So for every piece of information or picture I attach to each post, I'll talk about them a little. Some may be quite technical stuff and others are just rants. I'm inclined to not organise them as such, because I'm a P. I'm sure your brains are effective enough to filter without my hand-holding anyway.
MBTI Frequency
(1) It is known through research that different populations have differing trends. For example, it is widely accepted that Asian populations tend to have more Introverts while the Western populations have more Extroverts. Asians also tend to be more rational, because of their upbringing. These particular statistics are from the US.
(2) The year of which this data is published is unknown. It is as recent as I can find though.
(3) MBTI may change over the course of one's life and while it does not affect the accuracy of these statistics (statistics are not meant to cover individuals, but are general trends), slight inclinations are not put into consideration.
Slight Inclination - A concept that is often forgotten by people who study MBTI. One of the biggest problem with MBTI is the assumption of extreme inclination. MBTI results are shown in percentages, however, your final MBTI type is an extreme type. There are people whose function differences are merely 1% and in those cases, they are able to swing between 2 MBTIs quite easily.
Observations
From the data above, I decided to further compress the data, according to the 4 types. As much as statistics usually pains my brain, psychology is interesting and I'm after the observations and conclusions anyway.
It can be easily seen that there are a lot more S types in this world compared to N. It is something that upsets me quite a bit, because it means that most people are then unable to understand me when I try to explain things with gut instincts. However, this can also be a reflection of how humans have evolved much differently from other animals. N types are often seen as more primitive and primal, because gut instinct is what humans call "animal instinct". S is data-oriented and is a purely human construct. So, to exaggerate, Ns are animals and Ss are robots.
Also, it is interesting to observe that while males and females do not differ as much in the SP type, the other 3 types see quite a bit of divergence. Especially in the NT type (Intellectuals/Analysts), there are substantially more males than females. In fact, if you refer to the first table, you realise that across all 4 MBTIs that fall under the NT type, the divergence is constant.
Can I mention how I find it insulting that I'm only the 3rd most uncommon MBTI? INFJ and INTJ are less common than INFP. I find that absolutely insulting. Please, I am as unique as unique can get. I'm also tied for being the 4th most uncommon female MBTI with ENTJ, lagging behind INTJ, INTP and INFJ. Excuse me, you guys aren't that unique.
Compatibility Art
Compatibility is the category in which I go to Tumblr and look for MBTI photos signifying the compatibility between 2 types. Since I am an INFP, all the art I post will have INFP. I'm sorry.
1. INFP (male) and ENFJ (female) - Classic Drama Couple
This is one of your classic drama pairings. The extremely shy and introverted guy who is highly artistic and understanding, but seems depressed all the time. He is the kid that sits at the back of the class, silent and never speaking. He probably has some weird habits, probably artistic ones. Then a girl comes along, the exact opposite of him. She is probably the most notable girl in class and everyone knows she's there. She is liked by everyone in class, is confident and is basically the life of the party.
Now, anyone who doesn't understand MBTI would be like "See, opposites do attract!" Well, they would just be wrong. The girl is either an ENFJ or ENFP and any way you look at it, these are not the opposites of INFP. The fact is, if the girl is the exact opposite, ESTJ, she would have absolutely no interest in that poor little boy who would love nothing more than to be left alone to his own thoughts. The moment you see the girl ask the guy "You can open up to me", you know she is an NF. I know it myself because the painful reality is that unless the other person is an NF, they probably have no idea what I am thinking or feeling. That's why INFP is known as the type who nobody understands. We are highly emotional, yet unlike our Extroverted counterparts, we rarely express these emotions openly and so, people who aren't NFs usually don't understand what's going on with us unless we tell them.
Still, from the perspective of an INFP, I would find the approach of an ENFJ both endearing and very annoying. The first thought that occurs when an ENFJ tells you to "open up" is "Hey, someone understands me" and believe me when I tell you that, for an INFP, it is one of the greatest feeling in our lives to know that someone understands. Most of the time, we are passed off as weird people, who are unpredictable. Not true. You just need to understand the subtle cues. Then the INFP gets to know the ENFJ and suddenly, their Introversion kicks in and they go "Why am I telling this person so much? ...I don't know anything about them!" The moment that happens, they retract within themselves again.
