Do you ever wonder how other people get through their day when their needs are so different from yours? Perhaps you’re someone who craves a routine, security, and a quiet life and you’re baffled by people who like a lot of noise, excitement, and spontaneity. Each of the 16 Myers-Briggs® personality types has unique core needs that are influenced by their mental preferences. Understanding the needs of the people around you can help you to have more harmonious relationships because you’re not inadvertently stepping on those needs. Let’s get started exploring what those needs are!

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Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

The Core Needs of Every Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

What ENFPs Need in Life

You need the freedom to dream, hypothesize, extrapolate, and argue. If you don’t have a plane ticket in your hand, you at least want the idea of one to look forward to. You need self-help books, inspiration boards, affirmation, and deep, meaningful conversations. For you, freedom, authenticity, and connection are all things that drive you. Without it you feel bored, trapped, and maybe even dissociated. You need to be allowed to defy convention, explore ideas and places that have never been explored before, and dive deep into books and poetry till the dawn arrives.

Summing It Up. What ENFPs Need:

• Freedom to explore alternatives and possibilities
• Unstructured, unscheduled time
• Time to contemplate life’s mysteries
• Intimacy and deep conversation in relationships
• Variety of experiences and philosophies to explore
• Independence over your own life-decisions
• Patience in dealing with mundane healthy rituals that can improve well-being and quality of life.

Read This Next: The Unique Intelligence of ENFPs, ENTPs, INFPs and INTPs

What ENTPs Need in Life

You need the freedom to invent, change, solve, and explore. Sure, your room has a bunch of half-finished projects scattered everywhere, but you like it that way. You like knowing there are endless new beginnings to experience and new alternatives to try out. Your core needs are focused on knowledge, competence, and discovery. For you, conversation, events, and experiences that reveal new possibilities make your life feel meaningful. The freedom to challenge convention, tradition, and limits is what drives you. The hope of exploring new ideas, philosophies, and solutions keeps you going.

Summing It Up. What ENTPs Need:

• Freedom to explore unconventional ideas and possibilities
• Unstructured free time
• Books, classes, and conversations that satisfy a thirst for knowledge
• Opportunities to question, argue and hypothesize
• Ability to experience a variety of cultures, places, ideas, and philosophies
• Determination to deal with important details and health requirements that can feel boring or mundane

What INFPs Need in Life

Curious and creative, you need the freedom to ask the hard questions so many other types shy away from. “What is important? Why is this important? What matters? Why do we have these limits?” These are the questions that you want to discover the answers to.  You need the freedom to create, daydream, imagine, and make a difference. More than anything, you need to feel that you aren’t “caged in” to a description or label that limits you or falsely defines you. You’ll keep revealing what your truth is in small, creative ways, pushing the walls further and further away from you till you have the freedom to be your true self and change the world!

Summing It up. What INFPs Need:

• Honest but kind answers to tough, deep questions
• Supplies, books, and tools to develop creativity
• Alone time to imagine and daydream
• Affirmation for your values, feelings, and ambitions
• Exposure to a variety of cultures, experiences, philosophies, and ideas
• Emotional sensitivity and warmth
• Willpower to create actionable plans so that your ideas can be realized.

Read This Next: What it Means to be an INFP Personality Type

What INTPs Need in Life

You want to master a thorough understanding of the world and how it works. You want to theorize, design, configure, and solve. Elegant models and theories give you a thrill of enjoyment and satisfaction, and you want to be part of not only understanding those but improving upon them. You want the freedom to explore alternatives, understand what’s true, and explain how the world works. Sometimes this means questioning an authority figure. At other times it means diving into your books till the sun comes up the next morning. You need to feed your curiosity and tease your intellectual mind with new ideas and complexities.

Summing It Up. What INTPs Need:

• The freedom to find unconventional solutions to problems.
• Alone time to study, experiment, and think
• A variety of tasks and novel ideas to explore
• People who will listen to your theories without rushing you
• Books, games, and conversations that stimulate your creative thinking
• A flexible schedule with room for creativity
• Patience in dealing with varieties of people who give precedence to values over logic

Read This Next: 3 Weird and Wonderful Secrets About the INTP

What ENFJs Need in Life

You seek a life of meaning and significance, one that is filled with warm connections and authentic friendships. You need deep, intimate conversations with a wide variety of people. You crave the freedom to imagine a better world and the space to forecast how to achieve it. You thrive on empathic connections with others and find meaning in philosophy, art, music, and books that furnish your imagination with big possibilities. You need harmonious atmospheres, teamwork, creative possibilities, and the independence to organize your own schedule.

