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[ENTP] ENTP personality type descritpion

SolitaryWalker

Tenured roisterer
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
3,504
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
ENTP PROFILE


My disclaimer: I do not purport to write about the ENTP personality, but only about the ENTP unconscious tendencies. I am merely concerned with the archetypal quiddity of this temperament from a philosophical perspective. This is better thought of as an inquiry into ENTP philosophy rather than ENTP lifestyle, as my casual references to ENTP thinkers suggests.


Extroversion: An attitude defining the self in accordance to the standard of the external world.

Introversion: An attitude defining the outer world in accordance to the standard of the self.

Intuition: Abstract perception of the environment

Thinking: Impersonal assessment.

Feeling: Person-centered assessment.

Sensing: Concrete perception of the environment.






I.Extroverted Intuition as a function in itself

“Whenever Intuition predominates, a peculiar and unmistakable psychology results. Because extraverted intuition is oriented by the object, there is a marked dependence on external situations, but it is altogether different from the dependence of the sensation type. The intuitive is never to be found in the world of accepted reality-values, but he has a keen nose for anything new and in the making.”
Intuition, in the Jungian sense of the term is an irrational function, or unconscious. Its primary focus is on collection of information. Intuition by the nature of itself is abstract and therefore closer in tune with the realm of imagination than with the realm of the senses. Leanore Thomson has pointed out that Perceivers tend to be right-brained in a conventional sense of the notion and judgers left-brained. It is far from clear, however, whether we should attribute the quality of being right brained to Introverted Judgment or to Extroverted perception. Or perhaps to perception in general. That notion seems amorphous, as we could well argue that INJs are more right-brained than many perceiving types because their inner life seems to embody almost all of the qualities we associate with right-brained characteristics. Namely those most closely associated with fluidity and creativity. The mind of an introverted Intuitionist is indeed unbounded by conscious judgments the minds of Types with a dominant judging function tend to be. However, one important phenomenon that we should take note of is that all of our intuitive perceptions were first inspired by external phenomena. Therefore Briggs’ approach to the Judging/Perceiving dichotomy has much merit in this respect. Namely that she regards Judging types as those approaching the external world with a judging function and intuitive types approaching the external world with an intuitive function. As we look further into the matter, we notice that Extroverted Judging types tend to have the easiest time perceiving the world in terms of concrete, conventionally established symbols. For this reason their approach to the outer world tends to be highly structured. Yet the approach of Extroverted perceivers, conversely, radically unstructured. Thus, Extroverted Perception is the radically right-brained faculty in the sense that Leanor Thomson has used the term, and Extroverted Judgment the radical left-brained faculty.




Through these filters the outer world is incepted for us. Thus, an Extroverted Perceiver tends to be flexible in his perceptions, yet the Extroverted Judger tends to incept the environment in terms of the pre-existing concrete symbols. As we notice that the Extroverted Judgers tend to rely much more on the pre-established terms for their understanding of ideas. As for instance, it is very common for a Judger to say that they could not imagine the concept of yellow without the word yellow, yet very uncommon for a dominant Extroverted perceiver to make the same claim. For this reason, we shall argue that the Extroverted perceivers, with a slight exception in favor of Introverted Perceivers, tend to collect the soundest information. The Extroverted Perceiver is different from the Introverted Perceiver in the respect that he confronts the external environment directly, whilst the Introverted perceiver must first filter the environment through the apparatus of his own inner perceptions and then shift onto the Extroverted Judgment in order to make a decision. And only at that point he will be able to interact with the outer environment. Because of this, the Introverted perceivers tend to be the least spontaneous, as their access to the outer environment is contingent upon their inner perceptions which are remote from the immediate environment. Yet, the Extroverted perceivers, by contrast, which could be rightly deemed as an animus to the Introverted Perceivers tend to be the most spontaneous. As aforementioned, the reason for this is that they do not require contemplation for direct action, as their perceptions are always in tune with the outer world. In this regard they are even more action oriented than the dominant Extroverted Judging types, who require a plan of action, or external decisions in order to turn their wheels. Yet the Extroverted Perceiver deals with the outer world unconsciously, as the perceiving functions are by definition unconscious. Thus, here again we notice that the EP type requires least contemplation to prepare for action of all 4. This leads to the sense of quickness the EP types tend to be renowned for. We should note that Extroverted perception can very easily be misunderstood for hyperactivity and inherent inability to focus because information tends to be incepted into the mind of an EP in a torrential fashion. As there is no grid of extroverted judgment in the outer world of the EP.




