[ENFP] ENFPs: the least intellectual NF?

[la boheme]

Hi again! I have another question about ENFPs. How intellectual or cerebral are they? My impression is they're not, at all. Many express an interest in ideas, but they are not serious students of ideas, more like dilettantes, dabbling here and there but never diving deeply into any one or few subjects. Is this also your experience with ENFPs? Are they in some ways shallow, especially compared to other NFs?

 

[nosferatu]

Eeeeeh. I don't know many honestly. But I had a brilliant ENFP doctor. Seriously dude was a freaking genius. I know this is a fictional reference but he could probably out-do Dr. House, Dr. Blackjack, or something.

 

[sassafras]

I'm an ENFP and I can confirm that we're all shallow idiots.

Jack of all trades is definitely a term that applies. But while we lack the patience to pour over a textbook cover to cover, we fall into the wikipedia blackhole on the regular (or at least, that is my experience). Why have depth when you can have breadth? It makes it easier to grasp ideas on the spot because you've got multiple reference points, not to mention we're pretty damn good at bullshitting our way through things convincingly. Most of the time, it isn't even bullshit; we surprise ourselves by what we know and what we think about a subject, because we're 'think as we talk' people. You're not going to see us sitting on the toilet of life, pondering things. We're too busy playing CandyCrush and catching smatterings of your philosophical discussions which will probably come to us in the middle of another discussion later and we'll randomly connect it with the Jack the Ripper case when it comes up obliquely in the next couple of days.

 

[Elis]

I think that depends on what you read into intellectual and cerebral. Disregarding that, I'm fairly sure that one of the more bright-minded people I've ever met would type ENFP.

 

[SealHammer]

I'm an ENFP and I can confirm that we're all shallow idiots.

you shut your mouth right there you lovely inspiring woman. your commentary is probably the most consistently level-headed, insightful, and constructive on this forum. if it weren't for you this place would be hot garbage (as opposed to regular garbage)

 

[Scientia]

I love all of the ENFPs in my life. Very intelligent, insightful and observant of others. They will, however, make up an answer if they don't know the real one.

 

[Matt3737]

you shut your mouth right there you lovely inspiring woman. your commentary is probably the most consistently level-headed, insightful, and constructive on this forum. if it weren't for you this place would be hot garbage (as opposed to regular garbage)

I thought [MENTION=1360]TheDaringHatTrick[/MENTION] was the one makin' it all hot up in here.

 

[sassafras]

I thought @TheDaringHatTrick was the one makin' it all hot up in here.

What are you two tryin' to sell here?

 

[Matt3737]

What are you two tryin' to sell here?

[video=youtube_share;_xJHJAPIx_I]http://youtu.be/_xJHJAPIx_I[/video]


It's all part of my very elaborate and complicated plan to seduce you.

 

[sassafras]

[video=youtube_share;_xJHJAPIx_I]http://youtu.be/_xJHJAPIx_I[/video]


It's all part of my very elaborate and complicated plan to seduce you.

It's working

 

[Matt3737]

It's working

Okay, but I'm not sharing you with SealHammer...


Sorry, [MENTION=6650]SealHammer[/MENTION]

 

[SealHammer]

I'm a jealous man, [MENTION=4822]Matt3737[/MENTION]. You'll truly be sorry when you're six feet under.

 

[Matt3737]

I'm a jealous man, [MENTION=4822]Matt3737[/MENTION]. You'll truly be sorry when you're six feet under.

I will beat you down!! ARGH!

 

[ZcM4xzkjgzCjytBc]

How intellectual or cerebral are they? My impression is they're not, at all.

I cannot say to what degree the commonly accepted definition of intellect, nor yours, can be attributed to each type. Nor can I know how you determine who is an ENFP.

What I can tell you is the ones I knew were rather smart.

 

[HunterO]

All the ENFPs I've known were successful entrepreneurs so I'll have to disagree. They also tolerate all sorts of ideas and open to brainstorming. Supposedly Einstein was also ENFP. I have a lot of respect for people with this type and many friends who are ENFPs

 

[grt$5vb]

2 friends I have typed to be enfp are largely intellectual and we have had very deep conversations.

 

[la boheme]

All the ENFPs I've known were successful entrepreneurs so I'll have to disagree. They also tolerate all sorts of ideas and open to brainstorming. Supposedly Einstein was also ENFP. I have a lot of respect for people with this type and many friends who are ENFPs

Why do you say Einstein was ENFP? He is almost universally typed as INTP and if you are familiar with his bio and work INTP fits very well.

I don't mean to say ENFPs are not smart. The ones I know certainly are. The distinction I made was that ENFPs tend to flit across the surface of many subjects rather than dive deeply into a few, that they are the proverbial jack of all trades and masters of none. Of course, there will be many ENFPs who work in a profession where they have acquired a deep knowledge of their fields. But as a group, how common is this specialization? Is it not rather the case that ENFPs prefer and actually do learn a little of this and a little of that?

 

[Awesome]

I frequently am typed as ENFP so for the sake of this post I will say I am an ENFP.
I'm taking a philosophy course this quarter in school and Christ it is boring. "Contemporary Moral Problems" should have been replaced with "Contemporary Moral Lists" because there are no problems in this book. Just long discussions and definitions to remember. I'm having much more fun with calculus and chemistry.

 

[rawr]

you shut your mouth right there you ... woman

well that went better than expected.

 

[BrokenDaniel]

Met many ENFPs who showed much more interest on intellectual subjects than i do. Specially while i was in college. MANY ENFPs in academia, both teachers and students.