OS 16 TIPOS DE PERSONALIDADES QUE PODEM CONSTAR NO AVATAR DO REPÓRTER

Em 1927, Carl Jung lança um de seus livros, “Tipos Psicológicos”, onde ele categoriza seus pacientes, e em conseqüência os seres humanos, em 3 critérios, que poderiam assumir duas posições opostas, criando oito tipos de personalidade diferentes. Ele não aprofunda muito seus estudos, pois seus métodos, apesar de ter conclusões fantásticas, eram talvez um pouco esotérico demais.

Na década de 50, duas moças, Katherine Briggs Myers e sua filha Isabel Briggs Myers, que eram diretoras de uma fábrica nos EUA, após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, e tiveram contratar várias mulheres, no lugar dos homens que saíram para o front. Elas começaram a observar grandes diferenças de comportamento entre eles, e conheciam o trabalho de Jung, então pensaram um desenvolver um indicador (teste não, pois não eram psicólogas, nem psicometristas) que pudesse captar os tipos psicológicos nas pessoas, para que se pudesse encaixá-las dentro dos diferentes tipos psicológicos, para entender suas expectativas, comportamento, entre outras características descritas por Jung.

Estudando um pouco mais da teoria, e aplicando na prática, elas identificaram que havia mais um fator em jogo, que alterava então toda a estrutura dos outros três. Deu-se então em 16 tipos, organizados pelos critérios: Extroversão/Introversão, Sensação/Intuição, Pensamento/Sentimento e Julgamento/Percepção. O interessante é perceber que as palavras assumem características diferentes do que é usado normalmente (exemplo: extroversão). Elas então criaram o indicador e chamaram-no de Myers Briggs Type Indicator, que é como ele é conhecido hoje em dia.

Segue uma explicação breve das dimensões e características dos tipos:

A primeira dimensão do tipo de personalidade diz respeito a como interagimos com o mundo e, principalmente, onde obtemos e onde dirigimos a nossa energia.

Extrovertidos (E)

•São energizados quando interagem com outras pessoas
•Gostam de concentrar sua energia no mundo externo das coisas e pessoas
Introvertidos (I)

•São energizados quando despendem o tempo sozinhos
•Gostam de concentrar sua energia no mundo interno das idéias e pensamentos
A segunda dimensão do tipo descreve as duas maneiras diferentes como as pessoas percebem, ou assimilam as informações. Que espécie de informação notamos naturalmente? Algumas pessoas concentram-se no que é, enquanto outras no que é possível.

Sensoriais (S)

•Normalmente prestam mais atenção a fatos e detalhes
•São pessoas mais realistas e práticas
Intuitivos (N)

•Tentam entender as conexões, significados e implicações
•São pessoas mais imaginativas e criativas
A terceira dimensão do tipo se relaciona com a maneira como tomamos decisões e chegamos às conclusões. Todos nós apresentamos uma preferência natural inata por tomar decisões baseadas na lógica ou em nossos sentimentos e valores pessoais.

Pensadores (T)

•Tomam as decisões mais objetivamente, pesando os prós e contras
•Valorizam a lógica e a justiça; um padrão para todos
Sentimentais (F)

•Tomam as decisões baseados em como se sentem acerca do assunto e como os outros serão afetados
•Valorizam a empatia e a harmonia; vêem a exceção para a regra
A quarta dimensão do tipo de personalidade (desenvolvida pelas Briggs) se relaciona a se preferimos viver de uma maneira mais organizada (tomando decisões) ou de uma maneira mais espontânea (assimilando informações).

Julgadores (J)

•São mais felizes depois que as decisões foram tomadas
•Tendem a tomar as decisões rápida e facilmente
Perceptivos (P)

•São mais felizes deixando as suas opções abertas
•Tendem a sentirem-se ansiosos e inseguros ao tomarem decisões
Existem mais características observáveis em cada um dos critérios, mas acho que estas podem dar uma boa idéia do que cada critério mede. Então, conjugando essas quatro dualidades (como tenho chamado por oporem dois conceitos diferentes), obtém-se 16 diferentes tipos psicológicos, que podem ser agrupados como subgrupos usando diferentes critérios, com diferentes aplicações.

Na década de 70, David Keirsey, psicólogo americano, lançou um livro com um nome não muito pretensioso, pelo menos para os acadêmicos: “Please Understand Me”. Neste livro, ele criou um desses subgrupos que citei acima, que ele veio chamar de Temperamentos. Estes Temperamentos que deram ao Inspiira.org seu maior insight, e o objeto de sua missão, de todas as aplicações e implicações de se compreender estes padrões de comportamento desta maneira. O modelo utilizado para os 4 temperamentos (contendo 4 tipos cada um), já havia sido usado no campo da filosofia, desde Galeno, e os gregos antigos, alguns até um pouco conhecidos, como Platão e Aristóteles.

Este modelo do Keirsey uniu a teoria levantada por Jung, o critério extra desenvolvido pela família Myers Briggs e também a idéia delas do indicador, mais a teoria dos Temperamentos que vinha carregando diferentes nomes na psicologia, e definiu os quatro Temperamentos, que são definidos pela presença de duas letras específicas no tipo das pessoas:

•SP: Sensorial Perceptivo (chamados Artesões) – Tipos: ISFP, ESFP, ISTP, ESTP
SPs desejam estar onde está a ação; eles procuram aventura e anseiam por prazer e estimulação. Marvin Zuckerman, um psicólogo americano, definiu esse tipo como "a personalidade que busca sensação". Os SPs acreditam que a variedade é o tempero da vida, e que fazer coisas que não são divertidas ou excitantes é uma perda de tempo.

•SJ: Sensorial Julgador (chamados Guardiões) – Tipos: ISFJ, ESFJ, ISTJ, ESTJ
SJs são pessoas sensatas, realistas e que são a espinha dorsal das instituições e os verdadeiros estabilizadores da sociedade. Eles acreditam em seguir as regras e cooperar com as autoridades; de fato, eles não se sentem nada bem em improvisar ou causar encrencas.

•NF: Intuitivo Sentimental (chamados Idealistas) – Tipos: INFP, ENFP, INFJ, ENFJ
Os NFs acreditam que a cooperação amigável é a melhor forma para que as pessoas atinjam os seus objetivos. Eles sonham em remover os muros de egoísmo e conflito que dividem as pessoas e têm um talento único para ajudar as pessoas a resolver as suas diferenças e assim trabalharem juntas. Tal harmonia interpessoal poderia ser um ideal romântico, mas os NFs são românticos incuráveis que preferem concentrarem-se no que poderia ser em vez do que no que é.

•NT: Intuitivo Pensador (chamados Racionais) – Tipos: INTJ, ENTJ, INTP, ENTP
Seja qual for o seu campo, os NTs esforçam-se por compreender o mundo natural em toda a sua complexidade. NTs desejam aprender acerca dos princípios abstratos ou leis naturais que descrevem a realidade, como também em descobrir a estrutura e função dos sistemas complexos do mundo; sejam sistemas mecânicos, orgânicos ou sociais. Eles são completamente pragmáticos acerca do como ganharão esse conhecimento.

Os Idealistas: INFJ | INFP | ENFP | ENFJ

Os Administradores: ISTJ | ISFJ | ESTJ | ESFJ

Os Pesquisadores: INTJ | INTP | ENTP | ENTJ

OS Ativos : ISTP | ISFP | ESTP | ESFP


INFJ


Sensitivo, profundo e algumas vezes místico. Sério ao considerar valores pessoais e convicções. Tem vida interior rica e valoriza a integridade pessoal. Criativo, original e idealista. Reservado, gentil e compassivo. Aprecia a solidão e sente grande necessidade de harmonia. Consciencioso, determinado e perseverante.

É perseverante, original e comprometido com as coisas e com as pessoas. O maior esforço é voltado para o trabalho, onde o faz melhor em ambiente pouco agitado. Consciencioso e preocupado com os outros, é notado pelos seus firmes princípios e tende a liderar um grupo por suas claras convicções de como melhor servir o bem comum.

Têm uma presença discreta, serena, são compassivos, preocupados e afetuosos. Sua personalidade complexa é sempre intrigante para os outros e também para eles próprios. Têm uma imaginação e uma vida interior muito ricas e são agudamente conscientes das emoções e emotivações alheias. Estão comprometidos com suas inspirações e ideais e inspiram introspecção e crescimento nos outros.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

Altamente criativos e originais.
Trabalham por objetivos de longo alcance, não abrem mão de seus compromissos e querem ver suas idéias desenvolvidas e aplicadas.

Podem ser bastante severos consigo mesmos e com os outros; valorizam o auto-aperfeiçoamento e são perfeccionistas.

Determinados e direcionados ao defender seus valores e crenças.

Perseguem seus ideais e objetivos de modo discreto e diligente.

Geralmente fazem significativas contribuições para o bem-estar da humanidade.

Encaram os reveses como problemas que devem ser resolvidos e não como obstáculos intransponíveis.

São claros e eloqüentes no uso das palavras; preferem escrever do que falar.

Avaliam as coisas com cuidado, são concentrados e não gostam de distrações.

Preferem trabalhar num local quieto e organizado, que lhes dê condições de concentrar-se.

Querem admiração e respeito, mas não tendem a chamar a atenção para si mesmos.

Conseguem ser persuasivos e líderes inspiradores quando se dispõem a ficar mais expostos.

Querem organizar o próprio tempo e manter controle tanto sobre o processo quanto sobre o produto.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Arquiteto

Artista

Clérigo

Consultor

Designer

Dietista ou nutricionista

Editor

Administrador da área médica

Terapeuta alternativo

Intérprete ou tradutor

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Médico

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Professor

Especialista em mídia

Escritor


ISTJ

Reservado, perseverante, fiel e cuidadoso. Sistemático, organizado e atento aos fatos. Trabalhador, meticuloso, obediente. Pé no chão, pragmático, honesto, honra seus compromissos. Faz o que é certo e espera o mesmo dos outros. É calmo e firme em momentos de crise.

Geralmente calado e sério, buscando atividades que exijam concentração e minuciosidade. Procura manter suas atividades todas muito organizadas e aceita trabalhos que exijam altos graus de responsabilidade. Dedica-se à uma atividade de maneira disciplinada e realista. Gosta de atividades práticas e lógicas onde esteja bem caro o que e como deve fazer.

Extremamente firmes, responsáveis e seguros. São aparentemente compostos, seguros e realistas. São pessoas de poucas palavras, reservadas e contidas. Pontualidade, precisão, melindre e método são qualidades valorizadas para si e para os outros. Têm facilidade de concentração e dificilmente se distraem.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

São ótimos para lembrar de acontecimentos e de pessoas; têm um dispositivo interno de armazenamento de detalhes e de informações objetivas.
Valorizam a perfeição, a profundidade e o acuro e gostam de resultados concretos e tangíveis.

Agem como se passassem um pente fino no trabalho para ter certeza de que nada passou despercebido.

Podem ser perfeccionistas demais e são devotados ao trabalho.

Trabalham melhor com máquinas, fatos e números do que com pessoas.

Gostam de trabalhar sozinhos; Não gostam de distrações e interrupções.

Esperam que as regras e as ordens sejam seguidas e têm pouca tolerância com aqueles que se desviam delas

Toleram bem as orientações e regulamentos da empresa, mas não são muito pacientes com os indivíduos.

Não apreciam apatia, distração e desorganização; consideram as pessoas tranqüilas e vagarosas como desmotivadas e indisciplinadas.

Têm tendência a ser rígidos e inflexíveis e tomam tudo ao pé da letra.

Detestam ocupações nas quais a aparência externa é valorizada.

Conseguem promoções por causa de seu trabalho esforçado, perícia e conhecimento, e por serem leais à organização.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Advogado

Engenheiro

Médico

Contador

Administrador

Agente financeiro

Programador de computador

Dentista

Bibliotecário

Farmacêutico

Professor de adultos

Juiz

Militar

Policial

Detetive

Eletricista

Gerente

Mecânico

Técnico

Óptico

Estoquista

Empreiteiro


ISFJ

Consciencioso, honesto e cooperativo. Leal, digno de crédito e autodisciplinado. Demonstra respeitar a ética profissional e completa suas tarefas nos prazos. Excelente memória para detalhes. Amigo silencioso, sério e reservado. Freqüentemente trabalha nos bastidores, ajudando os outros. Modesto e simples. Emotivo, diplomata e gentil.

Dedicado e amigável, trabalha de maneira consciente, responsável e dedicada. É uma pessoa que propicia estabilidade à um grupo, embora seja geralmente calado. É muito caprichoso, muito leal e atencioso, geralmente preocupa-se em como as outras pessoas se sentem. Seu interesse não é técnico, mas relacional.

Extremamente fiéis, leais e confiáveis. Quietos, reservados, modestos e sem pretensões. Gostam de ser prestativos e não medem esforços para tanto. Agem de acordo com o esperado e não questionam a maneira convencional de fazer as coisas. São pé no chão, práticos, conscienciosos e extremamente meticulosos.



Recomendações para o trabalho:

Prestam atenção aos detalhes e são acurados e meticulosos com os fatos.
Tentam fazer tudo com perfeição; pequenos erros são superdimensionados por eles.

São perseverantes; não medem esforços para cumprir suas tarefas.

Amparam e se preocupam com subordinados e colaboradores.

Têm dificuldade de ser diretos, dar ordens ou pedir ajuda.

Preferem trabalhar nos bastidores; não gostam de se expôr.

Adequam-se a trabalhos que requerem procedimentos seqüenciais e repetitivos e gostam de tarefas em que possam ver resultados tangíveis.

Selecionam cuidadosamente suas prioridades e refletem sobre todas as etapas que terão pela frente, antes de iniciar um projeto.

Gostam de contribuir para uma instituição que respeitem e de se colocar a serviço das pessoas.

São extremamente determinados e perseverantes.

Dispensam supervisão e não costumam ficar pedindo ajuda dos outros para aquilo que podem fazer sozinhos.

Gostam de trabalhar sem interrupção e se fixam numa tarefa e numa pessoa por vez.

Não se sentem à vontade quando não recebem orientações claras e não gostam de ficar sujeitos a constantes mudanças.

Respeitam a autoridade e não se conformam com os que não fazem o mesmo.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Advogado

Médico Veterinário

Fonoaudiólogo

Assistente social

Fisioterapeuta

Farmacêutico

Enfermeiro

Bibliotecário

Nutricionista

Dentista

Operador de computador

Teólogo

Assistente médico

Funcionário administrativo

Secretária

Professor

Paramédico

Ótico


INTJ

Independente e individualista. Tem muita perspicácia e visão. Hábil em criar teorias e métodos. Estimula a si mesmo e aos outros para alcançar seus objetivos e autodesenvolvimento. Engenhoso e criativo ao resolver problemas. Organizado, determinado e líder confiável. Responsável, reservado e discreto.

Quando está atuando em áreas de seu interesse possui excelente força para organizar uma tarefa e concluí-la sem auxílio. Geralmente tem idéias originais e grande motivação para concretizá-las. É cético e crítico, determinado e teimoso, precisa aprender a deixar de lado as coisas menos importantes para alcançar as mais importantes.

Costumam criar uma imagem mental de como as coisas deveriam ser, e vivem tentando aperfeiçoar a si mesmos, aos outros, e a tudo o que há a sua volta. São criativos no plano das idéias e confiamnas suas percepções e inspirações, mantendo-se indiferentes aos conceitos estabelecidos e ao ceticismo alheio. Têm uma grande necessidade de automia e independência. Preferem sempre fazer as coisas a seu modo.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

Geralmente ascendem a cargos executivos no trabalho por serem capazes de oferecer novos objetivos, idéias ou sugestões para a empresa.
Trabalham de maneira lógica e ordeira. Elaboram sistemas, desenvolvem estratégias e aplicam modelos teóricos que funcionam bem para os desafios que têm que enfrentar.