Thus the information is filtered only by the auxiliary Introverted Judgment which tends to be subordinate to the Extroverted Perception. Therefore there is little hindrance to the way the information is being perceived. Another reason the EP tends to be ‘all over the place’ is the fact that they do not have an internal agenda to how information is to be collected. Such an attitude stands in sharp contrast to the Introverted perception, which is very much guided by the internal agenda of how the information is to be collected. The term agenda appears to be highly misleading as all perception is unconscious and therefore cannot subscribe to anything we colloquially refer to as a plan of action. In this sense I do not intend to use the word agenda, yet I am merely using the term to depict the essence of reference. Therefore, the Introverted perception stands in closest affinity with his unconscious tendencies and this is the salient element to be taken note of in regards to this type’s inception of information. For this reason the Introverted Intuitor will first be drawn to information that his unconscious mind gravitates most, then slowly work his way out to the rest. As a dominant perceiver, the Introverted Intuitor wishes to collect all information, yet his sense of priority induces him towards information he tends to be in closest affinity. Yet, such a thing is unknown to the Extroverted Perceiver, as his inner unconscious ‘agenda’ is much less firmly founded. It has its seat in the guise of inferior Introverted Sensing. Thus, the Extroverted perception leaps at all information simultaneously, head over heals. This can induce the EP to be dearth of a sense of priority as all external entities that seem appealing (usually those that are novel), will be subject to exploration. In an intense mode, such a drive is highly likely to overshadow Introverted perception and the Extroverted perceiver will likely over-stimulate himself. As Jung shall remind us, Introversion is the attitude that defines the world in relation to our inner being, yet Extroversion is the attitude that defines our being in relation to the world. Thus, introversion employs the internal standard to assess the outer world, and introversion employs the standard of the world to assess our being. In this case we are examining the phenomenon of Perception. Perception is the faculty that we examine our environment with. Thus, Introverted perceivers tend to define their outer environment in accordance to their perceptions. They tend to have difficulty adapting to the outer world, so therefore they do not wish for it to change to a significant extent. For this reason the IJ types tend to be most averse to change. Thus, they tend to be most security conscious as they doubt their ability to maintain their own soundness whilst improvising. Yet Extroverted Perceivers are close to the opposite in this respect. Being supreme improvisers, they tend to have little concern for security. ENPs tend to be more adaptable than ESPs because they depend less on the immediate physical entities that environ them. Furthermore, their abstractness attests to them being more adaptable than their sensing counterparts as their mind does not depend on the immediate physical environment to function.



As we recall, Extroverted perception does not have a focus of inception and therefore is forced to be swamped at all information at once, the all or nothing mentality results as a common factor for dominant Extroverted Intuitors. They prefer to devote all of their being to the current task, and this is never a conscious choice, but this happens as a necessary entailment of their interaction with the outer world. It is their unconscious perception that foments them to interact with the world in such a fashion, not the conscious secondary Introverted Judgment. When Extroverted Intuition becomes preponderous over introverted judgment, the ENTP will face similar maladies unhealthy ESPs tend to be afflicted with—recklessness. As Jung comments



“Naturally this attitude holds great dangers, for all too easily the intuitive may fritter away his life on things and people, spreading about him an abundance of which others live and not he himself. If only he could stay put, he would reap the fruits of his labours; but always he must be running after a new possibility, quitting his newly planted fields while others gather in the harvest. In the end he goes away empty.”



Thus, here we notice the lack of focus problem that we attribute to Extroverted perception and as well as the quest for novelty. The EP, unlike the IJ, must always be adapting to the new environment, therefore he easily becomes restless after novelty has worn off. In addition to accessing a myriad of new external phenomena the ENP, as endowed with intuition, will be able to come to visualize how the external environment will progress from the position it is stationed in. Thus, for this reason, the ENP is often easily able to see how the current environment could be as opposed to how it is. ENPs therefore have a natural penchant for entertaining the same notion from different perspectives. As before established by Jung, the Extroverted Intuitive type, due to the extroversion factor, depends on his immediate environment. This is where he stands in sharp contrast with the Introverted Intuiting type who may easily concoct a world of his own. An example of this type would be Nietzsche, whose vision was primarily focused on the individual and what he must do in order to accomplish his goals. An Introverted perceiver will first focus on what most piques his interest and then expand his vision further to the end of promoting the initially established agenda. Hence this is the subject oriented creation of vision. In this respect the INJ seems vertically, or in a linear fashion—beginning at one point and envisaging how the protagonist could progress towards his path, Yet the ENP will need to have the notion of the current situation fixated, and then based on that will attempt to see what this particular entity could be like. Or what it would seem like from other perspectives. Such a type would see horizontally, or forego selecting a starting point, but leap at the scenario simultaneously. Thus, an Introverted visionary is most concerned with the path of the individual, yet the Extroverted visionary with the path of the entire scenario. A glaring example of this would be the visions of social critics like Voltaire and Bertrand Russell. Both had a clear perception of what the external world is like, not what it ought to be, and then considered how it may change. Their vision encompassed all things, and its focus was never clearly placed, hence they appeared to be everywhere and nowhere. This furthermore illustrates the lack of agenda in Extroverted Perception. The Dominant Extroverted perception of ENPs, much like for their SP counterparts leads them to have light-hearted attitude towards the external environment. That, to a significant extent is the fact that they apply a perceiving function to the outer environment, and hence are not forced to make assessments of their situation. Moreover, their inner being, unlike for the Introverted perceivers, does not identify with the environment, but with their judgment. (Introverted Judgment) Because the outer environment, unlike for the Js, tends not to be of crucial importance to the ENTP, they tend to approach the scene from a humorous standpoint.



II. Ne-Ti interplay
“The stronger his intuition, the more his ego becomes fused with all the possibilities he envisions. He brings his vision to life, he presents it convincingly and with dramatic fire, he embodies it, so to speak. But this is not play-acting, it is a kind of fate.”

