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[NT] INTJ vs ENTJ

Destiny

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What do you think is the differences between ENTJ and INTJ?


I happened to have an ENTJ brother, and an INTJ father and INTJ teacher, and this is what I noticed about the 3 of them:



The ENTJ is much more practical and action-oriented than INTJs. The INTJs is more philosophical and contemplative than the ENTJ.

The ENTJ is bossier than the INTJ and he tend to give unsolicited advice a lot such as he will keep giving me advice on how to improve on myself. The INTJ is more laidback in this aspect.

The ENTJ cares a lot about his appearance. He drives a sports car, and he is always wearing nice clothes. The INTJs aren't as appearance-conscious and he isn't afraid of wearing ugly clothes.


The ENTJ appears much more approachable and has better people-skills than INTJ. The INTJ can have really acidic tongue at times, whereas the ENTJ is much more diplomatic and tactful in this aspect. The ENTJ appears very charming and polished, whereas the INTJ appears more aloof and mysterious. Both INTJs and ENTJs can be pretty reserved, but if you put an INTJ and an ENTJ in a social situation, you will notice that the ENTJ is always going around socialising with everybody whereas the INTJ only socialise with familiar people. The INTJ tend to give off a "Don't mess with me" vibe whereas the ENTJ tend to give off a softer and warmer vibe but when you get to know them better you realised they aren't as soft as they appear to be.


The ENTJ becomes even more calm and rational under stress and his first reaction under stress is to go into problem-solving mode whereas the INTJ displays anger outbursts and tantrums under stress.


The ENTJ is much more driven than INTJ. He is always doing something. He is always busy. His schedule is always filled with activities. The ENTJ also has this tendency to get things done immediately. For example, my ENTJ brother was helping me to download this software a week ago, and the computer ended up crashing. And he immediately went to buy all the different computer components and then he fixed all the different components into the computer and downloaded the software all within a week. Despite his busy life with work, wife and children, he still managed to finish fixing the computer and installing the software all within a week. The INTJs are more laidback in this aspect :D


And also, I remembered reading a thread before "Which intuitive has the biggest anger issues" and everybody mentioned ENTJ. But I wanna clear up this misconception.
Based on the INTJ and ENTJ whom I interacted with, the ENTJ is actually very calm and rarely loses his temper, the INTJ is actually much more emotional than the ENTJ. My ENTJ brother only loses his temper once every few years, whereas my INTJ father and INTJ teacher loses their temper on a much more frequent basis.





Anyway, these are just some of the differences that I observed between the ENTJs and INTJs whom I interacted with in real life.

What major differences have you observed between INTJ and ENTJ? I'd love to hear your opinions too :D
 

Doctor Cringelord

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The differences are vast, much like ESTP vs ISTP.

INTJs often get a bad rep (as do ENTJs) for being cold, brutally honest taskmasters, but I think INTJs are a little more likely to take others' feelings (and their own) into account when making decisions, due to having stronger Fi than ENTJs.

I think the easiest and most discernible differences between these types can probably be seen in how their inferior functions manifest. Due to inferior Se, the INTJ is more likely to neglect bodily needs and fail to notice facts and details which are apparent in the immediate, present world which can be detected via the 5 senses. The ENTJ, having inferior Fi, is going to be more likely to lose sight of what values are important to them.

Compare Christopher Hitchens, a likely INTJ to Carl Sagan, an ENTJ. Sagan was much more approachable and warm (for an NT). Sagan could be brutally effective in a debate (Te), but he usually did so in a way that could still be called polite. Hitchens was quite capable of what you referred to as having an acidic tongue, and he was a good writer who often cited personal anecdotes (Fi) to make strong, well-worded arguments (NiTe).

Another good comparison, this time fictional, might be ENTJ Gordon Gecko (Wall Street) vs INTJ Walter White (Breaking Bad). I know it's cliche to always bring up villains when discussing fictional NTJs, but goddamn they make great villains.
 

AzulEyes

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INTJs can empathize. ENTJs? Haven't found one yet that can.
 

Chthonic

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Well I had an ENTJ boss so I only have that for comparison. We are both female.

She was known for being sociable yet everyone thought she was the kind of person who would step over her own grandmother's corpse to get what she wanted if it came to that.
I am known for being eccentric but mostly harmless. Although everyone knows that you don't cross me unless you want to burn that bridge.
We are both very ambitious and driven, but she was status conscious meaning that she always had to put it out there and appear to be succeeding. I didn't care so much how others saw me as long as I was achieving the goals I set for myself. My goals are usually personal and small, not involving the world at large. She clearly aims for positions of authority.
 

Destiny

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hey everybody, I think I have typed those people wrongly.
Upon further analysis, my brother whom I pegged as ENTJ is actually INTP.
And my INTJ father is still INTJ, while my INTJ teacher turns out to be ENTJ.


I previously pegged myself as INFP when I started this thread. But now that I found out I am INFJ, I have to re-type everybody around me too because I understood those functions wrongly and I ended up mistyping everybody around me too.
 

Destiny

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INTJs can empathize. ENTJs? Haven't found one yet that can.

Haha I love how you described INTJs and ENTJs. I agree with you. Among all the 4 NTs, I think INTJs are the most empathetic and they are also the easiest to get along among all the 4 NTs.
 

AzulEyes

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Haha I love how you described INTJs and ENTJs. I agree with you. Among all the 4 NTs, I think INTJs are the most empathetic and they are also the easiest to get along among all the 4 NTs.

