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ENTP, INTP, ENFP, ESTP, INFP

ENFP Things

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An Intro To Cognitive Functions

If You’re Confused About Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type, Read This: An Intro To Cognitive Functions 

Here is an overview of the eight cognitive functions:

Perceptive Functions:

Extroverted Intuition (Ne):

Extroverted intuition generates new possibilities, synthesizes abstract ideas and picks up on connections in the external environment. Extroverted intuition is capable of entertaining multiple contradictory ideas simultaneously as it sees almost every side to every situation. It is predominantly a future-oriented function that examines all the possibilities of what could happen next.

People who lead with extroverted intuition are usually excitable, entrepreneurial and highly creative. They intrinsically enjoy debating ideas, exploring various interests and they view almost everything in life as a challenge. They are constantly thinking about what to do or experience next, but have a difficult time sticking with just one idea or plan long-term.

Introverted Intuition (Ni):

Introverted intuition forms a framework of how the world works based on thorough, abstract analysis of past and current events. It aims to identify the ‘essence’ of ideas, theories, people and situations in order to fit them into a larger schema. Introverted intuition is a forward thinking function that seeks to identify the optimal or most likely outcome of future events.

People who lead with introverted intuition are usually intense, focused and highly perceptive of inconsistencies that arise in their external environment. They enjoy riddles, puzzles and wordplay. They often experience ‘hunches’ or ‘aha’ moments that they may identify as epiphanies. Their intense foresight is a product of their future-oriented introverted intuition subtly pairing with their inferior extroverted sensing.

Extroverted Sensing (Se):

Extroverted sensing is focused on taking in the world as it exists in the present moment. It is highly in tune with the sights, smells, sounds and general physical stimulus that surrounds it. Extroverted sensing lives and thrives in the moment, more so than any other function.

People who lead with extroverted sensing are often naturally athletic, highly impulsive and enjoy ever-changing stimuli. They place a high value on aesthetics and lust after the ‘finer things in life.’ Extroverted sensors usually aren’t interested in over-analyzing a situation – they simply see what they want and they go for it. These types tend to exude a natural sense of confidence, as they are usually quite sure of who they are and what they want.

Introverted Sensing (Si):

Introverted sensing is a detail-oriented, information storage function. It takes note of facts, events and occurrences exactly as they happen and categorizes them, somewhat like an internal filing system. This is a past-oriented function that dwells predominantly on what has been and it often gives way to nostalgia.

People who lead with introverted sensing are organized and structured, as they believe in being prepared for any potential mishap. They hold tradition in high esteem and believe that the tried and true method is always the best way of getting things done. Introverted sensors believe that the future will repeat the past, more so than any other type.

Judging/Decision-Making Functions: Introverted Feeling (Fi):

Introverted feeling is the in-depth analysis of emotional processes and morality. It seeks to break down emotions to their core and understand them as wholly as possible. It also develops a strong internal system of right and wrong, which the Fi user employs to make decisions. Introverted feeling searches for the deeper meaning behind absolutely everything. Introverted feelers are highly aware of and in touch with their own emotions, and when they put themselves in the shoes of others, they can often feel their pain or joy on a personal level.

People who lead with introverted feeling are compassionate, analytical and often highly concerned with moral issues. They are usually highly creative or artistic, and may feel as though nobody else truly understands who they are deep down. Because their feelings are introverted, Fi-dominant types aren’t always comfortable expressing how they feel outwardly. They have a rich inner world that they want to guard and yet they often secretly wish that others were capable of tapping into it.

Extroverted Feeling (Fe):

Extroverted feeling is highly concerned with maintaining social norms and keeping the peace. It is a decision-making function that strives to do what is best for the group and picks up naturally on the emotions of others. It is a mirroring function that may cause the user to have trouble deciphering their own feelings without the input of others. Extroverted feeling requires social interaction to stay fulfilled, more so than any other function.

People who lead with extroverted feeling are highly reactive to the feelings of others. They seek out social interaction relentlessly, as they feel the happiest and most alive when they are in the company of loved ones. They seek to maintain harmony and keep the peace at all costs – they cannot fully enjoy themselves unless the people around them are healthy, happy and comfortable.

