ENFP

When I am with you, there is no place I’d rather be. And I am a person who always wants to be somewhere else.

David Levithan

Overview of “the Champion”

ENFPs are Extroverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

  • Extroverted because they are energized by time spent with others and connect most with the outer world.
  • Intuitive because they explore a world of creative ideas and search for information about abstract concepts and new theories.
  • Feeling because they prioritize personal values and emotions when making decisions.
  • Perceiving because they live spontaneously and follow their inspirations and energy to complete tasks.

ENFPs are adventurous people who want to make a massive difference in the world. They strive for excellence and chase their dreams with unmatched enthusiasm. These types want to discover everything that is new and exciting — always embarking on a journey to find what is fresh, original, and unique. They have a strong need to experience life and to reflect on those experiences.

ENFPs love people and prefer to approach relationships in an inclusive and collaborative fashion where everyone has a voice. They embrace infinite possibles and do not take kindly to people who repress creativity and innovation. They desire authenticity, live in a dream-world, and are highly imaginative.

Cognitive Functions

In the Myers-Briggs personality system there are eight cognitive functions. Your unique personality is a road map pointing to the four cognitive functions that you access consciously. Every personality will have two extroverted functions and two introverted functions. Every personality will also have one feeling function, one thinking function, one intuitive function, and one sensing function. For more help and practice identifying cognitive functions for the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types check out this worksheet. All eight functions are as follows:

  • Extroverted Intuition
  • Introverted Intuition
  • Extroverted Sensing
  • Introverted Sensing
  • Extroverted Feeling
  • Introverted Feeling
  • Extroverted Thinking
  • Introverted Thinking

Ne (Extroverted Intuition) – Dominant

An ENFP’s dominant cognitive function is Extroverted Intuition, abbreviated as Ne. Dominant cognitive functions are used approximately 80% of the time by an individual and are hardly noticed by the user. This function will feel like second nature and “drives” an ENFP.

10 Signs You’re Ne-dominant

  1. You love brainstorming
  2. You are comfortable with change
  3. You are always searching for new ideas
  4. You live for the future
  5. You see connections everywhere
  6. Conventional is boring
  7. You are open-minded
  8. You can be scatterbrained
  9. You can think on your toes
  10. You are very creative

Positives of Being Ne-dominant

  • Seeing things from many different angles
  • Rarely falling short of inspiration
  • Excelling in seasons of change
  • Remaining open-minded when others are not

Struggles of Being Ne-dominant

  • Over-analyzing situations
  • Trying to focus on one thing at a time
  • Living for the future instead of living for right now
  • Making long-term commitments and sticking to them

A note to the ENFPs reading…

Ever wonder why you need to travel when others seem strangely uninterested? That’s Ne. Ever feel overwhelmed by your racing mind or trapped by your circumstances (even when things are going well)? That’s Ne.

Extroverted Intuition is the reason you are good at brainstorming, horrible at sticking to a routine, inspired by the start up, terrible at the follow through, captivated by new experiences, and stifled by repetitive mundane tasks. It can be your secret weapon and your Achilles heel if it isn’t properly balanced with the other cognitive functions.

Fi (Introverted Feeling) – Auxiliary

An ENFP’s secondary function is Introverted Feeling/Fi. If someone is an extrovert, their dominant function will be extroverted and their auxiliary function will always be introverted. Balance is necessary — especially in the brain! Fi helps process the information brought to it by Ne.

10 Signs You’re Fi-auxiliary

  1. Authenticity is important to you
  2. You have strong “gut feelings”
  3. You will not force your opinion on others
  4. You are not necessarily an open book
  5. You crave personal freedom
  6. You are fairly independent and individualistic
  7. You can step into someone else’s shoes
  8. You have a strong sense of empathy
  9. You can be sensitive to criticism
  10. You have a deeply rooted value system.

Fi takes a backseat to Ne. Because Ne is the driver, Fi responds to the information after Ne has already lived the experience. This is why ENFPs might leap without looking and speak before they think. Ne is racing a million miles an hour and Fi later processes all this data.

ENFPs often mistake themselves for introverts because Fi demands so much time to process what is happening. They might do this through one-on-one conversations, journaling, listening to music, meditating, and engaging creatively with artistic mediums.

Te (Extroverted Thinking) – Tertiary

An ENFP’s tertiary cognitive function is Extroverted Thinking/Te. This position as third in the “cognitive stack” often means that NeFi is running the show the vast majority of the time. Because of this, Te is a bit underdeveloped and usually starts to show up in an ENFPs mid-20s. Tertiary functions usually have the maturity level of a ten-year-old child — they can serve as a strength or a weakness depending on how the user responds to it.

Tertiary Te is why ENFPs love making lists but often work only half way through them. They may have one sudden extreme urge to deep clean the entire house… but only a couple times a month-ish. This function helps explain their nerdy love for random facts and why they can remember the tiniest piece of data on a dime. Te helps them carry out Ne’s ideas, but since Te is not fully developed an ENFP will often find themselves abandoning their original approach (even when it was effective). This function keeps them sharp, motivated, and determined in spontaneous, sporadic, and almost knee-jerk ways. For many ENFPs, a well-developed Te function is the make it or break it factor in achieving their goals.

Si (Introverted Sensing) – Inferior

An ENFP’s inferior cognitive function is Introverted Sensing/Si. This function is typically concerned with memory, repetition, habits, and physical health. Inferior functions usually develop in midlife. Because of this late-blooming, there will be many times Si pops up in uncomfortable, weak, and even self-destructive ways.

Healthy Si-inferior

  • Engaging positively with routine
  • Getting enough sleep every night
  • Taking care of the body when sick
  • Keeping a relatively clean home space
  • Arriving places on time
  • Being dependable and loyal

Unhealthy Si-inferior

  • Overreacting to body aches and pains
  • Forgetting about the body’s needs
  • Running late to meetings or events
  • Keeping a messy space, neglecting chores
  • Getting too little sleep each night
  • Being flighty and unreliable