5 Superpowers of the INFJ Personality Type

Every human being is capable of amazing things. We all have certain “superpowers,” traits that make us special in our own individual way. Our superpowers are what we have to offer the world, and they’re also what the world needs. When we fully harness them, we can make a big difference.

Every personality type has incredible superpowers, and if you’re not already, I encourage you to explore yours and start using them. In this article, I want to focus on the superpowers of the INFJ, the rarest of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types. Some of these superpowers will also apply to other types, especially introverted intuitive ones. Nevertheless, these attributes are especially relevant to the INFJ.

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To all the INFJs out there: I hope you come away encouraged and empowered.

Superpowers of the INFJ Personality

1. “Seeing” into the future

Okay, so INFJs can’t really predict the future as if they were peering into a crystal ball — but our powers of prediction shouldn’t be underestimated. INFJs have an uncanny ability to read people and events, and very often, we can predict what will happen. We’re not always right, but generally we hit the mark.

How do we do this? We notice patterns in human behavior, we read body language well, and we pay attention to how people interact. It’s all part of our Introverted Intuition, and it’s how we easily guess dialogue and other people’s reactions before they unfold. Essentially, INFJs pick up on patterns that most people miss. Through our meticulous observation, we base our assumptions on details that no one else even realized existed. As a result, INFJs are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to reading people and situations, then acting accordingly.

2. Easily empathizing with others

INFJs have an incredible capacity for kindness. As highly sensitive people, we can easily be driven to tears over the slightest injustice or abuse, and our hearts are always open to someone who needs us. We feel deeply, we often put others before ourselves, and it’s hard for us to resist doing good deeds for our fellow humans — simply because we empathize with them and usually intuitively understand how they’re feeling.

It’s as if we’re constantly compelled to help others. That’s not to say we can’t be cruel, critical, or selfish at times (like all personality types, we have a dark side). But it takes a lot for an INFJ to actually hurt you, and even then, we’ll probably break down in tears and apologize afterwards. Most of us can’t bear conflict, and we especially cannot stand when people we care about get hurt. We just want to love, be loved, and build others up. We’ll go to great lengths to ensure the tiniest bit of joy for someone else, just to see them smile.

An INFJ is exceptionally good at empathizing, and our soft hearts will always go the extra mile.

3. Understanding others’ viewpoints

Emotional and sensitive, INFJs sometimes struggle to be objective. Nevertheless, we certainly aim to be. We believe understanding others’ perspectives is extremely important, and it’s crucial we all make the effort. We want to, and generally can, “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” — and this is invaluable in times of conflict. We rarely disregard others’ viewpoints; we generally try to look at the topic through someone else’s eyes, and treat everyone’s opinion as worthy. Even when we don’t agree with someone, we can usually see where they’re coming from.

It’s an automatic response for INFJs. We’re so fascinated by people — how they make decisions and what drives them — that we enjoy the chance to engage with their perspective. We’re slow to dismiss anyone as outright “wrong” because we’re passionate about exploring their stance and where they’re coming from; it’s more important for us to understand someone than it is for us to convince them. We seek to know them. It’s the relational aspect of life that matters the most to us.

We are not mind readers, but we are good at understanding others.

Do you ever struggle to know what to say?

As an introvert, you actually have the ability to be an amazing conversationalist — even if you’re quiet and hate small talk. To learn how, we recommend this online course from our partner Michaela Chung. Click here to check out the Introvert Conversation Genius course.

4. Self-disciplined when it counts

If an INFJ decides to do something, you can be sure it will be done. If we have a goal that’s important to us, we will work toward it no matter what. In short, we are tirelessly self-disciplined.

However, this is not to make light of the effort involved. We INFJs might doubt ourselves, struggle to stay committed, and exhaust ourselves in the process. But my point is: It will be done. We won’t let hardship stop us from reaching our goals, and this is a “superpower” indeed, especially when it comes to our work or education. We hold ourselves to high standards, and we will not back down when the going gets tough.

When we set a goal, it’s as if the lock clicks into place in our brains and we’re set on a path with only one possible outcome. That’s the way we see it: I’ll do this, I’ll finish this, I’ll accomplish this, because that’s the only thing I can do. There are no other alternatives. Whether it’s starting a business or attempting that last push-up, an INFJ will follow through.

INFJs, do not take your self-discipline for granted. It’s a superpower everyone could benefit from. You have an extraordinary advantage.

5. Surprisingly open-minded

This superpower goes hand-in-hand with the INFJ’s ability to understand other people’s perspectives. We love to learn, we love to dream, and with our vivid imagination but firm grasp of reality, we’re wonderfully open-minded. Hardly anything sounds too ludicrous or absurd; we believe anything is possible when you make the effort, and we can often see how big ideas could manifest as reality. Yes, we’re dreamers, but we’re practical, too, and we’re experts at gathering the resources necessary to make things happen.

This stems from our open-mindedness. Although outwardly, we may appear stubborn or even rigid, in reality, INFJs are quite flexible in their thinking. We love digging deep into big ideas. You can come to the INFJ with any problem, any idea, however wild and imaginative, and be guaranteed that we’ll at least listen and consider it.

If you’re an INFJ, you should be celebrating your gifts. When you do, you’ll flourish, and your world will, too. Nothing should hold that back.

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