ENFJ

Profile

ENFJ - The Teacher Personality Type
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ENFJs are idealist organizers, driven to implement their vision of what is best for humanity. They often act as catalysts for human growth because of their ability to see potential in other people and their charisma in persuading others to their ideas. They are driven by values and vision, and are passionate about the possibilities for people.

ENFJs tune into the needs of others, and want to engage to create an environment of support. They are concerned with making people feel cared for and fostering their growth. Their compassion is not reserved for the people in their immediate vicinity: they are often humanitarian in nature, and may feel genuine concern for the ills of the entire human race.

ENFJs like to be liked and are very sensitive to feedback, both positive and negative. They take criticism quite personally. They expect the best not just from themselves, but from others as well, and tend to idealize relationships. Discovering that another person does not have the ENFJ’s best interests at heart, or that their intentions are not pure, is deeply upsetting to the ENFJ.

ENFJs have an intuitive sense of the emotional state of others, and often act as an emotional barometer for the people around them. They tend to personally experience the feelings of others, and are highly motivated to create harmony in their environments. Because they are so tuned in to emotion, engaging with other people can sometimes become overwhelming for the ENFJ. More than other Extroverted types, they need time alone, away from the demands of serving and caring for others.

Recognizing an ENFJ

ENFJs are natural teachers, often found organizing people to take part in some educational activity. They tend to take charge of a situation, and guide a group towards those activities and experiences which will help them learn and grow. They intuitively see the potential in people, and with charisma and warmth, they encourage others to pursue greater development of their strengths. They are typically dynamic and productive, and are often visibly energized when leading others to discover new knowledge.

ENFJs are typically good communicators, talented at using words to connect with others. They are perceptive about people and enjoy talking about relationships. They often enjoy helping others solve personal problems and like to share their insights about people, their emotions, and their motivations. They are empathetic sometimes to the point of being overinvolved, and can become exhausted if they are surrounded by too much negative emotion.

For more information: The Art of SpeedReading People
ENFJ in the Population

ENFJ is one of the less common types in the population, especially for men. Among men, ENFJ is the second rarest type. ENFJs make up:

  • 3% of the general population
  • 3% of women
  • 2% of men
Popular Hobbies

Popular hobbies for the ENFJ include organizing social events, reading, the arts, museums, storytelling, listening to music, writing, and gourmet cooking.

Famous ENFJs

Famous ENFJs include Oprah Winfrey, Pope John Paul II, Margaret Mead, Ralph Nader, Abraham Maslow, Dr. Phil McGraw, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

For more information: Famous ENFJs
Research on ENFJ

Interesting facts about the ENFJ:

  • On personality trait scales, scored as Active, Pleasant, Sociable, Demanding, Impatient, Appreciative, and Compromising
  • Most likely of all types to cope with stress by exercising
  • Most likely of all types to believe in a higher spiritual power
  • Ranked by psychologists as among least likely to have trouble in school
  • Personal values include Friendships, Education & Learning, Creativity, and Community Service
  • Among types highest in job satisfaction, but also among most likely to report plans to leave their jobs
  • Commonly found in careers in religion, teaching, and the arts

Work & Careers

ENFJ at Work

At work, the ENFJ is motivated to organize others to implement positive change. ENFJs are enthusiastic problem-solvers, especially when they can put their strong intuition about people to good use.

ENFJs strive for cooperation and work best in a harmonious environment where they can support other people and encourage their growth. They often take on a mentor role, seeing their primary aim as helping other people become better at what they do.

ENFJs are often attracted to leadership roles; they naturally organize people to take advantage of their unique talents. They often have a strong vision in their work, and enjoy being able to use their creativity to develop innovative initiatives with a humanitarian focus. ENFJs appreciate teamwork, and they want to have the organizational resources to put their ideas into action.

The ideal work environment for an ENFJ is forward-thinking and people-centered, with a clear humanitarian mission and an emphasis on constructive action. The ideal job for an ENFJ allows them to develop and implement ideas that improve the circumstances and well-being of other people.

ENFJs as Leaders

In leadership posiitons, ENFJs are enthusiastic, supportive, and action-oriented. They are strong leaders with clear ideas about how to improve organizations to better serve the needs of people. ENFJs are confident in their mission, but often balance their goal orientation with a focus on interpersonal process. They seek cooperation, and want others on board, in action and in spirit. ENFJs often take on a mentorship role; they like to help their employees develop as workers and as people.

Although ENFJs typically enjoy leadership, they can become discouraged in environments with ongoing conflict. They have a deep need to be appreciated and can become drained and ineffective in positions where they are not able to elicit support for their ideas and values.

ENFJs on a Team

ENFJs are collaborative, inspirational team members who are interested in working together to implement plans for progress. ENFJ team members work from supportive relationships as their foundation; they are skilled at understanding the needs and priorities of others and talented at building consensus. ENFJs have a natural enthusiasm, and tend to engage their team members in their vision.

Because they are so oriented to cooperation, ENFJs can be ineffective on teams in conflict; they may become so engaged with trying to create harmony that they neglect to make an objective evaluation. Although they usually have a strong sense of purpose, they are more people-focused than task-focused, and will prioritize the growth and development of others throughout the process. ENFJs sometimes need to refocus on the task at hand, as they can spend so much time mentoring and encouraging others that they forget the team’s primary goal.

For more information: What's Your Type of Career?

