ESFJ Primary Function: Understanding the ESFJs Extraverted Feeling (Fe)


ESFJs are outgoing and friendly people who love to connect with others and help when they can. They become very focused on ensuring that their loved ones are happy and cared for. They spend a lot of time tending to the needs and emotions of others, since this is often what comes naturally for them. Extraverted feeling or Fe is the dominant function of the ESFJ, and this is often the function which is most outwardly expressed as well. This is something which shows somewhat obviously at times, since the ESFJ becomes very focused on being a good caretaker or host to those around them. While this is certainly their dominant function, it is important to know the combination of functions which aid or support their Fe. The ESFJ certainly focuses a lot on their primary function, since it is what helps them make choices and connect with the outside world.

How Fe Works

Extraverted feeling is focused on the emotions and needs of others, making it a very outward and more obvious function. Dominant Fe users are often viewed as social people, placing them as the hosts and hostesses of the personality types. This function causes their main drive to be the needs of those around them, both practical and emotional needs. They are also very aware of what people are feeling and pay close attention to their emotions and behaviors. They can pick up on when something is wrong or when someone just isn’t behaving as they normally do. This causes the Fe user to search for ways to help those around them, wanting to find ways to ease their struggles and find ways to make things better for them. They are very determined to care for everyone, often juggling many tasks all at once because of it. The Fe dominant person is often very charismatic, knowing how to adapt to those around them. They are good at adjusting to their environment and can easily read how they should behave in certain situations.

Being a Fe user often causes people to be good at reading social norms and know how to best respond to people and environments. They can pick up on when things change or when they need to adjust their behavior to fit what is expected. This also helps them in many work environments, since they are capable of anticipating the needs and expectations of those around them and above them. Fe dominant people are often amazing at figuring out how to handle work environments, and are great in customer service roles. Being someone who is naturally in tune with the emotions and needs of others makes it much easier for them to respond to those around them and figure out how to make them happy.

Fe in ESFJs

Extraverted feeling in the ESFJ causes them to become very aware of the emotions of others. ESFJs are often naturally in tune with the needs and desires of those around them, especially the people they care about most. Being so naturally connected to the feelings and needs of other people causes this to become a major focus in the ESFJs life. They are always considering how their choices and actions will impact others, especially the people they love and care for most. They want to focus on helping them and will search for ways to improve their lives and their moods. ESFJs can spend so much time focused on caring for others that they have a tendency to neglect their own emotional needs in the process. It just becomes more natural for them to spend time helping those around them to succeed and be happy, as this is something they are drawn to and good at because of their dominant function. It is also something which helps the ESFJ when it comes to the workplace, since they are good at predicting the needs of others. They can anticipate what their boss wants often before they are asked, and know how to make other people feel at ease around them. Being someone that others come to for things helps the ESFJ make connections rather naturally, which is beneficial in many work environments.

ESFJ Functions

The auxiliary or secondary function of the ESFJ is also rather important and plays a big role in supporting their dominant function. Their auxiliary function is their introverted sensing or Si, which is focused on past situations and events as a means of predicting the best path to take. This is what helps the ESFJ remember all of the information about other people and connect with those past occurrences as a means of understanding them better. This works closely with their Fe and is part of what makes the ESFJ so focused on people. Not only are they connected to their emotional needs, but the Si helps the ESFJ to recall past situations in order to predict what their loved ones will most likely want. They are constantly cataloging and recording the information they gather and comparing it over time in order to gain a better understanding of people and of the world around them. This is part of what keeps the ESFJ organized and helps them to recall certain important details, only connecting to the things they value or find worthwhile.