ENFJ-a/ ENFJ-t: What Are The Difference?

ENFJ stands for Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judgement. This term is used to describe one of the sixteen personality traits which were described and given by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers. Let us know more detail about ‘ENFJ-a/ ENFJ-t: What Are The Difference?’.

ENFJ-a/ ENFJ-t: What Are The Difference?

The term can be broken down as:

• Extraverted  – a person which is engaging and energized
• Intuitive        – a person who focuses on ideas and concept
• Feeling        – a person who makes a decision based on feelings
• Judgment – a person who is planned and organized

Positive Traits: ENFJ-a/ ENFJ-t

People with ENFJ personalities are described as warm, giving, helpful, and sensitive. A person with an ENFJ personality has all these positive traits. They can easily form friends and are described as “ people person ”. They can understand how the other person is feeling and are keen to help them.

Negative Traits: ENFJ-a/ ENFJ-t

Apart from all these positive traits, a person with an ENFJ personality has some negative traits that may turn out as oversensitive or overprotective. They can be approval seekers. In some scenarios, a person with an ENFJ personality type may also be manipulative and rigid.

What is ENFJ-a personality type?

The a in the term ENFJ-a stands for assertive. Assertive protagonists consist of high self-confidence and due to this aspect of their personality, they are good at leadership roles. And due to high self-confidence, they don’t feel a lot of self-doubts. 

People with assertive personalities are comfortable with their individuality and can handle emotions and stress very well, they remain composed in stressful situations.

Assertive protagonists are capable of making their own decisions confidently. They have intelligent personalities but sometimes they may not be able to understand and empathize with others’ emotions. 

What is ENFJ-t personality type?

The t in the term ENFJ-t stands for turbulent. Enfj-ts can also be called turbulent protagonists. They are not as confident as the assertive protagonists but have humble personalities. They are much likely to experience self-doubt as they are not much confident about their image and physical appearance. They might get overwhelmed by stress sometimes. Unlike assertive protagonists, they can empathize with other people’s emotions. They are not able to make decisions solely on their own, they seek advice from others for reassurance.

What is the difference between ENFJ-a and ENFJ-t?

The ENFJ personalities have two subunits based upon which function they possess, these subunits are assertive and turbulent. The four cognitive functions of these personalities are the same ; 

1. Extroverted feeling – The ENFJ personalities, in general, are social and like engaging with other people. They are helpful and care about other people’s opinions before making decisions.
2. Introverted intuition – The ENFJ personalities think about long-term situations rather than present scenarios and are more likely to discover patterns by connecting information and can understand complex sets of information.
3. Extroverted sensing – Enfj personalities rely on facts and information they gather from their surroundings. They are keen to explore more and are comfortable in aesthetic places. 
4. Introverted feeling – They like to be organized as it makes them feel confident. And due to this nature, their personality becomes more balanced and self-assured.

Above we discussed the overall common features of the ENFJ personalities. The subunits of ENFJ have their strengths and weaknesses. Now, we are going to discuss the differences in the two subunits we discussed earlier :

• Enfj-a is the assertive protagonists while Enfj-t is the turbulent protagonists.
• Assertive protagonists are more confident and assertive thus are capable of leadership roles but these features sometimes may turn out to be manipulative.

On the other hand, turbulent protagonists are comparatively less confident. This makes them modest and humble leaders.

• Assertive protagonists don’t experience much self-doubt. They don’t personalize things if the situation does not run according to their expectations.

Unlike assertive protagonists, turbulent protagonists can easily experience self-doubt. They do personalize things if the situation does not run according to their plan.

• Assertive protagonists are very comfortable with their physical experiences and cannot relate to others who feel conscious about their skin. This makes them less empathetic towards those people.

Turbulent protagonists are conscious about their physical appearance which makes them worry about other people’s opinions. Due to this, they can relate to the people who feel uncomfortable towards their physical appearances and thus are empathetic towards them.

