I.Extroverted Intuition as a function in itself
“Whenever Intuition predominates, a peculiar and unmistakable
psychology results. Because extraverted intuition is oriented by the
object, there is a marked dependence on external situations, but it is
altogether different from the dependence of the sensation type. The
intuitive is never to be found in the world of accepted reality-values,
but he has a keen nose for anything new and in the making.”
Intuition, in the Jungian sense of the term is an irrational function,
or unconscious. Its primary focus is on collection of information.
Intuition by the nature of itself is abstract and therefore closer in
tune with the realm of imagination than with the realm of the senses.
Leanor Thomson has pointed out that Perceivers tend to be right-brained
in a conventional sense of the notion and judgers left-brained. Or
perhaps to perception in general. That notion seems amorphous, as we
could well argue that INJs are more right-brained than many perceiving
types because their inner life seems to embody almost all of the
qualities we associate with right-brained characteristics. Namely those
most closely associated with fluidity and creativity. The mind of an
introverted Intuitionist is indeed unbounded by conscious judgments the
minds of Types with a dominant judging function tend to be. However, one
important phenomenon that we should take note of is that all of our
intuitive perceptions were first inspired by external phenomena.
Therefore Briggs’ approach to the Judging/Perceiving dichotomy has much
merit in this respect. Namely that she regards Judging types as those
approaching the external world with a judging function and intuitive
types approaching the external world with an intuitive function. As we
look further into the matter, we notice that Extroverted Judging types
tend to have the easiest time perceiving the world in terms of concrete,
conventionally established symbols. For this reason their approach to
the outer world tends to be highly structured. Yet the approach of
Extroverted perceivers, conversely, radically unstructured. Thus,
Extroverted Perception is the radically right-brained faculty in the
sense that Leanor Thomson has used the term, and Extroverted Judgment
the radical left-brained faculty. On that account we may claim that the
ENFP is one of the most right-brained oriented types. This is most
distinctly represented by the marked preference for imagination over
Sensation and Feeling over Thinking. The ENFP is more feeling oriented
than its intuitive counterpart INFJ, as Introverted functions tend to be
more loyal to their element than Extroverted, hence Introverted
Feeling, augmented by Intuition makes the ENFP more dedicated to Feeling
than the INFJ.
Through the aforementioned filters the outer
world is incepted for us. Thus, an Extroverted Perceiver tends to be
flexible in his perceptions, yet the Extroverted Judger tends to incept
the environment in terms of the pre-existing concrete symbols. As we
notice that the Extroverted Judgers tend to rely much more on the
pre-established terms for their understanding of ideas. As for instance,
it is very common for a Judger to say that they could not imagine the
concept of yellow without the word yellow, yet very uncommon for a
dominant Extroverted perceiver to make the same claim. For this reason,
we shall argue that the Extroverted perceivers, with a slight exception
in favor of Introverted Perceivers, tend to collect the soundest
information. The Extroverted Perceiver is different from the Introverted
Perceiver in the respect that he confronts the external environment
directly, whilst the Introverted perceiver must first filter the
environment through the apparatus of his own inner perceptions and then
shift onto the Extroverted Judgment in order to make a decision. And
only at that point he will be able to interact with the outer
environment. Because of this, the Introverted perceivers tend to be the
least spontaneous, as their access to the outer environment is
contingent upon their inner perceptions which are remote from the
immediate environment. Yet, the Extroverted perceivers, by contrast,
which could be rightly deemed as an animus to the Introverted Perceivers
tend to be the most spontaneous. As aforementioned, the reason for this
is that they do not require contemplation for direct action, as their
perceptions are always in tune with the outer world. In this regard they
are even more action oriented than the dominant Extroverted Judging
types, who require a plan of action, or external decisions in order to
turn their wheels. ENFP identifies with the spontaneous camp even more
so than the ENTP, as the judgment of this type tends to be less
pronounced as Feeling tends to be less tough-minded and less stifling on
raw External perceptions. This makes the ENFP especially adept at the
art of improvisation, most clearly the case when it comes to dealing
with people and the human element, yet could also lead to impulsiveness
and poor decision making as a result of marked preference for perception
over judgment. The Extroverted Perceiver deals with the outer world
unconsciously, as the perceiving functions are by definition
unconscious. Thus, here again we notice that the EP type requires least
contemplation to prepare for action of all 4. This leads to the sense of
quickness the EP types tend to be renowned for. We should note that
Extroverted perception can very easily be misunderstood for
hyperactivity and inherent inability to focus because information tends
to be incepted into the mind of an EP in a torrential fashion. As there
is no grid of extroverted judgment in the outer world of the EP.
