How Each Myers-Briggs® Personality Type Can be a Hypocrite

Nobody likes being told they’re a hypocrite, but we can all experience hypocrisy without even realizing it at times! Each of us has certain strengths and weaknesses, and they can vary depending on our level of maturity and the work we’ve done to grow as individuals.

Today we’re exploring hypocrisy. Specifically, we’ll be looking at how each personality type can be hypocritical based on their cognitive functions.

Most of the hypocrisy we’re talking about in this article is prevalent in unhealthy versions of a type – not in healthy versions of a type.

What is hypocrisy?

Merriam-Webster defines hypocrisy as “the act of pretending to have beliefs, feelings, standards, qualities, opinions, behaviors, virtues, motivations, or other characteristics that one does not actually have.”

We can all be hypocritical at times without realizing it. It’s important to be aware of our tendencies in this area so that we can catch ourselves when we’re acting out of alignment with what we claim to value or believe.

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Here’s How You’re Hypocritical, Based On Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type:

ENTJs and Hypocrisy

I’m an ENTJ so I don’t like to rat out my own type, but, yes, we can be hypocritical at times. We like to think that we’re all about logic, rationality, and gung-ho productivity. If we get our jobs done early, we’re effective planners. We’ve made things happen.

But if you get your job done early?

Yeah, maybe you forgot something. Are you sure there isn’t another task you’re supposed to be doing?

Also, our inferior Introverted Feeling (Fi) can show up in our “rational” decisions at times. We may think we’re being objective and logical, but our values and feelings may be influencing our choices more than we realize.

As an example, lots of ENTJs take on a mindset of not needing anyone, not needing to express their emotions, or not needing “validation.” But deep down, many are influenced by deeper sensitive feelings, especially during times of stress. They may lash out at people because they feel unseen for who they truly are or they feel dehumanized for all the tasks they take on. However, instead of acknowledging their emotional pain, they may blurt out “you’re being lazy” or “you’re not doing good enough” rather than “I don’t feel valued” or “I feel like people expect me to be a machine.”

Find Out More About ENTJs: How ENTJs Say “I Love You”

ENFJs and Hypocrisy

I love ENFJs. Their enthusiasm, warmth, and charisma are all magnetic to me, and to many others. It’s kind of hard to find something wrong with them, unless you’re dealing with an unhealthy ENFJ.

However, putting my personal preferences aside, there can still be hypocrisy in ENFJs.

These types often preach to live up to one’s own potential; to change the world; to make a difference. They want people to grow and heal and be the best versions of themselves that they can be.

But when it comes to taking care of themselves? Well, not all ENFJs are as good at walking the talk.

They may give great advice but have trouble following it themselves. They may urge others to take care of themselves, ask for help, or set boundaries but find it difficult to do those things themselves. They’re famous for swooping in with insights and direction when others need help but failing to ask for help when they personally need it. Because of this, they often wear themselves down to the point of exhaustion in their efforts to help others reach their potential or feel good emotionally.

Some ENFJs think of themselves as friendly, warm, and generous in every action they take. They would imply that they don’t have a selfish or mean bone in their body. But deep down, they can often be very critical of others, especially if they’re at an emotionally immature state. Their inferior Introverted Thinking (Ti) can overanalyze ideas or actions of others and find faults, inconsistencies, or reasons to be offended. The unhealthiest ENFJs can be cliquey and judgmental, finding fault with anyone who doesn’t align with their values. However, they may not confront someone directly to their face because they don’t want to experience conflict or disharmony.

Remember, we’re talking about severely unhealthy ENFJs – average to healthy ENFJs won’t have this issue.

Find out more about ENFJs: 10 Signs of an Unhealthy ENFJ

INTJs and Hypocrisy

INTJs are definitely not immune to hypocrisy. But their hypocrisy can be less obvious just because they tend to keep to themselves and don’t enjoy “preaching” to others in most cases.

INTJs tend to pride themselves on being rational, logical, and objective. They want to make decisions based on facts and evidence, not emotions or feelings. They often form the belief that they can see things more clearly because they’re “detached.”

However, INTJs can be deeply stubborn people. When they have a clear vision of the future, or sense a pattern and how it will unfold, they hold to it tightly.

They may believe that when they state their side strongly they are being firm.

But if you state your side strongly, you might be bullheaded or or unmanageable.

When you do something unexpected and unpredictable, you’re being inconsiderate and annoying.

When they do something unexpected, they’re being original or even creative.

The more mature and emotionally healthy an INTJ is, the less these issues will be a problem. The best INTJs are masters at perspective-shifting, and can easily spot and understand others’ points of view. They also tap into their convictions and consider whether what they’re doing actually lines up with their personal values.

