P E R S O N A L I T Y   6 I

ISFJ -- The Conservator [Protector]

The ISFJ takes a personal interest in ministering to the needs of individuals. External institutions are, for this type, not as necessary a focus as making sure that individual persons are cared for on a one-to-one basis.

ISFJs are generally very dependable. They take well to routine, and can be counted on to deliver the things that another person feels are necessary. In business, ISFJs can be dedicated teachers; they make superb personal secretaries and nurses (particularly home care); and ISFJs are the backbones of most effective religious social service programs. They are equally dependable at home, where family members can always expect to find the yard maintained, food on the table at regular hours (and in the refrigerator at any time), and clothing and home furnishings kept clean and in good repair.

Unfortunately, this dependability comes so naturally to the typical ISFJ that it is all too easy for others to take advantage of it. The con artist finds the ISFJ an easy mark, but even those who care about the ISFJ will often find themselves taking the ISFJ for granted. When personal services are provided so adequately and without question, it becomes simple to begin to expect nothing less, even for those who love that ISFJ. Often family, friends and coworkers don't even realize when they are taking advantage of ISFJs, who tend to respond by trying to do more and more until they either collapse from exhaustion or unleash a torrent of recriminations that have accumulated over years.

This desire to be of service makes the ISFJ, like the ISTJ, particularly susceptible to relationships with persons who will not behave responsibly themselves, such as alcoholics, drug users, and habitual criminals. An ISFJ will accept the abuser's promise to reform, providing financial, emotional and physical support. Then, when the abuser backslides, the ISFJ will deliver a lecture. The abuser promises to reform, and the cycle begins again. These patterns can be extremely difficult for an ISFJ to break free of; criticism from other family members and friends rarely helps.

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