[Fi] ENFP or INFP?

[iHeartCats]

This is about an old acquaintance.

He had a very unique personality. My closest guess for him is XNFP, but he was an ambivert and I can't conclude if he was INFP or ENFP.

Description of his character:

- was very physically active in school days and played many sports as a hobby, extreme sports included (he was very good at them)
- works or has recently worked as a snowboarding instructor
- stubborn
- was a hyperactive kid
- had a hard time keeping himself out of trouble as a kid
- fairly (but not extremely) talkative
- restless, had difficulties sitting still for longer periods of time
- always has had many friends
- emotionally guarded, even with close friends
- was very popular with the opposite sex but didn't seem to care about it much
- had a blatant dislike for authority
- artsy, was good at drawing and spraying
- was intelligent and an underachiever in school
- blunt
- impolite
- non-conformist in every possible way
- had a mysterious vibe going on
- was actually hilarious in his manners and behavior but would always take himself very seriously
- one of those people that you just can't read/can never know what they're thinking
- would always hang exclusively with non-comformist people who had similar hobbies and interests as him, listened to same kind of music, etc.

Thoughts?

 

[Arctic Hysteria]

How often does this friend of yours need to be around other people?

Does he seem to be very engaging and passionate one day and aloof the next?

Does he give you the feeling that you are just one of his many favorite people at times?

 

[Pionart]

Sounds pretty extroverted to me.

 

[iHeartCats]

How often does this friend of yours need to be around other people?

He liked to be around people a lot but he also needed alone time. A classic ambivert.

Does he seem to be very engaging and passionate one day and aloof the next?

That was him, spot on. His moods were able to affect him/change his behavior so much and so often that he almost seemed to be at least 3 persons in 1 and before I saw him any given day, I could never know which one of the 3 it was going to be.

Does he give you the feeling that you are just one of his many favorite people at times?

I wasn't that close to him, we were just acquaintances, not friends. So I can't tell if his friends felt like that.

 

[Arctic Hysteria]

From my observation, ENFPs enjoy their alone time too, but not for too long, while INFPs certainly do enjoy the company of others, but the very specific "others".
INFP 4e3 can give the ENFP vibe sometimes.

I think the biggest difference between ENFP and INFP is that, ENFPs enjoy getting to know a lot of people and bouncing thoughts off of many people as they learn and shape their ideas and values through interactions, while INFP spare our energy for only a few people we can really identify with, and we learn through observation.

ENFPs appear warm, inviting, and very curious, yet do not believe for one second that just because they seem that way with you, they have a permanent place for you in their heart. On the contrary, most INFPs seem cold, aloof and uninviting at first because we don't think it's worth wasting our energy on folks whose values and feelings do not not match with ours first and foremost (Fi-dom).

 

[iHeartCats]

INFPs certainly do enjoy the company of others, but the very specific "others".

INFP spare our energy for only a few people we can really identify with, and we learn through observation.

Most INFPs seem cold, aloof and uninviting at first because we don't think it's worth wasting our energy on folks whose values and feelings do not not match with ours first and foremost (Fi-dom).

This sums him up quite nicely. INFP it is.

 

[PeaceBaby]

...INFPs seem cold, aloof and uninviting at first because we don't think it's worth wasting our energy on folks whose values and feelings do not not match with ours first and foremost (Fi-dom).

That is more of a 4 thing.

 

[Arctic Hysteria]

That is more of a 4 thing.

Most INFPs I know are like this. It would take them at least half an hour to warm up with others. For me, it takes up to a few hours.
But I agree, e9 are less like this.

 

[Arctic Hysteria]

[MENTION=22723]iHeartCats[/MENTION], when I read your descriptions of him again, I still cannot decide whether he's INFP or ENFP, for I have seen people of each type behaving like the other type at times. Most of my friends would not ever think I am INFP.

My best friend is ENFP e7, and because of the huge differences between e4 and e7, we can distinguish ourselves easily.
We both are very idealistic, sensitive, passionate, non-conformist and restless, we both strongly value our freedom, we both act aloof and distant and disappear from others often, we both are very emotionally guarded, we both are popular with the opposite sex.
However, she's much more social than I am. And while she pays lots of attention to what people are up to and what can catch her attention, I pay most attention to what people are feeling or thinking and where my help is needed. She's constantly on the go, just experiencing, absorbing, while I'm constantly seeking the patterns of the world to see where I could belong.

 

[iHeartCats]

[MENTION=22723]iHeartCats[/MENTION], when I read your descriptions of him again, I still cannot decide whether he's INFP or ENFP

I still appreciate your thoughts on this very much, since I was looking to find what distinguishes those two types.

Having taken everything into consideration, he seems to be a Fi-dom since he didn't really want to get to know people whose values and feelings didn't match with his, and socialize with them.

Also, he had an overall dark personality, which makes me conclude that he was an ambiverted INFP, since ENFPs are supposed to be warm and cheerful at least sometimes, and he was never like that (like I said I wasn't close to him, but we were on a same a class for years, and I saw him on average twice a week through a period of 6 years which is a lot, and also sometimes in my free time, and I saw how he behaved around other people).

