About
Your Idealist Temperament
Idealists
are spiritual, intuitive people who can enjoy spending a great deal of
time and energy working toward a better understanding of who they are.
The ultimate hope of this group is to attain true wisdom. For the most
part, Idealists are enthusiastic individuals who can find joy meaningful
relationships as well as the world around them. People of this temperament
can pride themselves on being loving, kindhearted, and authentic. Other
fine traits include being more giving and trusting than many around them.
An often-passionate temperament that yearns for romance, Idealists can
make intense mates, nurturing parents, and inspirational leaders.
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Being
a Counselor (INFJ)
Counselors
like you can be hard to get to know because you're not the kind to open
up easily. On the contrary, you tend not to share your inner thoughts
or powerful emotional reactions about life with anyone but your most trusted
confidants. You belong to a highly private group of people who have unusually
rich, often complicated inner lives. In your own life, you may sometimes
find that friends or colleagues that have known you for years are still
surprised to learn new things about you. This is probably because you
typically reveal yourself to others much more slowly than most people
would. It's not that you're trying to be mysterious or withholding. You
simply prefer to keep a good deal to yourself.
You're
the kind of individual who not only enjoys but often needs your alone
time; it recharges your batteries. However, as a Counselor you also seem
to do quite well connecting with both individuals and groups so long as
your interactions together aren't superficial. You can be a great listener
who is truly interested in helping people with their personal problems.
This kindness and positivity is likely well known among those close to
you. In addition to these traits, chances are you also possess strong
leadership qualities. However because the Counselor in you would prefer
to work behind the scenes, your influence may not be so readily apparent.
Your
type tends to work very effectively in organizations. Valuing staff harmony
is an important part of this. More than others, you seem to know how to
use human systems creatively. This makes you good at consulting and cooperating
with others. Having people like you in an organization can go a long way
to ensuring that things run smoothly and pleasantly. As a manager, you
can be a wonderful mentor, sharing your knowledge in ways that have a
ripple effect to the group as a whole. Whether you're an employee or supervisor,
it seems your type is always concerned with people's feelings. As a result,
you can be a great barometer to measure the feelings and culture within
an organization.
Most
Counselors are blessed with vivid imaginations. In fact, your type is
often seen as the most poetical of all sixteen. Perhaps you find yourself
using a lot of poetic or vivid language in your own life. Compared to
the people around you, you probably have a great facility with language-both
written and spoken. It's this quality that helps you communicate with
people in such a personal way.
If
you can easily recognize another's intentions or motives, chalk it up
to having a Counselor's are highly intuitive nature. You probably don't
even understand how you've come to read others so adeptly. In some cases
this extreme sensitivity to others could even be the basis of remarkable
ability to experience psychic phenomena.
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Work
and Career
In
your ideal job, you would be able to embody your beliefs through your
relationships with colleagues. Your sense of reward in the workplace often
comes from either helping others to access their own deepest ideals or
for finding confirmation for your own. You may also focus your efforts
on correcting any discrepancies you see between people's behavior at work
and organizational or human ideals. However, because you're sometimes
painfully aware of your own shortcomings, you're usually reluctant to
impose your values on others. Instead, you tend to seek out or create
environments that naturally support your own vision. If circumstances
arise that demand you to compromise this internal compass, you may become
paralyzed or change direction entirely.
Like
other Idealists, you are wired to pursue personal growth, authenticity,
and integrity. You yearn to develop yourself fully as an individual and
to facilitate that growth in others. You tend to thrive when you can turn
your attention to the personal concerns of your coworkers, clients, and
customers - as well as to your own personal growth.
At
Work with the Four Temperaments
At
Work with Artisans:
Artisans (SPs) are wired to seize freedom and spontaneity. They hunger
for the liberty to act on their impulses, to play, and to create. They
make up about 15-20% of the population.
In
business, Artisans are crisis managers and troubleshooters. They can be
expert at solving problems and doing what is necessary, whether they are
expressly permitted to or not. They are practical, resourceful, flexible,
and risk-taking individuals. Coworkers are apt to enjoy their creativity
and verbal wit, but may perceive Artisans as indecisive or even as troublemakers.
At
Work with Guardians:
Guardians (SJs) are wired to seek belonging to a group or community. They
often stabilize relationships and institutions through their responsible,
conventional behavior. They make up about 40-45% of the population.
At
work, Guardians tend to be administrators and managers. They can be expert
at doing what needs to be done, and in the manner is must be done. They
are dependable, accountable, realistic, and service-oriented. Coworkers
likely appreciate their desire to belong and contribute, but may perceive
Guardians as being either slave drivers or sticks-in-the-mud.