Podem se tornar obcecados por um determinado objetivo; dirigem os outros com a mesma disciplina com que dirigem a si mesmos.

Quando a realidade não se encaixa no seu modelo de perfeição ficam frustrados e excessivamente autocríticos.

Gostam de trabalhar com independência, sem interrupções.

Querem controlar a execução de seus planos.

Ocupações adequadas:

Administrador

Arquiteto

Astrônomo

Advogado

Engenheiro

Economista

Designer

Programador ou analista de informática

Consultor

Inventor

Analista de investimentos

Arqueólogo

Matemático

Fotógrafo

Hipotecário

Médico

Psiquiatra

Psicólogo

Pesquisador

Cientista

Professor Universitário

Escritor

Gerente administrativo

Sociólogo

Comerciante

Químico

Físico

Executivos da área de planejamento e engenharia de produção.

ISTP

Prefere agir do que conversar. Gosta de aventura e desafios. Resolve bem as crises. Se sai bem em trabalhos com ferramentas, máquinas ou quaisquer outros que requerem habilidade manual. Cheio de expediente, independente e determinado. Coerente, realista e prático. Reservado, desapegado, observador curioso. Acumula informações e acontecimentos na memória.

Observador calmo, reservado e quieto, analisando a vida com grande interesse, curiosidade e alguns momentos de humor original. Interessado em causa e efeito e em como e porque coisas mecânicas funcionam, dedica-se em organizar fatos e coisas utilizando princípios lógicos e práticos.

São quietos; isolam-se para observar os acontecimentos. São difíceis de definir e permanecem um mistério para a maioria das pessoas. São independentes e individualistas e não se comportam de acordo as convenções ou expectativas alheias. São ativos e ousados e orgulham-se de sua habilidade para enfrentar desafios. Têm um jeito, desapaixonado, reservado e analítico que os torna ligeiramente diferentes dos outros tipos de "ativos".


Recomendações para o trabalho:

São atentos ao que acontece ao redor.
Têm um forte senso de oportunidade; lidam muito bem com problemas concretos e não desperdiçam energia naquilo que é desnecessário.

Não suportam ambigüidade e não gostam de se deter em detalhes irrelevantes; preferem definir logo o que deve ser feito e partir para a ação.

Gostam de ir fundo nos problemas e costumam resolvê-los de maneira coerente e eficiente.

Tendem a atropelar regras, políticas e regulamentos quando estão em busca de resultados.

Encaram a hierarquia e a autoridade como desnecessárias e podem se tornar resistentes a elas.

Não gostam de ser supervisores e nem de ser supervisionados.

Preferem trabalhar sozinhos, a menos que tenham como colega alguém com mais habilidade do que eles próprios.

Conseguem se manter calmos nas ocasiões de conflitos.

São hábeis manuseadores de ferramentas e sabem fazer uso delas com absoluta precisão.

Gravam na memória uma grande quantidade de detalhes e fatos das áreas de seu interesse e são rápidos e hábeis para apresentar informações numa seqüência lógica.

Correm o risco de se tornar agitados e aborrecidos em serviços que não são continuamente desafiadores.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Auditor

Carpinteiro

Técnico ou treinador

Programador de computador

Assistente médico ou odontológico

Economista

Eletricista

Engenheiro

Fazendeiro

Bombeiro

Mecânico

Militar

Paramédico

Policial

Investigador

Restaurador

Analista de seguros

Metalúrgico

Perito

Operário de construção

técnico

Operador de transportes

Oceanógrafo

Detetive

Biólogo

Piloto


ISFP

Gentil, leal e compassivo. Aparenta ser reservado e simples. Ajuda os outros discretamente. Paciente, sabe aceitar as coisas como são e não faz julgamentos. É a favor da filosofia do viver e deixar viver. Sensibiliza-se com conflitos e discórdias. Tem pouca necessidade de dominar ou controlar os outros.

Geralmente evita desavenças e não impõe aos outros suas opiniões e valores. É retraído, amigável, sensível e gentil. Esconde suas reais habilidades. É modesto e não aprecia liderar, porém é fiel seguidor. Pode ser um pouco lento na realização de tarefas, por gostar de apreciar o momento presente e não querer estragá-lo com excessiva pressa.

São Tranqüilos, amáveis. Costumam ser quietos, reservados e modestos, e não chamam atenção sobre si mesmos. Vivem no presente e apreciam as coisas simples da vida. Valorizam os relacionamentos harmoniosos. Geralmente colocam as necessidades alheias à frente das suas.

Recomendações para o trabalho:
São idealistas e precisam encontrar um trabalho que seja gratificante e coerente com seus valores íntimos e pessoais.

São muito exigentes consigo mesmos; buscam a perfeição.

São trabalhadores leais e cooperativos e podem ser altamente motivados quando seu trabalho contribui para algo que valorizam profundamente ou na qual acreditam.

Gostam de ser úteis e apreciam ajudar as pessoas a desenvolver habilidades práticas.

São flexíveis e adaptáveis e gostam de trabalhar com os colegas num ambiente cooperativo e igualitário.

Sentem-se encurralados por regras excessivas, estruturas inflexíveis e burocracia.

Desenvolvem-se bem em ambientes cooperativos e afirmativos, onde há pouco espaço para conflitos interpessoais.

Têm pouco ou nenhum desejo de controlar ou competir; preferem trabalhar nos bastidores.

Conseguem imprimir ao ambiente de trabalho um clima de alegria e tranqüilo entusiasmo.

Lidam melhor com o que é mais urgente no momento.

Saem-se bem em situações de emergência.

Podem se sentir sobrecarregados pela sua própria indecisão, falta de direção e desorganização.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Artista

Esteticista

Botânico

Carpinteiro

Religioso

Operador de computador

Advogado

Dançarino

Assistente médico ou odontológico

Desenhista

Nutricionista ou dietista

Operário

Guarda florestal

Jardineiro

Geólogo

Oceanógrafo

Mecânico

Enfermeira

Terapeuta Ocupacional

Fisioterapeuta

Policial

Secretária

Professor

Médico Veterinário

Biomédico

Pedagogo

Médico



INFP

Devotado, compassivo, mente aberta e gentil. Detesta regras, ordens, planejamentos e prazos. Gosta de aprender e estar envolvido em projetos próprios. Tem convicções apaixonadas e persegue ideais. Estabelece padrões elevados para si mesmo. Idealista, sensível e criativo. Pode ser reservado e comtemplativo.

Entusiasmado e leal, Nunca fala de si mesmo até conhecer bem o ouvinte. Tende a se sobrecarregar de tarefas, mas consegue realizá-las de uma ou de outra forma. Não presta muita atenção em posses ou no ambiente físico, nem é muito sociável porque freqüentemente está bastante absorvido com alguma tarefa.

Gentis, calmos, tranqüilos e afirmativos. Lutam por aquilo que acreditam, estão abertos a novas idéias, mas podem se tornar inflexíveis quando confrontados. Integridade e comprometimento com as próprias crenças são essenciais para eles. Têm uma vida interior muito rica e sentimentos complexos. Podem ser difíceis de entender porque seus sentimentos e convicções mais apaixonadas estão sempre contidos e só são compartilhados com poucas pessoas.


Recomendações para o trabalho:



Não apreciam regras, ordens, programação e prazo.
Sentem pouca necessidade de impor suas idéias aos outros; preferem persuadir, influenciar ou inspirar.

Costumam ser determinados ao perseguir uma carreira ou executar tarefas, mas o fazem de maneira discreta, imperceptível.

Podem assumir a liderança num grupo cujos valores estejam de acordo com os seus.

Não se dão bem em ambientes competitivos.

Valorizam a autonomia, não gostam de interrupções e preferem fazer as coisas sozinhos para ter certeza de que serão feitas direito.

Conseguem trabalhar pacientemente em tarefas complexas.

Gostam de ser apreciados e de se tornar conhecidos pelas suas contribuições, mas raramente revelam isso para os outros.

Criam expectativas muito elevadas e preocupam-se por não alcançá-las.

Tendem a avaliar um assunto sob vários aspectos e podem ficar indecisos para decidir, já que acham difícil discernir qual deles é mais importante.

Ficam desiludidos, desmotivados e desencorajados se não encontram meios de realizar seus objetivos.

São contidos no trabalho e costumam ser rotulados como fechados.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Arquiteto

Jornalista

Editor

Intérprete ou Tradutor

Psicólogo

Teólogo

Terapeuta Ocupacional

Cientista

Pesquisador

Cientista Social

Professor

Ator

Artista

Músico

Compositor

Escritor

Bibliotecário

Fotógrafo

Terapeuta alternativo

Consultor


INTP

Analítico e brilhante. Pensador original, competente para solucionar problemas. Idiossincrático e não-conformista. Valoriza a precisão no pensar e no falar. Observa a inconsistência, as contradições e os lapsos no discurso alheio. Independente, curioso e compreensivo. Discreto, reservado e introspectivo.

São quietos, reservados, autoconfiantes e extremamente independentes. Introspectivos, estão constantemente em busca da coerência interna. Para eles, é importante ser preciso, conciso e articulado. Têm uma vida interior bastante rica de pensamentos e idéias. Sua curiosidade é dirigida à busca do entendimento do Universo, das suas verdades e princípios.

Aprecia atividades teóricas ou científicas, gosta de resolver problemas através da análise lógica. Interessado em idéias arrojadas, não se prendendo em assuntos corriqueiros ou fragmentados. Apresenta interesses claramente definidos e necessita poder expressar seu forte interesse pelas coisas.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

São bons para desenvolver sistemas complexos e modelos conceituais, mas preferem deixar a aplicação para os outros.
Cultivam padrões intelectuais elevados e excelência profissional e sentem-se orgulhosos do seu autodomínio.

Buscam a lógica pura do pensamento e esforçam-se por ser criativos nas suas conceitualizações.

Examinam cuidadosamente todas as opções e chegam a conclusões definidas e bem fundamentadas.

Podem encontrar dificuldade para articular sua profunda introspecção de modo a fazê-la compreensível para os outros.

Percebem a inconsistência, as contradições e as falhas lógicas dos seus próprios pensamentos e também dos outros.

Podem se deixar levar pela necessidade exagerada de conceituar e reduzir tudo a um esquema classificatório.

Perseveram até compreender um assunto em toda a sua complexidade; passam logo para outro, assim que o primeiro tiver sido aprendido.

Gostam de atuar em ambientes flexíveis.

Apreciam trabalhar com independência, mas costumam encontrar dificuldade para tocar as coisas até a sua finalização.

Detestam supervisionar os outros ou mediar conflitos.


Ocupações Recomendadas:

Arquiteto

Engenheiro

Médico

Advogado

Biólogo

Químico

Analista de sistemas

Programador de computador

Financista

Desenhista Gráfico

Artista

Astrônomo

Historiador

Matemático

Músico

Filósofo

Fotógrafo

Psiquiatra

Psicólogo

Pesquisador

Cientista

Professor universitário

Escritor

Inventor

Arqueólogo


ESTP

Gosta de enfrentar riscos, desafios e aventuras. Cheio de energia, vive em constante movimento. Leva a vida às últimas conseqüências. Atento, confiante e persuasivo. Pode ser escandaloso, direto, impulsivo. Competente, cheio de expedientes, responde bem às crises. Realista e pragmático. Negociador habilidoso.

Procura tirar proveito das situações, resolvendo de modo imediato problemas objetivos. Aprecia coisas mecânicas e esportes, sempre rodeado de amigos. Tolerante e adaptável, não gosta de longas explicações e geralmente é conservador em valores. Prefere lidar com coisas reais que podem ser manuseadas, montadas e desmontadas.

Confiantes, gregários e animados. Estar com as pessoas que compartilham os seus interesses e senso de humor é um prazer para eles. Têm um jeito charmoso, contagiante, mas podem também ser francos demais, agressivos e até bruscos. Sua energia os compele a se manter sempre em movimento. Gostam de viver no seu limite e esquecem as conseqüências que isso acarreta.



Recomendações para o trabalho:

São desembaraçados, pragmáticos, sempre prontos a lidar com a realidade e perseguir resultados.
Usam a lógica para resolver os problemas concretos e chegam rapidamente ao âmago das questões.

Têm ótima memória para registrar fatos.

Trabalham bem sob pressão, costuma finalizar as tarefas no último minuto e se sentem motivados por prazos curtos.

São extremamente frios quando pressionados.

São bons para amenizar situações tensas e harmonizar facções conflitantes.

Conseguem ser ativos e enérgicos; buscam o reconhecimento e o sucesso.

São competitivos e decididos; dão-se bem em situações de crise ou caos.

Seguem as regras apenas quando elas servem para fazê-los chegar onde querem. Sentem-se orgulhosos de sua rebeldia.

São persuasivos e sabem muito bem se promover; conseguem facilmente arrumar emprego por causa de sua ampla rede de relacionamentos.

Costumam tocar vários projetos ao mesmo tempo.

Gostam de ocupações agitadas e estressantes que envolvam resistência, força e risco.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Advogado

Carpinteiro

Treinador

Analista de sistemas

Área de construção civil

Empreiteiro

Detetive

Paramédico

Engenheiro

Controlador de transportes

Consultor

Mecânico

Militar

Artista

Policial

Atleta Profissional

Piloto

Corretor de imóveis

Representante de vendas

Comerciante

Técnico

Fazendeiro

Bombeiro

Administrador

Jornalista

Diplomata

Repórter


ESFP

Solícito, generoso, cooperativo, gosta de ajudar os outros. Amigável, gregário, enérgico, vivaz e charmoso. É quase sempre a alma da festa. Tolerante, aceita a si mesmo e aos outros. Tem senso prático. Enfatiza o positivo. Gosta de novas experiências e tem entusiasmo pela vida.

É amigável, expansivo, complacente e receptivo. Procura divertir-se com todas as coisas, tornando-as mais agradáveis para todos que estão à sua volta. Gosta de fazer as coisas acontecerem e de atividades esportivas. Procura saber tudo o que se passa à sua volta e toma parte de tudo com entusiasmo. Dá-se melhor em situações que necessite bom senso e habilidade prática, tanto com coisas como com pessoas.

Amigáveis, alto-astral, engraçados, charmosos e falantes. Valorizam e nutrem seus relacionamentos entregando-se generosamente a eles, sem esperar nada em troca. São espontâneos, brincalhões e apreciam tudo o que fazem e vêem. Suas companhias favoritas são aquelas que compartilham seu gosto pela diversão e pela aventura.



Recomendações para o trabalho:

Apreciam trabalhar num ambiente vivaz e estimulante, com pessoas amigas e ativas.
São bons para lidar com o público.

Gostam de variar e mudar freqüêntemente de emprego.

Têm muita habilidade para avaliar rapidamente o ambiente e tirar proveito das situações.

Sabem lidar com conflitos; conseguem acalmar a tensão e ajudar as pessoas a trabalhar cooperativamente.

Têm expediente para resolver as coisas e usam o bom senso.

Não gostam de diz-que-diz-que e discussões teóricas; querem chegar logo ao ponto e resolver o assunto.

São bons para motivar e incluir os outros nas tomadas de decisões; promovem o trabalho em equipe.

