ENFPs & the Emo Mode

If there is one thing ENFPs like, it is self-discovery. I love reading about my personality type and if you are looking for something, Heidi Priebe writes especially great articles.  However, my favorite article hands down is Your ENFP Care And Handling User Guide And Manual. (Clink on the link to read the article.) 

Not only is this article relatable and funny (or at least I assume it is for those of you who have to live with me) but it has this marvelous paragraph under “Modes” that reads: 

Emo – Activated seemingly randomly by a large influx of emotion that your ENFP unit must withdraw and analyze in order to understand and integrate. occurs approximately one (1) out of every fifteen (15) days. Completion of this mode is often signaled by your ENFP unit announcing it has learned something new about itself.

I nearly shouted out loud when I came upon that passage. “YES! THAT IS IT!” Someone put it into words! ENFPs are the most introverted of the extroverts; we like people but we also are big on self-understanding and that takes quiet and withdrawal. Sometimes it is simply for recharging. However, at least for me, I often mentally and emotionally withdraw for a time because I feel the need to reevaluate my goals or motivation and gain some new understanding of myself. When I’ve emerged, I feel more complete and satisfied. Hence, I suppose, the “Emo Mode.” 

Since I’m a verbal processor, the process doesn’t always mean withdrawing. It sometimes involves simply talking things through with a friend. The process and result, however, are often the same. 

Anyway, in writing this I am less motivated by a desire that you all “understand” me and more by a hope that this will in turn help others understand themselves better. Sometimes, it helps just having someone else put it into words!