Summing It Up. What ENFJs Need:

• Opportunities to interact with a variety of people.
• Conflict-free, harmonious environments.
• The ability to collaborate with others to achieve goals.
• Books, music, and stories to furnish the imagination.
• Affirmation for what you do to help others.
• Respect for your values.
• Deep, authentic conversation with a free-exchange of emotions and perspectives.
• Patience, space and time to consider possibilities and perspectives before making decisions too quickly.

Read This Next: 7 Ways That ENFJs Make an Impact

What ENTJs Need in Life

You’re not here to sit around twiddling your thumbs and waiting for life to hand you meaning on a silver platter. You’re here to build something — something big, something lasting, something that actually matters.

You need a life where you’re running the show (or at least a major part of it). A life where your calendar isn’t a cage, but a launchpad — a clear, organized system that helps you knock down goals like a well-aimed bowling ball.

You crave challenge. Real challenge. The kind that makes your brain light up like a Christmas tree at 2 a.m. after too much coffee. You want to question, to debate, to wrestle with the rules until you understand them — and maybe rewrite a few.

Sure, you’re independent. But you’re not a lone wolf howling into the void. You’re energized by people — the movers, the shakers, the deep thinkers who aren’t afraid to spar with you in good faith. Give you a fiery conversation about the meaning of life, and you’ll walk away feeling like you just bench-pressed the universe.

Bottom line? You’re here for a life that feels significant — full of mastery, momentum, and moments that actually mean something.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• Control over your schedule. Freedom is fuel.
• Room to innovate, question, and experiment. No box-checking life for you.
• A sense of mastery. You want to know your stuff and do something with it.
• A wide variety of people, ideas, and philosophies. You thrive on input — the more stimulating, the better.
• Opportunities to turn theories into action. Big ideas are great; putting them to work is better.
• Upfront, honest communication. Sugarcoating = wasted time.
• The freedom to challenge, debate, and sharpen your mind. Iron sharpens iron — and you’re not afraid of a few sparks.

What INFJs Need in Life

You’re here to understand — to connect the invisible dots of life, to uncover meaning where others just see noise.

You need space. Real space. The kind that lets your mind wander through ideas, memories, and visions without someone yelling over it. Stillness isn’t a luxury for you; it’s oxygen.

You want relationships that go below the surface — the ones where you can actually be yourself, not just wear a mask to keep the peace. You crave those rare, sacred connections where emotions, dreams, and thoughts are shared without judgment or hurry.

At the end of the day, you’re driven by purpose. You want to create, to inspire, to leave something better behind. A life full of creativity, compassion, and meaning isn’t just your happy place — it’s the reason you get up in the morning.

Give you peace, give you purpose, and let you build something real — that’s when you shine.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• Harmony. Conflict and chaos drain you dry.
• Deep, authentic relationships. You’re here for the real stuff, not the highlight reels.
• Creative supplies and soulful inspiration. Books, music, art — anything that fuels your inner world.
• Alone time. Every. Single. Day. Non-negotiable.
• Respect for your visions and insights. You’re not just “overthinking” — you’re seeing patterns others miss.
• Emotional validation. Your feelings and intuitions matter.
• Independence to chase your big dreams. You work best when you’re steering your own ship.
• Courage to take action. Sometimes you have to drag yourself out of analysis-paralysis and build the thing you’re dreaming about.

Read This Next: A Look Inside the INFJ Mind

What INTJs Need in Life

You’re not here to follow someone else’s blueprint. You’re here to design the damn thing yourself — smarter, sharper, and ten steps ahead of everyone else.

You need freedom. The kind where you control your time, your projects, your life — not someone else’s endless meeting schedule or checklist of pointless busywork. You need space that’s calm, clear, and distraction-free so you can actually think — because thinking is where the real magic happens.

You live for a challenge. Not just any challenge — the hard ones. The ones that make you stretch, innovate, and see patterns no one else even notices. You want to have peace and stillness so that you can get those “aha” moments that drive you towards innovation.

At the end of the day, you want mastery. You want to know your stuff inside and out, and you want the power to move the pieces around until reality matches your vision. Give you independence, information, and the tools to act, and you’ll move mountains.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• Mastery. You don’t just dabble — you want to own your subjects.
• Plenty of solo time. Thinking deeply doesn’t happen in a crowd.
• A structured life you control. No micromanagement, thanks.
• Opportunities to challenge and sharpen your mind. Debate isn’t conflict; it’s sport.
• Respect for your insights. You see further than most — and you know it.
• Independence and autonomy. You work best when you call the shots.
• Endless opportunities to learn. Books, classes, podcasts — you’re always leveling up.
• The will to act. Analysis is great — but building something real is better.