At
Work with Rationals:
Rationals (NTs) are wired to acquire competence and intelligence. Ordinarily,
they strive to learn, know, predict, and control the resources and ideas
in their environment. They make up less than 10% of the population.
In
the workplace, Rationals are often the researchers and strategists. They
can be expert at conceptualizing and seeing the big picture, as well as
architecting and implementing the necessary systems. They are logical,
precise independent individuals who usually are responsive to new ideas.
Coworkers often appreciate their ingenuity and competence, but may perceive
Rationals as being impersonal and not good with follow-through.
At
Work with Idealists:
Idealists
(NFs) are wired to pursue personal growth, authenticity, and integrity.
They can yearn both to develop fully as individuals and to facilitate
growth in others. Idealists make up 20-25% of the population.
In
work environments, Idealists are usually positive, helpful, and people-oriented.
They can be expert at dealing with the human resource concerns of an organization,
whether these issues are part of their job description or not. Idealists
are warm, idealistic, caring individuals. Coworkers are apt to appreciate
their authenticity and loyalty to the human side of the business, but
may perceive Idealists as not being effective enough or even of being
flaky.
Tips
to Help You Find the Right Workplace
- Try to
seek out an aesthetically pleasing, personal, and democratic environment
in which you and your co-workers are free to be yourselves and to build
friendships.
- Be wary of career moves that take you away from the core of what you love or compromise your strong ideals.
- Don't
underestimate the value of life experience you picked up outside the
parameters of formal schooling or paid work. Give yourself credit for
all of your talents.
- Consider creating your own job.
In general,
as an Idealist, you're part of a pretty satisfied bunch when it comes
to work. About 75% of Idealists are either extremely or somewhat satisfied
in their current positions. This contentment doesn't appear to be related
to flexible schedules, lucrative stock options, altruistic practices,
allowing pets in the workplace, or even company-sponsored parties on Fridays.
Having challenging work seems to tip the scales a little bit. However
overall, Idealists like you simply seem to like what they do. With this
statistic in mind, it appears that career choice in itself will be the
key to your workplace happiness and success.
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Love
and Relationships
You typically
appreciate the rewards that come from serious connections much more than
those derived from casual dating or non-intimate socializing as a couple.
In love, you're seeking your soulmate. You're apt to want the kind of
partner who is willing to be, in Rilke's words, "a guardian of your solitude."
Your own vision of life is clear and complex, and you assume that your
mate is, or wants to be, similarly centered. That's not to suggest you're
looking for a self-centered mate. Quite the opposite is true.
However,
like all types, at times you're apt to be drawn to the very qualities
in others that you feel you lack yourself. As a result, types who are
more happy-go-lucky can be very attractive to you. Chances are, you admire
that they seem free from the inner complexity that is both a blessing
and a curse for you. During the early stages of relationships, the differences
between you and your mate are likely to be especially endearing and fun.
Your
Compatibility with Other Temperaments
Idealist
(NF)/Artisan (SP):
Idealist/Artisan pairings are likely to be imaginative romps, marked by
freedom, spontaneity, and sensual pleasures. However, these couples don't
always see eye to eye as Idealists are typically focused on self-realization
while Artisans have little patience for exploring their inner lives.
Idealist
(NF)/Guardian (SJ):
Idealist/Guardian pairings can be true-blue partnerships focused on comfort,
stability, and mutual dependability. Also, because Guardians and Idealists
are usually law-abiding types who believe in following the rules, they
can make a good match. Problems may arise at times because Idealists'
morals and values tend to waver more than their Guardian mates'.
Idealist
(NF)/Idealist (NF):
Idealist/Idealist pairings can be result in deep and meaningful love because
Idealists often find tremendous satisfaction in sharing each other's inner
world and exploring their mutual personal development. In essence, each
partner helps the other along the road to self-knowledge. However, if
the couple is too much alike the relationship risks becoming narrowly
focused or even boring.
Idealist
(NF)/Rational (NT):
Idealist/Rational pairings can be highly satisfying relationships based
on exploring the world of ideas. Imagining possibilities - whether romantic
or pragmatic -- and creating dreams for the future can represent the epitome
of quality time for this pair. However, conflicts can occur if either
partner's closely held ideals don't match those of the other.
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Famous
Counselors
Did you know
that Mohandas Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt were both INFJs too? It's not
so surprising when you think about it. As an activist and lawyer during
the early 20th century, Gandhi worked to assure India's independence from
Great Britain and to resolve conflicts between the Hindu and Muslim factions
in his country. His remaining legacy is equally appropriate for a Counselor,
as Gandhi is known for embodying teachings of nonviolence. First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt showed herself to be a natural Counselor as well. She
went on vast lecture tours, traveling more than any first lady before
her. During her time, she chaired the United Nation's human rights commission
and lived by her motto that, "It's better to light a candle than to curse
the darkness."
