Difference between ESFP and ENFP

[Rickus]

Hello everyone
So I have a question. I used to take the standard mbti test and even looked at the cognitive functions. With my own self assessment I came to the conclusion that I was an ENFP. However in my first visual typing from another source I got ENTJ. I was baffled by this. I mean I guess I could relate to the Ni-Se axis, but I don't see myself as a Te dominant type at all, I am much more in touch with my Fi than my Te.
So I did the test here, first getting INTJ, and then ESFP where I was more comfortable and relaxed. However it still boggles my mind that I am a Sensing dominant type and not an Intuitive dominant type. Could anyone explain to me why I would misidentify as an NeFi when my visual typing says I am SeFi. I see myself in both types superficially, but what actually differentiates them. Do SeFi's look for the deeper meaning behind things like dreams and non-concrete things, because I do that all the time, sometimes I overanalyze things, and other times I live in the moment a lot and express myself in a visceral way, being very attuned to the physical appearance of other people and I have an appreciation for beauty and sensual pleasures like good food and art. Yet I've always been a daydreamer and very imaginative, finding the connection between unrelated concepts and coming to intuitive hunches that have proven to be correct. I am also not that practical, but i do have an appreciation for nature, animals and the sensory world as well as the spiritual, metaphysical world. Are SeFi's imaginative in the same way as NeFi types. What differentiates them in that regard?
Looking forward to responses

[Rickus]

I will add that when I experience dreams I almost always have an emotional, visceral reaction towards them. Like when I am visualizing my body will start shaking or pull back. I am not sure if this something to do with Se and Ni. Just curious about it.

[a.k.a.Janie]

I don't know the answer, so I'm just kind of chiming in that I'm in the same boat, but with FiNe vs FiSe. I don't put much weight on those online MBTI-esqe free quizzes, since having learned what I have since coming to CT.  Somewhat similar to you though, I always get INFP on quizzes with the I and N very strong, and the F and P occasionally varied. I seem to have learned, though, that vultology can reveal things at a lower--by lower I mean more direct, or deeper--level than behavior, especially self-assessments of behavior.
For me, I always thought that Se blindspot fit, and I can use "Ne" quite well. It seems to describe my personality and made sense for "auxiliary" function. I have my own ideas as to why that might be (involving parents) but one thing I can recommend you do is read the CT descriptions of Ne and Se. It was the first Ne description I actually did not really relate to. I have come to see the descriptions in other systems as "stereotypes" in a way. I realize they may have observed many thousands of people in clinical settings, but even so, they are only deciding the people's types based on their behavior, so it is kind of circular reasoning. So it's easy to say, "this person must be type x, because they do a, b, and c", but maybe the person is actually another type underneath, but they have no way of detecting it. If that makes any sense.
Another thing that makes CT different is the concept of "intuitive". Many people of "S" types are very intuitive in the sense of the word as used by MBTI type quizzes. "Looking for the deeper meaning behind things like dreams and non-concrete things" Yes, like that, for example. I've heard there are new definitions for what constitutes a Sensing or Intuitive preference, and I'm interested in hearing it.

[Rickus]

Dear a.k.a Janie
Yes I agree with you that there are a lot of biases towards Sensing types and that they stereotypically only look at the surface level of things, which is not true of course, they also look at an abstract perception of things too.
I always scored like 100% on Intuitive, Feeling and Perceiving. I never identified with the stereotype of Sensing, because it was so inaccurate. But I do think the CT assessment opened my eyes to the fact that I do use Extroverted Sensing more than I realized, just not in a stereotypical manner and I don't stop at just the sensory level of things but go deeper. I also think function development plays a role perhaps.
The thing is I also find myself identifying with the description of Extroverted Intuition somewhat, because I have such a rich internal life and a vivid imagination, and am drawn to finding connections between unrelated concepts. I'm not sure if this qualifies as tangent hopping though, because I will get annoyed if people go off topic completely I guess for too long.
However I did watch this video from another cognitive typing channel. The results they gave me were ENTJ which I disagreed with, but like I said I think the order is just wrong, maybe the functions are correct.
The host of the show did a survey where they asked 'List 5 uses for a pen', and she  said that people who are Se-Ni users look at the concrete uses of the pen within a set of circumstances. So I mentioned (before knowing the results) more physical hands-on uses like writing, drawing, playing drums, putting the pen in one's hair etc.  These were considered to be more Se type of uses.
Whereas those who have Ne-Si axis said things like use it as decoration, a prop in a magic show, put in the musuem. More off the wall uses and past uses. I did not happen to mention any of these, although I could easily conceptualize it this way if I consciously chose to do so.
There was another question about the trawley problem, where you are on a train and there 5 people tied on the track, but then there is a split track with one person. The question comes in about which choice would be more ethical. Would it be more ethical to pull the lever onto the side track and why? I found this hard to grapple with, but according to the results it appears that I am an Se-Ni user because I considered which people were actually tied onto the track and if I could slow down the train or jump in front of it. I considered the tangible moving parts of the scenario, whereas an Ne-Si user would only look at the conceptual aspects thereof and the broad ethical philosophies one would use to answer the question.
However I doubt the reliability of these hypothesis, although they could point me in the right direction I think.