Thus the information is filtered only by the auxiliary
Introverted Judgment which tends to be subordinate to the Extroverted
Perception. Therefore there is little hindrance to the way the
information is being perceived. Another reason the EP tends to be ‘all
over the place’ is the fact that they do not have an internal agenda to
how information is to be collected. This, for the ENFP is slightly
compensated by the presence of tertiary Extroverted Thinking which
provides that grid of perception and external stability that the EP
types tend to lack. Such an attitude stands in sharp contrast to the
Introverted perception, which is very much guided by the internal agenda
of how the information is to be collected. The term agenda appears to
be highly misleading as all perception is
unconscious and therefore
cannot subscribe to anything we colloquially refer to as a plan of
action. In this sense I do not intend to use the word agenda, yet I am
merely using the term to depict the essence of reference. Therefore, the
Introverted perception stands in closest affinity with his unconscious
tendencies and this is the salient element to be taken note of in
regards to this type’s inception of information. For this reason the
Introverted Intuitor will first be drawn to information that his
unconscious mind gravitates towards most, then slowly work his way out
to the rest. As a dominant perceiver, the Introverted Intuitor wishes to
collect all information, yet his sense of priority induces him towards
information he tends to be in closest affinity with. Yet, such a thing
is unknown to the Extroverted Perceiver, as his inner unconscious
‘agenda’ is much less firmly founded. It has its seat in the guise of
inferior Introverted Sensing. Thus, the Extroverted perception leaps at
all information simultaneously, head over heels. This can induce the EP
to be dearth of a sense of priority as all external entities that seem
appealing (usually those that are novel), will be subject to
exploration. In an intense mode, such a drive is highly likely to
overshadow Introverted perception and the Extroverted perceiver will
likely over-stimulate himself. As Jung shall remind us, Introversion is
the attitude that defines the world in relation to our inner being, yet
Extroversion is the attitude that defines our being in relation to the
world. Thus, introversion employs the internal standard to assess the
outer world, and introversion employs the standard of the world to
assess our being. In this case we are examining the phenomenon of
Perception. Perception is the faculty that we examine our environment
with. Thus, Introverted perceivers tend to define their outer
environment in accordance to their perceptions. They tend to have
difficulty adapting to the outer world, so therefore they do not wish
for it to change to a significant extent. For this reason the IJ types
tend to be most averse to change. Thus, they tend to be most security
conscious as they doubt their ability to maintain their own soundness
whilst improvising. Yet Extroverted Perceivers are close to the opposite
in this respect. Being supreme improvisers, they tend to have little
concern for security. ENPs tend to be more adaptable than ESPs because
they depend less on the immediate physical entities that environ them.
Yet the ENFP is impeded in this regard to a slightly higher degree than
the ENTP, and it would be misleading to regard this type as a
quintessential improviser. The nature of Thinking tends to be negative
and self-sabboutaging for the ENFP, which undermines their external
confidence and fluidity represented by Extroverted perception.
Incidentally this leads the ENFP to have a rather fearful view of the
world which may lead to many inhibitions that are nearly unheard of for
ETP types. This is most distinctly represented in the guise of the
ENFP’s shadow or inferior function, introverted sensing, but without a
doubt the dearth of Thinking much contributes to this problem.
The abstract nature of the ENFP attests to them being more
adaptable than their sensing counterparts as their mind does not depend
on the immediate physical environment to function. As we recall,
Extroverted perception does not have a focus of inception and therefore
is forced to be swamped at all information at once, the all or nothing
mentality results as a common factor for dominant Extroverted Intuitors.
They prefer to devote all of their being to the current task, and this
is never a conscious choice, but this happens as a necessary entailment
of their interaction with the outer world. It is their unconscious
perception that foments them to interact with the world in such a
fashion, not the conscious secondary Introverted Judgment. When
Extroverted Intuition becomes preponderous over introverted judgment,
the ENTP will face similar maladies unhealthy ESPs tend to be afflicted
with—recklessness. As Jung comments
“Naturally this attitude holds great dangers, for all too easily the
intuitive may fritter away his life on things and people, spreading
about him an abundance of which others live and not he himself. If
only he could stay put, he would reap the fruits of his labours; but
always he must be running after a new possibility, quitting his newly
planted fields while others gather in the harvest. In the end he goes
away empty.”
The ENFP is even in more danger of this than his Extroverted Intuitive
counterpart the ENTP. When Introverted Feeling is not properly developed
and controlled by this type, it can become consumed in inner passions
to the point impetuosity. Rash and impulsive decisions may be inevitable
in such a case. Clearly, this destructive tendencies is exacerbated for
this specie of Extroverted perceiving types due to the lack of
tough-mindedness. This problem is only to be rectified through
cultivation of tertiary Extroverted Thinking which appears to be
painfully wanting in the arsenal of unhealthy ENFPs. Thus, here we
notice the lack of focus problem that we attribute to Extroverted
perception and as well as the quest for novelty. The EP, unlike the IJ,
must always be adapting to the new environment, therefore he easily
becomes restless after novelty has worn off. In addition to accessing a
myriad of new external phenomena the ENP, as endowed with intuition,
will be able to come to visualize how the external environment will
progress from the position it is stationed in. Thus, for this reason,
the ENP is often easily able to see how the current environment could be
as opposed to how it is. ENPs therefore have a natural penchant for
entertaining the same notion from different perspectives.
