Even though every person is individual, certain personality types pretty much exactly. Finding out your own personality type has numerous advantages. You learn to see through recurring patterns of behaviour and to change them if necessary. Personality models give you insight into hidden facets of yourself.
In the following article we would like to look at the ENFP personality type. This comes from the Myers-Briggs modelwhich ranges between a total of 16 personalities distinguishes. The ENFP is considered the activist among personality types.
The letters ENFP stand for the following abbreviations Character traits:
Let's take a look at the properties in detail:
Extraverts (Extroversion)
Extroverts enjoy being the focus of attention. They are outgoing and adventurous. Their enthusiasm is contagious. They feel no shyness about starting conversations with strangers or integrating themselves into a group.
Intuitive (Intuition)
Intuition is the ability to follow one's inner voice. Intuitive people often have premonitions about the future, which later turn out to be correct. However, a rational explanation cannot be found for this. Colloquially, the ability is called gut feeling.
Feelers
Feelers are very emotional and empathic. They are always aware of their own feelings and those of their fellow humans. Being able to help others fills them with joy. Feelings also play a supporting role in important decisions. If something doesn't feel good inside, antennae distance themselves from the situation in question.
Perceivers
Perceivers are very flexible contemporaries. They are freedom-loving and refuse to submit to rigid rules. Making decisions is sometimes difficult for them, as they like to keep several options open. However, their spontaneity comes in handy when it comes to quickly finding their way in new situations.
As mentioned at the beginning, the ENFP is also called an activist because of its characteristics.
About 7 % of the population can be assigned to the ENFP personality. If you meet an ENFP, there is no way you will miss them. These personality types make sure to stand out from the crowd. They are charming and independent free spirits who vigorously stand up for their beliefs. Their goal is not to make their mark. ENFPs are in search of emotional Connectedness with other people.
ENFP personality types place little value on stability and material security, but rather strive for freedom and creativity. They see life as one big puzzle. Instead of systematically sorting the individual pieces of the puzzle, they decide what might fit together based on emotional considerations.
His peers admire the ENFP for his character traits. Not infrequently, the activist finds himself in the position of a leader or even guru, although he does not want to embody that at all. He does not appreciate the monotonous routine tasks that a leadership position entails.
The ENFP has many enviable strengths:
attention
ENFPs perceive everything that happens around them. They attach meaning to everything, believing that every small aspect is part of something bigger. Nothing escapes their attention. Accordingly, they are able to seize opportunities immediately. Conversely, they are able to react quickly to undesirable developments.
Curiosity
People of the activist personality type do not hesitate for long: they go out into the world to gain new experiences. In contrast to many other people, they don't mind changing their own Leave comfort zone. They are open to new ideas. They want to put together and understand the big puzzle called life.
Enthusiasm
ENFP personalities feel the urgent Needto share their insights with the world. Other people are all too happy to let themselves be swept along by the current of their Enthusiasm entrainment. This results in new contacts from which the ENFP benefits emotionally. He takes other people's opinions seriously and incorporates them into his life.
Excellent Communication skills
Whether it's small talk or deep conversations, the ENFP is good at both. Of all the personality types, they have the greatest gift for communication. This is an advantage, because otherwise the ENFP would not be able to express his ideas so eloquently and convincingly. The ENFP is so adept at various communication techniques that he can easily steer conversations toward the topics he wants without seeming forced.
The ENFP is universally popular
ENFPs can get along with any kind of person. This is due to their empathetic, open-minded and cooperative character part. Their circle of friends is often mixed. They manage to mediate between two conflicting parties. Their intuition helps ENFPs to strike the right note.
relaxation skills
Activists have a very valuable gift that other people crave: they can easily switch from work mode to relaxation mode. ENFPs love life and know that it's okay to just have fun sometimes. Everything doesn't always have to be about success and achievement. A stressful, conflicted day at work doesn't stop them from becoming the life of the party in the evening.
Sometimes even friends and relatives are surprised by the activist's exuberant zest for life.
Especially with such a popular and communicative personality type, it is instructive to look at the weaknesses:
Impractical
Activists have a thousand creative ideas. However, they are overwhelmedto put them into practice. They are not comfortable with small-scale work; they get bogged down in it. ENFPs are dependent on people who help them to manage work tasks in a structured way. Otherwise, the ideas, even if they sound so wonderful in theory, would always remain just ideas.
Lack of concentration
ENFPs like to focus on exploring interpersonal relationships. They like to philosophize about life. However, when they are faced with tasks that drift towards routine and administration, their interest wanes. Because of this, they can no longer concentrate. Lack of concentration results in faulty work.
Overload
Those who are popular are often asked for advice by other people. Activists take the concerns of their fellow human beings seriously. They listen to them carefully and want to help. However, with so many requests, it is not always possible to respond to all of them. This can be overwhelming and frustrating at the same time.
