Worried About Being Judged? 

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INFJ personality types tend to struggle with perfectionism, especially INFJ writers. When we struggle with perfectionism, we want to do everything perfectly, not only to satisfy our own inner critic but also to prevent others from judging us negatively.
The fear of negative judgment from others can affect our entire life. Why is this such a problem for some of us? Because it’s not just a worry, it’s an addiction to approval. This affects our writing, our creativity, and our entire lives.
When we suffer from perfectionism, we overthink everything we do and say, and we constantly worry about the reactions of others. Any expression of judgement can shut us down. We also constantly chase approval, and we may do things like take on more work than we need to or try to work harder than anyone else, or try to be the friend who is always there for everyone else, even when we don’t have the energy to give. We say “yes” a lot, when we really mean “no.”
These are all signs of approval addiction, and when someone has an addiction to approval, they only feel safe when they feel that others approve of what they are doing, what they are expressing, and who they are. They feel very unsafe when others do not approve of them, or disagree with what they are doing, what they are expressing, or who they are. So, they always try to be perfect, so that no one ever has an issue with what they are doing, expressing, or their way of being.
Obviously, this is impossible, and so it makes the person constantly experience psychological distress, because they are torn in two on the inside as they try to please and get that approval, while simultaneously repressing and punishing themselves when any hint of their true thoughts or feelings comes out.
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