ENFJ vs ENFP Differences

ENFJ personality types are Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging. They are endlessly optimistic, analytical, and passionately energetic souls who encourage others to be the best versions of themselves.

ENFP personality types are Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving. These highly creative individuals always develop new ways to inspire others to work for a better world.

If you aren’t sure which type you are, take the personality test.

ENFJs and ENFPs are enthusiastic, creative extroverts and love helping people. But there are differences between them.

 

Key Differences

ENFJs are natural-born leaders. They are in touch with the emotional needs of others and are the type of people you can count on when things get complicated. They are idealists who use their analytical and organizational skills to achieve goals and solve problems. They are great motivators because of their genuine interest in people’s lives. Sometimes they become overly invested in their work and may get frustrated or bossy—ideal professions for ENFJs would-be politicians, career counselors, teachers, coaches,s, and social workers. Famous ENFJs include Katy Perry, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, and Oprah Winfrey.

ENFPs are gregarious individuals who care deeply about people and strive to make a positive difference. They are energetic and creative, often coming up with new and fun ways to inspire people. They’re articulate and can channel their empathy into meaningful dialogue, giving them the reputation for being great communicators. They tend to overthink certain situations and can get distracted if overwhelmed—ideal professions for ENFPs would-be entrepreneurs, sales, performers, EMTs, and teachers. Famous ENFPs include Mark Twain, Rachel Maddow, Tom Brady, and Gwen Stefani.

 

ENFJ vs. ENFP Happiness

ENFJs and ENFPs are empathetic, people-oriented doers who spend their time encouraging and helping others. The question is, does this penchant for doing good work keep them from being happy themselves?

To the rest of the world, ENFJs seem extremely happy. They are so involved in cheating ring everyone else that they may forget to care for selves. They’re also perfectionists, so even if they excel at one thing, they may be disappointed by other areas of their lives. Keeping perspective is critical for an ENFJ to be happy.

Features of ENFJ Happiness

• They may appear utterly content while struggling internally with not being happy.
• They need time to themselves to recharge.
• It is essential for them to feel appreciated by those they serve.
• Their perfectionism can sometimes derail their happiness. Likee ENFJs, most people think ENFPs are happy, bubbly people who get the most out of life. While that may be true, ENFPs give so much to others that they may forget to care for themselves. They are also more analytical than ENFJs and may spend too much time pondering the meaning of happiness rather than allowing themselves to be happy.

Features of ENFP Happiness

• To be happy, they need to assist others in some way.
• They need solid relationships with people who genuinely understand them.
• They give so much — they must have adequate time alone to regroup.
• If they’re unhappy, they may try to hide it.

After an exhausting month spent passionately working on a political campaign, an ENFP and an ENFJ will react slightly differently. The ENFP will know they need a break and will happily take time alone to work on other projects. The ENFJ will also take time away but will dwell on their performance with the campaign and may obsess about what they could have done better.

 

ENFP vs. ENFJ Decision Making

For different reasons, ENFJs and ENFPs may struggle to make decisions. An ENFJ strives to make everyone happy with their choices, which can be tricky. The ENFP will hesitate in deciding, hoping to leave all options open for as long as possible.

ENFJs know decisions must be made but may be hesitant to make them. They want everyone involved to have a voice and to be fair. When that can’t happen, they may feel paralyzed and not want to do anything until they can figure out another option.

Issues ENFJs May Have with Making Decisions

• They will consider all possible long-term consequences of their decisions.
• Compromises, even if necessary, can be difficult because they don’t want anyone hurt.
• Sometimes, they make decisions based on what others may view as idealistic reasoning.

ENFPs can sometimes have a hard time making decisions. They see so many possibilities outside the box that they are reluctant to commit to anything that may stifle them later. Still, they are good at considering other people’s feelings and are willing to compromise.

Issues ENFPs May Have with Making Decisions

• You can see the big picture well but may overlook the specifics.
• May put off making decisions.
• It’s easier for them to decide when someone else whittles down their options.

If an ENFP were assigned to design a new break room for the office, they would seek everyone’s opinion. They would also want their break room to be unique. They may have trouble committing to a design because are caught up in being creative. An ENFJ would wish to decide but would need to talk to everyone and hear their break room needs. If some of those needs were contradictory, making a decision might be problematic because the ENFJ couldn’t please everyone.

 

ENFJ vs. ENFP Appearance

Typically, ENFJs and ENFPh make an effort with their appearance because they spend a lot of time with others and want to present themselves as someone to be taken seriously.

