ISFP Myers Briggs personality types are reserved and prefer to live in a world of poise and aesthetics. They are introverts and may be hard to understand at times.

ISFPs share introverted feeling as a dominant cognitive function. This quality makes them empathetic, loving, gentle, and generous by nature. 

They have a nudge for creativity and aesthetics. People with this personality type are spontaneous and agile. They move with the flow of life and prefer to stay tuned to sensory experiences.

At the same time, ISFPs are accommodating and prefer similar gestures from others. They do not get along well with stubborn and assertive personality styles.

ISFP Myers Briggs Type – How do they look?

SUMMARY
ISFP personality is an introvert. They are quiet and reserved, spontaneous and flexible, and remain connected to the sensory experiences. They are aesthetically inclined, peaceful souls who enjoy the tiny pleasures of life with grit and humility.

The acronym ISFP stands for Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving. It is one of the 16 personality types as given by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test.

People with this personality type are generally very shy. So, it can be hard to start a new friendship with an ISFP. However, for people who get to know them well, ISFPs can be great friends.

ISFPs are quiet souls so they are not easy to recognize. They prefer to act upon things rather than using words to convey their ideas. People with an ISFP personality type are easygoing, flexible, and adaptable. 

At times, they may appear aloof but when you try to connect with them deeply, you will find a humble, friendly, caring, and gentle person living deep within.

ISFPs are less assertive and prefer to maintain a low-key profile in social spaces. They have a natural inclination towards fine arts, performing arts and you may find many artists possessing ISFP personality type.

ISFPs are less ambitious and prefer to live the joyful moments of life fully. They are attuned to their surroundings and as such enjoy close friendships, close family bonding, etc.

For an ISFP, life is a sweet and bitter journey that they wish to live fully with happiness and inner peace. They are tolerant and prefer to give space to those who live with them.

In this article, we will give a brief overview of the ISFP personality type and get to know them better.

ISFP Type Description

Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother, Katharine Cook Briggs, developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test in the middle of the 20th century.

This Myers-Briggs type of personality test grades an individual’s character on the basis of four dichotomies. Each of these dichotomies has two cognitive types associated with it. 

These are:

  1. Energy: Extraversion or Introversion
  2. Information: Sensing or Intuition
  3. Decisions: Thinking or Feeling
  4. Lifestyle: Judging or Perceiving

As we have mentioned before, an ISFP is Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving. Let us now look at each of these terms in detail and see what they mean.

Introverted

ISFPs are introverts by nature. This means that they like spending time alone. Not only that, but they also value the time they spend on their own. ISFPs tend to use that time to energize themselves.

ISFPs are also quite shy. They do not like to be the center of attention. When an ISFP individual attends any party or social gathering, they tend to be alone. They keep quiet and observe everything. As a matter of fact, ISFPs are good observers.

Because of their introverted nature, ISFPs do not like to conform to any socially prevalent standards. They prefer to live their life on their own norms and rules.

Sensing

ISFPs are adept at using their senses to judge their environment. This also makes them good at problem solving.

A sensing type of personality also means that these individuals love to experience new things. They always look for new adventures and experiences.

However, they prefer to enjoy these experiences alone, rather than share them with others.

Feeling

Feelings and emotions hold a high degree of importance to an ISFP individual. ISFPs tend to be very passionate about the things they love.

These people are also sensitive and caring by nature. They have a kind heart and are always willing to help others. This makes them good caregivers.

ISFPs are also quite altruistic and generous by nature. They often love to denote money or contribute otherwise to charitable organizations and other good causes.

Apart from that, a Feeling type of personality also means that ISFPs tend to be whimsical. They often make important decisions based on what they are feeling at that moment. 

They do not want to carefully plan or assess a situation. Instead, they believe more in action rather than words. 

They will dive headfirst into a problem and think of the consequences later. They focus more on finding an immediate solution to a problem, rather than a long term one.

Perceiving

Because of their perceiving nature, ISFPs are open-minded. They are understanding and can blend themselves well with the demands of the situation.

As we mentioned before, ISFPs tend to avoid social interactions. Despite that, they are quite flexible. They can spontaneously adapt to any unfavorable situation.

ISFPs are not judgmental. This also implies that they can easily trust people. This makes them vulnerable to being betrayed.

The personality profile of an ISFP

ISFPs have a strong desire to live in the present moment. They are very much action oriented. This means that when ISFP faces some problems, they are more prone to act on a whim, rather than plan a solution.

If you are an ISFP type of individual, your personality profile will probably be gentle and sensitive. Your friends and family probably say that you have a heart of gold. That is because of your altruistic nature. You tend to be helpful towards everyone.

You trust everyone quite easily. Sometimes this is a good thing. But it may also be a bad idea in some cases. Someone whom you have trusted might take advantage of this, and betray you in a bad way.

However, that does not stop you from helping others. You are probably shy and introverted. You may find it difficult to make friends. But those who know you can definitely vouch for you. They know that you are a good friend, and a dependable and trustworthy person.

Because of being introverted, you hate being the center of attention. This is probably why you do not like going to parties and social gatherings. 

Even if you have to go, you probably stand quietly in a corner. You do not speak to anyone unless they speak to you first. 

You just stand there quietly and observe everyone. In fact, you realize that you are probably a good observer.

The Sensing part of your personality makes you appreciate aesthetics. You want your surrounding environment to be both aesthetically beautiful and practical.