Gostam mais de carreiras em que possam ser de utilidade prática para os outros.

Costumam esperar até o último minuto para preparar as coisas e dão pouca prioridade ao acompanhamento do trabalho.

Não gostam que lhes estipulem um tempo para completar as tarefas.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Agente de viagens

Veterinário

Fisioterapeuta

Tosador ou adestrador de animais

Técnico de esporte

Educador físico

Dietista ou nutricionista

Instrutor de ginática

Comissário de vôo

Captador de recursos

Assistente médico

Especialista em merchandising

Músico

Enfermeira

Terapeuta ocupacional

Ator

Policial

Atleta Profissional

Piloto / Corredor

Relações Públicas

Corretor de imóveis

Recreacionista

Vendedor

Assistente social

Coordenador de eventos

Professor

Operador de transportes

Recepcionista

Desenhista

Estilista

Gerente de restaurantes e similares

Artista


ENFP

Acolhedor, prestativo, respeitador e compassivo. Cheio de entusiasmo e novas idéias. Valoriza a liberdade e a autonomia. Sabe se comunicar muito bem e inspirar ações. Criativo, espontâneo, positivo e amante de diversões. Individualista, introspectivo, perceptivo.

É capaz de fazer quase qualquer coisa que o interesse e geralmente pode encontrar fortes razões para justificar qualquer coisa que queira. É entusiasta e afetuoso, vivaz e engenhoso. Geralmente rápido, com uma solução para qualquer um que tenha um problema. Costuma confiar mais em sua capacidade de improvisação do que em preparo anterior.

São extrovertidos, dinâmicos, vivazes e espontâneos. Geralmente têm um grande senso de humor e seu entusiasmo e alegria de viver conseguem ser contagiantes. Possuem imaginação rica e grande agilidade mental. Seus pensamentos estão sempre em efervescência e alteram seu estado de espírito com muita facilidade. Podem estar indo para uma direção num momento e, no outro, seguir o caminho inverso.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

Buscam diversidade e desafios e estão constantemente procurando novas saídas e maneiras mais criativas de fazer as coisas.
Não gostam de lidar com números, contas, temas áridos.

Conseguem ser líderes inspiradores e carismáticos; motivam os outros com sua energia e entusiasmo.

Gostam de trabalhar cooperativamente em ambientes estimulantes e com pessoas criativas e ativas.

Entusiasmam-se ao iniciar um projeto, mas perdem interesse por ele logo depois. Começar é mais divertido do que terminar as coisas.

Conseguem perder o sentido do tempo e de suas necessidades físicas quando estão envolvidos num projeto. Quando estão muito motivados, podem até esquecer de comer ou dormir.

São bons para improvisar e pensar com os pés no chão.

São talentosos em muitas áreas, mas podem achar difícil se concentrar numa só.

Podem se sentir sobrecarregados pelos detalhes e paralisados pela falta de organização; preferem que outra pessoa cuide da rotina.

Preferem trabalhar à própria custa, com um mínimo de estrutura e supervisão.

Ocupações recomendadas:

Ator

Especialista em Recursos Humanos

Publicitário

Artista

Consultor

Empresário

Jornalista

Decorador

Homem de marketing

Homem de mídia

Mediador

Psicoterapeuta

Terapeuta alternativo

Relações Públicas

Proprietário de pequeno negócio

Escritor

Professor

Vendedor

Humorista

Conferencista

Clérigo

Treinamento de pessoal

Psicólogo

Administrador

Político

Pedagogo

Religioso


ENTP

Franco, é desenvolto em desafios e debates. Entusiasta, charmoso, gragário e espirituoso. Valoriza a liberdade e a independência. Criativo, empreendedor e competente. Espontâneo e impulsivo. Gosta de enfrentar riscos e está atento a todas as possibilidades. Inquiridor e curioso.

Companhia estimulante, engenhoso e rápido, saindo-se bem em várias atividades. Pode discutir, por diversão, em ambos os lados da mesma questão. Alerta e franco, sempre está pronto para resolver novos e desafiantes problemas. Habilidoso para encontrar razões lógicas para qualquer coisa que queira, mas pode negligenciar atribuições de rotina. Tende a voltar-se para um novo interesse a cada instante.

São ativos, entusiastas, gregários e conflitantes. Anticonvencionais, gostam de driblar o sistema. Inovadores e engenhosos para inventar novas maneiras de fazer as coisas, têm uma excelente habilidade analítica e expediente para resolver problemas desafiadores, especialmente os teóricos. Gostam de mudança e variedade e resistem a fazer qualquer coisa que os limite, aprisione ou aborreça.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

São engenhosos para solucionar os problemas; confiam na improvisação e pensam com a própria cabeça
Inteligentes e imaginativos para lidar com os outros, conseguem convencer as pessoas de seus pontos de vista.

Gostam de seguir seus impulsos e ignoram o modo convencional de fazer as coisas.

Conseguem ser inspiradores e chegam a cargos de liderança por causa de sua agilidade mental, confiabilidade e habilidade verbal.

Preferem antes começar do que tocar um projeto; visualizar um novo trabalho é, para eles, mais estimulante do que seguir com o processo rotineiro necessário para a sua realização.

Gostam de fazer várias coisas ao mesmo tempo e com rapidez; aborrecem-se quando o trabalho não é variado ou criativo.

Trabalham melhor numa sucessão de projetos estimulantes, especialmente quando interagem com muitas pessoas diferentes.

Sentem dificuldade para se fixar num único objetivo em função de terem uma gama de interesses muito diversificada.

Ocupações recomendadas:

Ator

Publicitário

Advogado

Hipotecário

Médico

Psicólogo

Analista de sistemas

Consultor

Especialista em treinamento de pessoal

Engenheiro

Empresário

Planejador financeiro

Inventor

Homem de marketing

Relações Públicas

Palestrante

Corretor de imóveis

Pesquisador

Vendedor

Cientista Social

Professor Universitário

Escritor

Fotógrafo

Jornalista

Economista


ESTJ

Extrovertido, ativo, fidedigno. Eficiente, organizado e decidido. Gosta de administrar e dirigir. Ótimo para definir e aplicar políticas e procedimentos. Afirmativo, franco e direto. Preocupa-se em solucionar problemas. Responsável, esforçado, bom planejador. Consistente, pragmático e coerente.

Sua maior habilidade está na administração ou mecânica. É prático e realista e não tem interessa para assuntos para os quais não vê uso, mas pode aplicar-se à eles quando necessário. Gosta de organizar e manter atividades em funcionamento e tem dificuldade em considerar os sentimentos e os pontos de vista do outros.

Sentem-se responsáveis por tudo o que acontece e querem manter as coisas sob controle. Gostam de comandar. São bons para tomar decisões objetivas e esforçam-se para atingir seus objetivos e os da empresa. Gostam de enfrentar desafios e sabem como conseguir o que querem. Têm opinião definida sobre tudo e não costumam jogar conversa fora.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

Excelentes para definir procedimentos, políticas e atividades.
Usam o tempo e os recursos disponíveis com eficiência para atingir resultados imediatos e tangíveis.

Concentram-se em resolver problemas, tirar conclusões e tocar tarefas.

Esperam que os outros demonstrem competência, esforço e obediência.

São bons para detectar o que não está certo, o que é inconsistente e ineficiente.

Dispõem-se a enfrentar riscos calculados depois de pensarem cuidadosamente a respeito.

Gostam de trabalhar em ambientes formais, organizados, mas com grande variedade de pessoas.

São inflexíveis e firmes, mas justos.

Podem ser rígidos, implicantes e impacientes com aqueles que não seguem as suas orientações ou não prestam atenção aos detalhes que consideram importantes.

Respeitam os que se aliam a eles, que são bem informados, conhecem as normas e estão dispostos a assumir a responsabilidade pelas suas ações.

Tendem a ser viciados em trabalho e levam a si próprios e aos outros muito a sério.

Podem atropelar as pessoas no seu esforço de atingir objetivos.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Administrador

Advogado

Programador de computador

Engenheiro

Médico

Empresário

Analista Financeiro

Empreiteiro

Funcionário público

Militar

Policial

Vendedor

Corretor

Comerciante

Professor


ESFJ

Entusiasta, sociável, cativante. Gosta de se sentir necessário e estimado. Bem-apessoado, compreensivo e cooperativo. É solidário e diligente em tarefas organizacionais. Digno de confiança, leal e responsável. Valoriza a harmonia e demonstra seu amor através de atitudes práticas.

Têm coração mole, são extrovertidos e amigáveis. Altamente sociáveis, sentem-se inquietos quando isolados das outras pessoas. Florescem quando se sentem necessários e apreciados e se ligam mais freqüentemente nas necessidades alheias do que nas suas. Não se desviam das regras sociais e se preocupam em ocupar um lugar na sociedade. Vivem dizendo para os outros o que fazer.

É membro ativo de grupos, necessita de ambiente harmonioso e é bom para criá-lo. Procura sempre fazer algo de bom para alguém. Necessita de encorajamento e elogios para trabalhar. Seu maior interesse é por coisas que afetam direta e visivelmente a vida das pessoas. Geralmente falante, afetuoso, consciencioso, popular e cooperador.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

Consciensiosos, diligentes, organizados e dispostos para o trabalho.
Gostam de fazer as coisas de modo organizado e rotineiro.

São atentos aos detalhes e cumprem suas tarefas com eficiência e segurança.

São bons companheiros de equipe; gostam de trabalhar numa atmosfera agradável e querem ser amigos de todos os colegas.

Preferem tomar decisões rápidas, mas não fazem questão de ser os únicos a fazê-lo.

São cooperativos, concentrados no trabalho e gostam de oferecer ajuda prática e tangível aos outros.

Não gostam de lidar com problemas em bases teóricas ou filosóficas.

São atenciosos e acolhedores no trato com pessoas.

Bastante extrovertidos, tendem para ocupações que envolvem contato humano.

Gostam de trabalhar em ambientes serenos, onde não haja conflitos.

Não buscam cargos de liderança, mas fazem importantes contribuições quando assumem o comando.

Respeitam a autoridade e acham que os outros devem fazer o mesmo.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Advogado

Administrador

Enfermeiro

Fisioterapeuta

Administrador de imóveis

Fonoaudiólogo

Professor

Treinador de Recursos Humanos

Assistente social

Vendedor varejista

Secretária

Funcionário do ramo de alimentação

Decorador

Assistência médica

Comissário de vôo

Dentista

Fornecedor

Recepcionista

Economista doméstico

Trabalhos comunitários

Voltar


ENFJ

Amigável, charmoso, entusiasta e socialmente ativo. Orador persuasivo e inspirado, líder carismático que motiva outras pessoas. Simpático, caloroso, prestativo e solidário. Pode idealizar pessoas e relacionamentos. Responsável, consciente e idealista. Diplomático e bom em promover harmonia.

Geralmente preocupa-se com o que os outros pensam ou querem. Procura tratar as coisas com a devida consideração para com os sentimentos das pessoas. É receptivo e responsável, podendo apresentar uma nova proposta ou liderar um debate grupal com facilidade e tato. É popular, sociável e solidário para com todos e receptivo à elogios e críticas.

Solícitos e interessados e muito atentos às qualidades mais admiráveis das pessoas. Têm personalidade exuberante, charmosa e entusiática e dão-se bem com muitas pessoas diferentes. São excelentes comunicadores, líderes naturais que sabem motivar e persuadir os outros.


Recomendações para o trabalho:

São ambiciosos e dispostos a trabalhar duro para alcançar e materializar seus ideais.
São conscienciosos, metódicos, resolutos, não perdem de vista seus objetivos e esperam que os outros façam o mesmo.

Expressam-se muito bem e têm um jeito suave e fluente de usar as palavras.

São bons em detectar o que o grupo necessita para atingir seus objetivos.

Respeitam as diversas opiniões e conseguem criar um espírito de equipe.

Gostam de trabalhar com pessoas criativas e vivazes num ambiente ativo, desafiador, e que tenha atividades variadas.

Só aceitam políticas e procedimentos na medida em que forem compatíveis com os valores e necessidades das pessoas que eles afetam.

Quando confrontados com reveses conseguem encará-los como um novo desafio.

Preferem as ocupações que reflitam seus ideais e lhes permitam trazer inspiração e harmonia para os outros.

São rápidos para executar tarefas e estão sempre com pressa; tendem a ficar impacientes e frustrados com a lentidão.

Gostam de manter controle e se responsabilizar pelos próprios projetos.

Ocupações recomendadas:

Administrador

Dentista

Nutricionista

Designer

Publicitário

Ator

Consultor de desenvolvimento organizacional

Escritor

Editor

Fisioterapeuta

Psicólogo

Relações Públicas

Especialista em recrutamento e seleção

Especialista em desenvolvimento e pesquisa

Vendedor

Assistente social

Professor

Orientador vocacional

Palestrante

Terapeuta alternativo

Clérigo

Voltar


ENTJ

Líder confiável que gosta de estar no comando. Decidido e ambicioso. Aprecia o intercâmbio intelectual. Engenhoso e competente para resolver problemas complexos. Inovador, analítico e coerente. Determinado e independente. Aspira ser o melhor em tudo o que faz.

Geralmente bom em quase tudo que exija raciocínio lógico e comunicação inteligente, como por exemplo, falar em público. Costuma ser bem informado e gosta de aumentar sempre seu conhecimento sobre as coisas. É determinado, franco e lidera com facilidade. É possível que algumas vezes pareça mais seguro do que sua experiência lhe permite.

São dinâmicos, ativos, confiantes e competentes. Movimentam-se com naturalidade na direção de posições que lhes permitam tomar a dianteira e mobilizar recursos para atingir objetivos ambiciosos. São bem informados, apreciam a confrontação e gostam de se envolver em intercâmbios intelectualmente estimulantes. Respeitam as pessoas que os desafiam e têm pouco ou nenhum respeito por aquelas que não o fazem.

Recomendações para o trabalho:

Gostam de comandar, e geralmente ocupam posições nas quais exercem autoridade, caso dos executivos, administradores e líderes.
São líderes flexíveis, que definem os objetivos e indicam a direção geral, deixando a execução dos detalhes para os subordinados.

Encaram os obstáculos como desafio; ficam atentos à resolução dos proplemas, tiram conclusões e seguem em frente.

Buscam soluções estratégicas para conseguir o que querem.

Montam um plano de ação para realizar as tarefas e conseguem finalizá-las antes do previsto.

Detestam Ineficiência, incompetência e indecisão; são duros com as pessoas que não correspondem às suas expectativas.

São competitivos e enérgicos; com freqüência, trabalhadores compulsivos.

Preferem trabalhar com pessoas decididas, independentes e ambiciosas.

Não aceitam ser convencidos, a não ser por argumentação razoável e coerente.

Gostam de liderar e tomar decisões; não apreciam receber instruções ou conselhos de outros, a não ser que venham de pessoa reconhecidamente competente.

Fornecem abordagens lógicas para os problemas e gostam de trabalhar com orientações claras e definidas.

