INTJ 33: Secrets From the Life of an INTJ

This short book seems to have been written, at least in part, by one of the thinking types that have an appreciation for what INFPs bring to the table (likes them as humans) but has an otherwise shallow understanding of what causes problems for them, as well as why and how they manage them the way they do. If you are an INFP, the read will feel a little bit like a smug smile and a pat on the head.It’s not that the insights are wrong; it’s that the stereotyping is so blatant the information becomes too myopic to be truly descriptive or helpful (for instance, according to the author, all INFPs have sensitive skin and have no tolerance for loud noises). The information most accurately describes young or otherwise immature INFPs, at any rate.The book might be helpful for someone who knows nothing about an INFP and wants a crash course, but hopefully, it won't be the only resource referenced. For INFPs, there are much more nuanced books available to help them understand themselves.

For many years (about 20 years now) I have read and studied MBTI in my living room. I am not professionally trained by any stretch of the imagination, but I've definitely read and owned a number of personality books in an attempt to understand myself and often times others as well. I see both positive and negative in this particular book (I use the term "book" loosely as it is very slim and is really more of a long essay, which I read in its entirety in less than 30 minutes).First, the positive.If you are a person who hasn't read much about being an INFP, this could be a mediocre, slightly longer version of a lot of readily available online information. It still is not all-encompassing, but it does provide a decent amount of baseline information for the INFP.If you are yourself an INFP or know one well, there will be bits that will ring true as you read. I have to admit there were a few lines in the book that I nodded or giggled along with, realizing that it was indeed true of myself some days. The key being SOME days.With anything good, there is often a down side, and unfortunately, I found quite a few in this read.The first is a minor infraction, but a tad annoying none-the-less. There are several typos in this book. While I will likely have a few here even in my review (we are each human after all), I am not publishing a book for the world to read and I feel it could've done with a good edit before it was sent to print (perhaps the electronic version has been modified, but be forewarned for the print edition). It's a little distracting in spots when reading because some of the sentences require a second or third go-over to make sure it is being read as intended by the author due to extra or misspelled words.Second, although the book claims (in its title no less) to have 33 secrets about INFPs, I don't think these are secrets at all. In fact, the information is available to anyone who goes online or picks up any MBTI book and reads for an hour or less about the INFP. There is nothing earth-shattering to be discovered in the pages of this book.I have to agree with the one-star reviewer who stated that the point of view seems to take a rather negative tone in regard to INFPs. I walked away from it feeling a bit down about myself. Having not read any of the other types from this series, I don't know with certainty whether this is the same for each type or just for the INFP, but for a type that is already hyper-sensitive to criticism and negativity, I would have found a less pessimistic way of providing the information. While the information itself may be true or partially true for an INFP, it is presented in a manner that is less than ideal for most INFPs.Additionally, it reads as though every INFP is spaced-out and inefficient, which is hardly true. Yes, I myself tend to have moments of scatter-brained behavior or daydreaming while someone I know well is speaking, but it doesn't mean that I have a messy house or that I can't/don't pay my bills on time. In fact, I'm the official bill-payer in our house! I have actually been praised for my record-keeping skills, so certainly not every INFP on the planet lives constantly in fantasy land or in an untidy kingdom.The book is presented in a way that reads as though INFPs are always at their worst, and no human on the planet lives a life in such a way to always exhibit their negative side. As has been indicated in prior reviews, despite having a sub-section for each chapter illustrating pros and cons, the overall tone comes off as unfavorable. I'm actually curious to read another type to see if it has the same tone - though I'm not certain I wish to spend the money to find out.If I were looking for information about the INFP without a lot of prior insight, I think there are better choices to read. Even picking up a general MBTI book that contains all personality types with more pared down information would be a better way to go than this particular choice. If you should decide this is one you must read, please be prepared to purchase an accompanying book from someone else, or better yet, just go to one of those other selections to begin with and save the money.Perhaps having the entire series would be an interesting library for those curious about types, but I would really hate for this to be the only representation of my type, and if each title is presented in the same manner, I wouldn't wish it for any other type either.Overall, I hope that the money I spent will save someone else from buying this book. Pick up the Do What You Are book or Please Understand Me for a better basic understanding, I'd say, and if you want more individualized information, there are plenty of those to choose from as well.