ENFPs analyse too much
Noticing everything and attaching importance to every little aspect can be very tiring. ENFPs do not succeed in simply letting things rest. They often lie awake for hours at night and ponder about why someone said something, what it might mean, and what to do now. ENFPs must learn not to assume a profound meaning in every word and gesture.
Too emotionally charged
The ability to express emotions is rightly considered healthy and natural. However, ENFPs often overshoot the mark and harm themselves in the process. Especially when they are under a lot of pressure, they tend to escalate emotionally. As a result, they push other people away and possibly suffer professional disadvantages.
Too much aversion to rules and control
In our society it is simply impossible to live completely free of control. There are norms and regulations that no one can escape - not even the ENFP. However, the ENFP is reluctant to accept this. He wants to remain the sole master of his destiny, without interference from others. The fight against external control, which the ENFP can never win, exhausts his strength.
As their name suggests, activists prefer to conquer the world. In terms of their careers, this means that they find themselves faced with inexhaustible possibilities. With all the options, how on earth to choose? This is very difficult for the ENFP, as they are fascinated by very many different (professional) fields.
ENFP personalities can take advantage of their multi-layered interest. They should try to delve deeply into the particular professional subject matter they ultimately choose. In the professional context, the ENFP also has its social competence benefits. This makes him a capable team player.
The activist's logic does not refer to technical-machine interrelationships, but always to interpersonal interaction. They use their sensitive powers of perception to find out why certain people act in a certain way. By understanding the background of the behaviour of their fellow human beings, the ENFP can specifically respond to it and improve the working atmosphere.
ENFP personalities are best placed in the field of human sciences. They can also be competent psychologists, coaches, counselors, politicians, diplomats, or detectives. In all these professional fields, one must understand how the human psyche works. The latter is the hobbyhorse of the ENFP character.
Moreover, in the above-mentioned professions there is never any boredom or monotony. The ENFP's need to accompany and drive development processes is fully satisfied.
ENFP personalities should refrain from professions where there is a strict hierarchy (e.g. military professions). It is in the nature of the activist to question the status quo and to look for ways to improve it. The latter, of course, is wholly undesirable in hierarchical occupations. All monotonous professions (assembly line work, bus drivers, call centers, etc.) are also unsuitable.
Monotony makes the activist in the long run unhappy and even mentally ill. In general, monotony at work is a health risk. A bore-out (opposite of burn-out) sets in. The consequences are comparably fatal. This is confirmed by recent case studies.
ENFPs have no problems finding a partner. Their Charm one succumbs all too quickly. Activists see their partnership as a process of learning. They want to explore and understand each other's souls. They care deeply about sharing all the varied experiences that life has to offer with their partner.
Hesitant dating is not for the activist. If he likes someone, he will show his affection openly. The man or woman of his heart is literally showered with sincere compliments. The ENFP attaches great importance to a stable relationship. In order to consolidate this, he pulls out all the stops to show the partner his reliability and Loyalty to prove.
ENFPs are capable of having unconventional relationships. They believe that love cannot be squeezed into any social corset. Therefore, they are able to lead a happy partnership even under difficult conditions (e.g. a long-distance relationship).
Can the ENFP fulfil its Relationship not salvageable despite great commitmenthe's plagued by guilt. He spends nights pondering where the mistake might have been. If he does not find a plausible answer, this gnaws significantly at his Self-esteem. This can lead to clinical depression. Sometimes it takes many years before the ENFP opens up again to a new partner after a negative experience.
To prevent this development, the ENFP must understand that two parties are always responsible for the failure of a relationship.
Also in the area of sexuality, the ENFP is all about exploring and improving. He is able to fully engage with his partner. However, his open nature in other areas of life should not be misunderstood. For the ENFP sexuality has a deep emotional meaning. He does not perform frivolous acts.
The following interesting facts about the ENFP personality type are not known by everyone:
1. ENFP women are less likely to suffer from heart disease on average in the population.
2. ENFP men are less likely than the average population to suffer from chronic pain.
3. ENFP children are most likely to have problems in school, according to psychologists.
4. there are a striking number of ENFP personalities among the highly gifted primary school pupils.
ENFPs place great value on their social environment. They want a life with many friends, their own family and a nice home.
6. ENFP personalities are more likely than average to work in consulting professions.
Source: MBTI Manual: A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, 3rd Edition by Isabell Briggs Myers.
The following prominent personalities can be clearly assigned to the ENFP personality type:
ENFP personalities from film and television:
Surely you have a rough idea of what type of character and communication you are. However, you are never completely neutral about yourself. A scientifically based personality test can help you get to know yourself even better. By becoming aware of your Strengths, weaknesses and your communication behaviour, you can develop yourself further.
At this point we would like to introduce you to our free personality test based on the DISG model. The DISC test meets the latest scientific standards and is regularly used in many large companies.
