I think I'm either ESFJ or ENFP. What are some differences between the two?

[Orangey]

Okay so are you one of those people who think I'm an ESFP? Just curious.

Yes. But I thought you were ESFP since before I discovered the Filatova drawings. You remind me of my ESFP sister.

 

[Mal12345]

Does this description fit you?
Interesting facts about the ISFP:
http://www.personalitydesk.com/isfp
On personality trait measures, score as Easygoing
Among types most likely to report heart disease and hypertension
In college, likely to report low levels of assertiveness
In essays, projected themselves the fewest number of years into the future of all the types
Among the types least likely to stay in college
Most likely of all types to report stress associated with finances and children
In a national sample, likely to value a work environment which provides security, clear and simple instructions, and no expectation of extra work hours
Underrepresented among MBA students and small business owners
Commonly found in occupations in health care, business, and law enforcement

 

[Thalassa]

Yes. But I thought you were ESFP since before I discovered the Filatova drawings. You remind me of my ESFP sister.

Okay, that's cool. You wouldn't be the only one.

I relate the xSFP need for freedom and way of taking independent, pragmatic action. I also have the lively story-teller quality, and some aspects of ESFP and ENFP overlap. I'm also a nature lover - which is strongly associated with ISFPs I think - and I began performing at a very young age.

On the other hand, I've always been extremely bookish - but then again, so was Zelda Fitzgerald, a very talented writer with a large (and witty) spoken vocabulary, and I believe her to be an ESFP.

The ENFP/ESFP overlap qualities are the shorter attention span with anything that seems "boring" or too much like work, the tendency to "jump around" in conversation, and the need to travel/experience new things/"oooh shiny."

The reason why I don't think Se dom was a good match, though, is because many ESFP descriptions say they can't stand to be alone, and that's just not necessarily true in my case, and I also don't think I have their skill in being sharply alert to the external environment. That's why I considered ISFP more seriously, because it put Se in the aux position, and Ni in the tert position, and tert Ni might explain my love of metaphor and things like that in literature.

On Personality Nation some people argued in a thread about me between SFP and NFP, but two people with pretty extensive knowledge of function theory said I seem to value Ne/Si over Se/Ni.

 

[ISFPeaceOut]

Does this description fit you?
Interesting facts about the ISFP:
http://www.personalitydesk.com/isfp
On personality trait measures, score as Easygoing I think I'm easygoing.
Among types most likely to report heart disease and hypertension
In college, likely to report low levels of assertiveness Yeah
In essays, projected themselves the fewest number of years into the future of all the types Not sure
Among the types least likely to stay in college I don't relate to this. College has been kind of annoying for me, but I never considered quitting.
Most likely of all types to report stress associated with finances and children. I'm still in college and don't have kids, so I don't know.
In a national sample, likely to value a work environment which provides security, clear and simple instructions, and no expectation of extra work hours I guess
Underrepresented among MBA students and small business owners Yeah, I have no interest in business at all.
Commonly found in occupations in health care, business, and law enforcement

Sorry for the vague answers (the bolded part).

Lets see if I can give any info that might be helpful so you guys can help me.

I'm kind of shy and I always have been. Sometimes I don't mind approaching people if I have a question or something to say but sometimes I can be really nervous about it. I get the most nervous when I realize that people are actually paying attention to what I'm saying.

Um, I think I want to be a teacher, although I don't know if I can handle it. If I can't, I don't know what else I'd do with my life. Sometimes I think that I'm going to end up doing some kind of clerical/secretary type job because it may be the only thing I can handle, but this thought also is very depressing to me. I kind of have a fear of responsibility even though I would like to do something "big" with my lfie. I'm afraid that someone will trust me with the responsibility to do something and that I will fail or mess it up. Because of this I tend to do things that are probably beneath my actual capabilities. Again, its kind of depressing that I do that to myself.

