Who are the ENFP's?

[Postictal Raiden]

Coming into med school, I thought I was very determined to pursue a career in surgery. However, over the past four months, especially with all those social science courses they make us take in med school, I have started to learn more about my personality and my real interests (I'm an ENFP). I began to realize that perhaps I should keep an open mind about other specialties, so I started reading and learning about some of the specialties that I had never thought I may be interested in. Psychiatry was one of them. I was surprised to learn how much my personality and career interests are in line of what to be expected in this field. I am a very sympathetic person, I'm genuinely interested in people and love interacting with them, and I am overly optimistic just about everything.

I'm wondering, how many ENFP's ended up in psychiatry, or planning on pursuing psychiatry, and what are the main reasons that draw you to this field?

Thank you,

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[johnhoedack]

Oh god...quoting Myers-Biggs is akin to saying what astrological sign you are. There is no validity to this system.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Oh god...quoting Myers-Biggs is akin to saying what astrological sign you are. There is no validity to this system.

This. Very much this, but I don't blame Ibn. Our school has a psychologist that forced this down our throat during orientation. She kept saying it was very well researched and all this other nonsense. It's simply not. Nobody in credible psychology circles takes it seriously.

 

[rkaz]

You might find this interesting.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

You might find this interesting.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting to see those with introvert personalities choose psychiatry and surgery, fields that I would have thought of as attractive to extrovert students.

 

[Silent Cool]

I actually think that Myers-Briggs has some validity, and I have tested INFP for years. I strongly identify with the INFP personality type. It's not scientific, but I think it's worth something. The test I use is this:

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

 

[AribaGirl]

Coming into med school, I thought I was very determined to pursue a career in surgery. However, over the past four months, especially with all those social science courses they make us take in med school, I have started to learn more about my personality and my real interests (I'm an ENFP). I began to realize that perhaps I should keep an open mind about other specialties, so I started reading and learning about some of the specialties that I had never thought I may be interested in. Psychiatry was one of them. I was surprised to learn how much my personality and career interests are in line of what to be expected in this field. I am a very sympathetic person, I'm genuinely interested in people and love interacting with them, and I am overly optimistic just about everything.

I'm wondering, how many ENFP's ended up in psychiatry, or planning on pursuing psychiatry, and what are the main reasons that draw you to this field?

Thank you,

I'm an ENFP and I've wanted to be a psychologist since my teens. Then when college came around I realized that I absolutely loved neuroscience, and became more interested in psychiatry. I'll definitely keep an open mind in medical school but I know that I want to do work that I find meaningful and fulfilling, and psychiatry is at the top of my list. I also loved my shadowing experiences in rural, community hospitals and so I am also considering applying to some programs at the school I'll be attending next year geared specifically towards working with underserved communities. Other specialties I've been drawn to include heme onc and palliative care. One of my best friends is also an ENFP and she thrives in non-profit work--it's definitely been a great fit for her. I wouldn't bet on the Myer-Briggs being the most scientifically valid psychological test (it's definitely far from it) but like Silent Cool said, I think it has its merits and I identify with it strongly as well. We're required to take the Myer-Briggs along with a few other psychological tests before we matriculate next year into my medical school. It's always nice to meet a fellow ENFP I'm curious, Ibn, what other fields are you interested in?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I'm an ENFP and I've wanted to be a psychologist since my teens. Then when college came around I realized that I absolutely loved neuroscience, and became more interested in psychiatry. I'll definitely keep an open mind in medical school but I know that I want to do work that I find meaningful and fulfilling, and psychiatry is at the top of my list. I also loved my shadowing experiences in rural, community hospitals and so I am also considering applying to some programs at the school I'll be attending next year geared specifically towards working with underserved communities. Other specialties I've been drawn to include heme onc and palliative care. One of my best friends is also an ENFP and she thrives in non-profit work--it's definitely been a great fit for her. I wouldn't bet on the Myer-Briggs being the most scientifically valid psychological test (it's definitely far from it) but like Silent Cool said, I think it has its merits and I identify with it strongly as well. We're required to take the Myer-Briggs along with a few other psychological tests before we matriculate next year into my medical school. It's always nice to meet a fellow ENFP I'm curious, Ibn, what other fields are you interested in?

