16 Personalities - ISFP

As I've mentioned before - I have an anorexia recovery Instagram account (@rediscoveringariane). On Instagram a lot of people had been taking this test called 16 personalities. I had no Idea what it was, but seeing as I tend to follow the crowd I gave it a go.

The test consists of 60 questions which took me about 10 minutes. I encourage you not to lie if you decide to try it - answer truthfully even if you don't like the answer. 

There was a common theme in my answers; I am disorganised, don't like social interaction  much, emotional and insecure. I knew my traits weren't desirable but I answered as truthfully as I could. 

Following completion, you get your test results. I am what is known as an ISFP personality type:

ISFPs are also known as Artists or Composers, as well as Adventurers as shown above.

What is an ISFP?

ISFP is an abbreviation used in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to refer to one of the 16 personality types. ISFP stands for Introversion, Sensing, Feeling, Perception.

MBTI works by differentiating people according to the following:

• How they focus their attention or get their energy (extroversion or introversion)
• How they perceive or take in information (sensing or intuition)
• How they prefer to make decisions (thinking or feeling)
• How they orient themselves to the external world (judgement or perception)

ISFPs have the following:

• Introverted feeling
• Extroverted sensing
• Introverted intuition
• Extroverted thinking 

Introverted Feeling (Fi):

Fi is an ISFPs most dominant function. Introverted feeling deals with a person's own values and beliefs. It's a judging function - therefore an individual makes a decision based on morals and emotions rather than facts and data (there goes my career as a business analyst...). Fi is the most emotional of all functions. They tend to react emotionally for no apparent reason. I can back this up and honestly agree that I am an introverted feeler. I'm so sensitive to how people treat me. Fis tend to grow a fond attachment to people and relationships which could be a good or a bad thing. Fis take a long time to obtain a close bond but these relationships tend to run deeper than those with extroverted feeling (Fe). Fis are usually empathetic as they know what it's like to be hurt - they treat people with care, sensitivity and warmth. If you want someone to rant to, ISFPs will relate well to you...

Extroverted Sensing (Se):

Se involves experiencing and perceiving the outside world in the present moment. Extroverted senses take in every sight, smell, touch, taste and sound of situations they find themselves in. For ISFPs this is their secondary function. Ses live in the present and thrive on new and exciting experiences. Sometimes people with Se find themselves easily bored with repetitive situations and have a desire for something different. Ses may find themselves valuing the present too much and making poor decisions long term. This function has traits of spontaneous actions and decisions.

Introverted Intuition (Ni):

This is an ISFP's tertiary function. People with Nis tend to have hunches which usually turn out to be correct. People with this function enjoy playing with ideas, stories, symbols, metaphors etc. You feed your mind with data and facts and let your unconscious mind process these - and suddenly you'll be sitting on public transport or in the shower and the answer pops into your head. Nis tend to analyse their past in order to help give insight into future situations. For example, they will think of a time where they felt a certain emotion and try to use that situation to determine how successful an action will be, and how this will help their future. Details are an Nis weakness. They like to look at the big picture - they love complex strategic ideas. Nis are good at taking abstract information and piecing it together to give them a picture of a situation, not in concrete fact but rather one which has a certain 'vibe'. This can make it very hard for Nis to explain their reasoning to other people.

Extroverted Thinking (Te):

This is an ISFP's inferior function. Tes look for logical explanations in actions, events and conclusions - looking for faulty reasoning and differences in sequences. This is usually thinking-based judgments that incorporate facts, data, or other objective considerations. Tes like order, structure and planning. You can totally tell that this is my inferior function as I couldn't create a timetable to save my life...

Being an ISFP

"I change during the course of a day. I wake and I'm one person, and when I go to sleep I know for certain I'm somebody else."

This quote is for certain true for me. ISFPs tend to be unpredictable, even to those close to them. I'd say I'm like this. You cannot tell which mood I'll be in.

