“You know when I was a kid,
I would have given anything to be exactly like everybody else.”
Disney’s Hercules
“Hercules Syndrome” is the classic INFJ weakness of feeling like they’re strange and don’t belong *because* of the very thing that makes them special. INFJs with Hercules Syndrome feel like there is a universe of potential and principles just at their fingertips… and everyone else is down on the ground saying “how dare you fly.” Floating around in the aether, wishing they could come down to the ground and not be so alone, but not willing to give up what they’ve seen up there, the INFJ may believe that they can never be liked and enjoyed for who they really are and what they can offer, but at best must be merely tolerated for the “eccentric” they are.
Hercules Syndrome can be a factor whether or not the INFJ has learned how to use their strength correctly. If they have not yet, you can expect awkward moments and embarrassment about said strength. If they have developed their strengths, it’s usually through years of training, but without their Hercules Syndrome in check, the INFJ is likely to feel guilty for having their strength at all, even though they’ve had to double their effort to develop it *in spite* of guilt all that time.
Examples:
Hiccup, How to Train Your Dragon
Avatar Aang, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Rapunzel, Tangled
and so many more…
Click here for an in-depth look at INFJ, “The Paladin”! Click here for more on Hercules as an INFJ.
Hey I’ve just come across your blog, and I have to say the way you talk about typing is very fascinating and comes across as incredibly well-reasoned (which cannot be said for most MBTI blogs), but I got a shock to see you give Aang as an example for the INFJ type. I’ve always thought of Aang as an ENFP, as I see a lot of Ne in his zaniness and just the way he comes up with ideas (he always approaches challenges with a creative, out-of-the-box problem-solving ability that I think Ne users are particularly adept at). I also think he’s often driven Fi, as his first instinct when it comes to making a decision is to do what he wants. And I don’t mean to say that he’s selfish, but rather that he has his own ideas of right and wrong based on the premise “can I live with this decision?” For Aang to believe his role as the hero is justified, he can’t do anything that would compromise those personal moral standards. When I compare this to someone like Captain America (I believe a true INFJ), he is more willing to make tough choices based upon the greater good for society. Again, not to say Aang can’t think of the greater good, and that Cap doesn’t have an individual moral compass, but I think there’s an Fe vs. Fi divide in how they prioritize those two.
Idk. I guess I’m just curious to see your justification for Aang as an INFJ, as admittedly I disagree with it quite strongly, but I respect the thought that goes into your typing so much that I’d love to see what that thought process was. I don’t know if you have a post somewhere that deals with it?