As before
established by Jung, the Extroverted Intuitive type, due to the
extroversion factor, depends on his immediate environment. This is where
he stands in sharp contrast with the Introverted Intuiting type who may
easily concoct a world of his own. An example of this type would be
Nietzsche, whose vision was primarily focused on the individual and what
he must do in order to accomplish his goals. An Introverted perceiver
will first focus on what most piques his interest and then expand his
vision further to the end of promoting the initially established agenda.
Hence this is the subject oriented creation of vision. In this respect
the INJ sees vertically, or in a linear fashion—beginning at one point
and envisaging how the protagonist could progress towards his path. The
ENP will need to have the notion of the current situation fixated, and
then based on that will attempt to see what this particular entity could
be like. Or what it would seem like from other perspectives. Such a
type would see horizontally, or forego selecting a starting point, but
leap at the scenario simultaneously. Thus, an Introverted visionary is
most concerned with the path of the individual, yet the Extroverted
visionary with the path of the entire scenario. A glaring example of
this would be the visions of social critics like Voltaire and Bertrand
Russell and renowned ENFP Leo Tolstoy. His vision in the War and Peace,
Anna Karenina, and the Resurrection are most representative of
visionaries belonging to this type. The whole board is kept in
perspective with no particular focus on any aspect of the scenario, one
may say the focus shifts quickly, yet this would not be accurate as its
not clear if there is any kind of a focus there to start with. The ENFP
attempts to see the entire field and for this reason may forego focusing
on any particular aspect as to avoid getting caught up in ‘detail’,
which is anathema to abstract Extroverted perception. This furthermore
illustrates the lack of agenda in Extroverted Perception. The Dominant
Extroverted perception of ENPs, much like for their SP counterparts
leads them to have light-hearted attitude towards the external
environment. That, to a significant extent is the fact that they apply a
perceiving function to the outer environment, and hence are not forced
to make assessments of their situation. Moreover, their inner being,
unlike for the Introverted perceivers, does not identify with the
environment, but with their judgment. For this reason the ENFP is placed
in an idiosyncratic position where their primary mode of functioning
consists in collection of information, yet unlike the Introverted
Perceivers they may be easily overwhelmed by the collected information.
It should be clearly established that the core of this type consists not
in External perception, but in Introverted Judgment. This is where the
ENFP shall derive the true sense of self. The External perception are
but vapor, no more than fleeting hunches that this type comes across. In
a typical EP fashion, the External environment is not taken to be an
end in itself, thus as opposed to the stern and serious approach to life
usually taken by the IJ types, the EP types tend to be humorous and the
ENFP’s affinity with feeling furthermore contributes to their merits as
comedians. They are natural entertainers due to their ability to
improvise and affinity with the emotional ambience encircling them. The
ability to view the big picture with no preconceived notions or
judgments as well as affinity with the human element makes the ENFPs
excel at mediation.
Effortlessly they are able to understand the
interpersonal perspective of all involved and with proper use of
Introverted Feeling should be able to concoct the most humane solution
possible both to the individuals involved and groups they are
affiliated. The dominance of Extroverted Intuition makes ENFPs excel at
enterprises requiring imagination. Should they develop the ability to
focus and perseverance by cultivating their Introverting Feeling and
further augmenting those qualities by the tough-minded approach of
Extroverted Thinking, the ENFPs will excel as novelists, short-story
writers and poets. In their presentation they are especially gifted at
hitting just the right ambience to make their message seem favorable
(Inner feeling) and intuitive to all (ostensible intuitions projected by
Extroverted Intuition), the aforementioned light-hearted approach to
the environment will also have a humorous spin to their presentation.
ENFPs, just like their dominant Introverted Intuitive counterparts also
enjoy pushing their imagination to extremes, yet by virtue of the
talents listed above, they are able to proceed with their ideas without
having lost their audience. The more the Introverted Intuitive types
delves into his imagination, the more likely he is to loose his audience
as he simply gets carried away by his inner life which divorces him
from the External world. Quite the opposite is the case for the ENFP,
the more the external world is engaged, the more intuitively the ENFP
will behave. Thus, the more imaginative this type becomes the easier it
will be to make his ideas presentable to the audience, especially if the
audience is comprised of Intuitive types.
Because the ENFP is in such
close affinity with the perceptions and feelings of others as well as
the general ambience, he can make his message presentable to even the
dullest of observers. Interestingly, this type does not at all suffer
from the typical malady of an Intuitive, or an inability to communicate.
