[ENFP] ENFP: Lack of Fear of Germs?

[proteanmix]

I've seen some of my coworkers use the bathroom and then walk straight out. I've also seen people put their babies on the pissy bathroom floor to change their diapers. I really dislike when people give me food straight from their hands because I don't know where they've been.

Please don't tell me these things are cute ENFP quirks. The use of antiseptics is a major deterrent in the spreading of communicable disease. This could all come tumbling down because an ENFP really wants that oreo that rolled across the floor.

@ Vortex: /about the spider!

 

[JivinJeffJones]

No, I wasn't talking to you. I mean, I wasn't specifically talking to you. You are clearly one of the people I am talking to, since you read my post. Actually I haven't read anything in this thread past the OP. And much of your post addressing my post, since it quoted my post. OCD is a bit of a strange disorder that I have trouble believing.

 

[spirilis]

A good ENFP friend of mine lived here with my roommate and I for a while, about 6 months later my roommate kicked him out because he just made a mess, leaving food out on the hutches and living room, sometimes letting it fall on the floor, etc. Shame too 'cause he was a great friend to have around (he was over this weekend, and reminded me yet again why having him around is guaranteed to be a blast of a good time...)

 

[MerkW]

No, I wasn't talking to you. I mean, I wasn't specifically talking to you. You are clearly one of the people I am talking to, since you read my post. Actually I haven't read anything in this thread past the OP. And much of your post addressing my post, since it quoted my post. OCD is a bit of a strange disorder that I have trouble believing.

Ah, sorry about the mix-up. Out of curiosity, what is it about OCD that you do not understand?

 

[JivinJeffJones]

Out of curiosity, what is it about OCD that you do not understand?

I guess the ritualistic nature of it, and how people (specifically NPs) can become distressed if they stray from that pattern. Also, how people (especially NPs) can apparently alleviate distress if they follow their rituals. I've never knowingly met someone with OCD, so most of my knowledge of the disorder stems from popular culture. As Good As It Gets springs instantly to mind.

 

[MerkW]

I guess the ritualistic nature of it, and how people (specifically NPs) can become distressed if they stray from that pattern. Also, how people (especially NPs) can apparently alleviate distress if they follow their rituals. I've never knowingly met someone with OCD, so most of my knowledge of the disorder stems from popular culture. As Good As It Gets springs instantly to mind.

It is a very bad idea to gain one's perspective on OCD through the media. It is almost ALWAYS portrayed in an incorrect way. You see, most of it takes place inside your head. The rituals are only a small fraction of OCD. What happens is first, a disturbing image comes to mind. You try to ignore it, but the more you try, the more you end up thinking about it (sort of how if you try to ignore the ticking of a clock, the more you notice it). These images usually revolve around something terrible and bad happening. In my case, it revolves around becoming ill. You end up thinking about the specific thought so much to the point of tremendous anxiety and torment. You are unable to do anything, except worry about the disturbing thought. You must do something to distract yourself from the thought--to soothe yourself. Since in my case the fear relates to illness, the rituals are usually relating to hand washing. Almost all OCD rituals are related to some numerical pattern. The thing is, though, you don't actually want to follow these pointless rituals. This is how NPs (like myself) may end up having OCD. It's not that they want to follow these rituals. They have to. Otherwise, you would have a psychological breakdown or a panic attack.

 

[JivinJeffJones]

It is a very bad idea to gain one's perspective on OCD through the media. It is almost ALWAYS portrayed in an incorrect way. You see, most of it takes place inside your head. The rituals are only a small fraction of OCD. What happens is first, a disturbing image comes to mind. You try to ignore it, but the more you try, the more you end up thinking about it (sort of how if you try to ignore the ticking of a clock, the more you notice it). These images usually revolve around something terrible and bad happening. In my case, it revolves around becoming ill. You end up thinking about the specific thought so much to the point of tremendous anxiety and torment. You are unable to do anything, except worry about the disturbing thought. You must do something to distract yourself from the thought--to soothe yourself. Since in my case the fear relates to illness, the rituals are usually relating to hand washing. Almost all OCD rituals are related to some numerical pattern. The thing is, though, you don't actually want to follow these pointless rituals. This is how NPs (like myself) may end up having OCD. It's not that they want to follow these rituals. They have to. Otherwise, you would have a psychological breakdown or a panic attack.

Can't you do something else to distract you? Like start a fight, or drive ridiculously fast, or do something else that is stupidly dangerous? Would that work? I find that extreme danger tends to cause a lot of previous preoccupations to slip my mind completely. My cathartic activity of choice is longboarding in situations which have very very little margin for error.

 

[miss fortune]

I'm not an ENFP, but I'm not afraid of germs at all either! I ate street food as soon as I set foot in Brazil and was fine, I eat things that have been sitting around as long as they aren't stale and don't have mold on them (that I notice- I've been unpleasantly surprized before!), I eat what's been dropped on the floor and I've been known to finish other people's drinks at bars (if I knew the person!)

Horrible, yes, but I'm alive and healthy!

I look at it as that I'm building up an excellent immune system!

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Every ENFP I know is very laid back when it comes to eating stuff of the floor, washing their hands, etc.

Why do you not fear germs like a normal person? Is this just a trend in the small number of ENFPs I know?