Read This Next: 10 Things That Excite the INTJ Personality Type

What ESFPs Need in Life

Exuberant and adventurous, you’re someone who needs the freedom to be spontaneous and active. You want to be able to “Seize the day!” when the opportunity arises – sometimes just for fun, and sometimes for the good of the people around you.

You need to be able to trust your impulses, make an impact, and get physically active with the world. You learn best by doing, so you constantly want to build upon your experiences with new ventures and opportunities.

And when it comes to friendships, you need authenticity, depth, and understanding. It’s important to you to support and be supported, to laugh and to make others laugh, to show people the beauty and opportunity in each moment.

Summing It Up. What ESFPs Need:

• A variety of experiences and real-world activities.
• The freedom to take action, risks, and trust impulses.
• Authentic, meaningful friendships and exposure to a variety of people.
• Opportunities to help others in practical, hands-on ways.
• Affirmation for your values, feelings, and efforts.
• Frequent social contact and interactions.
• Willpower to consider the long-term implications of decisions before “jumping right in.”

What ESTPs Need in Life

You’re not built for a nine-to-five hamster wheel life. You’re built for action — for adrenaline, for the real-world problem-solving where the stakes are high and the rules are… more like loose suggestions.

You need variety. New places. New people. New challenges that make your heart race and your brain fire on all cylinders. You’re at your best when you’re negotiating deals, closing gaps, pulling off the impossible while everyone else is still stuck in a meeting about it.

Rules don’t impress you — results do. You’re here to make things happen, not to follow some dusty old playbook that was outdated ten years ago.

Freedom, independence, and a little bit of chaos? That’s your natural habitat. You just need to remember to hit pause once in a while and make sure today’s brilliant move doesn’t turn into tomorrow’s headache. (Long-term consequences: not as exciting, but occasionally important.)

Summing It Up: What You Need

• Opportunities to take risks and show what you’re made of. Start the business. Solve the crisis. Win the impossible bet.
• A constant flow of new experiences, people, and places. Stagnation is death.
• Straight-up, no-BS communication. Save the sugarcoating for someone else.
• Freedom to be spontaneous. Adaptability is your superpower.
• A chance to question everything and find your own truth. You’re nobody’s puppet.
• Immediate, real-world results. You want to see the impact you’re making — now, not ten years from now.

What ISFPs Need in Life

You’re not here to follow some factory-issued life plan. You’re here to find your path — to carve it out with your own two hands, whether anyone else gets it or not.

You need freedom. Real freedom. The kind that lets you wake up and ask, What matters to me today? — and actually have the space to answer honestly. Schedules are fine if you make them. Rules are fine if they make sense. But a life of rigid expectations? Hard pass.

You thrive when you can get your hands dirty — creating, building, experimenting. Whether it’s music, art, food, or even a ridiculously perfect garden, you’re happiest when you’re making something beautiful and real. Something that feels like you.

You’re loyal to the people who matter, but you still need breathing room. Alone time isn’t a luxury — it’s how you stay sane, creative, and connected to yourself.

Bottom line: You need a life that lets you discover who you are without someone trying to script it for you.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• Freedom to chase your own calling. Even if it looks weird from the outside.
• Flexibility. Black-and-white rules? Not your thing.
• Creative tools and raw materials to experiment with. Let your hands and heart collaborate.
• Affirmation for your deepest values and emotions. You feel deeply — and it matters.
• Chances to make a real, visible difference. Helping people in the here and now lights you up.
• Plenty of solo time. Recharge, create, reconnect with yourself.
• Grounded support. You thrive with people who are steady, practical, and respectful of your space.

Read This Next: What it Means to be an ISFP Personality Type

What ISTPs Need in Life

You need the freedom to follow your instincts — to see a problem, trust your gut, and act without ten layers of red tape getting in your way. You want a life that’s practical, hands-on, and built for motion, not micromanagement.

You think best when you’re working with your hands, solving real problems, testing real solutions. Give you a broken machine, a busted system, a challenge nobody knows how to fix — and you’re in your element.

Bureaucracy? Rules-for-the-sake-of-rules? Hard no. You need space to chart your own course, trust your own judgment, and learn by doing, not sitting around talking about it.