Extroverted Thinking (Te):

Extroverted thinking seeks to impose order on the external environment as efficiently and logically as possible. It values productivity above all else and is a results-based, action-oriented function. Extroverted thinking naturally implements concrete plans for accomplishing goals and is quick to make decisions.

People who lead with extroverted thinking are frank, decisive and highly productive in every capacity. They are natural leaders in the workplace as they are quick to take charge and impose order. Dominant extroverted thinkers may come across as bossy or opinionated to those who lack the function, but in reality they are simply pointing out what they believe to be the most efficient course of action for everyone involved.

Introverted Thinking (Ti):

Introverted thinking is an information-gathering function that seeks to form a framework for how the world works on a concrete, tangible level. It is adept at understanding systems and naturally notices inconsistencies within them. Introverted thinking seeks a thorough understanding of how things work – it wants to deconstruct things to look at the individual parts and see how things function as a whole.

People who lead with introverted thinking are logical, systematic and objective to a fault. They enjoy finding ‘short-cuts’ that increase efficiency within a given system. Ti-dominants are often heavily introverted, as they take a great deal of time to understand how things work before they feel comfortable sharing or acting on their knowledge.

How do I know what order I use my functions in?

It can be confusing trying to figure this out. We’re often more aware of our second function than our first, as we are somewhat removed from our second function and can see it more objectively.

Think of it like this: You are in a swimming pool and your first (or “dominant”) function is the water. It’s everywhere. It’s what you do without thinking about it. It’s your natural first impulse to every situation – it comes to you so naturally that you may not even notice yourself using it.

Your second function (known as your auxiliary function) is like the ladder, or the waterslide. To an extent, you can choose to use it or not use it. You are very aware of its presence. You can’t make it go away, but you can temporarily ignore it. You have to swim through the water to get there.

Your third and fourth functions (Or your “tertiary” and “inferior” functions) are less accessible to you, as you may not fully develop them until you are nearing middle age. When you’re younger, your third and fourth functions are primarily called upon when you are under stress. If you started drowning in the water, your tertiary and inferior functions would be the life raft that you cling to. Eventually, you can integrate them to become pool toys that you use on a regular basis. Once you’ve done this, you will finally have a well-balanced, relaxing pool experience. We can also refer to this as type actualization.

The breakdown of functions and the order in which they’re used is as follows for each type:

ENFP: Ne – Fi – Te – Si INFP: Fi – Ne – Si – Te INFJ: Ni – Fe – Ti – Se ENFJ: Fe – Ni – Se – Ti ISTJ: Si – Te – Fi – Ne ESTJ: Te – Si – Ne – Fi ISTP: Ti – Se – Ni – Fe ESTP: Se – Ti – Fe – Ni INTJ: Ni – Te – Fi – Se INTP: Ti – Ne – Si – Fe ENTJ: Te – Ni – Se – Fi ENTP: Ne – Ti – Fe – Si ISFJ: Si – Fe – Ti – Ne ISFP: Fi – Se – Ni – Te ESFJ: Fe – Si – Ne – Ti ESFP: Se – Fi – Te – Ni

Any type can, theoretically, access any of the eight cognitive functions, but tapping into a function that is not part of your type’s stacking will be an incredibly exhausting experience.

Why is it important to know about functions?

Understanding cognitive functions is imperative to understanding type. The four-letter dichotomies cannot possibly explain the complexity of our personalities – we are all thinkers, feelers, sensors and intuitives in various situations. The cognitive functions allow us to understand when we use each function and how it impacts our decision-making process.

Cognitive functions also help us to distinguish between types with clarity. No more thinking you’re an ENFP/J! Now you know that ENFPs and ENFJs actually share zero cognitive functions. If you’re an ENFP who employs a great deal of structure into your life, it simply means you’ve developed your extroverted thinking function effectively.

Lastly, having a thorough understanding of cognitive functions helps us understand how type can develop without actually changing (theoretically type does not/cannot change throughout a lifetime). An INFP may begin developing their extroverted thinking in their thirties or forties but that does not mean they are now an INTP! It simply means they are becoming a more well-rounded version of their own type.