Heh, "Why do you not fear germs like a normal person?" I think this statement assumes that IxxJ's are normal people. Another question is why do IxxJ's worry so much about germs? Generally you only need to worry about germs if you have a cut or are ingesting something. Beyond that it's largely irrational. Even in the case of ingestion saliva and stomach acids kill most germs. Beyond some very simple precautionary measures germs are not worth worrying about unless you are in the medical profession.

 

[MerkW]

Can't you do something else to distract you? Like start a fight, or drive ridiculously fast, or do something else that is stupidly dangerous? Would that work? I find that extreme danger tends to cause a lot of previous preoccupations to slip my mind completely. My cathartic activity of choice is longboarding in situations which have very very little margin for error.

If I were to do something along those lines, the thoughts would come back after I am finished. The rituals are always connected to the fear, regardless of how random and pointless they seem to the outside observer. It is not mere distraction from the fear one would want, but rather to be completely and forever revealed from the fear in question. There is sort of a driving force behind the rituals. You hate them, they are pointless, they waste time, etc. but something drives you to do them. If you do not act on this drive, the anxiety builds up inside oneself.

 

[findthejake]

Ok this being said, I am not a dirty person and I none of the enfp's that I know IRL are either. We are very clean and always look good around other people. My room is a bit messy but certainly not germy, dirty clothes go in the dirty clothes hamper and not on the floor (unless it's my jeans, they go a few weeks inbetween washes)

As far as food goes, yea whatever goes. I don't really give a crap unless I know the other person has a communicable disease!

 

[wolfmaiden14]

Hmm. I enjoyed reading the couple posts about OCD. I didn't know a lot of that.

Aside from that.. I know an ExFx who's REALLY finicky when it comes to germs. And rather touchy about a lot of things, I also think he leans more towards the J though.

As for me, I'm not finicky at all. I used to lick dirt straight off my hands. I ate plants just because they looked cool. As long as the food isn't spoiled/moldy or having dirt or hair I can see and as long as it doesn't smell bad, I'm usually okay with it. A lot of times my friends don't trust things in my fridge because they know it's possible to be over a week old.... I'll still eat it though. I guess since I've never gotten any horrid horrid sicknesses, I've no reason to be scared yet.

 

[Randomnity]

I'm not an ENFP, but I'm not afraid of germs at all either! I ate street food as soon as I set foot in Brazil and was fine, I eat things that have been sitting around as long as they aren't stale and don't have mold on them (that I notice- I've been unpleasantly surprized before!), I eat what's been dropped on the floor and I've been known to finish other people's drinks at bars (if I knew the person!)

Horrible, yes, but I'm alive and healthy!

I look at it as that I'm building up an excellent immune system!

Me too! All my life I've eaten sketchy food, as long as it smells/tastes normal...mostly just because I'm reluctant to throw things out. I've definitely eaten tons of things that were "past their prime" or left out overnight or whatever...but I almost never get sick, and somehow I've never once gotten food poisoning.

I think many people are too paranoid about germs. Maybe not worrying about germs is a "laid-back" thing more than specifically type-related. And, I don't think it's "normal" to be afraid of germs....cautious at most, maybe.

 

[JAVO]

I had an ESFP roomate in college who borrowed my toothbrush, deodorant, mouthwash (gave some of it back ), and razor.

 

[Sandy]

This thread cracks me up!!!



That spider story freaked me out, but that was hilarious!!!

My INTP son... bless his heart! If I take a drink from his glass (or use his straw), the drink is mine!

Sometimes I just enjoy messing with him!

 

[niffer]

T_T Yeah, I don't see why people get all caught up about stuff like this. I rarely wash my hands after using the bathroom when I'm not in public. Not only is it a waste of water, but it makes your hands all cold. Unlike pee.

It bothers me how people drop food all the time and just leave it. And the ground that it is dropped on is almost always spotless too. How wasteful can you get? If it's wet and it drops, I usually just scrape off the wet side and eat it.

Note: I will eat anything. The stuff that my friends don't want they give to me to finish off. The thing is, my stomach is quite sensitive. I puke a lot...but I'm used to it. Discovering an insect in my bottle after finishing a drink (this did happen to me before actually, it was a wasp), will still make me feel highly uncomfortable...but I do get over it, eventually.

Oh, and one other thing is that after I leave buses, I like to use hand sanitizers. This is because I chew my fingernails obsessively, and also because I'm pretty sure I can *feel* the stickiness and bacteria from the hundred of previous human body parts that had touched what I touched during my stay in them.

 

[Sandy]

I'm not a germaphobe nor OCD, however...

Oh, for the record... there is no 5-second rule in my home. Even with socked feet (we don't wear shoes in the house), food goes straight to the trash.

 

[cafe]

My ENFP friend is really not okay with germs. If she is folding laundry and it touches the floor, she will rewash whatever it was.

 

[wedekit]

Every ENFP I know is very laid back when it comes to eating stuff of the floor, washing their hands, etc.

Why do you not fear germs like a normal person? Is this just a trend in the small number of ENFPs I know?

My best friend is an ENFP and we met each other because of our ex-hand sanitizer obsession.

My friend could just be one-in-a-million ENFPs though.

 

[ama]

The use of antiseptics is a major deterrent in the spreading of communicable disease. This could all come tumbling down because an ENFP really wants that oreo that rolled across the floor.

LOL! A plague wipes out civilization! All because of an ENFP and an Oreo!