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[ENTP] So like every genius character is an ENTP?

goodgrief

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Seriously, it seems that whenever there is an intelligent character on TV, they are typed as an ENTP by a good portion of people.

I had a discussion a while ago about the 11th doctors MBTI and I thought he seemed a lot less extroverted than some others. I still do think he is ENTP in this case, but I thought the argument I got against it was a little dodgy. This I also have seen in arguments about characters like House (who I think is INTP/J) and Sherlock Holmes (Who I think is INTJ def) that because he talks through his thought process he must be an E. It doesn't even seem to matter if they are talking slowly to themselves. It automatically makes them an E. I mean I am more social than Holmes and probably also House and I score 100% introverted, so that can't be quite true. Is an I not allowed to discuss ideas with people? I mean seriously, how introverted do you have to be to be typed as an I?

Some people are also claiming that ENTPs are the least extroverted of all extroverts. How can this be? Aren't they supposed to almost entirely independent variables? Obviously all E types can still have different levels of extroversion. And I also don't think the functions necessarily have to be in that order. If a person uses tons and tons of Ne and more than Ti but feels very little need for social interaction with anyone, does this still make them an ENTP?

I'm not saying that no characters are ENTP (the doctor is most commonly) but seriously people.
 

BlueGray

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What people mean by least extroverted is that by societal definitions of introversion/extroversion ENTPs may not necessarily seem extroverted. That doesn't mean they are less extroverted by MBTI definitions.
Having a strong Ne doesn't make you a ENP, but having it act as the dominant does. I have a strong Ne that may be stronger than my Ti, but it's the Ti that function as the ever-present dominant function. This matters more than how shy/talkative I am in determining type.
With House the show focuses a lot on his Ne. He may not be the greatest people person but he thrives on interactions with people. I am close to ENTP and House is much more of an ENTP than I am. It's his interactions with others that make the show. He depends on interactions with other people in order to function well. He seeks them out.
 

EcK

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That's because the widely LIKEABLE genius you can write a rich background/different storylines for fits the entp profile

and historicaly the image of the genius has been associated with N. So even if they can be totally fake Ns (by that I mean that they just have the 'zanny' side because it looks good on tv) they'd still be typed as such.

tv shows aren't generally aimed at 3 intjs in arkansas

What disturbs me usually in tv shows for example is that the actors are often of a different to very different type and "contaminate" the characters they play
I dunno what type the 10th doctor was or the influence of the screenwriters in that case, but I just couldn't stand the absurd mushiness of the last episodes. At the end I was like 'DIE ALREADY!'
 

goodgrief

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I still don't really agree that your functions for each type should be set in stone. House needs other peoples opinions because they help him solve puzzles. He doesn't need people because he likes people. And like I said before, few introverts simply do not like to be around people. As humans they still thrive to some degree on social interactions.

When I said their Ne is stronger than their Ti, I was kinda implying that it would be dominant. But introversion/extroversion is based on how much people like to interact with other people. The whole idea of an introverted extrovert seems ridiculous. If this is how it works, why the bother with the I/E spectrum at all? Could you really be a perfect E and not want the presence of people? It just doesn't make sense to me.
 

Shimmy

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But introversion/extroversion is based on how much people like to interact with other people.

This is a common mistake. I/E doesn't just deal with the social drive in people. In MBTI terms an Introvert is someone who focusses on a world of ideas and thoughts, and an Extrovert is someone who focusses on objects, people and actions.

Here's what wikipedia has to say on the matter:

* Extraverts are action oriented, while introverts are thought oriented.
* Extraverts seek breadth of knowledge and influence, while introverts seek depth of knowledge and influence.
* Extraverts often prefer more frequent interaction, while introverts prefer more substantial interaction.
* Extraverts recharge and get their energy from spending time with people, while introverts recharge and get their energy from spending time alone.
 

JustHer

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I was just thinking this same thing too, while watching the final episode of House.

Don't pay attention to the typing you see on TypeC. I am convinced that these roles are just largely mistyped on this website, probably due to the large amount of NTPs on here. I personally think that quite a few of these geniuses are INTJs.
 

