ESFP Personality Type as Defined By the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

ESFP (extraverted, sensing, feeling, perceiving) is one of the 16 personality types identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. People with ESFP personality types are often described as spontaneous, resourceful and outgoing.

According to psychologist David Keirsey, the developer of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, approximately four to ten percent of all people have an ESFP personality type.

The MBTI looks at personality preferences in four key areas: 1) Extraversion vs Introversion, 2) Sensing vs Intuition, 3) Thinking vs Feeling and 4) Judging vs Perceiving. As you've probably already guessed, the acronym ESFP represents Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.

• Extraversion: ESFPs enjoy interacting with other people and feel energized after they spend time socializing.
• Sensing: ESFPs prefer to focus on the here-and-now rather than thinking about the distant future. They also prefer learning about concrete facts rather than theoretical ideas.
• Feeling: ESFPs place a greater emphasis personal feelings rather than logic and facts when making decisions.
• Perceiving: ESFPs don’t spend a lot of time planning and organizing. Instead, they like to keep their options open.

Some common ESFP characteristics include:

• Optimistic
• Practical
• Seeks out new experiences
• Spontaneous and sometimes impulsive
• Like facts and concrete information
• Dislikes theories and abstract information
• Gregarious
• Enjoys people and socializing
• Focused on the present
• Like variety, dislikes monotony

Practical

ESFPs tend to be very practical and resourceful. They prefer to learn through hands-on experience and tend to dislike book learning and theoretical discussions. Because of this, students with ESFP personality types sometimes struggle in traditional classroom settings. However, they excel in situations where they are allowed to interact with others or learn through direct experience.

When solving problems, they trust their instincts and put trust in their own abilities to come up with a solution. While they are reasonable and pragmatic, they dislike structure, order, and planning. Instead ,they act spontaneously and do not spend a great deal of time coming up with a plan or schedule.

Extroverted

As extroverts, ESFPs enjoy spending time with other people and have excellent interpersonal skills. They are good at understanding how other people are feelings and are able to respond to other people's emotions in productive ways. For this reason, ESFPs can make good leaders and have a knack for mobilizing, motivating and persuading group members.

ESFPs are often described as warm, kind and thoughtful, making them popular and well-liked by others. ESFPs enjoy meeting new people, but they also have a thirst for new experiences. They are generally focused on the present and will often be the first person to try the newest ride at an amusement park or try out a new adventure sport.

Researchers suggest that some of the following famous individuals exhibit characteristics consistent with the ESFP personality type:

• Bill Clinton, U.S. President
• Ronald Reagan, U.S. President
• Bob Hope, actor
• Marilyn Monroe, actress
• Pablo Picasso, artist
• Woody Harrelson, actor
• Goldie Hawn, actress
• Saint Mark, apostle

Some fictional characters that with ESFP characteristics include:

• Homer Simpson, The Simpsons
• Tim "The Toolman" Taylor, Home Improvement
• Peter Griffin, Family Guy
• Clementine Kruczynski, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

With their strong dislike for routine, ESFPs do best in careers that involve a lot of variety. Jobs that involve a great deal of socializing are also a great fit, allowing individuals with this personality type to put their considerable people skills to good use. Careers that involve a great deal of structure and solitary work can be difficult for ESFPs, and they often become bored in such situations.

A few possible career choices for ESFPs include:

• Artist
• Actor
• Counselor
• Social Worker
• Athletic coach
• Child care provider
• Musician
• Psychologist
• Human resources specialist
• Fashion designer