[SassyPJs24]

Up until last year, I always got ENFP on every test. But recently one of my roommates (definitely ENFP) started expressing doubt that I actually am an ENFP because I spend much of my time alone and get energy that way, rather than from other people. I've also seen a lot of changes in myself over the last year in that I've started listening to people more and shying away from situations in which I'm uncomfortable (I think a lot of times in my past I've been very social because I thought I had to be). I used to be in a sorority, and now that I dropped out, I'm actually a lot happier.

So recently, I took the test again, three times, three different tests, to make sure I was ENFP, and every time I took it I got INFJ.

I read somewhere that INFJ and ENFP are shadow personalities, so maybe I am both? I tend to be right in the middle of E and I, but I love lists and even though I am spontaneous and bubbly when I am in the mood for it, I'm generally not as talkative as I used to be. I also used to be very open about my feelings, and now I'm not, only with people very close to me. Could it be that I've become an INFJ over time? Do people's core personalities shift that much? Or have I always been an INFJ, and I was taking the test before as something I wanted to be?

I know there is a lot of overlap between the two... Here are just a few similarities:

Can work logically and rationally - use their intuition to understand the goal and work backwards towards it
Natural leaders
Sensitive and compassionate towards people
Service-oriented
Future-oriented
Value deep, authentic relationships
Creative


But there are also a lot of differences... any advice?

 

[Gildar]

Can work logically and rationally - use their intuition to understand the goal and work backwards towards it

if that is how you always used your intution then you are an INFJ. That is describing introverted intuition. ENFPs use Extroverted intuition which is one idea and predicting many possibilities that would lead from it.

heres a qoute that made the differnce of Ne and Ni very clear to me

Ni is convergent, while Ne is divergent.

Ne starts at one idea and brainstorms more, while Ni starts at many ideas and finds the uniting principle/pattern of them all. Sort of like a tree; Ni starts at the top of the tree, with all the twisting, chaotic branches, going down to the center seeking the core that fuels all the branches. Conversely, Ne starts at the center/core of the tree and works its way up, ending with more branches/limbs than it started with.

if you felt like you were always using Ni then i doubt you were even your shadow. You could have been suffering from what i am right now. I am being too social when i am Introvert and it is wearing me down slowly. I don't take enough time to be alone and when i do it's all one big chunk. I get around one hour to 2 hour most of me time during the day and i have started tell people i need time to myself more. I have a backlog of things i want to do and that is also kinda frustrating. I love being around people since it is when i am happiest but i get drained doing it .

 

[CyberSheep]

Hmmm, difficult question...
I think all human beings need some time to find their true self, and it is possible for us to act in ways that are not in line with who we really are - more of an unconscious survival strategy. So the question is not whether you've developed or not over the years (we all do), but whether you are about to discover who you really are.

 

[Resolution]

Up until last year, I always got ENFP on every test. But recently one of my roommates (definitely ENFP) started expressing doubt that I actually am an ENFP because I spend much of my time alone and get energy that way, rather than from other people. I've also seen a lot of changes in myself over the last year in that I've started listening to people more and shying away from situations in which I'm uncomfortable (I think a lot of times in my past I've been very social because I thought I had to be). I used to be in a sorority, and now that I dropped out, I'm actually a lot happier.

So recently, I took the test again, three times, three different tests, to make sure I was ENFP, and every time I took it I got INFJ.

I read somewhere that INFJ and ENFP are shadow personalities, so maybe I am both? I tend to be right in the middle of E and I, but I love lists and even though I am spontaneous and bubbly when I am in the mood for it, I'm generally not as talkative as I used to be. I also used to be very open about my feelings, and now I'm not, only with people very close to me. Could it be that I've become an INFJ over time? Do people's core personalities shift that much? Or have I always been an INFJ, and I was taking the test before as something I wanted to be?

I know there is a lot of overlap between the two... Here are just a few similarities:

Can work logically and rationally - use their intuition to understand the goal and work backwards towards it
Natural leaders
Sensitive and compassionate towards people
Service-oriented
Future-oriented
Value deep, authentic relationships
Creative


But there are also a lot of differences... any advice?

