In this Episode, Sandra and Em interview guest Megan Welch, an ENFJ and Enneagram 7 parent of twins, to get her perspective on how extraverts are dealing with social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This episode includes:
- An overview of the ENFJ Myers-Briggs type
- An overview of the Enneagram 7 type
- Megan’s experience parenting as an ENFJ and Enneagram 7
- An extravert parent’s experience practicing social distance amid stay home orders in Oregon
- Advice for other extravert parents who may be struggling
About Megan:
Megan is an instructor of a law class, a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and a mom (and homeschooler!) to twin 5 year old boys. When Megan isn’t spending time with her family or teaching her law class, she can be found working on her pilot’s license, enjoying the outdoors of Central Oregon, volunteering, and singing in her church.
Links and references:
Email: FamilyPersonalitiesPod@gmail.com
Instagram: FamilyPersonalities
Facebook: FamilyPersonalities
Website: www.familypersonalities.com/podcast
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Podcast Episode Summary
Sandra briefly introduces the podcast’s very first guest, Megan Welch, who is an ENFJ on the Myers-Briggs type model and an Enneagram 7. Last episode we talked about Introversion & Extraversion amid social distancing and we wanted to have an extravert on to talk about her experience with social distancing.
Sandra gives a teaser to the interview: It has some good conversations about introversion vs extraversion – Megan doubts her extraversion because she feels like she is doing so well with social distancing and so we go into why that might be and tease out the differences between extraverts and introverts a bit.
Sandra gives a brief overview of the ENFJ type: Energetic, have a lot on their plates, they are people-people and want to help other people succeed. They use two main functions:
- Extraverted Feeling – Harmony
- Make decisions based on what is best for the collective good of others
- Aware of how others perceive them
- Like to be in control and have things planned and organized
- Introverted Intuition – Perspectives
- See things in shades of gray – see multiple perspectives on everything
- Like new ways of doing things, visionary
- Focused on the big picture, ideas, meanings and connections
Sandra reads a brief overview of Enneagram 7 types:
From the Enneagram Institute Website:
“Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over-extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.
- Basic Fear: Of being deprived and in pain
- Basic Desire: To be satisfied and content—to have their needs fulfilled”
Sandra challenges the listener to listen for these aspects of ENFJ and Enneagram 7 when you listen to how Megan responds to questions during the interview.
Interview with Megan:
In this interview Megan talks about:
- How she prefers the freedom of being mostly home with her kids to the structure of a 9-5 job
- How she wants her kids to have a magical childhood and how her life choices to homeschool and live on a large, forested property help support that goal
- Her changing thoughts on discipline. She naturally has a tendency to want others to think of her kids as “good” and used to base her discipline on that. But lately she has been having a shift in mindset to want to use a less punitive style, and instead focus on understanding who her children are and what motivations and feelings are behind their behaviors. She is enjoying the moments of connection that are coming with this change in approach.
- The difference between her husband’s more go-with-the-flow and relaxed parenting style and her own more controlled and high-energy style. The three speculate that her husband is either an ISTP or INTP. Sandra explains that his personality type uses the opposite driving function that Megan uses as an ENFJ and they discuss the pros and cons of this
- What her ideal day with her family looks like, which includes a lot of being out of the house and on the go (and a lot of eating out too!)
- Her family’s current situation amid the coronavirus pandemic. Her husband is not currently working and the state is under mandatory stay-home orders. They can no longer go out and about in town but are still spending a lot of time outdoors on their large property, riding snowmobiles and hiking.
- The challenges she is experiencing as an extravert under stay at home orders. She says misses being among large groups of people the most.
- The increased family connection that has come as a result of all being home together
- The advice she has for other extraverts. Mostly, she thinks what keeps her sane, is being able to drive around and see that there are still people around and the world is still turning. She also is grateful to have the outdoors to explore right in her backyard and recommends people to get outside and be with nature if they are at all able to while still following the current laws and guidelines.
Email Call-out: If you are an extravert, how does your experience with practicing social distancing compare with Megan’s?
familypersonalitiespod@gmail.com
Next Episode: How do Kids Learn – Sensing vs Intuition
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