As perfectionists, many ENFJs take time to keep up their appearance. They’ll be aware of fashion and will make sure that their clothes are appropriate for the occasion.

ENFJ Viewpoints Regarding Appearance

• They are very conscious of how others see them.
• They are proud people who like to look good.
• They do notice other people’s appearance but would never make someone feel bad for their shortcomings.

ENFPs command attention — they’re leaders and may often speak in front of crowds. Thus, they understand that a pleasing appearance is necessary to help them engage with others. They would not want to appear messy but sometimes like to add a little flair to their fashion basics.

ENFP Viewpoints Regarding Appearance

• They are usually confident about their appearance.
• Theo look put together but does not necessarily follow fashion trends.
• In others, personality and compassion are more important than appearance, although they insist on proper hygiene.

If a friend of an ENFJ bought them a wildly-colored, over-the-top scarf as a gift, they would effusively thank them and probably put it away in a drawer for safe keeping. Wearing something that didn’t match anything they owned might not be their style. An ENFP, on the other hand, would also thank the friend and might wear it. They tend to love quirky statement pieces and are often willing to set their own trends.

 

ENFJ vs. ENFP Friendship

ENFJs and ENFPs both have active social lives and are likely to have big circles of friends. They take their friendships very seriously and pride themselves on being supportive and understanding.

ENFJs are naturally focused on other people. They can relate to any personality type and their warmth and friendliness make even passing acquaintances feel like old friends. They enjoy being gregarious and are open to different world views and perspectives.

Characteristics of ENFJ Friendships

• Friendships need active participation, and ENFJs are happy to do it.
• Most people they meet instantly feel close to them, but ENFJs only open themselves up to their close friends.
• Their ability to appreciate other people’s perspectives makes them very understanding friends.
• They would like their friendships to be genuinely reciprocal, which may be difficult because they put in so much effort.

An ENFP’s outgoing and energetic personality thrives on interpersonal connections. People of all personality types are drawn to them and are okay with that because of their unique ability to find common ground with everyone.

Characteristics of ENFP Friendships

• They will be supportive friends, ready and willing to be there and discuss anything.
• They will be a shoulder to cry on for as long as it takes to make someone feel better.
• They’ll fully invest their friendships, sometimes in their dement.
• In everyday conversation, they may have a hard time listening because they love to talk so much.

If a friend is considering starting a problematic course of study but is unsure if they’re up to the task, the ENFJ will be very encouraging and supportive. They will urge the friend to challenge themselves and promise them they’ll be better for the effort. The ENFJ may even go overboard, pressuring the friend because their own standards are so high. An ENFP in a similar situation will also encourage the friend but wouldn’t be quite so dogmatic about personal achievement. They would help the friend make the best decision for them.

 

ENFP vs. ENFJ Anger

ENFJs and ENFPs can’t stand injustice, selfishness or behavior that makes people suffer. They don’t like to get angry but will on behalf of other people. They have different ways of managing that anger, however.

ENFJs tend to feel guilty when they show anger. They hate to hurt others and often push aside angry feelings and distract themselves with other things. Bottling up anger doesn’t always work; faded ENFJs can snap.

Characteristics of ENFJ Anger

• Gets angry about lack of empathy, selfishness, and inconsiderate behavior.
• If their anger will hurt someone, they’ll do what they can to stifle it.
• If they get angry, they are likely to feel guilty about it immediately.

ENFPs spend so much of their time upbeat, optimistic and energetic, it should come as no surprise that they don’t like to get angry. Of course, They get angry, especially at injustice or for something that negatively affects others. Still, they will tend to downplay their anger and instead choose to focus on positive emotions.

Characteristics of ENFP Anger

• They try not to be angry and will resist showing anger in public.
• They have such intense emotions feeling angry can be a scary experience for them.
• They hate conflict and will use various avoidance tactics to keep from dealing with it.

If an ENFJ walks into a friend’s place of work and sees that friend being belittled by a coworker, they will likely get angry. They may quickly jump to their friend’s defense and yell at the aggressor. After a moment, the ENFJ will apologize to both parties for their outbursts and try to use their communication skills to make everyone get along. In the same scenario, an ENFP will be equally angry on their friend’s behalf but wouldn’t immediately intervene. They may hang back and wait to see what happens or try to diffuse the situation with distraction.

In summary, ENFJs and ENFPs both adore working towards improving the world by using their charisma and people skills. They inspire countless others to be successful but must make sure they take time to tend to their needs as well.