And I’m looking for spaceAnd to find out who I amAnd I’m looking to know and understandIt’s a sweet, sweet dreamSometimes I’m almost thereSometimes I fly like an eagleAnd sometimes I’m deep in despair — John Denver, ‘Looking for Space’
Positive versus negative affect as a personality trait. It’s a topic that is, as the French say, “trop compliqué.”
(Though not as complicated as figuring out how to add an accent using the special character menu.) F the French accents, though I don’t wish to be mean to the French. I like croissants. Not that I should eat them. But they are really good with strawberry preserves and butter. Let’s just be honest.
But back to my point. Genomics reveal whether an individual has “more positive affect” as a personality trait. Positive affect refers to people who are joyful, enthusiastic and cheerful. For example, my coiffeur is incredibly extroverted and sanguine.
Negative affectivity, in contrast, is more about negative expression such as lethargy. Whatever. It’s called caffeine. And, sadness. Whatever. It’s cured by croissants.
INFJs have fewer public displays of positive emotions, but do the majority of INFJs have less positive affect as part of their emotional character?
In simple terms, negative affectivity is something we see with the melancholic/phlegmatic temperaments. (The temperament of an INFJ). The catch is, we are also very agreeable so we hide our negative emotions around other people so they don’t feel bad. And though it sounds counterintuitive, a low positive affect person can and often is a happy person who still finds themselves in the sunshine.
INFJ personality type correlates with high empathy. Recently I’ve been thinking about the fact that the word, “pathetic” is hidden within empathetic. I am totally pathetic when it come to my expression of empathy.
My empathy is fairly useless. I feel sad and stressed about other people’s problems that I can do very little if nothing about. And often nothing reduces my stress and anxiety better than a visit to the hair salon.
My coiffeur’s empathy is more meaningful. He plays with people’s hair which makes them happy. He listens to them talk — and invariably comes up with pretty insightful ideas to help. Sanguine types are not as stupid as they appear.
I can be a little bit of a helper in life, but primarily I’m an idealist/analyst. By watching the television series, “Lucifer,” I’ve come to realize that being an idealist/analyst is the worst possible combination. That’s because it’s a never-ending cycle of absurdity. I want life/people to make sense from an idealistic perspective — but the answers never add up because things aren’t ideal. Ironic that an idealistic person has “low positive affect.” But maybe that’s because we are constantly being let down. If only I could have low expectations for humanity.
If there’s an answerIt’s just that it’s just that way
Tough-minded individuals are particularly interesting to me. I’ve devoted way too many projects to them because I seek answers in the opposite of myself.
INFJ (Melancholic-Phlegmatic) Genomics report indicates I have a very low need for social approval, high empathy and low positive affect.
ESTP (temperament blend: Choleric-Sanguine) Gets results. Needs to be accepted socially (opposite). Quickly aroused; easily calmed. Motivator. Dislikes weakness. High positive affect (opposite).
The ENTP (temperament blend: Sanguine-Choleric). Good debaters. Most assertive of the happy sanguine types. INFJ-ENTP is supposedly a strong compatibility match. Saying that just made me realize that MBTI isn’t a good system for determining romantic compatibility. And that means I just wasted the last 4 years of my life on psychological typology.
I could have spent those 4 years baking or getting massages or jogging. Or sleeping. I think I’ll just focus on sleep right now.
It’s a sweet, sweet, sweet dreamSometimes I’m almost there.
