People With The Most Caring Personality Type Share 13 Specific Traits
Individuals who have an ENFJ personality type are known to be givers.
Ollyy / Shutterstock The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality inventory is a typing system based on self-reported answers to a questionnaire developed by mother-daughter team Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs and based on Carl Jung's theory of personality. The instrument identified particular groupings of traits, characteristics and behaviors that determine many your strengths and weaknesses.
There are 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, the categorizations of which are based on how you think, react, communicate, and enjoy living life. If you have taken the assessment and discovered you have the rare ENFJ personality type, you may be wondering what that means.
ENFJ Personality Type
ENFJ stands for Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging. This personality type is rightfully known as the “giver” of any social setting. They are referred to as the Protagonist.
These are the kind of people who will give you the shirt off their backs if it means you will smile. They’re the most generous group in the Myers-Briggs personality spectrum, and if you’re one of them, you’re one of the best people out there.
The Protagonist personality type is often described as sensitive, warm, loyal, and outgoing. They often find themselves referred to as a "people person."
But just like the other personality types, the ENFJ has both positive and negative traits.
ENFJ Personality Traits
1. Empathetic
ENFJs care about people in ways others don’t. It’s not just caring that someone is happy, either. ENFJs care about what people think of them, that the people around them are safe, and that everything is at peace. This is both a strength and a weakness.
ENFJs are very sensitive to the opinions of others, and this can get them into bad situations. However, their caring nature also makes them one of the best spouses you can get.
2. Charming
ENFJs are charismatic, talkative, and engaging people to be around. This is why they are often natural kings and queens of social scenes, and why they always seem to be surrounded by friends, family, and admirers.
3. Intuitive
The way someone meshes with the ENFJ's personal values and how they feel about them matters way more than the facts.
Unlike other personality types that may have a more business-like way of choosing their friends, ENFJs tend to be more “feelings-based” when they do so. It’s their inferior function, or their introverted thinking, and intuitive social style that makes this the case.
4. Organized
Though many would never guess it, ENFJs are organized, practical people. This tends to show most at work and at home, but even in smaller things, like the way ENFJs plan outings, it’s obvious. Structure is a good thing for ENFJs.
5. Social
People skills are something ENFJs have in spades. This is great for anyone who befriends them, as well as the ENFJ who wants a good paycheck.
People with this personality type find themselves in careers where they are counselors, mediators, nurses, or teachers. They are the ultimate kind of “people person,” which makes them great public servants, superb caregivers, and overall incredibly perceptive negotiators.
6. Humanitarian
More than any other Myers-Briggs type, ENFJs need a community. They take a huge sense of pride in helping their local community and getting others to contribute in a meaningful way.
When given the chance, ENFJs make excellent leaders, especially when it comes to non-profit types of organizations.
7. Loving
ENFJs make sure their loved ones want for nothing, even if it means they have to struggle. They are exceptionally talented at being loving spouses, parents, and grandparents. They will go to the ends of the earth to make sure the people they love are happy, healthy, safe, and provided for.
Lucky is the person who loves an ENFJ!
8. Friendly
ENFJs, for one reason or another, can get people to open up in a way that others simply can’t. And that’s why they’re the people others turn to when they want to talk about anything, or get the love they need to keep going.
9. Selfless
ENFJs are the people who will make things happen for others and do it because they just love to help out. This is a great trait to have, but can easily put naive ENFJs at risk of being taken advantage of by the wrong people.
10. Shy
Though ENFJs are extraverted, they tend to be shy when showing who they really are. By the time an ENFJ reaches their teenage years, the amount of times they get hurt by others is staggering.
Realizing that people take advantage of them so often, most ENFJs tend to be a lot more reserved when it comes to showing their true nature right off the bat.
11. Needy
ENFJs suffer when not around people. These individuals need people around them almost all the time, and even then they may feel lonely in large groups.