Weber

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I'd say there are far more "genius" NTJs in fiction; they're just (almost) always the villain.
 

Valiant

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Some are INTJs and INTPs, as well.

Rodney McKay in Stargate Atlantis, total INTJ. Even if I don't like him as a character :D
Pretty funny, though.

But I think ENTPs are fun to write about... ENTPs tend to do a lot of crazy stuff, say things that offends the wrong people, rebel, toss back a few too many and become emotional...
Fun stuff to have in a character! :D
 

Provoker

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So like every genius character is an ENTP?

It is not quite clear to me that any television character can correctly be attached to the predicate 'is a genius', unless one so lowers the bar of genius that any hocus pocus figure like House will meet the standard. The reason for this is that TV series are designed for cultural and political consumption; otherwise, they cannot generate the profits required for airtime. Should it be the case that an ingenious script is crafted and happens to coincide with a gifted actor capable of delivering the script with cerebral fortitude and mimicing with precision the affectations of genius in such a way as to preserve its integrity while embracing a mastery of excitation to stimulate his audience for the sell, the likelihood of such a combination is so improbable as to make it near impossible, unless the actor was also the director and writer. Of the entire 20th century, that leaves Orson Welles whose talent combined in Citizen Kane, but who was eventually stigmatized by Hollywood. And this is of course excluding intellectually gifted types of the philosophical-logical variety who engage in such thoroughgoing analysis as to make no sensible agent want to sponsor such an endeavor given the impatient, thoughtless, and simplicitic nature of most viewers. Of this category there are effectively no characters I am aware of, since for reasons just mentioned they shall get outcompeted by other character types that require less patience, thought, and sophistication to enjoy. Then again, I have not watched television for over two years now as it is in principle a worthless endeavor. Nevertheless, tell me you amazing man who are these genius characters you speak of?
 

Aleksei

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Seriously, it seems that whenever there is an intelligent character on TV, they are typed as an ENTP by a good portion of people.

I had a discussion a while ago about the 11th doctors MBTI and I thought he seemed a lot less extroverted than some others. I still do think he is ENTP in this case, but I thought the argument I got against it was a little dodgy. This I also have seen in arguments about characters like House (who I think is INTP/J) and Sherlock Holmes (Who I think is INTJ def) that because he talks through his thought process he must be an E. It doesn't even seem to matter if they are talking slowly to themselves. It automatically makes them an E. I mean I am more social than Holmes and probably also House and I score 100% introverted, so that can't be quite true. Is an I not allowed to discuss ideas with people? I mean seriously, how introverted do you have to be to be typed as an I?

Some people are also claiming that ENTPs are the least extroverted of all extroverts. How can this be? Aren't they supposed to almost entirely independent variables? Obviously all E types can still have different levels of extroversion. And I also don't think the functions necessarily have to be in that order. If a person uses tons and tons of Ne and more than Ti but feels very little need for social interaction with anyone, does this still make them an ENTP?

I'm not saying that no characters are ENTP (the doctor is most commonly) but seriously people.
Well ,there's a lot of genius INTP and INTJ characters on TV, and even a few S and F ones (rare, but they exist). Typing House as ENTP is particularly ridiculous.

But yeah, most fictional geniuses are ENTP, because it's the most entertaining of all genius types.

Oh, and the Doctor is not mostly ENTP. The Doctor has had two ENTP incarnations so far, one of whom actually turned into a mentally unstable ENFP near the end of his run (Ten).
 

goodgrief

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Oh, and the Doctor is not mostly ENTP. The Doctor has had two ENTP incarnations so far, one of whom actually turned into a mentally unstable ENFP near the end of his run (Ten).

Sorry if I was mistaken about that. I honestly haven't seen many of the doctors, just the new ones and Tom Baker. It was just that from what I heard, he tends to be ENTP. I didn't think 9 was ENTP really, but so many people were trying to convince me he was that I assumed my logic was flawed. I'm still not entirely sure what he is.
 

