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Am I an ESFP?

junathan

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Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
79
I have friends who come to me and say I'm attention-seeking, dramatic, outgoing, and generally a very enthusiastic person. And true enough, I do see these traits in me especially when I'm around people that I know, I just love to be the one providing happiness to others and making sure others are happy because of me. I love singing too, specifically when I'm able to grab others' attention, in fact, I have thought about giving the theatrical play a try but I have no experience or whatsoever.

All in all,

It feels like to me that, I'm a performer, someone who wants to sing at the top of theirs lungs and act/ dance in front of others just so they can look at me. And ESFP seems like the type of personality that matches that description. However, I have doubts too, I do not see myself as a person who can dance and perform for the next few decades. I don't know.

But anyhow, please if anyone can help, I would love to hear your opinion before I make a firm confirmation on my personality type. Thank you! :D
 

Muladara

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2020
Messages
74
MBTI Type
FIRE
Enneagram
AIR

You could be, what you wrote does align with ESFP interests/desires, however any type can become a performer, it's better not to focus too much on descriptions since a lot of them are full of stereotypes and focus more on behavior/interests rather then on the motivation/reasons behind them which is more relevant to type since your type it's mostly about how how you perceive things and how you reason/make decisions.

Have you looked into the cognitive functions?

I have thought about giving the theatrical play a try but I have no experience or whatsoever.

This doesn't seem like something that would stop an Se dom, they usually throw themselves into the things the wanna do and figure things out as they go.

However, I have doubts too, I do not see myself as a person who can dance and perform for the next few decades.
This too makes me doubt Se dom.
Why do you think that is, I mean why do you doubt that you'll be performing in the next decades?
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
14,037
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
496
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I don't think ESFPs need to be performers. I would say though, that the motivation for attention from an ESFP has more to do with the sensory thrill and immersion than the social aspect. Your OP is brief and you could certainly be an ESFP, but this notion of attention can be motivated by more than Se.

I do think there are Se-doms who need to perform because they need that feeling of sensory immersion and excitement. Actually being on stage in front of a crowd is not necessarily a social experience, but there are bright lights, an intense energy, the sound of the masses, and something that can never be recreated in a video. I think the external judging functions, both Fe and Te, can feel a drive to perform because of its impact on reality, demonstrating where they fit into the structure of reality.

This sensory immersion need does not have to involve performing at all. I think the main aspect of Se is that simply reading about an activity, or conceptualizing it, even when a deep part of identity, is not the same as literally experiencing it. I know well the difference between Se and Si from people I've lived with. For example, I lived deep in the forest with a Si person, and it meant a lot to them to have the identity of being in the forest, but they never went outside. The idea of it was enough. How does that apply to whatever you enjoy doing? Do you need more intense literal sensory immersion than the average person, or does conceptualizing something you enjoy provide the same satisfaction?
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
14,037
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
496
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I would say that if the need for attention has to do with placing yourself in the context of reality - knowing how important you are socially, knowing the world values you, knowing that people are thinking of you, that you personally make an impact, then that could be Fe or even Te which evaluates external reality as a judging function.

Se is only about perceiving and not judging, so it is about how you need to take in reality, not impact it. So the question is: the focus on attention and performing, is it about the experience of taking in external reality (Se or Ne), or demonstrating control over it (Fe or Te)?
 

junathan

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
79
First of all, thank you for taking your time to reply, I wasn't expecting a reply honestly haha, but anyhow to answer your question,

This too makes me doubt Se dom.
Why do you think that is, I mean why do you doubt that you'll be performing in the next decades?
Because it is not something that I'm very familiar with, hence, I do not think that I will have the ability to turn it into a full-time career.

I think I'm only confident because my friends and my family members are telling me so. They always suggest I take a look into career choices that involve singing, dancing, or any sort of job that requires acting. That is why I have thoughts about giving theatre plays a chance but in the end, it always ended up into something else.