[fayest42]

I don't have a whole lot of knowledge on the Se vs Ne topic in particular, but I know that S vs N is one of the most common ways people get mistyped (S's being typed as N's specifically) and a lot of the descriptions of S's elsewhere are not really accurate. These might be helpful to read:
https://cognitivetype.com/why-mbti-mistypes-everyone/
https://cognitivetype.com/forums/topic/could-i-be-mistyped-possibly-ne-versus-se/
I also wouldn't underestimate the influence of your unconscious functions. Your Ni could be having a significant impact on you. I'm an FiNe here, but I always identified as an INTP everywhere else. To have Fi as a lead function when I always strongly identified as a "thinker" was a bit of a shock. But I have learned here that your unconscious functions can play a much more significant role than is often suggested elsewhere. The parts of this that talk about the influence of the unconscious functions might be helpful to read as well:
https://cognitivetype.com/forums/topic/ct-psychoanalysis/

[Rickus]

Thanks a lot fayest42
I have read the articles you linked for me. I found the last article you posted the most telling, especially concerning the unconscious functions. I tend to experience a lot of visualizations without conscious effort, and there were two archetypal things mentioned, that of a spider and also a bull. The spider was linked to inferior or unconscious Ni, while the bull was linked to Te. So perhaps I have a subconscious Te-Ni or Ni-Te personality trying to burst out because it wants to be integrated into my consciousness. So fascinating.
I think most descriptions of Sensing in general portray them as only looking at concrete data, and not looking at the deeper meaning. While I live in the moment very much and enjoy seeking new experiences, I am definitely not opposed to analyzing the deeper meaning behind my dreams, visualizations and intuitive hunches. I think its important to integrate your external sensory perception with your internal intuitive perception in order to achieve a balanced perspective. These articles were really helpful, looking forward to delving into it into even more depth.

[Rickus]

i had a visualisation of a spider web and of these spiders trying to trap me in their web so as to consume me. However I then saw someone come with a fiery torch and attempt to burn these webs away. Is this a conflict of Se and Ni perhaps? Or something else. The human mind is so fascinating.

[a.k.a.Janie]

@rickus-kruger interesting questions. Sounds a bit like Objective Personality. I found myself answering similarly to you, although I didn't have much time to think about the questions as I continued reading along into your answers. But, it does seem like they could be onto something as far as discerning the axis, as they seem to also have gotten your quadra right.

[Rickus]

Dear a.k.a.Janie
It was called Cognitive8.com I think, from Calypso Guo on youtube. I do agree with you they did get my quadra right. Perhaps I appeared more like an ENTJ because I focused too intensely on the camera haha. I think when somebody else interviews me I came across as more of an ESFP or SeFi.
I have seen Objective Personality but haven't delved into their assessment as much.

[GreenCoyote]

I am actually a SeTi in CT. I have thought i was an NeTi but there is actually a lot of crossover and blurred lines between both Pe functions.
something to note is that unconscious Ni plays a big role in how we perceive ourselves and what we are seeking to uncover. To this day i still believe i use Ni actively but honestly i dont too much.
but the directions of the functions like Pe and Ji for example opperate in similar ways ( example Ti being like Fi in how it manifests) but they are also very different. CT also has a very different way of defining these function specifics. Its a very cool system however and if you keep asking questions and reading the articles auburn provides you can learn a lot.

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