One of the 16 personality types as outlined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), available at http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm Reply
The ENFP takes hir energy from the outer world of actions and spoken words. Ze prefers dealing with patterns and possibilities, particularly for people, and makes decisions on the basis of personal values. Hir life is flexible, following new insights and possibilities as they arise. Ze is creative and insightful, often seeking to try new ideas that can be of benefit to people. Ze may sometimes neglect details and planning, but ze enjoys work that involves experimentation and variety, working towards a general goal. Reply
From the book Type Talk : Reply
ENFPs are generally described as dynamic, enthusiastic, highly skilled wiht people, affirming, and gregarious. The combined preferences of Extraversion, iNtuition, Feeling, and Perceiving give them an exceptional capacity for dealing with a variety of people, events, or challenges - often simultaneously. Reply
ENFPs prefer to perceive the world through its possibilities (N) and translate these possibilities inter- and intrapersonally (F). All this takes place in lively interaction withthe outside world (E), and their Perceiving attitude (P) keeps them open to a never-ending flow of alternatives in any situation. Reply
The ENFP has a high need to be affirming of others - and to be affirmed. This drives them in such a way that they may appear overly positive, even insincere, in praise of other people's simplest deeds. Craving such affirmations, ENFPs will overexert themselves - physically and psychologically - to please. They may also expend extra energy giving strokes in return. It is not uncommon for ENFPs to work themselves into exhaustion while following an inspiration or seeking an approving response from someone important to them. Reply
This ability to see the potential in people and be positive about them gives ENFPs a decided edge in interpersonal dynamics, especially when combined with their almost psychic awareness of what's going on with people around them. Sometimes in their Extraverted enthusiasm, however, they may share some of these iNtuitive insights and be so accurate as to be intimidating rather than helpful to the people involved. These unsolicited but freely offered insights can often win them disapproval rather than approval, although that may only make the ENFP try harder the next time around. Reply
Because of their enthusiasm for life, it is easy for ENFPs to rally support around any number of exciting ideas or causes. Unfortunately, somewhat like their first cousin, the ENTP, ENFPs make more starts than finishes. So while a crowd may be attracted by an ENFP's charisma, it may soon grow frustrated by the lack of organisation and follow-through. Reply
By virtue of their enthusiasm and generally accepting nature, ENFPs are highly resistant to categorising and putting people in boxes,
and they are equally resistant to being put in boxes themselves, since they enjoy their own multifaceted personalities. With a little bit of effort they can "get into another person's shoes' and identify with that individual's thoughts and feelings so readily that they run the risk of virtually losing their own identity. This beautiful quality of effortlessly taking on both the characteristics and the problems of another type is seen by others as very supportive and accepting. However, it can become a problem to the degree that it leaves ENFPs adrift, wondering who they are and what they should be doing. Obviously, this tendency has a restlessness to it, as well as an unfinished quality that haunts ENFPs lifelong. Reply
In a relationship, ENFPs are rarely complacent. While highly committed they can never give up thinking that either This relationship could be better if I worked harder
or There's a better relationship, still out there waiting for me.
Such ambiguity and tension can be disconcerting for mates who are of a different type, particularly Judgers and most especially Sensing-Thinking-Judgers. Reply
The basic theme of the ENFP's life is self-expression. The 1960s emphasis on self-awareness and group dynamics, the conversation pits where talk of peace and low and flower power
took place, epitomise the values of the ENFP. The more that people can be themselves - and be affirmed for being themselves - the more growing they will do and the more they will attribute to the good of society. ENFPs believe that and will give their energies to help others achieve their goals. It's possible, however, for their enthusiasm to lead them in so many directions simultaneously that they can squander their best intentions, leading to frustration and self-punishment. Reply
Obviously, relaxation - even in play - does not come easily to ENFPs. In fact, tey almost have to work at it.
ENFPs go in fits and starts, and so when they become excited, they lose all sense of time, physical needs, and anything else. They follow their enthusiasm until totally fatigued, then collapse. As a result, relaxation, unless as part of a creative adventure, may take a backseat, sometimes even at the expense of the ENFP's physical well-being. Reply
ENFPs approach learning as they do everything else: it is a creative adventure that, if done well, will bring affirmation. They may be the ultimate apple-polishers. They want to be liked and they want to like the teacher, their classmates, the school, the administration, and everything else. As Extraverted-iNtuitive-Feelers, they generally do well academically and are people-pleasers. Interestingly, more than other types, they may suffer test phobias, because even those who do very well in class and know the material feel boxed in by fact-oriented exams that have only one "right' answer. On the other hand, they do well on essay tests, which give them the opportunity to integrate their knowledge into a bigger picture. Reply
Fmaily events for ENFPs are parties. If they are not, the ENFP will make them so. The Irish wake was probably designed by an ENFP who preferred to celebrate a life rather than mourn a death. One of the beauties of ENFPs is their ability to take an ordinary family event and, with almost no planning, using only the people and materials at hand, convert the occasion into a virtual work of art, an expression of affection or family affirmation that will be long remembered. Reply
In this and many other ways, ENFPs are great improvisers. In the pursuit of pleasing others, their capabilities can be boundless. They may, for example, reach into the refrigerator and pull out whatever is at hand, and transform it into an impressive, spontaneous dinner, served with artistic flair. While this is clearly admirable, they still have a tendency to be hypercritical of their own performance. So after the dishes are done, they may decide that the dinner would have been better if they had only, say, planned a day earlier, or remembered to defrost the brownies. Such what-if
speculation can haunt ENFPs, turning otherwise successful occasions into opportunities for needless self-criticism. Reply
For the ENFP, work, too, must be play or it is probably not worth doing. Worthwhile tasks are those that affirm and enlarge the self and involve more fun than drudgery. Like other EPs, ENFPs have a great deal of difficulty settling on just one career, for three reasons: They truly believe they can do most anything they want; the search for ever new fields to master is always more fun than remaining in a career already conquered; and they usually can do almost anything they set their minds to. Unfortunately, their career choices, like so manny other things, may result from trying to please others. To please parents, for example, ENFPs may find themselves in careers involving the kinds of skills that, over the long haul, may become more frustrating or stressful for them. They generally find more satisfaction and greater rewards in careers that involve human services, such as family medicine, psychology, teaching, and theology, than in such fields as engineering or accounting. As managers, they are far more advocates and mentors than bosses,
believing that their role is to help everyone achieve their individual goals. Reply
Note for ENFPs on getting along with others: Reply
You are the most optimistic. Face today's problems. Rather than face a disagreeable part of the relationship, you'll seduce yourself and your mate into a happier place. Don't escape so quickly into your imagination or the future. Try to solve your present problems. Reply
I am an ENFP! Anyone else? —Caitlin Reply
I think I am, I don't remember, ask Emmet.—Sophie Reply
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