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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
I'm going to write as accurate a personal profile that I can, and ask that someone help me type it. Said person has tested three times as ESFP. Some of the supposed traits of ESFP do not fit however.

He's very outgoing and gregarious. He can strike up a conversation with nearly anyone, but sometimes misses it when someone sends out "leave me alone" signals. He is the life of any party and flits from person to person happily talking about everything in the world and nothing at all. He is very physical, loves to touch people on the shoulder or back as he talks to them, but again, sometimes misses it when someone feels uncomfortable with the contact. He has a really hard time closing a conversation, misses clues that the other person is ready to walk away. But overall, he is very much liked. People say he is fun and easy to talk to.

He has a very round about way of asking for things. He does not like to give commands, but is very irritated if a person doesn't understand what was implied when he said, "Looks like the dog might be hungry" or something like that. He doesn't want to demand, but he wants people to understand what he wants them to do from what was implied. He can very quickly get extremely angry if he cannot seem to gain a person's cooperation. He wants constant support.

He is very affectionate and loving most of the time. He loves kids and animals.

He loves the good things in life: food, drinks, friends, the beauty of nature. He revels in these things, but usually finds no deeper meaning in any of them. The point to him is simply to enjoy life as much as possible.

His decisions are usually based on his feeling of the moment rather than any plan. He's not a planner and really values the ablility to be spontaneous. He frequently breaks promises because of his desire to live in the moment and to be unencumbered.

He is very tight with his money. He is a saver and not a spender. He would most likely have very nice things if it weren't for this tendency, as he loves the finer things. He just can't seem to bring himself to open his wallet for them. He is very stingy with his money, but he likes to try to make a gift out of things that don't cost anything. He views nearly everything he does for others as a gift for which he deserves a show of appreciation. He makes a gift of the groceries, or some thing someone gave him. So he has a very strong desire to appear generous, and indeed tends to view himself so. He can be generous in many ways which have nothing to do with money.

He has very traditional values and is fiercely loyal to friends and family. He very much looks down on anyone who is disloyal to a mate or who gives in to bad habits. He tends to be very judgemental of those who have weaknesses or have done something he disapproves of. Once he has made his judgement, it sticks. He will have a very hard time looking at it any other way in the future. He's also quite sensitive to the judgements of others, and as a result is nearly obsessive about protecting his reputation. He becomes very uncomfortable if he feels others don't approve of him or any of his family.

He is very fearful and has tendencies that look very much like OCD. He's very compulsive about safety and locking up, checking multiple times to make sure.

He has a very quick temper and cannot be reasoned with when he is angry. He can become violent in speech and sometimes action as well. He has a very strong need to be in control. He cannot take criticism, which will usually set off a tantrum. Unsolicited suggestions from others can also get his blood boiling.

Although he wants no unsolicited direction, he very frequently asks for advice, as he has trouble making decisions on his own. Even small decisions are occasions to ask for advice. He will even ask a perfect stranger rather than trust is own feeling on the matter.


Okay, I know there are probably things I didn't include that would be helpful, but I can't think of much more to say now. Just ask me to clarify if need be.
 

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Discussion Starter · #3 ·
What doesn't fit? Seems like most of it fits to me:

E -> He's outgoing and likes to be with people. There's nothing about him wanting to be alone here.
S -> He points out details and is specific on things rather than dealing with the big picture all the time.
F -> His decisions are based on feelings rather than rational thoughts. This can be a bad thing if he is in a tantrum, obviously.
P -> He doesn't plan things out and just flies by the seat of his pants.

Just wondering what is the question here, as I seem to see what was described as totally fitting with that type. If there is interpretation required that may require some intuition which he hasn't developed yet.
That's how I feel, but I'm having a hard time convincing him. He doesn't want to be ESFP, he'd rather be ENFP, but as far as I can see there is absolutely no room for interpreting it any other way. The only things that didn't seem to fit were the fact that he is so principled and loyal, and also not at all a spendthrift. But it seems pretty obvious when it's all written out that he's using the cognitive functions that would have to make him ESFP. I just thought a little input would make it easier for me to convince him and be at peace with it.
 

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Discussion Starter · #6 ·
Why does he want to be ENFP and not ESFP? If it's because he doesn't want to fit the ESFP stereotype of excess-party-party-spendy-spendy, maybe he's a more balanced ESFP who uses his auxiliary function Fi more? Growing up, was his parents a certain way with money that influenced him to value saving money more? Maybe find out why he wants to be ENFP and also emphasize how he uses Fi and Te to curb the excess. Lol.
He wants to be ENFP because he feels it's better to be an intuitive I believe. I think there's a lot about his natural tendencies that he doesn't like very much. And his habits with money are definitely influenced by how he was raised. He does seem somewhat more balanced of an ESFP, but only in some ways.
 

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Discussion Starter · #9 ·
I would say about 90% of that profile sounds like me. :crazy:

Function-wise, I am an ESFP. Profile-wise, I don't seem to fit it nearly as much. I don't blame your friend, I wouldn't particularly want to be an ESFP either. They don't seem to be taken seriously, and I want to be taken seriously.

How old is he? Perhaps he has a very well developed tertiary function (Te)? This could explain why he is very careful when it comes to spending money. And like pc3000 said, the way he was raised could also explain this. I would rather spend than save as well, but had I not been raised by a bunch of ISTJ's who were very careful with money, and very responsible individuals, I may not have developed that "need" to save and be careful with money so early on.

I think your friend sounds ESFP (perhaps ESFJ? Have you considered that?), and I think that I am an eSFP (not a very strong extrovert). However, I think he and I are like two-in-one, and do not want to fit the "loud-mouthed, drunk, sex-crazed, party everyday, irresponsible" stereotype, so we likely take use of our Auxiliary (Fi) and Tertiary (Te) functions more than our Dominant (Se).
He's in his 40's.

I've definitely thought about ESFJ, but he doesn't have the directive style of communicating. He doesn't feel comfortable giving orders. Only time he does that is when someone pushes him over the edge. He usually just infers is desires.

He's never wanted to fit what he calls the "party animal" persona. He doesn't approve of it, although his natural tendency is to want to have fun all the time. He almost never rejects a party invite. He's pretty responsible though for someone who prefers ESFP.
 

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Discussion Starter · #10 ·
i just went off to re-read the ESFJ descriptions. I'm thinking he is still ESFP, or maybe ESFp with a strong leaning toward J. He definitely fits quite a bit of the ESFJ description. But in some of the most important functional aspects, he is still ESFP I believe.
 

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Discussion Starter · #12 ·
Being an esfp doesn't automatically make you irresponsible. Also he's much older so a lot of the immaturity you would see from younger esfp would have passed. As you grow older a person should become more balanced with use of their tertiary functions and inferior functions
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that. It's obviously not true since he is ESFP, and I'm sure there are other ESFP's out there who are very conscientious as well.
 
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