Introverted Thinking is the rational function and the kernel of the ENTP’s inner being. As an introverted judging faculty, it is primarily responsible for establishing a clear-cut standard for the ENTP to assess the world with. However, as an Extroverted type, strangely enough the ENTP tends to rely on external cues for self-assessment. On Intuition rather than Thinking. As an Extroverted perceiver, the ENTP is more concerned with the general ambience of the environment rather than private perceptions. Thus, in order to be successful the ENTP needs to arrive at a situation where he picks up the hunch that his vision has been realized. As aforementioned, because of the ENTP’s lack of focus on external perception he is compelled to draw all of his energy into the external endeavor. As Jung commented, for this reason the ENTP tends to embody his vision. He becomes one with the essence he is currently preoccupied with. We have here a radically paradoxical notion. The generally unfocused ENTP here focuses on his vision with blazing intensity the point of becoming one with it. Essentially, unlike the judging dominant types, the ENTP does not need to focus on any one particular thing, but rather on the general scope of his environment. Thus the ENTP can easily be preoccupied with his pursuit of the entire vision whilst shifting from activity to activity whilst undertaking his project. Extroverted Intuition is often malleable and can easily be influenced by the external environment, as we mentioned it lacks the grid of judgment. The ENTP can very easily be focused on one particular task at one point and by way of external circumstances be blown away to be focused with the same intensity on something radically different.
 
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SolitaryWalker

Tenured roisterer
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
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MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
This problem can be rectified only through cultivation of Introverted Thinking, which is the backbone to his psyche. At this point the ENTP will have a clear, internal focus on his activities and will not rely on external perceptions for guidance. Because the ENTP requires changes in his environment, as an Extroverted perceiver and depends on the outward scenario due to the factor of Extroversion, he depends almost wholly on outward stimulation for his energy. Thus when the external environment is satisfactory, the energy level will likely be high where he will devote most of it to the current endeavor he is pursuing. Yet, if the environment is less than propitious, the ENTP will likely be drained. This, in the most benign of situations will force him into a situation where cultivation of the Introverted function is inevitable. This is desirable because only through fostering of our auxiliary function will we able to find the true sense of balance.


ENTP thought, despite being logical due to the Introverted Thinking factor tends to be characterized by an unsystematic, if not chaotic flavor. Throughout history, ENTPs were most renowned, more so than any other type for their chaos theories. As Bertrand Russell once proclaimed..

“Academic philosophers, ever since the time of Parmenides , have believed that the world is a unity…The most fundamental of my intellectual beliefs is that this is rubbish. I think the universe is all spots and jumps, without unity, without continuity, without coherence or orderliness or any of the other properties that governess love…it consists of events, short, small and haphazard. Order, unity, and continuity are human inventions, just as truly as our catalogues and encyclopedias.”



This is the consequence of the aforementioned lack of external grid approach to the world. Where perceptions are incepted in the form of indistinguishable and malleable particles. Such a worldview renders the principle of individuation impossible. David Hume, another well-known ENTP once claimed that nothing in the world happens by chance, yet we are not capable of understanding the true causes of occurrences we observe.




Here we seem to notice the interplay of Extroverted Intuition and Introverted Thinking. The notion of how nothing happens by chance is much more germane to the latter rather than the former, as it is founded on the proposition that all events happen because they are bound to do so by a certain law of nature. Yet, the Extroverted Intuition is by the nature of itself is radically anti-establishment as it repels all notions germane to status quo, or grid of solidification. Thus, ENTPs often find themselves in the position where establishing certain notions as axiomatic is far more status quo than they are willing to tolerate. David Hume’s epistemic skepticism seems to be much akin to this notion. His proposion that we tend to go not by reason, but by animal faith for establishment of our beliefs. Or one could think, odd hunches that seem to vaguely relate to the external world, and only after we apply our reasoning faculties to make sense of them. This is a distinct outline of focus-less intuition holding priority over Thinking.


Perceptions, however, are not an end in themselves as they are for the Introverted Intuitive type, but means to the end of interacting with the outer world. As Extroverts, ENTPs are doers, therefore they see imagination and logic as means to the end of achieving an external goal. As Extroverted Visionaries ENTPs tend to believe that envisioned ideas must be matched with proper actions. As Walt Disney’s claim, who himself was an ENTP seems to support such a mindset in regards to how anything that can be imagined can be done. For the ENTP, this is not far from the truth as their visions tend to be incepted in the concrete world, for this reason it tends to be rather easy for them to apply their ideas to their external environment. Extroversion does not generate essences from within, but merely contributes to the already existing entities. Thus, the ENTP is most adept at manipulating and contributing to ideas of others. Because of their affinity with the External perception, they tend to present their thoughts with high clarity. Yet unlike the ENTJ, who tries to make his reasoning as palpable as possible, the ENTP employs a different method to have his ideas understood. He appeals to the external perceptions palpable to all of us, if Intuitive to any notable degree. Because the ENTP is more concerned with intuitions pertaining to the outer environment and not private hunches like the INJ, and they tend to approach all aspects of scenario simultaneously rather than sequentially, they tend to be apt at understanding multiple perspectives. Their attunement with the perceptions of others makes it easy for them to see how they are perceived and what they need to do in order to display exactly the kind of an image they were looking for initially. Such a keen awareness of the perceptions of their audience, is without a doubt, a strength of communication. The larger the audience, the more comfortable the ENTP is likely to be as there will be more external perceptions for them to feed off, and incidentally, it will be easier for them to appeal to the general vibe of the environment. ‘The spirit of the times’ is most relevant to the notion of Extroverted Intuition without a doubt. As such a notion depicts the quintessence of the external environment, which in itself is abstract almost the point of ineffability, one that could be accessed only through intuitions. ENPs tend to derive their insights in a rapid and disjointed fashion, and whilst being in the process of this making connections between the ideas their imaginations have just conjured. They stand in sharp contrast to the INJs in this regard whose imagination works smoothly and gradually from the inside out. The INJ who tends to have difficulty forming connections between seemingly disparate ideas because of his need to focus on one hunch at a time stands in sharp contrast with the ENTP who processes all hunches that there could be momentarily. Moreover, because he tackles the external environment with his perceiving function, he is always able to interact with it. Unlike the INTs, the ENTP does not need to retreat into himself to process or analyze ideas, as he simply can volley them as they go. For this reason the ENTP tends to excel at improvisation as he always has the big picture view in mind, without necessarily focusing on the particular aspects of the task he wishes to engage.




