To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.
Osho
Overview of “the Composer”
ISFPs are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.
- Introverted because they are energized by time spent alone and connect most with their inner world.
- Sensing because they explore practical details of the physical world and focus primarily on the past and present.
- Feeling because they prioritize personal values and emotions when making decisions.
- Perceiving because they live spontaneously and follow their inspirations and energy to complete tasks.
ISFPs are creative and artistic people. They are easygoing and often express themselves through action. These types have an infectious calm and spend a substantial amount of time processing their deep emotions through artistic means. They enjoy engaging with creative projects to piece together a stunning, aesthetic final product.
ISFPs are very accepting and tolerant people who prefer to take on a supportive role. They may grow to distrust people who constantly make waves or cause unnecessary conflict and may find themselves in a mediating space in many of their relationships. Although they hold very strong convictions, they rarely voice those opinions in an assertive or domineering way. They are confident in their individuality and are extremely autonomous. With that in mind, although they do not go searching for validation, they do greatly appreciate it when it comes to them and will bond especially with those people who support their emotions and encourage their growth.
Cognitive Functions
In the Myers-Briggs personality system there are eight cognitive functions. Your unique personality is a road map pointing to the four cognitive functions that you access consciously. Every personality will have two extroverted functions and two introverted functions. Every personality will also have one feeling function, one thinking function, one intuitive function, and one sensing function. For more help and practice identifying cognitive functions for the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types check out this worksheet. All eight functions are as follows:
- Extroverted Intuition
- Introverted Intuition
- Extroverted Sensing
- Introverted Sensing
- Extroverted Feeling
- Introverted Feeling
- Extroverted Thinking
- Introverted Thinking
Fi (Introverted Feeling) – Dominant
An ISFP’s dominant cognitive function is Introverted Feeling, abbreviated as Fi. Dominant cognitive functions are used approximately 80% of the time by an individual and are hardly noticed by the user. This function will feel like second nature and “drives” an ISFP.
10 Signs You’re Fi-dominant
- Authenticity is important you
- You have strong “gut feelings”
- You do not force your opinions on others
- Not necessarily an open book
- You crave freedom
- Fairly independent and individualistic
- Can step into someone else’s shoes
- Strong sense of empathy
- Can be sensitive to criticism
- Deeply rooted value structure
Positives of Being Fi-dominant
- Having a strong sense of right and wrong
- Maintaining emotional independence
- Connecting deeply with the inner self
- Considering belief systems and morality
Struggles of Being Fi-dominant
- Sensitivity to criticism
- Tendency to be stubborn
- Needing extra time to process things
- Abundantly empathetic (almost to a fault)
A note to the ISFPs reading…
Ever wonder why you need extra time to process conversations or emotionally charged events? That’s Fi. Ever confused why other people think there is one right way of doing or seeing things when each person has a unique perspective? That’s Fi. Do you have one or more artistic modes of expression (dance, painting, music, etc.) that you need to do to feel complete, sane, and whole? That’s Fi.
Introverted Feeling is the reason you explore the depths of yourself and feel incredibly hurt when others do not seek to understand you. Fi explains why you have a strong sense of right and wrong and are baffled when others do things without conviction. This function helps you to empathize with others and understand the world through unique eyes. It can be your secret weapon and your Achilles heel if it is not properly balanced with the other cognitive functions.
Se (Extroverted Sensing) – Auxiliary
An ISFP’s secondary function is Extroverted Sensing/Se. If someone is an introvert, their dominant function will be introverted and their auxiliary function will always be extroverted. Balance is necessary — especially in the brain! Se helps bring new experiences and adventures to Fi.
10 Signs You’re Se-auxiliary
- You make verbal observations about the world
- You get bored and restless easily
- You live in the moment
- Quick reflexes gives you athletic tendencies
- You have a good sense of direction
- You notice physical changes in other people
- Actions speak louder than words to you
- You dislike being controlled
- You learn through experience
- You are a realist and dislike the theoretical
Se takes a backseat to Fi. Because Fi is the driver, Se brings new experiences to the information Fi is processing. This is why ISFPs seem to be on a constant quest for new adventure and stimulation because Se explores their outer world as Fi organizes the value structure of the inner world.
ISFPs are fairly reserved with new people but also have a large social circle. They are usually well known but not always well understood. They show up to the world as attractive, artsy people but open up their true heart to very few people. Close friends and family will see their sense of humor and goofy side while others will see their stunning art. ISFPs will understand themselves to be introverted because of their need for alone time. Their bedroom is their safe space (more so than other introverted types) because they usually take the time to express themselves through their possessions. ISFPs will enjoy their room time and might need to hermit after excessive social interaction.
Ni (Introverted Intuition) – Tertiary
An ISFP’s tertiary cognitive function is Introverted Intuition/Ni. This position as third in the “cognitive stack” means that FiSe is running the show the majority of the time. Because of this, Ni is a bit underdeveloped and usually starts to show up in an ISFP’s mid-20s. Tertiary functions usually have the maturity level of a ten-year-old child — they can serve as a strength or a weakness depending on how the user responds to it.
Tertiary Ni is why ISFPs have strong gut feelings about certain people or situations but can’t pinpoint exactly where those gut feelings come from. Ni is why they might have sudden epiphanies about themselves as new perspectives are introduced to values previously formed by Fi. Tertiary functions provide a comfortable place to escape from the usual cognitive default, so ISFPs might find themselves engaging Ni to dream about the future or dive into fictional worlds with hidden meanings. If Ni is ignored or undeveloped, the Fi-user will fail to dream or think ahead to what could be, getting overly caught up in the reality of what is. Because of Ni immaturity, these types will occasionally find themselves locked into a vision and idealizing a specific outcome.
Te (Extroverted Thinking) – Inferior
An ISFP’s inferior cognitive function is Extroverted Thinking/Te. This function is typically concerned with efficiency, productivity, and getting tasks completed. Inferior functions develop in midlife. Because of this late-blooming, there will be many times Te pops up in uncomfortable, weak, and even self-destructive ways.
Healthy Te-inferior looks like
- Personal structuring
- Respecting possessions
- Arriving on time
- Meeting deadlines
- Balanced reasoning
Unhealthy Te-inferior looks like
- Resisting structure
- Disorganization
- Poor time management
- Missing deadlines
- Black-and-white reasoning
Personality City 