ENFps: What do you like about being an IEE?

[consentingadult]

Nothing, it only causes problems with the IRS! I want to be SLI!

[Topaz]

Being IEE has its ups and downs. The good things are also a challenge at times. Its great to be open to all sorts of people, but it takes a long time to learn to listen to yourself and what you want. Its great to be flexible and to be able to do all sorts of different things but its a pain to make up your mind to stick to one thing and focus for long periods. Having a good imagination can make even the dullest situations more bearable but sometimes it can run away with you and cause you to miss whats right in front of you. Its nice to be aultristic, willing to help out your fellow human but it would also be nice to be able to earn some real cash and look out for my own interest. Its interesting to be able to see into other peoples words and actions and understand them and be able to even predict their behavior (often, but not always) but its also disappointing when people behave so predictably that it feels like they are two dimensional or worse, inauthentic. Its wonderful to have lofty ideals and noble aspirations. Its painful when you see where you have failed or worse not know where you went wrong but know you missed the mark.
Im a bit tired and down today so if this sounds a little jacked up, sorry bout that.

[jewels]

Being IEE has its ups and downs. The good things are also a challenge at times. Its great to be open to all sorts of people, but it takes a long time to learn to listen to yourself and what you want. Its great to be flexible and to be able to do all sorts of different things but its a pain to make up your mind to stick to one thing and focus for long periods. Having a good imagination can make even the dullest situations more bearable but sometimes it can run away with you and cause you to miss whats right in front of you. Its nice to be aultristic, willing to help out your fellow human but it would also be nice to be able to earn some real cash and look out for my own interest. Its interesting to be able to see into other peoples words and actions and understand them and be able to even predict their behavior (often, but not always) but its also disappointing when people behave so predictably that it feels like they are two dimensional or worse, inauthentic. Its wonderful to have lofty ideals and noble aspirations. Its painful when you see where you have failed or worse not know where you went wrong but know you missed the mark.
Im a bit tired and down today so if this sounds a little jacked up, sorry bout that.

Couldn't have said it better myself! Great description.

All in all, I love being ENFp...thought the careers we are drawn to don't always earn a lot of money, e.g., journalist, writer, actor, broadcast journalist, artist, psychologist -- arg!! But, we do have the most fun of ALL of the types and everyone likes us, even if we don't like them. and we get a lot of dates. But we also over-think things and cry more than the other types, except for INFps. Still, life is fun for us and we have lots of adventure that will make for best-selling memoirs someday, (or at least we think they will).

[Simon Ssmall]

What i like about being IEE is the fact i can pack my bags at any moment, drop everything i have and set sail to anywhere I want to without feeling of regret (well at least until I don't have a family). My life is one big adventure, others look at me and say "hey you sure have an interesting life, i wish i had your options". I'm also never single, the longest time i was alone was probably something like 4 months and even during that time i basicly tried to win over a certain girl. I have friends which know they can call me any time of the day/week and say "hey, lets go take a few beers" and they know ill say "sure" unless I'm unavailable for whatever reason. No matter how crappy my life was at certain stages of my life I always thought that it will get better (and it sure did).

Probably the biggest drawback is work, although I work in IT field and this gives me lots of options in terms of money and travels I still sometimes feel like i'm not doing what i should. Guess i found a compromise which fits me perfectly at the moment, working as IT consultant i get lots of travels, chance to work with people and enough money for me to not be able to spend it all and still have enough for going on vacation to wherever the hell i want. Still cant resist the urge to drop it all in favour of doing something else/somewhere else.

The biggest thing I like being myself is that surge of adventure which takes me over from time to time. I love those moments and they usually lead to unusual places/events/people/whatever and I drag people around me along.

[Simon Ssmall]

Still, life is fun for us and we have lots of adventure that will make for best-selling memoirs someday, (or at least we think they will).

Haha so true, I always though ill end up writing about my life adventures

[unefille]

I know I might be reading this thread too literally - but I'm confused by the question.