Though they logically know they need at least a little alone time, they generally hate being alone. If they’re not careful, ENFJs might get into the wrong crowd because of this trait.
12. Insecure
ENFJs absolutely do have their own opinions; however, if they’re feeling insecure, they tend to act as doormats to those around them. Even so, they typically won’t let themselves be bullied into doing things that go against their morals.
13. Self-critical
People regularly tell ENFJs to stop beating themselves up. These individuals are their own worst critics. They hold themselves to a higher standard than anyone else around them, and that can be brutal.
ENFJ Compatibility in Relationships
ENFJs are extremely attracted to confidence and any form of talent. But the quickness of ENFJs falling in love depends on their counterparts. The personality types best suited for ENFJ include other ENFJs, INFPs, and ENTJs.
ENFJ and ENFJ
ENFJ is most compatible with other ENFJs. This is because they know and understand how the other functions, and would never take advantage of one another like other personality types.
Both personality types like social gatherings, are easy communicators, and enjoy planning activities and adventures for the future. They value organization and harmony in life.
Due to their people-pleaser characteristics, they are eager to reach a resolution to misunderstandings or conflict. ENFJs also hold relationships in high value because they authentically care about people. Dating someone just like themselves is their best option.
ENFJ and INFP
This is the personality an ENFJ should marry, as ENFJ's natural partner is the INFP.
ENFJ's dominant function of Extroverted Feeling is best matched with a partner whose dominant function is Introverted Feeling. An ENFJ and INFP are ideally matched because they share the intuitive way of looking at the world while being magnetic opposites.
ENFJ and ENTJ
This pairing is a good match because they don't have everything in common, but have enough to establish a connection.
After the connection is made, they have differences between them that can make for great conversations. Both ENFJ and ENTJ are extroverted and have a great ability to connect intuitively.
Best Career For ENFJ
At work, ENFJs are always motivated to organize others and create positive change. They are problem-solvers and use their strong intuition to connect with people.
ENFJs look for cooperation and work best in a harmonious environment where they can encourage growth in supporting their coworkers. They often take on a mentor role.
Some career paths for ENFJs include social worker, author, nurse, counselor, or educator.
Tips For Relating to Someone with an ENFJ Personality Type
1. Be honest with them.
Open communication is a huge factor for ENFJs. They want to know what's really going on so they can help you as best as they can. They hate it when people won't tell them what's wrong, and can become extremely frustrated.
2. Be wary of them overexerting themselves.
ENFJs are likely to take on more than they can because they care about everyone and want to help. This often leads to them burning out.
When this happens, it's best to be there to help them, like they help everyone else. Spending time with them is also a good way to help them recover since they need to be around people to recharge.
3. Remind them that sleep is a good thing.
ENFJs will often put their own needs behind others, so when you see this happening and they neglect their health, bring it to their attention. Remind them what happened last time they didn't sleep or eat, and give them those exact things.
If they don't take care of their health, how will they continue to help others? They might be a bit cranky at first but will eventually appreciate what you're doing for them.
4. Communicate openly.
ENFJs enjoy a good conversation, but if you're just sitting there listening, they may move onto someone else who will provide them with a "give and take" conversation. ENFJs don't just talk to be heard — they talk to get to know the other person.
Famous People With ENFJ Personalities
- Morgan Freeman
- Oprah Winfrey
- Malala Yousafzai
- Peyton Manning
- Nelson Mandela
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Dakota Fanning
- Ben Affleck
- Maya Angelou
- Greta Thunberg
Is ENFJ a rare personality?
Though there are (statistically) rarer personality types out there, if you ask many people, the real rare gem of the MBTI spectrum is the ENFJ personality.
Out of the 16 MBTI personality types, the ENFJ only comprises about 3% of the general population, 3% of women, and 2% of men. A rare gem indeed!
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer based out of Red Bank, New Jersey whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others. She writes primarily about lifestyle, food, finance, and relationships.