The above seem to be sound reasons to propose that the ENFPs tend to
have the best communication skills of all types. For this reason they
often make excellent educational writers, entertainers and teachers of
spirituality as they are able to connect and reach out to individuals of
almost all kinds, as well as make even the most abstruse ideas
accessible to even the starkest of philistines. Also very atypically to
an Intuitive type, standing in sharp contrast especially to the INTs,
ENFPs tend to be very patient with those who misunderstand their
teaching, willing to explain themselves more than twice due to their
comfort and confidence with their communication skills and deep sympathy
for the individual, especially one seeking an intuitive dream (Ne), or a
higher purpose (Fi). Sogyal Rinpoche is another representative of this
phenomenon.
II. Ne-Fi interplay The stronger his intuition, the more his ego
becomes fused with all the possibilities he envisions. He brings his
vision to life, he presents it convincingly and with dramatic fire, he
embodies it, so to speak. But this is not play-acting, it is a kind of
fate.”
“
Introverted Feeling is the rational function and the kernel of the
ENFP’s inner being. As an introverted judging faculty, it is primarily
responsible for establishing personal values by which the ENFP will
assess themselves and their external environment. However, as an
Extroverted type, strangely enough the ENFP tends to rely on external
cues for self-assessment. Thus, even if the Introverted Feeling is
sufficiently developed, the ENFP could not and would not want to wholly
divorce the External standard. As an Extroverted perceiver, the ENFP is
more concerned with the general ambience of the environment rather than
private perceptions. In this respect the ENFP is very different from
the INFP who is primarily concerned with making private assessments of
what has been observed, the ENFP often goes without judgment altogether,
merely takes in the external environment, at times even becomes
absorbed in it. On that account the ENFP makes a perfect mimic,
effortlessly and spontaneously he captures the souls of those around
them and can easily represent the observed person by virtue of mere
hunches he shall project onto the external environment. Because the ENFP
is this intensely attuned with the external ambience and the emotional
climate of the environment, he likely would excel at journalism, as this
type is overrepresented in that enterprise. Unlike the Introverted
perceiver the ENFP does not filter what has been incepted through the
inner agenda, but can merely recollect the external image in its pure
essence, even pantomime if necessary. As we have observed in the INTJ
profile, the perceptions of an introverted perceiver are thoroughly
imbued in unconscious predilections of the subject and for this reason
end up being inaccurately collected. Yet this is not a problem at all
for the ENFP for the aforementioned reason.
In order for the ENFP’s vision to be fulfilled, he needs to arrive at a
situation where he picks up the hunch that his vision has been realized.
Unlike the IN types, he would not be satisfied with merely knowing that
he knows how to be successful or captures an internal feeling of
fulfillment, he needs for his vision to become a reality. As
aforementioned, because of the ENFP’s lack of focus on external
perception he is compelled to draw all of his energy into the external
endeavor. As Jung commented, for this reason the ENFP tends to embody
his vision. He becomes one with the essence he is currently preoccupied
with. We have here a radically paradoxical notion.
The generally unfocused ENFP here focuses on his vision with
blazing intensity the point of becoming one with it. Essentially, unlike
the judging dominant types, the ENFP does not need to focus on any one
particular thing, but rather on the general scope of his environment.
Thus the ENFP can easily be preoccupied with his pursuit of the entire
vision whilst shifting from activity to activity whilst undertaking his
project. Extroverted Intuition is often malleable and can easily be
influenced by the external environment, as we mentioned it lacks the
grid of judgment. The ENFP can very easily be focused on one particular
task at one point and by way of external circumstances be blown away to
be focused with the same intensity on something radically different.
This problem can be rectified only through cultivation of Introverted
Feeling, which is the backbone to his psyche. At this point the ENFP
will have a clear, internal focus on his activities and will not rely on
external perceptions for guidance. Because the ENFP requires changes in
his environment, as an Extroverted perceiver and depends on the outward
scenario due to the factor of Extroversion, he depends almost wholly on
outward stimulation for his energy. Thus when the external environment
is satisfactory, the energy level will likely be high where he will
devote most of it to the current endeavor he is pursuing. This is even
more pertinent for the ENFP than the ENTP as the former is much more
influenced by the human element and the emotional ambience of the
environment. A toxic environment tends to be poisonous for this type as
Feeling is at the core of the ENFP.
An unbalanced ENFP is unlikely to have a firm inner being and his
self-image, as well as self-esteem will be greatly contingent upon the
high and lows of the swings of his intuitive energy. And of course, to
even a greater extent the intuitive ambience he shall entertain as
reception from the audience. Such ENFPs will greatly depend on
admiration of others for their own sense of self-confidence. As the
soundness of their inner feelings and values will be almost entirely
contingent upon their public reception. Because such ENFPs will depend
on the approval of others to such a tremendous extent they will
prostrate their values to appease their audience in order to recollect
the proper hunch of harmony and appreciation by others. They will tend
to measure their success by how well they are liked. They will need
consistent external gratification in order to be hold their own soundly.
