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ENFP and self identity

[ENFP] 
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#1 ·
Hi ENFP's. I know I flip between ESFP and ENFP, since humanmetrics tested me ESFP, but all other tests tested me ENFP and I feel like an ENFP too. But I heard we can be a mixture, even though I believe I'm an ENFP. So how many of you are in a turmoil what your inner core is? Do you ask your family and friends abt. what they think of you? But the answers do not satisfy, as if the answers are parts of you but you don't have a clear picture in mind of who you really are?

I believe everyone is unique, different and beautiful in their own way. I'm a strong believer in individuality. I don't judge ppl and believe live and let live, even though there has to be certain general laws and principles that govern society otherwise everything will be chaotic. I have an artist soul, working in a law firm, I used to be a arts genius in school winning a lot of National level awards, but art doesnt really sell, so in college I chose law and also cause I wanted something objective to learn. But the artist within me longs to express herself.

So is it natural for ENFPs to question their identity sometimes? How much time do you really think about your inner nature? also is it an ENFP thing to do so?

Thanks. Replies welcome
 
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#3 ·
So how many of you are in a turmoil what your inner core is? Do you ask your family and friends abt. what they think of you? But the answers do not satisfy, as if the answers are parts of you but you don't have a clear picture in mind of who you really are?
Well I wouldn't call it my Inner Core, but I recently I seem to have lost track of who I am and have to go meditate on it for hours on end. I also ask many additional people, How I am perceived.

I always try to direct it towards the future, who you are now doesn't matter, who are you going to be?
 
#4 ·
I'd like to say some things on this topic that I feel. I think ESFP's and ENFP's are two totally different, strongly divergent types that can easily be mistaken for each other. I would say they put off a similar aura, but the creatures within are not the same species.

The things I would say they have in common are: free spirit, individualist, fun seekers at the expense of responsibility, interest in art, messy

For ENFP's iNtuition is like a car or a boat and we are driving around in it all day every second. It's like cocaine. It's like sex. It's like our eye sight. It's our identity.

Now, I've described Intuition to ESFP's and everyone has always said, "Oh, yeah I've got that," but obviously they don't - they are an ESFP. So rather than trying to figure out if you have intuition, try to figure out if you have dominant sensing. Because ENFP's don't have sensing in a bad way. In fact in the same ways ESFP's don't have iNtuition in a bad way.

In my opinion ESFP's should be naturally and easily able to repeat a tune on the ratio after listening to it once or twice. I have a hard time reproducing my some of my favorite songs.
 
#6 ·
I continually test ENFP. Now that I have a better understanding of the functions, I know that I am Ne dominant. A lot of my acquaintances initially thought I was an ESFP because both ENFP and ESFPs tend to be social - and I used to party pretty hard. My tertiary Te comes out pretty often - particularly in my literary theory classes - and my love for philosophy (the ancient Greeks) I believe distinguishes me as an "N" ESFPs tend to be more light-hearted and more "live in the moment." ENFPs can't stop planning/worrying about the future - and in my own personal experience - tend to be more prone to anxiety problems. So yeah - if you're interested in theory and long term consequences of actions, you're probably an N.
 
#7 ·
I'm very confused. I live in the present, but I'm very imaginative and have unconventional ideas. People have described me as out of this world, a girl with a strong imagination, day dreams, scatter-brained, random, unorganized, creative, artist, lives in her own world, unrealistic, doesn't care about facts or details, overlook details, doesn't bother gathering facts, not very good with specifics or actual data, lives in a fantasy world etc. Yet, I tested ESFP in humanmetrics and ENFP in the actual paid MBTI test online. My boyfriend thinks I'm an ESFP too. So I'm confused.
 
