The INFP male is so unique that they make up only about 1-1.5% of the population. Their character traits are mostly unappreciated.
Men, when young, are usually taught a certain way, according to the world’s standards. This is also true for women as well. But, of course, most of you know that already.
Unfortunately, the INFP male suffers the most from this programming, as they vary drastically from what we are taught to believe about men. The truth is, there are many different types of people, and we should never try to remold them to our liking.
The INFP is one of the rarest personality types of the Myers-Briggs classification. INFP stands for introversion (I), intuition (N), feeling (F), and perception (P).
The INFP male is a sensitive and caring person. Not only do they care about people in general, but they also care about the whole of the world around them. They also have an ability to connect with people and convey a warmth rarely seen in other personality types.
Personality traits and struggles of the INFP Male
There are many distinctive traits of the INFP type of man. Some of these traits seem magical, while some of them can be frustrating. That’s right, this male has great qualities but often struggles with the same qualities in various situations, or with other facets of their personality.
Here are a few traits to consider, in case you’re wondering if you might be an INFP man. Hey, maybe someone you know or love has these characteristics.
1. Observant
Being a male characterized as an INFP, many times discovered through the Myers-Briggs personality test means being highly observant.
While others may ride the bus and never pay attention to their outside surroundings, you may become fascinated by every little leaf and branch of the trees on the side of the road.
You may be enamored by the cracked sidewalks or the intricate details of the buildings that fly by on the way to your destination. You notice everything and often talk about everything you notice in-depth.
Here’s the struggle:
While being observant, you often forget the obvious. This means that maybe you’ve been riding the bus to work every day, but you haven’t paid attention to how you get there.
Now, let’s say, you buy a car and decide to drive your personal automobile work instead. Would it be a surprise to know that you haven’t a clue about how to get there?
As wild as it may seem, being observant of small details sometimes keeps you from noticing the larger ones, like which streets take you to work or home. This is the hidden struggle in the gift of the mediator personality.
2. Compassionate
The INFP male is more compassionate than others. When I say this, it’s not an insult to everyone else, it just means that these males care beyond what’s necessary, and tend to feel the pain of others. Yes, it’s about empathy, and how that works.
Being so empathetic helps this type of male become closer to others and able to help them in difficult situations. They spread warmth, and make sure their friends and loved ones do not feel alone with their problems.
Here’s the struggle:
Even though compassion is a good attribute, it can also become a weight. If you feel too deeply for someone else or their problems, you can become heavy with their burdens as well. The pain and discomfort can become so bad that it affects you physically and mentally. This is the biggest drawback to enduring empathic feelings this strong.
3. Avoids conflict
If only others could avoid conflict like the INFP, then the world might be a better place. Yes, you try not to fight about things that can be cured with communication.
Instead of rough confrontation, you tend to talk through the issues, finding resolution and peace which benefits all parties involved in the disagreement. If the problem revolves around you, as an INFP, you rather apologize than push to be right, even when you are.
Here’s the struggle:
Even though you avoid conflict, you tend to leave yourself open to being a “pushover”. While most times, communication can help with problems, there comes a time when confrontation cannot be avoided.
Conflict cannot always be pushed back, especially in the case of injustice or when bullying is the problem. Avoiding conflict in these situations may provide a path for even more pain. Let’s face it, some people do not know how to communicate, and if you are an INFP trying to make this work, you could be disappointed.
4. Strong beliefs
The INFPs have strong belief systems and rarely change their minds from mere suggestion. They have morals and standards which can stand the test of time. While they aren’t rude when talking about these things, they are usually committed to their standards.
Hey, if you are an INFP male, you have a pretty tight belief of what is right and wrong.
Here’s the struggle:
What is right, and what is wrong? Can you, as an INFP male truly know this? The fact is, there are rights and wrongs for all of us which vary, and then there are universal rights and wrongs. Don’t let us forget the gray areas either.
Sometimes, the INFP can become frustrated by the strong debates of others. Although you may stand strong in your beliefs, you cannot ignore the good points you hear from friends and family that contradict what you believe.
Do you waver? Not usually. Do you question your beliefs sometimes? You probably do. Can you see the struggle?
5. Introspective
One of the most intriguing traits of the INFP male is introspection. This man is always looking inward and analyzing who he is. Are you like this? Do you sit for hours and take your own traits and personality apart, looking through the magnifying lens of your heart and mind? If so, you may be an INFP male.
Here’s the struggle:
When others find out how much you think about yourself, they sometimes see it as self-absorption. This is especially true when you share your raw feelings about who you are.