How Myers-Briggs Personality Types Are Portrayed Online Vs. How They Are In Real Life

Heidi Priebe

ENFP

Online Description: ENFPs are passionate, idea-generating revolutionists who inspire others through their fierce determination and spirit.

Real ENFP: *Hides inside watching cat videos for literally days at a time.*

INFJ

Online Description: INFJs are wise and magical fortune-tellers who intuitively understand all the most complex mysteries of the Universe.

Real INFJ: *Tries to analyze literally one thing.* *Falls down the bottomless rabbit hole of over-thinking.* *Gives up and watches TV.*

ENFJ

Online Description: ENFJs are the revolutionary world leaders who mentor others towards great change and was probably your high school valedictorian.

Real ENFJ: Wastes entire day trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind a friendly text message.

INFP

Online Description: Eloquent, thoughtful poets who are sleep on a bed of roses and understand the greater meaning behind our existence.

Real INFP: *Walks into a poll.* “What the actual mother of fuck, who keeps putting these here.”

INTP:

Online description: INTPs are mad scientist geniuses and all of them are Albert Einstein.

Real INTP: “What if Walruses could drive cars, haha lol” *Spends three days designing an app that generates walrus memes*

ENTP:

Online Description: Argumentative devil’s advocate who WILL NOT REST until every idea in the world has been thoroughly debated.

Real ENTP: “Lol that person’s wrong.” *Smokes a joint.* *Shrugs it off.*

INTJ:

Online Description: INTJs are the mastermind overlords who can see 500 years in the future and will eventually take over earth and all of its inhabitants.

Real INTJ: *Spends four hours mapping out a route to the grocery store and still gets lost.*

ENTJ:

Online Description: ENTJs are cutthroat, competitive powerhouses who will stop at absolutely nothing to defeat and eliminate their opponents without remorse.

Real ENTJ: Is literally the first person to help you when you’re in trouble.

ISTJ:

Online Description: ISTJs are serious, duty-oriented social servants who will not eat, sleep or rest until justice is delivered to the world as a whole.

Real ISTJ: *Stays inside playing computer games for three straight days, hoping that nobody will notice their absence.*

ESTJ:

Online Description: Your micromanaging boss who only exists to professionally advance themselves and make your life a living hell.

Real ESTJ: Just wants to get this freaking work day over with so they can grab a beer and chill out with their friends.

ISTP:

Online Description: Daredevil badass who is probably off slacklining between mountain peaks while chugging a gallon of whiskey right now.

Real ISTP: *Sees a text inviting them to go adventuring* *Sits inside watching TV for three days* Texts back “Nah”

ESTP:

Online Description: Perma-wired adrenaline junkie who CANNOT LIVE without DRUGS SEX AND ROCK AND ROLL 24 hours/day.

Real ESTPs: Probably has an advanced engineering degree and makes twice as much money as you do.

ISFJ:

Online Description: Sweet grandmother, whose sole reason for living is hugging and baking cookies for everyone they know.

Real ISFJ: Would almost always rather be at home reading fanfic.

ESFJ:

Online Description: Gossipy girl whose goal in life is to get married, and who is probably your Mom.

Real ESFJ: Some of the most sharp and motivated professionals you’ll ever meet.

ISFP:

Online Description: Antisocial emo poets who refuse to talk to others because *nobody understands them* and that makes them want to cry.

Real ISFP: Some of the friendliest and most fun-loving people you’ll ever meet.

ESFP:

Online Description: Mindless party animal who has been drunk since the moment they were born.

Real ESFP: Sharp, motivated, creative and probably understands you better than you understand yourself

MBTI types as the trolley problem

ISFJ

ESFJ

ISTJ

ESTJ

ISFP

ESFP

ISTP

ESTP

INFJ

ENFJ

INTJ

ENTJ

INFP

ENFP

INTP

ENTP

MBTI as popular texts from 2016

INTJ:

ISTJ:

ESFP:

ENTP:

ENFP:

INFJ:

ISFJ:

INTP:

ESFJ:

ISFP:

ISTP:

ESTP:

ENFJ:

INFP:

ESTJ:

ENTJ:

What Do Those Four Letters Stand For? The Truth Will Shock You!