#10 ·
I don't like to label things in terms of whether or not something is an "ENFP thing" or what have you. OP, like you said, everybody is unique and different in their own ways. Even within the same MBTI type--let's take ENFPs for instance--there are many different attitudes and flavors :) I would say it is natural for people in general to question their identities, and this, of course, includes people of all MBTI types. Questioning one's identity is about as exclusive a trait as taking a shit or masturbating, meaning... well, it's not exclusive to us at all ^.^ Try not to get too caught up in unimportant details. There are a lot of people here in this place and other personality typing websites that tend to emphasize on ridiculously unimportant, incorrect, and unverifiable data, and what's worse is that they present these things as facts. Someone once suggested to me that I was an ESFP because I was good at sports xD I laughed my ass off. I guess what I'm really trying to say is this: don't get confused by other people not having their facts straight. And you're right; nobody knows you quite like you do. Only you know all of your thoughts and how you process things. Others might have an -idea- of how you process things, but nobody has a clearer view than you do. Figuring out your type should be a journey to help you know yourself better and also help you realize that you're not alone. It's nothing to stress over, and it's certainly not something that you should allow other people to take the reigns on (talking about figuring out your own type here.) Discovering your type is a personal journey meant to encourage growth in your life. Don't let other peoples' opinions stifle you or trip you up :) Just continue to read and investigate, love. You'll figure things out for yourself. And if you don't... who gives a shit? It's just another damn label anyways. Nobody is going to fit perfectly into any one of the sixteen boxes, so no sweat ^.^' Good luck on your journey! Cheers, mate.
 
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#11 ·
Until you really understand mbti (which takes a long long time to figure out) and how functions work, you are of course going to be confused. Part of the problem is that mbti is never explained properly, and people start to think that it's a series of characteristics that define types.

type functions, such as Se and Ne, are processes of perception. This means that while characteristics can be affected indirectly, in reality they aren't the important part. What's important is the method that you are using to arrive at a perception.

Se is being aware of your physical surroundings, and using that as your default mode of perception.. Make yourself hyper focused on your physical surroundings right now- how your clothes fit on your body, the space between the different objects around you, the size and nature of the objects around you, and focus on those things. You should feel very present in your situation. If that feels strange or like hard-work to you it isn't your natural mode of perception. This is how Se approaches problems and situations in life as well- A -> B. Very simple and straight-forward based on the immediate information available.

Ne by comparison identifies all objects and situations by all the extraneous information that you associate with it. This allows Ne users to link ideas and situations together very quickly (intuitively) because we can compare two situations/objects/people by the extraneous information we choose to attach to them in order to identify them. So, even with an object, we can identify that object by the meanings, associations and possibilities that we link to that object, rather than identifying the object by simply looking at it and noticing its immediate physical "thereness".

Se types are typically more trusting of their views and opinions, because things are straight-forward and instinctively trust what is immediately apparent, distrusting (or simply not being interested) in most things that aren't immediately apparent. Ne types often question their own and others' perspectives, because they are constantly surrounded by extraneous ideas and possibilities, even in situations that call for straight-forwardness, but may be quicker to come up with a perspective for things when answers aren't immediately apparent.
 
#13 ·
Ah, humanetrics tests me as ISTJ at times. However, all the functions are weak. Second time around INFP, third time around INFJ.

It's not really reliable. The cognitive functions of an MBTI type are what determines behavior and cognition. You need to look closely at that if you want to determine whether ESFP or ENFP. You can only be one.

However, I think an issue that all ESFPs/ENFPs have is with the inner core - I can really relate to your post on that.
Inner core for me, is defined by my cognitive function of Fi. It's in a secondary position for us - Ne Fi Te Si - ENFP and Se Fi Te Ni - ESFP.

I also believe everything is unique and beautiful, however I feel gullible when I try to view something as "all good" or "all bad". I think the abilities to distinguish between things like good and bad, can really meddle with that inner core, it's like a sort of labelling system that really stagnates self-growth, without it really coming straight into my consciousness that I am stagnating my personal growth.

After all, that is what I want, to see motivations under a limelight, and see how these can be developed as someone that is a strong iNtuitive learner. I think that's what compels me to search for beauty/uniqueness/difference as well, at other times, it could be a conglomerate of factors as well.

I would say my soul is artistic as well, and haha, I'm a law student, so I guess I will be working in a law firm or something like that in the future (well if I hope so). One of the things I really want for myself, is to conserve that artistic soul as you mentioned. That's something that all those detailed routines, etc that I face in every day life, compel me to think about and ponder.