While your true intentions are to always be aware of who you are, and what you’re thinking, to others, you may seem obsessed with your own life, selfish, and disregarding others. You have to be careful who you trust with this part of yourself.
Are you an INFP man?
To all the men out there, is this you? Are you sensitive, sometimes to a fault? Do you look within and try to figure out what you’re about? Do you sometimes get lost in the details of life? Hey, these are some of the many traits of the INFP male, and you could certainly be this type of person.
Take some time, read through these traits, and even take a personality quiz or two. But whatever you do, never be ashamed of who you are. If you are an INFP man, then embrace that fact, and learn to love the good and the bad points of who you are. It’s about balance when it comes to any personality type.
Remember, everyone is unique and needed in this world today, even the INFP male, as rare and magical as he may seem. Life wouldn’t be the same without you.
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Sometimes it’s not fun being like this
Most of the time, it’s not fun being like this.
Finally. A clear statement, standards to teach, achieve, exemplify, maintain for both men and women. Best parent!
Thank you for reading, Sere.
Thanks for this nice article. I am an INFP male and this is pretty much spot on. Helps me know even more about myself.
You are welcome. Thank you for reading, Peter.
IS this just for men? I found I could relate to all of the above!!
There are also INFP females as well. You should read about the various types of personalities. You might be surprised by how you fit in.
I think I’m an INFP male, thanks for making me accepting myself!!!
And thank you for reading, John.
Thank you so much Madame for the article. It has given me the long-awaited vindication that I have searched for so long. That I am not weird, I am not alone and I am a unique and brilliant creation of a male.
Everyone has worth. I remember being bullied for being different. It’s always a breath of fresh air to realize you are not weird or less than good enough. There are so many different people on this planet, all with positive and negative aspects of their personalities.
I have all of the traits and I only use to have one of the weakness of drawbacks that I over came. Are most males with this personality like that or am I something else. Like I first mentioned I have all of the traits and non of the weaknesses.
I think it varies from person to person. Personality tests aren’t 100% accurate on every single trait. We cannot be put into boxes. These tests just help us understand the majority of how we relate and react in society. No one person is alike exactly. So, this means, while you may have most or all of the traits, others may not. Some may have mixed traits with other personality types. I remember writing about the simple letters INFP, and now we are seeing different types of INFP personalities like the “turbulent” and the “assertive”. Before you know it, there may be different types of turbulent traits. So appreciate those traits you have and build upon the positive aspects.
I have all of the traits with the exception of the “strong beliefs” one. I feel like i’m really the oposite of that one, but those are just traits anyway, so it make sense overall.
Yep! Thank you for reading, August. 🙂
Hey Sherrie, thank you for writing this 🙂 I’m a male INFP who just found out about the MBTI types later in life so I’m in learning mode. I definitely identify with all of what you’ve written, to some degree. As I’m navigating my way through this fascinating new-to-me world of psychology and self-understanding I keep feeling like I’ve been cheated at life by not knowing about this earlier – I feel like a lot of my life would have been “easier”. The societal programming of young men definitely affected me when I look back at my life. The stereotypical “man” certainly doesn’t align with the traits of an INFP personality. What I’m learning though, is that as I matured in age, my “I don’t give a sh*t what people think” attitude matured as well and I can apply that not only to deciding to wear a blue Mohawk to school/work, or not caring if my hair is messy, but also being comfortable in expressing my emotions outwardly. I cry in public, I’m a hugger and I tell everyone I love them, even the manliest of men. I’ve been told in the past by quite a few people that they were intimidated in approaching me when we first met, and were shocked when they learned that I’m just a big ‘ol teddy bear. I don’t want people to be intimidated by my appearance, so I try to make an extra effort to send out positive vibes AND I do enjoy challenging “manly-men” to embrace emotion; that is a true sign of “strength”, for this INFP guy anyway 🙂 looking forward to the INFO newsletter! Peace & Love, Dusty
Being an INFP, I relate a lot with whats been said. Though, I will like to put some of my private struggles especially with regards to work. People of all shades occupy the work place. Many are great and worth all the time, though, there are a lot who are outright toxic to have in the team. As an empathetic person, I would always try to understand where do they come from and why they act in the way they do: even to an extend of placating them to walk along. Many a times, this is too much to hold teams together. At the end of the day, you take a lot of emotional tantrums and internalize a lot of the negatives to keep the boat sailing. Very often, the teams deliver beyond expectation, but there is a cost you pay in the process by being invested in the emotions of people you work with. You also have to be altruistic when it comes to your own personal growth. The modern work place is still built around rewarding “the knight in the shining armor” rather than the servant leader who is essentially pushing a team to shine than individuals.