As of now, I am pursuing Teaching as the ultimate career choice here.
 

junathan

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
79
I would say that if the need for attention has to do with placing yourself in the context of reality - knowing how important you are socially, knowing the world values you, knowing that people are thinking of you, that you personally make an impact, then that could be Fe or even Te which evaluates external reality as a judging function.
That's interesting. Hmm... I do feel the need to be recognized and valued by the people around me. I think a lot of it comes from my desire in wanting to contribute in others' life in anyways possible. This is especially strong if you are really close to me.

Se is only about perceiving and not judging, so it is about how you need to take in reality, not impact it. So the question is: the focus on attention and performing, is it about the experience of taking in external reality (Se or Ne), or demonstrating control over it (Fe or Te)?
Sorry, do you mind elaborating on the Fe or Te part a bit more? Need some examples here haha.
 

Muladara

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2020
Messages
74
MBTI Type
FIRE
Enneagram
AIR
First of all, thank you for taking your time to reply, I wasn't expecting a reply honestly haha, but anyhow to answer your question,
No problem. :)
Because it is not something that I'm very familiar with, hence, I do not think that I will have the ability to turn it into a full-time career.
This again makes me skeptical about Se dom, since Se has a: just do it attitude about it, they learn about things by directly experiencing them, not having a previous experience of something would only propel them towards that thing if that is what they're interested in.
With Se there is no need to compare and contrast with pervious experience like with Si. Familiarity is crucial for Si, not Se.
They act before they think and only later do they draw conclusions for their experience, which is why the would rarely doubt their ability to do something.

I think I'm only confident because my friends and my family members are telling me so. They always suggest I take a look into career choices that involve singing, dancing, or any sort of job that requires acting. That is why I have thoughts about giving theatre plays a chance but in the end, it always ended up into something else.
As of now, I am pursuing Teaching as the ultimate career choice here.
Plot twist. lol
Why did you choose to pursue teaching?
 

Muladara

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2020
Messages
74
MBTI Type
FIRE
Enneagram
AIR
That's interesting. Hmm... I do feel the need to be recognized and valued by the people around me. I think a lot of it comes from my desire in wanting to contribute in others' life in anyways possible. This is especially strong if you are really close to me.
In what way specifically do you try to contribute to other people's lives?
 

junathan

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
79
Plot twist. lol
Why did you choose to pursue teaching?
Well... Haha long story short,

The community I'm in, advised me to do so. They saw potential in me and they felt like that was the right path to take on if I want to live a fulfilling life. I took the advice, and decided to give it a try. And fortunately, I'm not regretting a single bit of it. :)

In what way specifically do you try to contribute to other people's lives?
Be there when they need me to, find time to hang out, organise meet up session together, try my best to be a good listener, etc

It does sound cliché haha, but it is what it is I guess.
 

junathan

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
79
Oh and I'm not sure if this is going to help,

But part of me feel like my life is dominated by my Si.

Examples:
  1. Looking back at old conversations and reminiscing the good old days with friends. Sometimes I do it to find comfort too, but I have no idea why haha.
  2. Do things based on what I've learnt previously, and am pretty stuck on it. If you were to ask me to create/invent something new, it will definitely be in the range of something I have seen/ touched before.
  3. I will always, I mean always, talk in details. It means that if I'm going to tell you something, I will make sure you know the story from head to toe.
Anyhow, with the examples above, does it really explain the Si in me?
 

Muladara

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2020
Messages
74
MBTI Type
FIRE
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AIR
Well... Haha long story short,

The community I'm in, advised me to do so. They saw potential in me and they felt like that was the right path to take on if I want to live a fulfilling life. I took the advice, and decided to give it a try. And fortunately, I'm not regretting a single bit of it. :)


Be there when they need me to, find time to hang out, organise meet up session together, try my best to be a good listener, etc

It does sound cliché haha, but it is what it is I guess.
You've managed to find something to do that both you and your community value.
Sounds like a win/win to me.
 

