The ENFP personality type, also known as the "Free Spirit" or "Campaigner," is characterized by their enthusiasm, creativity, and passion for life. They are warm, outgoing, and idealistic individuals who are always looking for new experiences and possibilities. ENFPs are also highly empathetic and compassionate, and they have a strong desire to make a positive impact on the world.
ENFP and Myers Briggs Personality Test
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an introspective self-report questionnaire designed to identify a person's personality type, preferences, and strengths. It is based on the work of Carl Jung, who developed a theory of psychological types that categorized individuals based on their preferences for four key dichotomies:
Introversion (I) vs. Extraversion (E): Individuals who are more introspective and energized by solitude are categorized as introverts, while those who are more outgoing and energized by social interaction are categorized as extraverts.
Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N): Individuals who focus on concrete details and facts are categorized as sensors, while those who prefer abstract concepts and possibilities are categorized as intuitives.
Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F): Individuals who make decisions based on logic and reason are categorized as thinkers, while those who consider emotions and personal values are categorized as feelers.
Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P): Individuals who prefer structure and closure are categorized as judgers, while those who are more flexible and adaptable are categorized as perceivers.
Read more and take a quick MBTI test to assess your personality.ENFP Personality Type
ENFPs are animated, inspiring, and innovative. Their primary function is Extraverted Intuition which makes them people-oriented while their auxiliary function is Introverted Feeling. They are readily able to grasp feelings which make it easy for this type to connect with others. They convey themselves to other people through speech, mannerisms, and expression. ENFPs enjoy both ideas and people: they wish to be helpful and are generally admired. They are also charming, for which most ENFPs are outgoing and friendly (Heiss “ENFP”). However, they also have a short attention span and many emotional needs. When in new relationships, they have a tendency to strive to be the center of attention. They can be intellectual and serious, but at the same time, they can be eagerly playful. Their judgment usually gives rise to humor, but if their feelings are too open, they may drive people away. ENFP weaknesses include their extreme dislike of conflict and criticism in which they can respond with intense emotions. This is because they strive for harmony and cannot tolerate situations that do not go their way. ENFPs may also have a tendency to be smothering because of their enthusiastic demeanor (“Portrait of an ENFP”).
Jungian functional preference ordering for ENFP:
Dominant: Extraverted Intuition
Auxiliary: Introverted Feeling
Tertiary: Extraverted Thinking
Inferior: Introverted Sensing
ENFPs generally have the following traits:
• Project-oriented
• Bright and capable
• Warmly, genuinely interested in people; great people skills
• Extremely intuitive and perceptive about people
• Able to relate to people on their own level
• Service-oriented; likely to put the needs of others above their own
• Future-oriented
• Dislike performing routine tasks
• Need approval and appreciation from others
• Cooperative and friendly
• Creative and energetic
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills
• Natural leaders, but do not like to control people
• Resist being controlled by others
• Can work logically and rationally - use their intuition to understand the goal and work backwards towards it
• Usually able to grasp difficult concepts and theories
ENFPs are lucky in that they're good a quite a lot of different things. An ENFP can generally achieve a good degree of success at anything which has interested them. However, ENFPs get bored rather easily and are not naturally good at following things through to completion. Accordingly, they should avoid jobs which require performing a lot of detailed, routine-oriented tasks. They will do best in professions which allow them to creatively generate new ideas and deal closely with people. They will not be happy in positions which are confining and regimented.
Strengths
Most ENFPs will exhibit the following strengths with regards to relationships issues:
• Good communication skills
• Very perceptive about people's thought and motives
• Motivational, inspirational; bring out the best in others
• Warmly affectionate and affirming
• Fun to be with - lively sense of humor, dramatic, energetic, optimistic
• Strive for "win-win" situations
• Driven to meet other's needs
• Usually loyal and dedicated
Weaknesses
Most ENFPs will exhibit the following weaknesses with regards to relationship issues:
• Tendency to be smothering
• Their enthusiasm may lead them to be unrealistic
• Uninterested in dealing with "mundane" matters such as cleaning, paying bills, etc.
• Hold onto bad relationships long after they've turned bad
• Extreme dislike of conflict
• Extreme dislike of criticism
• Don't pay attention to their own needs
• Constant quest for the perfect relationship may make them change relationships frequently
• May become bored easily
• Have difficulty scolding or punishing others
Potential Problem Areas
ENFP may show some or all of the following weaknesses in varying degree:
• May be what many would call a “sucker”; vulnerable to schemers and con artists.
• May get themselves into dangerous situations because they’re too eager to push the envelope of their understanding, and not willing to apply judgment to anything.
• May feel intense anger towards people who criticize them or try to control them. But will be unable to express the anger. Left unexpressed, the anger may fester and simmer and become destructive.
• May blame their problems on other people, using logic and ration to defend themselves against the world.
• May develop strong negative judgments that are difficult to unseat against people who they perceive have been oppressive to them.
• May get involved with drugs, alcohol, or promiscuity, and generally seek mindless experiences and sensations.
• May skip from relationship to relationship without the ability to commit.
• May start projects but be unable to finish them.
• May be unable to stick to a career or job for any length of time.
Careers
• Teacher
• Writer
• Journalist
• Counselor / Psychologist
• Social Work
• Politician
• Artist
• Religious Work
• Researcher
• Scientist
• Marketing
• Designer
Key Elements to Working with this Type
• Give the ENFP flexibility for he/she is unhappy with strict scheduling.
• ENFPs bring out the best in other’s—give the ENFP a task involving people-management.
• Do not assign them mundane tasks.
• Be direct with the ENFP.
Overall, ENFPs are warm, compassionate, and creative individuals who are always looking for new ways to make the world a better place. They are often described as the "life of the party" and are always up for a good time. ENFPs are valuable members of any team and are always willing to go the extra mile to help others.
Here are some famous ENFPs:
Oprah Winfrey
Robin Williams
Will Smith
Jim Carrey
Ellen DeGeneres