ESFP Archetype: The Dualist
ESFPs are adventure-seeking Artisans looking for shared experiences with those close to them and to cultivate admiration from both friends and foes. ESFPs are often great performers in athletics, on the stage, or in a variety of competitive careers that demand skill and have an audience. ESFPs thrive on excitement.
Some examples of famous ESFPs you may know include:
- Chris Pratt
- Cardi B
- Floyd Mayweather
- Taylor Swift
- Steve Irwin
- Patrice O'Neal
- and Drew Barrymore
Expression Style
As is the case with all personality types, the ESFP lies at the intersection between a specific expression style and a specific worldview. They belong to the Starter interaction style, meaning that they are informative, initiating, and progression.
Informative: ESFPs talk a lot. They approach conversations by supplying context and an abundance of information for the other person to respond to. They aren't necessarily looking for other people to respond to everything that ESFP says. They are skilled communicators who excel at the art of framing topics in digestible ways.
Initiating: ESFPs are constantly initiating with other people. They'll walk up and start conversations with anyone. ESFPs are also very skilled at making impactful first impressions that draw other people to them.
Progression: ESFPs are addicts of progress. They don't care too much about the bigger overarching plan. They're more than willing to embrace the journey of a task, interaction, or relationship. For them, excitement is found in not knowing the outcome explicitly but having it revealed to them as more and more progress is made.
Worldview
The ESFP worldview is the Artisan temperament, also known as the SP temperament. This means that they are interest-based, pragmatic, and concrete.
Interest-based: ESFPs are skilled at getting what they want in all their interactions. They're very aware of who is benefiting from what. If they feel that others are getting more than them or they aren't getting enough, they'll change course to yield a better return.
Pragmatic: ESFPs solve problems through the lens of "what works." They rarely worry about the culturally accepted right or wrong way of doing things. They see other people overcomplicate tasks by making sure their approach is accepted by an authority. To an ESFP, if something works, an authority's or culture's approval means little to them.
Concrete: ESFPs are focused on the here and now. They live life for the moment, seeking tangible experiences and often leaning into careers that demand physical and even mechanical skills. They rarely engage in abstraction. What's in front of them is what's real to them.
Cognitive Functions
Se Hero
ESFPs are all about performance wherever they go and whatever they're doing is an opportunity to put on a show. They excel at commanding attention from others through their performance. They're also looking for people who will be loyal to them, who they know will stick with them through thick and thin. ESFPs store memory in external things, and they like to have other people around them constantly because each of those people holds the memories of all the experiences the ESFP shared with them. Show them a picture or remind them of someone who was there on a particular day, and they'll remember things from the outside in.
Fi Parent
Fi Parent makes the ESFP very aware of their own self-worth and the contributions they make. Less mature ESFPs may feel like nothing could function at all without their contributions, making the value they contribute incalculable. But as an ESFP matures, they can take pride in their contributions while also acknowledging the importance and value of other people's work. ESFPs are very moral people, living according to their own values and what they feel is right. They excel at weighing out dilemmas and establishing boundaries and priorities. They're looking for others who respect their values and notice how much effort the ESFP puts into being a good person.
Te Child
Te Child is all about offering alternate perspectives. ESFPs believe that the truth of a matter is elusive and that the main form of persuasion comes from having the best perspective and the most persuasive evidence. They're often accused of being airheads because they have such an awareness of what other people are thinking and see the total spectrum of different perspectives clearly that the truth of a matter is rarely clear to them. They think in reference points, gathering their perspective from all the things they've read, heard, and seen. They excel at injecting new life into arguments by bringing new insights and unique perspectives to help improve others' thinking. Te Child also loves status. ESFPs pursue status to be regarded highly and admired by others. It makes ESFPs excellent at managing other people's perceptions, and an ESFP always knows how to look good. As ESFPs mature, they become concerned with finding the truth of a matter instead of just having the most persuasive argument. Te Child can eventually become a pursuer of truth, and ESFPs can find the truth with the help of other logical thinkers or Ti users.
