Most INFJs would consider themselves old  souls right from the get-go… Growing up  

feeling a little wiser in comparison to  their chronological age, INFJs tend to feel  

most like themselves when helping and  advising others using their deep insights..  

But how does this introspective  type actually develop their  

introverted intuitive skills through early  childhood, into adolescence and adulthood?

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Alright, lets jump right into it starting with: Phase 1 - INFJ Childhood (Ages 1-12): 

The first and most crucial phase of the  development of the INFJ personality type  

is the imagination-building years. More  specifically, between the ages of 1-12,  

the infj child goes through the most vigorous  maturing of their introverted intuition.  

INFJ’s are led by intuition and gut feelings,  yet as a child, these functions aren’t entirely  

developed yet, ultimately leading them to trust  ideas, assumptions or fears that aren’t entirely  

real. This dominance and development of their  most dominant function can seem like ordinary  

child-like imagination to some, however  for the INFJ it’s much more than that.  

Through imaginary play, INFJ children may  strengthen this function by the creation  

of imaginary friends and interests in  fantasy stories, movies and characters.  

Yet, it’s not always in a positive manner.  In fact, INFJ children also tend to have  

a difficult time with scary thoughts, imaginary  fears and deep uncertainty early on. However, just  

like the INFJ adult likes to keep things private,  this first phase in an INFJ’s developmental years  

only remains noticeable to their closest  friends and family, and even then, if they  

don’t know how to explain it properly, they’ll  keep their imaginative findings to themselves.

Later in this developmental stage, the INFJ  begins to introduce their secondary function,  

extraverted feeling. As they step outside of their  own little worlds, the curious infj child begins  

to look outside of themselves for new information  and substance for their imagination. By slowly  

learning to navigate the outside world, these two  main functions work together as the INFJ slowly  

forms and expresses their own judgments. Yet,  without the development of their third function,  

introverted thinking - which allows the developed  INFJ a more logical spin on their thoughts and  

ideas - the INFJ child may end up expressing  these new-found judgments in a seemingly  

close-minded tone. By this time they become well  equipped to evaluate people’s moods and motives,  

but they’re not exactly sure what to do with the  information. This can make the INFJ pre-teen come  

off as slightly rebellious and opinionated,  mostly rooted in feeling overwhelmed by the  

influx of information, and possibly even  disappointment in the world around them.

Phase 2 - INFJ Adolescence (Ages 12-20)

Through years of primarily perceiving intuitively  with the minor influence of extraverted feeling,  

once the INFJ reaches adolescence and  puberty, extraverted feeling heightens  

in a few crucial ways. Slowly, INFJs  begin to understand the importance of  

their introverted intuition and their ability  to pick up on the moods and emotions of others.  

They start to realize the importance of their  empathy and sensitivity when it comes to their  

deep-set compassion for humanity, and because  of that, they may begin to feel a little more  

extraverted in their overall character. In fact,  it’s around this time in life that the INFJ truly  

surprises themselves in their outgoing nature,  even when looking back once they reach adulthood.

It’s also around this time that INFJs begin  to open their eyes to the short-comings of the  

world around them. They become increasingly  sensitive to the injustices of the world,  

and may even turn to volunteer work  and charity help in their spare time.  

During this teenage-stage, the INFJ becomes  more aware of ways in which they can  

actively help others by using their maturing  introverted thinking function to strategize.  

This is what often gives INFJs the pull to help  or befriend the underdogs and misfits they meet.  

They may try hard to fit in with the  crowd for the sake of socializing  

but it’s only a short amount of time before they  get bored of unoriginality. In fact, once an INFJ  

has reached the end of this developmental stage,  their hesitancy to take things at face value and  

their need to decode everything allows them to  see right through the facets of popularity..which  

brings us to the self-discovery stage  of an INFJs life, also known as..

Phase 3 - INFJ Early Adulthood (Ages 20-35) By the time the INFJ has reached their early  

twenties they become more independent  and less reliant on outer stimulation.  

Not only do they begin to become their own person,  but it’s around this time that INFJs develop  

their boundary-setting skills as they become more  critical of their previous people-pleasing habits.  

Depending on the INFJ, these realizations may  happen early in their twenties, or later on in  

their thirties; but when they do happen, the  people around the INFJ can definitely be taken  

by surprise. In fact, once this empathetic  type has reached a certain level of maturity,  

their new found determination for autonomy can  even end up offending the people around them.  

This is especially true for INFJs that find  themselves ending one-sided or emotionally abusive  

relationships during this time period. Although  it’s extremely challenging and out of character,  

once the INFJ realizes the strength and power  in their empathic gifts, they can’t help but  

to take the appropriate measures to protect their  energy. However, it’s a slippery slope according  

to personality type Author Dr. A.J. Drenth who  claims that right around an INFJ’s 20s-30s,  

they feel unsteadily influenced by their  inferior function extraverted sensing,  

which he refers to as the main culprit behind the  INFJ’s occasional unwise career and relational  

decision-making around this time. With that  being said, at the start of this self-evolution,  

most people with the infj type can feel  seriously unstable or unlike themselves  

to the point of considering this conscious  shift as nothing but a quarter-life crisis.  

Little do they know it’s just the start of the  INFJ’s wisest years..but only if they can find the  

maturity to reach it. Leading us right into the  final stage of the INFJ cognitive development..

Phase Number 4: INFJ Adulthood (Ages 35 and up)

Now, of course all time frames vary from person  to person, and for this final development phase,  

sometimes it’s not reached until much later  in life. In fact, some sources say that the  

more stubborn INFJs never fully engage with this  stage in their cognitive evolution. And that's the  

deeper understanding and integration of their  inferior function extraverted sensing. Like we  

said, extraverted sensing can be difficult for  an INFJ to use to their advantage when they’re  

first getting used to it because of the influx of  information they experience at all times. Although  

most types end up getting more introverted as  they get older, the INFJ can reach a point that  

they actually get a little unsettled when simply  relying on their imagination and day-to-day life.  

Once this intuitive type is able to actively  integrate their extraverted sensing properly,  

they actually enjoy the company of others in the  sense that they don’t have the strong independent  

pull that they once did. At some point, all  INFJs long for is to interact with the world  

around them, with the full understanding  of their boundaries and energy levels.

Aside from socializing, INFJs may feel called to  utilize this least dominant function by starting  

a hobby that requires use of their hands  and creativity. Whether it’s an instrument,  

a new exercise regimen or a craft of some sort,  this perfectionistic type can be met with a  

new found sense of detail-oriented sensing. In  fact, with extraverted sensing properly in use,  

the INFJ is able to finally enjoy artistic  hobbies with full attentiveness and without  

the need for constant self-criticisms.  This is the point where most INFJs can  

feel that sense of wholeness within themselves  regardless of certain outer circumstances. 

Well, that wraps up today’s video PSYCH-Os.. So,  if you’re an INFJ yourself, do these developmental  

stages sound familiar? Let us know in the comments  below! Also, make sure to leave us a like, share  

this video with your friends and also subscribe  to our channel so that you never miss a video!