Being an ENFP means that when I am 20 minutes late, I am actually only 10 minutes late, because I set my clock ahead to avoid being 30 minutes late.

It means I don't say "never", I don't say "promise", and I don't say "should".

It's using paper towels instead of toilet paper because I forgot to go to the store, sitting Indian-style at a fancy restaurant because it feels too stuffy, and 20 new ideas in my iPhone notepad with 20 reasons I will not finish them.

It's saying sorry when I know it's not my fault and saying "I love you" only when I mean it.

It's loving my best friend because she gives me my favorite root beer for Christmas and loving her more because she wears zit cream to the grocery store.  

It means squirming in my seat when the girls at work talk about designer purses and catching my breath when a guy talks about neurolinguistics.

....And kicking myself for telling that same guy that my absence of underwear is not because I'm sexy; it's because it's in one of three piles, and I didn't have time to look for it.

Being an ENFP means writing this post at 3:30am when I need to wake up at 6:30am.  Which actually means that it’s 3:20am, my alarm will go off at 6:20am, and I won’t get out of bed until 7:00am. 

But at least I found my underwear.

(Actually, I said "Screw it" and bought some new ones.)

Posted By Puella on 19 Oct 2010 03:13 PM

Being an ENFP means that when I am 20 minutes late, I am actually only 10 minutes late, because I set my clock ahead to avoid being 30 minutes late.

It means I don't say "never", I don't say "promise", and I don't say "should".

It's using paper towels instead of toilet paper because I forgot to go to the store, sitting Indian-style at a fancy restaurant because it feels too stuffy, and 20 new ideas in my iPhone notepad with 20 reasons I will not finish them.

It's saying sorry when I know it's not my fault and saying "I love you" only when I mean it.

It's loving my best friend because she gives me my favorite root beer for Christmas and loving her more because she wears zit cream to the grocery store.  

It means squirming in my seat when the girls at work talk about designer purses and catching my breath when a guy talks about neurolinguistics.

....And kicking myself for telling that same guy that my absence of underwear is not because I'm sexy; it's because it's in one of three piles, and I didn't have time to look for it.

Being an ENFP means writing this post at 3:30am when I need to wake up at 6:30am.  Which actually means that it’s 3:20am, my alarm will go off at 6:20am, and I won’t get out of bed until 7:00am. 

But at least I found my underwear.

(Actually, I said "Screw it" and bought some new ones.)

Augh! I must be be an egomaniac because I love you for writing this. My bf and I just got in a tiff because I without even really thinkng about it will use paper towels instead of buying more toilet paper because it doesn't even occur to me that I should go buy more. And of course the rest applies as well.

If you want to view people who leap without thinking first... then your stereotype for that would be ESFP. Se is about the present, while Ne i about the future. I am not saying Se does not think... i only say that Se likes to act on the immediate surroundings. Those immediate surroundings include facts that are readily accessible (There is an apple tree, and i want an apple, and there is a ladder, so lets use the ladder to climb the tree so i can get my apple - i can also get more apples as i would get hungry again soon), but not necessarily possibilities/future outcomes (maybe i can get more apples and make apple juice... or i could put the apples in a bowl for everyone... maybe i'll get unexpected guests? Maybe i can plant another tree with the seeds inside the apples? Then in a few years i will have more apples. Maybe i can even give the surplus apples to other people or my kids (at the moment there are no kids), or maybe trade them for something else? Ah, the possibilities are endless...^^) 

Ne, on the other hand, is more focused on possibilities than on immediate facts/surroundings. Ne could for example overlook that there is a ladder, and pull out a rope from the pocket (somehow Ne thought it could be useful to pocket a rope...^^), sling it over the branches of the tree and pull jerkily so that the apples fall down... in theory at least Plus it is more fun this way... using a ladder... BOOOOOOOOORING XD

