ENFJs direct their energy towards the outer world of actions and spoken words. They try to build harmony in important personal relationships. Their lives are organised on a personal basis, seeking to develop and promote personal growth in people they value.
What makes an ENFJ tick?
The Dominant function is the judging one of Feeling. Characteristics associated with this function include:
- Makes decisions on the basis of personal values
- Is appreciative and accepting of people - enjoying company and seeking harmony
- Assesses the impact of decisions on others, being sympathetic or compassionate
- Takes a personal approach
The judging Feeling function is extraverted. That is, Feeling is used primarily to govern the outer world of actions and spoken words. The ENFJ will therefore:
- seek stable, harmonious relationships
- tend to adapt to the environment, taking on board those values that are held as important by friends and family, or society as a whole
- express the appreciation that is felt towards others
- tend to consider others' feelings before his/her own
- be sensitive to praise and criticism, and seek to conform to others' reasonable expectations
The Feeling function is primarily supported by introverted iNtuitive perception, That is, iNtuitive perception is used primarily to manage the inner world of thoughts and emotions. This will modify the way that the Feeling is directed, by:
- focusing the (outer world) Feeling on ideas and possibilities for people
- looking for meaningful relationships
- aiming to understand people, gaining insight into their personality and motivation
The classic temperament of an ENFJ is Apollonian, or Choleric, for whom a basic driving force is the search for meaning or purpose.
Contributions to the team of an ENFJ
In a team environment, the ENFJ can contribute by:
- promoting insight and common understanding amongst the team
- facilitating discussions, encouraging contributions from all team members by asking questions in a structured way
- seeking to arrive at consensus decisions
- generating team spirit though the ENFJ's own energy and enthusiasm
- focusing on areas of agreement and building on others' proposals
- bringing discussions to positive conclusions
The potential ways in which an ENFJ can irritate others include:
- talking too much
- assuming they know the needs of others - in trying to help them develop insight, the ENFJ can appear bossy
- avoiding conflict and not giving criticism when it is needed
- taking criticism personally
- focusing so much on interpersonal issues that cost and other impersonal considerations are not adequately addressed.
Personal Growth
As with all types, the ENFJ can achieve personal growth by developing all functions that are not fully developed, through actions such as:- learning to observe and accept the negative aspects of those people they admire
- finding an independent and objective means of verifying their insights about people
- pausing and thinking, encouraging others to articulate their own needs, and using active listening to verify understanding
- undertaking a critical appraisal of a situation or person, and expressing disagreement or criticism when it could be of value to the recipient
- focusing on impersonal details when making decisions
- listing options and undertaking a formal process of evaluation against criteria, including a cost benefit analysis
- establishing a long term goal, working towards it, but being prepared to modify it in the light of experience and developing circumstances
- letting others develop at their own pace
Recognising Stress
As stress increases, 'learned behaviour' tends to give way to the natural style, so the ENFJ will behave more according to type when under greater stress. For example, in a crisis, the ENFJ might:
- get everyone organised
- express appreciation for their efforts
- contribute creative ideas, but overlook current realities
- fail to consider the cost implications
Under extreme stress, fatigue or illness, the ENFJ's shadow may appear - a negative form of ISTP. Example characteristics are:
- being very critical and find fault with almost everything
- doing things to excess - e.g.: eating, drinking or exercising
- asking for irrelevant information
- ignoring others' feelings
The shadow is part of the unconscious that is often visible to others, onto whom the shadow is projected. The ENFJ may therefore readily see these faults in others without recognising it in him/her self.