A Portrait of a Caregiver Personality
Myers-Briggs identified 16 Personality Types: One of them being (ESFJ) “The Caregiver”
ESFJ (The Caregiver) is the abbreviation for extraversion, sensing, feeling, and judgment.
Extraversion: CAREGIVER's are the opposite of introverts, they're sociable and love interacting with a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. They have lots of energy and are enthusiastic.
Sensing: CAREGIVER's like concrete facts, and details rather than the big picture. They live in the reality of the here and now instead of what may happen at some unknown future date.
Feeling: CAREGIVER's feel things rather than think them. They seldom use cold logic; they make their decisions based on what they feel is best for the people around them. They're ruled by their hearts, not their heads. CAREGIVER's are both diplomatic and empathetic.
Judgment: CAREGIVER's are planners. Whether it's a holiday or the route they drive to work, they will plan it in detail. They like predictability and routine; a surprise birthday party may not go down well with an CAREGIVER. They're organized and disciplined. Checklists and schedules are their favorite things.
CAREGIVER personality types are hyper-vigilant protectors. They hate conflict, enjoy being in charge, and are easily hurt by slights, real or imagined. They show their emotions readily and wear their hearts on their sleeves. At times, this can be a weakness since CAREGIVER's can have trouble setting boundaries.
CAREGIVER personality types enjoy organizing social get-togethers as much as they enjoy entertaining their friends and family; they'll do whatever they can to make the people around them happy. World politics or quantum physics may bore CAREGIVER's; they're much more interested in gossip and what wallpaper the neighbors have put up in their bedroom. But they're not malicious gossips; they strive to be kind and decent human beings and gather information to serve and make others happy!
CAREGIVER's make up about twelve percent of the population.
CAREGIVER's Are Popular: CAREGIVER's are the ultimate people persons. They're social butterflies that need to interact with other people often, but while they like to be the center of attention, they are also good listeners. A CAREGIVER personality type won't pretend to be interested in you, they genuinely are. They work the room at a party, making time to talk to everyone. They use sensing and judgment to understand others in a detailed way, and then use that understanding to be supportive and helpful. CAREGIVER's bring out the best in other people.
People generally like CAREGIVER's because they have that rare skill of making the people they come into contact with feel good about themselves. People with a CAREGIVER personality type are also sensitive to any discord and will step in to defuse tension and restore harmony.
CAREGIVER's and Social Status: CAREGIVER's are more interested in outward appearances of fashion, beauty, and social status than thinking about politics or philosophy. On the face of it, this may seem to be shallow and of little value, but the opposite is true because the CAREGIVER personality type uses social status to help others and do good in the world. Helping others is what makes CAREGIVER's tick.
CAREGIVER's Are Dependable: When a CAREGIVER says that they're going to do something, you can count on it. CAREGIVER's take their responsibilities very seriously and do whatever it takes to get things done. They are easily recognizable in social situations: they're the ones doing what needs to be done long before others have even noticed that something needs doing. CAREGIVER personality types are take-charge people.
CAREGIVER's Need Approval: While CAREGIVER's are warm and caring and go out of their way to make others feel good about themselves, they, in turn, need the approval of others to feel good about themselves. CAREGIVER personality types get personal satisfaction from making others happy and are easily hurt when they feel unappreciated. Being naturally kind themselves, they don't understand unkindness in others. While CAREGIVER's enjoy being role models and love being in leadership positions and positions of power, they do not take criticism well and need lots of acknowledgment to feel good about themselves.
CAREGIVER's Have High Values: CAREGIVER's have such strong moral values and clear ideas of right and wrong that they don't hesitate to express their opinions. Their value system doesn't come from mysticism, philosophy, or inner reflection and deep thought, but instead is the product of the world around them. CAREGIVER's will generally take on the religion and social values, or any other sort of moral code, from their parents and community without giving it much thought themselves. It follows that if a CAREGIVER's parents or community has skewed morals about race, gender, or other sensitive issues, the CAREGIVER will take on those skewed morals without a second thought while believing all the time that they have a strong moral code.
If you consider yourself a CAREGIVER personality type, you might need to work on accepting that people have many cultures and beliefs that are different from theirs, and that there can be more than one truth. Different doesn't mean wrong, and CAREGIVER's that open their minds will also open new worlds.
CAREGIVER's Like Control: CAREGIVER's are happiest when they have structure and organization. They're quickly bored by abstract theories and analysis, but will happily create order out of chaos, and they'll do very well at tasks that need this sort of skill. CAREGIVER personality types love organizing parties and events, but unplanned get-togethers and pop-in visitors will cause them some stress. CAREGIVER's tend to be manipulative to get what they want, and their need to control their environment can result in relationship difficulties if the people in their lives don't want to be controlled.
CAREGIVER's Follow Rules: CAREGIVER's obey the law and have little sympathy for those who don't. They're traditionalists and have little understanding of why someone would be anti-establishment. The CAREGIVER personality type embraces the rules and norms of the society they live in without ever questioning them.
CAREGIVER's and Career Options: CAREGIVER's enjoy working in a team that is motivated and supportive. They prefer a role where they can organize and help others in a practical way. They do well at jobs that need them to pay attention to detail. When they're given clear goals, CAREGIVER personality types will follow procedure and work methodically, organizing people along the way, and complete their tasks on time and to a high standard. They're happiest in a friendly, conflict-free, and structured environment. There are many career options where the CAREGIVER will do very well: nursing, teaching, social work, police officer, anything where they can practice their strong value system and help others. CAREGIVER's are primary Caregivers.