ISFPs love making lasting connections with people - and know just the compliments to give to soften them. However they tend to be hurt or angered by negative comments which conflict with their internal values.


ISFPs can have problems with planning for the future. I know I am like this. During exam season I left all of my studying down to how I felt that day - instead of organising my revision into a timetable. I spontaneously go from day to day with no real agenda. I didn't know what I wanted to study at university until a few weeks ago...and we need to apply soon!

I may be passionate, curious, artistic and sensitive to others but I'm also unpredictable, very easily stressed and, as common with ISFPs can have extremely low/fluctuating self esteem. The awkward thing is that anorexia is usually associated with ISFPs and I've proven that theory correct. But that's for another blog post...

Ariane x

How Instagram Saved My Life...

Are you familiar with the Instagram recovery community? If not then whereeeeee in the name of the Lord have you been?! I'm kidding, of course! The reality is that I would never had been exposed to such a collection of support if I had never delved into the depths of anorexia.

I started my account in December 2013 - Christmas Day I believe. My first post was of my 'night snack', 5 almonds and 2 walnuts (I know now that that is NOT an adequate snack!). My original account username was @arii_vs_ana but over the years I changed this, sometimes out of my own desire and other times due to the fact people from school found my account. My username just now is @rediscoveringariane. My account is set to private at the moment but I'll accept you if you follow me. I also have 2 other recovery accounts, @battlingthebitch and @journeythroughed. 

More to the point, had I not started that account and seeked support in my darkest times I doubt I would have survived anorexia. My anorexia had a pattern, that I would relapse and restrict but slowly I would gain strength and experience intermittent wonderful periods of recovery, hence how I managed to get through 3 and a half years of undiagnosed struggling. 

You see...on this app I was not 'that freak who didn't eat', I was the same as everyone else posting on that #anorexiarecovery tag...and that made me feel strangely part of some secret society to which I belonged (I am toooootally not quoting The Great Gatsby right now...). Having to devote time to posting gave me a reason to eat. I had to eat otherwise I'd have nothing to post and I would lose followers - and so I did! 

When I felt low my followers would be there to pick me up, or there would be someone posting their motivational story, or there would be the fear of losing followers so I would fight as hard as possible. That's not even mentioning the multiple overdoses I have been talked out of by my lovely followers. When I was low they were there, when I was on a roll they were also there - to cheer me on!

When I relapsed things became more difficult...if I posted something triggering I would lose followers but on the other hand if I didn't post then I would lose followers too...it became a game of no winning purely because I felt like I couldn't say I was struggling. This was when I felt that Instagram became more of a competition than a support network. People would stand with their butt sticking out to enhance their thigh gap, say they've got a negative 300 net, or say they aren't willing to fight anymore - I too, was one of these people at a point but being surrounded by negativity meant that the Instagram app bred contempt...

... And so I ceased to post. What was the point? I was so deep in my anorexia I was terrified that if I posted about what I ate then people would think I was fat and a 'fake anorexic', not worthy of help. This was all in my mind, I know that, and I urge anyone struggling with ED to please join this community and use it as I did at the start, but also continue this. When you slip, your follower count slips...meaning less people to keep you strong and less of a reason to recover.

Luckily, now I am with CAMHS. 3 and a half years after beginning my eating disorder I am receiving treatment (with specialist outpatient team ConnectED) and I am doing well. I no longer feel the need to post about food, but you know what? Sometimes I do post about my food and I no longer care! Healing my mind through eating has resulted in that part of me which told me my followers would think I was fat, being destroyed.

Now I just post positive quotes and the occasional update/selfie. I was doing a 'daily positivity' challenge for a while but I had to stop during the exam period, however I may start again. 

I would wholeheartedly argue that without the support of my Instagram followers I would either have been hospitalised or not have made it through suicide attempts. I love each expand every person who has touched my life through the recovery community and I wish everyone the best.

Ariane x