 

[blahblahbob]

Having taken everything into consideration, he seems to be a Fi-dom since he didn't really want to get to know people whose values and feelings didn't match with his, and socialize with them.

xNFPs are pretty reserved about who they get to know. But if you're the right person, it'll be like we've been best friends for life. I can't begin to explain how epic people like that are where you just don't care about dropping all your walls.

The description you gave sounded more ENFP than INFP as INFPs won't frequently hyperactively disregard rules or be particularly blunt. Also most INFPs have a hard time having a lot of friends. ENFPs tend to do this much better.

 

[five sounds]

Am I the only one who got thrown off by all the sports stuff? NFPs, especially ENFPs are classically uncoordinated and not so good at the whole body-in-space thing.

Maybe an 8-wing could make one a little more physical though. I dunno, just a thought.

 

[Arctic Hysteria]

Am I the only one who got thrown off by all the sports stuff? NFPs, especially ENFPs are classically uncoordinated and not so good at the whole body-in-space thing.

Maybe an 8-wing could make one a little more physical though. I dunno, just a thought.

Now you said it, I suddenly realize that none of INFPs I know is sports fanatic.

 

[BlueScreen]

I'm ENFP and I love sport, whether I'm watching or playing.

The person described in the OP doesn't quite sound Ne dominant. It might be easier to spot as an ENFP, but the Ne traits are something I find stands out with ENFPs and ENTPs.

 

[Turtle]

This guy is a blatant ENFP. Where are you getting INFP from?

 

[BlueScreen]

Ne dominants I've met clearly love to unsettle the status quo, probably because intuition loves change, so lack of change is boring. However, they tend to be more subversive and probably gain more enjoyment from coming up with creative ideas for unsettling things than bothering to follow through and put them into action or join others who want to do the same.

Comparing to myself, I'd say the following:

- was very physically active in school days and played many sports as a hobby, extreme sports included (he was very good at them)

Fits me perfectly, and I love the extreme sports and pushing the limits.

- works or has recently worked as a snowboarding instructor

Never been a sports instructor, but flirted with the idea because it would be more fun and social and closer to nature than sitting in an office.

- stubborn

Definitely. I never accepted much unless I could prove it to myself or agreed with it. Though I tended to be diplomatic and best case outcome if I disagree.

- was a hyperactive kid

In terms of asking lots of questions and being interested in lots, yes.

- had a hard time keeping himself out of trouble as a kid

I tended to be a stablising influence that stopped us getting in more trouble. Internally this ends up being a bit of a fight between the will to break down stupid rules and try new things and a moral code within that keeps at you while you do.

- fairly (but not extremely) talkative

Key thing here was it depended on the day and my interest level.

- restless, had difficulties sitting still for longer periods of time

Maybe when I was younger, but I spend a lot of time finding escape to be with my thoughts and explore things in more depth. If there is stuff going on around me it could be hard to tune out sometimes.

- always has had many friends

At primary school. Had quite a few friends at high school but had more trouble because I disliked a lot of the pretending and cool groups etc.

- emotionally guarded, even with close friends

On some topics like who I had a crush on, but an open book on most personal topics.

- was very popular with the opposite sex but didn't seem to care about it much

Maybe. Though I didn't notice if I was popular, wished I was

- had a blatant dislike for authority

I've always got on with authority okay. I tend to dislike certain policies or ideas rather than people. Probably spent most of my childhood thinking everyone is a good person in some way.

- artsy, was good at drawing and spraying

I suck at drawing and picking up those sort of skills.

- was intelligent and an underachiever in school

Was intelligent, but lazy, and did what I needed to get where I wanted, but not much more. Didn't care too much for awards and achievement for show.

- blunt

Tactful to the extreme. Wouldn't want to cause a stir.

- impolite

Rarely.

- non-conformist in every possible way

Non conformist but wanting to blend. Definitely didn't wear a sign saying it.

- had a mysterious vibe going on

No idea. I was probably pretty straight forward. Didnt really provide much suggestion of the parts of me you didn't see.

- was actually hilarious in his manners and behavior but would always take himself very seriously

Took myself seriously to a point and when I was nervous about stuff. Though I wouldn't say very serious. I liked silliness and was a bit of a smart ass.

- one of those people that you just can't read/can never know what they're thinking

I'd probably be up front and blab about what I was thinking, but if I had something to hide, I'd hide it deep.

- would always hang exclusively with non-comformist people who had similar hobbies and interests as him, listened to same kind of music, etc.

I hung out with more misfits than non-conformists, pretty sure they liked different music and had different hobbies to me though.

 

[INFPtheQuietOne]

I think it's easy to tell because real INFPs are the total opposite of obnoxious attention seekers. We INFPs are so quiet and in our heads all the time that we think we're in another world. An INFP usually hides in the background and stays mute. I think INFPs the easiest type that gets pointed out to be introverted and the "Quiet One". INFPs are the stereotypical quiet one so they have very few friends and seldom make any noise or express anything. ENFPs are also quiet as well and thats why they get mistyped as INFPs. INFPs on the other hand are all quiet so it's extremely rare you'll an INFP to mistype as an ENFP. ENFPs are quiet extroverts and INFPs are quiet introverts which is why it's so hard for ENFPs.