Muladara

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2020
Messages
74
MBTI Type
FIRE
Enneagram
AIR
Oh and I'm not sure if this is going to help,

But part of me feel like my life is dominated by my Si.

Examples:
  1. Looking back at old conversations and reminiscing the good old days with friends. Sometimes I do it to find comfort too, but I have no idea why haha.
  2. Do things based on what I've learnt previously, and am pretty stuck on it. If you were to ask me to create/invent something new, it will definitely be in the range of something I have seen/ touched before.
  3. I will always, I mean always, talk in details. It means that if I'm going to tell you something, I will make sure you know the story from head to toe.
Anyhow, with the examples above, does it really explain the Si in me?
I think those are good examples of Si in action.
From what you wrote I have almost no doubt that you're a feeler and you seem Fe. (you're focused on helping others/seem to neglect your personal desires in favor of the group/your sense of identity is very dependent on it)
So my guess would be ESFJ or ISFJ.
 

Muladara

Member
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Nov 26, 2020
Messages
74
MBTI Type
FIRE
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Oooh

Sorry do you mind elaborate a bit more on why I'm most likely an ESFJ/ ISFJ rather than an ESFP?
Sure, keep in mind this is just my impression, there's always the possibility that I'm wrong, with that in mind, to elaborate on my reasoning as you've asked me to do:
From what you've wrote so far I don't see Se and Fi, I can see Fe, Si, Ne and I think even hints of Ti.
I've already mentioned some of the things that make think Fe and Si over Fi and Se, gave you arguments against them, here are some arguments for the functions I think you're using:

Fe:
You seem to rely more on how others view you vs your own perspective on yourself to describe yourself as a person/describe your character traits.
Your primary focus seems to be on group values and making other people close to you happy, when you talk about your interests they seemed filtered
through they group's perspective in the sense that you're aware of how they impact them primarily.
You're aware of how you fit in your group, the role you play and your contribution, not that Fi users can't be aware of these things, but their primary focus is elsewhere. (most importantly on whatever being and staying true to themselves means to them often times even going against what the group wants from them)

Si:
You've mentioned yourself that you believe that your life seems to be dominated by Si. (this is why I considered ISFJ, but come to think of it the auxiliary function is easier to see in yourself than your dominant function, so I'm leaning more towards ESFJ)
Also, I already mentioned the examples you give about Si were a good representation of Si in action as they indicate you rely on past experiences to guide you in your decision making and you're are very detail oriented.

Ne:
You did pull off a plot twist with your teaching job :laugh: also your openness to being another type instead of the one you think you are currently can also be
interpreted as use of Ne. (the reasons behind your decision about also once more seem indicative again of Fe too.)

Ti:
I get the impression that you're looking for input about your type by asking questions about my reasoning to see if the logic behind it fits your understanding/if it makes sense to you and make your own conclusions based on that.
 

junathan

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
79
I apologize for the late reply,

Fe:
You seem to rely more on how others view you vs your own perspective on yourself to describe yourself as a person/describe your character traits.
Your primary focus seems to be on group values and making other people close to you happy, when you talk about your interests they seemed filtered
through they group's perspective in the sense that you're aware of how they impact them primarily.
You're aware of how you fit in your group, the role you play and your contribution, not that Fi users can't be aware of these things, but their primary focus is elsewhere. (most importantly on whatever being and staying true to themselves means to them often times even going against what the group wants from them)
I see... But is it possible that, one decided to stay or not go against what the group wants, not because they want to but is because of fear, hence can be labelled as Fi instead?

Fear in the sense of, fear of being ashamed, fear of losing the group, fear of being looked down, etc.

