[ENTP] Ask an ENTP!

[Tamske]

I will DEFINITELY come back for more! That was very entertaining.

I wonder why my laptop is filled with blue leds.

Now, another question: How many flavors of ENTP are there?

[/quote]
I think there are six, just like the elementary particles.

(1) Fluo-coloured sprinkles. That's the typical enthousiastic scatterbrained ENTP jumping from one idea to another, never finishing anything. Fun, but no content in it, no real flavour. Like sprinkles without a cake.
(2) Lemon zest. That's the bright intellectual one. If you can stand his academic talk and boasting about knowledge, you'll find him a very helpful and entertaining person.
(3) Bacon. That's the one with a strong Fe. Either you'll get him baked well and crisp, the ENTP who finds ways to be truthful and kind at the same time, who will help you by finding all sorts of solutions. But you could also have the burnt kind, the narcistic ENTP.
(4) Chocolate, like Thea says. Some ENTPs do have a Se and know what tastes good.
(5) Ginger. You'll get that taste when the Te comes up and our ENTP is bent on proving he can reach that deadline, finish that work,... In small amounts, it's okay - gets things done. But if this becomes the main taste/concern of the ENTP, you'll get a bad-tempered, frustrated one.
(6) Baked neutrinos. If you never tasted them, you need a bigger Ne. That's the ENTP who commits all his energy to something crazy. I mean really crazy, not just the sprinkles kind of crazy. You'll probably never know if he's a genius or a madman... unless you're able to taste baked neutrinos, that is. Douglas Adams is an example of this.

I didn't read the entire thread, so you can point me in the right direction if this has been discussed.

My brother is a 38 year old ENTP. He is probably the stereotype of all the bad qualities of an ENTP. He cannot get his life together. He just keeps floating through life. He's not really happy. The biggest thing, is he is stuck on the past blaming his mom for his crappy childhood and will not get over it. He uses that as a crutch. So, is there anyway to help him?

I don't know. Sometimes I've got the impression that such a thing isn't really related to type; only different sorts of persons (types) will express it in different ways. I'll suggest try to appeal to his Ti.
I've had some problems (though much less than your brother) which have been solved by making my reasonings explicit.
I have been trying to write when I was alone and had to work for school when my husband was home... because I was afraid that if he was home I could only either work or pay attention to him; so I'd never have time to write. Of course, when I realised I was making this reasoning, I also realized it wasn't true.
We are able to make very unlogical reasonings and live to them, except when we realize what's at the base of it. So dig it out. Ask "why do you do this". Tell him explicitly what you don't like about his behaviour. Chances are he's struck into a pattern and he'll only able to change it when he explicitly knows which pattern he's struck in.

In our family we are surrounded by ISTJ's and a couple ESFJ's. So you can imagine we both clashed with everyone else growing up, but the two of us saw things very much the same. I relate to him, and why the rest of the family just doesn't understand why he is the way he is, I do understand. I feel like I could just as easily been in his position, but I married early in life and that helped me from floundering too much.

I feel like, I've matured, and I'm becoming healthier as I get older, but he seems to just continue to flounder. Is there anyway to reach him?

The brutal no-nonsense tactless way works the best for me. "Look, I think this is your problem." Chances are he'll try to prove he has no problem or it's not that... but then he'll have to search arguments for it, and reasonings will be made explicit.

What is the true source of your comedic genius?

Ne.

I just want you to know Mrs. Tamske that I spent the past hour or so reading all 30 pages of this thread just to make sure this question hasn't been asked BUT...



Since you asked in the "Ask an ISFJ" thread what we thought we thought about our opposites, I thought I'd do the same and pose the same question to you ENTPs: What do you think of your opposites, the ISFJs, male and female?

Here I've answered some questions about you guys. I've seen more ENTP's answers on it, too.

 

[Thessaly]

EAT right before you go to bed. A LOT. In fact, try to cram in dinner (two large plates worth), desserts and any additional snacks RIGHT before you brush your teeth and go to bed. You want to feel so STUFFED that you involuntarily gag, but you don't actually vomit.

Ideally, eat 1500 calories within an hour of going to bed, and the more fat and carbs in it, the better. Ideally, down ONE stiff drink, too.

This works for me sometimes (and I'm a tough insomnia case, so "sometimes" is a success), because drowsy=tired, and I CANNOT sleep if I'm not absolutely-fucking-stuffed-like-a-Thanksgiving-turkey. Either that or I fall asleep lightly and wake up ravenous at 2 a.m.

Of course, eat normally during the day, too. Just add 1500 calories of MORE food on top of everything RIGHT before you hit the hay.

I am not a medical expert. I am not responsible for any effects or results that occur as a result of my suggestion. Please consult your health practitioner before you begin this programme.



haha

So are you 400 or 500 pounds?

