# Am I an ENFP or an INFP?



## chasingdreams (Jul 16, 2011)

Could I be an ENFP and not an INFP? 

I've been told when I was a child that I was really talkative, and people would often times tell me to quiet down. So I developed the ability to be really quiet around social settings, so that I wouldn't be a nuisance to people around me.

I've noticed that I can be very charismatic, and social when I want to be. Yet, at times I prefer to be alone and a recluse. I get energy from my outward, and inner world depending on the situation. I like to be around people, but I also like being alone. 

Can my E and I be equally distributed, or in other words am I an ambivert? I have heard somewhere that ENFPs are introverted extroverts, and I can associate myself with that phrase. However, I relate a lot to the INFP description as well, and the only portion I can't really identify with is how they tend to be shy and really introverted. I'm not shy, and nor am I really introverted. I can converse with a bunch of people if I wish to, and not be afraid at all.

However, I like being alone by the end of the day as well. The world outside can give me energy, but at times it can drain me as well. So will that make me an introvert, whose not afraid to socialize? Or am I just an introverted extrovert, if that makes any sense? 

Haha, thank you in advance .


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## Spades (Aug 31, 2011)

By your description it sounds more ENFP. I think ENFP's can be introverted extroverts because their dominant function is Ne, which is a perceiving function and has to do with intuition (not sensory data). So, they could probably engage Ne by themselves and not be bored. I guess it really depends on if your Fi function is stronger than Ne or not. If you're an ambivert I would choose the type based on dominant function =)


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## chasingdreams (Jul 16, 2011)

Spades said:


> By your description it sounds more ENFP. I think ENFP's can be introverted extroverts because their dominant function is Ne, which is a perceiving function and has to do with intuition (not sensory data). So, they could probably engage Ne by themselves and not be bored. I guess it really depends on if your Fi function is stronger than Ne or not. If you're an ambivert I would choose the type based on dominant function =)


Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'll look up my Ne and Fi and see which one is stronger than the other. As of right now, I believe I use more Fi but my Ne is really developed, and so I guess that's why I'm feeling confused over being extroverted or introverted. On most tests, I've gotten introverted by a few percents more and vice versa. As of right now though, I think I've just gotten more extroverted because I _have_ to, but as a child I was pretty quiet. And now that I think of it, I tend to only gain energy when I'm around close friends I know, and not while i'm in crowds. Also, I sometimes like being alone if I'm ever invited to social settings with many people.


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## moowithelsie (Jan 31, 2010)

Usually, the way people behave as children is a good indicator of true type, so that would suggest that you're ENFP. Other things you say point toward ENFP...one of my good friends is an ENFP and she's very much like you- she loves people but she also can't handle too much. She also has a very strong Fi, but that doesn't dictate whether she's an extravert or introvert.


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## chasingdreams (Jul 16, 2011)

moowithelsie said:


> Usually, the way people behave as children is a good indicator of true type, so that would suggest that you're ENFP. Other things you say point toward ENFP...one of my good friends is an ENFP and she's very much like you- she loves people but she also can't handle too much. She also has a very strong Fi, but that doesn't dictate whether she's an extravert or introvert.


Thank you moowithelsi for taking the time to reply. I was wondering if personality types change over time, or do they remain constant? Anyhow, I do love to be around people I can *relate* to and whom share the same *interests* as me. I don't really bother socializing with people who don't share anything in common with me. I've noticed many ENFPs tend to talk to nearly anyone, whilst I just pick and choose who I'd like to talk to. I mean I'm pretty open to talking to anyone, but I prefer to have deep conversations rather than superficial ones with people I know I can relate to. I'm kind of stuck in-between being an ENFP and INFP. It's like I relate to both of them, but then again INFPs and ENFPs seem really similar. 

I've read the differences between Fi and Ne, and I think I first use my Fi and then I use my Ne. I tend to see how everything around me fits into my own personal value system, and I hear that's a very INFP think to do. However, my value system tends to change if I find something new that's agreeable. So, I'm wondering if INFPs are very open-minded when it comes to change, or is that more of an ENFP thing to do?