Popular Careers for the ENFJ

Top careers for the ENFJ include:

For more information: Do What You Are

Least Popular Careers for ENFJs

It is important to note that any personality type can be successful in any occupation. However, some occupations are well suited to the natural talents and preferred work style of the ENFJ, while other occupations demand modes of thinking and behavior that do not come as naturally to the ENFJ. Occupations that require the ENFJ to operate outside their natural preferences may prove stressful or draining, and often sound unappealing to ENFJs who are choosing a career.

The following occupations have been found to be unpopular among ENFJs, based on data gathered from surveys of the general population.

Relationships

ENFJ Communication Style

ENFJs are warm, compassionate communicators who show enthusiasm for other people and their ideas. They want to understand what is important to others so that they can take action to improve the situation for all involved. ENFJs readily give affirmation and support, making sure that people know that their ideas are valued. They are good at connecting with a variety of people and creative in coming up with solutions that accommodate others’ needs. They are often natural teachers and mentors, showing others the way and helping them to improve themselves.

ENFJs as Partners

In relationships, the ENFJ is helpful and enthusiastically supportive. They are motivated to understand their partners and to do what pleases them, and are sensitive the the emotions and reactions of their mates.

ENFJs make great cheerleaders, and will encourage their partners to develop and explore their potential. They are engaged and ready to help, and look for opportunities to support their mates in their accomplishments.

ENFJ partners want harmony above all else, sometimes at the expense of their own needs. Conflict is upsetting to ENFJs, and they often avoid it. ENFJs are very sensitive to criticism and can become highly emotional and even punishing when their feelings are hurt. However, they have great insight about people, emotions and motivations; they are often able to put this talent to use in resolving things.

The ideal mate for an ENFJ appreciates their compassion, support, and dedication to helping others, and makes an effort to understand the ENFJ's feelings and values.

ENFJs as Parents

As parents, ENFJs take an active and enthusiastic role in guiding the development of their children. They enjoy teaching their children the ways of the world, and set forth clear ideas of right and wrong in a warm and supportive way.

ENFJs have high expectations for their children, and often envision bright futures for them. They have an interest in their children's potential and want to inspire them to develop it. They can sometimes idealize their children, becoming disappointed when they don't live up to expectations. They may take their children's misbehavior personally, feeling that they have failed to instill their own strong values.

For more information: Please Understand Me II

Dynamics

ENFJ Type Dynamics

The core of the ENFJ personality type is Extraverted Feeling. This dominant function guides the way ENFJs evaluate information and structure the world around them. Using Extraverted Feeling, the ENFJ seeks to create harmonious relationships and foster collaboration. They tune into the needs and potential of the people around them and organize the environment to help others cooperate and develop.

The auxiliary function for ENFJs is Introverted Intuition. This mental function supports their dominant Extraverted Feeling to help them contemplate meaning and explore ideas internally. Using Introverted Intuition, the ENFJ reflects on their impressions of other people and makes inferences about their needs. They seek to gain insight into the people around them so that they may understand their potential.

The tertiary Sensing function is less developed for most ENFJs, especially early in life. When this function is not well developed, ENFJs may have trouble noticing immediate realities and facts about the present moment.

The inferior function for ENFJs, or that function which is least likely to be conscious and well developed, is Introverted Thinking. When this function is not developed, ENFJs can have trouble evaluating circumstances using their own objective reasoning.

ENFJ Under Stress

ENFJs often become stressed in environments of persistent conflict. They are closely in tune with the feelings of others and the overall emotional climate; when this is disturbed, the ENFJ feels it. Personal attacks and criticism are especially stressful for the ENFJ. ENFJs want to be liked and find it difficult to deal with others who have misunderstood them or judged them as incompetent. ENFJs want cooperation and enjoy teamwork. If they are forced to deal with a problem in isolation, a stress response often follows.

Stress reactions in ENFJs often manifest as a tendency to be critical or lash out at others. Because the ENFJ’s inferior function is Thinking, they are not accustomed to delivering objective critique, and their evaluations of others may be overly harsh, blunt, and hurtful. Their normally enthusiastic manner may transform into withdrawal, as they insist that others do not understand them. ENFJs under stress can become judgmental, seizing on irelevant facts to justify their severe evaluations of themselves and others. They may focus on the idea that there is one logical answer to their problems, and get stuck in futile efforts to arrive at an objective solution. They often search through books or consult with experts in an attempt to discover the “truth.”

For more information: Was That Really Me?
ENFJs and Change

ENFJs are excited by change and the possibilities it creates. They are typically focused on growth and the development of human potential, and can be energized by both the vision of a change and the challenge of the process. ENFJs are tuned into the emotions of others, and can often accommodate their needs while also motivating them towards an inspiring future. They tend to connect with a group to ensure that everyone’s concerns are taken into account.

ENFJs will be most effective during a change when they are allowed to lead with a strong sense of vision. They want to create plans that support the development of people, and may have difficultly with changes that don’t take people’s needs into account. Others who are negative about the change also prove challenging to the ENFJ. They tend to want to support everyone, and can become frustrated with people who refuse to be positive. ENFJs may become stuck in conflict during a change. They are often concerned with reaching consensus, and can become paralyzed if it proves impossible to get everyone to agree. The ENFJ functions best during a change when they are allowed to motivate and support others with enthusiasm for the end goal.