For this reason they always tend to be engaging presenters, and are rarely capable of being stodgy as they are of being shallow. The light-hearted approach to life of the ENTP in connection to the aforementioned appeal to perceptions easily discernable by all leads them to become avid entertainers. Career of Voltaire and recently George Carlin are a manifest cases in point. Interestingly enough, whilst appearing to lack accuracy in thought and language, their thinking tends to be very accurate due to the auxiliary Introverted Thinking function. The Introverted Thinking allows for the ENTP to focus specifically on ideas their mind has set an interest on, this is a valuable ammunition to their scattered approach to life. Many have become avid logicians and have often outdone their Intuitive counterparts, the INJs. Maimonides, Russell, and Hume were the case in point. The above three can serve as emblematic of an ENTP with a well balanced Ne-Ti axis. As they not only prospered off their intuitions, but also showed mastery of logical analysis. This has given them the sense of internally derived self-assurance that many of their counterparts lacked. Due to the unstable nature of Extroverted perception, an unbalanced ENTP is unlikely to have a firm inner being and his self-image, as well as self-esteem will be greatly contingent upon the high and lows of the swings of his intuitive energy. And of course, to even a greater extent the intuitive ambience he shall entertain as reception from the audience. Such ENTPs will greatly depend on admiration of others for their own sense of self-confidence. They will need consistent external gratification in order to be able to hold their own soundly. This leads them to a peculiar position of being very comfortable giving criticism, yet themselves being intensely sensitive to the criticism of others. Though clearly for different reasons than the Feeling types. The ENTP will fear the criticism of others not due to the dreaded negative emotional energy to be incurred or disharmony, but rather because it may threaten the perception of his self-competence. The latter tends to be vital due to the Introverted Thinking factor. However, after the ENTP has cultivated his auxiliary Introverted Thinking, he will likely concoct an inner standard to assess his own competence. ENTPs who make a conscious effort to cultivate their Introverted Thinking will notice themselves stepping away from the external world to embrace their own judgment, and incidentally much less influenced by the external situation. At such a point the ENTP will have most confidence in his own judgment. Being well-received will be played down significantly and the ENTP will then focus on his pure intent and strictly individualistic goals as opposed to what shall be fitting to the outer environment.


Enigmatically, the Introverted Judgment tends to be utilized for external purpose by the ENTP, as the type in itself is most properly classified as Extroverted. Thus, even healthy ENTPs tend to see achievement of an inner purpose as means to the end prescribed by the vision of their Extroverted Intuition and not an end in itself. If the Introverted Thinking falls slave to Extroverted Intuition, scenarios akin to the following shall ensue: The ENTP will grasp an intuitive notion of how he must carry himself in the outer world, likely a standard for success, very similar to the one observed by the EJ types. And then, his inner being, or the Introverted Thinking will compel him to devote all of his might to the acquisition of the goal he has set sight on. And there he will not rest until the ends have been met. There can be no doubt that for such ENTPs, the ends justify the means. Truth (Ti), will be only as good as it gets them what their vision has embarked upon..

“The intuitive’s morality is governed neither by thinking nor by feeling; he has his own characteristic morality, which consists in loyalty to his vision and involuntary submission to authority. Consideration for others is weak. Their psychic well-being counts as little with him as does his own. He has equally little regard for their convictions and way of life, and on this accounts he is often put down as an immoral and unscrupulous adventurer.”


This, almost certainly, is a result of the Introverted Thinking, or the judging essence, ethics building faculty being enslaved by the Extroverted Intuition. Such an ENTP sees a good thing as simply whatever is in accord with his vision. Whatever is not, shall be deemed bad. Here he simply sees no distinction between desirable and desired by me. As mentioned in the INFP profile, the nature of Introverted Judgment without a purpose will be radically ego-centric, though the introverted judger who has found a higher purpose will likely avoid self-apotheosis. The latter is the danger that the ENP is particularly susceptible. As the Introverted Judgment is unlikely to function soundly if the ENTP is off-balance. Such individuals will likely use their keen awareness of the external environment to simply ‘pick the berries’ whilst having little concern for the interest of others and even less the amelioration of the community. This once more, is an inevitable consequence of introverted judgment turned corrupt. Manipulating the external situation will be central to his interests. Extroverted Perception will give him a clear view of the ‘entire board’, and Introverted Thinking will allow for the ENTP to make sound logical decisions to do all that is necessary to appease the whims of his egocentric will. Such ENTPs function in this fashion because they lack a higher purpose, or they do not wish to pursue any inner virtue that transcends what befits their external environment. Accordingly they will have little interest in being as logical as possible for instance. They will only want to be logical enough to get what they are looking for in terms of external rewards.

