ESFP – the Entertainer

Amusingly, I seem to be the only E out of most of my friends – Both Peanut and SY are INFJs, Tok and Roo should both be IntrovertedS as well, and looking at the rest of the close friends, I highly suspect they would be IntrovertS as well.

So why am I an Extrovert? Very good question – I have no idea myself either. I’ve been an E all my life, ever since secondary school when we did the MBTI, and I’ve been consistently doing such personality tests during JC all the way up till now, with the evolution of the Internet and the availability of such tests online.

I swing between the ESFP and ENFP, but now I think the ESFP is more obvious – though my ex-mentor did mention before that the MBTI stays with you, and doesn’t change over time. You might change your way of handling things, but such character traits are submersed within you, and is literally, part of you.

So, let’s take a look at the description protrayed by an ESFP and see how accurate it is, about me:

As an ESFP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system. [Extremely true – I see, I touch, I reflect.]

ESFPs live in the world of people possibilties. They love people and new experiences. [Oh dear this is absolutely true.] They are lively and fun, and enjoy being the center of attention. They live in the here-and-now, and relish excitement and drama in their lives.

ESFPs have very strong inter-personal skills, and may find themselves in the role of the peacemaker frequently. Since they make decisions by using their personal values, they are usually very sympathetic and concerned for other people’s well-being. They’re usually quite generous and warm. They are very observant about other people, and seem to sense what is wrong with someone before others might, responding warmly with a solution to a practical need. They might not be the best advice-givers in the world, because they dislike theory and future-planning, but they are great for giving practical care. [Am I? I think I’d need confirmation from people around me.]

ESFP is definitely a spontaneous [Oh hell yea you don’t want to see my spontaneous side – refer to Commencement for example] , optimistic [Nah I’m not exactly optimistic, I think I lie on the other side] individual. They love to have fun [Honestly, who doesn’t love to have fun?]. If the ESFP has not developed their Thinking side by giving consideration to rational thought processing, they tend to become over-indulgent, and place more importance on immediate sensation and gratification [Actually, this is very true – most of the time I want instant gratification, but I am responsible too!] than on their duties and obligations. They may also avoid looking at long-term consequences of their actions.

For the ESFP, the entire world is a stage. They love to be the center of attention and perform for people [The performing bit is a hidden love – I’d love to take the stage and be centre of attention, any time]. They’re constantly putting on a show for others to entertain them and make them happy. They enjoy stimulating other people’s senses, and are extremely good at it. [Hell yes, poke fun at audience and throw them questions to make sure they are listening to what I have to say. Pity my students soon, ask my tuition kids.] They would love nothing more than for life to be a continual party, in which they play the role of the fun-loving host.

ESFPs love people, and everybody loves an ESFP [Why don’t I feel the love this year. Hums.] . One of their greatest gifts is their general acceptance of everyone. They are upbeat and enthusiastic, and genuinely like almost everybody. An ESFP is unfailingly warm and generous with their friends, and they generally treat everyone as a friend. However, once crossed, an ESFP is likely to make a very strong and stubborn judgment against the person who crossed them. They are capable of deep dislike in such a situation. [Oh dear, how true how true. Ever heard of how I like to play with fire and burn bridges? Don’t try me.]

The ESFP under a great deal of stress gets overwhelmed with negatives thoughts and possibilities. [Something that I have personally experienced this year – maybe this is the pessimistic part surfacing.] As an optimistic individual who lives in the world of possibilities, negative possibilities do not sit well with them. In an effort to combat these thoughts, they’re likely to come up with simple, global statements to explain away the problem. [HAHAHAHA.] These simplistic explanations may or may not truly get to the nature of the issue, but they serve the ESFP well by allowing them to get over it.

ESFPs are likely to be very practical, although they hate structure and routine. They like to “go with the flow”, trusting in their ability to improvise in any situation presented to them. They learn best with “hands-on” experience, rather than by studying a book. [Not true, I like to read up on the theory before trying anything out – like my gadget purchases, I research them first!] They’re uncomfortable with theory. If an ESFP hasn’t developed their intuitive side, they may tend to avoid situations which involve a lot of theoretical thinking, or which are complex and ambiguous. For this reason, an ESFP may have difficulty in school. [If they mean SMU, oh hell yea I had tons of difficulty with my accounting modules.] On the other hand, the ESFP does extremely well in situations where they’re allowed to learn by interacting with others, or in which they “learn by doing”.

ESFPs have a very well-developed appreciation for aesthetic beauty, and an excellent sense of space and function. [So so true.] If they have the means, they’re likely to have to have many beautiful possessions, and an artfully furnished home. In general, they take great pleasure in objects of aesthetic beauty. They’re likely to have a strong appreciation for the finer things in life, such as good food and good wine. [Which almost every young adult in Singapore has right now, RIGHT.]

The ESFP is a great team player. He or she is not likely to create any problems or fuss, and is likely to create the most fun environment possible for getting the task done. ESFPs will do best in careers in which they are able to use their excellent people skills, along with their abilities to meld ideas into structured formats. [Doesn’t teaching sound potentially right here – moulding my silly ideas into the structured framework of school, and you handle students.] Since they are fast-paced individuals who like new experiences, they should choose careers which offer or require a lot of diversity, as well as people skills. [I wonder what careers are like that. Maybe the recruitment consultant can enlighten me on that teehee.]

ESFPs usually like to feel strongly bonded with other people, and have a connection with animals and small children that is not found in most other types. They’re likely to have a strong appreciation for the beauties of nature as well. [Tick to small children and nature, not too sure about the animals bit.]

The ESFP has a tremendous love for life, and knows how to have fun. They like to bring others along on their fun-rides, and are typically a lot of fun to be with. They’re flexible, adaptable, genuinely interested in people, and usually kind-hearted [USUALLY – I still can get bitchy]. They have a special ability to get a lot of fun out of life, but they need to watch out for the pitfalls associated with living entirely in the moment.

Very interesting – doesn’t sound 100% me, but there may be things that I don’t know, or hasn’t quite surfaced from my innate nature. For now, I’d rate it a 80%. A third party probably can tell me alot more.

Ponders.