How can an INFJ make friends? (5 ways)

This blog post aims to answer the question, “How can an INFJ make friends?” and explores the various aspects of the life of this Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality type called INFJ to find 5 ways that could help an INFJ make friends.

How can an INFJ make friends?

An INFJ can make friends with the help of the following 5 ways –

• INFJs should pursue their passions.
• INFJs should remove their mask.
• INFJs should set aside their expectations.
• INFJs must overcome their insecurities. INFJs are liked by more people than they realise.
• INFJs should be their own best friend.

Who is an INFJ?

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) inventors Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers established sixteen personality types. INFJ is one of them. Introversion, intuition, feeling, and judgement (INFJ) are four key personality traits based on psychologist C.G. Jung’s work.

Each of the four letters in the INFJ code represents a significant personality feature associated with the INFJ personality type. 

INFJs prefer to be planned and organised rather than spontaneous and flexible because they are energised by time alone (introverted), focus on ideas and concepts rather than facts and details (intuitive), make decisions based on feelings and values (feeling), and prefer to be planned and organised rather than spontaneous and flexible (Judging).

Because of their inclination to be idealistic, sympathetic, and sensitive, the INFJ personality type is also known as the “Counselor.” The INFJ is also known by the following nicknames:

• The Insightful Visionary (MBTI)
• The Advocate (16Personalities)

INFJs are nurturers who are creative and nurturing, with a strong sense of personal integrity and a desire to help others reach their full potential. They have a knack for coming up with unique answers to people’s problems, and they are both creative and dedicated.

The Counselor has a unique ability to sense other people’s emotions and intentions, and will frequently know how they are feeling before they do. They have faith in their capacity to read others and trust their perceptions of others. 

The INFJ is a secretive type who is choosy about communicating inner thoughts and feelings. They are sensitive, yet they are also guarded.

INFJ Personality Type Characteristics Are –

• INFJs can be soft-spoken and empathic due to their high sense of intuition and emotional understanding. This does not, however, imply that they are cowards. They have strong convictions and the capacity to act aggressively to achieve their goals.

• Despite their introversion, persons with the INFJ personality type may develop deep, lasting relationships with others. They appreciate assisting others, but they also require rest and relaxation.

• The INFJ is distinguished by their ability to put their ideals into action. They don’t merely want a better world; they make it happen.
• People with the INFJ personality type enjoy taking charge by planning, organising, and making choices as soon as feasible.

• INFJs prioritise their emotions above objective facts when making judgments. This does not, however, imply that they view the world through rose-coloured glasses. INFJs have an excellent understanding of the world, including the good and the terrible, and aim to improve it.

What are these 5 ways an INFJ can make friends?

INFJs don’t usually settle for superficial friendships. They aren’t pleased with casual encounters with coworkers or classmates when it comes to social fulfilment. 

Friendships that allow INFJs to share their dreams, bare their souls and feel understood and accepted for who they are important to them. And if that means confiding in only one or two people rather than a large circle of friends, so be it.

While INFJs may appear quiet or restrained in public, they are very different from their close pals. Few things give individuals greater joy or satisfaction than chatting with someone who shares their hobbies, interests, and values.

INFJs prefer being alone, but they also find it free to let their guard down and be entirely and utterly themselves with a buddy they know they can trust.

Here are some suggestions for creating friends through connecting with individuals who will love, accept, and understand you, and who will ideally remain with you for the long haul.

INFJs can make friends with the help of the following 5 ways.

INFJs should pursue their passions.

If INFJs are proactive rather than passive in their search for new acquaintances, they are more likely to encounter other INFJs and like-minded individuals such as INFPs, ENFJs, and ISFJs. 

Fortunately, social media and the Internet make it simple to locate organisations that share their interests. Some places to visit include –

• Possibilities for volunteering.
• Religious organisations.
• Adult learning classes.
• Book, art, or music groups.
• Sporting organisations.
• Online discussion boards.

Many INFJs have learned the hard way that being with individuals who share their specialised interests is preferable since they already have something in common.

INFJs should remove their mask.

INFJs with empathy tend to believe that they should appeal to everyone. That attitude is detrimental to one’s self-esteem and perhaps arrogant. 

Many people admire their warm and sympathetic character, but attempting to get along with everyone is like trying to climb up an escalator sliding downhill – a lot of effort with no guarantee of getting where they want to go.