Ocupações Recomendadas:

Administrador

Gerente de banco

Gerente administrativo

Engenheiro

Engenheiro de Produção

Especialista em informática

Consultor

Especialista em treinamento empresarial

Designer

Economista

Consultor de educação e saúde

Responsável por recrutamento de mão-de-obra

Advogado

Gerente

Homem de marketing

Médico

Psicólogo

Pesquisador

Ambientalista

Financista

Cientista

Comerciante

Analista de sistemas

Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving
by Joe Butt
Profile: INFP
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 26 Feb 2005


"I remember the first albatross I ever saw. ... At intervals, it arched forth its vast archangel wings, as if to embrace some holy ark. Wondrous flutterings and throbbings shook it. Though bodily unharmed, it uttered cries, as some king's ghost in super natural distress. Through its inexpressible, strange eyes, methought I peeped to secrets not below the heavens. As Abraham before the angels, I bowed myself..." --(Herman Melville, Moby Dick)
INFPs never seem to lose their sense of wonder. One might say they see life through rose-colored glasses. It's as though they live at the edge of a looking-glass world where mundane objects come to life, where flora and fauna take on near-human qualities.

INFP children often exhibit this in a 'Calvin and Hobbes' fashion, switching from reality to fantasy and back again. With few exceptions, it is the NF child who readily develops imaginary playmates (as with Anne of Green Gables's "bookcase girlfriend"--her own reflection) and whose stuffed animals come to life like the Velveteen Rabbit and the Skin Horse:

"...Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand..." (the Skin Horse)
INFPs have the ability to see good in almost anyone or anything. Even for the most unlovable the INFP is wont to have pity.

Rest you, my enemy,
Slain without fault,
Life smacks but tastelessly
Lacking your salt!
Stuck in a bog whence naught
May catapult me,
Come from the grave, long-sought,
Come and insult me!
--(Steven Vincent Benet, Elegy for an Enemy)
Their extreme depth of feeling is often hidden, even from themselves, until circumstances evoke an impassioned response:

"I say, Queequeg! Why don't you speak? It's I--Ishmael." But all remained still as before. ... Something must have happened. Apoplexy!
... And running up after me, she caught me as I was again trying to force open the door. ... "Have to burst it open," said I, and was running down the entry a little, for a good start, when the landlady caught me, again vowing I should not break down her premises; but I tore from her, and with a sudden bodily rush dashed myself full against the mark.--(Melville, Moby Dick)
Of course, not all of life is rosy, and INFPs are not exempt from the same disappointments and frustrations common to humanity. As INTPs tend to have a sense of failed competence, INFPs struggle with the issue of their own ethical perfection, e.g., perfo rmance of duty for the greater cause. An INFP friend describes the inner conflict as not good versus bad, but on a grand scale, Good vs. Evil. Luke Skywalker in Star Wars depicts this conflict in his struggle between the two sides of "The Force." Although the dark side must be reckoned with, the INFP believes that good ultimately triumphs.

Some INFPs have a gift for taking technical information and putting it into layman's terms. Brendan Kehoe's Zen and the Art of the Internet is one example of this "de-jargoning" talent in action.

Functional Analysis:

Introverted Feeling
INFPs live primarily in a rich inner world of introverted Feeling. Being inward-turning, the natural attraction is away from world and toward essence and ideal. This introversion of dominant Feeling, receiving its data from extraverted intuition, must be the source of the quixotic nature of these usually gentle beings. Feeling is caught in the approach- avoidance bind between concern both for people and for All Creatures Great and Small, and a psycho-magnetic repulsion from the same. The "object," be it homo sapiens or a mere representation of an organism, is valued only to the degree that the object contains some measure of the inner Essence or greater Good. Doing a good deed, for example, may provide intrinsic satisfaction which is only secondary to the greater good of striking a blow against Man's Inhumanity to Mankind.
Extraverted iNtuition
Extraverted intuition faces outward, greeting the world on behalf of Feeling. What the observer usually sees is creativity with implied good will. Intuition spawns this type's philosophical bent and strengthens pattern perception. It combines as auxiliary with introverted Feeling and gives rise to unusual skill in both character development and fluency with language--a sound basis for the development of literary facility. If INTPs aspire to word mechanics, INFPs would be verbal artists.
Introverted Sensing
Sensing is introverted and often invisible. This stealth function in the third position gives INFPs a natural inclination toward absent- mindedness and other-worldliness, however, Feeling's strong people awareness provides a balancing, mitigating effect. This introverted Sensing is somewhat categorical, a subdued version of SJ sensing. In the third position, however, it is easily overridden by the stronger functions.
Extraverted Thinking
The INFP may turn to inferior extraverted Thinking for help in focusing on externals and for closure. INFPs can even masquerade in their ESTJ business suit, but not without expending considerable energy. The inferior, problematic nature of Extraverted Thinking is its lack of context and proportion. Single impersonal facts may loom large or attain higher priority than more salient principles which are all but overlooked.
Famous INFPs:
Homer
Virgil
Mary, mother of Jesus
St. John, the beloved disciple
St. Luke; physician, disciple, author
William Shakespeare, bard of Avon
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Evangeline)
A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie)
Helen Keller, deaf and blind author
Carl Rogers, reflective psychologist, counselor
Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood)
Dick Clark (American Bandstand)
Donna Reed, actor (It's a Wonderful Life)
Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis
Neil Diamond, vocalist
Tom Brokaw, news anchor
James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small)
Annie Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek)
James Taylor, vocalist
Julia Roberts, actor (Conspiracy Theory, Pretty Woman)
Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap)
Terri Gross (PBS's "Fresh Air")
Amy Tan (author of The Joy-Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife)
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Lisa Kudrow ("Phoebe" of Friends)
Fred Savage ("The Wonder Years")

Fictional INFPs:
Anne (Anne of Green Gables)
Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)
Deanna Troi (Star Trek - The Next Generation)
Wesley Crusher (Star Trek - The Next Generation)
Doctor Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space 9)
Bastian (The Neverending Story)
E.T.: the ExtraTerrestrial
Doug Funny, Doug cartoons
Tommy, Rug Rats cartoons
Rocko, Rocko's Modern Life cartoons

Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging
by Joe Butt
Profile: INFJ
Revision: 3.1
Date of Revision: 8 Aug 2010

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Beneath the quiet exterior, INFJs hold deep convictions about the weightier matters of life. Those who are activists -- INFJs gravitate toward such a role -- are there for the cause, not for personal glory or political power.

INFJs are champions of the oppressed and downtrodden. They often are found in the wake of an emergency, rescuing those who are in acute distress. INFJs may fantasize about getting revenge on those who victimize the defenseless. The concept of 'poetic justice' is appealing to the INFJ.

"There's something rotten in Denmark." Accurately suspicious about others' motives, INFJs are not easily led. These are the people that you can rarely fool any of the time. Though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are selective about their friends. Such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that transcends mere words.

INFJs have a knack for fluency in language and facility in communication. In addition, nonverbal sensitivity enables the INFJ to know and be known by others intimately.

Writing, counseling, public service and even politics are areas where INFJs frequently find their niche.

Functional Analysis:

Introverted iNtuition
Introverted intuitives, INFJs enjoy a greater clarity of perception of inner, unconscious processes than all but their INTJ cousins. Just as SP types commune with the object and "live in the here and now" of the physical world, INFJs readily grasp the hidden psychological stimuli behind the more observable dynamics of behavior and affect. Their amazing ability to deduce the inner workings of the mind, will and emotions of others gives INFJs their reputation as prophets and seers. Unlike the confining, routinizing nature of introverted sensing, introverted intuition frees this type to act insightfully and spontaneously as unique solutions arise on an event by event basis.

Extraverted Feeling
Extraverted feeling, the auxiliary deciding function, expresses a range of emotion and opinions of, for and about people. INFJs, like many other FJ types, find themselves caught between the desire to express their wealth of feelings and moral conclusions about the actions and attitudes of others, and the awareness of the consequences of unbridled candor. Some vent the attending emotions in private, to trusted allies. Such confidants are chosen with care, for INFJs are well aware of the treachery that can reside in the hearts of mortals. This particular combination of introverted intuition and extraverted feeling provides INFJs with the raw material from which perceptive counselors are shaped.

Introverted Thinking
The INFJ's thinking is introverted, turned toward the subject. Perhaps it is when the INFJ's thinking function is operative that he is most aloof. A comrade might surmise that such detachment signals a disillusionment, that she has also been found lacking by the sardonic eye of this one who plumbs the depths of the human spirit. Experience suggests that such distancing is merely an indication that the seer is hard at work and focusing energy into this less efficient tertiary function.

Extraverted Sensing
INFJs are twice blessed with clarity of vision, both internal and external. Just as they possess inner vision which is drawn to the forms of the unconscious, they also have external sensing perception which readily takes hold of worldly objects. Sensing, however, is the weakest of the INFJ's arsenal and the most vulnerable. INFJs, like their fellow intuitives, may be so absorbed in intuitive perceiving that they become oblivious to physical reality. The INFJ under stress may fall prey to various forms of immediate gratification. Awareness of extraverted sensing is probably the source of the "SP wannabe" side of INFJs. Many yearn to live spontaneously; it's not uncommon for INFJ actors to take on an SP (often ESTP) role.

Famous INFJs:
Nathan, prophet of Israel
Aristophanes
Chaucer
Goethe
Robert Burns, Scottish poet

U.S. Presidents:
Martin Van Buren
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Fanny Crosby, (blind) hymnist
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Fred McMurray (My Three Sons)
Shirley Temple Black, child actor, ambassador
Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader, martyr
James Reston, newspaper reporter
Shirley MacLaine (Sweet Charity, ...)
Piers Anthony, author ("Xanth" series)
Michael Landon (Little House on the Prairie)
Tom Selleck
John Katz, critic, author
Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul and Mary)
U. S. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL)
Billy Crystal
Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury)
Nelson Mandela
Mel Gibson
Carrie Fisher
Nicole Kidman
Jerry Seinfeld
Jamie Foxx
Sela Ward
Mark Harmon
Gary Dourdan
Marg Helgaberger
Evangeline Lilly
Tori May


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Introverted iNtuiting Feeling Judging
by Marina Margaret Heiss
INFJs are distinguished by both their complexity of character and the unusual range and depth of their talents. Strongly humanitarian in outlook, INFJs tend to be idealists, and because of their J preference for closure and completion, they are generally "doers" as well as dreamers. This rare combination of vision and practicality often results in INFJs taking a disproportionate amount of responsibility in the various causes to which so many of them seem to be drawn.

INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people -- a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates." While instinctively courting the personal and organizational demands continually made upon them by others, at intervals INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out even their intimates. This apparent paradox is a necessary escape valve for them, providing both time to rebuild their depleted resources and a filter to prevent the emotional overload to which they are so susceptible as inherent "givers." As a pattern of behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often misunderstood -- particularly by those who have little experience with this rare type.

Due in part to the unique perspective produced by this alternation between detachment and involvement in the lives of the people around them, INFJs may well have the clearest insights of all the types into the motivations of others, for good and for evil. The most important contributing factor to this uncanny gift, however, are the empathic abilities often found in Fs, which seem to be especially heightened in the INFJ type (possibly by the dominance of the introverted N function).

This empathy can serve as a classic example of the two-edged nature of certain INFJ talents, as it can be strong enough to cause discomfort or pain in negative or stressful situations. More explicit inner conflicts are also not uncommon in INFJs; it is possible to speculate that the causes for some of these may lie in the specific combinations of preferences which define this complex type. For instance, there can sometimes be a "tug-of-war" between NF vision and idealism and the J practicality that urges compromise for the sake of achieving the highest priority goals. And the I and J combination, while perhaps enhancing self-awareness, may make it difficult for INFJs to articulate their deepest and most convoluted feelings.

Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills. Since in addition they often possess a strong personal charisma, INFJs are generally well-suited to the "inspirational" professions such as teaching (especially in higher education) and religious leadership. Psychology and counseling are other obvious choices, but overall, INFJs can be exceptionally difficult to pigeonhole by their career paths. Perhaps the best example of this occurs in the technical fields. Many INFJs perceive themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with the mystique and formality of "hard logic", and in academic terms this may cause a tendency to gravitate towards the liberal arts rather than the sciences. However, the significant minority of INFJs who do pursue studies and careers in the latter areas tend to be as successful as their T counterparts, as it is *iNtuition* -- the dominant function for the INFJ type -- which governs the ability to understand abstract theory and implement it creatively.

In their own way, INFJs are just as much "systems builders" as are INTJs; the difference lies in that most INFJ "systems" are founded on human beings and human values, rather than information and technology. Their systems may for these reasons be conceptually "blurrier" than analogous NT ones, harder to measure in strict numerical terms, and easier to take for granted -- yet it is these same underlying reasons which make the resulting contributions to society so vital and profound.

Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving
by Marina Margaret Heiss
Profile: ENFP
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 25 Feb 2005


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[The following comes partially from the archetype, but mostly from my own dealings with ENFPs.]

General: ENFPs are both "idea"-people and "people"-people, who see everyone and everything as part of an often bizarre cosmic whole. They want to both help (at least, their own definition of "help") and be liked and admired by other people, on bo th an individual and a humanitarian level. They are interested in new ideas on principle, but ultimately discard most of them for one reason or another.

Social/Personal Relationships: ENFPs have a great deal of zany charm, which can ingratiate them to the more stodgy types in spite of their unconventionality. They are outgoing, fun, and genuinely like people. As SOs/mates they are warm, affectionate (l ots of PDA), and disconcertingly spontaneous. However, attention span in relationships can be short; ENFPs are easily intrigued and distracted by new friends and acquaintances, forgetting about the older ones for long stretches at a time. Less mature ENFPs may need to feel they are the center of attention all the time, to reassure them that everyone thinks they're a wonderful and fascinating person.

ENFPs often have strong, if unconvential, convictions on various issues related to their Cosmic View. They usually try to use their social skills and contacts to persuade people gently of the rightness of these views; his sometimes results in their negle cting their nearest and dearest while flitting around trying to save the world.
Work Environment: ENFPs are pleasant, easygoing, and usually fun to work with. They come up with great ideas, and are a major asset in brainstorming sessions. Followthrough tends to be a problem, however; they tend to get bored quickly, especially if a newer, more interesting project comes along. They also tend to be procrastinators, both about meeting hard deadlines and about performing any small, uninteresting tasks that they've been assigned. ENFPs are at their most useful when working in a group w ith a J or two to take up the slack.

ENFPs hate bureaucracy, both in principle and in practice; they will always make a point of launching one of their crusades against some aspect of it.


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Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving
by Joe Butt

ENFPs are friendly folks. Most are really enjoyable people. Some of the most soft-hearted people are ENFPs.

ENFPs have what some call a "silly switch." They can be intellectual, serious, all business for a while, but whenever they get the chance, they flip that switch and become CAPTAIN WILDCHILD, the scourge of the swimming pool, ticklers par excellence. Som etimes they may even appear intoxicated when the "switch" is flipped.

One study has shown that ENFPs are significantly overrepresented in psychodrama. Most have a natural propensity for role-playing and acting.

ENFPs like to tell funny stories, especially about their friends. This penchant may be why many are attracted to journalism. I kid one of my ENFP friends that if I want the sixth fleet to know something, I'll just tell him.

ENFPs are global learners. Close enough is satisfactory to the ENFP, which may unnerve more precise thinking types, especially with such things as piano practice ("three quarter notes or four ... what's the difference?") Amazingly, some ENFPs are adept at exacting disciplines such as mathematics.

Friends are what life is about to ENFPs, moreso even than the other NFs. They hold up their end of the relationship, sometimes being victimized by less caring individuals. ENFPs are energized by being around people. Some have real difficulty being alone , especially on a regular basis.

One ENFP colleague, a social worker, had such tremendous interpersonal skills that she put her interviewers at ease during her own job interview. She had the ability to make strangers feel like old friends.

ENFPs sometimes can be blindsided by their secondary Feeling function. Hasty decisions based on deeply felt values may boil over with unpredictable results. More than one ENFP has abruptly quit a job in such a moment.

