ENFJ Personality – Protagonist Personality
Did you know that in the early 20th century, two American writers, Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, proposed…
August 16, 2021 | 7 mins read

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Download The Handbook NowDid you know that in the early 20th century, two American writers, Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, proposed the Myers Briggs test? What’s interesting is that they were a mother-daughter duo who were so fascinated by the work of Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, that they expanded on his personality theory. Today, the test has come to be known as Myers Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI. It’s an introspective questionnaire that indicates different psychological preferences and how people make decisions. MBTI has become one of the most popular tools of self-knowledge and several organizations use it to gauge potential employees’ behavior and attitudes as well.
Let’s dive into the development of the MBTI and how self-introspection can help navigate our daily life. You’ll also learn about ENFJ, one of the 16 personality types identified by Myers and Briggs. Let’s begin!
It was Carl Jung who identified two personality attitudes—introversion and extroversion. He also emphasized the importance of the conscious and unconscious aspects of the mind that added to personality attitudes. He went ahead to combine these two attitudes with four different functions—thinking, sensation, intuition and feeling—and proposed eight variations. Myers and Briggs expanded on this theory and identified 16 personality types. The scale they used was:
It describes how an individual interacts and engages with the world around them. Extraverts (also called extroverts) enjoy frequent social interactions and feel good in social settings. Introverts enjoy deep and meaningful relationships and like to spend time alone.
It refers to how people gather information around them. People who prefer ‘sensing’ like to focus on facts and enjoy hands-on or real-time experiences. People who prefer ‘intuition’ like to engage in abstract theories and pay attention to patterns and impressions.
This scale refers to how people make decisions based on information they have gathered through sensing or intuition. People placing greater emphasis on objective data when making decisions prefer ‘thinking’. People who are considerate of others and emotions prefer ‘feeling’ when arriving at a conclusion.
This scale shows how people deal with the outside world. People leaning toward ‘judging’ prioritize structure and firm decisions. People leaning toward ‘perceiving’ are more flexible and adaptable.
The goal of MBTI is to help people understand various interrelated factors driving their personality. Myers and Briggs suggested that each scale interacts with others that inform various personality types. ENFJ is one among them.
The ENFJ personality type is an acronym that stands for Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging. Also known as protagonist personality, such individuals are often described as loyal, warm, sensitive and outgoing. In fact, they’re considered the strongest ‘people person’ among all personality types. They can spark friendships even with the more introverted individuals. They have strong influencing powers and can affect how people behave. At the same time, they can sense what others feel and have the desire to help others.
ENFJ is known to be the opposite of ISTP personality type, which stands for Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Prospecting. ISTPs are fiercely independent and like to spend time alone. ENFJ is one of the less common personality types and constitutes only 3% of the total population. Here are the common characteristics of the ENFJ personality type:
In short, ENFJ or the protagonist personality type is mostly sociable and loves to extend help as much as possible. At the same time, they also enjoy some alone time to gather their thoughts.
Like any other personality type, ENFJ personality is complex. They can be thoughtful and idealistic but also put a lot of pressure on themselves. Here are the strong and weak points of this personality type:
If you’re an ENFJ, learning about the strengths and weaknesses can help you understand yourself better and effectively navigate relationships—at work or in your personal life. If you’re not ENFJ, understanding the strong and weak points can help you interact with those who have a protagonist personality.
ENFJs have strong leadership qualities. They know how to exert influence and have strong persuasion skills. Coupled with effective communication and interpersonal skills, they can motivate people to push their boundaries. Their charisma allows them to flourish in social circles and workplace environments. They see potential in others and encourage them to take the leap; therefore, having a positive impact on people around them. In short, they tend to take charge of situations and guide others to tap into their strengths.
Here are some common characteristics of an ENFJ personality type in the professional world:
An ideal job for the ENFJ personality would allow them to be creative, develop and implement ideas and work in collaborative roles. They are best suited for careers that serve and empower others. Some possible career options can include teachers, human resources professionals and counselors, among others.
In any workplace, you’ll come across various kinds of people with unique personality types. Whether you’re an ENFJ or not and want to interact with other ENFJs, it’s essential to understand how this personality type works. This level of knowledge and awareness can help you navigate interpersonal relationships better and come together for effective collaboration and cooperation. One of the best ways to encourage healthy bonding with ENFJs is to accept the care and support they automatically tend to offer. Simultaneously, it’s also important to offer support in return. Keep an open mind when sharing opinions and be respectful of their perspectives.
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Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics such as Myers Briggs Test, ENFP Personality, What Is Personality Development and Personal Development to upgrade your knowledge and skills.