The Myers-Briggs personality indicator is an introspective self-report questionnaire indicating differing psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. It is based on the theory of psychological types formulated by Carl Gustav Jung, and is used to identify 16 different personality types. There are four axes – also called dichotomous pairs of cognitive functions – on which this indicator is based: Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I); Sensing (S); Intuition (N); Thinking (T) or Feeling (F); Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).
Only 1 percent of people are INFJ personality types, meaning that they move along the axes of introversion, intuition, feeling and judging. People who identify with this type of personality are emotionally vulnerable and highly sensitive, and their inner vision, personal values, and quiet principled version of humanism guide them in all things.
For those who are INFJs, a creative act such as writing can be very challenging because of their extreme vulnerability. There are so many questions that an INFJ writer tends to ask themselves before they begin to write: where do I start? How do I start? And the burning question that seems to bother them most is, “does anyone else feel this way”? This is why the first piece of advice that Lauren Sapala has for INFJ writers is to join a writing support group where they can meet other INFJs to help them feel less alone on what she calls the long journey to healing.
Finding support, however, is not the only key to unlocking your creative path. The other is acceptance. When you haven't written anything for a long time, doing so can be as tough as unblocking a clogged pipe. It takes time, and you have to dig out all the gunk if you want clean, fresh water to be able to flow properly. It can be very frustrating, but there is no other way to get the job done. The first page you are going to write may be quite alarming because it will most likely be very confused. This is completely normal. In fact, this messy start is a sign that you are on the right track. You mustn’t lose heart in this phase, just accept yourself as you are. Accepting these first pages is really important because it will help you with acceptance overall. Of course it would be easier to do nothing because you wouldn’t be pushed to take any emotional leaps of faith, but unexpressed creativity can lead to intense physical pain, and leave you vulnerable to addictions such as alcohol or drugs. So, this is the only way forward: you need to be brave, get back on track, and learn to truly love yourself.