“Since his intuition is concerned with externals and with feretting out their possibilities, he readily turns to professions in which he can exploit these capacities to the full. Many business tycoons, entrepreneurs, speculators, stockbrokers, politicians, etc., belong to this type.”


As aforementioned the ENTP is often able to put on exactly the kind of an image he needs to put on for the sake of meeting a particular external end. Thus, this appears to be a sufficient reason for why they tend to gravitate towards such fields. The character of Prince in Machiavelli, who himself was an ENTP represents such a mindset well. However, ENTPs who have developed their introverted judgment and have come in tune with the higher purpose will liberate themselves from the tyranny of the external agenda and only then will be able to come to terms with their inner being and view themselves as true individuals as opposed to mere agents of the network they are environed in. There they will be able to see a sharp distinction between the things they do to humor their outer environment and what is a true a manifestation of their inner being. There they will cease trying to be one of their personas that they’ve put on display for the sake of meeting a particular end of the outer world, but will then see personas as either irrelevant to who they are or merely means to the end of attunement with their inner being. An ENTP who has developed Introverted Thinking will truly be able to think for himself and his opinions will not be malleable by the prevailing attitudes of others and ideas that merely seem intuitive. Implausible ideas will be less likely to be accepted by such ENTPs as they will be subjected to the siege of their critical analysis.






III. Ne-Fe axis
“It goes without saying that such a type is uncommonly important both economically and culturally. If his intentions are good, i.e, if his attitude is not too egocentric, he can render exceptional service as the initiator or promoter of new enterprises. He is the natural champion of all minorities with a future. Because he is able, when oriented more to people than things, to make an intuitive diagnosis of their abilities and potentialities, he can also “make” men. His capacity to inspire courage or to kindle enthusiasm for anything new is unrivalled..”


Tertiary Extroverted Feeling plays an important role in the diet of ENTP thought. The Ne-Fe axis is more dedicated to action rather than contemplation. All of what has been said about Extroverted Intuition in regards to Introverted Thinking is also true of Extroverted Intuition in relationship to Extroverted Feeling. The difference between the two is that the former bends the ENTP inwards, yet the latter only reinforces his natural aim outwards. Extroverted Intuition alone allows for the ENTP to assess the general ambience of the situation and present whatever façade is necessary to achieve a goal, yet the Extroverted Feeling promotes such an endeavor by establishing a clear-cut external agenda. This adds to the ENTP’s talent as a performer. In addition to being able to discern the ambience of a situation with hunches, the ENTP will be able to assess the emotional aura of the environment. Extroverted Feeling, if not emancipated from the command of Extroverted Intuition, will become even more of a docile lackey than Introverted Thinking. The ENTP will engage the emotions of others strictly to get himself closer to his vision which can be expected to be mitigated on whim. As such a vision is almost wholly contingent on external circumstances which are incepted in the guise of seemingly ephemeral hunches. An ENTP, unlike the INTP is often likely to be comfortable with the use of Extroverted Feeling and may even be casual about this, though in a very subtle of a manner indeed. Subtle because of the tertiary rank of the faculty as well as the indirect approach to life of their perceiving function. If balanced quality of the Feeling output of the ENTP may even appear to parallel that of feeling dominant or auxiliary types, yet if unbalanced the ENTP will likely plow forward with their crude value judgments expecting to receive benign results. Apparently, the ENTP appears to be much better at reading the thoughts of others rather than feeling and the Intuitive foolhardiness in regards to Feeling tends to lead to very crude blunders.

IV. Inferior Sensing
This function is anathema to the primary faculty of Extroverted Intuition. The ENTP rarely focuses on security concerns, or information that is relevant to him directly. Yet, the shadow side often manifests itself in terms of the ENTP inaccurately representing factual information and what requires concrete observation. When Introverted Sensing escapes the grasp of the ENTP’s conscious control, it will flood in a form of sensual and memory-oriented impulses. The insights he spews will be closely linked to his memories and deeply cherished beliefs. Since the Introverted Sensing is a servile lackey of the Extroverted Intuition in such a situation, memories will often be distorted to better fit the image the Extroverted Intuition wishes to see. Such an ENTP will likely also be permeated by an intense longing for security which stands in sharp contrast with his adventurous approach to life.
 
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Ghost of the dead horse

filling some space
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Sep 7, 2007
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ENTJ
You're writing pure gold, BlueWing! I'll comment more after reading a second time. I liked the "procedural" approach to psychological functions you described, and vivid description of conscious and unconscious processes. The whole description was captivating.

You had particularly great insight in the point how you described ENTP's ability to (sometimes) successfully and frequently switch tasks while engaged in some super-task. You analyzed the requirements and motivations for such condition with excellent thought. This is of particular importance for any ENTP who wishes to get the most of their possibilities.

