ENFP
From
Conversations with
Discoverer Advocates
The following
is adapted from Linda V. Berens and Dario
Nardi, The
16 Personality Types: Descriptions for
Self-Discovery (Telos Publications,
1999) *Used with permission.
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I have to be directly in contact with
people and know that somehow I am influencing
what happens for them in a positive way.
That is a kind of driving force in my
life, actualizing potential, giving encouragement,
letting people know what I think they
can do. I have been told I have this uncanny
ability to absolutely zero in on and intuit
what people need. I sometimes recognize
something about them that they have not
said to anybody else. And they say, “How
did you know?”
I
see myself as a facilitator. It’s
not about imposing what I want to see
happen, although I have some grand ideal
of everyone having a better life or feeling
better or dealing with a particular issue.
Being able to understand people in depth
gives me a feeling I have been friends
with them forever, and when I act too
much that way, they may not be able to
handle it. But I feel sad when I see potential
in someone and they are either denying
it or not able to access it in some way.
I’m very sensitive too, but sometimes
easily discouraged, and I still go on
thrilled to meet new people, with an interest
in assisting them in whatever they are
seeking. I give them both knowledge and
meaning. I bring a fresh perspective and
my appreciation for people’s goodness.
If
I’m stuck for hours working at a
monotonous task, I get peculiar, zonky,
and weird. I get very tired if I can’t
get out and exchange information. I’ll
lack bounce, the bubbling of ideas that
makes me run through life. I absolutely
have to have a fulfilling job or I get
depressed. I want to use my talents, make
a difference, and have autonomy. If not,
I struggle to retain a sense of self and
it’s like my spirit is dying.
People
talk about being drawn to me. Friends
are so important to me and I have good
intentions. I like to think I’ll
do whatever I can do to hold on to them,
but often I don’t get around to writing
or calling. They know that if they create
a friendship with me, then the friendship
is going to be intense and loyal and I
will be there for them when they really
need me. And I can engage with people
that I care about who are a distance away
and feel like they are a part of my life
on an ongoing basis, picking up a lot
of feeling from what they write or when
they call. It would be easier to spin
straw into gold than be totally alone
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remember this wonderful little boy, but
he was conning everyone. I kept looking
straight at him, “in the soul,”
and finally he put his hands up over his
eyes and said, “You’ve got to
quit looking at me like that. I can look
at people like that, but you can’t
look at me like that.” And I completely
understood him and I said, “I know
who you are, and it’s not bad. It’s
good, you’re good, and you have promise.”
That’s what people don’t want
to hear—I see you, I value you, I
care what you’ll become, and I wish
to be a part of that if you need me.
Search & Apply to New Jobs The
following is adapted
from Linda V. Berens and Dario Nardi,
The
16 Personality Types: Descriptions for
Self-Discovery (Telos Publications,
1999) *Used with permission.
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