Functional Analysis:

Extraverted iNtuition
The physical world, both geos and kosmos, is the ENFP's primary source of information. Rather than sensing things as they are, dominant intuition is sensitive to things as they might be. These extraverted intuitives are most adept with patterns and connections. Their natural inclination is toward relationships, especially among people or living things.
Intuition leans heavily on feeling for meaning and focus. Its best patterns reflect the interesting points of people, giving rise to caricatures of manner, speech and expression.

Introverted Feeling
Auxiliary feeling is nonverbally implied more often than it is openly expressed. When expressed, this logic has an aura of romance and purity that may seem out of place in this flawed, imperfect world. In its own defense, feeling judgement frequently and fleetly gives way to humor. ENFPs who publicize their feelings too often may put off some of the crowd of friends they naturally attract.
Extraverted Thinking
Thinking, the process which runs to impersonal conclusions, holds the extraverted tertiary position. Used on an occasional basis, ENFPs may benefit greatly from this ability. Less mature and lacking the polish of higher order functions, Thinking is not well suited to be used as a prominent function. As with other FP types, the ENFP unwary of Thinking's limitations may find themselves most positively mistaken.
Introverted Sensing
Sensing, the least discernible ENFP function, resides in the inner world where reality is reduced to symbols and icons--ideas representing essences of external realities. Under the influence of the ever-present intuition, the ENFP's sensory perceptions are in danger of being replaced by hypothetical data consistent with pattern and paradigm. When it is protected and nourished, introverted sensing provides information about the fixed. From such firm anchoring ENFPs are best equipped to launch into thousands of plausibilities and curiosities yet to be imagined.
Perhaps the combination of introverted Feeling and childlike introverted Sensing is responsible for the silent pull of ENFPs to the wishes of parents, authority figures and friends. Or perhaps it's the predominance of indecisive intuition in combination with the ambiguity of secondary Fi and tertiary Te that induces these kind souls to capitulate even life-affecting decisions. Whatever the dynamic, ENFPs are strongly influenced by the opinions of their friends.

Famous ENFPs:
Franz Joseph Haydn
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Will Rogers
Buster Keaton
Theodor "Dr." Seuss Geisel (The Cat in the Hat)
Mickey Rooney
James Dobson ("Focus on the Family")
Andy Rooney
Carol Burnett
Paul Harvey
Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched)
Bill Cosby (Ghost Dad)
Dom Delouise, actor
Dave Thomas, owner of Wendy's hamburger chain
Lewis Grizzard, newspaper columnist
I. King Jordan, past president of Gallaudet University
Martin Short, actor-comedian
Meg Ryan, actor (When Harry Met Sally)
Robin Williams, actor, comedian (Dead Poet's Society, Mrs. Doubtfire)
Sandra Bullock, actor (Speed, While You Were Sleeping)
Robert Downey Jr.(Ironman)
Alicia Silverstone (Clueless)
Sinbad
Andy Kaufman
Regis Philbin
Will Smith

Fictional:
Dr. Doug Ross (ER)
Balkie (Perfect Strangers)
Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
Steve Irkle

Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging
by Joe Butt
Profile: ENFJ
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 23 Feb 2005


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ENFJs are the benevolent 'pedagogues' of humanity. They have tremendous charisma by which many are drawn into their nurturant tutelage and/or grand schemes. Many ENFJs have tremendous power to manipulate others with their phenomenal interpersonal skills and unique salesmanship. But it's usually not meant as manipulation -- ENFJs generally believe in their dreams, and see themselves as helpers and enablers, which they usually are.

ENFJs are global learners. They see the big picture. The ENFJs focus is expansive. Some can juggle an amazing number of responsibilities or projects simultaneously. Many ENFJs have tremendous entrepreneurial ability.

ENFJs are, by definition, Js, with whom we associate organization and decisiveness. But they don't resemble the SJs or even the NTJs in organization of the environment nor occasional recalcitrance. ENFJs are organized in the arena of interpersonal affairs. Their offices may or may not be cluttered, but their conclusions (reached through feelings) about people and motives are drawn much more quickly and are more resilient than those of their NFP counterparts.

ENFJs know and appreciate people. Like most NFs, (and Feelers in general), they are apt to neglect themselves and their own needs for the needs of others. They have thinner psychological boundaries than most, and are at risk for being hurt or even abused by less sensitive people. ENFJs often take on more of the burdens of others than they can bear.

TRADEMARK: "The first shall be last"
This refers to the open-door policy of ENFJs. One ENFJ colleague always welcomes me into his office regardless of his own circumstances. If another person comes to the door, he allows them to interrupt our conversation with their need. While discussing that need, the phone rings and he stops to answer it. Others drop in with a 'quick question.' I finally get up, go to my office and use the call waiting feature on the telephone. When he hangs up, I have his undivided attention!
Functional Analysis:

Extraverted Feeling
Extraverted Feeling rules the ENFJ's psyche. In the sway of this rational function, these folks are predisposed to closure in matters pertaining to people, and especially on behalf of their beloved. As extraverts, their contacts are wide ranging. Face-to-face relationships are intense, personable and warm, though they may be so infrequently achieved that intimate friendships are rare.
Introverted iNtuition
Like their INFJ cousins, ENFJs are blessed through introverted intuition with clarity of perception in the inner, unconscious world. Dominant Feeling prefers to find the silver lining in even the most beggarly perceptions of those in their expanding circle of friends and, of course, in themselves. In less balanced individuals, such mitigation of the unseemly eventually undermines the ENFJ's integrity and frequently their good name. In healthier individuals, deft use of this awareness of the inner needs and desires of others enables this astute type to win friends, influence people, and avoid compromising entanglements.
The dynamic nature of their intuition moves ENFJs from one project to another with the assurance that the next one will be perfect, or much more nearly so than the last. ENFJs are continually looking for newer and better solutions to benefit their extensive family, staff, or organization.

Extraverted Sensing
Sensing is extraverted. ENFJs can manage details, particularly those necessary to implement the prevailing vision. These data have, however, a magical flexible quality. Something to be bought can be had for a song; the same something is invaluable when it's time to sell. (We are not certain, but we suspect that such is the influence of the primary function.) This wavering of sensory perception is made possible by the weaker and less mature status with which the tertiary is endowed.
Introverted Thinking
Introverted Thinking is least apparent and most enigmatic in this type. In fact, it often appears only when summoned by Feeling. At times only in jest, but in earnest if need be, Thinking entertains as logical only those conclusions which support Feeling's values. Other scenarios can be shown invalid or at best significantly inferior. Such "Thinking in the service of Feeling" has the appearance of logic, but somehow it never quite adds up.
Introverted Thinking is frequently the focus of the spiritual quest of ENFJs. David's lengthiest psalm, 119, pays it homage. "Law," "precept," "commandment," "statute:" these essences of inner thinking are the mysteries of Deity for which this great Feeler's soul searched.

Famous ENFJs:
David, King of Israel
U.S. Presidents:
Abraham Lincoln
Ronald Reagan
Barack Obama

William Cullen Bryant, poet
Abraham Maslow, psychologist and proponent of self-actualization
Ross Perot
Sean Connery
Elizabeth Dole
Francois Mitterand
Dick Van Dyke
Andy Griffith
James Garner
William Aramony, former president of United Way
Gene Hackman (Superman, Antz)
Dennis Hopper (Speed)
Brenda Vaccaro
Craig T. Nelson (Coach)
Diane Sawyer (Good Morning America)
Randy Quaid (Bye Bye, Love; Independence Day)
Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive)
Kirstie Alley ("Cheers," Look Who's Talking movies)
Michael Jordan, NBA basketball player
Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Oprah Winfrey
Bob Saget America's Funniest Home Videos, Full House
Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Seinfeld")
Ben Stiller (The Royal Tenenbaums)
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts quarterback
Matthew McConaughey (The Wedding Planner)
Pete Sampras, Tennis Champion
Lauren Graham ("Gilmore Girls")
Ben Affleck (The Sum Of All Fears)
John Cusack (High Fidelity)
Fictional ENFJs:
Joe Hackett, Wings

Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging
by Marina Margaret Heiss
Profile: INTJ
Revision: 3.1
Date of Revision: 17 Oct 2009


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To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.

This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.

Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.


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Functional Analysis
by Joe Butt

Introverted iNtuition
INTJs are idea people. Anything is possible; everything is negotiable. Whatever the outer circumstances, INTJs are ever perceiving inner pattern-forms and using real-world materials to operationalize them. Others may see what is and wonder why; INTJs see what might be and say "Why not?!" Paradoxes, antinomies, and other contradictory phenomena aptly express these intuitors' amusement at those whom they feel may be taking a particular view of reality too seriously. INTJs enjoy developing unique solutions to complex problems.
Extraverted Thinking
Thinking in this auxiliary role is a workhorse. Closure is the payoff for efforts expended. Evaluation begs diagnosis; product drives process. As they come to light, Thinking tends, protects, affirms and directs iNtuition's offspring, fully equipping them for fulfilling and useful lives. A faithful pedagogue, Thinking argues not so much on its own behalf, but in defense of its charges. And through this process these impressionable ideas take on the likeness of their master.
Introverted Feeling
Feeling has a modest inner room, two doors down from the Most Imminent iNtuition. It doesn't get out much, but lends its influence on behalf of causes which are Good and Worthy and Humane. We may catch a glimpse of it in the unspoken attitude of good will, or the gracious smile or nod. Some question the existence of Feeling in this type, yet its unseen balance to Thinking is a cardinal dimension in the full measure of the INTJ's soul.
Extraverted Sensing
Sensing serves with a good will, or not at all. As other inferior functions, it has only a rudimentary awareness of context, amount or degree. Thus INTJs sweat the details or, at times, omit them. "I've made up my mind, don't confuse me with the facts" could well have been said by an INTJ on a mission. Sensing's extraverted attitude is evident in this type's bent to savor sensations rather than to merely categorize them. Indiscretions of indulgence are likely an expression of the unconscious vengeance of the inferior.
Famous INTJs:
Susan B. Anthony
Lance Armstrong
Arthur Ashe, tennis champion
Augustus Caesar (Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus)
Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)
Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers)
William J. Bennett, "drug czar"
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Raymond Burr (Perry Mason, Ironsides)
Chevy Chase (Cornelius Crane) (Fletch)
Katie Couric
Phil Donahue
Michael Dukakis, governor of Mass., 1988 U.S. Dem. pres. candidate
Richard Gere (Pretty Woman)
Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor
Greg Gumbel, television sportscaster
Hannibal, Carthaginian military leader
Veronica Hamel (Hill Street Blues)
Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote)
Orel Leonard Hershiser, IV
Peter Jennings
Charles Everett Koop
Ivan Lendl
C. S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)
Joan Lunden
Edwin Moses, U.S. olympian (hurdles)
Martina Navratilova
Michelle Obama
General Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State
Charles Rangel, US Representative, D-N.Y.
Pernell Roberts (Bonanza)
Donald Rumsfeld, former US Secretary of Defense
Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California
Josephine Tey (Elizabeth Mackintosh), mystery writer (Brat Farrar)
U.S. Presidents:
Chester A. Arthur
Calvin Coolidge
Thomas Jefferson
John F. Kennedy
James K. Polk
Woodrow Wilson
Fictional:
Cassius (Julius Caesar)
Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
Gandalf the Grey (J. R. R. Tolkein's Middle Earth books)
Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)
Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' nemesis
Ensign Ro (Star Trek--the Next Generation)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Hamlet)
George Smiley, John le Carre's master spy
Clarice Starling (Silence of the Lambs)

Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving
by Joe Butt
Profile: INTP
Revision: 3.2
Date of Revision: 6 Aug 2010


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INTPs are pensive, analytical folks. They may venture so deeply into thought as to seem detached, and often actually are oblivious to the world around them.

Precise about their descriptions, INTPs will often correct others (or be sorely tempted to) if the shade of meaning is a bit off. While annoying to the less concise, this fine discrimination ability gives INTPs so inclined a natural advantage as, for example, grammarians and linguists.

INTPs are relatively easy-going and amenable to almost anything until their principles are violated, about which they may become outspoken and inflexible. They prefer to return, however, to a reserved albeit benign ambiance, not wishing to make spectacles of themselves.

A major concern for INTPs is the haunting sense of impending failure. They spend considerable time second-guessing themselves. The open-endedness (from Perceiving) conjoined with the need for competence (NT) is expressed in a sense that one's conclusion may well be met by an equally plausible alternative solution, and that, after all, one may very well have overlooked some critical bit of data. An INTP arguing a point may very well be trying to convince himself as much as his opposition. In this way INTPs are markedly different from INTJs, who are much more confident in their competence and willing to act on their convictions.

Mathematics is a system where many INTPs love to play, similarly languages, computer systems--potentially any complex system. INTPs thrive on systems. Understanding, exploring, mastering, and manipulating systems can overtake the INTP's conscious thought. This fascination for logical wholes and their inner workings is often expressed in a detachment from the environment, a concentration where time is forgotten and extraneous stimuli are held at bay. Accomplishing a task or goal with this knowledge is secondary.

INTPs and Logic -- One of the tipoffs that a person is an INTP is her obsession with logical correctness. Errors are not often due to poor logic -- apparent faux pas in reasoning are usually a result of overlooking details or of incorrect context.

Games NTs seem to especially enjoy include Risk, Bridge, Stratego, Chess, Go, and word games of all sorts. (I have an ENTP friend that loves Boggle and its variations. We've been known to sit in public places and pick a word off a menu or mayonnaise jar to see who can make the most words from its letters on a napkin in two minutes.) The INTP mailing list has enjoyed a round of Metaphore, virtual volleyball, and a few 'finish the series' brain teasers.

INTPs in the main are not clannish. The INTP mailing list, with a readership now in triple figures, was in its incipience fraught with all the difficulties of the Panama canal: we had trouble deciding:
whether or not there should be such a group,
exactly what such a group should be called, and
which of us would have to take the responsibility for organization and maintenance of the aforesaid group/club/whatever.


A Functional Analysis

Introverted Thinking
Introverted Thinking strives to extract the essence of the Idea from various externals that express it. In the extreme, this conceptual essence wants no form or substance to verify its reality. Knowing the Truth is enough for INTPs; the knowledge that this truth can (or could) be demonstrated is sufficient to satisfy the knower. "Cogito, ergo sum" expresses this prime directive quite succinctly.
In seasons of low energy level, or moments of single-minded concentration, the INTP is aloof and detached in a way that might even offend more relational or extraverted individuals.

Extraverted iNtuition
Intuition softens and socializes Thinking, fleshing out the brittle bones of truths formed in the dominant inner world. That which is is not negotiable; yet actual application diffuses knowledge to the extent that knowledge needs qualification and context to be of any consequence in this foreign world of substance.
If Thinking can desist, the INTP is free to brainstorm, calling up the perceptions of the unconscious (i.e., intuition) which are mirrored in patterns in the realm of matter, time and space. These perceptions, in the form of theories or hunches, must ultimately defer to the inner principles, or at least they must not negate them.

Intuition unchained gives birth to play. INTPs enjoy games, formal or impromptu, which coax analogies, patterns and theories from the unseen into spontaneous expression in a way that defies their own comprehension.

Introverted Sensing
Sensing is of a subjective, inner nature similar to that of the SJs. It supplies awareness of the forms of senses rather than the raw, analogic stimuli. Facts and figures seek to be cleaned up for comparison with an ever growing range of previously experienced input. Sensing assists intuition in sorting out and arranging information into the building blocks for Thinking's elaborate systems.
The internalizing nature of the INTP's Sensing function leaves a relative absence of environmental awareness (i.e., Extraverted Sensing), except when the environment is the current focus. Consciousness of such conditions is at best a sometime thing.