The Types as Kids’ Notes

none of these pictures originated with me or by my hand, a fact for which i am eternally grateful.

INFP:

ENFP:

INFJ:

ENFJ:

ISFJ:

ESFJ:

ISTJ:

ESTJ:

INTP:

ENTP:

INTJ:

ENTJ:

ISFP:

ESFP:

ISTP:

ESTP:

Welcome to the MBTI community! A crash course in MBTI (with a brief note on socionics)

Look. I get it. It takes a lot of time to really get into MBTI and Enneagram and sometimes you just want to ask a person things and get an answer and be done. Then they respond and are like “um that’s not a real thing.” So here’s a way to understand what is a real thing. This is not in depth at all. You have to put the work in to really get things. I can’t beam them into your head.. But it’s a start.

Also this post is long but I tried to make things as simple as possible. The tone is going to be a little “See Spot Run” as a result which as xkcd says, is not actually a bad thing.

An Enneagram post will follow shortly.

MBTI - Cognitive Functions: 16 types, made up of combinations of four functions. People will talk about shadow functions. It’s fun to think about when you know what you’re doing. You do not know what you’re doing (yet) so just ignore them.

The function categories are: sensing (perceiving concrete things), intuition (perceiving abstract things), thinking (making judgments based on logic) and feeling (making judgments based on morality). They can be extroverted (focused on the outside world) or introverted (focused on the inner world). The functions all have 2 letters in them. The first stands for the category (first letter of the category except for intuition which is N instead), the second is i for introverted or e for extroverted. Also lots of people spell extroverted as extraverted. That is in fact probably the correct way to do it but it looks weird to me and so I’m just going to do my thing.

Sometimes people spell intuition like this: iNtuition. This makes the fact that ‘N’ is used more apparent, or you can just know how to spell the word intuition and that we use the letter N and not make it look like the world’s worst  Apple product.

You have one of each category of function! Two perceiving and two judging. One of your perceiving functions is extroverted and one is introverted, and the same goes for judging. So Se and Ni always go together, as do Si and Ne (the perceiving functions). The judging function pairs are Te and Fi, and Fe and Ti.

Really oversimplified descriptions:

Se: Objectively perceives the outside concrete world and their experiences in it. This usually translates to being very aware and adaptable to their surroundings, regardless of how things are behaving.

Si: subjectively perceives the outside concrete world and their experiences in it. This usually translates to them trusting past experiences they have had and expecting things to behave as they previously have.

Ne: objectively perceives concepts. This usually translates to getting lots of inspiration and ideas from everywhere and making unrelated connections about how things may behave.

Ni: subjectively perceives concepts. This usually translates to having a very specific and personal vision of how they believe things will behave.

Fe: Uses outside systems of morality to make judgments. This usually translates to prioritizing overall benefit to groups of people rather than specific individuals.

Fi: Uses inner systems of morality to make judgments. This usually translates to prioritizing individuality and authenticity over group harmony.

Te: Uses outside systems of logic to make judgments. This usually translates to prioritizing efficiency and hard evidence to get something done over having every possible piece of evidence or the most elegant solution.

Ti: uses inner systems of logic to make judgments. This usually translates to prioritizing internal logical consistency and having all the possible information and the most elegant solution over getting something done quickly and in a way easily communicated to others.

MBTI - your function stack:

Your first function is your strongest function. This is the dominant function. It’s your default way of doing things. It can be any one of those 8 functions I introduced. People will say “I’m a <function name>-dom” to indicate that.

Your fourth function is your inferior function. It’s what you’re worst at. This is the function that’s normally paired with your dominant function (so if you’re an Se dom, your inferior function is Ni).

Your second function is also pretty strong. It’s your auxiliary function. If your dominant function is extroverted, your auxiliary one will be introverted (and vice versa), and if your dominant function is a judging function your auxiliary one will be a perceiving function (and vice versa).

Your third function is called your tertiary function and it will be the function that’s paired with your aux function.

