We're all the same Myers-Briggs Personality type: ENFJ
E is for Extravert (sounds like a Sesame Street song)--people who get energy from people vs. Introverts, who get their energy from being alone.
N is for Intuitive--Intuitive in how we gather information, vs. Sensing, which is more deliberative or research-based and fact gathering for information
F is for Feeling vs. Thinking; my scores here are really close together, but my heart rules me a little more than my head
J is for Judging vs. Perceiving; Judgers prefer schedules, adhere to deadlines, and would rather make bad decisions than have no decision at all; Perceivers think of deadlines as optional, prefer spontaneity to routines, and would rather put off making a decision as long as possible.
ENFJ's are also known as Plato's Idealist or "Teachers." Maybe those of who know me or who have gotten to know me via blogging will recognize me in this brief description:
The Idealists called Teachers are abstract in their thought and speech, cooperative in their style of achieving goals, and directive and extraverted in their interpersonal relations. Learning in the young has to be beckoned forth, teased out from its hiding place, or, as suggested by the word "education," it has to be "educed." by an individual with educative capabilities. Such a one is the eNFj, thus rightly called the educative mentor or Teacher for short. The Teacher is especially capable of educing or calling forth those inner potentials each learner possesses. Even as children the Teachers may attract a gathering of other children ready to follow their lead in play or work. And they lead without seeming to do so.
Teachers expect the very best of those around them, and this expectation, usually expressed as enthusiastic encouragement, motivates action in others and the desire to live up to their expectations. Teachers have the charming characteristic of taking for granted that their expectations will be met, their implicit commands obeyed, never doubting that people will want to do what they suggest. And, more often than not, people do, because this type has extraordinary charisma.
The Teachers are found in no more than 2 or 3 percent of the population. They like to have things settled and arranged. They prefer to plan both work and social engagements ahead of time and tend to be absolutely reliable in honoring these commitments.
At the same time, Teachers are very much at home in complex situations which require the juggling of much data with little pre-planning. An experienced Teacher group leader can dream up, effortlessly, and almost endlessly, activities for groups to engage in, and stimulating roles for members of the group to play. In some Teachers, inspired by the responsiveness of their students or followers, this can amount to genius which other types find hard to emulate.
Teachers value harmonious human relations about all else, can handle people with charm and concern, and are usually popular wherever they are. But Teachers are not so much social as educational leaders, interested primarily in the personal growth and development of others, and less in attending to their social needs.
Never taken a Myers-Briggs personality test? Click here to try your very own--and be sure to read the fuller description after the scoring from "Please Understand Me." Unlike some other on-line personality tests (which Star Wars character are you more like?) this one is actually beneficial--it's the kind of thing you could put on a resume.
And if there's any other ENFJ's, be sure to give me a shout-out, there ain't that many of us out there!
Me and Oprah, we're tight.
8 comments:
I may need to retake the test, but I scored ENFJ last time I took it. But I think I am actually an "I" who has learned to perform like an "E"
"Unlike some other on-line personality tests (which Star Wars character are you more like?) this one is actually beneficial . . ."
I'm not sure, but I sense a jab at Macon's superhero test . . . ahhh, my days as Superman were short-lived . . .
AK, need I remind you that we are the same person? And don't forget Ghandi! I mean, seriously! Much ENFJ love to Durham.
Don't worry Jason, that wasn't a jab at me. Everyone knows that the "What Superhero are you" is a far better test than the "What Star Wars Character are you" one.
As far as the MBT is concerned, I score as an ENTP.
* Likes looking at information from a global viewpoint, spotting patterns and relationships, that lead to an understanding of the key issues
* Focuses more on possibilities for the future than the here-and-now
* Enjoys change, challenge, and variety
The perceptive iNtuition function is extraverted. That is, iNtuition is used primarily to govern the outer world of actions and spoken words. The ENTP will therefore:
* Try ideas out, to explore new possibilities and discover, by experience, which ones work
* Change procedures to see if any improvement can be made, rather than just operate them
* Be interested primarily in evolutionary development, perhaps with an eye on the strategy.
* Be more interested in exploring ideas than bringing them to closure
The iNtuition function is primarily supported by introverted Thinking judgement. That is, Thinking judgement is used primarily to manage the inner world of thoughts and emotions. This will modify the way that the iNtuition is directed, by:
* focusing the (outer world) iNtuition on ideas and possibilities that relate to systems and concepts
* inwardly tending to spot the flaws in situations, people or ideas. Rather than expressing criticism directly, it may surface in the form of contradictory ideas and possibilities.
* applying logical analysis to perceived patterns and possibilities, enabling the ENTP to quickly see the underlying principles in a situation
The classic temperament of an ENTP is Promethean, or Phlegmatic, for whom a basic driving force is the search for competence or excellence.
Jason, you see right through me! Macon, you know I've got nothing but love for you--when you blog, I listen.
Thanks for this insight into the brain of Mr. Stokes, it's helpful to see what makes you tick.
Marsh, I'm surprised that you scored an "E," I'd think you were an I as well. Super, I'm proud to share the same letters with you!
Alex, I am also an ENFJ. Actually, I swing around on the E and I, so I usually say I am an XNFJ. (that's a technical term, that "X"). Like Marsh, I often test E, but a large part of that is choosing to reach out to the loners in large groups, introduce myself to strangers, get up in front of groups, etc, not because I am energized by the large group scene.
You know, it was learning more about the Myers-Briggs that helped me to understand why I feel exhausted when invited to "hang out" (notice, no structure to the upcoming event), but would feel very excited about being invited to come over and play cards, or games, or watch a movie (notice the structure of the evening being laid out for me). Being a pretty clear J, I find that I have much more energy to face large groups of people if I know what I will be doing. I like structure....when I do not have any structure, it can feel quite paralysing. This is not to say that I cannot be or enjoy being spontaneous, just that when I know what the boundaries are, I feel free then to cut loose all over the place within them.
I hope that made sense. Anyways, even within the small group of ENFJ's, I am certain that we'll have our interesting eccentricities. The M-BTI is a fascinating instrument, and I'm glad you brought it up here.
Rock on, fellow ENFJ's!
One more thought:
I also feel free to play with and move the boundaries, but I don't like to do that without first understanding them...
Some tests have said I'm borderline on everything but E, but I have scored ENFJ the most, including this particular test. You think they're right? :o)
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