#enfpthings

enfp1 : how's xxx? you guys hang out alot

enfp2 : dude I love her etc etc

enfp1 : how are we bff's when we have several other bffs

enfp2 : but you're my bestest best friend

enfp1 : true

enfp2 : like I can talk to you about my other best friends you know?

enfp1 : OMG WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT GUY FROM LAST WEEK BTW

Infj : you guys are you serious? we are in the middle of a movie

enfp2 : ok then just press play and watch, we can catch up

infj : that's not the point of you guys coming over to watch a movie TOGETHER

enfp1 : guys WE ARE BONDING

Now that you understand Type and Cognitive Function, it’s onto the more important issue: What’s My Type?!

That’s the big question, isn’t it? I’m going to ask you guys four questions, and I’ll do myself as well so you understand where I’m coming from. So let’s do my type. (My favorite subject, me!)

The Four Questions, I’m really hearkening back to my roots here:

Are you organized internally or externally?

Do you prefer analyzing what is in front of you, or coming up with something new?

Do you look at information as it relates to ALL of the information you have [objectively], or as it relates to the SITUATION AT HAND [subjectively]?

Do you gain energy by talking to people, or when you are alone?

For the first question, this is testing perceiving/judging. A judger is someone who is organized externally. They make plans, they like lists, they dislike when people renege on promises, they are punctual (or try to be, or feel upset when they don’t make the deadline), they have a sense of external organization. 

I’m a Perceiver. I am extremely organized… in my head. I build systems and lists and then ‘lock’ them in there, and they’re there, and they’re solid. I have a great memory, but getting all of that out there is difficult for me. To take an example, in this page, I have copied/pasted/duplicated/rearranged things multiple times to try and make it make the most sense Out There!

For the second question, this is testing sensing/intuition. A sensor can in fact be quite ‘intuitive’ and ‘creative’, but sensors prefer (as it is a sensing preference) to look at the information in front of them. They prefer actual, real facts and circumstances and memories and experiences that they can conceive and easily work with. Being a sensor does not mean you are stupid. Captain Kirk from Star Trek is a sensor! (ESTP.) Being a sensor just means that you prefer to deal in the realm of immediacy.

I’m an iNtuitive. To put it bluntly, I do not do well with reality. I like to look at things as they could be. I enjoy daydreaming and imagining. I often get grand, complex ideas that come at me out of nowhere, and then struggle to find ways to actually put those plans into motion and make them happen. To sensors, who often have linear, A-to-B thought processes, I can come off very flighty and airhead-like. I prefer to look at a situation and then wander off into what the situation could be, what it should be, how it could look, what we could do, let’s Visualize and Come Up With Stuff! For me, existing in reality and thinking is like being in a giant mental sandbox. Since my first answer was Perceiving, we can now see that the orientation of my first function is a Perceiving function. Since I’m an intuitive, this function is Ne (because Ni is not a Perceiving function).

For the third question, this is testing feeling/thinking. Being a Thinker does not mean that you are radically intelligent and amazing. Being a Feeler does not mean you are stupid and fweeeelings. This function is all about how you filter the information you gather through your primary function. A Thinker is someone who looks at the information they have, and then compares it to everything else that’s relevant. Someone who uses Te will be concerned with organizing and scheduling ideas and concepts into the grand framework. Someone who uses Ti will be concerned with making sure that their ideas and concepts are globally consistent. 

I’m a Feeler. I filter information through myself (and, conversely, through others around me). Because my Perceiving function is Ne, as a Feeler, means my auxiliary function, is Fi. See how this comes together? Fi is very different from Fe, but it works along the same framework as Te/Ti. Someone who uses Fe will be concerned with harmonizing the group and benefiting the grand framework. Someone who uses Fi will be concerned with making sure that their values and self are globally consistent.

For the fourth question, this is testing introversion/extroversion. Now, an introvert can be very social. They can love people, adore them, enjoy talking to them, but they gain energy by being alone. They are not shy, or timid, or anything like that. This is all about energy.

I’m an Extrovert. I like my alone time, but after too much time alone, I need to go out and connect with the world. I need to talk to people. The more people I talk to, the more connection I make, the more whole I feel and the more energized I get. I am most energized when I am the busiest.

My result? ENFP! ————————————————————————————————————— Notes:

You notice that I worked a little bit backwards there. When trying to determine your type, you should always start with the perceiving/judging function first. This is the function that determines your dominant function. This is why there is no such thing as an ENFX. ENFP and ENFJ are extremely different, as they use extremely different functions. (Fe and Ni are practically alien to me!)

There are a great number of myths surrounding Sensing/Intuition and Feeling/Thinking, and these myths often prevent people from recognizing their true type. They don’t want to be seen as ‘wishy washy emotional histrionic trainwrecks’ so they say they are Thinkers, they don’t want to be seen as ‘unintelligent automatons’, so they say they are iNtuitives.