You are sassyPjs24, and nothing can take that away :wink:

But seriously... you probably have strong functions of both an ENFP and an INFJ... and recently the functions of the INFJ have become more pronounced. You'll carry remnants of your ENFP self around, even as an INFJ. We don't all fit nicely into the types... For example... my Fi is quite high for an INFJ.

If you feel happier.. or more comfortable this way, then absolutely, you are an INFJ. Welcome to the boards :happy:

 

[Gildar]

You are sassyPjs24, and nothing can take that away :wink:

But seriously... you probably have strong functions of both an ENFP and an INFJ... and recently the functions of the INFJ have become more pronounced. You'll carry remnants of your ENFP self around, even as an INFJ. We don't all fit nicely into the types... For example... my Fi is quite high for an INFJ.

If you feel happier.. or more comfortable this way, then absolutely, you are an INFJ. Welcome to the boards :happy:

people must be rubbing off on me..... i decided to not say to "you are an INFJ if you feel happier" even though i thought like that at the time....

it was my gf.... sigh need to not let my "follow your heart" and "i want you to decide" girlfriend to start changing me subconsciously.

 

[Zomboy]

I had to take a written MBTI during a job training class, and though my results on three functions were ambiguous, they labelled me an ENFP.

But on online tests my first result was INFJ. Different tests would say INTJ and ENTP as well.

It got so confusing I removed the personality title from my profile. Lol.

 

[nikkii]

ENFP: You have so much damn energy just wanting impulsively go do something than maybe after awhile of being crazy you want to go back to some quiet time. maybe bi polar something or another

INFJ: You will find yourself sitting down quietly wanting to take everything around you, not so much energy but talkative. than maybe randomly want to go out and have fun.

There is a pretty big difference, ENFPs are more prone to muscle tension because they are so aware of everything around them and ready for anything, like a child will pass out somewhere along the line.

 

[Goaty]

I would suggest that you go read up on cognitive functions. While typing yourself based on descriptions is usually fine, peering into your function order and usage will shed more light on your personality than any description or test.

Since nobody knows you better than yourself, asking for help on here will only get you so far; we can only guide you in the right direction.

If you want some info on functions, drop me a PM. I'd love to help.

 

[Filigeedreamer]

I origionally typed as an INFJ, and the discriptions fit me just fine, and the ENFP discriptin also fits me to an extent.

However I am not an INFJ, function wise I am ENFP. So I also suggest you have a long look at your functions too, watching some of the video of ENFPs on their forum helped, and watching back footage of me. There was a big similarity in how the eyes moved, very quickly and all over the place, glacing back to the person being adressed breifly but regularly. Finding out my Eannagram type also helped (7, so not the usual for an INFJ).

Something that might help:

It's a misconception ENFPs are always jumping about and want people, no one ALWAYS wants people around. ENFPs are actually quite throughful, and will spend time alone thinking or involved in some sort of project. However after a while this alarm goes off inside which screams LONLY-NEED OTHER HUMANS. It needn't be a party full, like INFJs we value deep one to one interaction.

So I, for example, go away for hours, resurching,, writing or drawing, then the lonlyness hits, and I search out someone to discuss my ideas and projects with. I will then talk for AGES. I get very excited about expressing my ideas, and getting feedback from others. I need this. It can over whelm people if I am not carful, or really excited about something. (I am working on this though)

Now you can see how this need for deep conections with other people, and wanting alone time to learn and be creative, can seem quite an introverted thing to do...but it's a very ENFP process.

Over all though, your functions are unlikly to change dramaticly , even if how you act does...motivation is key. Tests might not ask the right questions to get a firm grip on how you really think. Only you can ever really know that.

But as I've been confused with this too, I'm happy to try and help more if you think I might be able to.

 

[Filigeedreamer]

if that is how you always used your intution then you are an INFJ. That is describing introverted intuition. ENFPs use Extroverted intuition which is one idea and predicting many possibilities .

The way I visually imagine it, is a big grid or web of knowledge in my head, which is all the stuff I know. A single new idea or stimulas forms connections with many others in that giant grid...maybe to form part of a theory or creative project.

I build up and outwards...

Ni is more...big chunck of knowledge *wham* now I need to unpick it into pieces to understand or vocalise what it is I know. It takes things apart to anylise and make sense of them.

