ESFP

In analytical psychology, ESFP (Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, Perception) is a personality category used in self-assessment typology instruments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for individuals, who self-report preferences for extraversion, Sensing, Feeling and Perception on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and similar typology systems based on the work of Carl G. Jung in Psychological Types. ESFPs account for about 4–10% of the population. According to Baron and Wagele, the most common Enneatypes for ESFPs are Helpers (2) and Enthusiasts (7). Keirsey referred to ESFPs as Performers, one of the four types belonging to the temperament he called the Artisan.

ESFPs are seen as resourceful and supportive, gregarious, playful, and spontaneous. ESFPs get a lot of satisfaction out of life and are fun to be around. They are flexible, adaptable, congenial, and easygoing. They may have difficulty planning ahead and may resent structure because of preferring to do things as they arise and in accordance with their own values.

Characteristics of ESFPs
ESFPs live in the moment, experiencing life to the fullest. They enjoy people, as well as material comforts. Rarely allowing conventions to interfere with their lives, 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. Active types, they find pleasure in new experiences.

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

Observant, practical, realistic, and specific, ESFPs make decisions according to their own personal standards. They use their Feeling judgment internally to identify and empathize with others. Naturally attentive to the world around them, ESFPs are keen observers of human behavior. 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. Generous, optimistic, and persuasive, they are good at interpersonal interactions. They often play the role of peacemaker due to their warm, sympathetic, and tactful nature.

Living in the here-and-now, they often do not think about long-term effects or the consequences of their actions. While very practical, they generally despise routines, instead desiring to 'go with the flow.' They are, in fact, very play minded. Because ESFPs learn better through hands-on experience, classroom learning may be troublesome for many of them, especially those with a very underdeveloped intuitive side.

Cognitive functions
Jung postulated that individuals use a series of abstract mental processes, often called cognitive functions, to mentally structure and process information. The theory was based on ideas he developed through clinical observations. Although, Jung defined the theory of psychological types, the arrangement and orientation of the functions is subject to debate. The most common arrangement for the functions is the Harold Grant stack. In the Harold Grant stack, the (hierarchically organized) cognitive functions of ESFPs are as follows:

Dominant: Extraverted Sensing (Se)
ESFPs tend to focus on the things that are immediately aesthetically appealing in the spur of the moment. Se is cultivated through social interaction with other people, doing things together. However, as a side affect of this, ESFPs may be too quickly drawn to things not worth their time or energy and then feel increasingly frustrated by their lack of efficiency and organisational skill.

Auxiliary: Introverted Feeling (Fi)
ESFPs may get caught up in the interactions of the moment, with no mechanism for weighing, evaluating, or anchoring themselves. Introverted Feeling (Fi) provides an anchor to evaluate the moral worth of situations before acting. If ESFPs do not find a place where they can use their gifts and be appreciated for their contributions, they tend to feel frustrated and may become distracted or overly impulsive.

Tertiary: Extraverted Thinking (Te)
Although Fi helps the ESFP make decisions more effectively, they also need an extraverted judging function to make decisions, affecting decisions in the real world. As Fi becomes extensively used, ESFPs feel increasingly frustrated by lack of structure and organisation. For example, they may have trouble accepting and meeting deadlines, or become hypersensitive, internalizing others’ actions and decisions. Extraverted Thinking (Te) helps the ESFP balance their moral reasoning decisions via Fi with impersonal, external decisions (Te). However, because of dominant Se in the stack, ESFPs tend to see Te as overly controlling and as such, form a insistence to developing it.

Inferior: Introverted Intuition (Ni)
With no internal motivation for their spontaneous decisions (Se), ESFPs may gradually build up feelings of worthlessness as they struggle to differentiate between themselves and reality. Consequently, ESFPs may feed off of others as a means of forming their own internal vision. The ESFP introjects their sense of self from the environment. This leads to feelings of frustration and falseness because it is not their true self (Fi). It is natural for ESFPs to give less attention to their non-preferred Intuitive parts, but if they neglect these too much, they may fail to look at long-term consequences, acting on immediate needs of themselves and others. They may also avoid complex or ambiguous situations and people, putting enjoyment ahead of obligations, even when feeling (or knowing) that it is not what they want (Fi). Due to the conflict between Fi and Se, they may feel helpless (improper use of Te). Under great stress, ESFPs may feel overwhelmed internally by negative possibilities. They then put energy into developing simplistic global explanations for their negativity. They may become obsessed or paranoid, obsessing over superficial details that seem to support their vision, but which tend to be problematic or fallacious beliefs based on intuition and emotions rather than fact.

Shadow functions
Linda V. Berens extended the original cognitive stack framework by proposing that individuals use eight functions, rather than four functions. For an ESFP, these shadow functions are ordered as follows:


 * Introverted Sensing (Si): Si collects data in the present moment and compares it with past experiences, a process that sometimes evokes the feelings associated with memory, as if the subject were reliving it. Seeking to protect what is familiar, Si draws upon history to form goals and expectations about what will happen in the future.
 * Extraverted Feeling (Fe): Fe seeks social connections and creates harmonious interactions through polite, considerate, and appropriate behavior. Fe responds to the explicit (and implicit) wants of others, and may even create an internal conflict between the subject’s own needs and the desire to meet the needs of others.
 * Introverted Thinking (Ti): Ti seeks precision, such as the exact word to express an idea. It notices the minute distinctions that define the essence of things, then analyzes and classifies them. Ti examines all sides of an issue, looking to solve problems while minimizing effort and risk. It uses models to root out logical inconsistency.
 * Extraverted Intuition (Ne): Ne finds and interprets hidden meanings, using “what if” questions to explore alternatives, allowing multiple possibilities to coexist. This imaginative play weaves together insights and experiences from various sources to form a new whole, which can then become a catalyst to action.