The Competitive Nature of Each Myers-Briggs Type

Some people thrive on competition while others shy away form it. There are many different motivations for people who are competitive. Here is how each personality type responds to competition, and what drives them to compete.

INFJ

When it comes to being competitive INFJs are mostly in competition with themselves, and not actually striving to beat others. They dislike trying to be better than other people and aren’t strongly driven by that kind of competition. How they are competitive however, comes from a strong inner need to be a better and more successful person than they were yesterday. They are always striving to beat their own records in life and are somewhat of a perfectionist. They have a strong internal desire to improve and actually set extremely high standards for themselves. They have a deep desire to be the very best that they can be, often in hopes of helping others.

ENFJ

ENFJs actually do have a strong competitive streak. They constantly strive to do their very best, and dislike feeling like someone else might be doing it better. They push themselves beyond what seems like normal human limits and have a way of juggling a million things all at once. They work hard to be the best for the ones around them, and want those people to see them as fantastic. They work hard for their desire to please others, and to please themselves. Their drive to succeed comes from a constantly need to please, making them hard-working and skilled.

INFP

INFPS aren’t usually strongly driven by competition. They dislike the discord and uneasiness that is can cause with people. They do enjoy playing a game and seeking to win, but only if everyone is having fun. They dislike feeling like they will be judged if they do not do better than everyone else, and it often discourages them from competition. They would prefer to be driven by their passion and a desire to do something of value. Being drive solely by a competitive desire, is not something that the INFP can feel emotionally connected to. Because of this lack of emotional connection they often feel disinterested in competition in general. If it were something they felt a strong connection with, the INFP may want to better themselves to be good at that skill.

ENFP

ENFPs do enjoy the social and enthusiastic element to competition, but strongly dislike the fact that when one person wins that means someone else loses. They might feel guilty thinking about the sadness the people that they beat will feel, and would much rather everyone be able to enjoy themselves. ENFPs do enjoy constantly improving themselves and love to participate in new experiences. This causes them to have a small competitive streak within them that they may not even be aware of. When they compete they just enjoy the aspect of trying to do their very best, but are perfectly okay with losing. They’ll just see it as a challenge to do better next time. They enjoy experiencing new things and bettering themselves and often see competition as a chance to do this. They may become caught up in the competition, but are very enthusiastic about it.

INTJ

INTJs have a strong competitive drive and are constantly seeking to improve themselves. They always believe that they can do better than they have in the past and continue to seek out new ways to improve. Their desire to compete is very internal and mostly comes from a desire to constantly be better. They actually enjoy being in situations with people who are mentally capable of competing with them, it causes a powerful spark of excitement within the INTJ. Meeting people who have the same hunger for knowledge and understanding and being able to compete with them, is a very positive thing for the INTJ.

ENTJ

ENTJs are one of the most naturally competitive types. They are constantly striving to improve themselves and be the absolute best. They enjoy exploring new ways to improve and are excited by the thrill of competition. Competition does not frustrate or intimidate the ENTJ, but rather excites them and drives them to achieve greatness. They enjoy having people around them who are intelligent and highly skilled, so that they feel driven to improve and work harder. They become disinterested if they don’t constantly feel challenged, and thrive on the presence of competition.

INTP

INTPs show strong competitive desires when it comes to things that they are interested in. If the subject is boring or unappealing than INTPs usually don’t care to be competitive. INTPs can often be very hard on themselves, so feeling like someone else is doing better than them makes the INTP want to push themselves harder. They internally realize that they are capable of learning and improving and so they often strive to understand things on a deeper level. The INTP will often do their best to outsmart others and enjoys the drive that comes with competition. They value intelligence and enjoy being able to push and be pushed by others to improve. They can occasionally become frustrating to those around them because of this inner competitive streak.

ENTP

ENTPs love the thrill of competition, especially when it comes to intellectual debates. They enjoy competing with people that can actually keep up with them. There is something extremely exciting to the ENTP, when they are in a fiery debate with someone who is keeping up with their pace. They enjoy being challenged to constantly move forward and trying to implement new ideas into their lives. The feeling of healthy competition is great for ENTPs. They only feel excited by competition that is connected to something they feel passionate about. Although, sometimes they enjoy debating just for the sake of it, and will often argue a point they do not agree with to better understand another side.

ISTJ

ISTJs do tend to have a competitive streak. They always want to be the very best, and dislike feeling like they are failing at something. They care about being perceived well by others and want to be seen as smart and successful. They enjoy the drive that competition gives them and will work very hard to be the best. They often do very well in competitive environments and don’t mind doing what it takes to beat others, within the rules, of course. They enjoy the structure to competition and often do not feel intimidated by it.

ESTJ

ESTJs are naturally extremely competitive individuals. They dislike feeling as though someone else is doing a better job than they are. They want to be the very best of the best, and may go beyond their own limits to do so. They have a very strong reserve and have a sometimes shocking willpower. Because of this willpower the ESTJ will often become aggressive during competition. They feel intense pride in themselves when they succeed and enjoy being perceived as strong by others. Competition actually drives ESTJs very much, making them accomplish many things in life.

ISFJ

ISFJs aren’t exactly afraid of competition, but they often do not seek it out. They dislike the fact that someone is going to lose and of course that person will be upset. They don’t want to hurt others and tend to avoid it at all costs. They enjoy competing in things that they are good at, and will work to do their best. They want their loved ones to view them as competent, and because of this they may have a tendency to work hard during competition. If they win, they will probably find a way to compliment the loser so that they don’t feel bad about themselves.

ESFJ

ESFJs do have a competitive streak, but they have a stronger desire to make others happy. If they feel like someone is going to feel very bad about themselves if they lose, the ESFJ will hesitate. In the end they will make sure that the losers feel good about themselves and may be slightly self-deprecating to make them feel better. They dislike feeling like they cannot do something and will often become very frustrated with themselves because of this. ESFJs often participate in competition to prove to their loved ones just how competent they are. They want the people around them to perceive them as perfect in many ways, and this often is the main driver in their competitiveness.

ISTP

ISTPs often do not take interest in competition but when they do they are extremely competitive. If they find something that they want to win at, they are almost unstoppable. They will figure out the best way to succeed and will do whatever it takes to do so. Most of their competitive drive comes from wanting to be the best that they can be. It is an internal desire and is not driven by impressing others, only by impressing themselves.

ESTP

ESTPs can be extremely competitive individuals, and often become frustrated if they believe someone else is doing better than they are. They will often find a way to outsmart other people and push themselves to be better. They want people to perceive them as extremely skilled and competent, and this makes them competitive individuals. They may actually frustrate their friends because of this competitive drive, and often do better if they have friends who won’t become offended by this behavior.

ISFP

ISFPs don’t often have a strong competitive drive when it comes to impressing others. They often are only competitive because of an inner desire to be good at something they care about. They want to push themselves to be talented in their passions, and can sometimes be hard on themselves. They do want the people closest to them to perceive them as talented, but are rarely competitive with them. They enjoy being celebrated for their skills, but also enjoy celebrating the people around them just as much.

ESFP

ESFPs do have a tendency to be competitive. They enjoy being the center of attention and will fight others for it if need be. They dislike feeling ignored and will develop their skills so that they can be impressive to others. If someone else is getting more praise than they are, they will become very competitive towards that person. They also want to keep things fun and enjoyable, so they will find a way to make this a more subtle competition.

 

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