Certainly, the human personality is much too complex to be able to divide it into rigid concepts. Nevertheless, personality models offer a good and helpful orientation to get to know yourself better. They help you to see through and understand behavioral patterns and to find ways to use your individual strengths and weaknesses profitably. Our DISG personality test, for example, is perfect for this. But more about that later! Because in this article we want to tell you more about the ISFJ personality according to the Myers-Briggs model.
Accordingly, about 13 % of all people can be classified as ISFJ. Thus, compared to the other 15 types of the ISFJ personality type, the Myers-Briggs model are represented more often than average. This is quite beneficial socially: ISFJs strive to do good for others. For this reason, this Personality type also referred to as "the defender" or "the provider."
The abbreviation ISFJ stands for the following Characteristics:
I: Introversion (Introverts)
S: Receiver (Sensors)
F: Feeler
J: Judger
The character traits in detail:
I: Introversion (Introverts)
Introverts like to withdraw into their own world of thoughts. They often appear quiet and shy to other people. They are good at being alone.
S: Receiver (Sensors)
Sensitive people focus their thoughts on the present. They are practice-oriented and appreciate it when facts are tangible and measurable.
F: Feeler
Feelers have free access to their emotions. They trust their feelings and also act on them when making important decisions.
J: Judger
Like sensitizers, evaluators value tangible facts. They judge situations on the basis of proven facts. They like to plan their everyday life down to the last detail. Evaluators have difficulty with unforeseen situations.
ISFJs come across as warm-hearted and reserved to other people. They are responsible and caring contemporaries. The special thing about the ISFJ is that some of his most concise character traits should actually contradict each other. In practice, however, this is not necessarily the case. What this means exactly can be illustrated by the following examples:
1. Despite a reserved mentality, people of this personality type can be enormously assertive in achieving their goals. If they want to achieve something, they will not rest until the project has been brought to completion.
2. Although they are quite conservatively inclined, they are enthusiastic about new ideas.
3. ISFJ social skills are unparalleled among introverted personality types. ISFJ personalities have the enviable ability to build trusting interpersonal relationships that benefit everyone involved.
ISFJ personalities exhibit the following character-typical strengths:
Loyalty
When ISFJ personalities feel connected to a cause (or person), they will loyally stand behind the project or person. They tend to form strong emotional bonds. If the ISFJ thinks something is important, they will defend it relentlessly. If the ISFJ has sworn allegiance to someone, they will never break their promise.
Diligence
When ISFJ personalities dedicate themselves to a project, they have the ambition to complete it to perfection. To achieve this, they spare no effort. They work hard and diligently - sometimes even to the limit or beyond. The results are quite impressive. In doing so, they do not shy away from unpleasant tasks.
Practical predisposition
There are people who seem to have been born with two left hands. The ISFJ definitely belongs not to this. On the contrary, people of this personality type are extremely practical. They handle tricky tasks just as effortlessly as routine tasks.
Ingenuity and attention
ISFJ personalities are very empathetic. Almost nothing escapes their attention. If you're not feeling well, the ISFJ will sense this and try to cheer you up in a rather creative way. Overall, he is very resourceful when it comes to overcoming everyday challenges.
Enthusiasm
ISFJs are then happywhen they can make their fellow human beings happy. This is true on both a large and small scale. When they see a way to make the lives of several or one person more livable, they enthusiastically jump into the project. This can be global initiatives or simply a pep talk.
Patience and reliability
Hectic is abhorrent to the ISFJ. He prefers to approach things meticulously and patiently. He completes tasks entrusted to him reliably and with a demand for perfection. Their great patience helps ISFJs prevent careless mistakes.
Helpfullness
ISFJ personalities help where they can. Empathically they perceive the moods of other people and try to support them. They willingly share their knowledge and experience with those around them so that everyone can benefit. ISFJs have a keen sense for rewarding win-win situations.
The following weaknesses are typical of the ISFJ personality:
ISFJs want to protect their fellow human beings. In extreme cases, they even suppress their own (negative) emotions so that other people do not feel bad. The fact that constant suppression of anger and sadness has negative effects on body and soul could be shown in several scientific studies have long since been confirmed.
Stubborn
ISFJs place great value on traditions and history. It is difficult for them to see that some traditions will eventually become outdated. They doggedly cling to old habits, which leads to stagnation in the present. Mostly ISFJ personalities have to be forced by external circumstances to change their usual course.
Altruism
Altruism means thinking and acting selflessly. What basically sounds positive, however, can quickly turn into the opposite. People who are too altruistic are often taken advantage of. This is what happens to many ISFJ personalities. In addition, for all their selflessness, they tend to Needs to neglect. They usually reject offers of help.
Shyness and humility
Because of their great helpfulness and selflessness, ISFJs don't always get the recognition they deserve for their efforts. They care so much about other people's needs that they sometimes forget to express their own desires. In addition, they have a hard time dealing with praise. They humbly try to tone down the latter: "It's nothing." This phrase is typical of the ISFJ.
