The Visionary, The Champion, The Inspirer

Charles Dickens, Joan Baez, Dave Matthews, John Lennon, Jewel, Eleanor Roosevelt & Bill Cosby - just a few of us who belong to the club ENFP. 2-3% of the world's population is represented by us and others like us. I am proud to be among them. We are called ENFP, short for Extraverted Intuitive Feeling & Perceptive.

When I first heard about personality profiles, I was was a skeptic and was sure that they were only taken seriously by quacks and weirdos. haha And then... years later, I was forced to participate in one... and it was surprisingly accurate. The more I learned, the more I marveled. Truly, as I love people, it continues to be a fascination still. Through the years, there have been few things that have managed to maintain both my fascination and attention.

Even for someone who resists being labeled as much as I do, I have to surrender and submit to the legitimacy of being labeled an ENFP by the Myers-Briggs personality profile. Definitely uncanny how I am described on paper almost perfectly by someone who is far displaced from me.

Some links I discovered. The first being the best.

http://www.geocities.com/lifexplore/enfp.htm

http://similarminds.com/jung/enfp.html

http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html


Profile by Sandra Krebs Hirsch and Jean Kummerow

Living

ENFPs are initiators of change who are keenly perceptive of possibilities, and who energize and stimulate through their contagious enthusiasm. They prefer the start-up phase of a project or relationship, and are tireless in the pursuit of new-found interests. ENFPs are able to anticipate the needs of others and to offer them needed help and appreciation. They bring zest, joy, liveliness, and fun to all aspects of their lives. They are at their best in situations that are fluid and changing, and that allow them to express their creativity and use their charisma.

Because they see endless possibilities, to select one possibility appears to the ENFP to be too narrow a focus. They hate to be boxed into a career for life and therefore hesitate and resist making decisions. It is unwise for ENFPs to settle down too early, and they make the soundest choices when they delay career and marriage decisions until their middle to late twenties. Often when a decision is made, ENFPs will still leave a number of options open or change their minds as they encounter new information.

Even in their everyday activities, ENFPs often search for the new and the novel. If there is a logical route to work and ENFP has been driving that way continually, he or she will likely tire of it and look for other routes.

Learning

ENFPs often learn best through a variety of means, such as observing, reading, and listening to and interacting with others. They enjoy the search for new ideas and possibilities, and will put in the time necessary to master subjects they find interesting. One strength is their enthusiasm for the process of discovery. They enjoy survey courses, comparative studies, and disciplines in which there is much to research and explore. They do not like classes that are too structured, that consist only of lectures, and that allow no room for their imagination. They may get caught up in the learning process and consequently need strict deadlines to bring a project to completion.

ENFPs prefer a learning environment in which the teacher takes personal interest in them, in which there is an opportunity to talk about ideas with their peers, and in which there is a chance to ask questions and develop new ideas.

ENFPs like travel and reading because these activities open experiences of other times and places. Their reading often brings quiet and reflection time, as well as new material for their dreams. Their travels afford them opportunities to experience different people and cultures.


Working

The preferred work setting for ENFPs contains imaginative people focused on human possibilities. ENFPs want a work environment that is both physically and mentally colorful. They prefer a participative and collegial atmosphere in which employees are included in the decision making. ENFPs are less productive where there is disharmony because they pay more attention to the relationships between people at work than they do to the tasks. Their ideal job would offer variety, novelty, challenge, and freedom from tight supervision; it would be idea oriented and imaginative, and would have lively, energetic people enjoying themselves and their tasks.

Leading

ENFPs are energetic and enthusiastic leaders who are likely to take charge when a new endeavor needs a visionary spokesperson. ENFPs are values-oriented people who become champions of causes and services relating to human needs and dreams. Their leadership style is one of soliciting and recognizing others' contributions and of evaluating the personal needs of their followers. ENFPs are often charismatic leaders who are able to help people see the possibilities beyond themselves and their current realities. They function as catalysts.

Of course, these are only exerpts. But even in their incompleteness, they are still accurate. Worth investigating your own type.