The point of view about healthiness was interesting reading as well. Functions, goals, actions can all be arranged in unhealthy set-ups for varying reasons. I think you did a top job in describing the pitfall of submitting to external standards only, as well as with other issues.

It's a pleasure to read your posts! Thank you.
 

Nocapszy

no clinkz 'til brooklyn
Joined
Jun 29, 2007
Messages
4,517
MBTI Type
ENTP
BlueWing said:
This, almost certainly, is a result of the Introverted Thinking, or the judging essence, ethics building faculty being enslaved by the Extroverted Intuition. Such an ENTP sees a good thing as simply whatever is in accord with his vision. Whatever is not, shall be deemed bad. Here he simply sees no distinction between desirable and desired by me. As mentioned in the INFP profile, the nature of Introverted Judgment without a purpose will be radically ego-centric, though the introverted judger who has found a higher purpose will likely avoid self-apotheosis. The latter is the danger that the ENP is particularly susceptible. As the Introverted Judgment is unlikely to function soundly if the ENTP is off-balance. Such individuals will likely use their keen awareness of the external environment to simply ‘pick the berries’ whilst having little concern for the interest of others and even less the amelioration of the community. This once more, is an inevitable consequence of introverted judgment turned corrupt. Manipulating the external situation will be central to his interests. Extroverted Perception will give him a clear view of the ‘entire board’, and Introverted Thinking will allow for the ENTP to make sound logical decisions to do all that is necessary to appease the whims of his egocentric will. Such ENTPs function in this fashion because they lack a higher purpose, or they do not wish to pursue any inner virtue that transcends what befits their external environment. Accordingly they will have little interest in being as logical as possible for instance. They will only want to be logical enough to get what they are looking for in terms of external rewards.

This same thing has happened to my ENFP brother I was telling you about, though he doesn't make the logical decisions as the ENTP. Instead he uses Fi to where he can 'inspire' people to give him the things he wants and do things for him.

I haven't finished the rest, but it all seems... self evident. That's actually why I haven't finished the rest. It's all so obvious (only to me?). I suppose having beaten the functions to death with Ti may be why I knew most of what I've read (again, I haven't finished), but one way or another, it seems accurate. I'm guessing that accounts for its obviousness?
 

substitute

New member
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May 27, 2007
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4,601
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ENTP
BlueWing said:
The ENTP will fear the criticism of others not due to the dreaded negative emotional energy to be incurred or disharmony, but rather because it may threaten the perception of his self-competence. The latter tends to be vital due to the Introverted Thinking factor. However, after the ENTP has cultivated his auxiliary Introverted Thinking, he will likely concoct an inner standard to assess his own competence. ENTPs who make a conscious effort to cultivate their Introverted Thinking will notice themselves stepping away from the external world to embrace their own judgment. At such a point the ENTP will have most confidence in his own judgment. Being well-received will be played down significantly and the ENTP will then focus on his pure intent and strictly individualistic goals as opposed to what shall be fitting to the outer environment.

Yes, that's exactly the process I've been experiencing lately.

This is a real valiant effort BW, well done :)
 

substitute

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A tip: shorter paragraphs (made such by more frequent spacing) would facilitate easier reading :)

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I had to keep highlighting sections by selecting them so they'd stand out so I wouldn't keep losing my place!

Worth the effort though, still.
 

Nocapszy

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I'll triple the request for more spacing.
 

white

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Thanks Bluewing. I've just given this the once over, but have copied and pasted the whole 9 pages onto a document to read through more thoroughly later.

I'm afraid I'm not able to give you much rep points for this, being new here, but you'll get some from me for sure.

Question, would you be looking for feedback on it or? . .
 

Hypomanic

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However, after the ENTP has cultivated his auxiliary Introverted Thinking, he will likely concoct an inner standard to assess his own competence. ENTPs who make a conscious effort to cultivate their Introverted Thinking will notice themselves stepping away from the external world to embrace their own judgment. At such a point the ENTP will have most confidence in his own judgment.
This part I loved. I was a bit depressed by the chaotic unbalance of an ENTP that was mentioned prior to this, but once I found this segment I felt validated in how I am now. This is the stage I'm at and I'm really happy to be here. I've been more conservative during my time in college, having partied and adventured prior to now (in high school). Today I have a very clear direction as to where I want to go in my life. Finally, I know why I want to stick to my present strategy (without waning) for the future. I'll mention more on this near the end of this commentary.

Such individuals will likely use their keen awareness of the external environment to simply ‘pick the berries’ whilst having little concern for the interest of others and even less the amelioration of the community. This once more, is an inevitable consequence of introverted judgment turned corrupt. Manipulating the external situation will be central to his interests. Extroverted Perception will give him a clear view of the ‘entire board’, and Introverted Thinking will allow for the ENTP to make sound logical decisions to do all that is necessary to appease the whims of his egocentric will. Such ENTPs function in this fashion because they lack a higher purpose, or they do not wish to pursue any inner virtue that transcends what befits their external environment. Accordingly they will have little interest in being as logical as possible for instance. They will only want to be logical enough to get what they are looking for in terms of external rewards.
This is definitely how a very unhealthy ENTP acts. I was so off-par with reality that I couldn't trust my judgment (or speech, or thought process) and sought out another's (with ultimate loyalty and obedience). Needless to say, he was an unhealthy INTJ and I got myself into a lot of trouble trying to assist in him in his schemes.. I'd believe anything he'd say and he used this. My ENTJ mom and the INTJ whom I followed said that at this point I relied entirely on my emotions for making decisions. I won't get into exactly what I was doing wrong, but I'll say that it took a lot of guidance from my ENTJ mom to intercept and start me on the right path again. I had to abandon the INTJ altogether, forever, and start healing. I now see him as he truly was, and I know now that before I was in an entirely imaginative, yet deceiving world altogether. Looking back I can see exactly what happened at face value.