• Assertive personalities are less likely to overthink because they are comfortable with their own emotions. They are emotionally stable and can manage pain which does not let them be vulnerable. They are more objective and rely on logic rather than emotions.

Turbulent protagonists are more likely to overthink. They are emotionally unstable. They get affected by others’ pain and rely on emotions while making decisions.

• Assertive protagonists are good at handling stressful situations. They remain calm and can overcome pressure easily.

Turbulent protagonists can get stressed sometimes. Stress triggers their emotions but this helps them understand others better.

• Assertive protagonists are capable of making decisions on their own. They are independent and self-sufficient but can seek others’ advice when confused.

Turbulent protagonists are more likely to take other people’s opinions before making decisions. They have low self-confidence and easily doubt themselves about making the right decision.

Both the personalities have their own positive and negative points thus we cannot say that one is better than the other. If one has to choose between the two then the decision can be made based upon the requirement of the role for which the choice is being considered.

What are the career choices present for the assertive and turbulent protagonists?

 A person with an ENFJ personality is helpful thus they cooperate with their team and encourage their growth. They tend to go for leadership roles because they are good at organizing and motivating others. They are people-centered and have a humanitarian focus. They turn out to be very creative in their suitable work environments. There are different sectors where a person with an ENFJ personality can work.

 The suitable options are listed below :

Community and social service 

1. Health educators – due to their humanitarian focus and willingness to help others, the people with ENFJ personality can consider this career option as it fully compliments their personality.
2. Therapist  –  as ENFJs are good at understanding people and are keen to help others, the role of therapist will suit them as they will be able to emotionally understand the person.
3. Counselor –  a counselor guides personal or psychological problems. One can be a school counselor, marriage counselor, or rehabilitation counselor. All these roles offer to guide people to evolve thus an ENFJ personality will find this role fulfilling.
4. Social worker – this role provides an opportunity to help the ones who are socially deprived. Thus this career option is a good choice for an ENFJ to enhance their organizational skills while keeping in mind the betterment of the people they are helping.

Media and communication

1. Editor –  an editor helps in finalizing the content of the newspaper or magazine or book. An ENFJ would be complimenting the role because of its creative nature and good teamwork capabilities.
2. Photographer – due to their creative personalities,  photography can be a good career option for an ENFJ.
3.  Public relations – an ENFJ has good communication and managing skills because of which they can consider public relations as a career option. 
4. Author – writing your book or article or document can also be considered a good career choice for an ENFJ.

Education 

1. Teacher – a teacher will be a good choice for an ENFJ because this role helps them to be creative, manage different tasks, guide, and help their students.
2. Coordinator – they evaluate the effectiveness of the rules set by the above authorities for the proper functioning of an educational institution.
3. Principal – The principal is responsible for managing the school, supervising the work of the others.

Business, management, sales 

1. Advertising and promotion manager – you will be promoting campaigns, managing budget, organizing marketing strategies, negotiating contracts. 
2. Sales manager – you will be analyzing statistics of sales, managing budget, negotiating with customers. The position is a good leadership opportunity for an ENFJ.
3. Human resources manager – you will coordinate and supervise the work of the staff, plan employee benefits, handling disciplinary procedures. It is a good choice with both leadership opportunities and engaging and guiding the team.
4. Broker – real estate brokers and sales agents usually negotiate with potential clients to buy, sell and rent properties.
5. Training specialist – the duties include designing training manuals, online courses, and materials. You will also be working with evaluating training programs, providing instructional techniques. One will have the opportunity to train people and engage with them for better results.
6. Market analyst – you will need to study market and sales trends, analyzing the effectiveness of marketing strategies, analyze data, and prepare reports.
7. Planner – you will need to understand the purpose of the event or meeting and fulfill the client’s requirements.  You will be organizing the event and managing your team.