You are probably a believer in the “Actions speak louder than words” principle. This is because of the Feeling side of your personality. 

To you, finding the immediate solution of a problem is more crucial than a long-term solution. 

You have probably been called whimsical for this. But in your mind, that is the correct way to approach a problem.

Because of being an ISFP, you like to live your life on your terms. You do not want to abide by the socially valued norms. Instead, you want to do what feels morally correct to you.

This is probably the reason why you do not want to work with strict guidelines and rules. You are a creative person and want to solve problems in your unique way.

All of these characters are what essentially make you an ISFP.

The chief personality traits that make up your personality type are as follows:

  • Action oriented
  • Shy
  • Introverted
  • Generous
  • Not good at social interactions
  • Kind-hearted
  • Passionate and enthusiastic about things they love
  • Impulsive
  • Whimsical
  • Having good observation skills
  • Quiet nature
  • Flexible and adjusting under difficult situations
  • Having a desire to live in the current moment
  • Less talkative
  • Selfless
  • Helpful towards everyone
  • Sensitive
  • Charming nature
  • Altruistic attitude
  • Easily trusting towards others
  • No wish to conform to norms set by the society
  • Nature lovers and animal lovers
  • Creative
  • Artistic
  • Modest
  • Humble
  • Strong wish to live life on their own terms

How common are ISFPs?

Out of the 16 different personality types, ISFPs are the fourth most common type in the world. 9% of the general population worldwide has an ISFP personality.

If we look at the specific rates, 10% of all women are ISFPs. On the other hand, 8% of all males worldwide are ISFPs.

Many famous celebrities also have an ISFP personality. This list includes the world-famous footballer or soccer player, David Beckham, the legendary painter Frida Kahlo, and the iconic Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe. 

Apart from them, many famous musicians like Mozart, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Rihanna, and Cher also have ISFP personalities. 

Among famous fictional characters, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter is also an ISFP type of individual.

What ISFPs delight?

There are certain things that ISFPs love to do in their daily lives. Some of them are, as follows:

  • They have a good taste for aesthetics and beauty. So, they are better able to appreciate the subtle beauties of nature.
  • They are usually animal lovers. For this reason, many ISFPs own pet dogs or cats. They are very kind towards their pets. They consider their pets to be like their own children. They take good care of their pets.
  • ISFPs love to selflessly serve others. They are nurturing and caring. For this reason, they can be good caregivers.
  • They are good at creating something beautiful. ISFPs have a strong artistic inclination. They are good at music, photography, acting, and other related fields. This is the reason why many famous musicians, actors, and painters have an ISFP type of personality.
  • They have strong, deep rooted inner values. So, they are driven by their own personal set of beliefs.
  • They love to help other people when they are in distress or need. 

ISFPs are generally quite well aware of their surroundings. So, they love to gather information about other people.

What ISFPs hate?

Just like any other individual, ISFPs also hate or do not like certain particular things. Some of these things are:

  • They do not like to be the center of attention. They want to stay as far away from the spotlight as possible.
  • They do not want to conform to socially accepted standards.
  • They dislike being controlled by other people. 
  • ISFPs are essentially very humble and modest. So, they do not like to take credit, even for those things that they do extremely well.
  • When an ISFP is given a task, they do not want to follow strict guidelines. Instead, they prefer doing things in their own way.
  • ISFPs do not like social interactions. They hate going to birthday parties or any other similar social events.
  • ISFPs are non-judgmental. They are open-minded and do not judge others. For this reason, they also do not want to be judged by others.

ISFP learning style

If we try to dissect the learning styles of ISFPs, we can find certain persistent trends.

Let us have a look at these trends below:

  • ISFPs are shy and introverted. Even if they have doubts about things being taught in class, they are hesitant to ask the teacher during class. For this reason, they may have problems in a classroom learning environment.
  • ISFPs do not like being the center of attention. For this reason, they are not good at giving academic presentations during class. They may also fumble while speaking in class in front of everyone even if they are speaking about things they know.
  • ISFPs prefer practical, experimental, and hands-on teaching methods. They do not benefit from purely theoretical studies.
  • ISFPs need a supportive teacher to thrive.
  • They prefer a private learning environment like home-schooling.
  • ISFPs give a strong importance to the aesthetics of their surrounding environment. So, if they do not get aesthetic pleasure from their school or learning environment, they can get distracted and disturbed. This hampers their learning. They perform academically better in a colorful and vibrant environment, rather than a dull one.
  • They are more prone to remember their study materials if they watch videos or experiments about particular topics, rather than if they just read the same material from the book.
  • ISFPs do not like to follow strict rules and guidelines. They prefer finding an open-ended solution to traditional problems.
  • ISFPs have a good creative mind. This makes them good at problem solving.
  • ISFPs are also good observers. So, they have very high visual learning skills. Their learning is significantly improved if their teachers use visual aids.
  • Because of the Feeling part of their personality, ISFPs are more prone to trust their gut feelings while solving problems, instead of carefully analyzing all options.

To Sum Up

Overall, in this article, we have seen what the personality profile of an ISFP person looks like.

ISFPs are essentially action-oriented individuals who mostly like to keep to themselves. But at the same time, they are gentle, caring, trusting people who are always ready to help others. 

One can find it difficult to become friends with an ISFP. But for those who know them well, ISFPs can be great friends. They are flexible, spontaneous, and easy-going, and prefer to live their life on their own terms.