This lack of judgment leads to a grotesque inconsistency in the
behavior of this type which often undermines the self-confidence and
integrity of the ENFP. Being reliant on the approbation of others, the
ENFP will do all that is possible to win their approval, yet even this
would be difficult because the lack of judgment in this type will make
it hard for the ENFP to behave consistently. The intense external focus
(due to lack of involvement of introverted feeling) will make it
difficult for the ENFP to reflect on his own behavior and therefore this
type likely will be unaware of inconsistencies in his own behavior that
are obvious to others. As Introverted Feelers, ENFPs tend to put a high
premium on integrity, yet they also would go by external reception to
assess their performance. Therefore the ENFP likely will be deeply hurt
by others seeing them as insincere and unreliable for the reasons
mentioned above. The only sound way to overcome this problem would be to
cultivate Introverted Feeling first and foremost, so at that point the
ENFP will rely on his own private judgments to assess his character and
not on amorphous perceptions and receptions of the audience. Secondly
the ENFP will need to cultivate Extroverted Thinking in order to support
their value judgments and acquire the tough-minded fortitude to stand
by their values in face of external adversity. The ENFP tends to be
extremely sensitive to criticism in great part for different reasons
than the quintessential feeling types. A great part of this is the
Extroverted perception which leads to excessive reliance on feedback.
“The intuitive’s morality is governed neither by thinking nor by
feeling; he has his own characteristic morality, which consists in
loyalty to his vision and involuntary submission to authority.
Consideration for others is weak. Their psychic well-being counts as
little with him as does his own. He has equally little regard for their
convictions and way of life, and on this accounts he is often put down
as an immoral and unscrupulous adventurer.”
This, almost certainly, is a result of the Introverted Feeling, or the
judging essence, ethics building faculty being enslaved by the
Extroverted Intuition. Such an ENFP sees a good thing as simply whatever
is in accord with his vision. Whatever is not, shall be deemed bad.
Here he simply sees no distinction between desirable and desired by me.
As mentioned in the INFP profile, the nature of Introverted Judgment
without a purpose will be radically ego-centric, though the introverted
judger who has found a higher purpose will likely avoid self-apotheosis.
The latter is the danger that the ENP is particularly susceptible. As
the Introverted Judgment is unlikely to function soundly if the ENfP is
off-balance. Such individuals will likely use their keen awareness of
the external environment to simply ‘pick the berries’ whilst having
little concern for the interest of others and even less the amelioration
of the community. Such ENFPs will utilize their networking skills to
win the approbation of the multitude and appease the interests promoted
by their Extroverted Intuition. This once more, is an inevitable
consequence of introverted judgment turned corrupt. Manipulating the
external situation will be central to his interests. Extroverted
Perception will give him a clear view of the ‘entire board’, and
Introverted Feeling will allow for the ENFP to make sound interpersonal
decisions to do all that is necessary to appease the whims of his
egocentric will. Such ENFPs function in this fashion because they lack a
higher purpose, or they do not wish to pursue any inner virtue that
transcends what befits their external environment. Accordingly they will
have little interest in being as sensitive as possible for instance.
They will only want to be sensitive enough to get what they are looking
for in terms of external rewards.
“Since his intuition is concerned with externals and with feretting out
their possibilities, he readily turns to professions in which he can
exploit these capacities to the full. Many business tycoons,
entrepreneurs, speculators, stockbrokers, politicians, etc., belong to
this type.”
As aforementioned the ENFP is often able to put on exactly the kind of
an image he needs to put on for the sake of meeting a particular
external end. The ENFP is even better at this than the ENFP because he
is attuned with the likes and dislikes of the people around him and the
general ambience they produce, almost impeccably he will be able to
recollect just the right image he needs to throw in their faces to pay
the proper lip service.
“Endless clandestine rivalries spring up, and in these embittered
struggles she will shrink from no baseness or meanness, and will even
prostitute her virtues in order to play the trump card.”
Thus, the ENFP without sound values will merely prostitute oneself for
the whims and fancies of his/her spectators. Yet one with sound inner
values will teach by example. Much like the INFP, the ENFP will not need
to preach or lecture to influence the external environment, he will
simply wish to live out his values, as famously demonstrated by Leo
Tolstoy. There can be no doubt that ENFPs, as feelers and Extroverted
perceivers have an intense need to influence the environment (as
mentioned in the earlier allusion to them being over-represented in
journalism), yet they shall not aspire to do this in the conventional
Extroverted Judging way by imposing their principles on others. Such
ENFPs will truly walk the talk and stand by their commitments and
values, and will rarely attempt to act merely for effect. They will not
be letting down those who have been taken aback by their sincerity and
depth of Feeling, as their behavior will be consistent and well thought
out. The quest and morality of this type will be intensely focused on
the individual, as denoted by the factor of Introverted Feeling. Despite
the all embracing vision represented by the Extroverted Intuition of
this type, the aim of the ENFP is often elitist due to the Introversion
of judgment. This is where the Extroverted Visionary differs from the
Introverted. The introversion visionary (Ni), will want for all to
accept and understand their vision (Extroverted Judgment shall impose on
all), yet would lack the expository skills to make their ideas
accessible. Yet the Extroverted Visionary aims only at the select few
(Introverted Judgment), yet is able to make his ideas accessible to all.