What do you mean by 'What do you like about being an IEE?' Isn't that the same as 'What do you like about you?' Or, if not (and taking yourself out of the picture) the question becomes 'What do you like about the type traits associated with IEE which you believe you may possess?'

After all, being an IEE is not something separate from being you. It is you. IEE is the categorisation of the aggregation of your personality traits, traced to their functional roots. The 'IEE' does not facilitate anything. It's not that you are IEE that are you able to travel or have fun or date a lot or commiserate with people. It is that you are YOU that you can do so. I mean, an ugly IEE probably wouldn't date a lot. Nor would an anti-social IEE. A male IEE or an IEE with a certain type of upbringing might not cry a lot. An IEE with a family probably isn't going to pick up their bags and travel a lot - and the desire to travel isn't GIVEN to you by being an IEE - it's yours.

I think this thread is great in that it gets people to talk about what they like about themselves and we get to see what trait we associate as being due to our functional preferences, but otherwise, it creates a massive schism between type and person that seems sort of unsustainable. And might lead to confusion about what it means to be an IEE.

[Simon Ssmall]

I know I might be reading this thread too literally - but I'm confused by the question.

What do you mean by 'What do you like about being an IEE?' Isn't that the same as 'What do you like about you?' Or, if not (and taking yourself out of the picture) the question becomes 'What do you like about the type traits associated with IEE which you believe you may possess?'

After all, being an IEE is not something separate from being you. It is you. IEE is the categorisation of the aggregation of your personality traits, traced to their functional roots. The 'IEE' does not facilitate anything. It's not that you are IEE that are you able to travel or have fun or date a lot or commiserate with people. It is that you are YOU that you can do so. I mean, an ugly IEE probably wouldn't date a lot. Nor would an anti-social IEE. A male IEE or an IEE with a certain type of upbringing might not cry a lot. An IEE with a family probably isn't going to pick up their bags and travel a lot - and the desire to travel isn't GIVEN to you by being an IEE - it's yours.

I think this thread is great in that it gets people to talk about what they like about themselves and we get to see what trait we associate as being due to our functional preferences, but otherwise, it creates a massive schism between type and person that seems sort of unsustainable. And might lead to confusion about what it means to be an IEE.

If that is the case then any type descriptions are useless since the same rules apply and all traits can be altered/subdued by one's life experiences. I know what you had in mind but i think this thread shouldn't be taken as a measure of if you are IEE to begin with.

[unefille]

If that is the case than any type descriptions are useless since the same rules apply and all traits/functional preferences can be altered/subdued by one's life experiences. I know what you had in mind but i think this thread shouldn't be taken as a measure of if you are IEE to begin with.

I have to admit that I've grown increasingly less fond of the type descriptions over time and it depends entirely on from what vantage point the description is written from. A lot of surface traits can't in any way be type-related, since what a type is (the premise of Socionics theory relating it to Model A) can only express inclinations and tendencies. I feel like I'm explaining myself badly, but what I mean to say, that type-theory is better suited to explaining motivations (the why) for outwardly observed behaviours, as opposed to prescribing outwardly expressed behaviours.

My more specific concern was that the question was phrased to suggest that being IEE was distinct from being you - I appreciate that there is more to being you than just the functional descriptions given by Socionics, I just thought it posed an interesting but confusing problem: how much of you is you and how much is IEE, what is related, what is not, how much you do think you have in common with other IEEs because it's the 'IEE' part of you and how much is unique?

But you know what, I'm being nit-picky and a total downer, so ignore me and proceed! It's been fun to read anyway.

[Simon Ssmall]

I have to admit that I've grown increasingly less fond of the type descriptions over time and it depends entirely on from what vantage point the description is written from. A lot of surface traits can't in any way be type-related, since what a type is (the premise of Socionics theory relating it to Model A) can only express inclinations and tendencies. I feel like I'm explaining myself badly, but what I mean to say, that type-theory is better suited to explaining motivations (the why) for outwardly observed behaviours, as opposed to prescribing outwardly expressed behaviours.

