Idealists (NFs) share the following core characteristics:

• Idealists are enthusiastic, they trust their intuition, yearn for romance, seek their true self, prize meaningful relationships, and dream of attaining wisdom. 
• Idealists  pride themselves on being loving, kindhearted, and authentic. 
• Idealists tend to be giving, trusting, spiritual, and they are focused on personal journeys and human potentials. 
• Idealists make intense mates, nurturing parents, and inspirational leaders.

Healers present a calm and serene face to the world, and can seem shy, even distant around others. But inside they`re anything but serene, having a capacity for personal caring rarely found in the other types. Healers care deeply about the inner life of a few special persons, or about a favorite cause in the world at large. And their great passion is to heal the conflicts that trouble individuals, or that divide groups, and thus to bring wholeness, or health, to themselves, their loved ones, and their community.

Healers have a profound sense of idealism that comes from a strong personal sense of right and wrong. They conceive of the world as an ethical, honorable place, full of wondrous possibilities and potential goods. In fact, to understand Healers, we must understand that their deep commitment to the positive and the good is almost boundless and selfless, inspiring them to make extraordinary sacrifices for someone or something they believe in. Set off from the rest of humanity by their privacy and scarcity (around one percent of the population), Healers can feel even more isolated in the purity of their idealism.

Also, Healers might well feel a sense of separation because of their often misunderstood childhood. Healers live a fantasy-filled childhood—they are the prince or princess of fairy tales—an attitude which, sadly, is frowned upon, or even punished, by many parents. With parents who want them to get their head out of the clouds, Healers begin to believe they are bad to be so fanciful, so dreamy, and can come to see themselves as ugly ducklings. In truth, they are quite OK just as they are, only different from most others—swans reared in a family of ducks.

At work, Healers are adaptable, welcome new ideas and new information, are patient with complicated situations, but impatient with routine details. Healers are keenly aware of people and their feelings, and relate well with most others. Because of their deep-seated reserve, however, they can work quite happily alone. When making decisions, Healers follow their heart not their head, which means they can make errors of fact, but seldom of feeling. They have a natural interest in scholarly activities and demonstrate, like the other Idealists, a remarkable facility with language. They have a gift for interpreting stories, as well as for creating them, and thus often write in lyric, poetic fashion. Frequently they hear a call to go forth into the world and help others, a call they seem ready to answer, even if they must sacrifice their own comfort.

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Career and Job Interests

The Idealists (NFs)
In general, the Idealists are a satisfied bunch. About 75% are extremely or somewhat satisfied in their current positions, and it doesn’t appear to be related to flexible schedules, lucrative stock options, altruistic practices, allowing pets in the workplace, or even company-sponsored beer on Fridays. Challenging work helps a bit, but overall, Idealists just seem to like what they do. The career choice itself seems to be the key for the NFs.

Temperament Preferences

• Idealists want (in order) balance, teamwork, individual creativity, challenging work, and a stable environment.
• Rationals want challenging work, individual creativity, achievement, empowers employees, and balance.
• Artisans want balance, individual creativity, challenging work, teamwork, and empowers employees.
• Guardians want a stable environment, balance, teamwork, achievement, and challenging work.

For a more detailed list of occupations based on your individual personality, please refer to our in-depth Career Report, which lists job titles, descriptions, and resources for your type! Click here to preview.

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Dating and Mating -- Idealist Pairings

Creating deep and meaningful relationships is second nature to Idealists, and with their sensitivity, their ability to communicate their feelings, their personal warmth and enthusiasm, Idealists can make good marriages with all the temperaments. Still, there can be troubles.

Idealist-Artisan: Idealists thoroughly enjoy the freedom and spontaneity of their Artisan mates, and they admire the ease with which Artisans can live artfully in the moment, so different from their own torn, often conscience-driven experience of life. Also the sensuality and sexual boldness of Artisan mates can intrigue Idealists and fire their romantic imaginations. However, there is one potent seed of dissatisfaction in these relationships, namely, the total lack of interest that most Artisans have in discussing and exploring their inner lives. When an Idealist speaks of the "self-realization," of "higher consciousness," or of "spiritual awakening," their Artisan mates do not really understand what they're talking about, and can even feel put down by the air of saintly superiority. And, sadly, it is from this seed that interference and manipulation can begin to grow in these relationships, as the Idealist partners try with all their imaginative might to cultivate a heightened inner-awareness in their Artisan mates.

Idealist-Guardian: With Guardian mates Idealists find a comfortable, reassuring stability and dependability in the home, conditions which can help give the somewhat scattered Idealists a feeling of solid earth beneath their feet. Also, Idealists and Guardians both believe in following, or at least respecting, the rules and laws that govern everyday life. At bottom, both temperaments see the world in moral terms-Rights and Wrongs matter to them-even though Idealists are often of two minds about moral issues, and so will often question a Guardian's fixed moral positions. A bigger problem is that Guardians have trouble sharing the rich inner lives of Idealists, and can disappoint their Idealist mates' desire for deep bonding. A Guardian might try to be more soulful and romantic in order to please the Idealist, but sooner or later the down-to-earth Guardian feels unappreciated and begins to resist the force of the Idealist's spiritual expectations-and the result can be head-on conflict.

Idealist-Idealist: Idealists often get along exceptionally well together. Two Idealists can find deep-felt satisfaction in sharing each other's inner world and exploring each other's personal development, each helping the other along the road to self-knowledge. However, if the pair are too much alike in their ethical concerns, or pursue the same spiritual goals for too long a time, they can become rather narrowly devoted to the pilgrim's journey and tire themselves out along the way. In addition, two empathic Idealists can create a wonderfully intimate bond for a time, but eventually they can begin to invade each other's privacy-constantly getting into each other's skin can result in getting on each other's nerves.

Idealist-Rational: The choice of a Rational mate seems to hold the best promise of success for Idealists. The basis of their compatibility is that Idealists and Rationals both live primarily in the world of abstract concepts-the world of theories and possibilities, of insights and symbols. After dating more down-to-earth, literal-minded Artisans and Guardians, an Idealist's first encounter with a Rational can be a revelation, putting the Idealist in touch with a new and intriguing type of person, someone eager and able to dream the world with them, to build castles in the air, and to see far distances with the mind's eye. Also fascinating is the Rationals' calmness and autonomy, two characteristics which give Rationals a strength of character-a firm grasp of who they are-that the easily ruffled, soul-searching Idealists greatly admire, and would like to emulate. These Idealist-Rational relationships do not always remain harmonious, of course. Conflicts of emotionality vs. self-control, of intuition vs. logic, and of ethics vs. technical pragmatics can prove challenging in even the best Idealist-Rational marriages. And yet, so powerful is their shared focus on abstract ideas, on what might be rather than what is, that Idealists take to Rationals as to no other temperament.

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What the Letters Mean

The letter names of the sixteen types ("INFJ," for example) are based on four pairs of letters-E-I, S-N, T-F, and J-P-that represent the four Jung-Myers dimensions of personality. Each pair of letters forms a spectrum, and thus no single letter should be taken as naming a type of person (there are no "Extraverts" or "Thinkers," etc., as such). A personality is a complex unity of traits, and these letters merely suggest stronger or weaker tendencies in a person's overall makeup. The pairs of letters stand for the following concepts:

E = Extraversion                   I = Introversion
S = Sensation                      N = Intuition
T = Thinking                        F = Feeling
J = Judgment                       P = Perception

Your Temperament Sorter II Results

(E) Extraversion	3						7	Introversion (I)
(S) Sensation	3						7	Intuition (N)
(F) Feeling	7						3	Thinking (T)
(J) Judgment	4						6	Perception (P)

Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I)
(Your E-I Graph)

The terms "Extraversion" and "Introversion" describe two widely different social styles. People who score high in Extraversion on the Temperament Sorter II tend to be gregarious and expressive; those scoring high on Introversion tend to be private and reserved.

People strong in Extraversion seem more comfortable socializing with groups than being alone. They report that they are energized-charged up, fired up-by contact with other people. They usually have a large circle of friends, and are happy to approach others, even strangers, and talk to them, finding this an easy and pleasant thing to do, something that makes them feel alive. Quiet and seclusion actually exhaust such persons, and they report feelings of loneliness (or power drain) when not in contact with others.

On the other hand, people prone to Introversion seem more comfortable alone than in a crowd. They draw energy from private, solitary activities, reading, listening to music, working by themselves on their latest project or favorite hobby. They tend to have a few, long-time friends, and can remain in contact with larger groups only so long before their energies are depleted. If required by their job, family, or social responsibilities to be outgoing or on stage-to make a great social effort-they are soon exhausted and need "down time" in quiet places to rest and recharge their batteries.

Remember, however, that no one is simply an "Extravert" or an "Introvert." These terms are end points on the E-I scale, with most everyone falling somewhere in between, having in their makeup a mixture of these two social styles. Also, different tasks or roles at work or in the family can bring out more Extraversion or Introversion in a person. This dimension of personality, more than the other three, is fluid and situational.

A graph of the scores of other test takers at the AdvisorTeam.com web site is shown below, with your score shown by the red arrow.

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Sensory (S) vs. Intuitive (N)
(Your S-N Graph)

The S-N scale on the Temperament Sorter II differentiates between two distinct worlds of human interest or focus. People with a high Sensory score pay more attention to what is going on outside themselves in the world of concrete things; people with a high Intuitive score pay more attention to what is going on inside themselves in the abstract world of ideas.

