It’s been a while since I highlighted one of the sixteen MBTI types.

The ESFP came to my attention recently as I decided, this summer, to read through The Lord of the Rings with my youngest. And as soon as you start LOTR you run up against an obvious ESFP: Pippin.

ESFP (Extraverted, Sensing/Concrete, Feeling/Social, Perceiving/Responsive) is among the friendliest and most fun of the types. They are not quite the force for chaos that you find in the ESTP, since their Feeling preference means they care a lot about the effects of their actions upon others. But they are chatty, impulsive, and distractible, and may need to be “managed.”

Here are a few of the ESFP things that Pippin does in the course of the trilogy: He tells the story of Bilbo’s disappearance in the Inn at Bree, almost exposing the secret of the Ring. He drops a stone into the well in Moria, probably waking the Balrog. He looks into the Palantir. He impulsively pledges his loyalty to Denethor as a gesture of thanks for Boromir giving his life to protect him.

Pippin is a young ESFP. I have known a few older ESFPs. One was a boss, one a parent in law. Older ESFPs may get stressed out if they have to be the ones organizing everything, but give them a structure to work within, and they are wonderful. They create a sense of fun and closeness in their family or team. They keep alive family stories and in-jokes. They remember names and anniversaries. My ESFP boss (at a farm-type job) frequently said, “Make it easy on yourself.” He created such a relaxed atmosphere on our crew that rumors flew we took naps in our break room (we didn’t).

Pippin may seem a bit flaky, but his cheerfulness is actually very sturdy, even, some might say, invincible.  He remains social, optimistic and good-natured even when captured by orcs. Lost in Fangorn Forest, and with every reason to be frozen with trauma, he and Merry go on chatting lightly in their, what Treebeard calls, “nice little voices.” At Isengard, they manage to find food and tobacco (ESFPs can always be counted on to find food), and endure the teasing of Gimli, who cannot believe he found them “smoking. Smoking!“

And crucially, Pippin remains sane even when surrounded by people who are losing hope. He responds to the crisis when Denethor tries to burn himself and Faramir alive. He stays at the side of Merry, who is stabbed with a Morgul-knife and is halfway in the world of the dead (a parallel state to depression). Eventually, he and Merry ride back into the Shire singing.

Now, about my own novels. I have one, possibly two, possibly three, ESFPs among my characters. Hyuna, daughter of Hur, is lively, chattery, and “always laughing.” She makes the perfect foil for the quiet, intense, and burdened INFP Ikash. Sha, Ikash’s kid brother, might also be an ESFP, but as an artist (he does wood carvings), Sha is probably closer to an ISFP. Finally, Hyuna’s mother, Ninna, might be an ESFP or perhaps an ESFJ.

ESFPs bring the fun. See if you can get an ESFP in your life.