Dogma

The most dogmatic people I've met are the ESFJs. The J in them demands an organized system. The SF part of the score allows them to turn "facts," into strong feelings. The Extraversion makes them think they gotta tell everyone about it.

 

Haha, my wife is ESFJ and ocassionally when we are having a meaningful conversation she will reveal many "oughts and shoulds" which she takes on as truth and holds on very tight to in the deepest part of her psyche, even though many of them were formed in her childhood, are clearly false and are damaging to her happiness. She clings to this inner rulebook, perhaps it provides security or understanding for her.

 

Back when I was a fundamentalist, I carried around verses from Deuteronomy in my wallet, just in case I needed to evangelize/strengthen someone's faith. I was ALWAYS trying to reach out to people...trying to tell people the "truth" of the Bible. Yet, I was still an INFJ hwell:. In fact, I'm still like that. Except minus the Christianity. Look at Eckhart Tolle or Aleister Crowley. Both Introverts from what I can tell.

Of course, you'd never see me on the street corner saying "Jesus saves!". That definitely seems to be more of an E thing. E-like Introverts tend to do smaller groups...write books...etc etc. Very person-to-person.

My hunch is that ESFJs tend to be more Evangelically Christian. Not too terribly deep about it (of course there are exceptions), but they go to every single church event. Very "church community" oriented. Potlucks ftw...in other words lol. But I think you're onto something, they're likely to be VERY dogmatic about their faith. Billy Graham comes to mind.

 

I think one of the main things that would drive an ESFJ to christianity is the hope of seeing loved ones in the next life, their Fe is so strong they can't imagine a world where those bonds just break into nothing.

 

I was once involved in fundamentalist churches myself. This is how I arrived at the correlation between the ESFJ and dogmatism. Of note is the huge difference between them and the NT. NTs do tend to hold fast to belief systems. They do, however, entertain new ideas, by testing them to see if they can be absorbed into their philosophies. This way, they can change their minds and still be right. eep: