ISFJ Archetype: The Knight
ISFJs are some of the strongest people on the planet. They're often the backbone of religious institutions because of their undying faith. ISFJs have rigorous standards that they place above all else, including themselves.
Examples of famous ISFJs you may know include:
- Adam Sandler
- Elvis Presley
- Halle Berry
- Jay-Z
- Mother Teresa.
Expression Style
As is the case with all personality types, the ISFJ lies at the intersection between a specific expression style and a specific worldview. They are one of the four background types, meaning that their communication style is informative, responding, and outcome.
Informative: In fact, ISFJs are triple informative, so their speech is designed to avoid bossing people around. They tend to give people hints and warnings to clue them in on what is not easily perceived.
Responding: ISFJs like to be sought out. They wait patiently for people to come to them for information and tend to stay on topic in conversation.
Outcome: ISFJs put their faith in their own work ethic. This enables them to endure suffering for a long time without seeing results because they know their visions will eventually come true. ISFJs can have occasional moments of stagnation, but it's often the case that their progress is simply too covert to detect.
Worldview
ISFJs are part of the Guardian worldview, also known as the SJ temperament, meaning that they are concrete, affiliative, and systematic.
Concrete: ISFJs are down-to-earth people. They often look abstract because of their fears of the unknown and their faith in the unseen, but they ultimately rely on observable facts to determine what they know.
Affiliative: ISFJs feel safer when they are part of a team. They use their code of ethics to dictate to themselves and others what is the right thing to do. They may even punish people who rebel against such a system.
Systematic: ISFJs are very habitual and are happy to do things the same way every time. They keep track of their past solutions to problems to streamline processes in their lives.
Cognitive Functions
Si Hero
Si Hero is capable of putting up with endless hardship. Si Hero has the highest pain tolerance and is an immovable object, firm in its convictions, and lives out tradition daily. ISFJs love comfort because it allows them to cope with the pain that comes from working so hard to be consistent. ISFJs have a strong attention to detail, leading to awareness of personal experience and long-term memory.
Fe Parent
Fe Parent is skeptical of the deservedness of other people when it comes to giving help. ISFJs avoid being doormats by spending their effort on people who show them gratitude. They enforce social rules to maintain group harmony and punish people for inappropriate behavior. ISFJs have the easiest time not being liked out of all the Fe users, as they realize that not everyone is responsible with their values. Having a code of conduct to pledge allegiance to is important for them to behave ethically.
Ti Child
Ti Child is the purest form of logic. ISFJs love being asked questions, coupled with their attention to detail; they're one of the cleanest types. This lends itself to producing some of the most elegant solutions to society's problems. ISFJs are often seen as alienating for their criticism. They're so aware of the truth, and some people are not prepared for their honesty. The ignorance of an ISFJ comes from relying on preferred input or last known input. Their Ti Child is at high risk of processing bad input because they often dedicate themselves to certain ideologies without considering other options.
Ne Inferior
Ne Inferior is afraid of consequences. ISFJs work to protect the freedom of other people so that they can have a better future. ISFJs struggle with fear the most of all the types. Having someone brave enough to take risks with them inspires faith in them. ISFJs love to be wanted and are often an afterthought. Initiating with them lets them know that they are desirable.
Se Nemesis
Se Nemesis obligates people whom the ISFJ perceives as being too weak to stick to their convictions. ISFJs find themselves obligated to do things themselves and force people into the same situation. They worry that their performance is not good enough to provide other people a good experience. This can cause them to be clean freaks.
Fi Critic
Fi Critic causes feelings of inadequacy in ISFJs. Their principles are often too moral, such that nobody can measure up. Awareness of their failures to be moral can lead to self-deprecation, where ISFJs punish themselves with low-quality situations. They should not shoot themselves in the foot, as they do. ISFJs are often ungrateful for what they have been given because they know they contribute more than can ever be rewarded. They can feel entitled to moments of evil and vengeance as their way of coming to collect.
Te Trickster
When titles of credibility are not present, ISFJs will listen to all parties equally on a subject. They cannot distinguish which sources of information are actually rational, which leads to them having bad input and makes other people around them feel useless to them. ISFJs often do not realize that other people think the same things as them. They may share old information and come off as condescending.
Ni Demon
Ni Demon is a denial of an ISFJ's desires. ISFJs do not care about what they want, which can lead to them being stuck in situations for far longer than necessary. They would hate to deviate from their habits and leave people behind. Do not expect an ISFJ to be choosy. They are risk-averse to the point of paralysis. Involve yourself in their decisions and prevent them from hitting a dead end.
Four Sides of the Mind
ENTP Subconscious
ENTP Subconscious reveals the ISFJ's path to responsibility and maturity. The biggest source of their maturity comes from their parent function. ISFJs develop their parent function by considering how other people feel when taking action. Without Fe Parent, an ISFJ will be too concerned with their own experience to consider how they might be hurting other people. They need to find an optimal balance between helping others and helping themselves.
ESFP Unconscious
ESFP Unconscious reveals the ISFJ's path to happiness. When they break through the fear of their inferior, it becomes aspirational, and they become strong and capable where they were previously weak and afraid. A developed ESFP Shadow recognizes when it is not enough to follow the bouncing ball in life. It rebels and creates chaos for the sake of creating better choices for others.
INTJ Superego
INTJ Superego reveals the ISFJ's path to love. Over time, ISFJs realize that they doom themselves to misfortune in their efforts to protect others. They involve themselves in visions of the future and push toward their goals. INTJ Super Ego in its Angelic form is about using willpower to show humanity that there is always hope for a better way. The Te Master of the ISFJ can cause humanity to think about new ways of judging morality, and the Ni Angel attaches itself to the people who need to be brought along for their journey.
Summary
ISFJs can save others from disaster but typically not themselves. They often carry the heaviest burdens on their backs despite not getting much of the credit. ISFJs can adopt habits and keep them for decades. They need good people around to save them from damaging routines.
