# xNFP--Extroversion vs. Introversion...Blech!...



## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

I never thought I'd seriously be debating whether I was an introvert or an extrovert because I've given others advice on this subject, but I am debating it...seriously. I've taken MBTI tests and gotten both INFP and ENFP. I feel like the ENFP profile goes more with me, and I also use Ne before my other cognitive functions. I've also gone with 'extrovert' because, in general, I would consider myself someone who enjoys talking with people, but I've been looking more into it, and I'm really not sure >.<
I usually feel energized after being around people, but I don't seek out people. I spend most of my time alone and really enjoy that. Sometimes I am very social and sometimes I don't know how to act in social situations. Sometimes I prefer to be more in my thoughts, and sometimes I prefer to be more with the world. Sometimes I enjoy being around others, and sometimes I don't. 
When I take the tests, I usually get somewhere in the middle...I've always thought that the E/I stereotypes were false, but some of the questions on MBTI tests fit those stereotypes, and I think that if I am an extrovert, I don't fit those stereotypes or most of the differentiating factors used on the test; That's what confuses me...
*
I think that I mostly need reassurance lol
I need to understand introversion and extroversion a bit better...

Damn...wrong section...*


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## kaycee (May 18, 2010)

I'm just like you, and I have debated the E/I even though every test says E.

I think it has to do with ENFPs being the more introspective of the E types. I know that I often need to have time by myself because I get overwhelmed by emotions and need to process whatever happened.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

kaycee said:


> I'm just like you, and I have debated the E/I even though every test says E.
> 
> I think it has to do with ENFPs being the more introspective of the E types. I know that I often need to have time by myself because I get overwhelmed by emotions and need to process whatever happened.


That's probably true. I should have posted this in the ENFP section XD
I suppose other ENFPs will probably answer...I hope, atleast haha


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## Psilo (Apr 29, 2009)

I really dislike the tests for this reason. The questions do not allow for context or reason. They use grand stereotypes and unless you are a picture perfect example of a type (chances are you're not), people fall through the cracks and it can be very confusing. 

The tests and online descriptions really blur the lines between extraversion and Se. ENPs tend to think they are extraverts when they prefer intimate settings or non-social activities. Introversion and shyness also get lumped together. 

I don't typically like to put in my two cents on trying to type people. I don't feel I can have an accurate view of a person through their posts. Still, I've seen you struggle with this for a while, and I've never had a reason to doubt you are an ENFP. My reasons probably don't hold water, and are based on stereotypes still. When you type it sounds like you are talking, which I see more from extraverted posts than introverted. You have many many posts, most of them short and social responses. I also tend to think that an NP that is unsure of E/I is probably an E. This is based on the idea that what makes NPs have less extraverted qualities, make INFPs have exaggerated introverted qualities. Like I said, stereotypes. That's the best I can do without meeting you.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

I have lots of posts and tend to not go into depth...I type how I speak, usually...I thought that was my ADD XD


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## SarahPalindrome (May 22, 2010)

I was about to post something similar in the INFP forum, glad I checked here first. I can't actually answer your questions, but I can relate. 

Lately I've been wondering the same thing myself; I've always straddled the E/I line; I was a rambunctious kid who wanted to be friends with everybody, but I could also spend HOURS alone in my room listening to books on tape & farting around with some sort of crafty activity. 

I've drifted between the two at different times in my life, and I've noticed that I tend to lean one way or the other depending on my comfort level, and the e/i preferences of the people I'm with; if I'm with unfamiliar E's, I go more I, but if I'm with close I friends, I become more outgoing and lively. When I'm totally on-my-game
I know that people tend to settle into their types as they age (i'm 23, now), and I've started to prefer I more and more as I've gotten older. I've also gotten more and more neurotic as I've aged, though, so I don't know if it's the chicken or the egg, if you know what I mean. 