It often looks like we leap without thinking... and it can also happen that we make decisions quickly in some cases. What you observe when we make a quick decision is use of Fi. Fi, if developed, tells us if a decision is good or bad, and also gives you a "feeling" of another person... I admit however, that Fi has very little to do with actual thinking... together with Ne it is more like a warning sign pops up - like, boing!, if you do this, that is going to happen - and that does not fit into your value system. Look for another solution.
 One of the strategies that i employ when problem solving is that i first let the problem go through my head. I don't have to sit and think for this. Can also be a good nights sleep, or just living on normally... Then after a time there are a few possible solutions in my head, so i pick the one that seems best to me. If that does not work, i pick the next best one, then the next best one, and so on. During the time i work on those possible solutions, new solutions form in my head. Running out of options is a problem... but to generate more options, i need more information! And so i look around and look into books, browse the Internet, etc, to generate more possible solutions. In a wider horizon more places to go to automatically appear. If you are into programming, basically that is a Greedy-Algorithm with an added heuristic (A Greedy-Algorithm always takes the option with the best outlook first so that it can quickly come to a satisfying solution. The heuristic is used to guess how good the solution will be to compare possible solutions before trying them). 

 You are an ENTJ, and you have Ni... Ni looks primarily for truth and/or "the one true way", while Ne looks primarily for options, from my experience. Together with Te, Ni analyzes EVERYTHING logically (xNTJ) and if it works ... Ne together with Fi (xNFP) looks for the best options available...

Hey Jan,

Good read. Good opinions. I've got a dad who's an ENTP and I know what means for them "to run out of solutions". I think ENTPs are also driven by Ne. It really gets messy when they run out of options. Unfortunately they don't have Te to cultivate real life proven solutions. They move on and lose endless opportunities. Of course this is where I kick in and place things in order and give him more options which work for both parties at the end.

Well, I'm not going into the functions thing because honestly it freaks me out. I tried many times to find reasoning behind the functions but I always failed to categorize them properly. Let's just say I'm happy that I don't have to kill someone for it and receiving MBTI test results as ENTJ is sufficient for now.

The thing here is actually interesting. ENFPs are driven by Fi as their second function. And I think it is better to ask an ENFP about Fi than ISFP who are driven by Fi as their primary, but unfortunately who are unable to speak two words without me willing to choke them to death. Obviously they get very irritated by me. Well anyway, let's leave ISFPs aside right now.lol.

Saying that jumping without thinking does not work is the same thing with saying ISFPs don't exist. Which is untrue. They do. And they still survive. However they can. Good or bad, they still survive. I wonder if there is structure out there, that completely escapes my view which helps those with Fi primary to survive? I suspect it does exist. Think about those who finally get pissed off so hard by the government, that they throw away any reasoning and simply revolt. How the hell did it even end well at the end? It couldn't be possible if there wasn't any structure to it. There is a structure. Somehow ENTPs can tap into it. It looks ugly, but works in the end. Mostly don't, but still they know which one will. Which is fascinating. Perhaps it is a cumulative experience of success and failures without thinking of the consequences. Or because they cannot predict consequences. Whatever there is, the structure exists. And I'm willing to understand it's rules.

That's getting "feeling of the person". Does that mean that you can predict their next move? Simply because humans perhaps are somehow similar and you just happen to get burned enough about it to know what comes next?

That's getting "feeling of the person". Does that mean that you can predict their next move? Simply because humans perhaps are somehow similar and you just happen to get burned enough about it to know what comes next?

What i meant is that with age (better grasp of Fi) ENFPs begin to know better whom they can trust and whom they cannot trust on an instinct like level. We still give the benefit of the doubt, but we can retreat rather quickly if enough warning signs pop up. Also we become better at guessing poeple's motivations though this could be a combination of NeFi.

How it works, no idea. Fi is very hard to describe. It is a subconscious function that comes into consciousness when it sees something that is important to you. Most of the time it is underground. At least for me that is how it is.