But average to unhealthy INTJs can definitely have issues with hypocrisy. They may not realize how much their feeling-values impact their judgments. Sometimes they think they’re being rational and detached, when really they’re deeply affected by an individual idea of something’s “rightness” or “wrongness.” They may say “I’m not being emotional!” or “I’m not angry” when they’re obviously fuming at someone’s opinion.

Find out more about INTJs: 24 Signs That You’re an INTJ, the Strategist Personality Type

INFJs and Hypocrisy

INFJs long for both emotional intimacy as well as independence from people. They often create settings where people feel comfortable sharing with them. In fact, they encourage authenticity and openness and can sometimes find themselves in the role of counselor even when they weren’t expecting it.

But at the same time, INFJs can be very private people. They have a personal inner world that they rarely share with others – even close friends or family members. Because of this, some INFJs may unintentionally withhold information from others in order to protect themselves or not be a “burden”. Some INFJs are so fixated on solving other peoples’ problems that they are blind to their own issues that need resolving.

The more unhealthy an INFJ is, the more likely they are to have this issue. Healthy INFJs learn to share their own feelings and to give as well as receive. Unhealthy INFJs hold back, believe that no one would understand, and don’t want to risk vulnerability.

Another area of hypocrisy that INFJs can run into is with responding self-righteously to others while claiming to be open-minded and accepting. An example of this is the INFJ who complains about their partner being selfish and unsupportive, but never communicates their needs directly. They may fall prey to giving and then resenting or expecting people to “mind read” what they need, only to get upset when it doesn’t happen.

The healthier an INFJ is, the less likely they are to run into these problems. Healthy INFJs practice asserting their needs, expressing their desires, and taking stock of where someone else is coming from rather than feeling “above” them. They enjoy understanding people, and they appreciate and respect that some people need more prompting about emotional needs than others.

Find out more about INFJs: A Look Inside the INFJ Mind

ENTPs and Hypocrisy

ENTPs strive to be objective and rational. They analyze the logic of their own thoughts and analyze the logic of other peoples’ thoughts as well. However, sometimes in their desire to be logical they bypass the whole general point someone is making by getting stuck on a technicality. By being so particular about a certain technicality being defined or explained correctly they end up being irrational and missing a logical point someone is trying to make.

As Perceivers, ENTPs also thrive when they can work on their own timetable. They don’t like being told how to structure their time or how to complete a task. But they may find themselves accusing another person of being “lazy” when that person doesn’t follow through on a task in an orderly fashion. If someone else’s timeline is getting in the way of the ENTP‘s freedom, then they can be quick to get annoyed or judge.

The more unhealthy an ENTP is, the more hypocritical they can be. As with all types, the healthier they are the less you’ll see these issues show up.

Find out more about ENTPs: The Unhealthy ENTP

ENFPs and Hypocrisy

ENFPs are all about finding possibilities, exploring new ideas, and tantalizing the mind with creative avenues. They often feel like they’re on a personal mission to make the world a more beautiful, exciting, and harmonious place.

And while ENFPs pride themselves on being accepting and empathetic, at times they can love the idea of someone more than they love the actual person. They can get so caught up in the potential of someone that they forget about the real person right in front of them. They may have such high standards for how things “could be” that they end up disappointed or judgmental when reality doesn’t match up. They may disparage others for not being accepting, while they love with an idealized version of someone instead of that person’s true self.

Perceivers can also run into the issue of working on their own timeline, but wanting others to hurry things up. In their minds, when they don’t follow through on something they’re busy – but when another person procrastinates, they’re lazy or making things difficult. This is truer for unhealthy ENFPs and less true for healthy ENFPs, of course (as all these issues are).

Find out more about ENFPs: 24 Signs That You’re an ENFP, The Visionary Personality Type

INTPs and Hypocrisy

INTPs like organizing their lives and their timeline according to their own unique temperament. They take their time to figure things out and reflect on how things work. It’s important to them to be careful, analytical, and detailed in their analysis of an idea, theory, or problem. This means that they don’t particularly like deadlines, or being forced to move on from something before they’re ready.

However, INTPs may accuse someone else of not thinking things through when that person moves slowly on a project or task. If that person’s process is getting in the way of the INTP‘s process, they’re being “inconsiderate” or “inefficient”. It’s especially true if the INTP’s inferior function, Extraverted Feeling (Fe), is at risk of being vulnerable. Many INTPs excuse themselves when they’re running late or make a social faux pas only to get frustrated and stressed when someone in their family does the same thing.

As with all the types, maturity or lack thereof makes a huge difference. The more immature an INTP is, the more you’ll see this type of hypocrisy. Healthy INTPs are less likely to behave in this manner.

Find out more about INTPs: 24 Signs That You’re an INTP, the Prodigy Personality Type

INFPs and Hypocrisy

This is a tough one. INFPs are often the first to root out pretense and personal inconsistencies in themselves and be on guard for it. However, no one is completely immune to hypocrisy. INFPs at their best are accepting and empathetic people who want to improve the world. They harness their imagination to bring forth possibilities and ideas for improvement. Reaching within themselves they find ways to better understand the human experience as a whole.

