Reserved, open-minded and empathetic, it’s hard to believe that the kind INFP mediator
personality type holds a dark side of their own.
When an INFP is met with their shadow selves, their generosity can be kicked to the sidelines,
resulting in their stress overload leaving them feeling and acting unlike themselves.
So, what exactly are the signs of the INFP dark side and how does it affect this caring
type?
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Alright, let’s get right into it starting with..
Number 1: Feeling indifferent and pessimistic
The normal optimism and vigour for life that comes so naturally to the INFP personality
type can easily become overruled by feelings of carelessness and lack of empathy when they’re
overburdened with stress.
Usually resulting from a mental or emotional burnout of some sort, this normally kind and
caring type can find themselves feeling unusually numb and lifeless when it comes to life's
highs and lows.
Yet, this also means that in these times of darkness, the INFP isn’t able to give their
natural empathy to others.
And so, because this normally empathetic type takes the necessary measure to avoid hurting
people at all costs, this feeling of indifference and pessimism can end up causing even more
guilt and stress due to feelings of inadequacy.
In other words, no one will end up more hurt than the INFP themselves when they're stuck
in this negative loop.
Number 2: Self-centered selfishness
A self-centered INFP?
No way!?
Actually..
Yes way.
Although INFPs are seen as one of the most caring and empathetic types, they’re introverted
feeling functions actually cause them to filter everything through their own standards.
While this isn’t exactly an issue most of the time, when an INFP is overloaded with
stress it can become a different story.
In fact, the dark side of the INFP can cause them to begin questioning ‘what’s in it
for me’ in situations where they normally wouldn’t even bat an eye at helping others.
Unfortunately this self-centeredness can come as a result of being taken advantage of for
their people-please ways.
As they try their best to accommodate everyone by never turning an opportunity to help down,
they end up being the ones to take on everyone else’s responsibilities.
Overtime, instead of setting appropriate boundaries, INFPs can become bitter and unwilling to help
anyone at all.
Number 3: Taking idealism too far
INFPs can be best described as imaginative idealists.
With their tendency to ruminate on ideal imagined outcomes for their life, this intuitive type
is able to project the best and worst case scenarios in order to create and understand
all aspects of situations they get themselves into.
From relationships to careers, idealism is a big part of the INFP’s thinking process..
But what happens when idealism is blown out of proportion?
Well, some INFPs can get caught up in confusing their real life with their imagined expectations.
As a result, this dark side of their idealism may cause an INFP to become discouraged and
extremely self-critical when they realize their reality is quite far off from what they
originally idealized.
When INFPs resort to focusing solely on their imagination, they tend to neglect the truths
about reality, especially the fact that life is supposed to be a trial-and-error game full
of lessons.
Number 4: Automatically judging people
It’s not easy to befriend an INFP, to say the least.
Yet when this normally generous type is met with their dark side, it can make connecting
with people all that more difficult.
When an unhealthy and overly stressed INFP meets new people, they tend to approach them
with a weary sense of caution and pessimism.
They expect the worst from people, and immediately resort to putting up their walls until proven
otherwise.
This dark side of the INFP causes them to think there’s a ‘catch’ when people
attempt to draw them in or befriend them.
They’re constantly trying to scope out the negative behaviour in other’s to prove to
themselves that their initial judgment was correct, when in reality they can find negative
aspects in everyone if they look hard enough.
Because of this and a few other reasons, INFPs maintain minimal connections with people who
they’ve tested time and time again over time.
Number 5: Self loathing and isolation
With such high expectations matched with an unrealistic view of how their lives should
look, most INFPs struggle with bouts of serious self-criticism.
They can become so focused on pleasing not only themselves but also everyone around them
that they tend to burden themselves with unnecessary self-sabotage.
Most of the time, these bouts of self-doubt and blame come and go, but for the unhealthy
INFP - it can stay for months or even years on end.
This unfortunate aspect of the INFP dark side can cause them to isolate themselves from
all social expectations and sometimes even their most dire responsibilities.
They can feel stuck in a negative thought-loop consisting of feelings of unworthiness and
undeserving of the good things in life, ultimately leaving them unable to access their optimistic
imagination that they rely so heavily on.
Number 6: Emotional manipulation
INFPs are true emotional masters.
Due to their deep empathetic understanding of how, when and why people feel certain emotions,
they can easily find out what makes someone tick.
Normally, this innate ability helps this empathetic type to truly understand and relate to people
on a deeply emotional level, yet when this power is in the hands of a dark INFP, emotional
manipulation is born.
Known to be one of their dark side’s most destructive aspects, the INFP is able to use
their deep understanding of emotion to play serious games of hard to get, blame switching,
guilt tripping and idealism convincing.
In fact, the most eerie thing about this clever INFP dark side emotional manipulation is that
it can be masked by kindness and genuinity - making it even more difficult for other
people to see their motives.
Number 7: Randomly ditching things that don’t feel right
With the need for passion and creativity , most INFPs are quite familiar with the feeling
of boredom when there is lack of meaning in their lives.
When this open-minded type goes too long without a sense of meaning in their lives they can
easily spiral into feelings of uselessness and uncertainty.
For a healthy INFP, this means tweaking small aspects of their lives in order to reintroduce
that feeling of excitement, such as trying new hobbies.
However, for the unhealthy INFP, this lack of passion can cause them to re-evaluate their
lives and instantly drop everything that seems to be draining their enthusiasm.
They don’t take into account the small accomplishments that certain experiences have brought them
because they’re so focused on avoiding struggles and boredom at all costs.
This can look like ditching relationships on a whim, deleting certain contacts or even
randomly quitting their jobs - all in hopes of reaching the ideal life invision for themselves.
Number 8: Constant changing in beliefs
INFPs have strong beliefs, and with their innate charisma and ability to convince others
of certain concepts, they can easily influence people’s thoughts and opinions.
While this isn’t exactly a negative trait when INFPs are feeling like their normal passionate
and creative selves, the destructive INFP can easily spread contradicting information.
Their beliefs system can change at such an alarming rate which ultimately results in
the INFP believing one thing one day, and the total opposite the next.
And since they have the habit of creating an army of believers because of their ability
to present powerful visions and concepts - false information can affect more than just themselves.
If this goes on for long enough, the people that put their trust into an INFP begin to
realize that their views aren’t as straightforward afterall, ultimately resulting in INFPs losing
their trust in the long run.
Well, that’s it for today PSYCH-Os..
So, are you an INFP?
And if so, have you experienced these signs of the INFP dark side stress overload?
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