A little thought/suggestion I think I may use before all my posts. It would be nice to keep to typical, healthy, examples of characteristics, strengths, talents, and failings. Of course, it would be super cool to talk about abnormalities, but let's not get on here talking about some whacked out drug/sex addict that uses people as toys as though it's normal for the type. Yes?
To sort of put a little plug in for the ENFP: We are actually very often misperceived types asothers are mis-typed as an ENFP when they aren't, and so often I have read post after post after post of ill conceived notions of our type- mostly about how we approach the world, or what our perceptions are, what our goals are, and ironically most often how we act .
I sort of have this theory: I have found that in my personal experience most of the time those who are mistyped as ENFP's are ESFP's and ISFP's. Thus when someone thinks of an "ENFP" they have known, they come on places like this very confident in their conception and understanding of an ENFP, when they are usually thinking of an SFP. Mind you! I have nothing against SFP's, they are so cool, but ENFP's are about as different as they come, and not many people know that. They see the E and the P and the F and think that they are just like the ESFP only one letter off. Right? I happened to be shocked myself when I came to understand the differences, and I hope I convey them adequately below as the truths I've found in my experiences in working with people miscategorized as ENFP's and the misconceptions people often have about me that I feel are woefully inaccurate.
The rules to typing an ENFP are as follows:
2. ENFP's: Go around picking up swords for causes hacking heads off in the name of some grand philosophy, lifting the needy, the poor, the down-trodden... till it is apparent that it is swaying one way or the other, there is defeat on one side or the other and we feel that we can rest , then another cause comes along and they're off to the races again. Many look at this switch and often perceive an abandonment, but our goal is to achieve a bit of justice or champion a person, not to see the whole project through to the end.
If we sniff corruption we can barely help ourselves but to root it out, and squish it, all the while calling an army behind us.
If this is not something that constantly and almost accidentally happening, passionately griping an ENFP with a horrible fiery madness that you almost cannot control so help you God, it might be a good idea to reevaluate your type. Because it never ever stops, and like I aid, it's almost always accidental.
Also, this gets us into terrible trouble. Terrible, terrible trouble. -It's not very good if you hack off a head too soon.
4. The yin and yang of aloneness and sociality. I heard it said that an ENFP is the most introvertive of the E's. This doesn't seem possible, but that is because you haven't seen us when we are alone...er...because we are...alone.. ha. There has to be a balance. In college I had even more of a social life than high school, and then suddenly no regulation to stop me. I worked on the improv team, and gained a sort of fame which I had never experienced before. Having mostly kept to my corner in my theater area I worked hard on my craft, and left the rest of the school to it's devices. Suddenly, I was living with people IN my room, had a million parties, had a ton of people to talk to and was with another person 24 hours a day,- and I then learned that I HATED people. I didn't really. I love people, but I was terribly burnt out on them after my first semester and had no way of understanding what was happening to me. I had once presented as an ESFP, bubbly, until my privacy went away and I had no reprieve to handle myself and process. Now the need for solitude is evident as I have grown up -this much at least.
Long story short. Yin and yang. If you are an ENFP, you will need that time to gather yourself in equal measure, and if you don't know it- you one day will.
The in between is the most abrasive, though. If you are with people where you can freely express your Ne and not have Fi invaded, you are good. If you are somewhere where your mind can think Ne and you can nurture Fi, then you are gold, but if you are somewhere where those are both shut down for long periods of time, it is very, very taxing and happens to have tremendous impact on you. If this in between does not have such an impact on you, this may be a sign to re-evaluate.
6. And lastly, all, and I mean all ENFP's have angst. They seriously do. At all times and all places there is some kind of angst. They could be perfectly happy and alright with the world. -Actually, they usually are, which is what makes this so funny. They are Fi. They are happy, they are laid back, and yet they are incredibly angstful, and they are capable, I am not kidding you, of feeling 6 different things at one time. If you ask an ENFP what they are feeling, you will probably hear an "I don't know" (as they may cringe inwardly as they hope you won't ask them directly about their feelings anymore -something they may ask you if they are in a mood to champion you), or some tripe answer. They have some ultimate feeling, for instance happy, but under that is a brooding, boiling pot of emotion that is juggling 20 things at the same time. Well, it depends on the time. Sometimes they're just hungry. And ultimately, it really is just happy, so why bother talking about the boiling pot? Hey! A granola bar!
Hope this helps some of you. And it would be super cool if some of the responses were for other types. What fun!
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To sort of put a little plug in for the ENFP: We are actually very often misperceived types asothers are mis-typed as an ENFP when they aren't, and so often I have read post after post after post of ill conceived notions of our type- mostly about how we approach the world, or what our perceptions are, what our goals are, and ironically most often how we act .
I sort of have this theory: I have found that in my personal experience most of the time those who are mistyped as ENFP's are ESFP's and ISFP's. Thus when someone thinks of an "ENFP" they have known, they come on places like this very confident in their conception and understanding of an ENFP, when they are usually thinking of an SFP. Mind you! I have nothing against SFP's, they are so cool, but ENFP's are about as different as they come, and not many people know that. They see the E and the P and the F and think that they are just like the ESFP only one letter off. Right? I happened to be shocked myself when I came to understand the differences, and I hope I convey them adequately below as the truths I've found in my experiences in working with people miscategorized as ENFP's and the misconceptions people often have about me that I feel are woefully inaccurate.
