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[ENTP] ENTP's.....E's and I's

tinkerbell

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Aug 31, 2008
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3,487
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Hey do any other ENTP's feel like the classify more as an I than an E?

I know I'm an E type in that after a few days on my own I'm stir crazy for company and conversation but I do have a huge amount of I like tendancies, dont' like to do people too much, need a lot of time on my own to recharge my batteries, etc etc.

When I test I test strongly E type not very blanaced, but I feel pretty Introspective....

Anyone else with similar experiences. I sometimes think I'm a phoney E type....
 

entropie

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Yes, actually it got better for me by learning more structure. The first time I was subjected to structure was when I choosed to study engineering. But not because of engineering but because of managing german bureaucracy, you need to for University. You have to collect a lot of information all by yourself and people dont put the infos somewhere in public, where you could easily get them. Then you have to keep up to a lot of deadlines and schedules, it's all crazy unecessary inhuman batshit, but you have to keep the pace, if you dont want to get under the wheels. Then I am working in administration now and that forced me to become a master of management and organization.

It tho helped me to keep my ideas more at bay. Just yesterday I got out and put a book about 13 times back and forth into a shelf, because I wanted to read something up. It was always something different, but I am prone to get caught in dangerous loops, of unpacking things I just put away because I had another thought. It's equally in society, when I hang out with people they usually bore me to death. But sometimes you just need to hang out with them, like for example the family of my girlfriend. So first of all before I go to such a meeting I put away all my projects in my mind. I prepare myself before a meeting like that so I have nothing on my mind and can relax. And then when I am steer, I listen to people and try to converse and communicate, make jokes and even try to tell a long story all by myself !! It works, once you get the feeling and you get in the mood, you can go on for hours. If you tho are bored you just want to get away as quick as possible.

In the daily routine I try to schedule my thinking aswell. When it's for example midtime lunch break I know that now I have to concentrate on the people there and nothing else, then when I get back I concentrate on the next thing, step by step.

I couldnt live without people and I have a huge penchant and need for communication, you yourself have 3k posts, cant tell me you feel introverted :D
 

tinkerbell

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Hey Entropie,

yea I know I'm not truely oober introverted, I ned conversation but too many people are intollerable - small numbers I'm better with. I totally suffer from pulling books out then thinking new ideas etc... One of the best books for ideas is the Art of Reading Sideways by Alan Fletcher which is clearly from a P type who just pasted lots of ideas and facts togehter into a uge beautifully designed book. Thought provoking in a huge way. Do the same thing even with art books too.

Never experienced your structure thing but then happily work hard to tick boxes when I know i'm in a beauracratic process.


I do still feel very I type at times....

hmmm
 

Shimmy

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SEXY
Nope, I'm full blown E in every sense of the word. I speak my thoughts as they come up in my head, I get energized by new things rather than by things I already know, and if I go without human interaction for more then an hour or so I go mad.
 

Redbone

Orisha
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Apr 27, 2010
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9w8
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sx/so
I had wondered about that myself a little while ago...wondering if I was ENTP rather than INTP. I get hyped about sharing ideas and thoughts. My Ne and Ti are just about equal. However, if I'm not talking theories, speculating, or ideas than I really and seriously don't want to talk.
 

guesswho

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I feel the same way.
I sometimes wonder if I'm an introvert, I believe that ENTPs look less extraverted than other times. I don't know why people assume that ENTPs are all energy optimistic talkative etc. I mean.. in my case.. I must be excited to be like that, and I get excited by new things, new ideas, interesting people (not new people, interesting people). I don't really care much about socializing, if it's not interesting. I mean yes...I go out, but I don't feel the need to go out if it'll be boring, same thing every day. I might as well stay home, read something, play a game whatever. Sometimes I leave parties early, go home and watch a movie/read/play a game/work. I'm not in the mood for people all the time.
I introspective too.
 

Kasper

Diabolical
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May 30, 2008
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tink: does alone time actually re-charge you though?