You will have a hard time to find someone describing Fi accurately. Fi is the opposite of Te. Te looks at provable things and describes them accurately and with words and is generally active thinking. Fi is untraceable, instinct-like and does not need proof for its value judgments, and it is reactive to the input given from a perceiving function - it measures everything it sees with an invisible value-meter that somehow becomes visible once it is done measuring.
 Fi brings up pictures, music in your mind rather than words. I read in an INFP forum, that many of them hear music in their dreams instead of talking.
Te takes everything and makes it concrete and accurate... but Fi does not care about that. Whether a diamond is cut or not... it still stays a diamond. Te sees the market value of the diamond and describes it at accurate as possible (Te basically measures the diamond and gives all its stats). Fi would argue that the base properties would still be same - a cut diamond is still just as hard as an uncut diamond and a an uncut diamond is just as rare as a cut one. However, Ne says that you can use a cut diamond for so much more than an uncut diamond and because of that, the cut diamond is more valuable (Basically, Ne likes everything that widens the horizon of possibilities)

I think you are going into a direction with your post that is called "expert intuition"... the more you know, the better your intuitive guesses become. An expert who has done their thing many years can tell you a solution without thinking just from intuition and it will be right 95% of all times. The more experience they have, the better their guesses become.
There is a general theme in ENFPs in that we like to figure out people => their motivations, how they are, etc. Maybe because it is an interest we do it often, and because of that we get better at guessing after a short time of interaction (=> "expert intuition") It's definitely possible.
 

By the way... i think i have spotted two ENTJs in television already: Nathan Stark from Eureka. That guy is obsessed with figuring out "the artifact". Leader of the firm behind Eureka, suppressing his emotions, spends more time than anything on his projects (at the cost of his family life, which lead to him and Allison divorcing)... even when he is interacting with his family, he still thinks of his project foremost.

The other one whom i think is an ENTJ is Dr.House... actually i think he is obvious.

Oh and then there is Azula from The Last Airbender, but she is a really really really unhealthy ENTJ, so much to the extreme that she is crazy. There is only one time when we see her down and showing her emotional side... it lasts around 30seconds and she is back to normal.

The leadership style of the ENTJ is action-oriented and commanding. ENTJs are the visionaries who devise strategy, establish plans, provide structures and direct others in reaching the goals dictated by the ENTJs' vision for the organization. ENTJs typically take charge and lead with such confidence that others are compelled to follow them. Others are expected to act autonomously and independently and follow outlined plans without excessive involvement from them. They prefer to be the ones making the decisions and enjoy doing it. It is unusual that they are not aware of the inner workings of the whole organization
The preferences of the ENTJ combine to make them natural leaders. Their enthusiasm, vision, objectivity, and accountability are so natural to them, it is almost impossible for an ENTJ not to step in and take charge. They do it with such finesse that others tend to accept and appreciate it without resistance or offence. People easily depend on ENTJs for guidance, and the ENTJ is happy to jump in and take control quickly and competently.

INTJs often will define leadership as the ability to envision, design, and create plans, strategies, and systems to reach organizational goals. They are both active and extremely forceful when it comes to generating ideas, and go to great lengths to turn them into realities. Known to be tough-minded, they drive themselves and others with determination and stoicism. They are more task-oriented than relationship-oriented, and can be counted on for their objective approach to any situation.
Because of the independent nature of INTJs, as leaders they aspire to bestow the same safe, objective distance on others. This independence can be read as aloofness or an inability to get involved at any other level other than the task, and that they are not available to anyone who may need them.

INTJs' precision thinking and need for accuracy causes them to be inflexible at times. Having thought out a strategy, the INTJ may stubbornly disregard those who they think have not spent as much time reflecting on an idea as they have. This, along with their drive to produce something significant, can make them demanding and difficult. If their plans and solutions fall short of their high standards, INTJ's feel pressured - as if everything is on the line. "Everything," for an INTJ, is the competence and ability to produce something significant. Fear of not living up to this expectation will increase their stress and possibly dissuade them from risking or trying out their ideas. They may then find themselves thinking about ideas that do not have a meaningful or productive end.