The rules to typing an ENFP are as follows:
1. An ENFP is bubbly ONLY and I mean ONLY if they are talking in a flurry of abstract ideas, with people they feel comfortable with (which is harder than you think- and I'll get to that later). These are not tangible things that is to say cars, money, things that concern S people (though that is not to say that they can't be into those things in some way.) The best way to know for sure is to pay attention as they will draw huge paralells between points and across divides flitting here and there. Their Ne consumes them so vastly that I believe it is the only thing that makes them overcome their inherent social awkwardness-as it urges them to speak.
We are NOT, I repeat NOT little constant social butterflies...without a bit of a heavy toll on the other side. (see 4)
We are NOT, I repeat NOT little constant social butterflies...without a bit of a heavy toll on the other side. (see 4)
2. ENFP's: Go around picking up swords for causes hacking heads off in the name of some grand philosophy, lifting the needy, the poor, the down-trodden... till it is apparent that it is swaying one way or the other, there is defeat on one side or the other and we feel that we can rest , then another cause comes along and they're off to the races again. Many look at this switch and often perceive an abandonment, but our goal is to achieve a bit of justice or champion a person, not to see the whole project through to the end.
If we sniff corruption we can barely help ourselves but to root it out, and squish it, all the while calling an army behind us.
If this is not something that constantly and almost accidentally happening, passionately griping an ENFP with a horrible fiery madness that you almost cannot control so help you God, it might be a good idea to reevaluate your type. Because it never ever stops, and like I aid, it's almost always accidental.
Also, this gets us into terrible trouble. Terrible, terrible trouble. -It's not very good if you hack off a head too soon.
3. I sort of touched on this above, but it must be said more effulgently. Yep, we are spacey, but in the same way an INTP, ENTP or INFP are spacey. There is no turning our heads off, and thoughts are constantly turning. So, if you talking to us and it takes us a moment to get out of it and look up at you, it's usually because we're thinking of something in some weird way, very deeply and intricately, that actually doesn't really matter to us ultimately -but it's just how our heads work.
4. The yin and yang of aloneness and sociality. I heard it said that an ENFP is the most introvertive of the E's. This doesn't seem possible, but that is because you haven't seen us when we are alone...er...because we are...alone.. ha. There has to be a balance. In college I had even more of a social life than high school, and then suddenly no regulation to stop me. I worked on the improv team, and gained a sort of fame which I had never experienced before. Having mostly kept to my corner in my theater area I worked hard on my craft, and left the rest of the school to it's devices. Suddenly, I was living with people IN my room, had a million parties, had a ton of people to talk to and was with another person 24 hours a day,- and I then learned that I HATED people. I didn't really. I love people, but I was terribly burnt out on them after my first semester and had no way of understanding what was happening to me. I had once presented as an ESFP, bubbly, until my privacy went away and I had no reprieve to handle myself and process. Now the need for solitude is evident as I have grown up -this much at least.
Long story short. Yin and yang. If you are an ENFP, you will need that time to gather yourself in equal measure, and if you don't know it- you one day will.
The in between is the most abrasive, though. If you are with people where you can freely express your Ne and not have Fi invaded, you are good. If you are somewhere where your mind can think Ne and you can nurture Fi, then you are gold, but if you are somewhere where those are both shut down for long periods of time, it is very, very taxing and happens to have tremendous impact on you. If this in between does not have such an impact on you, this may be a sign to re-evaluate.
5. All ENFP's are weird. Some ENFP's will try to lie to themselves that they aren't and think that they are super cool. They may be cool (if trying to bring back bad 70's trend is cool), but they are also undeniably weird. These ENFP's have not listened to themselves recently, analyzed their thoughts or looked in a mirror. They are weird. Period. They will get odd reactions, they won't know how to talk to people, some people will think they are aliens. It's just part of the territory that comes with NF. It's not the worst thing in the world.
6. And lastly, all, and I mean all ENFP's have angst. They seriously do. At all times and all places there is some kind of angst. They could be perfectly happy and alright with the world. -Actually, they usually are, which is what makes this so funny. They are Fi. They are happy, they are laid back, and yet they are incredibly angstful, and they are capable, I am not kidding you, of feeling 6 different things at one time. If you ask an ENFP what they are feeling, you will probably hear an "I don't know" (as they may cringe inwardly as they hope you won't ask them directly about their feelings anymore -something they may ask you if they are in a mood to champion you), or some tripe answer. They have some ultimate feeling, for instance happy, but under that is a brooding, boiling pot of emotion that is juggling 20 things at the same time. Well, it depends on the time. Sometimes they're just hungry. And ultimately, it really is just happy, so why bother talking about the boiling pot? Hey! A granola bar!
Hope this helps some of you. And it would be super cool if some of the responses were for other types. What fun!
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