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ESFP Myers–Briggs Personality Type: Relationships and Careers

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Nov 10, 2022 • 4 min read

ESFPs possess personality traits that make them the life of the party. They are charismatic and fun to be around. ESFPs tend to look on the bright side of life and are always down for a new experience. Learn more about the ESFP personality type.

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What Is an ESFP Personality Type?

ESFP is one of sixteen personality types identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It stands for “extroverted, sensing, feeling, perceiving.” ESFPs make up about 9 percent of the general population. ESFPs are the life of the party, which is why this personality type is often called “The Entertainer.” ESFPs have no problem being the center of attention. They have excellent people skills, are talkative, and are great at making others feel welcome. ESFPs like to have new experiences and explore the unknown. They tend to have a hands-on learning style and enjoy collaborating with others.

ESFP Cognitive Functions

Here are this personality types cognitive functions:

  • Dominant: The dominant cognitive function of ESFPs is extraverted sensing, meaning they tend to focus on the present moment and are interested in facts rather than theories. Although they are pragmatic and reasonable, they can be disorganized and prefer to keep their options open.
  • Auxiliary: The auxiliary cognitive function of ESFPs is introverted feeling. Regarding decision-making, this auxiliary function means ESFPs tend to rely more on their feelings than on logic.
  • Tertiary: The tertiary function of the ESFP type is extraverted thinking, which means they are slow to share their judgments publically for fear that it could disrupt harmony or make them look bad.
  • Inferior: Their inferior function is introverted intuition, which means they seldom make connections between their observations and abstract thought; however, they can have insightful epiphanies from time to time.

6 ESFP Traits

Some common ESFP characteristics include:

  1. 1. Adventurous
  2. 2. Charismatic
  3. 3. Pragmatic
  4. 4. Present
  5. 5. Social
  6. 6. Spontaneous

ESFPs in Relationships

ESFPs have excellent interpersonal skills and tend to get along well with others. Their charismatic personality draws others in and makes them feel safe and comfortable. ESFPs are fun-loving people who look to get the most enjoyment out of everything they do.

Their fun nature makes them winsome and exciting friends or romantic partners. They are highly emotional and sensitive but prefer light-hearted conversation over soul-searching or theoretical musings. ESFPs like to live in the moment and relish romantic spark. Romantic relationships with ESFPs can be thrilling but can also result in flings that deteriorate when the spark fades.

ESFPs at Work

ESFPs shun mundanity and dislike work environments that involve boring routines. They thrive in careers with lots of variety and continual challenges. ESFPs tend to like to work with others instead of working alone. They make excellent leaders—they feel comfortable being in charge and find it easy to sympathize with others. Top ESFP career paths include musician, actor, artist, social worker, coach, counselor, or child care provider.

What Is the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator?

The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI for short) is a self-reported personality assessment. Developed by Isabel Myers and Catherine Briggs, who drew heavily on the work of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, it seeks to promote self-understanding by helping people clarify their abilities and preferences in life, work, and relationships.

According to the MBTI, four cognitive functions form a hierarchy: thinking, sensing, feeling, and intuition. Each cognitive function is either introverted or extroverted. The combination of these functions is what determines your personality type.

The 16 Personality Types

The sixteen MBTI types include ISTJ, ISFJ, INTJ, INFJ, ISTP, INTP, INFP, ISFP, ESTJ, ENTJ, ENTP, ENFJ, ENFP, ESFP, ESTP, and ESFJ.

4 Scales of the Myers–Briggs Personality Types

The MBTI personality test organizes people into sixteen categories. The letters refer to four psychological functions or scales in human personalities:

  1. 1. Introversion - Extroversion (I-E): Introversion to extroversion describes how people interact with themselves and others. Extroverted people thrive on socializing and find relationships relatively energizing, while introverts need to spend more time with themselves and often find socializing draining.
  2. 2. Sensing - Intuition (S-N): This refers to how people gather information about the exterior world. Some tend to be more attentive to sensory information, while others are more intuitive about the world around them.
  3. 3. Thinking - Feeling (T-F): This measures how people make decisions about the world and events. Those who favor thinking tend to be rational and deliberative and prefer logical conclusions. People who lean toward feeling tend to emphasize their emotions when making decisions.
  4. 4. Judging - Perceiving (J-P): This scale measures people’s overall orientation toward people and events. Those who judge tend to favor organizational structure and precise decisions, whereas people who perceive are often more accepting, nuanced, and reserved in their opinions and ideas.

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