Aleksei

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Nine is most definitely not ENTP. He's either ENFP or ESFP (borderline in either case), and comes off as ISTP initially.
 

Tamske

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It's just like the fictional stupid ESFPs.

Genius ENTPs make good fictional characters. You don't want to portray a genius without giving him some flaws, too... and the most obvious flaw for a professor is distracted. So you get to the distracted professor type which causes problems with experiments gone awry, which is the ENTP.
The INTP is the socially awkward nerd. I'm thinking on a general post about stereotypes in fiction :)
 

tinkerbell

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Some people are also claiming that ENTPs are the least extroverted of all extroverts. How can this be? Aren't they supposed to almost entirely independent variables? Obviously all E types can still have different levels of extroversion. And I also don't think the functions necessarily have to be in that order. If a person uses tons and tons of Ne and more than Ti but feels very little need for social interaction with anyone, does this still make them an ENTP?

I'm not saying that no characters are ENTP (the doctor is most commonly) but seriously people.

I would say I was always a bit shocked that MBTI typed me as an E type, but I have scored consistantly at the higher end of the E scale.... mainly because E doesn't mean the same thing as the normal deffintion of extrovertion. I'm majorly introspective, I'd classify myself at having some misanthrope tendancies... I need a lot of me time, and get very weary if I'm too much around people - that said I love to build ideas with people. It may be that I have learned to be an E type bcause I was uncomfortable with being an I type as a teenager....

I would say Robert Downey version of Homles was a defo ENTP, but the book may be different.

INTJ's - Miss Marple? Hercule Porraot (basically Agatha Cristy chracters).... slueths that present the answer without discussion with others. Holmes tends to discusss bits with Watson, although the final parts are preented at the end - the showman.

There are plenty of INTJ's in the real world that excel, but they may not be media chracters because of their quietness??? Which doens't make good viewing
 

goodgrief

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I would say Robert Downey version of Homles was a defo ENTP, but the book may be different.

Eh, yeah he was kinda ENTP. And yes, he's quite different in the books. That was a gripe people had with the movie. He went for a more movie-typical approach and ignored some of the actual character of Holmes. In the books, Holmes does still share a fair bit of info with Watson, usually after he's examined a scene thoroughly. Does that make him an ENTP though? I still think it is perfectly normal I behaviour to share when they figure out something.
 

tinkerbell

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Eh, yeah he was kinda ENTP. And yes, he's quite different in the books. That was a gripe people had with the movie. He went for a more movie-typical approach and ignored some of the actual character of Holmes. In the books, Holmes does still share a fair bit of info with Watson, usually after he's examined a scene thoroughly. Does that make him an ENTP though? I still think it is perfectly normal I behaviour to share when they figure out something.

its the through process that matters I think.... E's share work in progress I's don't - and are not always comfortable with their conclusions. I's also have issues with on the stop thinking, they rather go away with a problem and think a while then communicate.
 

goodgrief

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its the through process that matters I think.... E's share work in progress I's don't - and are not always comfortable with their conclusions. I's also have issues with on the stop thinking, they rather go away with a problem and think a while then communicate.

Yeah well in that case it is basically definite he is an INTJ. He does tell Watson his conclusions, but not until he has properly made them, and he is certainly very confident about them. He almost never second guesses what he says. When he was trying to find a way to find a missing boat, he locked himself up for hours and wouldn't talk to anyone until he'd worked it out. And yet people (usually ENTPs interestingly) still type him ENTP sometimes.

Same for Sheldon Cooper. He's such an IXTJ but I still here ENTP. Yes, he talks to people. Big woop.
 

Invisiblemonkey

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It's more likely that you see ENTPs than any others, because directing others for a cause almost always involves some form of evil, or moral ambiguity (xNTJ), (Professor X, L) and the fact that society is hung up on science for the sake of results, not for the sake of actual intelligence. (And the fact that heroes can't be heroes if they aren't able to produce results.) No, I'm not suggesting that L is an INTJ, just that xNTJs have more 'planning' tendencies, or so one would think.
 
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