ISFP Women: Strengths and Weaknesses of Women with the Artist Personality Type

ISFP is one of the 16 personality types on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. It is one of the more common personality types for women and the general population of both men and women.

The ISFP personality type stands for introversion (I), sensing (S), feeling (F), and perception (P). About 7.5% of women fall into the ISFP personality type. Women with this personality are considered the “versatile supporter” and are typically quiet and observant.

This article discusses how the ISFP personality type affects women. We’ll dive into how it affects career choices and relationships. Finally, we’ll look for examples of famous women with this personality type. Let’s get started!

An Overview of the ISFP Personality Type

Some of the words that are most commonly used to describe women with the ISFP personality type are:

  • Quiet
  • Modest
  • Unassuming
  • Supportive
  • Easygoing
  • Adaptable
  • Carefree

A more detailed way to describe the ISFP personality type is that they are usually highly uncomfortable being the center of attention. They do not like any kind of situation where all eyes or on them or where they have to perform under pressure in front of many people.

Instead, they prefer to stick to situations where they can take more of a private role, both at work and in social settings. This is not to say they are incapable of performing well at work; they prefer to do so out of the spotlight.

Alternatively, one may look at an ISFP personality type woman and see that she is humble and modest and would prefer to accept praise and accolades in a private setting rather than a public one.

What are the Biggest Strengths of ISFP Women?

Based on the ISFP personality type characteristics, ISFP women have many valuable strengths that they can share with the people around them at home or in their careers. Among them are patience, tolerance, mediation, compromise, and the ability to see the best in others.

More specifically, how and why these strengths match the ISFP personality type.

ISFP Women are Excellent Moderators

Because they are quiet and observant, ISFP women are great at moderating situations and resolving conflicts. Their calm and unassuming demeanor allows them to remain level-headed and see both sides of an argument. Once they have seen both sides, they can calmly work with each person to defuse the situation and reach a compromise.

ISFP Women See the Best in Others

Another positive outcome of being so non-judgmental and observant is that it allows ISFP women to see the best in those around them. They are excellent at recognizing others’ strengths and even helping others realize their strengths.

ISFP Women are Extremely Kind

ISFP women are kind and generous to those around them. They show compassion to all and are very patient. They are slow to get angry, making them very forgiving and easy to work with.

Careers for ISFP Women

ISFP women tend to be highly successful in careers that involve listening and being compassionate for others. Here are a few examples of those kinds of jobs:

Field Why ISFP Women are Likely to Succeed
Non-Profit Organizations It allows them to serve others humbly.
Fundraising They can work behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.
Family Counselling They exhibit patience, understanding, and empathy.
Guidance Counselling They are great at working closely with students and forming caring relationships.
Psychiatry They excel at getting to know their clients personally.
Teaching They thrive when enabled to serve a community daily.

ISFP Women Enjoy Working on a Team with Close Bonds

Because ISFP women tend to be reserved and private, they work best on a small, tightly bound team rather than a large group of loosely connected co-workers. This tight group allows them to build trust with a few people and ensure they can do their best work behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.

ISFP Women Succeed in Service Roles

As a general pattern, ISFP women do well in roles that involve improving the lives of those around them. This generally involves unselfish service of some kind.

For example, teachers serve their students and the school community daily. They are great at recognizing their students’ strengths while building them up and preparing them for the future.

They also tend to find roles in fundraising and non-profits. Again, this allows them to serve others and work out of the spotlight.

ISFP Women Make Great Social Workers

Finally, another familiar role in which ISFP women succeed is in social work and counseling. This employs their sense of patience and level-headedness to help clients and families work through mental and social issues.

ISFP Women in Relationships

ISFP women make incredibly loyal and dedicated friends who will stick with you through thick and thin. This is another area in which their service to others shines through. They are swift to come to the aid of a friend in need through kind words and gestures or anything they can do to show love and support.

ISFP Women in Romance

ISFP women do not “dive into” a new relationship in romantic relationships. Instead, they prefer to take things slow and get to know the person they are dating before moving into anything more serious. In other words, they need to feel a genuine and deep connection with their partner to succeed.

Weaknesses of ISFP Women

As with any personality type, ISFP women have weaknesses and strengths. For example, here are the top 5 areas for improvement:

  1. Their need for privacy sometimes isolates them from social relationships.
  2. Sometimes their easygoing nature can appear careless or aloof.
  3. They may fear public speaking or presentations.
  4. They may have difficulty “putting themselves out there” for new relationships.
  5. They are sometimes reluctant to step out of their comfort zone.

One of the downsides of the ISFP personality type is that these women are generally very private, making them harder for others to understand.

It is also possible that their quiet and humble nature can be mistaken for weakness or disinterest. In reality, this is not the case, but when someone does not take the proper time to get to know ISFP women and understand why they prefer private time out of the spotlight, their personality traits can be misinterpreted.

It is also possible that their easygoing personality can be mistaken for carelessness and aloofness. ISFP women are dedicated and loyal to important things and people in their lives but tend to show it differently from other personality types.

In the end, ISFP women may find that they need to spend concerted time and effort expanding their social circle or if they wish to enter into a romantic relationship. Because they are generally more private with their time, this could feel like a big step out of their comfort zone.

Who are Some Famous ISFP Women?

Like each personality type, we can look to celebrities and famous historical figures for examples of how ISFPs have succeeded at the highest levels. Here are a few examples of famous ISFP women:

  • Barbara Streisand
  • Cher
  • Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Further, here is an example of a famous quote from Otto Kroeger that beautifully summarizes the strengths of ISFP women:

It is this type more than any of the others whose style it is to stand by another person (or plant or animal), with no intention to influence it, criticize it, or change it—perhaps not even to interact with it—only to be in its presence.

In other words, they want to be supportive and helpful to others without needing to take any credit or recognition for themselves. In that way, they are the very definition of unselfishness.

What is the Best Way to Summarize ISFP Women?

A great way to quickly summarize an ISFP woman is that she exhibits each of the following characteristics:

  • Supportive
  • Humble
  • Easygoing
  • Reserved

She is always there for those around her, loyal and dedicated to the people and things she cares about. She is also highly independent and easygoing. Understanding their alignment with the ISFP personality can allow women to maximize their personality strengths and skills.