 

[Tamske]

If you really want to know... In an elevator going up at 3 m/s², my weight is 768,5 N. Physics is so cool... *walks away whistling*

Edit. And comes back with tail between legs to correct unit mistake. Argh. I can't seem to catch such errors before the post is posted!

 

[Tamske]

Hello folks, are there any questions? I've been away for a while (where do you post such things anyway?) but I'll be home shortly and be able to answer all ENTP related questions...

 

[Amethyst]

How should an ENTP deal with fear of the future, as in having too many doubts about things will actually go right this upcoming fall and whatnot?

 

[Tamske]

Future will happen anyways, whether you're afraid of it or not. It's a characteristic of Ns to live in the future rather than the present. When something unpleasant is in the future, even if it's far, it affects our moods. We can long for a party, but when it's there, our minds are already on the working day after it (or the next party) and we can't really enjoy this one. It's part of being an N.

There are some tricks I use to get myself to enjoy the present more:
1) Try to convince yourself that paying attention now will benefit you in the future. When I'm on a holiday trip and looking to all the awesome churches/medieval castles (europe) or nature (USA - I went to the USA for three weeks lately), I repeat to myself that I will use all these in stories, that I need to know how they look like because they'll serve me as inspiration.
2) Rationalize. We're good at rationalizing fear away. Make a mental list of things that can happen and how you'll react to them and bend them to your advance. That's more of an NTJ thing, but nobody says we can't have it both ways

 

[targobelle]

*makes note to come back and read thread*

wonders what other entp's think about an enfp being with an entp for 17yrs...... thoughts???

 

[Tamske]

My first thought: why not? If you're together already for 17 years, you've proven that it works out.

 

[targobelle]

of course we've been married for 12 and have kids, I am not leaving him at all. But you read the thread and ppl have many thoughts about entps. So my relationships seems like a curve ball of sorts so I was wondering what entp's thought about it is all

 

[Tamske]

I don't really get your question. I fancy I'm able to stick with my husband forever - well, until death, of course, unless I find a philosopher's stone under the way.

 

[Rainne]

hi entps

do you prefer driving stick or auto?

 

[targobelle]

I'd say it depends why they are driving and what they are driving.....

 

[Betty Blue]

Big questions for all you ENTP's who have been is severe depression at any time.
How do you/did you get out of it? How is it best to help an ENTP is this state?
Thank you

 

[Kasper]

Big questions for all you ENTP's who have been is severe depression at any time.
How do you/did you get out of it? How is it best to help an ENTP is this state?
Thank you

Work through it... with the aid of happy pills

Best way to help would be to encourage them to remain active, seclusion isn't healthy, but also help them talk through issues if they are inclined to talk, avoiding the causes for the depression also isn't helpful.

The most practical way to help an ENTP who isn't coping very well is to take care of/help with the day-to-day insignificant things that they would tend to ignore.

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Big questions for all you ENTP's who have been is severe depression at any time.
How do you/did you get out of it? How is it best to help an ENTP is this state?
Thank you

I was depressed for quite a few years, and it took me a long time to figure out how to cope by myself. One cause for my depression was that every time I'd get depressed I'd want to be by myself. Being by myself ends up draining me though, so I'd end up even more depressed.

If someone were to be successful at helping me when I'm depressed, then they'd have to do fun things to put me in a better mood. After that was over, then they'd need to be skilled enough to get me to open up about whatever the deeper issue is.

 

[Qre:us]

If someone were to be successful at helping me when I'm depressed, then they'd have to do fun things to put me in a better mood. After that was over, then they'd need to be skilled enough to get me to open up about whatever the deeper issue is.

What a spot-on advice.

 

[Tamske]

hi entps
do you prefer driving stick or auto?

I'm assuming you're talking about a gearbox? I prefer a manual one. The automat I was driving in the USA just didn't do what I wanted.
(I want to accelerate! C'mon, get into your lower gear now!!)

Big questions for all you ENTP's who have been is severe depression at any time.
How do you/did you get out of it? How is it best to help an ENTP is this state?
Thank you

I've never been in a real depression.
I can become quite moody and frustrated when I had the whole day to myself and at the end it turned out I haven't "done anything" (read: not worked on a project)
It was much better for me to have something I "have" to get out for, because getting out, even if you don't look forward to it, makes you get ideas and motivation. A regular work, which is DONE if you come home, is ideal.
Honest feedback is also very nice. We need our "well done" and we need to know it comes from someone who would say "you can do better" too.

 

[Domino]

How do you suppress your Byronic tendencies?

 

[Kasper]

Suppressing them would be unENTP, it's more a matter of managing them.

Personally I wear a black cape and troll the streets at night taking the law into my own hands, but each ENTP would be different.

 

[ReflecTcelfeR]

These flaws allow me to connect with the common folk.