At their worst, INFPs may call themselves open-minded and accepting, but vilify people who disagree with them on a core value. Often good listeners, INFPs typically have a warm and empathetic presence. But if someone disagrees with them, perhaps politically, that same INFP can suddenly become self-righteous and judgmental instead of putting themselves into the other person’s perspective and seeing their points.. They may blatantly cut off people who disagree with them on core values, especially, ironically, core values of tolerance.

I know I’m being repetitive, but I always want to clarify that these issues are more common with unhealthy or immature INFPs and hardly seen at all in healthy or mature INFPs.

Discover more about INFPs: 26 Memes INFPs Will Relate To

ESTJs and Hypocrisy

ESTJs pride themselves on a strong work ethic and a pragmatic, rational outlook on life. They appreciate common sense and have low tolerance for anything that seems wishy-washy or contrived. Decisive and impatient, they want to get things done and they want everyone around them to be productive as well.

However, ESTJs can have moments of hypocrisy when it comes to their own personal lives. They admire their resolve and firmness, but when others are being firm they may think they’re just being ridiculously stubborn or bullheaded. They may pride themselves on not being emotional, but blow a fuse when life feels chaotic or disorganized.

As dominant Thinkers, ESTJs like workable solutions that make logical sense. And they can tout their logical mindset all day; but often there’s a Feeling-based influence on their decisions and beliefs. For example, an ESTJ might be very reasonable and smart about running a business or getting a task done, but read biased political news columns that aren’t very objective simply because they agree with their values.

The healthier the ESTJ is, the more likely they are to avoid this kind of hypocrisy. As ESTJs grow and mature, they learn that there are multiple sides to everything and alternative ways of looking at things. They begin to respect other peoples’ experiences more and are more open to listening to different points of view.

ESFJs and Hypocrisy

Warm-hearted and supportive, ESFJs believe in going the extra mile for people they love. They want their families and friends to feel taken care of and appreciated, and they’re usually the ones cooking big meals, planning get-togethers, or sending thoughtful gifts. ESFJs strive for harmony and enjoy making people feel comfortable and accepted.

However, ESFJs can have a hypocritical side when it comes to their own emotional needs. They may be the first to comfort and support others, but have a hard time admitting when they need comfort or support themselves. Often taking on too much, ESFJs may avoid asking for help even when they’re overwhelmed because they don’t want to burden others. They may frequently tell others to ask them for help and to not feel ashamed if they need help but then keep their own problems to themselves because they feel ashamed.

Some ESFJs also present themselves as being friendly and open-minded only to gossip about others behind their backs or create “us vs them” scenarios. This is typically a quality demonstrated by the most unhealthy or immature ESFJs and not something practiced by healthy ESFJs.

Discover more about ESFJs: 10 Signs of an Unhealthy ESFJ

ISTJs and Hypocrisy

ISTJs pride themselves on being patient and thorough. As types with a Chart-the-Course™ interaction style, it’s important for them to have a meticulous process and an airtight plan for the future. When they take time to check over the details of their work and be thorough, they tend to consider themselves patient and wisely cautious.

However, when other people move take a long time to do something, ISTJs may find themselves thinking that the other person is being too slow or compulsive. This is especially true when the ISTJ is feeling pressured or rushed – they may be more likely to see someone else’s need for caution and meticulousness as incompetence or procrastination.

Similarly, an ISTJ may claim to value logic and pragmatism, but find themselves avoiding new or unusual scenarios or ideas because they feel uncomfortable with the unknown or they have an uneasy “feeling.” During stress especially, ISTJs may find themselves catastrophizing or obsessing over conspiracy theories.

As with all these examples, they are more typical of unhealthy or immature versions of a personality type. Healthy ISTJs have developed more comfort with the unknown, are more open to new possibilities, and are less likely to rush other people in their process.

Find out more about ISTJs: 24 Signs That You’re an ISTJ, the Detective Personality Type

ISFJs and Hypocrisy

ISFJs are people who value common sense and a pragmatic approach to life. They trust what they know through experience and believe in following time-tested and honored traditions.

However, ISFJs can be hypocritical when they start to value their own experience and personal beliefs over logic. They may think they’re being practical when they restrict their worldview to their personal narrative, when in fact they’re being closed-minded and impractical. During stress, ISFJs can be especially prone to buying into conspiracy theories or worst-case scenario projections.

ISFJs may also claim to care about people and their feelings but only if those people think and feel the same way they do. If someone has a different opinion, the ISFJ may see them as ignorant or foolish and write them off entirely.

