[Jungian Cognitive Functions] Comparing a socially introverted ENFP with an INFJ

[Peter Deadpan]

Pretty self-explanatory, but more specifically, let's compare the presentation of functions. For simplicity's sake, let's say the ENFP is 4w5 and considered socially introverted (not to be confused with the direction of preferred function use.)

If you can't logically separate function direction and social introversion/extroversion, please don't contribute as it will muddy the accuracy.

 

[Qlip]

Posting here to remind myself to come back to this thread, it seems like I may be able to contribute somehow. I'll mull it over.

 

[Starry]

Posting here to remind myself to come back to this thread, it seems like I may be able to contribute somehow. I'll mull it over.

You are a 100x more socially outgoing than I am...

It's because of your opposable thumbs I think.

 

[Qlip]

You are a 100x more socially outgoing than I am...

It's because of your opposable thumbs I think.

I don't know enough about your social patterns to know if this is true, but I know that my social outings are very sparse, and highly produced. So, the impression I give may be misleading.

 

[Starry]

I don't know enough about your social patterns to know if this is true, but I know that my social outings are very sparse, and highly produced. So, the impression I give may be misleading.

This could be true as I am basing my understanding on all of your fun photos of outings I never go on.

For me...I am definitely a homebody. Well, I'm an outdoorsy alone person <-that would probably describe me best. I like being in the company of myself or one other person...but I don't always want to be interacting with that one other person haha. No one would ever describe me as 'social'.

 

[Qlip]

This could be true as I am basing my understanding on all of your fun photos of outings I never go on.

For me...I am definitely a homebody. Well, I'm an outdoorsy alone person <-that would probably describe me best. I like being in the company of myself or one other person...but I don't always want to be interacting with that one other person haha. No one would ever describe me as 'social'.

This statement very much reminds me of my friend who you compared to your friend "Maria", an ENFP 4w3 so/sx who took me a long while to understand how to get along with. She actually prefers groups, but is willing to one-on-one with me, but in one-on-ones she often just cuts out and floats away for a while. I've learned it's all part of a positive interaction with her and she just needs her space-time. I think she prefers groups because she can slip away for a while without others noticing.

I consider myself an introvert by any other meaning than MBTI. My social extroversion is pretty sparse. I maybe get together with people once every month or maybe two months. It's incredibly enriching, though, when it does happen. I ended up attaching to MBTI as a good model for myself when I learned about cognitive extroversion vs social extroversion. I have always felt clearly cognitively extroverted, I have to somehow bounce myself off of the outside world to understand myself, and this doesn't always mean people. Sometimes I express things in object form, like art or writing, and I can only glean things about myself in such things. The value isn't so much in the expression, but in the consumption of the expression. People function in similar manner to me, but can also be very demanding and exhausting. I always assumed my personal preferences are some sort of Ne-Fi 4 narcissism, which is less narcissistic than it sounds. The more I learn about myself, the more capacity I have to empathize and understand others.

 

[Starry]

This statement very much reminds me of my friend who you compared to your friend "Maria", an ENFP 4w3 so/sx who took me a long while to understand how to get along with. She actually prefers groups, but is willing to one-on-one with me, but in one-on-ones she often just cuts out and floats away for a while. I've learned it's all part of a positive interaction with her and she just needs her space-time. I think she prefers groups because she can slip away for a while without others noticing.

^That's amazing to me because that's exactly how Maria is haha! I've never considered her e-type though. 4w3 so/sx would actually work come to think of it... (you have to admit they kinda do look like each other too...). Of all the ENFPs that we've interacted with here...I guess Lady X would be most like Maria.

I consider myself an introvert by any other meaning than MBTI. My social extroversion is pretty sparse. I maybe get together with people once every month or maybe two months. It's incredibly enriching, though, when it does happen. I ended up attaching to MBTI as a good model for myself when I learned about cognitive extroversion vs social extroversion. I have always felt clearly cognitively extroverted, I have to somehow bounce myself off of the outside world to understand myself, and this doesn't always mean people. Sometimes I express things in object form, like art or writing, and I can only glean things about myself in such things. The value isn't so much in the expression, but in the consumption of the expression. People function in similar manner to me, but can also be very demanding and exhausting. I always assumed my personal preferences are some sort of Ne-Fi 4 narcissism, which is less narcissistic than it sounds. The more I learn about myself, the more capacity I have to empathize and understand others.

I actually relate to what you are saying above quite a bit. I am very cognitively extroverted and socially introverted. For me...as someone that has been diagnosed with Inattentive ADD...this makes a lot of sense to me with regards to how dominant Ne can take this form. I'm self-absorbed...drawing from the cues in the external world...bouncing things off the external world...to fortify my inner ideal and overarching understanding of the universe...but bypassing commitments. One-on-one contacts provide me that grounding I so desperately need. It is when I am interacting with another that I truly inhabit the world (edit...whoops...when I say inhabit...I mean...I am like others. I feel at one with nature all the time. I don't really know how to explain. edit2...I should also say that if I'm on a short one-on-one thing like you described with your 4w3 friend...I would be grounded and connected the whole time. I wouldn't space out until it was over. When I say...I don't always want to interact...I was imagining an intimate situation...like living with a partner...I need to be alone a lot but I like the knowledge that they are there if that makes sense...)