My more specific concern was that the question was phrased to suggest that being IEE was distinct from being you - I appreciate that there is more to being you than just the functional descriptions given by Socionics, I just it posed an interesting but confusing problem: how much of you is you and how much is IEE, what is related, what is not, how much you do think you have in common with other IEEs because it's the 'IEE' part of you and how much is unique?

But you know what, I'm being nit-picky and a total downer, so ignore me and proceed! It's been fun to read anyway.

Nah your explaining yourself perfectly. This could lead to an interesting discussion but maybe we should start a separate thread?. In the end maybe even lead to some people realising they have mistyped themselves or getting a better type description.

By the way you didn't add what you like/dislike about being you (I think such a question is easier to answer and causes less confusion).

[unefille]

Nah your explaining yourself perfectly. This could lead to an interesting discussion but maybe we should start a separate thread?. In the end maybe even lead to some people realising they have mistyped themselves or getting a better type description.

By the way you didn't add what you like/dislike about being you (I think such a question is easier to answer and causes less confusion).

Let's see, 3 things I do like about me:

Optimism: I always think things will turn out for the better - and this is true regardless of what I think of the present - in fact, I actually generally think the present is a little deficient and could be improved and that's not a bad thing, because if nothing could be improved then we'd be stuck in one place forever. I'm more interested in how tomorrow will be better than today - all the possibilities that the future may bring. I also, generally, feel very blessed for most things in life and no matter how bad things get, it's pretty hard to really be depressed [I mean this in the non-clinical sense - obviously clinical depression is something else altogether]- because I can always see that something better will be over the horizon. I fear for people who can't because then if they're stuck in an unpleasant situation, they can't see anyway out.

Flexibility/Adaptability: I have little to no trouble adjusting to new circumstances. I'm not bound by a rigid way of thinking or philosophy of life. From the outside, people might see me as rather will-o-wisp and not as driven as I could be, sort of fuzzy rather than sharp and focused, but I think being flexible has lots of advantages. I can't always control the circumstances that happen in life, but I can control how I react to them. Lack of flexibility means I would have to expend so much effort trying to control the world around me. Instead, I change with it; adapt to it.

Communication Skills: I've always been told that I'm a good communicator. I have a knack for getting people onside and interested in what I'm saying. I teach as a part-time job during uni, and all my students really seem to like me. I can relate to them well in a one-to-one way, and I sort of have a way of interacting with them so that they still respect me as a teacher whilst not being intimidated to venture their opinions and engage with the material (which is often quite difficult for 16 years olds) I'm teaching. When teaching or communicating, my strongest skill is locating concepts within their context, explaining things clearly through the use of analogies and metaphors and breaking down academic language and using slang and colloquialisms - it makes my students laugh because they don't always expect it and I think its something they really appreciate - that I can easily talk over their heads (and often do, when thinking a loud), but that I can also talk at their level - that I care enough about them understanding what I say to rephrase it in their lingo.

[JuJu]

Let's see, 3 things I do like about me:

Optimism
Flexibility/Adaptability
Communication Skills

I must say, I value the same IEE traits in myself as those you listed. You describe them very well.

In addition, I like that:
* I can start a conversation with almost anyone and feel like I know them very well in a few minutes.
* I can become fixated on an interest for a given amount of time, and then quickly move on to another interest without looking back.
* I don't fear the future; I look forward to it.
* I'm able to form meaningful relationships with people--relationships in which we can tell each other anything.
* I'm always up for an adventure.
* I have/appreciate an irreverent sense of humor
* I'm willing to experiment with almost any facet of my life/career
* I have a good sense of what's right and wrong--for me and others; (others more than me hah...) I've found that I can give good advice.
* I'm able to forgive people easily--maybe too easily (but I don't forget)
* I'm the one to rage against bureaucracies that need to be raged against.
* I can come up with possibilities instantaneously, i.e. what to do, how to do it (planning and in art/writing)
* I am a good storyteller.
* I have the ENFp eyes (Or so they say hehe.)
* I can multi-task and the work still comes out alright, (e.g. right now, I'm typing this, reading the newspaper, and eating.)

Those are just a few things that come to mind.