In this article, we are going to answer the question “Are ENFPs empaths?”. We will describe the ENFP personality type in-depth and tap into their four cognitive functions and their natural inclinations. This will follow up by defining what ‘Empathy’ actually is and whether the ENFP personality type is generally empathic. It will further discuss how ENFPs are in their relationships and careers. Finally, it will wrap up by discussing how empathy plays a role in both of these areas.
Are ENFPs Empaths?
Yes, ENFPs are generally considered empathic personalities. They are least judgmental in their thoughts as well as their actions while dealing with other people. Their extroverted intuition makes them inclusive, open to multiple cultures, diversity, and accepting of multiple perspectives. Whereas, their introverted feeling makes them empathic, quick to pick out the emotions & thoughts of others which enables them to respect the uniqueness and individuality of people.
ENFP: The Champion (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving)
The ENFP personality type from the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a unique personality and is based on Carl Jung’s 16 personality types. It generally describes people who are enthusiastic, imaginative, flexible, innovative, creative, empathic and value their independence. Up to 5 to 7 percent of people are estimated to have the ENFP personality type.
Four Cognitive Functions
In MBTI, personality is thought to comprise four cognitive functions that govern how people think, process and make decisions. The top two cognitive functions play a dominant role in guiding a person’s personality. Whereas, the latter two play less of a role. However, they still have some impact or influence on how a person behaves in certain situations.
Four Cognitive Functions of ENFP
Four cognitive functions that guide how ENFP personality type processes information includes:
- Extraverted Intuition
ENFPs are open to new challenges and possibilities. Their focus is more on abstract ideas rather than concrete ones. So, they mostly try to imagine what the future may hold. Their tendency to understand things in terms of possible ideas rather than how they actually might exist, enables them to detect patterns or relationships among people, ideas, and the world.
- Introverted Feeling
ENFPs put a high value on their emotions and feelings whenever they make decisions. In other words, rationality/objectivity or logic is not their first go-to option when deciding any course of action. Consequently, they try to understand how they and other people feel. This makes them naturally empathic. Furthermore, they prioritize their values and try to make decisions that are in line with it.
- Extraverted Thinking
Apart from feelings, ENFPs do try to give due value to logic and thinking as part of their ‘self’. Their focus is on trying to organize, link, and spot connections among ideas. Thus, they may have a tendency to lay out information, so that each of their thoughts is clearly linked to each other.
- Introverted Sensing
Whenever they are interacting with people or new things, ENFPs may try to relate, connect, and compare present experiences with past experiences. Their focus is to find any commonalities or patterns between the two. This is because doing so can help them predict or expect what the future may bring. Thus, memories, feelings, and thoughts related to the past play an important role in their life.
Natural Inclinations
ENFPs have the following natural inclinations:
- Source of life energy: The external world
- Assimilation of information through Intuition
- Decision making: from the heart
- Lifestyle: Spontaneous
Source of life energy: The external world
In personal relationships, ENFPS love social interaction and feel energized among crowds. However, at the same time, they may also need alone time sometimes for introspection and making sense of ideas around them.
Assimilation of information through Intuition
ENFP’s seek out new sources of information from various sources around them. They continually strive to be inspired by new ideas. They can easily understand abstract theories and are quick to identify connections and reach solutions.
They are able to understand the symbolic and hidden meanings in different things. Although they are generally optimistic and see the silver lining in different situations. However, obstacles in their way can discourage them. Despite that, when presented with a challenge, they are willing to make use of it and take a risk.
Decision making: from the heart
ENFPs make their decisions based on the views of established authorities. They give priority to the opinion of others and are open to listening to their advice. Yet, at the same time, they also give value to their own feelings as well as past experiences in making a decision. They are especially considerate of how their decision might impact others and take that into account when making a final call.
Lifestyle: Spontaneous
ENFPs are generally fun and spontaneous in their daily life. They do not focus on details or carefully plan out how things may happen. Rather, they are quite repulsed by boredom, monotony, and mundaneness of things. Their priority is to jump into things and learn from new experiences.
What is Empathy?
Empathy can be defined as ‘the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.’