However, ENTPs who have developed their introverted judgment and have come in tune with the higher purpose will liberate themselves from the tyranny of the external agenda and only then will be able to come to terms with their inner being and view themselves as true individuals as opposed to mere agents of the network they are environed in. There they will be able to see a sharp distinction between the things they do to humor their outer environment and what is a true a manifestation of their inner being. There they will cease trying to be one of their personas that they’ve put on display for the sake of meeting a particular end of the outer world, but will then see personas as either irrelevant to who they are or merely means to the end of attunement with their inner being. An ENTP who has developed Introverted Thinking will truly be able to think for himself and his opinions will not be malleable by the prevailing attitudes of others and ideas that merely seem intuitive. Implausible ideas will be less likely to be accepted by such ENTPs as they will be subjected to the siege of their critical analysis.
This is my favorite paragraph! Here's how it applies to me: Yes, I realize highly implausible ideas as a waste of time, as before I would think about them or accept them as reality (due to the fact that someone else's perception saw something that I thought I did not, whereas this was usually not the case in this misleading situation). I also think that due to my Ti being well defined, I've sought out much more alone time. My E is tuned way down and I can enjoy being I, while respecting my own ability to use J. Now I realize when people are draining me, and I have more time to accomplish schoolwork and leisure at my every whim. I'm much happier and (oddly enough) I'm meeting more self-sufficient, independent friends perhaps because of this. It's nice. They're the types I enjoy most, as its mutual growth without too many restrictions, little room for me to overstep boundaries or seem uncaring/unthoughtful (hey, the less you see them, the less you have to remember, hence you remember more! striking occurrence), little interaction outside class or occasional studying is needed, no deep feelings involved, et cetera (while I still get to have that positive feeling of 'friend attachment'/support). I finally do feel like me, and not just an ever-changing part of the system. It's cool.

I thoroughly enjoyed what you wrote! Then again, INTP's always the most keenly aware of the types in seeing exactly how systems/people work clearly in their minds.. so I have a strong affinity for all respectable INTP perceptions (whether the INTP is being serious or not, it's logically convincing, I can't tell the difference). Thanks! That was a delight. I think other ENTP's should share their complete thoughts on parts of this as well.
 

SolitaryWalker

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I tried to post this on ENTP.org, did not get a confirmation email for my registration.

Someone put a word in for me please.
 

Athenian200

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Thus, for this reason, the ENP is often easily able to see how the current environment could be as opposed to how it is. ENPs therefore have a natural penchant for entertaining the same notion from different perspectives. As before established by Jung, the Extroverted Intuitive type, due to the extroversion factor, depends on his immediate environment. This is where he stands in sharp contrast with the Introverted Intuiting type who may easily concoct a world of his own. An example of this type would be Nietzsche, whose vision was primarily focused on the individual and what he must do in order to accomplish his goals. An Introverted perceiver will first focus on what most piques his interest and then expand his vision further to the end of promoting the initially established agenda. Hence this is the subject oriented creation of vision. In this respect the INJ seems vertically, or in a linear fashion -- beginning at one point and envisaging how the protagonist could progress towards his path, Yet the ENP will need to have the notion of the current situation fixated, and then based on that will attempt to see what this particular entity could be like. Or what it would seem like from other perspectives. Such a type would see horizontally, or forego selecting a starting point, but leap at the scenario simultaneously. Thus, an Introverted visionary is most concerned with the path of the individual, yet the Extroverted visionary with the path of the entire scenario. A glaring example of this would be the visions of social critics like Voltaire and Bertrand Russell. Both had a clear perception of what the external world is like, not what it ought to be, and then considered how it may change. Their vision encompassed all things, and its focus was never clearly placed, hence they appeared to be everywhere and nowhere. This furthermore illustrates the lack of agenda in Extroverted Perception.

Well, actually, I can see the possibilities in a given situation. For instance, if a person jumps out of a building from the second story, there can only be a limited number of reasons...

1. They wanted to kill themselves because of suicidal depression.

2. They were paranoid because the building was on fire/collapsing/poisoned, and thought they had a better chance of surviving a fall.

3. Same as 2, but with someone inside with a weapon chasing them instead.

4. They feel like they're in danger or in a hurry, and there's an object at the bottom that will break their fall.

5. They were looking out the window, and perched on the ledge of it to get a look at something, but fell out of it.

6. Someone pushed them out.

Can Ni's normally also see the possibilities in situations, but just not as readily as Ne's?

This leads them to a peculiar position of being very comfortable giving criticism, yet themselves being intensely sensitive to the criticism of others.

