Are ENFP Naive? (A Complete Guide)

In this guide, we will answer the question: Are ENFP Naive?. We will also delve into understanding other interesting aspects of the ENFP personality, like relationships, cognitive functions, strengths and weaknesses.

Are ENFP Naive?

Yes, the ENFP person can be naive sometimes.

ENFP stands for Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Feelings (F), and Perception (P). It is one of the sixteen personality types of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). ENFP individuals are considered to be outgoing, fun, empathic and thoughtful.

The term naive means “showing a lack of experience, judgement or wisdom”. The ENFP person can sometimes be naive and gullible.

Typically, these individuals are outgoing, warm and generous. They are kind and empathic. They tend to see the good in each person. Hence, they tend to be susceptible to hurt. People may take advantage of their niceness. When the ENFP person is close to someone, they might trust them blindly. They may be overly focused on the positive qualities of the person, turning a blind eye to their shortcomings. Sometimes, their idealism pushes them to seek the good in people. Consequently, they might not realize they are being hurt. 

When they are children, the ENFP person can be very gullible. In general, these individuals are honest. They do not like being some “different version” of themselves. They strive to stay true to themselves, in a manner that is aligned with their value. Hence, they expect others to also be honest with them. However, if they are constantly being taken advantage of, the ENFP will not hesitate walking away.

As they grow up, the ENFP starts becoming more aware. They are less naive and gullible than when they were younger. They might cautiously tread on the path of trusting people. However, despite this, they will still place all their trust in someone when they truly care for them. 

It might take a while for the ENFP to acknowledge they are being hurt by someone. Once they place their trust in someone, they believe they will not hurt them. It is a challenge for the ENFP to come to terms with the realization that someone is taking advantage of them. This becomes increasingly harder when they truly love the person. Initially, they might intentionally choose to avoid it. However, once it hits them, they will walk away. This experience can be akin to something piercing through their chest. 

Individuals belonging to the ENFP personality type have a generous heart. When they love someone, they do it with every iota of the being. Their idealism leads them to believing that every other person is the same; loving, kind and trustworthy. Therefore they tend to come under the wheels of hurt and betrayal more often.

However, once they have been hurt by someone, they are less likely to forget it. They might forgive the person, yet the scars of the experience will remain with them for a long long time. They are unlikely to go back to their old-ways with the person.

At the workplace, the ENFP the ENFP is prone to being hurt due to their naivety. On the other hand, they are unlikely to be the ones causing hurt and pain to someone.  In fact, the ENFP person can be so concerned with not hurting others, they might avoid even saying something remotely negative. They will stand by people who are being abused, bullied by others. Their auxiliary function of Introverted Feeling (Fi) allows them to generate a great deal of empathy for people around them.

ENFP Relationships

ENFP Lover

The ENFP person makes for a passionate and devoted lover when they are truly interested in someone. A romantic relationship holds an important place in the life of an ENFP. Hence, when they are interested in someone, their efforts are unlikely to be half-hearted. The passionate ENFP will not shy away from expressing their feelings for the person they are interested in. They tend to show big displays of affection towards their partners. Often, these are very meaningful gestures. The ENFP lover will put a lot of thought into their gestures and gifts. Don’t be surprised if your ENFP partner paints you a picture of your first date on your seventh anniversary. That is the ENFP lover; creative and thoughtful. They bring a sense of creativity, fun and adventure to the relationship. Their empathic sleeves are very receptive to the needs of their partner. They will go out of their way to offer support and encouragement to their partner.

However, these “emotional idealists” might find themselves turning a blind eye to their partner’s shortcomings. They are deep in emotions, focused on the positives of the partner. This naivety might make them very gullible. They are prone to getting hurt easily in a relationship. Since they have placed all their trust in a person, they believe the person will not hurt them. Such an experience can put them in a very unpleasant spot. It may affect the course of their future relationships, where the ENFP person might find it hard to readily establish trust in a person.

ENFP Parent

The ENFP parent brings an element of fun, playfulness and adventure into their bond with their child. Their parenting style may border on inconsistency. Sometimes, they might be very playful, at other times, they might adopt the role of a strict authoritarian parent. This is particularly evident when a child has violated a strongly held value.They are likely to create a positive environment at home that fosters the growth of the child. The ENFP parent will shower their child with love and warmth constantly. Their creativity and imagination provides a fun and exciting environment for their children. They will enable their child to nurture their creative pursuits frequently.