When stress increases, the INTJ can become argumentative and disagreeable. Social interaction, which is not their strength, becomes increasingly difficult for them. Not trusting their own abilities, they become preoccupied with obsessive notions. The INTJ may then find themselves spending an inordinate amount of time fighting horrible thoughts, tempting absurdities, and feelings of worthlessness. Fearful of others recognizing their perceived failure, the INTJ incessantly ruminates about mistakes, inadequacies, weaknesses, ineptness, and incompetence. Because this distracts them from risking what little confidence they may have left in themselves, it therefore keeps them from obtaining the success and achievement they so desperately need.

ENTJs can get ahead of themselves and jump to conclusions in their effort to get things done. They may need to be reminded to take the time to listen to other points of view. Being tough-minded, ENTJs have a tendency to ignore their own and others’ feelings. With a burning desire to achieve — and a constant eye on how current decision will effect end results — ENTJs may become overly argumentative when obstacles get in their way. Small talk and casual conversations appear frivolous and without merit when projects are at hand. This, along with the NT's nature of being impervious to social conventions and customs, can cause others to feel affronted.

When ENTJs sense that they are losing control, they feel an increasing need for completion. If stress continues, they become distracted by a compelling "got to" and "have to" state of mind. Their need to master a situation then becomes misdirected and they engage in compulsive behaviors that preoccupy their attention and time. Feeling helpless, and lacking confidence, they resort to completing simple, meaningless, repetitive tasks (i.e. cleaning, counting, inspecting ) in an effort to avoid a growing sense of failure. By avoiding ineptitude at all costs, their competence and ability are never fully tested. Ironically, these all-consuming distractions are the very behaviors that prevent ENTJs from fulfilling their basic need for achievement and improvement.

Fi - "hey the first sheeple run down, guess that's the right thing, guess he knew what he was doing, therefore i should follow" and jumps over the cliff
Nope. Fi would compare the acting of the sheep to the personal values... like "is it good or helpful to jump down the cliff? Was that good of the sheep to jump down the cliff? Would i do the same?"... besides, Fi does not really care what others think is right, Fi thinks it is the only true instance of pure morale.
I think what you are looking for is Fe. Fe: "All those sheep are jumping down the cliff. I will conform with this."... but also: "Hey there is this one sheep which jumps over the cliff. All the other are staying here. This one sheep must be insane." (with a bit of Si mixed in)

"going down is not usually a good thing" Si straight here. It has been proven in the past that jumping off a cliff is not a good thing, so we will trust the past. Si likes the usual, the reoccurring.
"looks at the other sheeple grazing nearby "hey you guys, have any of you jumped down before and seen what's there?" other sheeple in silence and dread "guess they didn't..." Fe jumping at you. What are others thinking? Fe looks at what others are thinking. Fe trusts what others are thinking... Plus Si again. You know... "have you jumped down before and seen what's there?" This implies that what was there still is, and this is EXACTLY what Si is telling. Si says that that what was WILL reoccur. Si says that that what was still is today. (And strong-Si people want everything to stay the same... because if things would change, they could not rely on their Si anymore, and this would cause them stress)

Ne - "hey the first sheeple run down, guess there was something interesting out there, he must got himself on something worth to explore about, i should follow" and jumps of the cliff
LOL. Sorry, i just had to, you are VERY far away here. Ne does not see the unknown and "likes it or not", Ne sees things inside the unknown... ALL things that can possibly exist in the unknown. Ne sees the floor and the grass, the cliffs, the water, the other sheep which has just landed both dead and alive, happy and sad, and more and more and more. Ne fills the darkness with all kinds of possible outcomes. Besides, Ne is a NP function. Ps don't act that quickly, Ps gather information, and then... maybe... we act. Jumping down the cliff before looking at all the possible outcomes of jumping down the cliff? Before playing them out in my mind so that i might know what to expect? (So that i can make the best decision possible?)...

