This is a question that I have breifly wrestled with every few years or so, as I try to keep a check on how I am changing as I grow older. I suppose its true to say, I know my weaknesses now but thats about all I know for sure about myself. All my personality and behavioural traits seem to be in constant flux, so, change my mind, I often do.
Hippocrates would have categorized me as either Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic or Melancholic where as ancient philosophers and astrologers would have me as either Fire, Air, Water or Earth.
Today we have much more scientific approaches that allow for more of the complexities of the human temperament.
I took a Myers-Briggs psychometric personality test recently to find out how accurate modern methods of categorisation are and found out that I am an ENFP, which apparently means:
Extraverted (E) 50% Introverted (I) 50%
Intuitive (N) 73% Sensing (S) 27%
Feeling (F) 55% Thinking (T) 45%
Perceiving (P) 55% Judging (J) 45%
So then I googled 'ENFP' and read a few profiles of 'ENFP' personality types. Very interesting and seemingly accurate for the most part. I quite like the idea that ENFP's are rare, and '.. account for about 2–8% of the population' and can be referred to as 'Champions'[Keirney] but I do wonder, since this profile is base on questions about myself that only I answered, how accurate it reads for people who actually know me - for example, wouldn't my work colleagues describe me differently than a family member, who would describe me differently again from close friends?
Ive taken a couple of sentences from one of the 'ENFP' profiles I read which I think are pretty accurate:
1. ENFP's are basically happy people. They may become unhappy when they are confined to strict schedules or mundane tasks. Consequently, ENFPs work best in situations where they have a lot of flexibility, and where they can work with people and ideas. Many go into business for themselves. They have the ability to be quite productive with little supervision, as long as they are excited about what they're doing.
2. They have a strong need to be independent, and resist being controlled or labelled. They need to maintain control over themselves, but they do not believe in controlling others. Their dislike of dependence and suppression extends to others as well as to themselves.
3. Because ENFPs live in the world of exciting possibilities, the details of everyday life are seen as trivial drudgery. They place no importance on detailed, maintenance-type tasks, and will frequently remain oblivious to these types of concerns. When they do have to perform these tasks, they do not enjoy themselves. This is a challenging area of life for most ENFPs, and can be frustrating for ENFP's family members.
4. With a dramatic flair, they share their experiences with others, hoping to reveal some universal truth or win others over in support of a cause. Attuned to possibilities, Champions scan their environment, probing the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. This sensitivity sometimes conflicts with their intense drive for personal authenticity. Spontaneous and personable, they attract others to their company (Kiersey description)
I suppose what I would like to be able to do, is write a short single sentence that sums me up perfectly. I have done it before on CVs for job purposes but that kind of description is only focused on positive traits related to one situation.
whats the point? - you might say!
I think its about the every-man quest to find lasting happiness in life - how better to find it than to understand oneself better and be able to engineer my everyday surroundings so that I am inspired and stimulated. No more apathy, no more boredom.
I quite like the idea of looking for jobs that suit ENFP types perfectly - maybe that's the way to go.
Hippocrates would have categorized me as either Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic or Melancholic where as ancient philosophers and astrologers would have me as either Fire, Air, Water or Earth.
Today we have much more scientific approaches that allow for more of the complexities of the human temperament.
I took a Myers-Briggs psychometric personality test recently to find out how accurate modern methods of categorisation are and found out that I am an ENFP, which apparently means:
Extraverted (E) 50% Introverted (I) 50%
Intuitive (N) 73% Sensing (S) 27%
Feeling (F) 55% Thinking (T) 45%
Perceiving (P) 55% Judging (J) 45%
So then I googled 'ENFP' and read a few profiles of 'ENFP' personality types. Very interesting and seemingly accurate for the most part. I quite like the idea that ENFP's are rare, and '.. account for about 2–8% of the population' and can be referred to as 'Champions'[Keirney] but I do wonder, since this profile is base on questions about myself that only I answered, how accurate it reads for people who actually know me - for example, wouldn't my work colleagues describe me differently than a family member, who would describe me differently again from close friends?
Ive taken a couple of sentences from one of the 'ENFP' profiles I read which I think are pretty accurate:
1. ENFP's are basically happy people. They may become unhappy when they are confined to strict schedules or mundane tasks. Consequently, ENFPs work best in situations where they have a lot of flexibility, and where they can work with people and ideas. Many go into business for themselves. They have the ability to be quite productive with little supervision, as long as they are excited about what they're doing.
2. They have a strong need to be independent, and resist being controlled or labelled. They need to maintain control over themselves, but they do not believe in controlling others. Their dislike of dependence and suppression extends to others as well as to themselves.
3. Because ENFPs live in the world of exciting possibilities, the details of everyday life are seen as trivial drudgery. They place no importance on detailed, maintenance-type tasks, and will frequently remain oblivious to these types of concerns. When they do have to perform these tasks, they do not enjoy themselves. This is a challenging area of life for most ENFPs, and can be frustrating for ENFP's family members.
4. With a dramatic flair, they share their experiences with others, hoping to reveal some universal truth or win others over in support of a cause. Attuned to possibilities, Champions scan their environment, probing the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. This sensitivity sometimes conflicts with their intense drive for personal authenticity. Spontaneous and personable, they attract others to their company (Kiersey description)
I suppose what I would like to be able to do, is write a short single sentence that sums me up perfectly. I have done it before on CVs for job purposes but that kind of description is only focused on positive traits related to one situation.
whats the point? - you might say!
I think its about the every-man quest to find lasting happiness in life - how better to find it than to understand oneself better and be able to engineer my everyday surroundings so that I am inspired and stimulated. No more apathy, no more boredom.
I quite like the idea of looking for jobs that suit ENFP types perfectly - maybe that's the way to go.
- The quotes are mainly from here: http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html
- Here is the wiki entry for an ENFP type person: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENFP
- All about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator
- Keirsey description of the Champion' http://keirsey.com/4temps/champion.asp
am not posting my result, but made for interesting reading!
ReplyDeleterich :)