ESFP

ESFP (Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving) is an acronym used in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) publications to refer to one of the sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types, which proposed a psychological typology based on his theories of cognitive functions.

From Jung's work, others developed psychological typologies. Well-known personality tests are the MBTI assessment, developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs, and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, developed by David Keirsey. Keirsey referred to ESFPs as Performers, one of the four types belonging to the temperament he called the Artisan.

The MBTI instrument
The MBTI preferences indicate the differences in people based on the following:


 * How they focus their attention or get their energy (Extraversion or Introversion)
 * How they perceive or take in information (Sensing or Intuition)
 * How they prefer to make decisions (Thinking or Feeling)
 * How they orient themselves to the external world (Judging or Perceiving)

By using their preference in each of these areas, people develop what Jung and Myers called psychological type, an underlying personality pattern resulting from the dynamic interaction of their four preferences, in conjunction with environmental influences and their own individual tendencies. People are likely to develop behaviors, skills, and attitudes based on their particular type. Each personality type has its own potential strengths as well as areas which may need improvement.

The MBTI tool consists of multiple choice questions that sort respondents on the basis of four "dichotomies" (pairs of psychological opposites). Sixteen different outcomes are possible, each of which is identified by its own four-letter code, referred to by initial letters. The MBTI is approximately 70% accurate according to its own manual.


 * E - Extraversion preferred to Introversion
 * S - Sensing preferred to iNtuition
 * F - Feeling preferred to Thinking
 * P - Perceiving preferred to Judging

Myers-Briggs description
ESFPs live life to the fullest. They live in the moment and find great enjoyment in people and in material comforts. They rarely let conventions interfere with their lives, and they find creative ways to meet human needs.

ESFPs are excellent team players, focused on completing the task at hand with maximum fun and minimum discord. They take pleasure in new experiences. Because they learn more by doing than by studying or reading, they tend to rush into things, learning as they go. ESFPs are most likely to be:


 * Observant


 * Practical, realistic, and specific


 * Active and involved in immediate experiences.

ESFPs make decisions by using their own personal standards. They use their Feeling judgment internally to make decisions by identifying and empathizing with others. They are good at interpersonal interactions and often play the role of peacemaker. Thus, ESFPs are likely to be:


 * Generous, optimistic, and persuasive


 * Warm, sympathetic, and tactful.

ESFPs are keen observers of human behavior. Attentive and observant by nature, they quickly sense what is happening with other people and immediately respond to their individual needs. They are especially good at mobilizing people to deal with crises.

How Others May Perceive ESFPs
ESFPs get a lot of satisfaction out of life and are fun to be around. Their exuberance and enthusiasm draw others to them. They are flexible, adaptable, congenial, and easygoing. They seldom plan ahead, trusting their ability to respond in the moment and deal effectively with whatever presents itself. They dislike structure and routine and will generally find ways to bend the rules.

ESFPs tend to learn by doing and take a hands-on approach in most things. They also learn by interacting with their environment. They usually dislike theory and written explanations. Traditional schools can be difficult for ESFPs, although they do extremely well when they see the relevance of a subject and are allowed to interact with people, or when the subject of study interests them.

Others usually see ESFPs as:


 * Resourceful and supportive


 * Gregarious, fun-loving, playful, and spontaneous.

Potential Areas for Growth
Sometimes life circumstances do not support ESFPs in the development and expression of the Feeling and Sensing preferences.


 * If they have not developed their Feeling preference, ESFPs may get caught up in the interactions of the moment, with no mechanism for weighing, evaluating, or anchoring themselves.


 * If they have not developed their Sensing preference, they may focus on the sensory data available in the moment. Their decisions may then be limited to gratification of the sensual desires, particularly those involving interactions with other people.

If ESFPs do not find a place where they can use their gifts and be appreciated for their contributions, they usually feel frustrated and may:


 * Become distracted and overly impulsive


 * Have trouble accepting and meeting deadlines


 * Become hypersensitive and internalize others’ actions and decisions.

It is natural for ESFPs to give less attention to their non-preferred Intuitive and Thinking parts. If they neglect these too much, they may:


 * Fail to look at long-term consequences, acting on immediate needs of themselves and others


 * Avoid complex or ambiguous situations and people


 * Put enjoyment ahead of obligations.

Under great stress, ESFPs may feel overwhelmed internally by negative possibilities. They then put energy into developing simplistic global explanations for their negativity.

Cognitive functions
For each personality type, the cognitive functions—sensing, intuition, thinking, and feeling—form a hierarchy. This represents the person's "default" pattern of behavior in their day to day life. The Dominant function is the personality type's preferred role, the one they feel most comfortable with. The secondary Auxiliary function serves to support and expand on the Dominant. If the Dominant is an information gathering function (sensing or intuition), the Auxiliary is a decision making function (thinking or feeling), and vice versa. The Tertiary function is less developed than the Dominant and Auxiliary, but it develops as the person matures, providing roundness of ability. The Inferior function is the personality type's Achilles' heel. This is the function they are least comfortable with. Like the Tertiary, the Inferior strengthens with maturity.


 * Dominant Extraverted Sensing (Se)
 * Auxiliary Introverted Feeling (Fi)
 * Tertiary Extraverted Thinking (Te)
 * Inferior Introverted Intuition (Ni)

Things to Remember about Personality Type
Each person is unique, and there is not a right or wrong type. The purpose of learning about your type is to help you understand yourself better and to enhance your relationships with others. Your results on the MBTI suggest your probable type based on the choices you made when you answered the questions; however, only you know your true preference. Lastly, type does not explain everything. Human personality is much more complex.