All Posts By

Lauren Sapala

INFJ and INFP Fawning Response

For INFJ personality types and INFP personality types, the fawning response is most often a result of trauma in childhood. However, a consistent fawning response can also come about in relationships due to self-worth issues, and not feeling understood by others.

Fawning is an extreme form of people-pleasing, and when INFJ personality types and INFP personality types use this type of strategy in relationships, we signal to the other person that we will do anything to placate them and make them happy. INFJ personality types and INFP personality types use the fawning response to stay in control of interactions and manage the unpredictable moods of others, especially if those others are narcissistic personality types. Continue Reading

21 July, 2024 by

INFJ and INFP Personality Types and Frenemies

INFJ personality types and INFP personality types often attract people who want to form friendships, but who also give mixed messages. These messages may include:

“I like you,” and “I’m jealous / threatened by you.”

Or, “we’re friends,” but “I want to see you fail.”

This type of “friend” is known as a “frenemy,” because they embody traits of a friend, and also traits of an enemy. The mixed messages that INFJ personality types and INFP personality types receive in these types of friendships are very confusing and hurtful, and we usually internalize the messages and blame ourselves. Continue Reading

19 July, 2024 by

Neurodivergence and Creativity

The INFJ personality type and INFP personality type can easily fall into self-judgment about our ability to focus, or our lack of focus. This comes up especially strongly around the creative process. We tend to believe that “creative focus” means completing a project using linear steps, and being very organized all along the way. We also usually assume that being focused means we need to be efficient and fast when completing the project, and that we also need to stick with one creative project until it’s done. Continue Reading

26 June, 2024 by

Creativity and Self-Sabotage

INFJ personality types and INFP personality types both tend to struggle with self-sabotage in the creative process. Self-sabotage is an energy that is always driven by fear. For INFJ personality types and INFP personality types, the fear is often that if we experience a creative success, we will then be held to that higher standard for ever after. When we inevitably fail to meet that standard again in the future, we fear that others will be disappointed in us, withdraw their love, and then abandon us. Continue Reading

24 June, 2024 by

Codependency and Creativity

INFJ personality types and INFP personality types tend to struggle severely with codependency throughout life. This can be extremely detrimental to our creative lives because codependency is a major block to creativity.

When we are in a codependent relationship with someone, we often will hold ourselves back from doing anything that is threatening to the other person. We will accommodate the other person’s preferences and desires over our own needs, and end up betraying ourselves over and over again. Creativity requires us to take risks, and often these risks can be threatening to other people, especially someone who might be the other half of our codependent relationship. Continue Reading

22 June, 2024 by