They're not the only ones... I think most people are more comfortable criticizing than taking criticism. Especially if they can do so anonymously.
Such individuals will likely use their keen awareness of the external environment to simply 'pick the berries' whilst having little concern for the interest of others and even less the amelioration of the community. This once more, is an inevitable consequence of introverted judgment turned corrupt. Manipulating the external situation will be central to his interests. Extroverted Perception will give him a clear view of the 'entire board', and Introverted Thinking will allow for the ENTP to make sound logical decisions to do all that is necessary to appease the whims of his egocentric will. Such ENTPs function in this fashion because they lack a higher purpose, or they do not wish to pursue any inner virtue that transcends what befits their external environment. Accordingly they will have little interest in being as logical as possible for instance. They will only want to be logical enough to get what they are looking for in terms of external rewards.

What's wrong with this? Is there any particular logical reason a person should be more concerned with higher values and the greater good, rather than with getting what they want? I don't understand, caring about higher values and greater good sounds like a sentiment... not logic. I personally wouldn't do that because it wasn't fulfilling, but I don't think there's anything wrong with people who are only concerned about getting what they want.
There they will cease trying to be one of their personas that they've put on display for the sake of meeting a particular end of the outer world, but will then see personas as either irrelevant to who they are or merely means to the end of attunement with their inner being. An ENTP who has developed Introverted Thinking will truly be able to think for himself and his opinions will not be malleable by the prevailing attitudes of others and ideas that merely seem intuitive. Implausible ideas will be less likely to be accepted by such ENTPs as they will be subjected to the siege of their critical analysis.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear you had a very high opinion of Ti... almost like you want to worship/serve it or something.

If balanced quality of the Feeling output of the ENTP may even appear to parallel that of feeling dominant or auxiliary types, yet if unbalanced the ENTP will likely plow forward with their crude value judgments expecting to receive benign results. Apparently, the ENTP appears to be much better at reading the thoughts of others rather than feeling and the Intuitive foolhardiness in regards to Feeling tends to lead to very crude blunders.

Really? In what ways?
 

Nocapszy

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Well, actually, I can see the possibilities in a given situation. For instance, if a person jumps out of a building from the second story, there can only be a limited number of reasons...

1. They wanted to kill themselves because of suicidal depression.

2. They were paranoid because the building was on fire/collapsing/poisoned, and thought they had a better chance of surviving a fall.

3. Same as 2, but with someone inside with a weapon chasing them instead.

4. They feel like they're in danger or in a hurry, and there's an object at the bottom that will break their fall.

5. They were looking out the window, and perched on the ledge of it to get a look at something, but fell out of it.

6. Someone pushed them out.

Can Ni's normally also see the possibilities in situations, but just not as readily as Ne's?
If it takes the interest of Ni, then the Ni user will do exactly what Ne does. The IN_J will wonder "why would I jump out of a building?" where EN_P says "why would he do that?"

I don't think that "many posibilities vs. single possibility" thing really holds any water. Ni just sees possibilities within the self, instead of possibilities of worldly things.
 

substitute

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If it takes the interest of Ni, then the Ni user will do exactly what Ne does. The IN_J will wonder "why would I jump out of a building?" where EN_P says "why would he do that?"

I was just gonna say something similar, but you said it better than I would've so yeah, I agree.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear you had a very high opinion of Ti... almost like you want to worship/serve it or something.

We all know he worships at the Ti altar, but I think what he was trying to say was that a very active dominant function won't achieve balance without developing the auxiliary to act as a 'brake', and since it's ENTP he's talking about, obviously it's going to be Ti acting as a complement to Ne. I'm sure if he'd been talking about ENFP, he'd have said that development and use of Fi is just as crucial. Correct me if I'm wrong BW.


I think you put a lot of work into it BW, and it has actually been quite helpful to me (esp. the part I quoted earlier) today. Thank you for taking the time :)
 

Athenian200

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He does. And you should.

Why? It's my tertiary function, so it wouldn't make sense for me to value it that much. I use it in certain complex situations, but I only see it as a tool, not something to be valued.
 

Nocapszy

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I was just gonna say something similar, but you said it better than I would've so yeah, I agree.
It's a funky one though. I'm sure there's more to it than I've said. I just mean to point out the contrast between the attitudes.


We all know he worships at the Ti altar, but I think what he was trying to say was that a very active dominant function won't achieve balance without developing the auxiliary to act as a 'brake', and since it's ENTP he's talking about, obviously it's going to be Ti acting as a complement to Ne. I'm sure if he'd been talking about ENFP, he'd have said that development and use of Fi is just as crucial. Correct me if I'm wrong BW.
Yeah I think so too. I was talking earlier with him about my ENFP brother and he mentioned exactly what you predict he would.

Clearly from the school of thought that too much of any function can be a bad thing.

One other interesting thing we were talking about (and i hope you don't mind my exposing BW) was how the balance can actually help both functions. At first it would seem that use of a single function makes it stronger. That's the immediate reaction that anyone would probably have. But function isn't like practicing an instrument or skateboard. Having good Ne Ti balance actually fortifies the Ne, because there's a stronger foundation. It can make large leaps, without having to backtrack because of false connections. Also, the connections can be made more quickly and with greater distance between concepts. The proficiency of knowledge and deduced understanding of concepts can help the ENTP to connect, and logically validate those analogies. I don't mean to steal the spotlight BW. Look at it as a virtuous act actually -- I'm clarifying so you don't have to after that enormous exertion.
 
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