As for this thread. My sister is INFJ 6w5...and she is cognitively introverted and socially extroverted (although some may say she's cognitively extroverted as well as she most likely uses Ni and Fe in equal amounts being a 6).

 

[LucieCat]

I initially mistyped as an INFJ. I relied too much on the stereotypes of the P/J divide. Plus, my initial behavior when one first meets me might come off as a stereotypical J. This is probably do to my mom's personality rubbing off on me. She's been a huge part of my life, and has a rather distinct J preference. I also wasn't looking into cognitive functions.

Then I mistyped as an INFP before realizing that I'm an ENFP.

I think a lot of ENFPs can be socially introverted because Ne is really self-stimulating. Personally, I can't determine whether I am social introvert or an extrovert. I'm most likely to be social when I know I can freely express myself. Back when I thought I was a cognitive introvert, I had much more anxiety and insecurity. This led me to believe that people wouldn't accept me as I am, so I sort of repressed Ne.

Then again, Ne isn't necessarily social. I certainly have used it in social circumstances. My first semester of college, I took a course about this process called design thinking and problem solving and creativity. I really was encouraged to express my Ne there. The professor was also really good at dividing us into teams where we really balanced each other out. So, I really brought my Ne ideas to the table when brainstorming and thinking of the possibilities. That was sort of the "a-ha" moment when I realized that Ne is an asset when interacting with other people. I used to socially before then, but it was mostly used in a light-heartened way

If someone were to mistaken me for an introverted type, it would probably be an INFx. Though, as someone gets to know me, there's a higher chance that they would think of me as either an INFP or an ENFP. The jury is out on which.

One of my best friends is an INFJ. She and I have a lot in common temperament wise--we come off as positive, cheerful, sweet, slightly absent-minded people. I suppose someone could mistaken her for being a quiet, introverted ENFP at first.

It is really interesting to think about the divide between cognitive E and I and social E and I. It would be interesting to get a better sense of the numbers, but it appears to me that both match up for most people. I have met a lot of cognitive introverts though who will appear rather extroverted in some social situations. Or at least they will appear to be social. Or they just really are excited to see me and enjoy spending time with me, so maybe it's just something I see.

I hope my point makes sense, as I feel like I'm rambling a bit.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

I initially mistyped as an INFJ. I relied too much on the stereotypes of the P/J divide. Plus, my initial behavior when one first meets me might come off as a stereotypical J. This is probably do to my mom's personality rubbing off on me. She's been a huge part of my life, and has a rather distinct J preference. I also wasn't looking into cognitive functions.

Then I mistyped as an INFP before realizing that I'm an ENFP.

I think a lot of ENFPs can be socially introverted because Ne is really self-stimulating. Personally, I can't determine whether I am social introvert or an extrovert. I'm most likely to be social when I know I can freely express myself. Back when I thought I was a cognitive introvert, I had much more anxiety and insecurity. This led me to believe that people wouldn't accept me as I am, so I sort of repressed Ne.

Then again, Ne isn't necessarily social. I certainly have used it in social circumstances. My first semester of college, I took a course about this process called design thinking and problem solving and creativity. I really was encouraged to express my Ne there. The professor was also really good at dividing us into teams where we really balanced each other out. So, I really brought my Ne ideas to the table when brainstorming and thinking of the possibilities. That was sort of the "a-ha" moment when I realized that Ne is an asset when interacting with other people. I used to socially before then, but it was mostly used in a light-heartened way

If someone were to mistaken me for an introverted type, it would probably be an INFx. Though, as someone gets to know me, there's a higher chance that they would think of me as either an INFP or an ENFP. The jury is out on which.

One of my best friends is an INFJ. She and I have a lot in common temperament wise--we come off as positive, cheerful, sweet, slightly absent-minded people. I suppose someone could mistaken her for being a quiet, introverted ENFP at first.

It is really interesting to think about the divide between cognitive E and I and social E and I. It would be interesting to get a better sense of the numbers, but it appears to me that both match up for most people. I have met a lot of cognitive introverts though who will appear rather extroverted in some social situations. Or at least they will appear to be social. Or they just really are excited to see me and enjoy spending time with me, so maybe it's just something I see.

I hope my point makes sense, as I feel like I'm rambling a bit.

I'll come back with a more in depth response, but do you think you use Ni? I mean... we all use all functions to some extent, but can you compare how YOU use Ne and Ni for contrast?

 

[PumpkinMayCare]

I always type as an INFJ in socionics and I kind of see why. As for introversion/extroversion I prefer to stay by myself for most of the time. It's nice having people around, but I find most people draining after a while. I really need to be in the mood to go out and do thing with others, and this rarely happens. I do not have any reasons to doubt my typing (anymore) though. I've questioned my function stack often enough and am %100 convinced I use Ne>Fi>Te> and the little Si I have. Others also typed me as ENFP not only here but also on perC. Although I have a 4 in my tritype, I don't have a 5. Sometimes I slip into the 5 mode however, but it's not my normal functioning. Even when I am into 7 mode I'm more likely to use my energy on projects I can do by myself, rather than become a social butterfly. From what I read online I can also relate very much to INFJs way of thinking, most of the time. The functions are completely different, so how they arrive at certain conclusions is different to how I do, but there's often a smiliar conclusion at the end of the thought process.

 

[LucieCat]

I'll come back with a more in depth response, but do you think you use Ni? I mean... we all use all functions to some extent, but can you compare how YOU use Ne and Ni for contrast?

That's a bit of a hard question, but it's good to think deeply.
My Ni is rather unconscious whereas I use Ne almost constantly and am aware of it. When I do use Ni, it seems to usually be in conjunction with Ne. Perhaps Ne isn't quite providing the necessary view on something I need. So, I need to adjust the way my intuition is perceiving the situation at hand. Instead of thinking about what could be, I'll look into what may occur in the future based on what I already know (though part of this could very well be influenced by my inferior Si, but I feel that it's more connected to patterns like intuition is).
I also seem to use Ni when interacting with people who have it as a dominant or auxiliary function. There it's used to try and gain a deeper understanding of how they work as a person. Interestingly, I find that I use Fe in the same way. I really don't do this with any other function that isn't my dominant or auxiliary
Sometimes the line between Ne and Ni can be rather fuzzy. If I'm looking towards the future, I'll undoubtedly use both. Though my daydreams are certainly more of the fantastic, stereotypical Ne variety.
I feel as if Ne asks "What if?" While Ni seeks a deeper meaning that might not be present with Ne. Not that Ne users aren't deep thinkers, we are. But I feel that Ni provides more internal depth.
I'm also a big picture thinker. A very extreme example of one probably. I joke that this comes out in my ability to comprehend and solve large problems and understand the theory behind it (such as in math), but then for some reason I can't explain the details or really even grasp them individually sometimes. It's something I need to work on.
Big picture thinking is mostky Ne for me. But there's also Ni in it as well.

 

[Lauren Ashley]

IME it's not unusual for Ni types to be cognitively comfortable with Ne and vice versa. I've known tons of INTJ that scored high in Ne and my ENFJ brother displays Ne almost equal to Ni so that I initially thought he was ENFP. So I don't focus on the N as much as the judging functions. I'm in the camp that doesn't believe you can be INFJ without being Fe, so while Ne vs Ni is important, this should also be considered. I see a lot of famous people typed as INFJ based on their exhibiting what seems to be high Ni but more often they are Fi so likely ISFP or INFP, in that order.

The clearest case of an ENFP I know who fits the bill of a socially introverted 4 (not sure of wing but likely 5, and sx, these all her own typings) is one of my professors from college. We immediately connected and are still friends to this day because at base we are very similar, in fact she is probably more similar to me than some INFJs who are not 4s and not sx. The difference is in how, and how we appear, when extroverting. This comes down to a basic Ne vs Fe split, and I assume you're aware of these functions so I won't explain how it manifests but I can if you would like.

One of my best friends is an INFJ. She and I have a lot in common temperament wise--we come off as positive, cheerful, sweet, slightly absent-minded people. I suppose someone could mistaken her for being a quiet, introverted ENFP at first.

I have two modes, and when I'm in Fe mode, this is how I seem except not quiet. I can seem very bubbly and I play this up a lot more than necessary because I don't want people to judge me on how painfully absent-minded I am; it looks better on a sweet and happy person than a serious and analytical one (my other, main mode). A lottt of people who only ever see me in this mode believe I'm extroverted and I gave my ex a crash course on MBTI then asked him to guess my type and he said ENFP, so this is plausible.

 

[Bullseye]

INFJ and ENFP are said to be a good match because our functions mirror each other's. They say ENFPs are some of the most introverted Es, which was generally true in my experience with dating and friendships with ENFPs. I think the pairing makes for better friends than lovers, though. My ENFP GF was very much an extrovert at her core. My INFJ tendency was more of an extreme introvert who could morph into an extrovert for brief stints when necessary. Mostly, I played the part of an extrovert to woo E women, but they eventually wore me out. My wingmen/gals were always E types, but I'm much more grounded and comfortable with introverted partners.

 

[Lily Bart]

I've been pondering this for a while, though in reference to an ENTP of my acquaintance. There's a resistance to using any function other than perception -- introverted or extroverted is fine, but it must be perception. People who respond easily to use of the perceptive functions are comfortable to interact with, but if the choice is between situations where judging functions are called for (or who people who use them strongly) and reading a good book -- the book almost always wins out!