Ne: many new ideas and possibilities constantly being generated and woven into each other...destroyed and re-built in new ways.

Ni: a progressive understanding of a lump of knowledge, which is picked apart, undune...explored, to find out the essence of that thing. It starts with connections, and follows them, unties them, and looks at the parts. It is looking for one thing, a definative anwser... It does not build new connections on a concouse level, like Ne does. The connections are just there and need to be understood.

One builds connections, one takes apart and reduces connections.

This is what I found confusing with discussing Ni with Ni users, as they often talk about forming connections, which is what I do with Ne. It is not quite as straight forward as that, they are provided with connections. They don't activly form them from little peices to whole.

 

[dejavu]

It's a misconception ENFPs are always jumping about and want people, no one ALWAYS wants people around. ENFPs are actually quite throughful, and will spend time alone thinking or involved in some sort of project. However after a while this alarm goes off inside which screams LONLY-NEED OTHER HUMANS. It needn't be a party full, like INFJs we value deep one to one interaction.

So I, for example, go away for hours, resurching,, writing or drawing, then the lonlyness hits, and I search out someone to discuss my ideas and projects with. I will then talk for AGES. I get very excited about expressing my ideas, and getting feedback from others. I need this. It can over whelm people if I am not carful, or really excited about something. (I am working on this though)

Now you can see how this need for deep conections with other people, and wanting alone time to learn and be creative, can seem quite an introverted thing to do...but it's a very ENFP process.

Nice to find another ENFP that I totally relate to. It feels rare...there's so much variation in the ENFPs. Anyways, you describe the ENFP version of extroversion quite well--it can so easily be mistaken for introversion! You have to look very closely to see the truth.

 

[penchant]

In my experience ENFPs tend to question their extroversion sometimes... But I think Filigeedreamer has summed up everything very well... :happy:

 

[hootie]

I would suggest that you go read up on cognitive functions. While typing yourself based on descriptions is usually fine, peering into your function order and usage will shed more light on your personality than any description or test.

Since nobody knows you better than yourself, asking for help on here will only get you so far; we can only guide you in the right direction.

If you want some info on functions, drop me a PM. I'd love to help.

I'm suffering from INFJ/ENFP too.
As it comes to the functions, I score Ne > Ni > Fe > Ti = Fi= Te > Si = Se, however, I'm a bipolar 2 with anxiety under treatment.

In all sorts of tests, they classify me as an INFJ but in my childhood, before the rollercoaster began, I was definitely an ENFP. I thrive on fandoms and intense emotions I feel about things I adore but I also feel like expressing my feelings verbally and it's no trouble for me. As for Ti and Te, they're equal. No idea how Fi works, sorry. Been a huge people- pleaser and I've just started working on it (and I'm feeling like a massive egoist).

Frankly, I can be quite oblivious to the tactful ways to say certain things, often getting myself into some trouble with etiquette- and this is something that would rarely happen to an INFJ. However, I don't see myself as Fi.

 

[Sour Roses]

I'm suffering from INFJ/ENFP too.

Ummm… Nine YEARS. That's how old this thread is. Why don't you make a new type help thread so people can assist you better?

 

[Highway Nights]

I'm suffering from INFJ/ENFP too.
As it comes to the functions, I score Ne > Ni > Fe > Ti = Fi= Te > Si = Se, however, I'm a bipolar 2 with anxiety under treatment.

In all sorts of tests, they classify me as an INFJ but in my childhood, before the rollercoaster began, I was definitely an ENFP. I thrive on fandoms and intense emotions I feel about things I adore but I also feel like expressing my feelings verbally and it's no trouble for me. As for Ti and Te, they're equal. No idea how Fi works, sorry. Been a huge people- pleaser and I've just started working on it (and I'm feeling like a massive egoist).

Frankly, I can be quite oblivious to the tactful ways to say certain things, often getting myself into some trouble with etiquette- and this is something that would rarely happen to an INFJ. However, I don't see myself as Fi.

Don't go taking my word as gospel or anything, but I have definitely noticed a connection between ENFPs and dredging up ancient threads.

In all seriousness though, you don't sound Fi.