I'm also interested in neurology, however, I don't see that my personality fits the field. I'm very laid back person and enjoy interacting with people. Besides, I don't consider myself to be scholarly (and research driven) enough to be a successful neurologist. I love the brain and I'm fascinated by it, but I think I am more fascinated by people and their behavior. Therefore, I see that psychiatry would be a great option for me. It is a blend of neuroscience, psychology and sociology. I can see that psychiatry would fulfill my interest in neuroscience while providing me with the ability to interact with people at very intimate levels.

With that said, all what I know about the field comes from reading about it and talking to my peers who are pursuing it. I need to shadow some psychiatrist and, later to experience the field during my rotations, in order to seal my commitment.

 

[Frazier]

I'm introverted and very much interested in psych.
100% sure was ruled as INTJ.

Entertaining fodder:::

2% of population.

PERSONALITY: INTJ
VARIANT: ASSERTIVE
ROLE: ANALYST
You are one of the Analysts - a rational and impartial individual who enjoys intellectual pursuits and prizes independence. You are known for your strategic thinking skills, self-confidence and impressive knowledge.

Fictional INTJs:

"Walter White" ("Heisenberg") from Breaking Bad
"Gandalf the Grey" from The Lord of the Rings
"Katniss Everdeen" from The Hunger Games
"Hannibal" and "Clarice Starling" from Silence of the Lambs
"Professor Moriarty," Sherlock Holmes' enemy
"Gregory House" from House M.D.

Cool website: http://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

 

[touchpause13]

I'm introverted and very much interested in psych.
100% sure was ruled as INTJ.

Entertaining fodder:::

2% of population.

PERSONALITY: INTJ
VARIANT: ASSERTIVE
ROLE: ANALYST
You are one of the Analysts - a rational and impartial individual who enjoys intellectual pursuits and prizes independence. You are known for your strategic thinking skills, self-confidence and impressive knowledge.

Fictional INTJs:

"Walter White" ("Heisenberg") from Breaking Bad
"Gandalf the Grey" from The Lord of the Rings
"Katniss Everdeen" from The Hunger Games
"Hannibal" and "Clarice Starling" from Silence of the Lambs
"Professor Moriarty," Sherlock Holmes' enemy
"Gregory House" from House M.D.

Cool website: http://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Oh I love this. I identify very much with my personality INFJ, it just fits really well:
http://www.16personalities.com/infj-personality

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Oh I love this. I identify very much with my personality INFJ, it just fits really well:
http://www.16personalities.com/infj-personality

We are the diplomats

 

[Ceke2002]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting to see those with introvert personalities choose psychiatry and surgery, fields that I would have thought of as attractive to extrovert students.

I think one can be an introverted-extrovert, or an extroverted-introvert; however, you wish to see it. If I recall correctly I tested as an ENFP, although on the whole I'm far more of an introverted personality it's just that I can switch into a more extroverted mode if and when it's called for. My Psychiatrist is the same, ostensibly an extrovert when work or social situations demand, but far more self identified as an introvert outside of that.

 

[Shikima]

INTJ here.

 

[EpiIV]

ENFP here. I started out wanting to do sports med, got pulled into psych.

I think there are some interesting correlations in Myers-Briggs, but people tend to attribute a lot more to it than it actually tests. Mainly I see a bunch of people attributing certain types of skills (especially social skills) to personality, and the test doesn't test for that. Or they make assumptions about negative or positive qualities (courage, neuroticism, being selfish, etc) that the test simply does not test for. You have to keep in mind we're talking about 4 different aspects of human personality put on a spectrum, taken in one point of time, and are all decided upon by a qualitative measures against some uniquely vague concept like your little peer group. Some interesting data can be gleaned, but it's just not going to be enough to accurately predict human behavior.

But for realz, the crap I see where someone is given preference for a job based on their type, or they are pushed into a job because of their type is bull****. Doing a job well is about the skills you have. Which is a completely different concept than the personality you have.

 

[Tizoc]

ISFJ and I want to do psych. Hmmm.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

INFJ here as well. We make up less than 1%, we must be twins

 

[EpiIV]

I figure this is relevant. You know, if you want to have a random table that gives you a questionable source to let everyone know your uniqueness is test certified.

http://www.capt.org/mbti-assessment/estimated-frequencies.htm

 

[NontradCA]

INFJ here as well. We make up less than 1%, we must be twins

Triplets.