ISFP

ISFP is short for “Introverted, Sensing, Feeling and Perceiving”, a Myers-Briggs personality type. About one or two Americans in 20 are ISFPs. Most famous artists are ISFPs.

The Myers-Briggs personality test is the most common one in America. It tells you which of its 16 types you are closest to. It says I am probably an ISFP.

ISFPs are those who tend to be:

• I (Introverted) more than E (Extroverted) – they tend to be quiet and keep to themselves. They find being with other people draining and need to be alone to recharge.
• S (Sensing) more than N (Intuitive) – they prefer facts, what they can see and hear, over abstract ideas or sudden insights that seem to come out of nowhere. They can be very observant, yet miss the big picture.
• F (Feeling) more than T (Thinking) – they process things through their feelings and values rather than through logic and reason.
• P (Perceiving) more than J (Judging) – they take the world as it comes rather than trying to fit everything into boxes and rules.

If you are an ISFP, most of what follows should sound familiar, though not necessarily all of it:

• Personal style: They are easygoing – “live and let live”. They are not interested in controlling people – but neither do they want to be controlled. In public they are often quiet and reserved, but in private (or on stage) they can be the complete opposite.
• Time and money: They live in the moment, so much so that they are bad with money and time. That is why they get ready at the last minute and spend too much on gifts.
• Work: They work best when left alone to do their own thing. They can get so caught up in it that they shut out the rest of the world. They are bad at keeping deadlines and following rules.
• Decisions: Are put off. They want to keep things open and see what comes up. They do things out of the blue.
• Values: Strongly held. They see life as serious business, despite how laid-back they seem.
• Their feelings: deeply felt and well guarded. Thus their reserved nature.
• Love: Shown through loyalty and action rather than words. They love to help others. But because they tend not to think ahead, their actions often miscarry. They are the sort who screw things up even though their heart was in the right place.
• As children they liked music, drawing, painting and those science kits with the big, square battery.
• Toys: They loved their toys but did not take good care of them. They had a stuffed animal they took with them everywhere. They broke their toys to see how they worked.
• Learning style: They learn best by doing, not by reading it in a book or being taught. They never read the user’s manual.
• School: They thought it was boring, but liked music, art or science.
• As parents they give their children too much freedom and not enough rules.

See also:

• the sixteen types – find out what type you are and more about any of the 16 types
• ISFPs:
  • Jimi Hendrix
  • Lisa Bonet – or at least her Cosby character, Denise Huxtable
  • Michael Jackson