In the past couple of years, I've found that I really _am_ happy and lively in social situations, with caveats: it takes a lot of energy to talk myself into going in the first place, even though experience has taught me that I usually have fun once I get there; and I still feel awkward and uncomfortable without at _least_ a few close friends nearby.


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## SarahPalindrome (May 22, 2010)

Anti-Helena said:


> I have lots of posts and tend to not go into depth...I type how I speak, usually...I thought that was my ADD XD


Hahaha, I have a few posts that are very in-depth. Maybe we're right about our types, after all.


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## OmarFW (Apr 8, 2010)

oh great empress of foliage, all you need to look at is how often you need alone time and how often you need to be around people. one of them surely has to outweigh the other in terms of regularity.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

OmarFW said:


> oh great empress of foliage, all you need to look at is how often you need alone time and how often you need to be around people. one of them surely has to outweigh the other in terms of regularity.


"Great Empress of Foliage"...I like that lol

Anyway, I can't really say that I prefer one or the other or that I need either one. I usually do with what I have and am fine with that, if that makes any sense. I usually feel energized after hanging out with a large group of people, but I rarely do that, and I don't need it. I spend time alone because I like to do a lot of independent activities such as art or just playing on my computer, but I don't feel like I NEED alone time at all...
I usually stay in my room doing things alone, and my parents get on me for being alone too much, but I don't feel like I need alone time per se...


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

SarahPalindrome said:


> I've drifted between the two at different times in my life, and I've noticed that I tend to lean one way or the other depending on my comfort level, and the e/i preferences of the people I'm with; if I'm with unfamiliar E's, I go more I, but if I'm with close I friends, I become more outgoing and lively. When I'm totally on-my-game
> I know that people tend to settle into their types as they age (i'm 23, now), and I've started to prefer I more and more as I've gotten older. I've also gotten more and more neurotic as I've aged, though, so I don't know if it's the chicken or the egg, if you know what I mean.
> 
> In the past couple of years, I've found that I really _am_ happy and lively in social situations, with caveats: it takes a lot of energy to talk myself into going in the first place, even though experience has taught me that I usually have fun once I get there; and I still feel awkward and uncomfortable without at _least_ a few close friends nearby.


lol I can't even say that it's switched throughout my life, it seems more like it switches throughout the day! But I still cannot say that I really prefer one or the other or that I need either. 

I am a bit shy whether I'm extroverted or introverted, but I'm not really taking that into account hehe


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## OmarFW (Apr 8, 2010)

Anti-Helena said:


> "Great Empress of Foliage"...I like that lol
> 
> Anyway, I can't really say that I prefer one or the other or that I need either one. I usually do with what I have and am fine with that, if that makes any sense. I usually feel energized after hanging out with a large group of people, but I rarely do that, and I don't need it. I spend time alone because I like to do a lot of independent activities such as art or just playing on my computer, but I don't feel like I NEED alone time at all...
> I usually stay in my room doing things alone, and my parents get on me for being alone too much, but I don't feel like I need alone time per se...


yeah it's hard to tell sometimes. my father is an E but only 2% lol

but his introversion only applies to certain activities like when he's gaming

his extraversion applies to everything else like his job and getting together with people


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## thisisme (Apr 11, 2010)

yeah when i hear people say enfps are loud and never stop talking i think first that they have no idea what they're talking about....and then i think unless i'm not an enfp haha but...i know about 5 enfps and we're not like that although a few of them can have times where they tell long stories but...i've been around them enough that i know they can sit and be quiet for very long periods too...they're not always talking...so then i go back to thinking...yeah those people just don't know what they're talking about. :laughing:


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## Scruffy (Aug 17, 2009)

Fi is a powerful function, and I would not be surprised if it made you feel like an I. Your Ne is very obvious and strong, the way yours is, I just cannot see you being an INFP.

Just be a happy ENFP, there's nothing wrong with some Introverted tendencies.


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## fairydust (Nov 26, 2009)

i agree with scruffy here... what's wrong with being an E and also enjoying I activities..

but i have to put my two cents in...

