Have you ever met someone who seemed to be extremely similar to you despite coming from an entirely different background? It could be that you shared the same MBTI personality type. Your reaction may have been instant attraction or instant annoyance, depending on your relationship with yourself. These relationships can highlight what we love and hate most about ourselves. But are they compatible? Read on to find out the positives and negatives of INFP and INFP Relationships.
When two INFPs meet, it can feel exciting. Couples with the same MBTI type understand where the other person is coming from and where their mind is. Communication flows easily and they feel as if they’re on the same page.
The most valuable aspect of an INFP and INFP relationship is the ability to share and compare notes on the human experience. It feels relieving to meet someone who naturally understands and relates to you and the way you see the world. As such, this relationship inspires growth for those who feel isolated and rejected by others. INFP and INFP relationships are best friend relationships of two people who just “get” each other and so feel a deep connection. Further, they often agree on how life tasks should be handled and what should be prioritized, thus making them good partners.
Finally, though they have the same MBTI type, INFP couples may not even realize it since they still feel so different from each other in many ways. Type isn’t all of who someone is and other aspects of their personality and their life experiences still set them apart and make them valuably different from each other. They can also be set apart by different stages of development or maturity within their MBTI type. As such, INFP couples can still benefit from and appreciate each other’s differences. It is not like dating yourself but rather like someone who sees the world in the same way and processes information similarly.
INFP relationships are among the most difficult to get off the ground. They speak in terms of subtle meanings and are the least likely to initiate the first kiss. They feel things deeply and take their relationships seriously. If you’re dating or trying to date an INFP, download our guide with our top 20 pieces of practical advice for dating this type.
INFP and INFP relationships can be too similar in the wrong ways because they share the same weaknesses. As a result, they are susceptible to reinforcing each other’s weak points and self-indulgent behaviors instead of focusing on growth. If they become too self-indulgent, they shelter themselves from the world and adopt an “us against the world” mentality. They can reject those who don’t see the world from the same perspective as they do and create a bubble of isolation from different perspectives.
Other negatives are that INFPs freak out about the same types of things and so lack the benefit of a balanced perspective in those cases. They are critical in the same ways which can further isolate them or cause tension in the relationship. Further, since INFPs share perspectives and strengths, they often compete over who can do their mutual strengths better. Think of an INFP couple competing for who can be the INFPest.
Overall, despite these risks, if they understand their personality type and are dedicated to self-improvement, this couple can support each other in that journey since they are headed in the same or a similar direction.
Because INFPs have a natural understanding of each other, they can make excellent friendships and share some compatibility. On the downside, they bring out competitiveness and shared weaknesses present long-term problems. Overall, conflict is inherent and unavoidable in relationships and even the most compatible couples face problems.
No matter their MBTI type, a relationship is still made up of two individuals and its success depends on the health of each individual. In relationship compatibility, personality is only half of the story and MBTI type only makes up a portion of that. Individuals are highly complex and we have to account for their experience, culture, age, and everything else that makes them, them.
Sources:
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Sergei Ganin
Valentina Meged, Anatoly Ovcharov
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V.V. Gulenko, A.V. Molodtsev, “Introduction to socionics”