MBTI - your type: 

Look at your dominant function. If it’s extroverted, you are an extrovert (this doesn’t mean the traditional ‘energized by people’ thing it does outside of MBTI. MBTI doesn’t have a concept of ambiversion. Also everyone is to some extent ambiverted in that introverts don’t burst into flames when they have to talk to people and extroverts don’t die when they haven’t been around a person for 5 seconds, so chill). If it’s introverted, you’re an introvert (ditto). The first letter of your type is E or I, respectively.

Look at the first letter in your dominant function. If it’s a perceiving function (S or N) then that’s the second letter in your type, and the first letter of your aux function is the third letter in your type. If it’s a judging function (F or T) then that’s the third letter in your type, and the first letter of your aux function is the second letter in your type.

Now: if one of your top two functions (dom and aux) is Fe or Te (an extroverted judging function), you are a judger and the last letter in your type is J. If one of your top two functions is Ne or Se (an extroverted perceiving function), then you are a perceiver and the last letter in your type is P.

An example

Let’s say you think your dominant function is Se. Then your inferior function has to be Ni. You then look at the descriptions for the introverted judging functions (Ti and Fi) and think that your auxiliary function is Fi, which means your tertiary must be Te. Your functions in order are Se-Fi-Te-Ni.

To figure your type’s name out: your first function is extroverted, so you’re an EXXX.

Your first function is a perceiving function and the letter is S - ESXX

Your second function’s letter is F - ESFX

You have Se in your top two functions, so your type is ESFP.

MBTI - groupings

A guy named Keirsey split up the types into groups that he thought behaved similarly and named them:

XXSP - The Artisans

XXSJ - The Guardians or The Sentinels

XNTX - The Rationals

XNFX - The Idealists

A lot of people aren’t big fans of this split both because the names aren’t particularly useful and because the system is inconsistent in terms of functions, but you will see these terms sometimes.

MBTI - loops and grips

A loop is when you use your dominant and tertiary function without checking in on your secondary function.

This is not necessarily bad if you’re using it for a brief period of time. For example, let’s say you’re an INTJ and your friend is crying and doesn’t really want to talk about it. Your Te is most likely going to try to focus on solutions - how to make this stop, how to make them feel better. But this is an emotional/people-oriented situation, so using your Ni to predict what’s wrong and your Fi to act in a way that is in line with your values re: friendship might be more successful.

On the other hand it can be bad if you do this for an extended period of time. As you notice, the two functions are both in the same direction (introverted or extroverted) so introverts aren’t relying on any external direction or systems, and extroverts aren’t relying on any internal direction or systems. As a result, introverts can become irrational and out of touch with reality without some external input, and extroverts can become dominating and reckless.

Grips are when you unhealthily skip all your functions and go straight to your inferior function. These are almost always bad, and are not the same as using your inferior function in a healthy way.

The basic grip behaviors by inferior function are:

Se grip (Ni doms): engaging in purely physical and sometimes reckless behaviors to the point of loss of control. Can be anything - exercise, eating, drinking, drugs, sex, risky behaviors of all kinds.

Si grip (Ne doms): obsessiveness, hypochondria, hypercritical, haunted by the past, fixating on a single possibility instead of exploring many.

Ne grip (Si doms): (this is my inferior function so I’m a little more familiar with it). Either anxiety about the future, seeing catastrophe no matter what you do, or alternately wanting to throw away all your routines and habits and run away instead of getting rid of only what doesn’t work.

Ni grip (Se doms): Paranoia, obsession over the future, seeing or looking for signs/omens rather than the real world, withdrawing.

Fe grip (Ti doms): Emotional volatility, needing external validation from others or alternately feeling rejected and alienated from others.

Fi grip (Te doms): Hypersensitivity, self-pity, withdrawal, ‘me against the world’ mentality.

Te grip (Fi doms): harshness, micromanaging, abandoning values and doing anything to achieve your ends or alternately feeling incompetent.

Ti grip (Fe doms): overanalyzing, withdrawing from personal relationships in particular, or alternately becoming highly critical of people to whom you are close.

