Four Temperament Types: INtuitive-Feeler (NF)

The Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator is the best-known, highly regarded, and most widely used temperament assessment in the world. It was developed shortly after World War II by Isabel Myers and her mother, Katharine Cook Briggs. They were fascinated by the theoretical work of Carl Jung and sought to put his ideas into practical use.

There are 4 basic temperaments in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: INtuitive Thinkers (NTs); INtuitive Feelers (NFs); Sensate Judging (SJs); and Sensate Perceiving. Judging is better thought of as “Just Settle It;” perceiving is clearer when described as “Play It By Ear.”

Overview
The primary drive of NFs is significance and above all they value a sense of purpose. NFs seek to maximize potential in themselves and others. They enjoy developing deep relationships with others and seeking to impact them in positive ways.

Strengths
NFs are extremely intuitive and able to sense what others are thinking and feeling based solely on nonverbal cues. They tend to be emotional and subjective in their approach to life. Among their strengths is an ability to be introspective; as a result, they have a strong sense of self and understand their underlying motivations. NFs are caring and compassionate – sensitive and tactful – in their interactions with others.

Weaknesses
Sometimes NFs can allow their emotions to cloud their judgment. They can easily overlook factual data because they depend so strongly on their intuition. Others tend to view NFs as overly emotional, scattered, and lacking intellectual depth. However, when something is important to NFs they become extremely motivated, tireless, and determined to accomplish the task at hand.

Example
Barnabas is a great biblical example of an NF. When we first meet Barnabas in Acts 4, he had just sold some land and gave the proceeds to the Apostles to help the poor. NFs are generous people who are willing to sacrifice material possessions to help others.

Later in Acts 9 Barnabas put his reputation on the line by persuading the church in Jerusalem that Paul truly had accepted Christ. NFs are loyal individuals who stand up for their friends.

In Acts 11 the Gentiles in Antioch had accepted Jesus Christ, and the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to investigate. The first thing Barnabas did was to find Paul and bring him along to Antioch. NFs believe in people and don’t give up on others.

Careers
NFs excel in careers that are people-intensive, including education, human resources, social services, marketing, missions, and full-time ministry, among many others. Many NFs find success in the creative arts, including actors, musicians, writers, artists.

In the next post we’ll take a look at the temperament of Sensate Judging (SJs).

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