The Stoics and The Epicurians- First Impressions

While I was reading the latest class readings- Epicurus and Epictetus, I looked up what Stoics were as a refresher and I was introduced to what Epicureans are. However, before I looked up what stoicism is, my first thought was just what the word "stoic" means.

*When I think of stoic, I think of stern, emotionless, etc.*

While reading Epictetus, I took some notes & ended up getting 2 main ideas from him. One of the two was the whole idea of repression of reactions and emotions aka having a stoic kind of attitude. As for epicureans, I saw a lot of similarities and I thought I even saw something about Epicurus having connections to stoicism, or his ideas being founded in it. However, I didn't notice as much in his writings about mind or matter, controlling of emotions kind of thing. They seemed a little more laid back and interested in other people than the stoics in my first impression. The funny thing to me was that I liked a lot of what Epictetus wrote, and agreed with a lot of his ideas, however being the emotional person I am, I found myself disagreeing with some of his ideas about how to react or not react, but I also found myself learning a little about how to remain calm...

My Obvious Personality

When I first saw the results of my personality test I was slightly thrown off. I scored an ESFJ. I've taken similar tests before and although I think I may have scored ESFJ twice, I have more frequently scored ENFJ, and have always thought of myself as an ENFJ. When I took the test in class, I only scored a 1 on the sensing. This makes me think that I could go either way depending on what kind of mood I'm in or what I'm doing at the time of taking the test. When I read the descriptions for ENFJ & ESFJ, I see myself in both of them- so all in all I guess it's not a big deal, I can just go either way.

I entitled this blog "my obvious personality" because I've never wrestled with what kind of personality I have. I am very extroverted, (I scored a 99% on the extroversion part of this test) and I am all about feeling. Thinking is important, but a lot of the time, my feelings take precedent. I care a lot about others, and am empathetic. Recently when my roommate broke up with her long time boyfriend, I was alarmed how intensely I felt her pain when I saw her upset. Another aspect of my personality is that I tend to want to lead and take care of others. I guess these are the basic & obvious aspects of my personality that don't take much to figure out, but they are also key parts of being an ENFJ/ ESFJ.

The key things I see in ESFJ that reflect who I am are:

-One account I read called ESFJs "The Caregiver"

-ESFJs are easily wounded. And when wounded, their emotions will not be contained. They by nature "wear their hearts on their sleeves," often exuding warmth and bonhomie, but not infrequently boiling over with the vexation of their souls.

-All else being equal, ESFJs enjoy being in charge. They see problems clearly and delegate easily, work hard and play with zest.

-ESFJs are warm and energetic. They need approval from others to feel good about themselves. They are hurt by indifference and don't understand unkindness. They are very giving people, who get a lot of their personal satisfaction from the happiness of others

- I could go on, but there's not enough time, to read the full account go here:
http://typelogic.com/enfj.html or http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFJ.html


I found less of myself in ENFJs:

-The first account I read for ENFJs called them "Givers" rather than caregivers

-ENFJ's main interest in life is giving love, support, and a good time to other people. They are focused on understanding, supporting, and encouraging others. They make things happen for people, and get their best personal satisfaction from this.

After reading both I seem to agree with how extroverted and "people loving" ENFJs are, but there were many other parts I didn't quite see in my personality whereas in the accounts of ESFJs I saw much more of myself, so I suppose this last test got it right. The older I get, the more I understand of myself, and as I mature smaller aspects of who I am change and grow.