I spend most of my free time on the computer listening to music, playing video games, or going various places with my close friends and family. I just got a job so starting tomorrow, I'll be spending my time there as well. I do spend quite a bit of time contemplating things, although I wouldn't necessarily call it deep thought. Sometimes, I literally just have songs running through my head over and over again and think about how awesome it sounds. Other times, I'm daydreaming about accepting my academy award or performing at the grammys (<--that sounds a lot lamer thant i thought now that i've actually typed it out. lol). Sometimes it surprises me when people have such deep, passionate opinions about certain topics because it seems like it must take a lot of information and contemplation to come up with such a passionate opinion. I tend to forget that a lot of people just spew a bunch of b.s. and don't really know what they're talking about. So I spend a lot of time in my head, but not in deep thought as much

I don't know what else to say, but incase I just made myself sound like a complete idiot with all the stuff I wrote above, I guess I could say that I've always been a straight A student and in gifted classes. I really like school, although unlike just about ever other person I've met, I like middle school and high school more than I like college. I still get really good grades in college but I don't like the atomsphere. I just like to learn without worrying about careers.

If you have any questions just let me know. :hi:

 

[Mal12345]

Other times, I'm daydreaming about accepting my academy award or performing at the grammys (<--that sounds a lot lamer thant i thought now that i've actually typed it out. lol).

That is actually quite useful information because I've read questions referring to things like that on personality tests. Daydreaming about winning an award someday etc. is a helpful typological trait to know about. I'm grateful you didn't delete it.

Different types engage in daydreams like that, and while they all do it for an escape, some types are more interested in the intensity of emotion gotten out of the experience than others. For some types it is just a way of spacing-out. The content of the daydream makes a difference too, of course. Some daydream about poetry and philosophy, others have daydreams like yours that are more focused on a fantasies about real things, such as an S would have.

"I just like to learn without worrying about careers." Absorbing concrete knowledge is an S trait. Not being particularly goal-oriented is a P trait. But the daydream part of your comment really points toward the ISFP, for me. Not because I want to confirm my previous hypothesis, but because it just fits your descriptions.

 

[ISFPeaceOut]

Yeah, things seem to be pointing back to ISFP.

 

[Mal12345]

My first instinct worked for my self-typing. The MBTI wasn't very difficult. But with the Enneagram I started out thinking I was the 5, then I went with 4 for about a month. After that wore off I went back to 5 again.

Then again, I may have been a type 4 during that one month out of my entire life. It was a period of very rapid personal integration.

 

[Elfboy]

I haven't read the thread, but based on the title alone, probably ESFJ. I cannot see any ENFP mistyping as an SJ

 

[Elfboy]

But you're extroverted enough to be ENFP?

I doubt that the folks who recommended ESFP to you were going off of these. I've not encountered many folks on this site who are familiar with these, and the few who were did not seem very into them.

I'm not questioning your type, though. You know yourself best.

most ESFPs that I know are like twice as extraverted as ENFPs(at least when they're younger. E/I tends to stabilize a lot with age). ENFPs are theoretical and reflective

 

[Oaky]

I haven't read the thread, but based on the title alone, probably ESFJ. I cannot see any ENFP mistyping as an SJ

Actually it's very very possible. ENFPs may very much be confused for ESTJ, especially those who have a stronger Te developed. There was a case in which an ENFP was almost smack bang between the ENFP/ESTJ descriptions it took quite the endless effort to try and pin down a type for her and she'd still be slightly confused by it. Though, in my thoughts it's far more liable for an SJ to be able to more quickly pin down a type for themselves in difference to an NFP so your argument kind of cancels out there.

 

[skylights]

fwiw i think you seem pretty ISFP. ISPs tend to be the most extraverted introverts, but you've expressed that Se probably isn't your dominant. i have a lot of trouble seeing you as an ESFJ given a significant mention of feeling hesitant around people and responsibility. even EFJs who deviate from average tend to be pretty secure in those areas. also, the way you talk in regards to F is more like an INFP does... it's less the warm squishy Fi of an EFP and more the subtle in-depth reasoning process of an IFP. your daydreaming and song-attention sounds like little Se manifestations as well. tertiary Ni could explain why you feel drawn to ENFP, while dom F /S aux could explain why you feel drawn to ESFJ.