You used a very bad example. The reason is that because we cannot say which one of the possibilities are true, we also cannot predict what possible outcomes will be true. Let's just say we only have two possible solutions: Jump down the cliff or find another way down the cliff. In both instances you may die. This is not acceptable. If confronted with two solutions with possible bad (very bad) outcomes, Ne goes crazy to find a third that is better than the previous two, one which does not have a bad outcome attached to it, or which is much more likely to succeed. It would be likely that Ne would first look around if it can see any better solutions than those two very unsure solutions...

 Another question: Why don't you just stay on top of the cliff? Why do you have to go where everyone goes? Why not turn around and go somewhere else where there are also sheep and they are living happily? (Hehe Ne "The Grass is Greener..." syndrome ) Why must there be only one sheep paradise? Yeah maybe it is down this cliff... but maybe not.
Can't you just keep gathering food and then embark on your journey? You are much less likely to die from starvation then. This is what Ne does. Ne tries to find a new way, a better way, of doing things. Ne says that we cannot trust in what everyone does because only because sheep have been jumping from this cliff for centuries, it does not mean there isn't a better way. Always be prepared, for whatever comes! Maybe all sheep which jump into the darkness get transformed into killer sheep and want to eat you because there is nothing to eat down there? Pack in a crossbow to get rid of those zombie sheep. And maybe you see an animal you can hunt on the way - ... plus you are less likely to di of starvation.

Why don't we use that wool we have on our bodies to make a rope, so that we can go down much more easily and much safer? Then not as many of those sheep will be hurt in the process. Because, even in the best possible case of jumping down, you will jump down like one centimeter more than you can see. And i suspect that you can see a little more than half a meter... which means that you most probably WILL be hurt if you jump down.

What i meant with "expert" is like... You deal with people for a long time, you interpret them for a long time, and you become better at dealing with them and interpreting them.

Well I got quite annoyed by all of that. I had three instances given and I failed on all of them. I guess you could say Si was on the work here too. After all I expected to work somehow.

After reading a while there were quite a few new ideas coming to my mind regarding erratic behaviors of the sheeple out there. For example, one of the sheeples could finally revolt and say "what the hell are we doing? we wake each morning up and eat that green stuff and yet the next day we get hungry and eat that green stuff again. There is no end to this. There is no point of eating that thing because we are going to want it again anyway. Let's stop doing that."

Another sheeple would say "Hey I'm not going anywhere, there could be a gigantic meteor coming our way and whether we eat or not it will wipe us out...then why bother? let's continue sleeping and pretend nothing has happened."

By the way whiat function would there be if a group of sheeple would team up find some rope and wolf costume with guns and ammo? Then dress the wolf costume. Use rope to slide down the cliff. Once they are down and in case sheeple really found something to eat, then wolf costume would scare them away and all grass would be the groups. And in case real worlf comes their way, they will use shotgun to fend them off. And in case sheeple really died down there, then our hero would simply piss on the pile of dead sheeple and ask the others at the top of the cliff to rise him up. And if the metero did really hit...well....what the hell. We did live so far anyway. Was good as long as it lasted."

There may as well Darth Vader waiting sheeple down there. And force choking the survivors just for fun.

Sheep are frequently thought of as extremely unintelligent animals.[46] A sheep's herd mentality and quickness to flee and panic in the face of stress often make shepherding a difficult endeavor for the uninitiated. Despite these perceptions, a University of Illinois monograph on sheep found them to be just below pigs and on par with cattle in IQ,[6] and some sheep have shown problem-solving abilities; a flock in West Yorkshire, England allegedly found a way to get over cattle grids by rolling on their backs, although documentation of this has relied on anecdotal accounts.[47] In addition to long-term facial recognition of individuals, sheep can also differentiate emotional states through facial characteristics.[44][45] If worked with patiently, sheep may learn their names, and many sheep are trained to be led by halter for showing and other purposes.[6] Sheep have also responded well to clicker training.[6] Very rarely, sheep are used as pack animals. Tibetan nomads distribute baggage equally throughout a flock as it is herded between living sites.[6]