Introverted Vision is concerned primarily with the search of inner life
and the outer world, the INJ will wish for all to pursue this quest.
Yet the ENFP is primarily concerned with this world, much like Tolstoy
and Sogyal Rinpoche, yet admittedly or not, the ENFP will only wish for
the selected few to undertake the venture. This also accurately
represents the social aspect of this type, as the ENFP prefers to show
his true colors only to the select few who have connected with their
inner values. This attests to the phenomenon of elitism in this type
which is often concealed by the all embracing, everywhere and nowhere
approach to life of Extroverted Intuition which is at the helm of the
psyche of the ENFP.
III. Ne-Te axis
As earlier mentioned, unhealthy ENFPs are often criticized by their
observers as fickle and unreliable as is often a common defect of a
perceiving type. This, first and foremost is to be rectified by
cultivation of Introverted Feeling which will lead this type to be true
to oneself. However, the tough-minded approach to life which Extroverted
Thinking offers to the ENFP is of indispensable utility. First and
foremost it will provide the aforementioned grid of perception which
will help the ENFP properly organize and assess the collected
information. Secondly personal values will be supported with sound
reasoning and the ENFP will be able to critically examine ideals to be
incorporated into their value system. With acquisition of Extroverted
Thinking, they will rely on the public approval even less, as at this
point they will be able to see if what they have done has merit on its
own right, with or without the approval of those around them.
Cultivation of this function will endow the ENFP with a higher accuracy
in thought and ability to retain composure. In the event of such an
ENFP’s integrity being impugned, the ENFP will be less likely to be
personally afflicted, but instead will examine what has happened with a
sober eye. Instead of lashing out at others with most vicious personal
retorts he can think of, the ENFP will manage to preclude his emotions
from spiraling out of control and by virtue of this composure will
remain loyal to his values. In this respect, clearly sound use of the
Thinking faculty will support the Feeling oriented approach to life of
this type. This will also help the ENFP conquer the self-sabboutaging
tendencies typically associated with poor use of the Thinking faculty,
as this type will then be able to cut back on the self-critical and
denigrating thoughts. The Extroverted Thinking of such ENFPs will not
function in the crude and primitive ways of simply and thoughtlessly
following an impersonal agenda and proclaiming judgments of the book,
but such ENFPs will be able to do sound impersonal analysis. Akin to
that found in the psyche of NTJs. Another gift that this type shall be
endowed with is managerial skills and ability to accomplish impersonal
tasks in a timely and appropriate fashion to the external circumstances.
The rational and tought-minded approach provided by Extroverted
Thinking will also enable the ENFP to rely much less on the highs and
lows of their Intuitive energy, as this faculty will lay down the plan
for the ENFP to follow on step by step basis. ENFPs are mercurial by
nature and rarely are moderate in their energy and passions, yet sound
use of Extroverted Thinking will doubtlessly be a tremendous step
forward to mitigate the issue.
IV. Inferior Sensing
This function is anathema to the primary faculty of Extroverted
Intuition. The ENFP rarely focuses on security concerns, or information
that is relevant to him directly. Yet, the shadow side often manifests
itself in terms of the ENFP inaccurately representing factual
information and what requires concrete observation. When Introverted
Sensing escapes the grasp of the ENFP’s conscious control, it will flood
in a form of sensual and memory-oriented impulses. The insights he
spews will be closely linked to his memories and deeply cherished
beliefs. Since the Introverted Sensing is a servile lackey of the
Extroverted Intuition in such a situation, memories will often be
distorted to better fit the image the Extroverted Intuition wishes to
see. Such an ENFP will likely also be permeated by an intense longing
for security which stands in sharp contrast with his adventurous
approach to life.
Misunderstandings:
1) Weirdness. NeFi tends to give ENFPs a weird, zany kind of aura,
making them come off as erratic, random, flaky, illogical and sometimes
socially retarded, despite being so annoyingly likable. ENFPs tend to
run circles around people and need to play with thoughts and ideas a bit
before settling on a conclusion, to make sure they've seen it from all
angles and to make sure it actually fits accurately into their inner
world (or if their inner world needs adjusting). This playfulness can
also be displayed just for fun, making it sometimes hard to see where
the ENFP is going with a certain train of thought (if they're going
somewhere at all with it). Rest assured though, there's always a
motivation, drive and reason for it.