Bottom line: You’re at your best when you’re left alone to work your magic — and judged by results, not empty promises.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• Hands-on, real-world problem solving. Build it, fix it, make it better.
• Plenty of solo time. You do your best work when nobody’s breathing down your neck.
• Freedom to set your own schedule and methods. Results matter. Bureaucracy doesn’t.
• Opportunities to take smart, calculated risks. Trust your instincts — they’re usually right.
• Variety. New challenges, new tools, new things to tinker with.
• Friends and family who trust your competence. You’ve got this — no micromanaging required.
• Patience (from yourself and others) when dealing with people who live in a different universe. Not everyone gets your style — and that’s okay.

Read This Next: 10 Things You Should Never Say to an ISTP

What ESFJs Need in Life

You’re not just building a life for yourself — you’re building a community. A network of people who feel seen, cared for, and connected because you made it happen.

You need to know your efforts matter — that your loyalty, your attention to detail, your thousand small kindnesses are making someone’s world a little better. Stability, security, and teamwork light you up. You notice the little things other people miss — the subtle ways to bring balance and warmth back into a room that’s starting to crack at the seams.

You need people who appreciate it. People who recognize that building harmony takes work, and that you’re not just “being nice” — you’re holding things together when others would’ve let it fall apart.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• A strong sense of community, family, or teamwork. You’re not meant to do life alone.
• Real, heart-to-heart relationships. Small talk gets old fast.
• Opportunities to make a visible difference in people’s lives. You’re a hands-on helper.
• Reliable, down-to-earth people. You need people you can actually count on.
• Structure and purpose in your day. Chaos isn’t charming — it’s exhausting.
• The ability to share what you feel and think. Connection needs honesty.
• Recognition for your efforts. You do a lot. You deserve to hear it.

What ESTJs Need in Life

You’re wired to get things done. You don’t just want goals — you want results you can see, measure, and build on.

You need a life rooted in competence, truth, and clear structure. A life where facts matter more than feelings, and where effort actually pays off. You thrive when you’re surrounded by dependable people — people you can trust to do their part without needing a motivational poster taped to their forehead.

You don’t just want control for yourself — you want the whole machine to run better. Because when things are organized and handled, everyone wins — and nobody gets left hanging.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• Competent, dependable people. No dead weight.
• The freedom to organize and streamline. You know how to fix it — let you.
• Practical partners who share your work ethic. Dreamers are fine, as long as they can also be doers.
• Solid facts and trustworthy rules. Clear is kind.
• A steady, secure routine. Unnecessary chaos is just wasted energy.
• Regular interaction with a variety of people. You work better with a team.
• The ability to challenge bad logic. You’re not here to nod and smile at a bad plan.

What ISFJs Need in Life

You’re here to create something lasting — a life of quiet meaning, deep friendships, and positive traditions that stand the test of time.

You need stability. You need loyalty. You need the peace that comes from knowing the people you care about are safe, supported, and thriving.

You’re practical, down-to-earth, and deeply committed — but you’re also imaginative and introspective. You need time to dream a little, to reflect, to breathe. When you balance action with stillness, service with self-care, that’s when you feel most alive.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• A stable, predictable routine. Security fuels your strength.
• Quiet time to reflect and recharge. The world is noisy — you need space.
• Kind, loyal friends and family. You give a lot — you deserve the same back.
• Real ways to help others. You want your hands and heart in the work.
• Validation for your values and efforts. You’re not invisible — and you shouldn’t feel like you are.
• A structured, peaceful environment. Outer calm feeds inner calm.
• Grounding daily habits. Good sleep, good food, good rhythms — all non-negotiables.

What ISTJs Need in Life

You want a life that makes sense. A life where plans are made, facts are checked, and people actually do what they say they’re going to do.

You need stability. You need logic. You need reliable people and reliable information — because being prepared isn’t just smart, it’s survival. You think things through because you care about the long-term, not just the shiny moment right in front of you.

When you can trust your surroundings, when you’ve laid the groundwork and contingency plans are locked and loaded, that’s when you can finally relax and enjoy the life you’ve built.

Summing It Up: What You Need

• Order and structure in your day. Uncertainty is a drain.
• Reliable routines — and reliable people. You don’t leave others hanging, and you expect the same.
• Logical reasons for big decisions. Gut feelings are fine — after the facts check out.
• Freedom to organize and execute efficiently. You know what works — don’t tie your hands.
• Healthy, sustainable habits. Your body’s signals are loud — take care of it.
• Respect for your experience and judgment. You’ve earned it.

Read This Next: 10 Things That Excite the ISTJ Personality Type

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do you agree or disagree with this article? Share your thoughts and insights in the comments!

Find out more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type,  The INFJ – Understanding the Mystic, and The INFP – Understanding the Dreamer. You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!