Basically: introverts tend to act/lash out as their inferior functions are extroverted, and extroverts tend to withdraw as their inferior functions are introverted, and the most clear sign is that they aren’t using their dom (or other) function.

MBTI - but I feel like I use all the functions!

You may have noticed that you can only have one extroverted perceiving function, one extroverted judging function, one introverted perceiving function, and one introverted judging function.

If you feel like you use functions that cannot both be in your top four (your stack), pick the one that you seem to use more and follow the rules. Will it necessarily be right? No. That’s why you have to learn more. Ultimately you still have to put in some effort ,but at least this way you’ll have a type that makes sense and exists, and if you find it doesn’t fit well, you can look into similar types that might fit better.

Why do you feel like you use multiple functions that can’t be in your stack? Usually it’s either because you don’t understand the functions yet (this isn’t your fault. They’re not easy to understand and they’re hard to describe well), and because you don’t pick up one function, use it, and then put it away. You’re constantly using them together, and that’s good because most situations require that you intake (perceive) information and then do something with it (judge). So trying to consider them in isolation can be hard.

Also: you don’t use your first function first in every single situation, because that wouldn’t work out well for you. So if you’re sometimes very outgoing and sometimes very withdrawn, and sometimes you make choices based on morality and sometimes on logic (etc, etc) you still have one MBTI type. People change how they behave depending on the situation. You still only have one MBTI type. 

Finally, your functions are how you process information, but consider the big picture and your motivation. If you brainstormed once and it went well, or if you helped a group of friends get along once, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an Ne or Fe user respectively. Think about how you generally and repeatedly behave. We all do some things that could be ‘typed’ one way or another, so consider why you do things and what your repeated behaviors and motivations are, not one-offs.

You don’t have more than one type. If you think you have more than one type, you don’t.

A brief note on socionics:

Socionics is an interpretation and expansion on the Jungian theory that also produced MBTI. It’s highly detailed but a bit more focused on behavior than cognition. The functions are have the same names and are similar but not exactly the same. I’m less knowledgeable about it than MBTI but since it looks a lot like MBTI, here’s what will help you notice if something’s a socionics post so that you can do your own research.

Socionics types are written a little differently. They only look at the dominant function. If it’s a perceiving one, you’re a perceiver (and they write that as a lowercase). If it’s a judging one, you’re a judger (also in lower case).

What this means practically is that if a type is an MBTI extrovert, the same functional stack (REMEMBER THAT MBTI FUNCTIONS AND SOCIONICS FUNCTIONS DON’T MATCH UP PERFECTLY) will result in a type that’s the same, except the last letter is lower case (ESFP -> ESFp).

If a type is an MBTI introvert, the last letter switches and becomes lowercase (INFJ->INFp).

Socionics goes into more depth about the four functions below your main stack, so if you’re interested in shadow functions, check it out. In socionics, your 5th and 6th functions (flip your dom and aux functions introversion/extroversion axis to get these) are actually pretty good, and you are terrible at the introverted/extroverted version of your tertiary function. This is sometimes called PoLR.

Socionics also groups the types into something called Quadras.

Pride and prejudice, 2005

Per next week’s Roderick on the Line.

Heaven.

GMC MotorHome, 1973

THEY JUST SKATED TO YURI ON ICE HOLY FUCK

JESUS?? 

JESUS????

i had no idea they were so frickin huge

I love them so much because they’re about as sharp as a baseball and their anatomy is ridiculous to the point of them literally being classified as plankton for years because they just sort of get blown around by the ocean and look confused, but because they lay more eggs than ANY OTHER VERTEBRATE IN EXISTENCE, evolution can’t stop them

Why is no big predator coming and gnawing on them?

Their biggest defense is that they’re massive and have super tough skin, but they do get hunted by sharks or sea lions sometimes and they just sort of float there like ‘oh bother’ as it happens

Even funnier, because they eat nothing but jellyfish they’re really low in nutritional value anyway, so they basically survive by being not worth eating because they’re like a big floating rice cracker wrapped in leather.

So basically the only reason natural selection hasn’t taken care if them is because they are the most useless fish

yes, they’ve perfected uselessness to the point of being unstoppable

a true inspiration