2)Heart on the sleeve. ENFPs connect through Fi and Fi usually doesn't
waste time getting to know someone. It jumps to the intimate part of the
conversation as that is who the person *really* is..which is what is
relevant to Fi. And that tends to either go over extremely well, to the
point where people just end up telling them their life stories and
childhood trauma's or...really badly, as people just consider it rude,
inappropriate and impolite, not to mention wayyy too intense
3) Flirting. Due to the ENFP tendency to jump right to the intimate part
of the relationship (the need to get to know people for who they are)
and them not receiving or losing the copy of the social guidelines
manual, ENFPs are often perceived to be big flirts when they're actually
just genuinly intrigued by people. (to avoid future derail on this,
I'll admit that I too was like this but I have become a conscious flirt
over time!)
4) Crude and insensitive. Their Ne can sometimes get ahead of them,
causing them to toss out blunt things before socially filtering them and
framing them better. This especially happens when they're overly
excited about some new piece of information.
5) Attention whoring. Most ENFPs have no clue what they did wrong when
they get accused of this and experience it as oppression of their right
to express who they are. Once again, it's usually a clash of group
values versus the need for authenticity, and a poor grasp of the social
rules that is at the base of this. As they tend to experience things
very profoundly, and they wear their hearts on their sleeves, the
expression of these things can be perceived as an act of attention
whoring, though most ENFPs don't have a clue how to play social games
(once again, somehow we didn't get the manual
), though this may vary depending on the ENFP's surroundings while growing up.
6) Making excuses and refusing to appologize. An ENFP will typically try
to explain to the other person why they did something, not as a way to
weasel out of the responsibility, but to increase understanding and
harmony. Similarly, they will often not be aware of the fact that their
transgression is once again in that social manual that everyone seems to
know, and therefore not see it fit to actually appologize for something
that to them was not intended in harm and in their eyes also didn't
really harm anyone.
7) Leading people on. As ENFPs tend to share intimate details easily
with others, and often have others reciprocate, a misunderstanding can
arise between the two people in that relationship as to the status of
the other person. ENFPs tend to love easily and like spreading that
love, making people feel loved and being loved in return. It creates a
special harmony, a being in sync that's very pleasurable, as well as a
bond which makes everyone feel safe. However, as time is limited and
there are many people to get to know and love, it can put pressure on
the already existing relationships. Also, Fi doesn't require frequent
contact to keep this bond alive. This often leaves the other partner
feeling hurt and rejected, while the ENFP's affection really hasn't
waned at all. Similarly, it can give the illusion of a stronger bond
than was intended by the ENFP:
8) Not being thoughtful, reliable or considered loyal. It hurts an ENFP
more than anything to hear that. The thing is, since we're stuck with
our heads up in the clouds and, we value our own private time, we're a
tad oblivious and we don't wanna be intrusive. That can feel like we
don't care. Nothing could be further from the truth though. Ask. You'll
find that an ENFP is rarely too busy not to help you, but you do have to
ask. As we tend to be very easy-going and change our plans on the go,
it's rarely an inconvenience to help out a friend in need. It is only if
I see someone is truly overwhelmed with emotion that I'll prod them
myself, to see if I can help.
9) Always talking about ME. ENFPs tend to speak in the 'I'-person,
because they experience everything in such an individualistic way. Add
to that that we know most people find us weird and we don't wanna speak
for others who might experience things different as we're often told
that we're the outsiders anyways. On top of that there's a serious need
to be understood as the desire to connect is there but clearly it's hard
as we're weird
This tends to grate people to no end, despite the good intentions of
the ENFP as it seems to be all about 'him'. Also, we work with analogies
a lot, which is our way of relating. When someone tells us something,
the way to let them know that we understand what they're saying is by
equally sharing a similar story. Quid pro quo basically. You tell me
something about yourself and I'll sync up with you by sharing something
similar about myself. This is the way to get to know each other.
Unfortunately, we can get wrapped up in that process, and get
overenthused in sharing...
10
) Appearing shallow - Because ENFPs use Ne
to take information, we tend to jet from topic to topic. As Perceiving
types, we are also apt to associate with other points of view easily,
and are always after more information. Add Fi to the mix, and it results
in us being interested in, and caring about, pretty much anything that
comes to mind. However, to those who don't know us as well, this can
easily come off as superficiality, fake engagement, and wishy-washiness -
in short, being shallow. We also love to be silly and sarcastic, and we
tend to keep an overall light tone. This does not mean that we don't
think about or understand pain, destruction, cruelty, and other darker
or more serious things in life. Most of us do, far more often than we
let on. However, we don't generally see it conflicting with our ability
to have a good time: to us, it's all a part of the grand song and dance
of life. Just like being considered uncaring or disloyal, shallow is one
of the last things we would ever like to be called, and we don't mean
to come off that way. Our interest is real, as is our care. If you need
us to be more serious, just let us know.
Tendencies:
1) Chaos, chaos, chaos. My god, do we live in a world of chaos. Plz
don't ask me where my phone is, or my keys, though I will find things
that I don't use that often easily in my mess. And there's no way I have
the attention span to actually make a system and stick to it
2) Flakiness. Wherever the mood takes me, is where I go, making it hard
to plan *anything* or not feel forced when I do agree to something when
later I don't feel like it anymore
3) Indecisiveness/procrastination Too many damned options and all of the
appealing, or worse..all of them not good enough! What's an ENFP to do
except for wait, procrastinate and hope it another option presents
itself!