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What
Each Letter Means
The pair
of letters are E-I, S-N, T-F, and J-P. No single letter should be taken
as naming a type of person. For example, there are no "Extraverts" or
"Thinkers," as such. A personality is a complex union of traits. These
letters merely suggest stronger or weaker tendencies in a person's overall
makeup. The pairs of letters stand for the following qualities:
| E =
Extraversion |
I =
Introversion |
| S =
Sensation |
N =
Intuition |
| T =
Thinking |
F =
Feeling |
| P =
Perception |
J =
Judgment |
The terms
Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I) describe two vastly different social
styles. People who score high in Extraversion on the Temperament Sorter
tend to be gregarious and expressive; those scoring high on Introversion
tend to be private and reserved.
People strong
in Extraversion are typically more comfortable socializing with groups
than being alone. They often report that they're energized by contact
with other people. These individuals usually have a large circle of friends
and are happy to approach others, even strangers, to talk. For people
high in Extraversion, social banter is usually an easy and pleasant thing.
Interaction is something that makes them feel alive. As a result, too
much quiet and seclusion can actually exhaust such persons. They tend
to report feelings of loneliness or power drain when not in contact with
others.
On the other
hand, people prone to Introversion often seem more comfortable alone than
in a crowd. They tend to draw energy from private, solitary activities,
including reading, listening to music, and working by themselves on their
latest project or favorite hobby. Introverts usually have a few, long-time
friends, and can remain in contact with larger groups only so long before
their energies are depleted. If their job, family, or social responsibilities
require them to be outgoing or take center stage, they can soon become
exhausted and need down time in quiet places to rest and recharge their
batteries.
Remember,
however, that no one is simply an "Extravert" or an "Introvert." These
terms are merely end points on the E-I scale, with most everyone falling
somewhere in between. Most individuals embody a mixture of these two social
styles. Also, different tasks or roles at work or in the family can bring
out more Extraversion or Introversion in a person. This dimension of personality,
more than the other three, is fluid and situational.
The Sensory/Intuitive
(S-N) scale on the Temperament Sorter differentiates between two distinct
kinds of human focus. People with high Sensory scores pay more attention
to what is going on outside themselves in the world of concrete things;
people with high Intuitive scores pay more attention to what is going
on inside themselves in the abstract world of ideas.
Sensory people
make up the vast majority of the population -- upwards of 85%. These people
seem more at home in the material world, where they spend their time looking
after the business of everyday living: food and clothing, transportation
and shelter, job and family, recreation and social life. With their eye
on physical realities, they tend to see all the particulars of what is
right in front of them. They typically focus on what's happening in the
here-and-now, or what has happened in the past, rather than speculating
about future possibilities. These are practical, down-to-earth people
who want facts, trust facts, and remember facts. They believe in common
sense and usually trust that experience is the best teacher.
In contrast,
people who are strongly Intuitive seem more at home in the abstract, conceptual
world of ideas. Intuitive types deal in inferences, theories, daydreams,
musings, speculations, and symbols -- things that can only be seen with
the mind's eye. In fact, because they're so often focused on their internal
world, these individuals can sometimes miss a great deal of what's going
on around them. For highly Intuitive people, reality is not a solid, present
thing, but is more a mental image or a stage of development toward some
future ideal. The possible almost always looms large for Intuitive people:
whatever "is" can be better. They can be fascinated by hypotheses and
potentials. They are also often absorbed by their vivid and complex imaginations.
The S-N scale measures the most fundamental of the four dimensions of
personality. It's the first cut, so to speak, in evaluating one's type.
However,
this delineation doesn't mean that being Intuitive or Sensory is an "either-or"
proposition. Intuitive individuals certainly turn outward at times and
pay attention to the world at large; they're just far more inclined to
become preoccupied with their own ideas. So too, Sensory people do sometimes
look inward to ponder and to dream. However, for the most part their flights
of imagination lag well behind their real-world observations. Neither
type can occupy both worlds at once, and each will usually show a clear
preference for one over the other.
The Thinking/Feeling
(T-F) scale assesses how people govern themselves and make decisions.
Everyone has both thoughts and feelings. However those who score high
on Thinking tend to use their head more when making choices, while those
scoring high on Feeling tend to follow their hearts.
People falling
on the Thinking end of the scale tend to be more comfortable basing their
actions on impersonal, objective factors. Thinking people can be critical
and exacting, both with themselves and others. They're often convinced
only by hard data and sound reasoning. Individuals who scored highly in
Thinking tend to be frank and straightforward. They are the kind of people
who are usually willing to speak their minds and stick to their guns,
even if it causes conflict with others. They're known for being tough-minded
in their decisions, preferring to keep emotions and desires out of the
process as much as possible. Thinking types do have powerful feelings,
but a strong show of emotion can embarrasses them. As a result, they'll
usually keep their feelings in check rather than appearing to lose self-control,
even at the risk of seeming hard-nosed or cold.