EDIT: And oh by the way, if childhood does have something to do with your personality then I believe I was more introverted as a child. Also I'd like to mention that ENFPs seem really out there, but I'm not as out there as most I know. What's more, they seem less serious than a lot of INFPs I know. I'm a bit more serious than a lot of ENFPs I've seen, and I'm not as bubbly. However, I'd like to mention I'm just making assumptions because I've met only a few XNFPs in real life.


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## Hope420 (Mar 21, 2011)

I could use some info as well... I got infp though I did the test recently twice, and got enfp... I noticed when I changed one question, it went back to infp... so I think i'm infp, but on the cusp of e..? Just a weak e? The guy i've been seeing is a enfp.. I have a feeling that may have influenced it, though I believe it has made me happier.. I think I use to be more socialable, and out going as a kid, though i've been through a ton over the years things happened as a child too, I just don't know if i'm too hurt that i'm not allowing myself to be the e? I've had a lot of fall throughs with people, ruining the trust I had in them and just a lot of negativity in my life, so I question if doing the test at this time would be so accurate.. I do relate to the infp details very much, but I find I can also be like the enfp. I wouldn't mind to, because it'd enable me to use my intuition more, i've been jealous of enfp's for that.


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## Hardstyler (Sep 4, 2010)

alot of todays healthy enfps in my opinion have gone though intense amounts of emotional and mental stress during our teenage years. This usually sometimes superceed our abilty to use Ne. for example one day i felt depressed I was internalizing inside my emotions and releasing them then using my Ne to make up a bunch of possibilites to fix the solution then again use Fi to make a decision on gut insyict. Where as a healthy ENFP will use there Ne to think about something sometimes to a extent they cant find a solution then utilize Fi aka "gut instict" to make a final decision.Sometimes the line between ENFP can be drawn just but mental state of health.It also depends on how you use your Ne/Fi vs Fi/Ne relationship.


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## Hope420 (Mar 21, 2011)

Hardstyler said:


> alot of todays healthy enfps in my opinion have gone though intense amounts of emotional and mental stress during our teenage years. This usually sometimes superceed our abilty to use Ne. for example one day i felt depressed I was internalizing inside my emotions and releasing them then using my Ne to make up a bunch of possibilites to fix the solution then again use Fi to make a decision on gut insyict. Where as a healthy ENFP will use there Ne to think about something sometimes to a extent they cant find a solution then utilize Fi aka "gut instict" to make a final decision.Sometimes the line between ENFP can be drawn just but mental state of health.It also depends on how you use your Ne/Fi vs Fi/Ne relationship.


I agree, this makes sense, I see it a lot in the person I know who is for sure an enfp, sometimes I feel though he's too childish, my parents have looked at him as careless because he doesn't look after his stuff and makes choices on spur of the moment. I want to understand enfp's better so I can help him, though I still need to be helping myself first. -.-


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## chasingdreams (Jul 16, 2011)

Hardstyler said:


> alot of todays healthy enfps in my opinion have gone though intense amounts of emotional and mental stress during our teenage years. This usually sometimes superceed our abilty to use Ne. for example one day i felt depressed I was internalizing inside my emotions and releasing them then using my Ne to make up a bunch of possibilites to fix the solution then again use Fi to make a decision on gut insyict. Where as a healthy ENFP will use there Ne to think about something sometimes to a extent they cant find a solution then utilize Fi aka "gut instict" to make a final decision.Sometimes the line between ENFP can be drawn just but mental state of health.It also depends on how you use your Ne/Fi vs Fi/Ne relationship.


Thank you for your post. I think I mostly use Fi/Ne, though I believe I'm just as extroverted as I am introverted. I'm supposing I really am an introvert, but through the years I have become more extroverted as I was persuaded into socializing more by my close ones, in order to "function" properly in society. However, I began to talk a lot and so my peers and close ones told me to quiet down. I'm going to go with being an INFP, but at times I still do feel like an ENFP. I think I have a neutral personality, and so it's kind of hard for me to fully relate to any description, but then again every individual is different and personality types don't accurately describe one at all as they're generalizations, but they can aid the individual to betterment.


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