4) Self-absorbed. Living with my head in the clouds, I don't always see
what's going on around me, sorry, and I so don't know how to turn that
off! Plz, if you need my help, I'll gladly give it to you, just tap me
on the shoulder to get me back to reality though
5) Drama Queen. Fi can feel sooooo f*cking intense, it burns. The pain
can be overwhelming. Unloading on others however...not very nice,
however hard it can be to contain yourself. Learning social rules and
having a close friend who understands you is a definite must.
6) Maintaining a network. My god, do I suck at that and does it drain
me. But it is vital, if you care for your friends. I do my best to be
there for my friends, but I warn them all in advance that if I ignore
them, it's not on purpose and they just have to whack me harder over the
head, coz I can be sometimes very hard to reach due to my obsession
with new shiny and self-reflecting.
7) No follow-through whatsoever. This is suchhhh a pain. There's so
much to do an d so little time to do it in that often, when we start a
project and see where it should end up, but obstacles get in the way, we
get impatient. And the next little bit of shiny is already tempting us.
Since we're bogged down in the process and we've seen in our mind how
it will likely end, it's just more alluring to figure out the next bit
of shiny instead of waiting for things to come together
8) And then..when we do get into that 'Must follow through!'-phase..get
out of our way. Yeah, I truly hate that one as well. It's the whole,
'This shit needs to be done and otherwise I'm just sitting around
wasting my time so get the f*ck out of my way, now!' thing. Te. Since
we're not exactly that good at it and cannot swing it around for that
long (it's frigging tiresome!), most of us tend to have the finesse of a
frigging bulldozer when wielding that thing. It just makes people run
for cover. The second I invoke that, I'm beyond patience, and things
better start happening, even if I have to ram things through people's
throats, or start hitting a machine hard. It better be working, dammit!
And the second there's the smallest hitch, the thing/person responsible
is in serious trouble. This results in my tossing my phone somewhere
hard, and freaking people out by the authoritive tone in my otherwise so
chipper or calm voice. I've been told my eyes shoot thunderbolts and
could kill a man the second I get that way. The reason for this is, I'm
in a situation I don't wanna be in, I cannot avoid (see next point!) and
I wanna get out, NOW! You're a moron if you stand in my way, seriously.
End of discussion.
9) Avoidance. Man, I love that strategy. If I can avoid problemsolving,
especially if it's somethign that requires a lot of work, energy or
thinking things through, I will. If I can wing it, I'll take that over
planning it out and going through it, as it's such an energy saver. Gets
me in all kinds of trouble when I overestimate my capacity to wing it
though
(I'm slowly getting better at planning only a little while mixing it with winging it though
)
10) Oversensitivity. Because an ENFP struggles to tame the Fi-beast, and
the pain can be intense, it is very easy to cause emotional turmoil in
an ENFP, especially when addressing the part of them that they're either
very proud of in a negative way, or the parts that they're very
insecure about. The reason for this is that the ENFP is already aware of
this, or doesn't feel accepted, and it's like rubbing salt into a wound
or denying them the right to be themselves. An ENFP is also unlikely to
go push other peoples buttons like that, unless they're for some reason
oblivious to them (Ne-hyperdrive) or angry with that person for some
reason (Te-hammer, lethal at that point!), and will most of the time
feel really guilty about doing so later and likely appologize for it.
For that reason, they can very much overreact when someone does point
out their flaws or talk about their person (or what they perceive to be a
personal attack in any case), as they themselves would never cause
anyone willingly that kind of harm. Little do/did they know that others
don't have that same experience and therefore do not respond in the same
way. Often, I would envy those that were able to take criticism so
well, but for the life of me did not understand how they remained so
calm under it all, or didn't consider it rude.
My own specific issues:
1) I really really hate what I perceive to be emotional guilttripping ( I
grew up in a house of Fe-people, not all equally healthy). It makes me
rebel beyond all reason. If you ask me to do something for you genuinly,
I'll jump through every hoop to make it so, if I know it to be
important to you. Whine that I haven't done it yet, while you didn't
even ask, and I'll bend over backwards and cut my own throat before I
give you what you want. I *am* working on this
2) I hate bureaucracy and housework with a vengeance. It is mindboggling
boring, always comes back, you're never done with it and it doesn't
gain me any satisfaction at all, not to mention it feels like something
you get forced into again (see 1)). These days, I've found that if I
need to mull things over, I just get started on a simple task that needs
doing as well, that way I don't feel pressured for that task and I can
put my mind to work on something else.
4) I love freedom but leadership can be draining on me. I rather be the
'right hand', as constantly having to think ahead, plan and direct
people can be quite daunting.
