When does an ENFJ
look like an ESTJ,
ESTP, or ENTJ?

The Fine Art of Clarifying Type by Dr. Linda V. Berens

I had a client who in the workshop Self-Discovery Process® sorted first as Artisan, then as Guardian, then as In-Charge™. Her behavior looked ESTJ like and even ENTJ like in the workshop. Her MBTI® instrument results pointed her to ENFJ and she said the descriptions of ENFJ from various sources fit her perfectly.

All of these share the In-Charge™ Interaction Style and in a time and task situation will move quickly to focusing on getting an achievable result as soon as possible. ENFJs in counseling, coaching, and OD often don’t recognize their own In-Charge™ style, but this woman was different. She was clear on that style. Her background was business, with many years as a successful senior executive where time and task and quick decisions rule. These four types also share the In-Charge™ style of straightforward and direct communication and although

ENFJs will soften the message at times, they still tend to be directing and determined in their verbal and non-verbal behavior.

ENFJ-ESTJ: Both are affiliative and seek a sense of community and interdependence. Both want to have roles clearly defined.

ENFJ-ESTP: ENFJs often have a sense of style and aesthetics that looks more Artisan than Idealist. They also can get into that fun-loving place of experiencing and enjoying the physical moment. Both of these behaviors may be evidence of engaging their tertiary cognitive process of Se in a relief role.

ENFJ-ENTJ: Cleary the business background played strongly in how this woman typically behaved and is a clear case of the environment influencing type development. She may have acquired a great deal of TJ (Te) skill in her work. However, these two types share Ni and so the sense of foreseeing and visioning would appear similar in both. Also, my client disclosed that she had overachieving parents whom she continually wanted to please and connect with (Fe) so the very strong achievement orientation we often see in _NTJs was there. Additionally, Ti plays an Aspirational role in ENFJ and we often see a seeking of clarity around definitions and principles that is usually a characteristic of the Rational temperament.

Te: If she had not been free to be her ENFJ self growing up and in her work, she may have been forced to develop skill in Te in a way that we might not expect from a process that usually plays a somewhat Devilish role in the personality. She may have tapped into it in a more transformative way as she structured her life to be who she thought she needed to be. This would explain both the ESTJ and ENTJ look to her behavior.

About Linda V. Berens, PhD.
Linda V. Berens is the founder and Chief Architect of Interstrength™ Associates (formerly Temperament Research Institute), a corporate consulting and training organization. Interstrength™ Associates (ISA) is one of eight organizations in the United States that qualifies professionals to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® instrument. ISA also certifies professionals in the Interstrength™ assessments and method, the Ideal Team Profile Questionnaire™ (ITPQ™) and the Management Team Role-indicator® (MTR-i®).

Linda holds a doctorate in psychology and serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Masters in Organizational Leadership program at Chapman University. She is the author of Understanding Yourself and Others®: An Introduction to Temperament; Understanding Yourself and Others®: An Introduction to Interaction Styles; and Dynamics of Personality Type: Understanding and Applying Jung’s Cognitive Processes and the coauthor of The I in TEAM, The 16 Personality Types: Descriptions for Self-Discovery; Understanding Yourself and Others®: An Introduction to the Personality Type Code; Quick Guide to the 16 Personality Types and Teams; Groundbreaking Sales® Skills; Working Together: A Personality-Centered Approach to Management and other books and training materials.

Linda is an organizational consultant and has spent over thirty years training professionals in the field as well as helping individuals and teams recognize their strengths, transcend their weaknesses, and work together better. Linda specializes in whole-organization implementation as well as individual and team development.

©2004 Linda V. Berens.