Extroverts are energized by people
Introverts are energized by ideas
which one energizes you MORE?

also, ask yourself the question. Are you relational or extroverted? 
i used to test as an E but in retrospect i realized the reason for that was lonliness, not because people gave me energy (they really are draining, in truth) i do find that i am relational though... i care deeply about people and meaningful relationships matter a great deal to me.. so i call myself a Relational Introvert.


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## kaycee (May 18, 2010)

fairydust said:


> i agree with scruffy here... what's wrong with being an E and also enjoying I activities..
> 
> but i have to put my two cents in...
> 
> ...



I like that! It puts things in perspective better than other ways I've seen.


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## fairydust (Nov 26, 2009)

kaycee said:


> I like that! It puts things in perspective better than other ways I've seen.


thanks, you made my day.
hugs:blushed:


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## thisisme (Apr 11, 2010)

fairydust said:


> i agree with scruffy here... what's wrong with being an E and also enjoying I activities..
> 
> but i have to put my two cents in...
> 
> ...


shit you can't ask a ne dom which energizes them more...people or ideas?! i think any enfp or entp will say they get pretty enthusiastic about ideas.

but..for me...if i go to a party and meet lots of new people and have lots of great conversation i am way way more hyped up at the end of the night than i was at the beginning.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

fairydust said:


> Extroverts are energized by people
> Introverts are energized by ideas
> which one energizes you MORE?
> 
> ...


Both people and ideas energize me...people sometimes do drain me though, but I think it's more in the psychic vampire sense of draining lol
I get energized whenever I'm in large groups of people and when I engage in social activity, but it has to be a huge group of people and I don't really need it.

I'm just going with ENFP, because as Scruffy said, my Ne is very obvious XD


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## NeedsNewNameNow (Dec 1, 2009)

I can also switch between Ne and Ti mode, and sometimes I desire lots of social contact, other times I tire of it.


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## kaycee (May 18, 2010)

Anti-Helena said:


> Both people and ideas energize me...people sometimes do drain me though, but I think it's more in the psychic vampire sense of draining lol
> I get energized whenever I'm in large groups of people and when I engage in social activity, but it has to be a huge group of people and I don't really need it.
> 
> I'm just going with ENFP, because as Scruffy said, my Ne is very obvious XD


I can get very easily drained by people, particularly if I am going through a lot in my own personal life. I really do enjoy helping people and giving advice, but if I'm being pulled at by people in my life, my energy doesn't last me very long and I can start feeling physically drained very quickly.


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## RafaelEnvoy (Apr 25, 2010)

kaycee said:


> I think it has to do with ENFPs being the more introspective of the E types.


I've heard this before, on the ENTP forum (though "introverted" was the term). As Psillo pointed out, many are lead to confuse extroversion with sensing. The sensors' emphasis on living the moment as it is probably is the reason.



Anti-Helena said:


> I don't fit those stereotypes or most of the differentiating factors used on the test; That's what confuses me...


The difference in your case is the need to communicate and explore (extrovert ideas) in relation to empathise and understand ('introvert ideas'). For the fun of it, we could say:

Intuitive Extroversion = Need to Perceive Ideas / Need to Evaluate Ideas

Extroverted intuitive types find pleasure in using their creativity, envisioning as many new possibilities as they can. Introverted intuitive types, on the other hand, seek for synthesizing, identifying the underlying theme. I take in many different concepts and merge them to comprehend the system they fall into, extroverts would prefer to devise as many different ideas as possible from the underlying theme. For an introvert (especially for a perceiver), reflection is primary.

In all honesty, I don't have a single reason to doubt you're an extrovert.


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## agokcen (Jan 3, 2010)

I've found that this issue is pretty universal for NPs. It's a matter of our Ne; it's such ambiguous function in terms of introversion versus extroversion (the most introverted extroverted function, you might say) that even extroverts who use it as their dominant function can look pretty introverted. I wish I had a good solution for you, but I struggle with a similar problem!

