Cognition is the result of where you naturally focus your attention, your desires, and your interests. Regardless of what your momentary desires or interests may be, each of us has certain deep, secret hopes that mean more to us than anything. While moods and opinions may change, these deepest desires are such a pure reflection of who we really are. In a world where there is so much to do, so much to experience, so much need and so many discoveries waiting to be found, we each inadvertently focus the most on some things over others. The things that we focus on most of all reflect what we want most out of life, deep down. This comes out through cognition, as the unique specialization of your cognitive type.
As the ESFP Morale Officer, perhaps nothing is more important to you than bringing real, genuine joy and comfort into the lives of everyone around you. Cognitively, you focus on the meaning (F) of people (EP) as they already are (S), most especially yourself. This causes you to think of everything in terms of how it applies to particular, real people you know, rather than to theoretical people as a trend. What matters most to you, deep down, is doing whatever it takes to create and protect true happiness in the lives of everyone, so that everyone can be safe to enjoy, and be enjoyed, just as they are.
This gives Morale Officers a special, tender concern for making sure everyone’s always as truly happy as possible. While some stereotypes may try to portray you as vapid, silly, or foolishly preoccupied with fun, as an ESFP you know that helping people have a good time can be a simple yet powerful tool in the pursuit of real happiness. Healthy fun helps people find meaning in themselves; it helps them feel like they matter. Morale Officers therefore have little use or patience for conflict; they want to help people enjoy life now, as it already is. While a healthy ESFP knows that change and the struggle for growth are important, they also try to accept everyone as they are, knowing that the way people feel in the moment is equally important. This is deceptively powerful; morale, peace, and joy are the fuel for every endeavor in life, and without them, even the most cunning and determined plans end up falling short.
None of this means that your specialization of bringing joy into life comes easy for you. You have to work at it, just as much as anyone else would. The difference between you and other types is that you care to work at this, above all else. Some may say that it’s just easier for you to be cheerful, or spontaneous, or accepting or patient with others, but it’s not easier; you simply care enough about appreciating people and life as they already are, that you’re willing to work much harder at it.
No cognitive type has it easy; every type has to work just as hard at their specialization as anyone else would have to. And every type has to deal with social pressure that tries to make them feel ashamed or embarrassed of their unique specialization. This pressure results in unhappiness and deep, internal conflict, as people feel tempted to ignore their specialization in an effort to not stand out, rock the boat, or look foolish or make anyone else uncomfortable. When we try to ignore our own deepest desires, the reflection of who we really are and really can be, we feel torn, frustrated, and unfulfilled.
This is why understanding our own cognition is so important! As we come to understand what we already wanted in the first place, we learn how to get out of our own way. We learn to let ourselves shine, rather than hiding our light. The world needs what each of us can uniquely offer. We need all the strengths of all the types; each is special at the same time, because each is special in a different way. You don’t do anyone any good when you hide your unique strength, even if you’re afraid it will make others feel uncomfortable. Let yourself be the Morale Officer you are, be a friend and a warm refuge to everyone, and do it in your own personal way. As you do, you’ll help others feel safe to appreciate you, themselves, and everyone else, each finding joy as the person they already are.
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