Overview (Extroverted Sensing + Feeling)
The Performer is characterized by large and well-coordinated movements, frantic energy but also poise, as well as ingratiating mannerisms and natural charm, which typically gives them the appearance and attitude of a bold performer on stage, ready to make things happen, no matter where they are.
to perform: carry out, accomplish, or fulfil (an action, task, or function); work, function, or do something well or to a specified standard. Informal: have successful or satisfactory sex with someone.
present (a form of entertainment) to an audience.
Oxford Languages
entertain an audience, typically by acting, singing, or dancing on stage.
This proclivity makes the Performer typically seem like one of the stereotypical “extroverts“, grounded and engaged with the physical and social worlds in the present moment. Their behavior often attracts a lot of attention, which many Performers secretly like to bask in and deliberately seek out.
However, at the same time, Performers can act in a more subdued way, preferring to adopt either a professional style or an intimately authentic manner of speech, expressing their personal standards and moral values that they follow, but nevertheless their impactful energy will be transmitted.
Many Performers are actual performers in the common sense of the term, commonly found thriving in the arts and entertainment, or in other social (media)/ marketing settings, or even in politics and business. On the other hand, some are more classically “physical“, focused on athletics or other “hands-on“ work.
Purpose Role: The Performer is in their natural element when they are able to perform tasks that suit their personal values and are aimed at improving interpersonal bonds, include movement and emotionally engaged interactions in a fast-paced environment, and also play out in the social world (in front of people).
Main Functions (Se & Fi)
The Performer is one of the few personality types that can be entirely immersed or engrossed in the present world, with moments of having a “blank mind“ whilst maintaining a hyper-focus on their surroundings. This ability allows them to react quickly to movements or changes in their environment and “get physical” or take action as needed, particularly in the context of human interactions. In those moments, no significant object or person(’s clothing) will be “unseen“. The Performer is usually eager to challenge themselves (or others) and go for difficult goals.
Certain contradictions fluctuate within the Performer: On one hand, they possess the tendency to be rather “objectifying“ in the way how they see the world and other people, which can make them hard-nosed realists and at the worst callous opportunists, such as fighting for the upper hand in human interactions or climbing the social ladder.
But on the other hand, their internal world can be quite emotionally nuanced, filled with moral convictions and personal preferences, at best with an aim at improving the ethics and interpersonal bonds of individuals (and society), similarly to the Aesthete. Differently from the Aesthete, the Performer’s personal preferences and values are much more liable to frequent changes and flexibilities, and they tend to focus more on the external environment first. The Performer can go back and forth between those two states, which can be confusing or frustrating to people with a more logical approach.
External Behavior
Strong Extroverted Feeling (Fe)
Commonly, the Performer can possess both a piercing but warm gaze, “scanning“ the other person whilst looking for hints of their emotional state, which they can readily categorize. Based on that information, they will try to approach the other person in a way that might be the most suitable to the external situation and the person’s emotional state.
As a consequence, most Performers are rather naturally charismatic and humorous, brimming with (emotional) energy. At the same time, they know when to “turn it on or off“. This can be quite a contrasting effect – they are able to switch from a highly emotionally engaging manner to a more low-key expression within the same moment, based on who they are dealing with.
In combination with their physical energy, as long as they are confident, Performers can be quite stereotypically seductive, knowing how to employ their charm and persuasion to win people over.
The Performer can be quite adept at influencing the emotional atmosphere and able to sustain it for long periods of time like the Inspirer, but they actually prefer focusing on either personal sentiments like the Aesthete or practical/entrepreneurial past-times like the Entrepreneur.
Extroverted Intuition (Ne)
The Performer can be somewhat ingenuous, especially in the realm of human interactions. They can discover some abstract patterns and associations, play around with or present some off-beat ideas for amusement or to melt the ice. But they don’t take these matters too seriously and anyone who does, can be slightly irritating or boring for them, so they rather move to other matters.
Aim at External Thinking (Te)
The Performer likes to involve themselves with business-focused activities, such as increasing their own productivity and efficiency, collecting as much useful logical information and facts as they can, and creating effective logical procedures and routines to optimize their work flow, imitating the Entrepreneur. However, at certain points they will miss the mark, and realize that their true strength lies in the human world after all.