Of course, these tendencies are more common in unhealthy or immature ISFJs. The healthier version of an ISFJ is more open-minded, able to see the value in different perspectives, and willing to change their own beliefs if they’re proven wrong.

Explore more about the ISFJ personality type: 7 Reasons Why You Need an ISFJ Friend in Your Life

ESTPs and Hypocrisy

ESTPs are often called “the ultimate realists” and it’s not hard to see why. These types value what they can see, touch, feel, and taste through their senses. Rather than focusing on hypotheticals or “could be’s” they focus on what’s relevant in the moment. More than many types they pride themselves on being accurate, realistic, and level-headed.

However, when ESTPs are stressed they can suddenly start blurting out generalizations that are far from accurate. They may suddenly make blanket complaints like “No one around here pays attention” or “Why do I always have to be the one to do everything?” even when others have been contributing and helping out.

ESTPs also tend to pride themselves on their competence and pragmatic point of view. They may despise people who make careless or ill-timed decisions. But they also have a tendency towards impulsivity and, especially at unhealthy levels, tend to make careless decisions without thinking through the consequences.

Healthy ESTPs are less likely to struggle with these issues. The more extreme or chronic their stress or imbalance is, the more you’re likely to see this type of hypocrisy.

Find out more about ESTPs: 24 Signs That You’re an ESTP, the Daredevil Personality Type

ESFPs and Hypocrisy

Like ESTPs, ESFPs pride themselves on being realists. It’s important for them to see the world as it is and enjoy the world as it is. Often they are just the people to go to when you need to see the silver lining in a situation or make the most out of a potential opportunity.

However, unhealthy ESFPs can fall prey to certain “unrealistic” tendencies. For example, they may find themselves idealizing people or situations that are clearly not as perfect as they seem. Or, at an unhealthy level, they may take reckless risks that inevitably backfire just because they feel like taking a chance or getting a rush. At an extreme, they can fall prey to issues like gambling – hoping that they’re luck will win out and losing sight of the fact that, realistically, the odds are against them.

ESFPs at their best are unlikely to struggle with these issues. They have a realistic view of the world and take time to consider whether their actions line up with their deeper core values. Rather than being reckless, they think to themselves “Is this right for me in the long run?”

Find out more about ESFPs: ESFP Cognitive Function Guide

ISTPs and Hypocrisy

Calm and rational, ISTPs try to take a detached perspective on life so that their thinking isn’t muddy or convoluted. It’s important for them to not only be realistic, but consistent, in their perspectives and beliefs.

For the most part, hypocrisy isn’t something that ISTPs are especially prone to, but when they’re unhealthy it can rear its ugly head – just as it can for all the types. Typically for ISTPs hypocrisy shows up in thinking, or saying, that their opinions are objective and fair without taking into account how personal their logic can sometimes be.

At its best, Introverted Thinking uses technical knowledge and expertise to avoid or solve problems. It weighs leverage points, learns how things work, gathers the principles of a strategy, and uses tactics to get the best result.

However, at its worst, Introverted Thinking types use overly reductive logic that doesn’t take into account the complexities and nuances of life. As an example, an unhealthy ISTP might say “if you don’t like it here then just leave” in response to someone’s valid complaints about a situation.

Similarly, ISTPs who are stressed may accuse others of being lazy when they don’t follow through on a task. Yet they’ll excuse themselves for not finishing something because they were “too busy.”

The more that ISTPs grow and mature as individuals, the less likely this type of hypocrisy is to be a problem. ISTPs at their best balance their logic with nuanced observational intelligence. They take stock of their environment, the details of someone’s situation, and the facts involved before making a decision or statement.

Discover more about ISTPs: What ISTPs Do When They’re Really Stressed Out

ISFPs and Hypocrisy

ISFPs are people who strive to be true to themselves regardless of what life hurls their way. Rather than giving into the crowd, they embrace their own individuality. Rather than going along because others are doing something, they ask “Is this really authentic and right for me?”

But like all personality types, ISFPs can have issues with being blind to certain areas and inconsistencies in themselves. They may consider themselves tolerant and open-minded, yet judge people who have opinions that are different from their own.

As sensors, they may talk about being realistic while simultaneously accepting their feelings about something as “fact”.

At their worst, ISFPs tend to judge others harshly even though they don’t reach out to interact with people or expose themselves to social situations that might offer more insight into humans as a whole.

The healthier ISFPs are, the less likely these issues are to be a problem. Healthy ISFPs balance their need for authenticity and conviction with real-life experiences. They talk to people, observe without bias, and value facts and evidence that may conflict with their beliefs or ideas about things. If ISFPs are imbalanced, they retreat more, become more stubbornly attached to their feelings, and can see the world outside in a judgmental way without actually experiencing it firsthand.

Explore more about the ISFP personality type: 24 Signs That You’re an ISFP, the Virtuoso Personality Type

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