Extraverted Feeling
Feeling tends to be all or none. When present, the INTP's concern for others is intense, albeit naive. In a crisis, this feeling judgement is often silenced by the emergence of Thinking, who rushes in to avert chaos and destruction. In the absence of a clear principle, however, INTPs have been known to defer judgement and to allow decisions about interpersonal matters to be left hanging lest someone be offended or somehow injured. INTPs are at risk of being swept away by the shadow in the form of their own strong emotional impulses.
Famous INTPs:
Socrates
Rene Descartes
Blaise Pascal
Sir Isaac Newton
U.S. Presidents:
James Madison
John Quincy Adams
John Tyler
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Gerald Ford
William Harvey (pioneer in human physiology)
C. G. Jung, (Freudian defector, author of Psychological Types, etc.)
William James
Albert Einstein
Tom Foley (1989-1995: Speaker of the House--U.S. House of Representatives)
Henri Mancini
Bob Newhart
Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senator (D.--NM)
Rick Moranis (Honey, I Shrunk The Kids)
Midori Ito (ice skater, Olympic silver medalist)
Tiger Woods
Fictional INTPs
Tom and Fiona (Four Weddings and a Funeral)
Dr. Susan Lewis (ER)
Filburt (Rocko's Modern Life)

Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving
by Marina Margaret Heiss
Profile: ENTP
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 26 Feb 2005


"Clever" is the word that perhaps describes ENTPs best. The professor who juggles half a dozen ideas for research papers and grant proposals in his mind while giving a highly entertaining lecture on an abstruse subject is a classic example of the type. So is the stand-up comedian whose lampoons are not only funny, but incisively accurate.

ENTPs are usually verbally as well as cerebrally quick, and generally love to argue--both for its own sake, and to show off their often-impressive skills. They tend to have a perverse sense of humor as well, and enjoy playing devil's advocate. They sometimes confuse, even inadvertently hurt, those who don't understand or accept the concept of argument as a sport.

ENTPs are as innovative and ingenious at problem-solving as they are at verbal gymnastics; on occasion, however, they manage to outsmart themselves. This can take the form of getting found out at "sharp practice"--ENTPs have been known to cut corners without regard to the rules if it's expedient -- or simply in the collapse of an over-ambitious juggling act. Both at work and at home, ENTPs are very fond of "toys"--physical or intellectual, the more sophisticated the better. They tend to tire of these quickly, however, and move on to new ones.

ENTPs are basically optimists, but in spite of this (perhaps because of it?), they tend to become extremely petulant about small setbacks and inconveniences. (Major setbacks they tend to regard as challenges, and tackle with determin- ation.) ENTPs have little patience with those they consider wrongheaded or unintelligent, and show little restraint in demonstrating this. However, they do tend to be extremely genial, if not charming, when not being harassed by life in general.

In terms of their relationships with others, ENTPs are capable of bonding very closely and, initially, suddenly, with their loved ones. Some appear to be deceptively offhand with their nearest and dearest; others are so demonstrative that they succeed in shocking co-workers who've only seen their professional side. ENTPs are also good at acquiring friends who are as clever and entertaining as they are. Aside from those two areas, ENTPs tend to be oblivious of the rest of humanity, except as an audience -- good, bad, or potential.

Some Famous ENTPs:
Alexander the Great
Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart
Sir Walter Raleigh


Fictional:
Mercutio, from Romeo and Juliet
Horace Rumpole, from John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey series
Dorothy L. Sayers's detective Lord Peter Wimsey


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A Functional Analysis -- by Joe Butt

Extraverted iNtuition
ENTPs are nothing if not unique. Brave new associations flow freely from the unconscious into the world of the living. Making, discovering and developing connections between and among two or more of anything is virtually automatic. The product of intuition is merely an icon of process; ENTPs are in the business of change, improvement, experimentation.

The attraction Extraverted iNtuition has toward the real and physical amounts to a cosmic non sequitur: theory is drawn to practice. Such encounters are clearly puzzling. Both parties--the intuitor and the realist--are aware of a xenic quality in their meeting, with reactions ranging from recoil to reverie.

Introverted Thinking
Thinking is iNtuition's ready assistant, an embodiment of the sort of logic found in laws, boards and circuits. Thinking's job is to lend focus and direction to iNtuition's critical mass. The temporary habitations of changeling iNtuition are constructed of Boolean materials from Thinking's storehouse. Ultimately, Thinking is no match for iNtuition's prodigiousness. Systems lie in various states of disarray, fragmentary traces of Thinking's feverish attempts to shadow and undergird the leaps of the dominant function. One can only suppose that Thinking must continue to work during REM sleep pulling together iNtuition's brainchildren into integral wholes.

Extraverted Feeling
To the extent that Feeling is developed, ENTPs extravert Feeling judgment. As a result, it is not uncommon to find affability and bonhomie in members of this species. Tertiary functions are potentially utilitarian. Their limitations appear in their relative underdevelopment, diminished endurance, and vulnerability. ENTPs may harness Feeling's good will in areas such as sales, service, drama, humor and art. ENTP loyalty often runs high and can be hooked by those the ENTP counts as friends.

Introverted Sensing
Like a tail on the kite of iNtuition, Introverted Sensing counterweighs these beings drawn to nonconformity and anarchy. These shadowy sensory forms, so familiar to SJ types, serve as lodestones which many ENTPs employ Herculean measures to escape. "Question authority! (then do exactly what it tells you)" sums up the dilemma in which ENTPs may find themselves by attempting to best the tarbaby Sensing. Occasionally acknowledging awareness of norms and abnormality could, in theory, be potentially freeing.

Additionally, I've noticed that ENTPs have the need to have areas of expertise/excellence/uniqueness in which one is second to none. I've never beaten an ENTP at his/her own game--not in the final analysis. (e.g., just tonight, my neighbor who is recuperating from an illness received a call from an ENTP friend offering his special recipe for tea. The instructions required only the finest ingredients, a particular brand of orange juice, tea made with a ball--none of those horrid teabags--..., which will of course make the best tea of which he himself drinks 50 gallons each winter!)

A Few More Famous ENTPs
U.S. Presidents:
John Adams, 2nd US president.
[Adams appears to have been competing with
Thomas Jefferson to see who would live the
longest. ("Jefferson surv...")]
James A. Garfield (who could reportedly write Latin
with one hand and Greek with the other, simultaneously)
Rutherford B. Hayes
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt
Thomas Edison
Lewis Carrol, author (Alice in Wonderland)
Julia Child
Suzanne Pleshette
George Carlin
Valerie Harper
John Candy
John Sununu
Dr. Bill Bass, forensic anthropologist
Weird Al Yankovick
Marilyn Vos Savant
Alfred Hitchcock
Tom Hanks
David Spade
Céline Dion
Matthew Perry, Chandler ("Friends")
Rachel Ray
Rodney Dangerfield

Fictional Characters:
"Q" (Star Trek--The Next Generation)
Shirley Feeney (Laverne and Shirley)
Bugs Bunny
Wile E. Coyote
Garfield the cat

Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging
by Joe Butt
Profile: ENTJ
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 27 Feb 2005


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"I don't care to sit by the window on an airplane. If I can't control it, why look?"
ENTJs have a natural tendency to marshall and direct. This may be expressed with the charm and finesse of a world leader or with the insensitivity of a cult leader. The ENTJ requires little encouragement to make a plan. One ENTJ put it this way... "I make these little plans that really don't have any importance to anyone else, and then feel compelled to carry them out." While "compelled" may not describe ENTJs as a group, nevertheless the bent to plan creatively and to make those plans reality is a common theme for NJ types.

ENTJs are often "larger than life" in describing their projects or proposals. This ability may be expressed as salesmanship, story-telling facility or stand-up comedy. In combination with the natural propensity for filibuster, our hero can make it very difficult for the customer to decline.

TRADEMARK: -- "I'm really sorry you have to die." (I realize this is an overstatement. However, most Fs and other gentle souls usually chuckle knowingly at this description.)

ENTJs are decisive. They see what needs to be done, and frequently assign roles to their fellows. Few other types can equal their ability to remain resolute in conflict, sending the valiant (and often leading the charge) into the mouth of hell. When challenged, the ENTJ may by reflex become argumentative. Alternatively (s)he may unleash an icy gaze that serves notice: the ENTJ is not one to be trifled with.

Functional Analysis

Extraverted Thinking
"Unequivocating" expresses the resoluteness of the ENTJ's dominant function. Clarity of convictions endows these Thinkers with a knack for debate, or wanting knack, a penchant for argument. The light and heat generated by Thinking at the helm can be impressive; perhaps even overwhelming. Experience teaches many ENTJs that restraint may often be the better part of valor, lest one find oneself victorious but alone.
Introverted iNtuition
The auxiliary function explores the blueprints of archetypal patterns and equips Thinking with a fresh, dynamic sense of how things work. Improvising on the fly is something many ENTJs do very well. As Thinking's subordinate, insights are of value only insofar as they further the Right, True Cause celebre. [n.b.: ENTJs are capable of living on a higher plane, if you will, and learning to value individuals even above their principles. The above dynamic suggests less individuation.]
Extraverted Sensing
Sensing reaches out to embrace that which physically touches it. ENTJs have an awareness of the real; of that which exists. By stilling the engines of Thinking and iNtuition, this type may experience the Here and Now, and know things not dreamt of nor even postulated in iNtuition's philosophy. Sensing's minor role, however, puts it at risk for distortion or extreme weakness beneath the hustle and bustle of the giants N and T.
Introverted Feeling
Feeling is romantic, as the ethereal as the inner world from whence it doth emerge. When it be awake, feeling evokes great passion that knows not nuance of proportion nor context. Perhaps these lesser functions inspire glorious recreational quests in worlds that never were, or may only ever be in fantasy. When overdone or taken too seriously, Fi turned outward often becomes maudlin or melodramatic. Feeling in this type appears most authentic when implied or expressed covertly in a firm handshake, accepting demeanor, or act of sacrifice thinly covered by excuses of lack of any personal interest in the relinquished item.
Famous ENTJs:
U.S. Presidents:
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Richard M. Nixon
Lamar Alexander (US Senator)
Les Aspen, former U.S. Secretary of Defense
Candace Bergen (Murphy Brown)
Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask)
Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff
Harrison Ford
Newt Gingrich
Whoopi Goldberg
Benny Goodman, "Big Band" leader
Al Gore (U.S Vice President, 1993-2001)
Penn Jillette
Steve Jobs
Dave Letterman
Steve Martin
General Norman Schwarzkopf
Patrick Stewart (STNG: Jean Luc Picard)
Margaret Thatcher
Robert James Waller (author: The Bridges of Madison County)
Sigourney Weaver

Introverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving
by Joe Butt

Profile: ISFP
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 23 Feb 05



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ISFPs are the first to hear the different drummer. Many eagerly plunge into new fashions, avant garde experiences, 'hip' trends--some even setting the trends.

More in touch with the reality of their senses than their INFP counterparts, ISFPs live in the here and now. Their impulses yearn to be free, and are often loosed when others least expect it. The ISFP who continually represses these impulses feels 'dead inside' and may eventually cut and run. (One ISFP friend has become nonambulatory within the past few years. He will still, on impulse, leave home in the middle of the night and go to Las Vegas or wherever, regardless of the difficulties of his physical condition.)

ISFPs may be quite charming and ingratiating on first acquaintance, flowing with compliments which may (or may not) be deserved. On other occasions, the same individual may be aloof and detached. Some ISFP males are fiercely competitive, especially in sport or table games, and may have great difficulty losing. This competitive nature, also seen in other SP types, sometimes fosters 'lucky,' 'gut' feelings and a willingness to take risks.

Organized education is difficult for the majority of ISFPs, and many drop out before finishing secondary education. Their interest can be held better through experiential learning, at which many excel. ISFPs will practice playing an instrument or honing a favored skill for hours on end, not so much as practice as for the joy of the experience.

Differential diagnosis:
ISFPs are less fantasy-oriented than INFPs. These types are often confused, however, INFPs lean strongly to daydreams, poetry, prose and more philosophical pursuits; ISFPs often live out 'id' experiences rather than writing or even talking about them.

ISFJs are driven by the conventional, by 'should's and 'ought's; ISFPs internalize their Feeling (by nature a judging function) which bursts out spontaneously and leaves as quickly and mysteriously as it came.

Because of these variant expressions of Feeling judgement, ISFPs are sometimes confused with ESFJs, but keep themselves more aloof, more often concealing the feelings that ESFJs are so apt to expose.

ESFPs express thoughts more readily (and, in the main, skillfully). ISFPs can and do perform admirably in the spotlight, but generally have little to say about the performance. For example, few ISFPs would be disc-jockeys, a field strongly represented by ES_Ps.



Functional Analysis:
Introverted Feeling
Feeling, unbridled by the external forces of society and substance, is the dominant function. ISFPs spontaneously develop their own codes and credos, about which they are quite sober and intense. ISFPs are questors, driven to find the pure and ideal, as personally and individually defined. Feeling may temporarily turn outward, but cannot be long sustained beyond its cloistered home.
If the individual has values greater than herself, feeling may express itself in valiant acts of selflessness. Turned in upon self, however, it becomes an unscrupulous, capricious enigma, capable even of heinous acts of deception and treachery.

Extraverted Sensing
ISFPs keep a finger on the pulse of here and now. They are more adept at doing than considering, at acting than reflecting, at tasting than wondering. As do most SPs, ISFPs keenly sense color, sound, texture, and movement. It is not unusual for ISFPs to excel in sensory, motor, or kinesthetic abilities.
ISFPs cherish their impulses. Some of the most beautiful, graceful, and artistic performances are the result of this drive for physical, sensate expression.

Introverted iNtuition
Tertiary intuition works best in the background of the ISFP's inner world. Perhaps this is the source of the "gut feeling" SPs consult in matters of chance. However "lucky" the ISFP may be, intuition as a means of communication is a poor servant, evidenced in spoonerisms, and non sequiturs and mixed metaphors.
Extraverted Thinking
The ISFP may employ Extraverted Thinking in external situations requiring closure. As is the case with inferior functions, such Thinking behaves in an all or nothing manner. Thus, as with other FP types, the ISFP's Extraverted Thinking is at risk for a lack of context and proportion. In most cases, persons of this type enjoy greater facility operating in the open-ended style of sensing, implying the opinions of feeling values in the indirect fashion characteristic of introverted functions.
Famous ISFPs:
Marie Antoinette
Auguste Rodin

U.S. Presidents
Ulysses S. Grant
Millard Fillmore, "The American Louis Philippe"
Warren G. Harding
Fred Astaire
Marilyn Monroe
Liberace
Elizabeth Taylor
Yogi Berra, professional baseball player ("It's deja vu all over again.")
Dan Rather
Orrin Hatch, U.S. Senator
Ervin "Magic" Johnson, NBA basketball star
Patrick Duffey
Dan Quayle, U.S. Vice President, 1988-1992
Paul McCartney
Christopher Reeve
Michael Jackson
Kevin Costner
Greg Louganis, U.S. Olympic gold medalist
Brooke Shields
Britney Spears
John Travolta
Ashton Kutcher
Donald Trump

Extraverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving
by Joe Butt
Profile: ESFP
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 25 Feb 2005



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"Where's the party?" ESFPs love people, excitement, telling stories and having fun. The spontaneous, impulsive nature of this type is almost always entertaining. And ESFPs love to entertain -- on stage, at work, and/or at home. Social gatherings are an energy boost to these "people" people.