Entertainment, art, and design

1. Art director – you will be developing the overall look of a film, theatre, show, or advertising campaign. ENFJ’s with a creative mindset and interest in the area can opt for this.
2. Producer or director – duties include the selection of script, casting members, supervising the design and financial aspects of the project.
3. Interior designer – you will be required to meet clients’ goals within the set budget. You will have to develop a good sketch plan for design, electricity, furnishing, lighting and complete the project in the set timeline.
4. Architect – you will have to understand the client’s requirements, supervise the site, build a plan, budget, and specifications of the project.

Personal care and service

1. Cosmetologist – cosmetologists are trained to treat hair skin and nails. They provide beauty services to the people.
2. Child care worker – a child care worker will be supervising and taking care of children, managing their meals and hygiene. You will also have to maintain children’s activities.
3. Fitness trainer – a fitness trainer helps their clients to meet their fitness goals. They set schedules for exercising and recommend a healthy diet accordingly. 
4. Nutritionist – understand the patients’ nutritional needs, counsel the patient on their health requirements, suggest a diet plan according to clients’ needs and budget. You will also have to monitor the improvements and make modifications accordingly.

Science

1. Psychologist – a psychologist studies the mental and emotional state of a person, diagnoses disorders, and organizes treatment.
2. Sociologist – a sociologist studies society and social behavior. An ENFJ with a keen interest to study social issues can opt for this career option.
3. Historian – a historian studies and analyzes historical information to verify authenticity and significance. 
4. Anthropologist – an anthropologist studies the aspect of humans within past and present societies. they also study the values and customs of different cultures.

Legal 

1. Lawyer – you will be representing and advising your clients on legal matters. You can work at a law firm or as a government attorney.
2. Paralegal – a paralegal works at a law firm but doesn’t have qualifications to be a lawyer. You require an understanding of the law to work in his position.

Healthcare 

1. Physician – you will have to be qualified to practice medicine. Physicians diagnose the patient, identify the disease and treat it accordingly.
2. Dentist – a dentist is qualified to diagnose dental diseases and treat any kind of infection in the teeth and gums of the patient.
3. Nurse – as a nurse you will be looking after the patients, monitoring their condition, performing tests, and assisting in medical treatments.
4. Physical therapist – as a physical therapist you will be diagnosing physical deformities, treating patients with physical therapy.
5. Genetic counselor – a genetic counselor studies the medical history of the individual and their family to analyze any potential medical risks that may occur.

Office and administrative 

1. Customer services – your main role in this position would be to listen and answer the customers’ queries.
2. Receptionist – as a receptionist you will have to answer and forward calls, take messages, scheduling and confirming meetings, receive visitors and packages.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed ENFJ personality and its subunits – assertive and turbulent protagonists. As we see that both the subunits have four similar cognitive functions, they differ because ENFJ-a has an assertiveness function while ENFJ-t has a turbulent function.

 Enfj-as are more confident, self-sufficient, and independent, they are good at handling emotions and stressful situations. On the other hand, ENFJ-ts experience self-doubt, they require other people’s opinion, they are emotional and get overwhelmed during stressful situations. Enfj-ts are humble and are more likely to harm their mind due to other people’s problems. 

There are plenty of job opportunities for ENFJ’s that complement their personality. All the different sectors like health, science, legal, education, business, art, administrative, social service, and media and communication are listed above. All the suitable roles under these sectors with what roles they play are also mentioned in the above information.

Enfjs are great to work with a team because they are creative and collaborative, they are supportive and good at understanding the needs of their team members. This positive may also seem tiring during any conflicts in the team as they will not be able to objectively decide and just focus or maintain the harmony of the group. 

And for any leadership roles, they are creative, result-oriented, and supportive. They like cooperation from their team and focus on improvement in performances for their team members.

With all this information I hope it would have become a little about what ENFJ’s are and what path in their careers can they opt-in to achieve the best and gain satisfaction in their position.