Have you ever wondered, am I ESFJ or ENFJ? Understanding your personality type can help you to get to grips with who you are and give you a better idea of why you behave in certain ways. This helps if you want to make any changes to your reactions, or simply to get better insight into the things you do.
But how do you know what your personality type is? Let’s find out!
How Can You Tell If You Are An ESFJ Or An ENFJ?
If you’ve taken the personality quiz but you’ve got a couple of different results, or you’ve got one type but you feel much more drawn to the other, you might find yourself wondering how to check whether you’re really an ESFJ, or a ENFJ!
There is quite a lot of overlap between these two personality types, certainly, but they also have some significant differences. They take pretty different approaches when it comes to solving problems: an ESFJ has a practical, linear approach to a situation, but may struggle to be creative or employ out of the box thinking.
By contrast, an ENFJ has a much more creative approach, because they can step back and look at the bigger picture. They are also good at taking in alternative perspectives and thinking about what motivates others, making it easier for them to address problems with other people.
However, an ENFJ will sometimes get overwhelmed by the number of perspectives that they try to take into account, and by looking at all the different factors in the “big picture” approach. This can make it harder for them to decide on an appropriate course of action.
An ESFJ will often find it easier to make practical decisions and start moving forward. Because they can focus on the details, they often find it easier to opt for a certain approach and follow it through, meaning that they can take decisive action in the face of problems.
Both ESFJs and ENFJs tend to be thoughtful, kind, and invested in the welfare of others, but ESFJs are usually more focused on the “now,” while the ENFJ again may take a “bigger picture” approach and be less sensitive to the short term changes that are going on among their friends.
5 Signs You Are Not An ESFJ
You can further narrow this down by finding out more about the things that ESFJs don’t tend to do – so what are some clear signs that you don’t fit into this category?
Sign 1) Socializing Tires You Out
ESFJs tend to have good social batteries and they thrive on spending time with other people. If you like being isolated and you rarely seek the company of your friends or family members just to hang out and have a good time with them, you’re probably not an ESFJ. If you love socializing, you probably are!
Sign 2) You Dislike Routine
On the whole, ESFJs prefer to have a steady routine that helps them figure out how to structure each day. If you’re more spontaneous and you feel like a routine ties you down or bores you, it’s a good bet that you don’t fit this personality type.
Sign 3) You Fail To Notice Details
An ESFJ is usually very focused on the details and will notice even small changes in another person, a room, or something similar. If you’re pretty oblivious to the world around you and you don’t notice details, you’re probably not an ESFJ.
4) You Are Hard To Read
Most ESFJs wear their hearts on their sleeves and display their emotions readily, so if you don’t do this, you’re probably not an ESFJ. If you hide your emotions, put on a brave face when you’re unhappy, and rarely tell others how you feel, you almost certainly fit a different personality type.
5) You Dislike Helping Others
This doesn’t have to be mean – you might just not get a particular kick out of giving others assistance when they need it. ESFJs are often drawn to the “helping” careers because they enjoy assisting others when they can.
Doctors, pastors, teachers, coaches, and more are attractive positions for an ESFJ, so if you don’t see the appeal, this is a sign your personality fits a different category.
5 Signs You Are Not An ENFJ
How about signs that you’re not an ENFJ? Again, there are a few things that will hint at this for you, so let’s check them out!
1) You Are Not Very Interested In Others
A lot of ENFJs thrive on learning about the people around them. They want to know about their hobbies, their interests, their personality quirks, and more. If you don’t find this sort of thing particularly engaging, check out some other personality types to figure out yours – because it’s probably not ENFJ.
2) You Hold Grudges
An ENFJ is not usually interested in holding a grudge for very long, and will move on quickly after a disagreement. An apology is often all they need to let it go, so it’s worth thinking about whether this is part of your character or not.
3) You Aren’t Creative
ENFJs have a strong association with creativity of all kinds, whether that’s art, instruments, literature, or simply enjoying adult coloring books. If you find these sorts of things a waste of time, you’re not an ENFJ!
4) You Avoid Awkward Subjects
A taboo subject can be like a goldmine for an ENFJ, so if you find that you don’t want anything to do with the trickier subjects, this is a good sign you don’t fit in with this personality group.
5) You Find Social Rules A Challenge
Most ENFJs are intuitive when it comes to the rules and expectations of social situations. They can easily figure out how they should behave. If you tend to commit faux pas and you’re not at ease around others, you likely belong to a different category.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are lots of signs that will help you figure out whether you are an ESFJ or an ENFJ, despite the similarities between these two categories. Check out the comparisons above, and look through the “not” signs to see which ones do and don’t apply to you.
Reference Sources
https://www.psychologyjunkie.com/24-signs-that-youre-an-enfj-the-mentor-personality-type/ https://hackspirit.com/signs-youre-an-enfj-the-worlds-most-empathetic-personality-type/ https://www.psychologyjunkie.com/esfj-personality-type/
