Which type is the "chameleon" type?

[wildcat]

The poll accepted only one choice.
The ENTP in the primary order, and the INTP in the second.

I read the first time about the chameleon phenomenon in a French article that dealt with the theories of Le Senne.

It was about the survival of the individual.

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Follow-up question. How do you resolve the issue between widely recognized tendency of ENTP to stand out?

Do you consider being a chameleon an ability, something that's totally controllable at will, tho dependent on mood?

I do.

 

[nemo]

However, I've mentioned this before and people touched on this with the Fi vs. Fe thing, but I guess ENTPs could have a more objective and calculated even scientific approach to blending in and also have the benfit of being detached about it (it's much easier to blend in when you personally 'dont care') so might be more skillful and suave about blending in than an ENFP.

Yeah, that's definitely it for me.

But on the other hand, I usually don't care enough to try to blend in, either. lol

Sometimes, though, I don't blend in and flaunt my differences, attitudes, etc.

But whether I'm "blending in" or "not blending in" (and flaunting it), it's usually a calculated behavior and I delude myself into thinking I'm making some kind of point with the way I'm behaving.

I have an ENFP friend (who's a trained actor) who can't do that because he says he feels "inauthentic" whenever he does it.

Random thoughts at 2:50 am.

Edit:

Follow-up question. How do you resolve the issue between widely recognized tendency of ENTP to stand out?

Do you consider being a chameleon an ability, something that's totally controllable at will, tho dependent on mood?

I do.

Yeah, I agree with you.

It's definitely *NOT* a defense mechanism or something I do habitually (although for others it might be).

Whenever I do it, it's to prove a point or gather information more easily or something like that, which is controllable and situational.

 

[Jae Rae]

It's definitely *NOT* a defense mechanism or something I do habitually (although for others it might be).

Whenever I do it, it's to prove a point or gather information more easily or something like that, which is controllable and situational.

I agree - the ENTPs I know match mood, activity, etc. to gather information or form a beneficial alliance. To me, it seems like quintessential ENTP behavior.

The flip is also true - they like to demonstrate their mastery of a situation. The chameleon behavior allows them to observe, absorb and analyze so they can act with great confidence later.

This doesn't mean they don't like to stand out at other times.

Jae Rae

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Follow-up question. How do you resolve the issue between widely recognized tendency of ENTP to stand out?

Do you consider being a chameleon an ability, something that's totally controllable at will, tho dependent on mood?

I do.

People have compared me with the singing frog from the Looney Tunes before. I usually just blend into the background without being noticed much, so that at the appropriate time I can "leap out" and make a spectacle of myself. Then I return to blending in with the background like before.

 

[substitute]

I'll just chip in and say i agree for the most part with what the other ENTP's are saying, and also what's been said about us, generally.

To emphasize though:

It's not fake - it's quintessentially who I am, to be that way - whatever way the situation requires. Because my primary interest is in improving things - anything - it's satisfying the deepest parts of myself to be able to become the means of improvement.

It's not done in order to deceive anyone; I'm not deceiving anyone because I'm still always myself, just played on different 'wavelengths'. For me it's kinda like just a deeper extension of speaking Spanish for the benefit of a person who only speaks Spanish - to speak English wouldn't be "being myself" just because it's my first language, but it'd just be foolish and a severe impediment to effective communication. When I'm with a person, I'm basically on the lookout for signs of what 'social language' they speak, and translating my true inner self into whatever that language is, to the best of my ability.

The aim is not just to make a point, but for me, to enable that person and myself to get to know each other quickest, best, and with the fewest misunderstandings. I believe it increases both harmony and efficiency, and experience bears that out.

edit - I will also add that my ENFP brother is able to get along in any situation and with 99% of people, but I think the fundamental difference between how he does it and how I do it is that I can literally come across as a totally different person, whilst he finds a way to be the same person anywhere, and make it work. He doesn't change his presentation much at all, but somehow finds a way to do it so that people like him anyway. For me, the main point isn't necessarily that they like me, but that they understand me and I them.