INFJs must be courageous about who they are and how they feel after they have identified someone with whom they wish to connect. INFJs frequently display just those aspects of themselves that they believe the other person wants to see in order to accept them. It’s tough to maintain this mask.

It’s likely to make INFJs wonder why they’re in a friendship in the first place if it’s draining all of their energy. As a result, INFJs should not be scared to be themselves. INFJs must observe how others react when they remove the mask and reveal their vulnerability.

Such who don’t back down in those moments of unadulterated honesty are the ones who willfully comprehend them. INFJs should keep those connections and explore if they can develop deeper bonds.

INFJs should set aside their expectations.

Because INFJs have such high expectations of others, it’s common to believe that a friend must reciprocate in order to show that they’re just as involved in the connection as the INFJ. 

Many would-be friends unknowingly fail at the first hurdle because they are unaware that INFJs are waiting for them to call, set up a “date,” or make some other effort to demonstrate that they appreciate their friendship.

INFJs should take things slowly in future friendships. Giving without expecting anything in return does not imply that the connection is one-sided; it just indicates that the expectations are different.

INFJs should not be concerned about what others are doing (or not doing). Instead, they should concentrate on being a good friend, getting to know the other person, and determining what they want out of their connection. If you’re a good match, your friendship will blossom.

INFJs must overcome their insecurities. INFJs are liked by more people than they realise.

According to a new study published in the Journal of Psychological Science, people like you significantly more than you believe they do after a first impression.

People who had talks with each other were asked to assess each other’s likeability during an experiment. Most respondents thought their discussion partners were far more likeable than they thought they were.

The experiment indicated that we have a tendency to project our own fears onto others, expecting that others would notice them. When we first meet someone, we often underestimate how much they like us. Researchers refer to this as the “liking gap.” INFJs should attempt not to succumb to this urge.

INFJs should be their own best friend.

INFJs are introverts who like alone time and require a lot of it to replenish their batteries. This is contrary to societal expectations. While the world is becoming more aware of introversion’s characteristics, there is still a lot of pressure to socialise, be gregarious, and collect friendships like baseball cards, with no distinction made between number and quality.

The point is that INFJs find it much simpler to make friends if they don’t force it. Genuine friendships take time to blossom. If INFJs follow the crowd and begin collecting groupies, they will wind up with a slew of superficial, unsatisfactory relationships that will eventually fall apart due to a lack of a stable basis.

INFJs should be gentle to themselves, do what they enjoy, and never believe that they require a large number of friends, or even more than one, to be happy. Allow things to run their natural course, and what comes next will come naturally.

Conclusion – 

This blog post attempted to answer the question, “How can an INFJ make friends?” and reviewed the features, functions, and various dimensions of this introverted Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality type called INFJ to help determine 5 ways that could help an INFJ make friends.   Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments you may have.

References –

Miller, B. 21 Ways You Can Make and Keep Great Friends as an INFJ. (2017, September 22). Retrieved from https://ispeakpeople.com/infj-friendship/

How do I make friends as an INFJ? Quora. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-make-friends-as-an-INFJ

Storm, S. To the INFJ who is Struggling to Find Friends. (2020, March 5). Retrieved from https://www.psychologyjunkie.com/2020/03/05/to-the-infj-who-is-struggling-to-find-friends/

Owens, M. TRUITY’S PERSONALITY AND CAREERS BLOG. (2016, April 25). Retrieved from https://www.truity.com/blog/infj%E2%80%99s-guide-finding-friends-who-understand

Albers, C. 5 Things to Know About Being Friends With an INFJ. (2019, October 16). Retrieved from https://introvertdear.com/news/things-to-know-about-being-friends-with-an-infj/

Advocate Personality INFJ-A / INFJ-T (WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?). 16Personalities. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.16personalities.com/infj-friends

Kuhn, S. How INFJs Make Friends. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://infjwoman.com/howinfjsmakefriends/

Making friends as an INFJ. INFJs.com. (2017, July 12). Retrieved from https://www.infjs.com/threads/making-friends-as-an-infj.33857/

Why INFJs Feel Lonely And How To Overcome Loneliness. Nerdy Creator. (2020, July 27). Retrieved from https://www.nerdycreator.com/blog/infj-loneliness/