I'm pretty withdrawn, introspective and totally happy in my own company but no matter how much I enjoy being alone without too much external stimulation it doesn't not recharge me, it can be neutral for a while but in time it will become draining and depressive, it will feel like I'm sinking. Naturally there are times I prefer to be alone because the company or activity I'm engaging in is boring or tiring but external things energising me and internal things draining me never changes.
 

entropie

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I think too that as an entp you often need some sort of stimulation to become highly energetic at all. For example when working on a project at work or school, sometimes you put so much effort in it that it's almost unecessary, then again 90% of the other projects you have to do, you just get over with. Most often this kind of stimulation doesnt even make any sense to oneself, it's like that just now you are totally eager to do this thing. Sometimes it happens aswell when you hang out in a bar with friends and the mood is really good, you can fall into high energy mode and go on for like forever and dont notice when your friends are lieing on the floor, being totally tired and calling for mercy :D.

I think largely this is influenced by the life situation you are in aswell. Some years ago when I didnt feel too good, I was for years in a more depressive mood; I can safely say that I am an E in that regards cause I largely depend on this external stimulation to get in the run. And what I mean here is basically mood and how you feel, my working abilities aint influenced by this, I can work like a machine even when totally depressed.

Another thing I noticed, personally for me, tho I am a person that always tries to enlighten a group's mood and who is generally optimistic, I myself am very prone to depressive episodes. I do not know exactly, this may be a family thing. My mum, who I'ld type isfj had to see professional help because of depression and since I am together with my gf who is very emotionally reflective, I see in her reactions that I am kinda often kinda depressive. She doesnt like negative resonances at all and therefore she quickly jumps me and tells me, even getting angry that I am so depressive.

It's strange cause I have in these moments not the feeling that I am depressive, I feel more like neutral, caught in the modus operandi, so in the mode of operation just switched on without emotion or anything.
 

tinkerbell

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It seems like there is a real mixed bag of E and I type behaviours going on.

Kasper - I do think people LARGELY energies me unless they are stupid then I feel totally drained, I've increasingly got less patient with very dim people, where I have to wait for ages for them to catch up.... really quite teeth pulling, fortunately only a real problem at work.

Guesswho - I take your point about socialising, unless it's interesting why bother... at this time of year it's relatives all the way - fortunately I get on well with them mostly. :) Very NT dominate

Entpie - I think I can get mild low grade depressions but find short trips out really help. clinaical depression really is no joke, nor can you be cajoled out of it.

It does seem ENTP's are not as E type as others or maybe it's how we look at the nature or E-ness.
 

The_Liquid_Laser

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3,376
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I spend a lot of time alone, and yet I find it draining. I usually test about 50/50 on the E/I scale. Most people I know assume I'm an introvert. I think these things are not uncommon for ENTP's.
 

annnie

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I think it depends on the questions a bit. Whether they get at the 'correct' definition of E or the "party animal"/"people person" definition. As in people terms, I don't bother with most people, it's not that I'm shy or uncomfortable but just don't find I "gel" with that many people as a proportion - I do have a habit of seeking out most of the 'N' types in any given situation and they are usually the people I'll get on with best long term.

I come off as 'I' some of the time to people though (I think they mistake not being interested in X Factor etc etc for shyness!)

I get "stir crazy for company" within a few hours usually... I have been known to prefer interaction with people I don't like (arguing etc) than being by myself!

Here's some thoughts I had that I thought partly "defined" E in my case. Not sure if they ring true to others or are just my personal strangeness...

- When worried or anxious about something do you seek out other people to talk to or worry quietly about it yourself? (I seek out people, the more worried, the more insistently I do this!)
- Do you feel like you have an extensive "internal" world that most people don't see? (I am quite open about things to the extent overly sharing things!)
- Do you "respond" or "react" to situations? (I actually got this one from someone on a train, where responding = rationally choosing a response (which could be 'not to respond') and reacting = where your action is immediately linked to the thing that caused it)
- For a lot of the IxxP types I've come across they seem very slow to make a decision, like it takes a while to process all the facts... I can be quite indecisive as well, but once I "decide to decide" will process the information quickly. Or better to do the thing before any analysis sets in!
- I also thought about which was the "inferior" function (Si) and which was the tertiary one (Fe), and how do I respond in extreme/stressful situations.