So in my own contemplative rumination, I start to focus onto my identity. but as I am me, looking at myself, it can make a bigger impression on me, than if I were to think of some random possibility that was generated by my Ne. I guess, I have to remember that me thinking about my identity, and feeling insecure isn't a bad thing, it's actually affirming my character in itself - someone that is inclined to think about the various what ifs and possibilities.

I guess, this can be a gift and a curse as well. Like in the case of my family or friends, I may become "effulgent" or 'over the top' in a bid to win affection or acceptance, when such a thing can't be won. Thinking like this is like expecting everyone to be a certain way, and I need to stop doing that if I am going to be happy with my life. People change, and so does the feeling of internal validation. I have troubles accepting that I can find myself, only through myself. It's also troubling that I rely on acceptance from others and put a lot of emotional baggage on people, who are too unfixed and inconsistent to catch onto what other people are feeling/thinking anyway.

I guess I need to realize, self-efficacy builds self-esteem and expectations are a possibility. If I can't rely on others, I need to know what I can rely on instead.

Surprisingly, this notion that we should not and will not be confined can lead to a lot of suppressed emotions, in efforts to win acceptance especially, and maybe even in an effort to understand even more possibilities. It's ongoing, broody, and annoyingly persistent at times. One thing I start to get overpowered by is the rage pent up inside (without even knowing such a thing was that deep inside), because I've been on the green grassy side for too long, looking at what can be done here and there. Then I go to the muddy terrain, near the border, and realize all these other things and realize all those expectations and identity issues, and just feel like imploding.

To answer your initial question - YES. I have always been in this mess, and it's really hard to see a way out of it, but I have a natural inclination to assume the better option, if not the best option. And forget it and be happy with what I've got going now instead :) .
 
#15 ·
Hi,

Thanks everyone for the replies. Some of them have been really insightful. I thought about the cognitive functions and gave the the test. I tested ENFP for it. With Ne dominant. Also the official MBTI test tested me as ENFP too. So, I guess I am that. Trinduntus: Thanks for the description. I really gave it a thought and most of the time I'm not very aware of my physical surroundings. However my Se function did came in 5th as a dominant function. Te happened to be my second dominant. I'm often described as a person removed often from space and time and often described as dreamy...lol. Anway, thanks for making it clear. To AverOblivious: Thanks for the post and sharing your thoughts about your struggle with self identity too. I generally think aloud. Thats how I clear my mind. When I'm alone, I either analyze my thoughts by singing rational thoughts to myself or talking aloud to myself...lol. It helps clear my head. I don't do it often, but I should often, have an inner dialogue with myself and discuss and analyze what I really am. What I'm actually capable of, what is my public persona, and why did I chose that typical persona to show the world. When can I be myself. I generally show my anger only to my boyfriend or rarely to my sisters, I don't think anyone else have really seen me angry or upset. Generally I'm happy, smiling, have a positive attitude and inspiring my friends to do their best. The reason I've trained myself not to trust my intuition too much or my hunches is because I was diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder 10 years ago, but has been stable since the last 7 years. I have a good career and social life since then. I depend upon my Se, not as a default function but as a trained function to keep me in the present world and not to wander in my mind for too long. Plus, I have a very good Te, that I depend on to sort things out, only I do it aloud or by talking to others.

Thanks for sharing your insights, many more welcome :)
 
#21 ·
People can have a perfectly happy & successful life without knowing anything about MBTI. You are who you are.
People often say don't put people in a box and most people easily except this as true.

But I say don't put the MBTI in a box! Don't assume the test attempts to boil people down into an exhaustive definition. These are cognitive functions. It's like saying you have an arm, a leg, another arm and another leg, and by the way you always pick up crap with your right arm and it's bigger than your left arm, dude. Let the classifications inform on what they can and be silent on what they can't and don't assume it's a 'dumbing down' / 'box making' device. You may not be doing this in your three sentences, but just a word of caution.

Why would some test affect your self identity??
This is really left up to ones own creativity and imagination. Information can radically change a persons life or do nothing at all; it depends on what the person does with it. And this can be independent of whether the information is actually true or not - but that's another story, and come to think of it, I don't think I have ever heard it b4.
 
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