People With The Most Intuitive, Free-Spirited Personality Type Share 10 Specific Traits
ENFPs will intrigue and charm the heck out of you.
Zolotarevs / Shutterstock Though we can take plenty of personality tests, the 16 Myers-Briggs types provide insight into the unique ways we make decisions and perceive the world.
And depending on your personality type, you are going to experience the world a little differently than others. The ENFP personality type is no different.
Though they make up 8% of the population and aren't quite a rare personality type, they are still uncommon in regards to their traits.
ENFP Meaning
In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the ENFP personality, or “The Campaigner,” stands for Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving. (Their opposite is the ISTJ personality type, which stands for Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging.)
This personality is known for being intuitive, having the ambition to grow, the desire to live life to the fullest, and being social and energetic. Above all, the ENFP personality type is probably the most charismatic out of all 16 personality types!
People with this personality type are known to be strong communicators who love experiencing new things and frequently express empathy towards others.
But though they have strong people skills, they are quick to overwhelm, fail to adhere to rules or standards, seek validation from others, and are disorderly.
ENFPs generally are passionate individuals who are creative, open-minded, witty, imaginative, altruistic, and enjoy, above all else, keeping the peace. They are not only curious about exciting things, but about learning more about others as well.
Still, despite their charisma and flexibility, the ENFP personality tends to be easily distracted when they aren't fully entertained or interested. And though they are wonderful at generating new ideas, ENFPs tend to be unorganized, often not completing ideas they had dreamed up.
Positive & Negative ENFP Personality Traits
1. Philosophical
ENFPs are not the type to just accept what life is all about from a young age and stick to that viewpoint. They are the ones who are always looking for more answers and growing their opinions.
Settling for one opinion isn’t enough. They know that life is subjective and all about perspective.
2. Empathic
People in the ENFP personality type are very social and emotional, which tends to mean that their emotions are closely knit with the emotions of the people around them. If you’re not having fun at a party, they’re not having fun either.
3. Diplomatic
While others walk through life strongly pushing their opinions forward, ENFPs are the open-minded ones. They’re not interested in arguing. They can see the merits to all viewpoints and are only interested in discovering how it all fits into their place in the universe.
Instead of developing strong opinions of their own, they take all of their friends' viewpoints into consideration when developing ideas about the world.
4. Social
ENFPs have a way of always making the conversation evolve to a subject they wish to talk about, in such a way that it feels natural. They enjoy all types of conversations (deep and small talk alike).
5. Harmonious
ENFPs can get along with almost anyone and have lots of friends. Being so open-minded, energetic, and sociable means they find it easy to get along with nearly anyone, and often have a huge circle of friends.
6. Distractible
Tasks that are repetitive or routine can be difficult for the ENFP personality, as they tend to be distracted by philosophical ideas or plans to move forward in some way.
7. Easily stressed
Tending to overthink things and being highly emotional means ENFPs are easily overwhelmed. Since they care about other people's feelings, you won't often find them saying "no," leading to overwhelm and stress.
8. Altruistic
ENFPs find themselves getting so caught up in helping others that they eventually realize they’ve been avoiding their own needs.
For example, they might bring soup over to a sick friend but forget to eat lunch themselves. Or they may help a friend move even though they had work to do themselves, so they end up losing sleep finishing their own tasks.
9. Curious
Standing still is not an option for ENFPs. They always need to learn new things, push their boundaries (and others' boundaries), and discuss new ideas with others.
10. Extroverted
While others enjoy a quiet evening at home, this is seldom the case for ENFPs. They feel the need to spend most of their free time out, experiencing life and all it has to offer, especially if it involves meeting new and interesting people.
ENFP Compatibility & Relationships
In relationships, ENFPs are passionate and dedicated to seeing the bond with their partner grow in all the best ways. ENFPs are incredibly supportive of their partners and offer encouragement and acceptance throughout everyday life.
Due to their social nature, they tend to be open with their emotions, experiences and feelings, leaving no room for guessing; however, they avoid confrontation, so if there is a disagreement, they may retreat emotionally.
For ENFPs in love, compromise is at the forefront of their relationship. They are quite flexible and value a deep connection with their mate.
An ideal partner for an ENFP is someone who enjoys spontaneity, going out and having fun experiences, is creative and empathetic, and is open to a good philosophical discussion.
The best matches for ENFP include INFJ and INTJ personality types, but they should stay away from ISTP, ISFJ, and ESTJ types.
Best Career For ENFP Personality
Not only do ENFPs prefer jobs that allow them to be social, but they want a career where they have some flexibility. They have trouble following rules, so a workplace that limits creativity is not ideal. They also won't do well in career paths that require routines or repetitive tasks, as they are easily bored.
ENFPs will thrive in environments where they can be of service to others, can express their empathy, create their own schedule, and focus on their personal development at the same time.
This is why the best ENFP careers include work in music, art, acting, fitness, design, education, or coaching. An ideal job for ENFP includes as a musician, journalist, actor, counselor, social worker, fitness trainer, photographer, fashion designer, professor, or teacher.
Tips For Relating To An ENFP Personality Type
1. Let their creativity flow.
While it would be good for ENFPs to have some organization and direction, they are happiest when they can express their inner creativity, whether it's through art, music or even dance.
Rather than trying to put reins on their creative expressions, embrace it! Let them bring their imagination to light, without trying to get them to focus on one task at a time.
2. Be open with your emotions and feelings.
Because ENFPs are extremely empathetic, social and are great at communicating, when getting to know them it's essential to be straightforward with how you feel. Opening up emotionally will allow ENFPs to connect with you on a deeper level.
Don't worry about your personal feelings starting any kind of disagreement; ENFPs are philosophical and always want to learn about every single viewpoint.
3. Don't tell them what to do.
ENFPs are extremely free-spirited and independent, so they don't take kindly to any kind of advice or authority. Even if you want to offer them helpful advice, it's best to keep it to yourself.
While you can make suggestions meant to help them, they may interpret it as your way of trying to control their life. And it could cost you a friendship.
Famous People With ENFP Personalities
- Robin Williams
- Jennifer Aniston
- Bob Dylan
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Cher
- Katie Couric
- Tom Brady
- Kelly Ripa
- Janis Joplin
- Fidel Castro
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who has written hundreds of articles about relationships, trending news and entertainment, numerology and astrology.