It is almost self-explanatory: If you do not value yourself and your own achievements or even talk them down, you cannot expect recognition from other people.
Tendency to overload
The strongly pronounced sense of duty and the tendency to Perfectionism, not infrequently lead to the overload of the ISFJ. He finds it difficult to refuse favors to other people. People of this personality type always treat their own needs as secondary. Thus, the tasks pile up, which ultimately can no longer be managed. The ISFJ loses himself in a sense of Overload.
Lack of demarcation
ISFJ personalities take everything deeply to heart. They fail to differentiate between personal and impersonal conflicts. Every disagreement affects them personally so much that they can't think about anything else. This negatively affects their entire professional and private life.
ISFJ personalities are the ideal employees. They value teamwork and a sense of belonging. Since they like to support other people and place less value on self-fulfillment, they can easily work in salaried employment. Self-employed jobs without contact with colleagues and customers, on the other hand, make the ISFJ unhappy.
ISFJs prefer occupations in which their Loyalty and their sense of duty come to the fore. For this reason, they are often found in social work, health care, religious professions, and secretarial work. With their good organizational skills and friendliness, ISFJ personalities climb the career ladder effortlessly. ISFJs are dedicated, open-hearted, and universally popular.
Despite their good achievements, ISFJs always remain humble. Their greatest reward is to see with their own eyes that they have been able to make other people happy. Although ISFJ personalities do not aspire to it, they sometimes end up in leadership positions. Once they find themselves in a position of responsibility, they fill it to the fullest.
Whether the ISFJ is in a managerial or salaried position: He wants to please his work environment. Salaried ISFJ personalities are content with the knowledge that they have helped others. This is recognition enough for them. To avoid conflict, they shy away from highlighting their accomplishments. As a result, they sometimes fall by the wayside career-wise.
Their standards of customer satisfaction are very high. When changes and cuts in the workplace result in a loss of quality, the ISFJ reacts very displeased. When an internal change affects individual customer dissatisfied makes, ISFJs take this fact personally to heart. This can be counterproductive and debilitating.
As a work colleague, the ISFJ is a true asset to the entire team. People of this personality type believe that everyone should help each other without ulterior motives.
ISFJ personalities long for harmony and peace. In no area of life do they fight for it as dedicatedly as in the area of love relationships. The ISFJ is a family man. Whenever his support is needed, he is immediately on hand. With an ISFJ you have found a loyal, faithful and reliable partner.
Due to their Introversion However, it can take a long time for ISFJ personalities to find love. Simply approaching someone is not in their nature. Most ISFJ relationships therefore develop in a familiar environment (e.g. at work). Already knowing each other on a friendly basis has a great advantage for ISFJs: It allows them to better assess the chances of a later relationship.
ISFJ personalities basically only enter into partnerships in which they see a future. Here, their striving for security, routine and trust is noticeable. To other people, ISFJs usually appear shy, which makes a romantic approach difficult. Beneath the neutral surface, however, bubbles a whole ocean of emotions.
ISFJs find it difficult to express their feelings in words. However, they make up for this with loving gestures and unassailable loyalty. In a partnership, too, the top priority for ISFJ personalities is to make the other person happy. This also applies to the subject of sexuality. They practically consider it their duty to fulfill all their partner's dreams.
In return, ISFJs expect the appropriate appreciation from their partners. They want their commitment to be seen and rewarded with love. If someone takes the ISFJ for granted, the relationship is doomed to fail. If they meet someone who takes advantage of their selflessness and kindness, it can be traumatic.
The ISFJ can hardly handle open criticism from his partner. In extreme cases, the pent-up emotions erupt. The ISFJ then gets carried away with verbal attacks that do not fit his introverted character at all. Basically, however, the ISFJ is a very pleasant and loving partner. ISFJs have the best relationships with people who share their sensitivity.
The ISFJ can come up with some interesting curiosities:
Source: MBTI Manual: A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, 3rd Edition - Isabell Briggs Myers
These famous personalities can be assigned to the ISFJ personality type:
Famous ISFJ personalities from film and television:
The personality structure has an influence on the entire life of a person. Your thinking, feeling and acting can determine success and failure as well as happiness and Misfortune determine. The description of the ISFJ personality has made this impressively clear. Our beliefs and behavior patterns decide how we lead our lives -.... sSo long as we do not work on ourselves!
However, there are other helpful personality models besides the Myers-Briggs model. At this point, we would like to introduce you to the scientifically based DISC personality test to the heart. This deals primarily with the way people communicate with each other. The fact that good communication can be crucial for happiness and success is no longer a secret.
While you can talk for hours with some people, you just don't swim on the same wavelength with others. This is perfectly normal. However, if you know what type of communicator you are, you'll be able to work on your individual strengths and weaknesses, making it easier to connect with others.
Are you curious? Then do not hesitate any longer and make our completely free DISG personality test:
