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[ENFP] Is it possible to be an Introvert who is an ENFP?

Elfboy

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I believe I am ENFP, but only because I think my strongest function is Extraverted Intuition. my scores in each of the functions are:
Ne and Fi: 30/30
Ni: 23/30
Ti: 22/30
Fe:15/30
Se: 11/30
Te: 9/30
Si: 8/30

some Introverted Qualities about me are:
1) need a lot of time to be by myself
2) tend to "shut down" under stress
3) my Enneagram type is 4w5 both of these types are introverted
4) when I was a little kid I was very quite and docile
5) prefer to talk to people 1 on 1
6) horrible social skills naturally, I had to work SO hard on them
7) extremely deep
8) dislike small talk
9) when I was a little kid, I was like Bastian Bux from the Neverending Story or The Little Prince (both pretty much archtypical INFP children)
10) growing up, most of my friends were girls because I enjoyed having tea parties, playing with animals, and playing dress up to playing sports. I did have a few male friends and I was adventurous and liked wrestling, even if I was too gentle to be any good at it
11) I have had well developed values since age 8 (and probably earlier)
12) I am not sensitive now, but I was when I was younger (if an animal died, I would cry for hours)
13) although my intuition is stronger now, I believe my feeling was stronger as a child

however, I have a number of qualities that I just don't see an INFP having
1) extremely assertive
2) extremely outspoken
3) kinda sensitive, but not really
4) I talk a lot
5) I am not conflict avoidant and sometimes find it amuzing (although I'm not aggressive at all)
6) rational
7) most people are offended by me and I really don't care =P
8) I have a powerful voice and I have trouble speaking softly (although this is mostly because I am a classical singer and I have a VERY big voice naturally)
9) an ENFP with low extraversion seems more likely than an INFP with low introversion
10) many of the introverted traits I mentioned overlap with intuition
11) I am a good leader and terrible at following orders (this might be because I am an entrepreneur)
12) my introverted sensing is horrible
13) I get things instantly that many people take years to understand

so I guess what I'm asking is; is it possible to have the cognitive function order of an ENFP, but to be an introvert, and if so; am I an ENFP introvert, ENFP extravert, an XNFP (if this is possible) or an INFP?
 

Thalassa

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Oh boy. You're like me.

Except I cry more and have developed introverted sensing.
 

animenagai

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How is being deep an I > E thing? :/

ENFP's are the 'introverted extrovert'. Welcome to the club.
 

Chloe

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since when introverts cant be leaders?? its well known tha theres advantage for CEOs to be Introverts because they can focus better on leading, arent distracted so much, dont overly communicate with their employes
the same with being assertive. if its very imp to an infp she/he will be outspoken - just look at ivana orleanska
most things on your not-infp list dont really sound related to i/e.
 

Moiety

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Your Ne and Fi are just of similar strength. That's how I am too. A introvert is someone whose strongest function is introverted...since you're Fi and Ne are equal (that's what I get too in tests)...you can see how the definition is a bit too vague to be practical sometimes.
 

Eckhart

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Those function tests imho are interpreted wrong. Just because you have a higher score in Ne than in Fi doesn't mean that Ne is your first and Fi your second function. It just means that you could relate to more of the questions in a certain way. It does not tell really how often you use your functions in your real life, even if the tests would be really perfectly formulated, which they aren't I guess.

Lets say you relate to more things which are in the test an indicator of Function Ne than those things which indicate Fi. Lets say you relate to Ne1, Ne2, Ne3 and only to Fi1 and Fi2. Now that doesn't say how much you use those described behaviours in your life (or better, how you would prefer to behave). Ne1+2+3 combined for example could just play a rather small role in your actual life than Fi1+2. Simple said you could spend 3 hours per day using Ne1+2+3 and 4 hours using Fi1+2. Then you would use Fi more often than Ne although you could relate to more aspects in the test which describe Ne rather than Fi, and so you got a higher score in Ne than in Fi although you actually behave more often in a Fi way than in a Ne way.

Maybe I am talking just nonsense so those who here have way more experience with MBTI than me could just point out that I am being stupid now, but that's how I understand it.
 

sleepy

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The shadow of the enfp will be the istj. So yes, that is most certainly possible. But as it is your internal demon, you would probably want to be careful giving out to much on the leash.
 

Arclight

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ENFP's are the 'introverted extrovert'. Welcome to the club.

Can you provide some sort of link backing this up?
I would appreciate it since my readings and knowledge have told me something different.
Misinformation is a huge pet peeve of mine and I would hate to think I am carrying around misinformation in my head.
Thanks.
 

animenagai

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Can you provide some sort of link backing this up?
I would appreciate it since my readings and knowledge have told me something different.
Misinformation is a huge pet peeve of mine and I would hate to think I am carrying around misinformation in my head.
Thanks.

Ugh references? Not sure If I can dig one up right now to be perfectly honest. This is based more on the discussions we've had on typeC than Internet type descriptions. What I can tell you is that ENFP's aren't quite as extroverted as say the ENFJ, and its expression differs from person to person. Some ENFP's are at every party but don't say too much. When they do though, they always seem to catch people off guard and laugh. Others, like me, are extremely talkative but need a lot of time by myself to reflect and recharge. lol I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted, I'm sure other ENFP's know what I'm talking about.
 

Arclight

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Ugh references? Not sure If I can dig one up right now to be perfectly honest. This is based more on the discussions we've had on typeC than Internet type descriptions. What I can tell you is that ENFP's aren't quite as extroverted as say the ENFJ, and its expression differs from person to person. Some ENFP's are at every party but don't say too much. When they do though, they always seem to catch people off guard and laugh. Others, like me, are extremely talkative but need a lot of time by myself to reflect and recharge. lol I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted, I'm sure other ENFP's know what I'm talking about.

The reason I mentioned this.. is because I never seen ENFPs described as having introverted tendencies.
ENFJs however.

"While their empathy is often an asset, engaging with others can also become overwhelming for the ENFJ. More than other Extroverted types, they need time alone, away from the demands of serving and caring for others."
source:http://www.personalitydesk.com/type-profile/enfj-teacher
 

Chloe

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profilw on personality-something page says "unlike all other extraverts enfps need time alone":/
 

Savage Idealist

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To answer the OP, it certainly is possible to posses both introvert and extrovert traits (we all do), and it is quite possible that you're simply a shy extrovert. One factor to consider is where do you draw energy from, the external environment, or the contents of your inner mental solitude? Former is usually E, latter is usually I, although its also possible to draw energy from both, but which one do you prefer more? Also in terms of the functions consider which one you use more, the one centered on contemplating and then sharing ideas and theories with people about the world, or you own persoanl inner sense of right and wrong/personal values independent of the external world?

Also don't include shyness as an introverted trait; I for example recently discovered I'm an E, but in public I'm painfully shy. Around those who I don't know or don't know very well I become nervous and reluctant to speak with them, even though I want to. But at the dinner table with my family, I never shut the hell up. I'm constantly going off on some wildly silly topic about some current event or philosophical mumbo-jumbo, and I love it, it feels so energizing.
 

skylights

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ENFP's are the 'introverted extrovert'. Welcome to the club.

:yes:

Can you provide some sort of link backing this up?
I would appreciate it since my readings and knowledge have told me something different.
Misinformation is a huge pet peeve of mine and I would hate to think I am carrying around misinformation in my head.
Thanks.

i think it manifests a bit differently for us than for ENFJs. i know some ENFJs who definitely need long bouts of alone time - kind of an on/off thing - but ENFPs are usually more withdrawn overall, from readings on the forum and in my experience (IRL me ENFP, best friend in high school ENFP, best friend currently ENFJ, another close friend ENFJ). from what i've observed, we don't tend to initiate as much, and we're less confident in around people in general. theoretically i'm inclined to think that Ne extraversion and Fe extraversion are very different because Fe is a more people-oriented, active extraversion, while Ne is more idea oriented and passive - it likes action but doesn't necessarily create it. even ENTPs have tert Fe, which makes them a little more sociable, but our tert is Te, which means we can go gung-ho to make things more efficient but won't necessarily even involve others. ENFPs also open up more information about ourselves, i think, which could make us seem more extraverted than we actually feel.
 

Elfboy

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I am certainly not shy and haven't been since like 7th grade. I do feel rather agitated that I have to be so restrained around most people tho. for instance
1) I am naturally silly and have a reliable sense of of humor that I can call upon at just about any moment of the day, but people disrespected me for it
2) I'm tender and innocent, but people used to always prey on me for it
as a result, I made a decision to get hella strong and hella confident and learned how to speak as authoritatively as possible (this combined with having a deep voice and being a classically trained singer make me sound much older than I actually am). people didn't disrespect me after that, but I realized at that point that most people prey on those who are weaker than them and that they perceive many of my nature tendencies as weak. from that point on, I promised myself that I would protect those around me who were weaker than me and show them kindness and compassion. sorry, introverted feeling tangent ^v^

thus, I don't know if this is an ENFP thing, and INFP thing or just an NF thing in general. I have read that Joan of Arc was an INFP and she is my hero.

I feel like Ne and Fi basically have the same mentality and outlook on life until push comes to shove

situation: bully picking on a kid at school
Ne: hey man, isn't their a better way to deal with this? (while trying to make sure an exit strategy is available)
Fi: SINNERS BE JUDGED!!!

situation: you decide to confront the bully and he and his friends gang up on you
Ne: oh snap! self preservation comes first! I'm bookin' it!
Fi: No matter what severe pain you inflict upon me I WILL WIN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE!"

situation: you've just beaten all the bullies and now the helpless kid is on the ground in pain
Ne: come on bro, let's get you to the nurse (and probably makes a joke to lighten the mood)
Fi: (switching back to gentle, warm & fuzzy and sweet mode) it's okay now buddy (gives the guy a hug and leans him up against a locker, after this, he probably talks to him for awhile and makes him feel better, at some point hugging the kid again if he starts crying)

now, these are pretty exaggerated scenarios, but I definitely feel like my reaction would be a lot more Fi-ish than Ne-ish in these instances. (although perhaps ENFPs would respond the same way) this makes me think INFP because I was 5 years old and I always wanted to be the hero who defended the weak and dealt swift justice to evil or the prince who slayed the dragon and conquered the land. Ne however I feel like developed around age 13 (Ne really hit me all at once. I all of a sudden started getting like 20 deep insights about the world a day and it almost scared me at first. this lasted for about 2 years until they started to slow down more and I got used to them, although they still happen all the time).
 

skylights

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^ lol i like your examples! :yes:

one other thing to point out is the Hero/Supportive Parent roles that will switch between I/E NFP - the Hero rushes into the action but the Parent makes sure we take care of both others and ourselves. so for ENFP Ne might get me into/out of a crisis, but Fi is gonna push to take care of people too. and for an INFP Ne as Parent will probably help someone see a way out to take care of themself by letting them escape, and it will probably conjure different ways of being for others, as a way of taking care of them.

for me, Ne is the "why" function, and Fi is the "aw/grr" function

situation: bully picking on a kid at school
Ne: this is interesting; why these two people in particular? why is this kid bullying? why is that kid being bullied?
Fi: poor thing!!! and what an asshole
--> hey can't you see that you're hurting that kid? what's so special about you that you think you ought to hurt other people like that?

situation: you decide to confront the bully and he and his friends gang up on you
Ne: i know they're not being mean for no reason. this means a lot of things, including that they also are hurting somewhere, and also, practically, that they have weaknesses i can exploit
Fi: well, bullying's not nice regardless, and their hurts are not gonna heal until we get them out in the open and they stop trying to hide them and compensate. oh btw, for ganging up on me, you're a bunch of terrorizing fascists AND YOU ARE GOING DOWN
--> now let me make stabs at why each of you are hurting inside so badly that you need to pick on some poor kid

situation: you've just beaten all the bullies and now the helpless kid is on the ground in pain
Ne: fuck yeah i win wooooo!!! suggest counseling for bullies; walk kid to nurse while giving kid pep talk.
Fi: me "winning" should mean we all win, because what i really want is healing and happiness for everyone

i think Fi comes to light more in my actions but Ne is really the one pushing forward the whole time, because it wants to know more and more. Fi is the one that resolves. i also feel like i leaned more Fi as a child - my Fi and Ne weren't as well integrated. as i've gotten older they work together more, and i let Ne take the lead in crises, too.
 

Aleksei

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is it possible to have the cognitive function order of an ENFP, but to be an introvert, and if so; am I an ENFP introvert, ENFP extravert, an XNFP (if this is possible) or an INFP?
You're ENFP, and you don't really need to struggle over your introversion. Most ENFPs are like that.
 

Thalassa

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Yeah I'm thinking of my IRL ENFP friend who used to be my roommate, and we both had this way of expressing introversion - she would go in her room and hide for days and read - and I just would take walks alone, go for drives alone, sleep a lot, and be like "I hate people."

She seemed to handle random people MUCH better, like could be nice to irritating people, was good with sales at a job...but when we were younger I actually seemed to be more adept socially, like in terms of social circles and introducing her to guys and keeping track of my social life (and dragging her into it) and things like that.

So we both showed introversion/extroversion mix, but in different ways. I think I showed Te at a younger age, too (prolly cuz of ISTJ AND EStJ influence in childhood ) and was more bossy and controlling, but she's definitely developed Te now that she's older (and is married to an ISTJ ha...she's actually become quite structured and orderly, it's funny).

But, overall, she and I are very similar in the way our minds work. Both read a lot. Both think about similar topics. We used to have the best conversations and was one of easiest-to-get-along-with roommates I've had. We're both a bit theatrical, too. Ha.
 

Thalassa

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The reason I mentioned this.. is because I never seen ENFPs described as having introverted tendencies.
ENFJs however.

"While their empathy is often an asset, engaging with others can also become overwhelming for the ENFJ. More than other Extroverted types, they need time alone, away from the demands of serving and caring for others."
source:http://www.personalitydesk.com/type-profile/enfj-teacher

Ne dominant types are "introverted extroverts" because our extroversion isn't quite as "people focused" like ENFJ or "task focused" like ENTJ. We are iNtuition dominant, so we can look very much like introverts.
 
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