SPs sometimes think and talk in more of a spider-web approach. Several of my ESFP friends jump from thought to thought in mid-sentence, touching here or there in a manner that's almost incoherent to the listener, but will eventually cover the waterfront by skipping on impulse from one piece of information to another. It's really quite fascinating.

New! ESFPs are attracted to new ideas, new fashions, new gadgets, new ______. Perhaps it's the newness of life that attracts ESFPs to elementary education, especially to preschool and kindergarten.

ESFPs love to talk to people about people. Some of the most colorful storytellers are ESFPs. Their down-to-earth, often homespun wit reflects a mischievous benevolence.

Almost every ESFP loves to talk. Some can be identified by the twenty minute conversation required to ask or answer a simple factual question.

Functional Analysis:
Extraverted Sensing
The dominant function of ESFPs is concerned with the reality that is perceived through the senses. This type's prime directive is to examine the tangible through taste, touch, sight, feeling and hearing. ESFPs' need for new experiences surely results from this function. Feeling gives focus to the collected information, producing the amiable nature of this type. As perceivers, ESFPs do not linger on moral concerns unless it is in service of a Greater Good and/or a unifying cause.
Introverted Feeling
Feeling, which tends to decision-making in the interest of individual beings, is auxiliary to sensing. As with all introverted functions, feeling for ESFPs has a surreal, cryptic, quintessential nature. It is more often implied than verbally expressed, more apparent in countenance and deed rather than word or creed. Feeling takes care that playful pokes and pranks do no harm to the victim.
Extraverted Thinking
This tertiary function is at the ready to give definitive answers when the world requires them. It provides a measure of balance to Introverted Feeling, allowing the ESFP some level of boundary and protection from those who would take advantage. When overused or overestimated, however, Thinking becomes a liability. ESFPs do well to seek out confirmation of the soundness of tough-minded decisions.
Introverted iNtuition
This function is least visible. As is the nature of the inferior (fourth) function, ESFP intuition lacks a sense of balance. This type seems most successful in deducing patterns and seeing connections only after a thorough examination of the facts (which process appears quite unorganized and haphazard to non-SPs). Although some ESFPs may develop such abilities, the mastery of logic, analysis and abstraction is usually difficult and wearying, and not very much fun.
Famous ESFPs:
Saint Mark (Christ's disciple)
Dale Evans
Gracie Allen
Bob Hope
Eva Gabor
Willard Scott
Goldie Hawn
Kyle Petty
Arsenio Hall
Mary Lou Retton
Kathy Lee Gifford
Steve Irwin
Woody Harrelson (Cheers)

Fictional ESFPs:
Tim "The Toolman" Taylor(Home Improvement)
Cody (Step By Step)
Mrs. Pumphrey (James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small)

Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving
by Marina Margaret Heiss
Profile: ISTP
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 26 Feb 2005



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Like their fellow SPs, ISTPs are fundamentally Performers (note the capital 'P' :-)), but as Ts their areas of interest tend to be mechanical rather than artistic like those of ISFPs, and unlike most ESPs they do not present an impression of constant activity. On the contrary, they lie dormant, saving their energy until a project or an adventure worthy of their time comes along--and then they launch themselves at it. The apparently frenzied state that inevitably ensues is actually much more controlled than it appears--ISTPs always seem to know what they're doing when it comes to physical or mechanical obstacles--but the whole chain of events presents a confusing and paradoxical picture to an outsider.

ISTPs are equally difficult to understand in their need for personal space, which in turn has an impact on their relationships with others. They need to be able to "spread out"--both physically and psychologically--which generally implies encroaching to some degree on others, especially if they decide that something of someone else's is going to become their next project. (They are generally quite comfortable, however, with being treated the same way they treat others--at least in this respect.) But because they need such a lot of flexibility to be as spontaneous as they feel they must be, they tend to become as inflexible as the most rigid J when someone seems to be threatening their lifestyle (although they usually respond with a classic SP rage which is yet another vivid contrast to their "dormant," impassive, detached mode). These territorial considerations are usually critical in relationships with ISTPs; communication also tends to be a key issue, since they generally express themselves non-verbally. When they do actually verbalize, ISTPs are masters of the one-liner, often showing flashes of humor in the most tense situations; this can result in their being seen as thick-skinned or tasteless.

Like most SPs, ISTPs may have trouble with rote and abstract classroom learning, which tend not to be good measures of their actual intelligence. They tend, sometimes with good reason, to be highly skeptical of its practical value, and often gravitate towards classes in industrial arts; part-time vocational/ technical programs can be useful to even the college-bound ISTP. In terms of careers, mechanics and any of the skilled trades are traditional choices, and those ISTPs with strong numerical as well mechanical gifts tend to do extremely well in most areas of engineering. Working as paramedics or firefighters can fulfill the ISTP need to live on the edge; they are at their best in a crisis, where their natural disregard for rules and authority structures allows them to focus on and tackle the emergency at hand in the most effective way.

ISTPs with more sedate careers usually take on high-risk avocations like racing, skydiving, and motorcycling. While aware of the dangers involved, they are so in touch with the physical world that they know they can get away with much smaller safety margins than other types.

Famous ISTPs:
(I have to give Joe Butt credit for most of the following)

U.S. Presidents:
Zachary Taylor
Charles Bronson
Tom Cruise
James Dean
Clint Eastwood
Burt Reynolds
Keith Richards
Charlie Yeager
Frank Zappa
Fictional:
Hedda Gabler in Ibsen's play of the same name
John Miller in the movie American Grafitti
Archibald "Harry" Tuttle in the movie Brazil

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Functional Analysis: - by Joe Butt

Introverted Thinking
Thinking, the dominant function, generally keeps its opinions to itself. The inner world of introverted thinkers resembles Plato's rec room, where every untried idea runs the gauntlet of Truth. The personal or political source of the alleged fact matters little to Thinking; each tenet must stand on its own premises. Introverted thinkers focus their directives in on themselves, and would like nothing better than for others to do the same. One ISTP friend displays a poster of an orangutan with the caption, "If I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of you." Suffice it to say that ISTPs are by nature free spirits.
Extraverted Sensing
Auxiliary Sensing provides Thinking with all manner of information about the physical world. ISTPs possess heightened sensory awareness. And as other SPs, ISTPs are energized by responding to their impulses. Sports appeal to many ISTPs for the sheer sensory experience.
This combination of dominant introverted thinking and auxiliary extraverted sensing results in no-nonsense realism. The uncanny troubleshooting ability which predisposes many ISTPs to hands-on diagnostics (especially with machinery and computers) or detective work is most probably rooted in this pairing.

Introverted iNtuition
Tertiary iNtuition maintains a low profile. ISTPs are prone to consult "gut feelings" that most probably arise from this function unconsciously. As with other SP types, ISTPs generally lack enthusiasm for theoretical and philosophical issues, and less for the endless discussions in which the Intuitive (especially NP) types so frequently engage.
Extraverted Feeling
The inferior (least) feeling function is extraverted and, when operative, quite visible. As with all types, the inferior function is relatively simplistic and often operates unconsciously in an all-or-nothing manner. When operative, Feeling's sensitivity and loyalty has the potential for great benefit and utter peril. It would seem that ISTPs would do well to nourish and cherish Feeling judgement, but to vigilantly supervise and protect it from predators and other catastrophes.

Extraverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving
by Joe Butt
Profile: ESTP
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 23 Feb 2005



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ESTPs are spontaneous, active folks. Like the other SPs, ESTPs get great satisfaction from acting on their impulses. Activities involving great power, speed, thrill and risk are attractive to the ESTP. Chronic stifling of these impulses makes the ESTP feel "dead inside."

Gamesmanship is the calling card of the ESTP. Persons of this type have a natural drive to best the competition. Some of the most successful salespersons are ESTPs. P.T. Barnum ("Never give a sucker an even break") illustrates the unscrupulous contingent of this type.

Almost unconsciously the ESTP looks for nonverbal, nearly subliminal cues as to what makes her quarry "tick." Once she knows, she waits for just the right time to trump the unsuspecting victim's ace and glory in her conquest. Oddly enough, the ESTP seems to admire and respect anyone who can beat her at her own game.

"If I was any better, I couldn't stand it!" To an ESTP, admission of weakness feels like failure. He admires strength in himself and in others.

"Shock effect" is a favored technique of this type to get the attention of his audience. ESTPs love to be at center stage, demonstrating feats of wonder and daring.

Functional Analysis:

Extraverted Sensing
These are the ultimate realists. Extraverted Sensors are at one with objects and experiences now, in the only living, pulsing moment that ever really exists. The Sensor is compelled to see, touch, taste, smell and feel all that moves, wafts, tingles, tinkles, scintillates, vibrates or resonates. Some ESTPs are keenly discriminating; only those elements of singular quality and experience will suffice. Others revel in earthiness. If baseness can elicit shock from more squeamish observers, so much the better.
Introverted Thinking
Even a consummate Sensor needs to decide which hand to grasp the gusto with; Introverted Thinking is her preferred yardstick. Introverted, and auxiliary to Sensing, the T function maintains a low profile, keeps its opinions mainly to itself, and readily yields to allow Sensing to savor a special moment. The ESTP preference for mental, physical and emotional toughness surely can be traced to this detached, rational function.
Extraverted Feeling
Though only a minor character, Feeling plays an important role in a favorite pastime of ESTPs. This is not to say that ESTPs don't care deeply for others, yet Feeling is such a ready hand-puppet, expedient in disarming the "victim" and exposing the jugular. Sincere Feeling is tertiary and thus relatively simplistic in this type. As such, it can be the undoing of ESTPs at the hands of those they (perhaps unconsciously) come to trust.
Introverted iNtuition
In the inferior (fourth) position, intuition may be virtually absent much of the time. Haziness of inner, symbolic vision is the psychic price of the clarity of sensory awareness. As do other SPs, ESTPs reserve a certain "gut" sense of timing and luck. When repression and stress empower the Shadow, it likely finds expression through intuition in stereotypic perceptions of groups and individuals whom it perceives and hostile or hurtful.
Famous ESTPs:
Jacob (Esau's brother)
U.S. Presidents:
James Buchanan
Mae West
Ernest Hemingway
Lucille Ball
Roy Rogers
Doris Day
Chuck Yeager
Jack Nicholson
Eddie Murphy
Jimmy Conners
Madonna
Cybil Shepherd
Bruce Willis
Natalie Cole
Michael J. Fox
Joan Cusack
Fictional:
Heathcliffe
Louie DaPalma (Taxi)

Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging
by Joe Butt
Profile: ISTJ
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 27 Feb 2005


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"It is in keeping with tradition throughout our history that I should express simply and directly the opinions which I hold concerning some of the matters of present importance." --Herbert Hoover, Inaugural Address, Monday, March 4, 1929.
ISTJs are often called inspectors. They have a keen sense of right and wrong, especially in their area of interest and/or responsibility. They are noted for devotion to duty. Punctuality is a watchword of the ISTJ. The secretary, clerk, or business(wo)man by whom others set their clocks is likely to be an ISTJ.

As do other Introverted Thinkers, ISTJs often give the initial impression of being aloof and perhaps somewhat cold. Effusive expression of emotional warmth is not something that ISTJs do without considerable energy loss.

ISTJs are most at home with "just the facts, Ma'am." They seem to perform at highest efficiency when employing a step-by-step approach. Once a new procedure has proven itself (i.e., has been shown "to work,") the ISTJ can be depended upon to carry it through, even at the expense of their own health.

ISTJs are easily frustrated by the inconsistencies of others, especially when the second parties don't keep their commitments. But they usually keep their feelings to themselves unless they are asked. And when asked, they don't mince words. Truth wins out over tact. The grim determination of the ISTJ vindicates itself in officiation of sports events, judiciary functions, or an other situation which requires making tough calls and sticking to them.

His SJ orientation draws the ISTJ into the service of established institutions. Home, social clubs, government, schools, the military, churches -- these are the bastions of the SJ. "We've always done it this way" is often reason enough for many ISTJs. Threats to time-honored traditions or established organizations (e.g., a "run" on the bank) are the undoing of SJs, and are to be fought at all costs.

Functional Analysis

Introverted Sensing
Si is oriented toward the world of forms, essences, generics. Time is such a form, a quantifiable essense of exactitude, the standard to which external events are held. For both of the IS_J types, the sense of propriety comes from the clear definition of these internal forms. An apple "should" have certain qualities, against which all apples are evaluated. A "proper" chair has four legs, (and other qualities this poor INTP can only guess). Jung viewed introverted sensing as something of an oxymoron, in that the natural direction of senses is outward toward the object, rather than inward and away from it. One has the sense that Introverted Sensors are drawn more to the measure of the concept of the perceived object than to the experience of that perception.
Extraverted Thinking
The moderation of the Te function serves to socialize the expression of these forms. When the Si function is ready to relinquish the data, Te may speak. Otherwise, silence is golden. ISTJs seem to have a few favorite forms (the tried and true) which may serve for most occasions. My ISTJ dad woke me every morning with the same phrase for more years than I care to remember. Asked, "How are you?" he answered with the same stock phrase. ("As well as my age and habits will permit" was used for about two decades.) "It's a good form, a sound form--it's the form for me."
Introverted Feeling
Since Fi is turned inward, it is rarely expressed. Perhaps this enables the ISTJ to resolutely accept that "we are all doomed." When told that Lazarus had died, Thomas said, "Let us go and die with him." (He could just as well have said something like, "I knew this was bound to happen sooner or later.") Only in times of great distress is the Introverted Feeling expressed (as I witnessed in my dad when a neighbor's son was killed in a hunting accident). Otherwise, feeling is inferred, or expressed nonverbally, through eye contact, or an encouraging smile.
Extraverted Intuition
The Ne function of an ISTJ does not serve her very well. It needs a lot of help. She was surprised, for example, to find that someone she had talked with only by phone had red hair, because she "didn't usually like" people with red hair! This inferior Ne seems to be a major source of, and a natural breeding ground for, stereotypes. Failure of the banking system is but one bogeyman which arises from the fear which feeds on the ISTJ's mistrust of real world possibilities. The shadow inhabiting the inferior Ne strikes at the precious forms and standards in the heart of the dominant Si function.
Famous ISTJs:
Thomas (Christ's disciple)
U.S. Presidents:
George Washington
Andrew Johnson
Benjamin Harrison
Herbert Hoover
George H. W. Bush
Paul Coverdale (U.S. Senator, R-GA)
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (U.S. Olympic athlete)
Evander Holyfield, heavyweight boxing champion

Fictional ISTJs:
Joe Friday
Mr. Martin (hero of James Thurber's Sitting in the Catbird Seat)
Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh)
Fred Mertz (I Love Lucy)
Puddleglum, the marshwiggle (Chronicles of Narnia) Cliff (Cheers)

Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging
by Joe Butt
Profile: ESTJ
Revision: 3.0
Date of Revision: 26 Feb 2005


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Every right-minded man has a philosophy of life, whether he knows it or not. Hidden away in his mind are certain governing principles, whether he formulates them in words or not, which govern his life. Surely his ideal ought to be to contribute all that he can, however little it may be, whether of money or service, to human progress.
--John D. Rockefeller, Random Reminiscences of Men and Events
ESTJs thrive on order and continuity. Being extraverted, their focus involves organization of people, which translates into supervision. While ENTJs enjoy organizing and mobilizing people according to their own theories and tactically based agendas, ESTJs are content to enforce "the rules," often dictated by tradition or handed down from a higher authority.

