As I’ve covered in a few posts, INFPs are very emotional and are in touch with their emotions more than any other personality type. Though everyone has emotions, INFPs feel them the most. INFPs also have a tendency to project their emotions, and emotions are what drive the INFP the most.
I thought it would be a good idea to try to cover in brief the emotional life of an INFP, because there is a lot to it. I may cover things I’ve already discussed, but this post is for the purpose of an overview look at all things emotional concerning the INFP. There are many things I haven’t covered yet in previous posts, and because these are all basic descriptions of emotional parts in the INFP’s life, I may cover them in more detail later.
Emotional Intensity
Because INFPs possess Introverted Sensing, they focus on their emotions a lot, and their inner senses are amplified, as opposed to their outer senses. Their dominant function, Introverted Feeling, means that they listen to and focus on their values, beliefs, morals, and feelings the most. Because INFPs have both of these functions, they are in touch with their emotions on a scale much larger than most personality types. In fact, perhaps the only other personality type with the same emotional intensity like the INFP is the ISFP.
Emotions are at the forefront of the INFP’s mind. Because emotions are amplified for the INFP, and because the INFP uses their feelings and values the most in trying to make everyday decisions, the INFP is constantly detecting and analyzing incoming emotions, trying to understand what the INFP should do or interpret how their day is going.
Also, since the INFP’s emotions are emphasized to a great extent, many things that might seem insignificant or mundane to others will cause great emotional turmoil or happiness for the INFP. Because of this, the INFP may be seen as a very sensitive person.
INFPs are so in touch with their emotions and have mapped their feelings out their entire lives, such that, they are masters at their emotions.
And as many INFPs would agree, this depth to their feeling is both a blessing and a curse. It offers both emotional ecstasy but also deep turmoil within.
Projecting Emotion (Empathy)
INFPs have been mapping their emotions and trying to understand them for their entire lives, and also, INFPs can easily view things from other people’s perspectives. Because of this, INFPs have the ability to “project” emotions onto other people based on what the INFP thinks that person may be feeling.
While the INFP is very much in touch with its emotions, based on someone else’s current circumstances, the INFP can easily figure out what that person is currently feeling and actually feel those emotions.
For instance, if a good friend is about to go up on stage and speak in front of a lot of people, the INFP can guess how nervous their friend is, and the INFP will feel nervous themselves.
In this way, INFPs can be frustrated when others aren’t as empathetic as the INFP is to other people, and INFPs may wonder why they feel so deeply, especially about other people, and why they are affected greatly by the emotions of other people.
However, this ability is one to be appreciated, especially by family and friends, because having a friend who genuinely understands how you feel and cares deeply about you is a good friend to have.
Attaching Emotion
Like projecting emotions onto other people, the INFP will often project emotions onto many other, inanimate objects. Basically, they will associate a feeling to everything, smells, tastes, colors, objects, letters, numbers, thoughts, words, experiences, memories, etc.
INFPs will do this very unconsciously, and often times if they do realize they are making such associations, they will think its normal and not find the associations unusual at all. Until they realize that other people don’t make these associations, the INFP will realize the true abnormality but beauty of the associations.
As an example of an association, an INFP might come back to listen to a song they hadn’t heard in a long time. As they listen to the song again, all of the feelings and emotions that they had felt during the time when they first listened to the song will come rushing back.
Emotional Drive
Emotions are on the forefront of the INFP’s mind constantly, such that, the INFP can become very dependent on their emotions and feelings guidance and direction. The emotions of the INFP do help the INFP make decisions because they can interpret the meaning behind the feelings better than most personality types.
INFPs fully embrace their emotions, and though sometimes they may just want to wallow in their feelings and let them linger, they are dependent their emotions’ guidance.
However, when emotions are absent and feelings are gone, the INFP will feel lost, not sure what to do without their compass.
And sometimes, the INFP just needs something, anything, to color what they perceive to be a dull, mundane life.
Desperate, the INFP will try hard to sniff out anything that will help them feel again. Whether it be reading a book or watching a movie again, some way of reliving those previous emotions, the INFP will try hard to find a way.
Motivation
One weakness of the INFP is the tendency to not follow through on projects.
There are many reasons why, part of which is that INFPs, in general, can easily start projects but have trouble following through due to the make up of their cognitive functions.
Something that inspires the INFP the most in working on projects is the thrill of getting new ideas. A new idea means a lot to the INFP, and such ideas excite the INFP so much that the INFP wants to begin working on the idea and project immediately.
The emotions that come from getting that idea can influence the INFP greatly, especially in helping the INFP begin projects. However, these emotions can influence the INFP for the worse as well, because once the newness of the idea is gone and those exciting emotions leave, the INFP won’t feel inspired enough to continue the project.
Over the years, the INFP will learn how to combat this “weakness” and learn that though emotions are good are motivating the INFP to action, the INFP shouldn’t put too much trust in their emotions once the idea no longer feels like a good one.
Instead, they should use the exciting “newness” of the idea to propel to them begin the project, but they must learn to continue the project on their own later without the help of the emotions.
Memories
Because of the INFP’s Introverted Sensing, and because as mentioned before that INFPs associate almost everything with an emotion, any emotion can trigger a memory to the INFP. For instance, listening to a song can also trigger other emotions felt during the time of first listening to that song.
Since the INFP’s emotions and memories are so closely related, emotions prove to be an even more vital tool to the INFP.
With the INFP’s Introverted Sensing, the INFP seeks normalcy at times, and the INFP will often analyze and judge the situations going around them based on the INFP’s memories. This way, the INFP can navigate the situation and/or learn how to react to the situation through what went well or what didn’t go well in the past.
Emotions can be that key to the past, to the memories that will guide the INFP. The INFP can easily interpret and understand the emotions they’re currently feeling while they’re in a situation, but they can also use those emotions and situations and memories associated with those emotions.
Resources:
http://margarita-passion.tumblr.com/post/80620305648/the-difference-between-infp-enfp
http://introvertdear.com/2015/04/14/10-type-secrets-of-the-infp/
Learning To Be INFP 
Your article gives me so much justification! Thank you.
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Very well written!
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WOW. This explains a lot. Especially the attaching the emotion. When I feel emotionally detached I will watch videos or listen to songs that have made me cry before so I can feel again. Same goes with happy. If the emotions come they can be extremely overwhelming and debilitating.
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Wow we are little snowflakes waiting to fall on stray tongues
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