences, or even how you interpret a question on a given day, leading to inconsistent results and common MBTI mistypes.
2. Is self-typing more accurate than an online test?
Yes, when done correctly, self-typing is far more accurate. Online tests can only guess your motivation based on your actions. Self-typing allows you to directly analyze your internal thought processes—the 'why' behind your 'what'—leading to a much more precise understanding of your cognitive stack.
3. What is the main difference between INFP and INFJ?
This is one of the most common MBTI mistypes. The primary difference is their lead cognitive function. INFPs make decisions based on their deep, internal value system (Introverted Feeling, Fi). INFJs lead with a pattern-recognition and future-oriented perspective (Introverted Intuition, Ni), and make decisions based on external harmony (Extraverted Feeling, Fe).
4. How can I be truly sure of my MBTI type?
Certainty comes from long-term self-observation rather than a single test result. By learning about the cognitive functions and consistently seeing how they operate in your daily life—especially under stress—you can build a confident, evidence-based understanding of your type that resonates more deeply than any quiz.
References
truity.com — Why you might be mistyped as an INFJ