When in doubt, I say, err on the side of extroversion. It's the likelier of the two options for anyone who is questioning the matter.


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## fairydust (Nov 26, 2009)

maybe you should just be happy with yourself and not try to define it so much... 
you are a unique combination, a creative masterpiece, a mysterious symphony... 
i celebrate YOU
hugs


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## stefairy (Dec 2, 2009)

E/I can be a hard one to really understand! I think it's really interesting how xNFP struggles with this SO much more than seriously any other type. Probably because both love other people, but tend to be shy too.

Shyness and introversion/extroversion aren't the same thing - you can be a shy extrovert (ENFP is probably the most common example) or an outgoing introvert (a lot of introverted Js are like this cause of Fe/Te). I've seen it explained that it depends how you get your energy, by being alone or by being with people. But that's not entirely right either, since anyone who has a healthy social life is energized by being around their friends, and everyone needs to some alone time to recharge.

The best explanation that I can think of is that introverts generally need more time to reflect on/process things, since they're more oriented towards their internal world. Like, introverts do more processing before they speak, but extroverts figure out what they're saying while they say it. So I think introverts are more likely to fit the stereotype of shy and quiet because of that, but it's not like it's just another word for shy.

Personally, I started out as "I'm shy, so I must be INFP", then "well I love being with people, so I must be ENFP", but I feel like I've finally got it right!

RafaelEnvoy, do you know about the functions? Your N descriptions are more like Ne and Ni, not INxx and ENxx. INFP, and actually INTP too, use Ne as their second function.


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## agokcen (Jan 3, 2010)

stefairy said:


> E/I can be a hard one to really understand! I think it's really interesting how xNFP struggles with this SO much more than seriously any other type.


'cept for xNTPs. As I said, it's really an NP thing. Curse you, Ne!


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

stefairy said:


> The best explanation that I can think of is that introverts generally need more time to reflect on/process things, since they're more oriented towards their internal world. Like, introverts do more processing before they speak, but extroverts figure out what they're saying while they say it. So I think introverts are more likely to fit the stereotype of shy and quiet because of that, but it's not like it's just another word for shy.


_That_ description would put me as an extrovert lol
But the 'energy' explanation and the stereotypes are what confused me...


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## fairydust (Nov 26, 2009)

stefairy said:


> E/I can be a hard one to really understand! I think it's really interesting how xNFP struggles with this SO much more than seriously any other type. Probably because both love other people, but tend to be shy too.
> 
> Shyness and introversion/extroversion aren't the same thing - you can be a shy extrovert (ENFP is probably the most common example) or an outgoing introvert (a lot of introverted Js are like this cause of Fe/Te). I've seen it explained that it depends how you get your energy, by being alone or by being with people. But that's not entirely right either, since anyone who has a healthy social life is energized by being around their friends, and everyone needs to some alone time to recharge.
> 
> ...


that's a really good explaination. many people confuse introversion with shyness and that is WRONG. Shyness is a "social anxiety, an extreme self-consciousness when one is around people" (The Introvert Advantage). Introverts, as you said, are oriented towards their internal world.

For all you introverts out there i just bought the book The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney. It's fabulous, even detailing how our brains differ from extroverts... it's worth reading.

hugs to ya


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## Achi (Mar 20, 2010)

Does it really matter? You're probably borderline I/E like me, pretty much equally divided so you can thrive in both situations. If you fit the description for both types then just call yourself an XNFP, it sounds cooler anyways.

Going on the bias that adding X to anything makes it sound cooler, I'm really an XXTX, now that's awesome :crazy: I just go with the ISTJ title because it's what I lean to subconsciously, and it's close to how others describe me.


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## SarahPalindrome (May 22, 2010)

OmarFW said:


> all you need to look at is how often you need alone time and how often you need to be around people. one of them surely has to outweigh the other in terms of regularity.



Did this, and you are right. I need time with friends just as much as I need time alone, but I don't need them in equal proportions.


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