Although a part of empathy is innate and can be difficult to teach. However, it is a learnable skill that can be acquired over time. It allows a person to see and understand the world from another person’s perspective. It enables him or her to pick out another person’s thoughts and feelings quickly and easily, unlike other people.
ENFPs and Empathy
ENFPs are generally considered empathic personalities. They think and interact with others in a non-judgemental manner. Usually, they are accepting of diversity, multiculturism, and different opinions. Their extraverted intuition makes them open to accepting multiple perspectives. Whereas, their introverted feeling makes them empathic, quick to pick out the emotions & thoughts of others, and enables them to respect the uniqueness and individuality of people.
ENFPs and Role of Empathy in Relationships
In intimate relationships, ENFPs are usually warm and try to help their partners grow. They are willing to be spontaneous and take risks which may or may not sit well with their partner’s personality type.
Whereas in other relationships, ENFPs have the ability to make people in their lives feel special and happy. They can influence or even manipulate them. However, usually, they try to be encouraging, supportive, and motivate them. Other people usually perceive ENFPs as warm, optimistic, and sincere. However, their talkativeness and positivity may be taken as naivety. At times they may be unpunctual and unreliable in keeping their word especially if they forget their previous commitment when faced with an interesting new challenge
Due to their incredible empathy, they may take the role of the speaker on someone else’s behalf. This is because they are able to describe and state other people’s emotions, thoughts, feelings, and motives in a much better way than the actual person themselves. Similarly, they are able to detect other people’s secrets due to their good interpersonal skills. Even while reading other people’s emails or messages, they can detect or imagine how they are feeling.
As ENFPs try to be curious about others and their lives, people receive well-deserved validation from them through this. As mentioned earlier that they are fearless and risk-takers. Thus, you may find an ENFP looking out for the underdog in any social situation and jumping to his/her rescue.
ENFPs and Role of Empathy in Career Choice
We know that suggested career options for ENFPs include people-oriented fields like politicians, actors, and reporters along with healthcare positions like nurses, psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Thus, ENFP’s natural sense of empathy and warmth towards others plays a great role in helping them in relating to their clients and patients, especially in the field of healthcare.
Helping other people brings ENFPs happiness and they try to put the needs of others before their own. Consequently, people take their assistance and start to develop faith in their own powers and abilities. Overall, ENFPs are generally helpful, loving, and caring and their priority is to try their best to not hurt anyone. Their openness to diversity and focus on striving to make a difference in the world, helps them grow in their profession.
FAQs: Are ENFPS empaths
Are ENFPs empathetic?
Yes. ENFPs are empathic personalities that love connecting with others and facilitating them in expressing themselves. According to Briggs Myers’ personality theory, ENFPs are passionate about exploring different ideas and solutions about the world. Thus, this helps them in finding connections or detecting patterns among thoughts, emotions and feelings of self and others.
What personality type are Empaths?
According to MBTI, people who have the F axis or feeling axis in their personality type are mostly empathic. It’s because they use feelings to make decisions and understand the world. They are also very caring about others.
Can ENFPs be introverted?
ENFPs are unique in the sense that they are Introverted Extraverts. Their extroverted intuition hides their introverted functionality. Thus, they can be social yet also need alone time.
Who Should an Enfp marry?
For ENFP, INFJ or INTJ are the ideal partners as their extroverted intuition is compatible with their partner’s introverted intuition. However, ENFP can also enjoy a healthy relationship with other personality types as well.
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “Are ENFPs empaths”. We described how ENFPs are usually considered empathic personalities. i.e. they can understand other people’s perspectives, thoughts, and emotions. We also defined ENFP personalities as possessing Extraverted Intuition, Introverted Feeling, Extraverted Thinking, and Introverted Sensing. Their ability to be empathic helps them in their relationships where they are able to connect with others quite easily. Furthermore, their great interpersonal skills help them in establishing meaningful relationships. Since they like helping others, they do well in healthcare careers. Thus, they make empathic psychologists, counselors, nurses, and social workers.
I hope you found this article interesting. If you have any queries or comments, please state them in the comment section 😊
Citations
https://personalityjunkie.com/enfp/
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/empathy/definition