Came to realise I was E rather than I quite suddenly and realised that that had always been the case, in that the tests always said I but for some reason I was looking through the descriptions and the ENTP fitted far better, "why is that" and when I really thought about the definitiion of E according to the system, it was clear...
 

guesswho

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I think too that as an entp you often need some sort of stimulation to become highly energetic at all. For example when working on a project at work or school, sometimes you put so much effort in it that it's almost unecessary, then again 90% of the other projects you have to do, you just get over with. Most often this kind of stimulation doesnt even make any sense to oneself, it's like that just now you are totally eager to do this thing. Sometimes it happens aswell when you hang out in a bar with friends and the mood is really good, you can fall into high energy mode and go on for like forever and dont notice when your friends are lieing on the floor, being totally tired and calling for mercy :D.

I think largely this is influenced by the life situation you are in aswell. Some years ago when I didnt feel too good, I was for years in a more depressive mood; I can safely say that I am an E in that regards cause I largely depend on this external stimulation to get in the run. And what I mean here is basically mood and how you feel, my working abilities aint influenced by this, I can work like a machine even when totally depressed.

Another thing I noticed, personally for me, tho I am a person that always tries to enlighten a group's mood and who is generally optimistic, I myself am very prone to depressive episodes. I do not know exactly, this may be a family thing. My mum, who I'ld type isfj had to see professional help because of depression and since I am together with my gf who is very emotionally reflective, I see in her reactions that I am kinda often kinda depressive. She doesnt like negative resonances at all and therefore she quickly jumps me and tells me, even getting angry that I am so depressive.

It's strange cause I have in these moments not the feeling that I am depressive, I feel more like neutral, caught in the modus operandi, so in the mode of operation just switched on without emotion or anything.

Depression's a bitch. People don't even think it's real. (I guess that's a sign of extraversion, wanting people to believe it's real).
I don't even feel sad when I'm depressed, I don't feel anything. And there's no permanent cure.
 

lunalum

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Dec 20, 2008
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ENTPs are often not the stereotypical party/people-person extrovert, from what I've seen here.

But ENTPs are still somewhat different than INTPs.

Probably one of the best examples is the ENTPs tendency to fire before aiming, so to speak. INTPs will be reluctant to share ideas until they have been worked through their heads 34743983473 times and have pretty much all the bugs out. ENTPs are more free with exchanging ideas first and analyzing them like crazy later. It's a matter of NeTi vs. TiNe, to be sure. Also with the freer exchange of ideas there is more energy being expressed outward, a trademark of typological extroversion.

If you still feel something amiss after this, I would expand on this some more, and slightly suggest that you turn to the Introvert side. We have cookies.
 

Amethyst

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2,191
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I used to be an introvert. I opened up a lot though, and realized how much of an E I am. I do spend a lot of my time alone, but I certainly don't enjoy it. I do need my 'me' time, but I need to socialize, too. Usually, if I get depressed, I'd prefer to shut myself away from everyone, but I know that just makes things everything worse.

I do think ENTPs are one of the more introverted extroverts for the most part.
 

tinkerbell

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ENTPs tendency to fire before aiming

ROFLMAO - Love that, and totally true, I know in many way's I'm a strong E, but there are many ways I simply don't fit the mould. It does seem to me that I'm certainly not alone in my need for I-nessness at times.
 

Strappado

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Dec 20, 2010
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ENTP
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I used to be pretty shy and nervous due to having atypical depression. After getting some stuff for it I came out solid E though. I still feel far more introverted than a lot of my super outgoing friends though.
 
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