Sensory people (the vast majority, maybe 85%) seem more at home in the physical, material world, where they spend their time looking after the business of everyday living-food and clothing, transportation and shelter, job and family, recreation and social life. With their eye on reality, they tend to see all the particulars of what is right in front of them, focusing on what is happening in the here and now, or what has happened in the past, rather than speculating about what might be or what would happen if. These are practical, down-to-earth people who want facts, trust facts, and remember facts, and who deal with situations as they are. They believe in common sense and that experience is the best teacher.

In contrast, people strongly Intuitive seem more at home in the abstract, conceptual world of ideas-inferences, theories, daydreams, musings, speculations, symbols-all those things that can only be seen with the mind's eye. Focused as they so often are in their internal world, these persons can miss a great deal of what's going on right around them; for them, reality is not solid and present, but is more a mental image, or a stage of development toward some future ideal. The possible is always in front of these people: whatever "is" can be better, and they are fascinated by hypotheses and potentials. Because they listen so intently to their inner voice, even from an early age, they often seem to have "their head in the clouds," absorbed in their vivid and complex imaginations. The S-N scale measures the most fundamental of the four dimensions of personality-it's the first cut, so to speak, in evaluating type. But this does not mean that it's an "either-or" proposition. Intuitive persons certainly turn outward at times and pay attention to the world at large; it's just that they are far more inclined to become preoccupied with their ideas. And of course Sensory persons do sometimes look inward to ponder and to dream, but for the most part their flights of imagination lag well behind their real-world observations. Neither type can be in both worlds at once, and each will usually show a clear preference for one over the other.

A graph of the scores of other test takers at the AdvisorTeam.com web site is shown below, with your score shown by the red arrow.

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Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
(Your T-F Graph)

The T-F scale assesses how people govern themselves and make decisions. We all have both thoughts and feelings, of course, but those who score high on Thinking tend to use their head, while those scoring high on Feeling tend to follow their heart.

People given to Thinking are more comfortable with an impersonal, objective basis for action. They can be critical and exacting, both with themselves and others, and they are convinced only by hard data and sound reasons. They tend to be frank and straightforward, willing to speak their minds and stick to their guns even if it causes conflict with others. And they are tough-minded in their decisions, preferring to keep their emotions and desires as much as possible out of the process. They have powerful feelings, certainly, but a strong show of emotion usually embarrasses them. And so, rather than appear to be losing self-control, they keep their feelings in check, even at the risk of seeming hard-nosed or cold.

People prone to Feeling, in contrast, are more comfortable with a personal, emotional basis for what they do. When considering their course, they consult their feelings first and always show concern for others. These people are sympathetic and sentimental, and can be swayed by powerful desire or a touching appeal. And they are softhearted when making decisions, basing their choices on gentle, kindly considerations, hoping never to hurt anyone's feelings. They may not have more or deeper emotions than those on the Thinking end of the scale, but they let their feelings show more easily, and this makes them seem warmer and friendlier, and so usually gives them an easier time getting along with others.

A graph of the scores of other test takers at the AdvisorTeam.com web site is shown below, with your score shown by the red arrow.

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Judgment (J) vs. Perception (P)
(Your J-P Graph)

The J-P scale measures how people process information and arrange their lives. Those who score high on Judgment tend to make up their mind quickly and commit to schedules, while those scoring high on Perception prefer to keep their options open and their timetables flexible.

People strong in Judgment waste no time forming opinions or drawing conclusions. They report they feel a sense of urgency until a decision is made, and can rest only after everything is settled, with all loose ends tied up. Closure or finality is important to them, as is orderly procedure. They are quick to make schedules, agendas, timetables, and so on, for themselves and others to follow. They tend to establish deadlines and to take them seriously, expecting others to do the same. They are comfortable with routines, and are willing to do all sorts of maintenance and cleaning up after a task, just because these are necessary to see the job through to its conclusion. Neatness also counts. These people are unhappy when their personal space-workplace, house, car-is a mess, and straightening things up is often near the top of their list.

For their part, people given to Perception tend to keep their eyes open, gathering information and looking for opportunities and alternatives that might be available to them. They feel no hurry to nail things down, or settle on a finished product, but prefer to explore the possibilities and just see what happens. These people are often playful and spontaneous in action. Schedules make them feel hurried and over-controlled, and they tend to look upon deadlines as mere reminders to get on with the job. Also, they prefer their work to be enjoyable and to the purpose. If their task is mere routine maintenance or clean up, they may balk at doing it, or leave it to someone else. Easy-going, even somewhat impulsive, these people are usually quite tolerant of mess. Their personal spaces are often cluttered with an assortment of things they have picked up, used, then dropped and forgotten about.

A graph of the scores of other test takers at the AdvisorTeam.com web site is shown below, with your score shown by the red arrow.

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