Internal Weaknesses
Weak Introverted Intuition (Ni)
Being at home in the external world, the Performer is naturally cut off from the internal, especially in the abstract sense. They lack any particular feeling of time, typically struggle with anticipating the consequences of their actions (being more inclined to jump in head first), and also find it difficult to derive universal meaning or lessons from their experiences and life as a whole, which they usually understand much later in life, if at all (e.g around 50+ years of age, after a long history of “trial and error“ and exposure to people with helpful insights). They appreciate someone giving them strategic insight into how to attain or view meaningful goals and navigate logical matters, someone like the Futurist.
Weak Unvalued Introverted Thinking (Ti)
Many Performer are plagued by feeling “stupid“ or unable to understand matters, even if they are intelligent. Many Performers struggle in school and get worse grades for that reason, but then excel in other areas of life.
The Performer often acts in contradictory ways or makes statements that are logically contradictory, naturally going by how the “mood strikes“ them to do things. If others point out and criticize their logical inconsistency, they can become quite upset.
Overall, the Performer avoids going deeply into logical understanding, mostly “caring about making the thing work“, not how it works. They find an overt focus on systems and abstract frameworks uninteresting or at the worst emotionally grating, strongly preferring information that either has a more (spiritually) insightful and/or practical nature.
Strong Unvalued Introverted Sensing (Si)
The Performer is well-able at assessing how something makes them physically feel internally, and how to optimize their or other’s personal well-being and inner state. Often that will make them buy furniture or other objects that aid in feeling more comfortable or being more healthy. They may even have occasional moments of nostalgia. However, the Performer usually finds a strong focus on this aspect boring or superfluous, typically focusing on their goals or other aspects, which makes them often neglect or ignore their physical well-being or mental rest.
Performer Celebrities Click here
Note: Of course there are performers who possess a different personality type, so please do not assume that all performers in the world fit this personality type! I call the Extroverted Sensing + Feeling personality type “The Performer” not only because they are usually performing, but also because this personality structure personifies the archetype the best. The best performers in the world will have this personality type.
Type Compatibility
Most compatible:
- The Futurist*
- The Performer
- The Entrepreneur
- The Aesthete*
Least compatible: The Theorist
*Note: These types can occasionally be less compatible due to mismatching Enneagram Trifixes.
Functions
The Ego of The Performer
The Super-Id (valued but weak)
The weakest functions:
The strongest functions:
Correlations:
ESFP (MBTI), SEE (Socionics)
Subtypes
There are 3 specific subtype variations of The Performer.
Those variations can be grouped into Se (Extroverted Sensing) subtype, Fi (Introverted Feeling) subtype, and No subtype.
Se subtype (Classic Extrovert)
Se Subtype Performers share most of those traits:
- Stereotypically Extroverted
- High physical energy, often athletic
- More pragmatic and interested in technical or business matters
- Strong tendency to be proactive and adaptable
Can be mistaken for ESTP / SLE.
Fi subtype (Introverted Extrovert / “Ambivert”)
Fi Subtype Performers share most of those traits:
- ”Ambiverted” (can be mistaken for an Introvert)
- More energetic variation, can have moments of downtime
- More reflective and abstract views on the world
- Highly charming and personable, but also more emotionally sensitive
Can be mistaken for ENFP, ISFP, INFP / IEE, ESI, EII.
Note: Don’t mistake Jungian “ambiversion” with asociable Enneagram instinctual stackings, like Sx/Sp and Sp/Sx. If you are an extrovert with one of those stackings, you’ll come across as “ambiverted”, even if you don’t have that subtype!
No subtype (Standard Type)
A Performer who falls into both categories more or less is mostly likely the No subtype kind.
Enneagram Type
- Type 3
- 369, 396, 368, 386, 378, 387, 379, 397 (Trifixes)
- Type 7
- 738, 739, 783, 793 (Trifixes)
- 6w7
- 638, 639, 683, 693 (Trifixes)
If you are not Enneagram 3, 7, or 6w7, you are most likely not The Performer. But make sure you are correctly typed. You can book a Get•Typed session here.
Type•volution 
ESFP-Fi here. This has to be the best, most relatable discription of the ESFP. Very complete.
I also enjoyed how the enneagram was tied in.
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