The booklet consists of thirty three pages, each page containing one of the thirty three "secret traits" as the heading. Each trait is followed by four short paragraphs, one discussing the positive aspects of that trait, one the negative aspects, the third, how that trait expresses itself in a relationship, and the last, how it plays out at work. These explanations are not particularly insightful as they are just normal extensions of each trait.Out of thirty three traits, I found twenty eight to be dead on, three to be about fifty percent accurate, and two to be way off. If you are an INTJ and have not already looked at what's available online, you may find this book interesting. Otherwise, if you're interested in a deeper discussion of INTJ traits, this booklet is not for you.

This was accurate on so many things. However, I was hoping for a more indepth evaluation on relationships. We INTJs really need help with those.

Love this book. I found so many true attributes explained very clearly in this book. Great book for all INFP personality types. Diana Jackson gives 33 personality traits with pros and cons of each to explore. Creative, Idealistic, driven by emotion not facts, disorganized, loneliness, hates crowds, time management, daydreaming, planning deficit, hurt, sensitive, complexities, cautious, noise hater, anxiety, moody, natural & organic lover, tragic sense, victimized, ejection, frightened, authenticity, morale booster, loves fantasy, irresponsible & mystical. You have to read the book to get more detail on each area she explores for the INFP. Her book gave me more insight on ways of looking at things. Much of it rings true. I recommend this book to all INFP and their family or friends who want to understand more deeply how to connect with someone they love with this personality. Get your copy today!

Since I study personality type from the perspective of sales and marketing, I purchased this book in order to see if there were any new insights I could glean about this type of customer. In this respect, the book is great. If you want to know more about what is going on in the mind of your customers, this book is great. It is short and defines each of the secrets with great clarity.I liked the book so much, that I posted a blog about it at: http://customersecrets.com/cashing-in-on-creativity/. There is something you can learn in every book, and in this case, the book gives you a lot of insight on the INFP.

I bought the volume to understand better the ISTPs since my husband is one of them. I like to continuously evolving in my understanding of his type for a better quality in home always. Learning never ends. I bought this book to understand my own type for a learning maintenance. Each book gives you at least another hint. INTJs are continuous learning types and I am always learning about my personality type also - preferently ahead of learning through experience only. When the experience comes I already have some cognition to think about it.

Have only given this 4 stars ,because of the typos on a few pages. I am an intj female. I found all of this to be very typical of the way i see things. I found it to be very insightful and to the point . If your an intj you'll love it. If you are the partner, best friend ,lover or family member who's trying to understand this personality type it's a must read . If your the boss of this personality type it will give you valuable insight also. female

I've never been moved or motivated to write a review on Amazon, but I'll make an exception for this extraordinarily insightful book. I can only say that, as an INFJ, it feels as though it was written specifically for and about me. Every page contains a revelation which articulates and describes my character and my motives in a way which gives me confidence that I am who I am for a reason.I am sharing it with those of my very closest friends who are kind enough to want to understand me better.

I found that this book lacked substance, as the information provided can easily be found on the Internet. It didn’t provide the kind of insight that I expected from a paid manuscript. The author also needs to pay attention to detail as there were a number of grammatical and syntax errors which made it difficult to read. The INFJ personality is complex and I do not believe that this book delved deep enough into the psychological mechanisms/cognitive functions of this personality.

I've read a lot of articles and information on the INFJ type, and I have to say that this book was very insightful - a lot of the stuff I've read is usually rehashed info that I've read before on other web pages or books. I felt that this book gave some very unique pointers that I found very relevant to my type, which I either hadn't read about before or had only been briefly covered. It's a shame they don't have a '33 secrets' mini-series for all the other types too!

I am still reading it