Just think about that drama you watched. The INFP guy starts sharing a lot with the ENFJ girl and the whole class is surprised. They shouldn't be. INFP x ENFJ is widely regarded by the MBTI community as one of the best matches emotionally. Then one fine day, he suddenly detaches from her again and starts avoiding her like the plague. As an INFP, I can tell you, that that is the exact moment that he decides that he has been saying too much and not getting the same amount back. Introversion has that negative side effect, especially on INFPs. It gives us relief to be able to rid ourselves of our emotional burdens, but along with it comes the insecurity and the fear of betrayal, especially when we don't have as much as hold on the other person as they have on us. ENFJs are annoying to INFPs precisely because of that. They are able to fish out a lot of things from us and by the time we noticed it, we have said too much. Time to retreat.
Next time you watch a drama with a shy guy and a loud girl, just remember, they aren't actually polar opposites that attract. It's actually the idealism of MBTI compatibility coming into play. The most idealistic couple, in fact, maybe tied with INFJ and ENFP. But then again, it's not that fun with INFJ because they can be equally emotional, but their J type keeps them in check. A drama is meant to be dramatic, so INFPs are the best for that role. Also, ENFP is less effective than ENFJ because their P type makes them less in tune to emotions.
Classic drama couple: INFP (male) x ENFJ (female). It works the other way, but it doesn't look as fun in dramas.
INFP (female) x ENFJ (male)
INFP x INTJ Friendship
This is one of the funniest pairings out there, because out how ridiculously dysfunctional their relationship can be. INTJ is one of the least emotional types out there and despite them being N, they can often understand the theory behind emotions, but still think it's stupid.
Just look at the picture. The one on the right is the INFP sharing her extremely weird thoughts and feelings with the INTJ, who is listening, but totally doesn't get it. Meanwhile, the INFP is just happy that there's someone listening to her. I have many INTJ female friends and I can tell you that every time the situation like that one happens, they come back to me and are like "What do you want me to do about it? I have no idea what to do." I just blink at them, a little ticked off but also quite shocked at how their intuition is totally not working with their TJ at the back. That INTJ in the GIF is probably wondering what she will have for dinner.
I guess INTJs are still one of the best friends that INFPs can have. We INFPs dislike it when we are sharing our emotions and the person would not stop offering advice. I'm not asking for your advice. I'm not asking for you to tell me what to do. Just shut up and listen. Another NF would be a bad idea, because the INFP's extreme pessimistic nature may just rub off on them. INTJs are one of the only MBTIs that can take an INFPs rambling to the face and be completely immune to the waves of negativity flooding from them. I know for sure that when I ramble to some people, they end up in the same state of depression as I am in.
The T part in INTJ is wonderful for INFPs because the INTJ, at the end of the day, will give solid advice that is not emotionally driven. It is a great slap to the face for INFPs, because despite our knowledge that we are idealistic, we still like swimming in that sea of fantasy. Then INTJs come along and deliver a firm slap to the face, waking us up from that fantasy.
So how will that situation in the GIF end? The INFP is going to finish the conversation, look at INTJ expectantly, waiting for some advice. The INTJ will look completely unshaken but what she just heard and totally not get it that the INFP is waiting for advice. The INFP sighs "So, what should I do? Don't just stare at me." The INTJ then gives an advice that is nothing that INFP wanted to hear, but is so objective that the INFP cannot deny the validity of it. The INFP will be enraged for a few moments at the INTJ's inability to get how she is feeling, but end up taking the advice anyway. The INTJ will then go on ahead and forget that that conversation ever happened (I had this female friend who I had to repeat the same thing to about 10 times before she remembered it), while INFP will take that advice for life, but whether she actually succeeds in following it is another story.
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