Ne:
You did pull off a plot twist with your teaching job :laugh: also your openness to being another type instead of the one you think you are currently can also be
interpreted as use of Ne. (the reasons behind your decision about also once more seem indicative again of Fe too.)
Hahaha that's interesting :D

Ti:
I get the impression that you're looking for input about your type by asking questions about my reasoning to see if the logic behind it fits your understanding/if it makes sense to you and make your own conclusions based on that.
Eyyy this is so true, I didn't even realize it myself 😂
 

Muladara

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2020
Messages
74
MBTI Type
FIRE
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AIR
I apologize for the late reply,


I see... But is it possible that, one decided to stay or not go against what the group wants, not because they want to but is because of fear, hence can be labelled as Fi instead?

Fear in the sense of, fear of being ashamed, fear of losing the group, fear of being looked down, etc.
Hmm. Sacrificing your own desires/needs for the group still seems Fe to me, it could also be SO instinct. (the particular fears you've mentioned are related to the SO instinct) Do you know your enneagram type and instinctual variants?
 

junathan

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Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
79
Hmm. Sacrificing your own desires/needs for the group still seems Fe to me, it could also be SO instinct. (the particular fears you've mentioned are related to the SO instinct)
In that case, how would a Fi behave in a group or community tho? Any more specific examples?

Do you know your enneagram type and instinctual variants?
No :(

You see, I'm pretty new to these personality stuff and can be considered as amateur. Hence yea, not very familiar with enneagram or instinctual values, etc.
 

Muladara

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2020
Messages
74
MBTI Type
FIRE
Enneagram
AIR
In that case, how would a Fi behave in a group or community tho? Any more specific examples?
It depends on the placement of Fi in the functional stack, it's important if it's you dominant, auxiliary, tertiary or inferior function and how well developed it is for the individual in question. It's a bit hard to get specific with Fi since it's very subjective, however within groups Fi users in general when there is a conflict of values between some value/s of theirs and the group will stand up for their value/s regardless of the group opinion, since for them being true to themselves and what they believe in it's more important than maintaining a harmony within the group. Fe users can have differing opinions from the group but they'll try to find a common ground, Fi users are gonna be far more stubborn and argumentative since they value authenticity and individualism over harmony.
No :(

You see, I'm pretty new to these personality stuff and can be considered as amateur. Hence yea, not very familiar with enneagram or instinctual values, etc.
A newbie. :wink:
It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you’ll figure it out.
What got you into typology? Why is it important to you to know your MBTI type?
The enneagram is a separate typology system but people combine the two (MBTI and enneagram) often to get a clearer perspective on who they are.
Another reason is because knowing your enneagram type can help you narrow down your MBTI since there is a correlation: certain enneagram types are a match/most common for certain MBTI types, this might not be the case for you though since ESFPs and ESFJs seem to have the same enneagram types as most common, so it might not be very helpful.
Not to confuse you with more information, IMO the best way to go about figuring out your type is to focus on the functions and it's also extremely helpful if you know some people who are accurately typed as the type you suspect you are and you talk to them about how they view the world/make decisions/what they want out of life etc. to see who much you relate to them.
 

junathan

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
79
A newbie. :wink:
It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you’ll figure it out.
What got you into typology? Why is it important to you to know your MBTI type?
One of my friend introduced me to it haha. He was predicting my personality and told me that I could be an ESFP.

But he wasn't sure so he told me to make a topic and see if anyone can provide me the help in recognising my type personality type haha.

The enneagram is a separate typology system but people combine the two (MBTI and enneagram) often to get a clearer perspective on who they are.
Another reason is because knowing your enneagram type can help you narrow down your MBTI since there is a correlation: certain enneagram types are a match/most common for certain MBTI types, this might not be the case for you though since ESFPs and ESFJs seem to have the same enneagram types as most common, so it might not be very helpful.
Ooooh

Do you know where can I get a free test of it? :)

Not to confuse you with more information, IMO the best way to go about figuring out your type is to focus on the functions and it's also extremely helpful if you know some people who are accurately typed as the type you suspect you are and you talk to them about how they view the world/make decisions/what they want out of life etc. to see who much you relate to them.
Right... I have that friend which I have mentioned above, but I don't think he is any how an expert. He is interested in this field but much on a surface level only.
 
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