 

[Elfboy]

fwiw i think you seem pretty ISFP. ISPs tend to be the most extraverted introverts, but you've expressed that Se probably isn't your dominant. i have a lot of trouble seeing you as an ESFJ given a significant mention of feeling hesitant around people and responsibility. even EFJs who deviate from average tend to be pretty secure in those areas. also, the way you talk in regards to F is more like an INFP does... it's less the warm squishy Fi of an EFP and more the subtle in-depth reasoning process of an IFP. your daydreaming and song-attention sounds like little Se manifestations as well. tertiary Ni could explain why you feel drawn to ENFP, while dom F /S aux could explain why you feel drawn to ESFJ.

day dreaming is Se?

 

[ISFPeaceOut]

day dreaming is Se?

maybe you should read the thread before you just jump in an start commenting on stuff.

one of the guys above mentioned that sensors probably daydream about concrete things (maybe spawned by Se) as opposed to intuitors who might daydream about more conceptual things.

 

[Elfboy]

maybe you should read the thread before you just jump in an start commenting on stuff.

one of the guys above mentioned that sensors probably daydream about concrete things (maybe spawned by Se) as opposed to intuitors who might daydream about more conceptual things.

i was simply asking for clarification because I felt I had missed something, which proved to be the case. maybe you should take some time to consider people's motives before you comment

 

[Orangey]

most ESFPs are like twice as extraverted as ENFPs(at least when they're younger. E/I tends to stabilize a lot with age). ENFPs are theoretical and reflective

Wrong.

 

[King sns]

I haven't read the thread, but based on the title alone, probably ESFJ. I cannot see any ENFP mistyping as an SJ

Really? I thought the opposite, because NFP's seem most likely to mistype themselves with the Ne wondering about all the things that they could be.

 

[Elfboy]

Wrong.

apologies

most ESFPs are like twice as extraverted as ENFPsthat I know(at least when they're younger. E/I tends to stabilize a lot with age). ENFPs are theoretical and reflective

is what I meant to say (goes to edit post).
that being said, I think your average ESFP is going to be more extroverted that your average ENFP
PS: you seem more STJ than STP to me

 

[skylights]

day dreaming is Se?

Sometimes, I literally just have songs running through my head over and over again and think about how awesome it sounds. Other times, I'm daydreaming about accepting my academy award or performing at the grammys

this kind of daydreaming sounds very Se-related to me

i do echo elfboy that the ESFPs i know tend to be more outwardly extraverted and social than the ENFPs i know. maybe not doubly so, but it's enough such that i've noticed.

 

[Elfboy]

this kind of daydreaming sounds very Se-related to me

i do echo elfboy that the ESFPs i know tend to be more outwardly extraverted and social than the ENFPs i know. maybe not doubly so, but it's enough such that i've noticed.

if that's the case, I'm going to have to reconsider ISFP (it's doubtful as most of my behaviors are extremely Ne to a fault, but it sounds like some of them are more sensory)

 

[Elfboy]

if that's the case, I'm going to have to reconsider ISFP (it's doubtful as most of my behaviors are extremely Ne to a fault, but it sounds like some of them are more sensory)

nope, too many blatant differences (detail oriented, physically coordinated, impatient with theory etc) but for the sake of the original poster, it may be a good idea to go into some of the similarities/differences of ENFPs and ISFPs

shared:
- usually ambiverted
- drawn to things that are aesthetically pleasing
- artistic/musical
- strong convictions
- adventurous
- reflective
- day dream prone
- zone out prone
- often wonderful with small children and animals
- likely to be 7s and 4s
- frequently looking for possibilities
- need lots of personal space
- impulsive
- naturally independent
- dislike controlling others or being controlled (this probably applies to most types though)
- excitement seeking

ENFP
- loves to talk
- theoritical
- Ne
- horrible with details
- verbally quick
- verbally graceful
- more intellectual

ISFP
- less talkative unless they know you well
- action oriented
- Se
- great with details
- physically quick
- kisynthetically graceful
- more instinctual

they seem to have much more in common than different.
PS: feel free to add to the list if you found this helpful