How To Be A Good Friend To Each Myers-Briggs Personality Type

ENFP: Believe in them

ENFPs set their sights high and their ambitions strong. This type is constantly being told by others to ‘be realistic,’ but it’s their unrealistic nature that helps them accomplish so many incredible feats in life. To be a good friend to an ENFP, make them feel as though you truly believe in their wildest ambitions and dreams. Emotional support is infinitely more important to this type than practical or instrumental support.

INFP: Support them emotionally

INFPs experience incredibly deep, complex emotions – but they’re hesitant to reveal them to others. To be a good friend to an INFP, make them feel as though they can open up and share their inner world with you without judgment. This type needs to know that their friends will be there to support and advocate for them come hell or high water – because that’s exactly what they’ll do for their friends and loved ones. Also see ISFP.

INFJ: Take the time to understand how they think

INFJs are truly unique thinkers who often experience a disconnect between the way they process the world and the way those around them all seem to. To be a good friend to an INFJ, take the time to intimately understand the way they perceive the world around them, and to respect their intellectual strengths. This type is used to being misrepresented and misunderstood by others, so having a close friend who truly understands their thought processes is an invaluable gift.

ENFJ: Accept and reciprocate their support

ENFJs live to provide support and guidance to their loved ones – which means that allowing this type to support YOU is actually what it means to be a good friend to them.

That being said, ENFJs loathe asking for help or admitting when they’re struggling, because they don’t want to burden their loved ones. Letting them know that you’re someone they can rant to or ask for support from when they need it is invaluable to this type. More often than not, they just need someone who will listen to and help them work through their problems without judgment.

INTJ: Be genuine and proactive about maintaining communication

Everything an INTJ does is deliberate, including their approach to friendship. This type takes specific measures to ensure that they are upholding their end of a given relationship and they expect the same in return. Flaking, blowing off or being disingenuous towards an INTJ is a quick way to kick yourself out of their good books. This type wants consistency, understanding and depth from their friendships, which means they need to know what they can expect from the people they invest in. Also see ISTJ.

ENTJ: Support and respect their long-term visions

ENTJs are the ultimate planners: they schedule everything from what they’re going to eat for lunch to where they’d like to be in ten years. And they need to maintain this consistency within their friendships and relationships. To be a good friend to an ENTJ, respect their need to stay on schedule, and support and indulge their long-term visions. In a world full of people urging each other to stay focused on the present, ENTJs need friends who understand their need to think ahead. Also see ESTJ.

ENTP: Indulge their inventiveness

ENTPs are creative, inventive and highly entrepreneurial as a rule. This type is constantly generating new ideas and they have no interest in being told to consider whether or not their plans are realistic. This type needs friends who are open to their outlandish plans and ideas – and who are willing to dwell in the realm of what could be, rather than just the reality of what is.

INTP: Take initiative and explore new ideas with them

INTPs crave social interaction – just like any other type – but they don’t always feel comfortable initiating it. To be a good friend to an INTP, take the reins when it comes to planning hangouts – but then get ready to talk about some of the strangest and wildest concepts imaginable when you do finally end up in the same place. INTPs don’t do small talk, and they crave friends and acquaintances who are comfortable in the conversational deep end. Also see ISTP.

ISFJ: Be consistent yet considerate of their time

ISFJs like to develop friendships slowly and meaningfully – through deep conversations and shared experiences. They want friends who they can rely on to be there for them in the long-run – but who also understand that they are, first and foremost, introverts who need processing time. Because this type can be reluctant in asserting their needs, they look for friends who naturally understand their need for alone time, but who still wish to form intimate, long-lasting bonds.

ESFJ: Be there to listen to and appreciate them

ESFJs are consistently giving to the people in their lives – and they need friends who both respect and appreciate their selfless nature. To be a good friend to an ESFJ, show them that you appreciate their support, and are there to reciprocate it whenever they need it. ESFJs need people in their lives who they can vent to, share their feelings with and rely on. If you have those bases covered, you’re probably in their good books.

ISFP: Get to know both their serious and silly sides

ISFPs are good-natured, playful and light-hearted around the people they like; but they’re also incredibly serious and focused at heart. To be a good friend to an ISFP, accept both sides of their personality and understand when to engage each one. Sometimes this type needs a new adventure with friends, other times they simply need to be alone to process and create. By accepting both sides of this type, you’re doing them a service that not many people are capable of.

ESFP: Be up for new adventures with them

ESFPs live for new experiences; they love meeting new people, exploring new environments and taking on new challenges. Consequently, they are always on the hunt for new partners in crime. To be a good friend to an ESFP, be up for the adventures that they are constantly taking on – and then stick around to process with them afterwards. This type needs companions who are up for both crazy nights out and analytical nights in.

ESTP: Explore and investigate with them

To the ESTP, life is one big puzzle to be explored and investigated. If you can match their adventurous spirit with an analytical mind, you’re the exact partner of crime they’ve been looking for. This type needs friends who are open to new experiences but who are also able to converse logically and intelligently. Not many can keep up with the zealous ESTP personality type but if you can, your friendship is a match made in heaven.

ISTP: Respect their independence

ISTPs need friends in their lives just as much as any other type – but they also need a great deal of alone time to explore, analyze and understand the world on their own terms. To be a good friend to an ISTP, invite them along on your adventures but also respect when they aren’t up for going out. This type is highly independent and needs friends who understand that about them.

ISTJ: Get invested in their interests

ISTJs are about depth rather than breadth – they usually have a few key interests that they know a great deal about. To be a good friend to this type, take the time to learn about and understand those interests. This will give you a great deal of common ground. Additionally, ensure that you are someone the ISTJ can rely on – they are undyingly loyal to the people they care about most, and expect the same in return.

ESTJ: Be reliable

Reliability is incredibly important to the ESTJ personality type. They want to know that their friends are people they can count on for support and company, and they dislike any semblance of flakiness. To be a good friend to the ESTJ in your life, take your commitments seriously and show up when you say you will – they’ll appreciate and value your consistency.