Si Nemesis
ESFPs worry about their own comfort and are fearful that they aren't disciplined or strong enough to endure the adversity in their lives. Si Nemesis also makes ESFPs insanely nostalgic. You might catch them going through old photos or journals to relive treasured moments of their past. ESFPs are wary about what they commit to, as Si Nemesis communicates that where they put their effort matters. They shouldn't only be focused on others' experience, comfort, and strength, but also on their own.
Fe Critic
ESFPs are critical of other people's values. They perceive others as being negligent with how they value things. Fe Critic also gives some ESFPs a superiority complex. No one is as valuable as them is the voice of an undeveloped Fe Critic. It shuns and diminishes the value of other people, making ESFPs inherently skeptical of how much others have contributed and suspicious of how good other people really are. Fe Critic is one of the characteristics that can make ESFPs alienating until they overcome their superiority complex, see that others have value, and understand that others' values might be worth considering. ESFPs need to learn not only when to put themselves first but also when to put other people first.
Ti Trickster
Ti Trickster believes that anything could be true because the ESFP understands that everyone has a different perspective. Through their Te Child, ESFPs don't inherently believe that there is a single unified perspective that captures the truth. Ti Trickster makes the ESFP susceptible to confirming beliefs that may have no validity at all. While Te Child makes them intellectually flexible, Ti Trickster poses a threat where the ESFP is not aware of accuracy. ESFPs can be unreliable reporters, too. They don't necessarily mean to be, but their short-term memory with their Se Hero and their Ti Trickster makes them focus more on controlling the narrative than on reporting things accurately and clearly. Over time, as their Fi Parent gets better at weighing out the credibility of information, the ESFP will begin to see patterns of common perspectives among the people they respect. Eventually, they will stumble upon the truth.
Ne Demon
The demon function takes on a twisted, bitter expression of whatever function is in its slot. Ne Demon makes the ESFP naturally enjoy undermining others' futures and offering choices that only wreak havoc on others' freedoms. ESFPs know that they deal with incredible anxiety over their choices while trying not to destroy their future. This anxiety naturally leads to overcompensating with bitterness regarding other people's futures. To avoid Ne Demon, make sure your ESFP always has a choice and do not set up their future for failure. Ne Demon is one of the most externally destructive demons of them all.
The Four Sides of the Mind
ISFJ Subconscious
The ISFJ subconscious is where the ESFP can find their path to responsibility and maturity. Maturity comes from the development of the parent function, and the ESFP's Fi Parent must practice responsible, not irresponsible, selfishness. Immature ESFPs may believe they are the best thing since sliced bread. Responsible selfishness means learning that selflessness is a big part of their growth.
INTJ Aspirational
ESFPs mature by developing their Ni Inferior into Ni Aspirational. By committing to pursuing a path and activating their INTJ subconscious, ESFPs can become resilient through any obstacle and gain the passion to focus on attaining their singular goal. ESFPs also perfect their skills as INTJs are among the best types at learning and improving their skills.
ISFJ Unconscious (The Shadow)
The ISFJ unconscious reveals the ESFP's path to wisdom. Development of wisdom primarily comes through turning their Si Nemesis into Si Ally and F Critic into Fe Grandparent. ESFPs who put more attention on managing their own comfort, having good experiences on their own, and developing habits and routines will transform the worry of Si Nemesis into certainty. ESFPs can become more compassionate towards others as they learn to care about what the actual truth is.
ENTP Superego
The ENTP Superego is where the ESFP's path to love lies. While it can put pressure on the ESFP, it also has a way of getting them out of tight spots. The message that ENTP Super Ego is trying to communicate is that there's always a path and there are always choices. ESFPs should focus on putting in effort and not just relying on talent. Integrating their Si Nemesis can help ESFPs avoid feeling enslaved by others and instead focus on freeing them. Super Ego integration often takes a lifetime to occur.
Summary
The joyful, exciting, and adventure-loving ESFP can create unforgettable experiences. They're often the joyful light in whatever room they're in. They can also be examples of those who stand up for what they believe is right. Like all the types, there's more to them than meets the eye. While they may seem shallow and artificial at times, ESFPs feel that their joy is only possible when they are constantly around exciting things and have an abundance of new choices. There is depth to be discovered in ESFPs, not in spite of their adventurous nature and ability to perform, but because of those things.