ESTJs are joiners. They seek out like-minded companions in clubs, civic groups, churches and other service organizations. The need for belonging is woven into the fiber of SJs. The family likewise is a central focus for ESTJs, and attendance at such events as weddings, funerals and family reunions is obligatory.

Tradition is important to the ESTJ. Holidays, birthdays and other annual celebrations are remembered and observed often religiously by this type. The ESTJ is inclined to seek out his roots, to trace the family heritage back to honored ancestors both for a sense of family respectability and for a sense of security and belonging.

Service, the tangible expression of responsibility, is another key focus for ESTJs. They love to provide and to receive good service. The ESTJ merchant who provides dependable service has done much to enhance her self image.

ESTJs have an acute sense for orthodoxy. Much of their evaluation of persons and activities reflects their strong sense of what is "normal" and what isn't. ESTJ humor is frequently centered around something or someone being off center or behaving abnormally.

ESTJs promote the work ethic. Power, position and prestige should be worked for and earned. Laziness is rarely viewed with ambivalence nor benevolence by this type.

Some men can make decisions and some cannot. Some men fret and delay under criticism. I used to have a saying1 that applies here, and I note that some people have picked it up.
--Harry S. Truman, Mr. Citizen
1"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
The ESTJ is outspoken, a person of principles, which are readily expressed. The ESTJ is not afraid to stand up for what she believes is right even in the face of overwhelming odds. ESTJs are able to make the tough calls.

Occupations attracting ESTJs include teaching, coaching, banking, political office, and management at all levels.

Functional Analysis:
Extraverted Thinking
ESTJs are very good at making impersonal decisions quickly, and standing by those decisions. They live in their Extraverted Thinking functioning, thus, their prime directive is in discovering that which is true and logical in the events of the real world. Circumstances calling for product invite the ESTJ to supervise or direct other individuals toward production and productivity. Extraverts are attracted to the "object," the external things and people in observable reality. This bent translates into a natural interest in goods and material objects. >
Introverted Sensing
The secondary Introverted Sensing is like that of the ISTJ, but not as strong. Si provides practical form and concept data to the Te head, however, form is not the overriding principle, especially if Thinking has already decided. In times of need, ESTJs are tempted to overlook even necessary information if its absence impedes closure. Secondary sensing sometimes translates into interest in sports. The persistence of primary Thinking gives many ESTJs a desire for discipline and regimen which can be beneficial in skills development in the arena. >
Extraverted iNtuition
As the ESTJ matures, and as situations arise which call for suspension of criticism, Extraverted iNtuition is allowed to play. Under the leadership of the Te function, iNtuition gravitates toward the discovery of broad categories which at worst amount to stereotypes. Those ESTJs who hone their Ne abilities may find success in academia. (I've encountered ESTJs whose Ne overshadows the auxiliary Si function--for whatever reason--to the extent that there is an appearance of NT radical geekism.)
Introverted Feeling
This function may rarely be expressed. ESTJs who have cultivated, or have been blessed with, a "natural indirect expression of good will by inference," have great prospects of developing genuine friendships (as opposed to ESTJs who merely act out the behavior of Extraverted Feeling). Such a weak, introverted function is best observed in facial expression, eye contact, body language, and verbally only by implication.

Famous ESTJs:
Simon Peter (Christ's disciple)
John Heywood (c.1497-c.1580, collector of English colloquialisms)

U.S. Presidents:
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
William Henry "Tippecanoe" Harrison
Franklin Pierce
Grover Cleveland
Harry S. Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson
George W. Bush
Carrie Nation
Elliot Ness
John D. Rockefeller
Bette Davis
Robert A. Taft (U.S. senator, son of Pres. Wm. H. Taft)
Sam Walton, owner and founder of WalMart stores
Barbara Stanwyck
Rev. Billy Graham
Dale Bumpers (U.S. Senator, D-Arkansas)
Phil Fulmer, head football coach of the U. Tenn Vols
Pat Head Summit, head basketball coach of the Lady Vols
Bill Frist, M.D. (U.S. Senate Majority Leader)

Fictional:
Lucy (Charles Schultz's Peanuts character)
Mrs. Harbottle (Herriott, All Creatures Great and Small)
Mrs. Rachel Lynde (Anne of Green Gables)
The Mayor (The Music Man)

Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging
by Joe Butt
Profile: ESFJ
Revision: 3.1
Date of Revision: 16 Oct 2009


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Guardians of birthdays, holidays and celebrations, ESFJs are generous entertainers. They enjoy and joyfully observe traditions and are liberal in giving, especially where custom prescribes.

All else being equal, ESFJs enjoy being in charge. They see problems clearly and delegate easily, work hard and play with zest. ESFJs, as do most SJs, bear strong allegiance to rights of seniority. They willingly provide service (which embodies life's meaning) and expect the same from others.

ESFJs are easily wounded. And when wounded, their emotions will not be contained. They by nature "wear their hearts on their sleeves," often exuding warmth and bonhomie, but not infrequently boiling over with the vexation of their souls. Some ESFJs channel these vibrant emotions into moving dramatic performances on stage and screen.

Strong, contradictory forces consume the ESFJ. Their sense of right and wrong wrestles with an overwhelming rescuing, 'mothering' drive. This sometimes results in swift, immediate action taken upon a transgressor, followed by stern reprimand; ultimately, however, the prodigal is wrested from the gallows of their folly, just as the noose tightens and all hope is lost, by the very executioner!

An ESFJ at odds with self is a remarkable sight. When a decision must be made, especially one involving the risk of conflict (abhorrent to ESFJs), there ensues an in-house wrestling match between the aforementioned black-and-white Values and the Nemesis of Discord. The contender pits self against self, once firmly deciding with the Right, then switching to Prudence to forestall hostilities, countered by unswerving Values, ad exhaustium, winner take all.

As caretakers, ESFJs sense danger all around--germs within, the elements without, unscrupulous malefactors, insidious character flaws. The world is a dangerous place, not to be trusted. Not that the ESFJ is paranoid; 'hyper-vigilant' would be more precise. And thus they serve excellently as protectors, outstanding in fields such as medical care and elementary education.

Functional Analysis:
Extraverted Feeling
ESFJs live in their Extraverted Feeling functioning. Feeling, a rational (i.e., deciding) function, expresses opinions easily in the E world of objects and people. ESFJs have the ability to express warmth, rage, and a range of other emotions. Actions are encouraged or rebuked based on how they affect other people, especially people near and dear to the ESFJ. This type's vocal decisiveness predisposes many of its number to facility with administration and supervision.
Introverted Sensing
The secondary Sensing function aids and abets the dominant Fe in that sensate data is collected and at once compared with the inner forms or standards. Data on which decisions are made are thus focused and given a contrast which tends to be stronger and clearer than the original stimuli. The strengthening effect of Si on Fe may be responsible for this type's reputation for wearing their "hearts on their sleeves." At any rate, ESFJs reflect the "black and white" view of reality which is common to the SJ types.
Extraverted iNtuition
Intuition is tertiary--as the ESFJ matures, and as situations arise which call for suspension of criticism, Ne is allowed to play. Under the leadership of the Fe function, iNtuition allows for a loosening of the more rigid Si rights and wrongs; teasing and slapstick humor emerge. ESFJs are also capable of discerning patterns and philosophies, but such perceiving is subject to the weakness of the tertiary position, and the results often lack the variety and complexity of connections that more complex systems require.
Introverted Thinking
The inferior Ti function may rarely be expressed. In fact, ESFJs may take affront at the aloof, detached nature of dominant Ti types, or conversely, be drawn to them. Some ESFJs construct rationale which have the appearance of (Jungian) Thinking logic, but under scrutiny are in fact command performances of "Thinking in the service of Feeling," (i.e., Thinking-like conclusions which do not obey the tenets of impersonal logic; they rather construct scenarios from only those "hard, cold facts" which support the conclusion reached by the dominant Extraverted Feeling function. To wit:

You don't sew with a fork, so I see no reason to eat
with knitting needles.
-- Miss Piggy, on eating Chinese Food
Famous ESFJs:
U.S. Presidents:
William McKinley
William J. Clinton
Jack Benny
Desi Arnaz ("Ricky Ricardo")
Don Knotts ("Barney Fife")
John Connally (former Governor of Texas)
Terry Bradshaw, NFL quarterback
Sally Struthers (All in the Family)
Mary Tyler Moore
Dixie Carter (Designing Women)
Steve Spurrier, Heismann trophy winner, Univ. of S.C. football coach
Sally Field
Danny Glover, actor (Lethal Weapon movies, Predator 2 Margaret Butt
Nancy Kerrigan (U.S. olympic figureskater)
Elvis Stojko (Canadian olympic figureskater)

Fictional ESFJs:
Babbitt (Sinclair Lewis)
Hoss Cartwright (Bonanza)
Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Star Trek)
Monica (Friends)
Haleh (ER)
Mrs. Molly Weasley (Harry Potter)
Donald Duck
Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh

Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging
by Marina Margaret Heiss
Profile: ISFJ
Revision: 3.1
Date of Revision: 20 Aug 2007


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ISFJs are characterized above all by their desire to serve others, their "need to be needed." In extreme cases, this need is so strong that standard give-and-take relationships are deeply unsatisfying to them; however, most ISFJs find more than enough with which to occupy themselves within the framework of a normal life. (Since ISFJs, like all SJs, are very much bound by the prevailing social conventions, their form of "service" is likely to exclude any elements of moral or political controversy; they specialize in the local, the personal, and the practical.)

ISFJs are often unappreciated, at work, home, and play. Ironically, because they prove over and over that they can be relied on for their loyalty and unstinting, high-quality work, those around them often take them for granted--even take advantage of them. Admittedly, the problem is sometimes aggravated by the ISFJs themselves; for instance, they are notoriously bad at delegating ("If you want it done right, do it yourself"). And although they're hurt by being treated like doormats, they are often unwilling to toot their own horns about their accomplishments because they feel that although they deserve more credit than they're getting, it's somehow wrong to want any sort of reward for doing work (which is supposed to be a virtue in itself). (And as low-profile Is, their actions don't call attention to themselves as with charismatic Es.) Because of all of this, ISFJs are often overworked, and as a result may suffer from psychosomatic illnesses.

In the workplace, ISFJs are methodical and accurate workers, often with very good memories and unexpected analytic abilities; they are also good with people in small-group or one-on-one situations because of their patient and genuinely sympathetic approach to dealing with others. ISFJs make pleasant and reliable co-workers and exemplary employees, but tend to be harried and uncomfortable in supervisory roles. They are capable of forming strong loyalties, but these are personal rather than institutional loyalties; if someone they've bonded with in this way leaves the company, the ISFJ will leave with them, if given the option. Traditional careers for an ISFJ include: teaching, social work, most religious work, nursing, medicine (general practice only), clerical and and secretarial work of any kind, and some kinds of administrative careers.

While their work ethic is high on the ISFJ priority list, their families are the centers of their lives. ISFJs are extremely warm and demonstrative within the family circle--and often possessive of their loved ones, as well. When these include Es who want to socialize with the rest of the world, or self-contained ITs, the ISFJ must learn to adjust to these behaviors and not interpret them as rejection. Being SJs, they place a strong emphasis on conventional behavior (although, unlike STJs, they are usually as concerned with being "nice" as with strict propriety); if any of their nearest and dearest depart from the straight-and-narrow, it causes the ISFJ major embarrassment: the closer the relationship and the more public the act, the more intense the embarrassment (a fact which many of their teenage children take gleeful advantage of). Over time, however, ISFJs usually mellow, and learn to regard the culprits as harmless eccentrics :-). Needless to say, ISFJs take infinite trouble over meals, gifts, celebrations, etc., for their loved ones--although strong Js may tend to focus more on what the recipient should want rather than what they do want.

Like most Is, ISFJs have a few, close friends. They are extremely loyal to these, and are ready to provide emotional and practical support at a moment's notice. (However, like most Fs they hate confrontation; if you get into a fight, don't expect them to jump in after you. You can count on them, however, run and get the nearest authority figure.) Unlike with EPs, the older the friendship is, the more an ISFJ will value it. One ISFJ trait that is easily misunderstood by those who haven't known them long is that they are often unable to either hide or articulate any distress they may be feeling. For instance, an ISFJ child may be reproved for "sulking," the actual cause of which is a combination of physical illness plus misguided "good manners." An adult ISFJ may drive a (later ashamed) friend or SO into a fit of temper over the ISFJ's unexplained moodiness, only afterwards to explain about a death in the family they "didn't want to burden anyone with." Those close to ISFJs should learn to watch for the warning signs in these situations and take the initiative themselves to uncover the problem.


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Functional Analysis
by Joe Butt

Introverted Sensing
As for ISTJs, the dominant Si is oriented toward the world of forms, essences, generics. Again, "for both of the IS_J types, the sense of propriety comes from the clear definition of these internal forms. ... A 'proper' chair has four legs," etc. (Jung saw IS as something of an oxymoron: sensing, which is a perceiving function, focused inward and thus away from that which is perceived (the "object"). In this light, he described this sensing as something removed from reality, full of archetypes/mythical figures/hobgoblins; sensing of one's own set of forms.)
Extraverted Feeling
A kind of "regression toward the mean" provided by the Fe auxiliary function serves to socialize the expression of these forms. I suppose it's the auxiliary nature of this Feeling, coupled with the balancing effect of {detachment from the internal idiosyncratic view of free-floating data perceptions} that makes ISFJs tentative, conservative, and reticent to boldly state the rights and wrongs in the relational world. (Loosely translated, ISFJs like to keep their perceptions to themselves, and aren't sure enough that what they "see" as Introverted Sensors has any relevance to the outside world. Thus the perception, based on unworldly data, may not be true. The obedient Extraverted Feeling function must therefore refrain from strong statements expressing these opinions.)
Introverted Thinking
Introverted Thinking is turned inward and is largely invisible. It is only with great difficulty, if at all, that the ISFJ could willingly commit anyone to their doom. Perhaps this explains why ISFJs are loyal to the end; there is no sense of purely objective (i.e., impersonal) judgement of anyone but themselves (and that only by their own standards). Here is this type's achilles heel that makes many of them so vulnerable to
Extraverted iNtuition
ISFJs are easily undone by Extraverted iNtuition, their inferior function. Believing in the fantastic, and disbelieving the technologically extant, are errors that my guide the gullible (or unfoundedly sceptical) ISFJ off a precipice of mis-conclusion. (One of our co-workers' mothers adamantly refused to believe that Dave Letterman's mom was actually at the olympics in Norway talking with the athletes and handing out hams! She suspected technological trickery.)
This childlike Ne is, however, the likely source (coupled with fun-loving Extraverted Feeling) of the practical joking, punning and (usually harmless) impishness of some ISFJs.

Famous ISFJs:
St. Teresa of Avila (Teresa de Jesus)
Louisa May Alcott
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Queen Elizabeth II of England
Robert E. Lee
Queen Mary I ("Bloody Mary") of England

U.S. Presidents:
William Howard Taft
Johnny Carson, comedian
Robin Roberts (Good Morning America)
Kristi Yamaguchi, US Olympic figure skater
Ed Bradley, journalist

Fictional:
Bianca in Taming of the Shrew
David Copperfield
Hero in Much Ado About Nothing
Melanie in Gone With The Wind
Ophelia in Hamlet
Dr. John H. Watson, M.D. (Sherlock Holmes' faithful sidekick)