ENFP – Overview

The ENFP personality has a way around people. They are empathic individuals who are able to experience the feelings of another person from within their frame of reference. They harbor a genuine concern for people. They will readily step to motivate a person, offering courage and support. Along with a deep desire to bring about change, they are also able to visualize possibilities for the future. They will always show a concern for the people they lead, believing in each person’s potential. This essentially makes them adept at leadership positions.

They are constantly seeking new stimuli. This keeps life exciting for them. Hence, they tend to get distracted readily. They are extremely creative individuals. They will be able to conjure up many ideas for the future. However, they might struggle to see it through fruition. Their dislike for routine finds them approaching life with a flexible stance. They will grapple with leading an organized life and often tend to give in to procrastination.

Cognitive Functions

Each personality type is described by four cognitive functions. These cognitive functions indicate how a personality type uses the information available to make a decision. The dominant and auxiliary function predominantly influences the personality. The tertiary function and inferior function might be evident only in certain situations.

The cognitive functions of the ENFP personality type can be described as:

Dominant Function: Extraverted Intuition

The ENFP person is able to draw a connection between patterns, find hidden meanings and connections between different elements in their environment. They are adept at thinking about the abstract. They will readily chart out possibilities for the future. The ENFP might sometimes miss out focusing on the finer details in a situation.

Auxiliary Function: Introverted Feeling

The auxiliary function of the ENFP personality type is Introverted Feeling (Fi). This allows them to be guided by their feelings. There is an emotional quotient to the ENFP person’s decision, rather than a logical quotient. The ENFP person is guided by their heart. In reality, they strive to live in a way that is true to their values. They hope to bring about a sense of authenticity to their lives.

Tertiary Function : Extraverted Thinking

The tertiary function of the ENFP person is Extraverted Thinking (Te). This function allows the ENFP person to organize and manage their data in a systematic manner. When they encounter a lot of information, the ENFP person is able to organize it, and draw connections between different pieces of information.

Inferior: Introverted Sensing

The inferior function of the ENFP person is Introverted Sensing (Si). This function allows them to draw a connection between their present experiences and past experiences. In doing so, the ENFP person is able to recall memories, moments, and feelings of the past! For this reason, they might be able to recall some memories more vividly. It also allows them to create expectations for the future on the basis of the experience of the past.

Strengths

The ENFP person is warm and caring. They harbor a genuine concern for people. They are deeply empathic individuals, who tend to be aware of how someone is feeling. Consequently, they thrive in atmospheres that allow them to empower others. They are eager to bring about a change in society. The ENFP person has very good communication skills. Their inner world is replete with ideas, theories, and a wild imagination. This allows them to be very creative in different areas of their life. They are spontaneous, ready to go about without a plan at hand. They are extremely fun to be around. They value their relationships and tend to be very loyal to their partners.

Weaknesses

The ENFP person struggles with overthinking. There is always a lack of surety looming over their decisions. They tend to go back and forth, analyzing their actions or decisions. This can create many problems for the ENFP. They are unlikely to be organized. Consequently, they find themselves struggling to maintain a routine. This might lead to procrastination. They do not work too well with deadlines. If they find themselves bogged down by work, they can become easily stressed.

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

Conclusion

In this blog, we answered the question: Are ENFP Naive? We also delved into understanding other interesting aspects of the ENFP personality, like relationships, cognitive functions, strengths and weaknesses. 

Frequently Asked Question: Are ENFP Naive?

Are ENFPs lazy?

The ENFP person might appear to be lazy when they are overwhelmed with work or repetitive tasks. However, when they enjoy what they’re doing, they tend to be fully engaged in their work. In fact, in such a situation, the ENFP can be super productive (truity.com)

What are ENFPs weaknesses?

The ENFP person dislikes conflict, They tend to neglect their own needs in the process of resolving a conflict. They might be overly idealistic sometimes. Further, with their love and concern for those close to them, they might be overbearing sometimes (personalitypage.com).

Are ENFPs loyal?

The ENFP can be truly devoted and committed when they are genuinely interested in a person. In such a relationship they tend to be all in (bustle.com)

How does an ENFP fall in love?

The ENFP allows their heart to guide them when it comes to love. They tend to fall hard and fast in love and are most likely going to hold onto those feelings for a long time (personalitygrowth.com).

References

Here’s How Gullible You Are, According to Your Personality Type

ENFP Manipulation: How ENFPs Deal With Manipulation and Coercion

The ENFP in the Workplace

ENFP Relationships

https://www.personalitypage.com/html/ENFP_rel.html

ENFP: The Champion (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving)

https://www.verywellmind.com/enfp-an-overview-of-the-champion-personality-type-2795980

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