In contrast,
people on the Feeling end of the scale are typically more comfortable
basing their actions on personal, emotional factors. When considering
their course, this type will consult their feelings first and will almost
always show concern for others. For the most part, these individuals are
sympathetic and sentimental. As a result, many times they can be swayed
by powerful desire or a touching appeal. Feeling people tend to be softhearted
when making decisions. They don't like to hurt anyone's feelings. It's
not that Feeling individuals necessarily have more or deeper emotions
than those on the Thinking end of the scale. They simply let their feelings
show more easily. This tendency makes them seem warmer and friendlier,
which in turn can give them an easier time getting along with others.
The Judgment/Perception
(J-P) scale measures how people process information and arrange their
lives. Those who score high on Judgment tend to make up their mind quickly
and commit to schedules, while those scoring high on Perception prefer
to keep their options open and their timetables flexible.
People strong
in Judgment waste no time forming opinions or drawing conclusions. They
often report feeling a sense of urgency until a decision is made, and
can rest only after everything is settled. Closure and finality are important
to these individuals, as is orderly procedure. As a result, they can be
quick to make schedules, agendas, or timetables for themselves and others
to follow. People strong in Judgment will establish deadlines and take
them seriously, expecting others will do the same. They're usually comfortable
with routines and can be willing to do all sorts of maintenance and cleaning
up after a task, feeling that these are necessary steps for a job's completion.
For this type, neatness counts. They usually feel unhappy or unsettled
when their personal space is a mess. Straightening things up is often
near the top of their list.
For their
part, people given to Perception keep their eyes open to what's around
them, gathering information and looking for opportunities and alternatives
that might be available. They usually feel no hurry to nail things down
or settle on a finished product. Instead, they tend to prefer exploring
possibilities. These individuals are often playful and spontaneous in
action. Schedules can make them feel hurried and over-controlled; they
tend to look upon deadlines as mere reminders to get on with the job.
Also, People high in Perception prefer their work to be enjoyable and
meaningful. If a task of routine maintenance or clean up falls to them,
they may balk at doing it, or may leave it to someone else. Easy-going,
even somewhat impulsive, these people are usually quite tolerant of mess.
Their personal spaces are often cluttered with an assortment of things
they've picked up, used, then dropped and forgotten about.
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Frequently
Asked Questions
What
is temperament?
There are
two sides to personality: One is temperament and the other is character.
Temperament is a set of inclinations we are born with, while character
is a set of habits we acquire as we grow and mature. Character is disposition,
developed over a lifetime; temperament is predisposition, hardwired in
from birth. Thus, those of the Artisan temperament are predisposed to
impulsive action, those of the Guardian temperament to responsible service,
those of the Idealist temperament to personal development, and those of
the Rational temperament to objective analysis. Each type of person, unless
blocked or deflected by an unfavorable environment, will develop the habits
of character appropriate to his or her temperament.
Put another
way, our brain is a sort of computer that has temperament for its hardware
and character for its software. Our hardware is the physical base of our
personality, placing on each of us an unmistakable temperament signature,
some facets of which can be observed from a very early age. Our software
on the other hand, is made up of our individual experience and social
environment -- the forces around us that, with time and occasion, give
shape to our individual character.
Thus temperament
is the inborn form of human nature and character is the emergent form
that develops through the interaction of temperament and environment.
Personality, your unique personal style, is a combination of the two.
How
can the Temperament Sorter help me?
Fundamentally,
the Temperament Sorter helps you to do two things: Understand your own
temperament, and gain insight to other peoples'. Possessing this valuable
knowledge of human nature can have a variety of far-reaching effects on
your life.
In the work
world, being savvy about your temperament can lead you to a clearer understanding
of your natural role and functions within an organization. It can also
help you better capitalize on your personal strengths to build your success.
By comprehending your coworkers' temperaments and how each temperament
relates, you can begin to master your interactions with supervisors and
staff. In addition, being able to interpret others' innate styles can
help you to meet their implicit expectations, as well as increasing your
own leadership abilities.
In your personal
life, being knowledgeable about temperament can help you build strong,
lasting ties with others. This is true because it aids you in anticipating
your loved ones' needs and respecting their different ways of dealing
with life. When you are responsive to others, you will naturally be looked
upon as dependable, responsible, helpful, and empathetic. These are all
wonderful qualities to bring to your personal relationships. In addition,
coming to terms with your own temperament and innate tendencies can bring
new levels of wisdom and self-knowledge to all of your interactions, as
well as identifying how your particular temperament impacts and influences
others.
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