As an ENFP, being put into any kind of box is restricting and makes us feel misunderstood. Unfortunately, there are plenty of stereotypes out there about our personality type! Let’s take a look at some of the specific misconceptions the ENFP might encounter and whether or not they hold any water.
Quick personal story.
A few years ago, I met a woman at a real estate conference. (Yawn, right? Sometimes, I wonder how I survived my previous career).
Two things were remarkable about this interaction. One: the woman was an INTJ. Two: she knew she was an INTJ, which in the circles I reluctantly socialize in, is uncommonly rare.
INFJs are sensitive, compassionate people who care about other people’s feelings and want to make the world a better place. But they are also deep thinkers with a clear sense of logic and, often, a love of science. This combination of artistic vision and fact-based reasoning can make INFJs appear to have two distinct personalities, and can confuse even INFJs themselves, especially when it comes to making career choices.
What's your standard of perfection?
Mine is ridiculously, suffocatingly, constipatingly high.
There’s no ideal way to work – just an ideal attitude to adapting.
The gig economy has led to more and more of us working short-term jobs, often remotely and/or with teams of strangers. Some choose to work this way, but for many, it is becoming a necessity. In fact, it's reckoned that freelancers will dominate the US workforce within the next decade. As things stand, around a third of free agents work this way because they have no other choice.
I'm British and we're famous for how frequently we say sorry.
If we sneeze, we say sorry. If we stop someone to ask for directions, we say sorry. If you're rushing around like a reckless fool and you crash into us (your fault, not ours), we'll be the one to say sorry. It's like a verbal tic on a national scale.
Have you ever wished you could silence your inner voice? Do you find yourself too involved in your own thoughts? Have you ever experienced such a strong inner dialogue that you found it difficult to re-engage with the world around you?
*Raises hand* I’ve been there! In fact, I was there yesterday!
Sometimes, it can take far too long to tell a simple story, especially for Introverts.
For some people, the problem might be an inability to get to the point. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, for example, the courtier Polonius says that “brevity is the soul of wit” as he tells a long, rambling story about what he thinks is the cause of the prince’s apparent madness.
We like to be alone, us introverts.
Somewhere we can close the door on the people around us – the crowds, the chatter, the spectacle of it all – and immerse ourselves in our deepest thoughts.
We need this time to recharge. A little alone-time; a little contemplation is how we connect with our innermost wisdom. Solitude is oxygen for the soul.
But to feel lonely?
That's not part of the story.
When it comes to marriage, you have to be on the same page. You and your spouse have to have the same outlook on life; you have to be able to see how the future is going to pan out for you as a couple. There’s a reason married couples, over time, begin to refer to themselves as “we” rather than “I”— marriage knots two lives together in the quest for a shared destiny.