Yeah. We tend to gravitate to one another online. I wish I had a few close INTJ friends in real life!

INTJs can handle an ENFP giving emotional expression (negative, sarcastic whatever.) ENTJs who claim they are not emotional- will get bent out of shape and defensive well before an INTJ will. (Fe versus Fi maybe? Not sure.)
 

AphroditeGoneAwry

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Yeah. We tend to gravitate to one another online. I wish I had a few close INTJ friends in real life!

INTJs can handle an ENFP giving emotional expression (negative, sarcastic whatever.) ENTJs who claim they are not emotional- will get bent out of shape and defensive well before an INTJ will. (Fe versus Fi maybe? Not sure.)

I have an INTJ son, and possibly an ENTJ? son? And the ENTJ is very emotional. He scored super high on his Fe test. I used to think he was an F type actually, but as he is now 16, his T is really showing. He is also very Fi? He really just doesn't fit the MBTI model very well at all. Might be his enneatype would more reflect his nature...My INTJ son is veeerrrry even-keeled! Always witty, cutting, and stalwart. Yet loving. They are fun, that is for sure.

I find myself getting along more easily with them than my other 3 S children. The S children don't really like to philosophize or talk like their brethren, so it's harder for us to find a common ground to connect. Of course, I love them all excessively. But I am so thankful I have NTJs in my life. They are hard to beat for an NF!
 

GarrotTheThief

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I would go to SE for the difference. It is the most efficient and practical way.

AN entj who is almost 50/50 extroverted introverted will seem like an INTJ. In real life I am typed as an ENTJ by an mbti professional and by examination but many have suggested that I might be an INTJ on forums.

This issue is this...I am very physical and enjoy combat sports but I am also intellectual.

If someone is not into combat sports then they are most likely not ENTJ - there are many exceptions such as ENTJ's who have not individuated. I know ENTJ's and most of them either watch or engage in combat sports or some form of martial art like tai chi, even if it's soft. INTJ's do this too and run marathons and can be athletic, but the ENTJ will want to show off his knowledge. SE is about showing your abilities.

I can also tell by the musculature.

Again...one of the main things the mbti professional noticed about me was my combative posture and my deep intellectual appreciation of combat sports in conjunction with my physical ability and intellectual interests. I also like to teach people how to apply their sensing functions and my personality tends to steam roll people in real life.

Also..I do not like to wait. If I have a basic sketch of a plan I'll begin to execute and refine it as I go. INTJ's are the other way around which I envy. They can wait, and wait, and wait, and finally execute perfectly.

Finally, I engage in group think. When I am with several people it is as if my own thoughts are externalized until the group becomes a brain of thinking. It's hard to explain but basically I create a think tank bubble where ever I go. This could be particularly dangerous however, as we all saw how Caesar was stabbed to death because he had blind loyalties and revealed too much about his own personal stuff.
 

Coriolis

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Also..I do not like to wait. If I have a basic sketch of a plan I'll begin to execute and refine it as I go. INTJ's are the other way around which I envy. They can wait, and wait, and wait, and finally execute perfectly.

Finally, I engage in group think. When I am with several people it is as if my own thoughts are externalized until the group becomes a brain of thinking. It's hard to explain but basically I create a think tank bubble where ever I go. This could be particularly dangerous however, as we all saw how Caesar was stabbed to death because he had blind loyalties and revealed too much about his own personal stuff.
I see both of these distinctions as well. Both come from basic extraversion, plus the fact that Te is in dom not aux position.

FWIW I do martial arts as well. I don't care about showing off my ability, but rather focus on continuous self-improvement.
 

GarrotTheThief

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I see both of these distinctions as well. Both come from basic extraversion, plus the fact that Te is in dom not aux position.

FWIW I do martial arts as well. I don't care about showing off my ability, but rather focus on continuous self-improvement.

Yes. In this regard we are very similar but an ENTJ can become morose if he is alone too long or does have some sort of exhibit for SE. I find that my INTJ friends can run 5-10 miles a day and do marathons easily. My limits are a few hours alone. When I go to the gym with a friend I think out loud what I'm doing so when I'm training my agility I am literally speaking about it as I do it and it gives me energy to go further.

I imagine it could be annoying to my lifting partners unless they too are "group thinkers."

We both have SE a bit lower on our totem pole so martial arts for both of us will be good as we must intellectually feel out our physicality.

I envy the dominant SE types somtimes. They just know how to use their left hand and tend to excell in sports early even if they are not athletic. I have to think deeply about mirroring both sides to engage my weak side and most of my life it wasn't even a consideration.

This is how you can tell a natural sensor. They will start using their weak hands from a young age in sports. An NT type is busy thinking instead.
 

AzulEyes

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I have an INTJ son, and possibly an ENTJ? son? And the ENTJ is very emotional. He scored super high on his Fe test. I used to think he was an F type actually, but as he is now 16, his T is really showing. He is also very Fi? He really just doesn't fit the MBTI model very well at all. Might be his enneatype would more reflect his nature...My INTJ son is veeerrrry even-keeled! Always witty, cutting, and stalwart. Yet loving. They are fun, that is for sure.

I find myself getting along more easily with them than my other 3 S children. The S children don't really like to philosophize or talk like their brethren, so it's harder for us to find a common ground to connect. Of course, I love them all excessively. But I am so thankful I have NTJs in my life. They are hard to beat for an NF!

I wish I had NTs in my family. We are full of NFs and sensors galore!
 

AphroditeGoneAwry

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Yeah, I really do have awesome children. I think maybe my hook-up with their dad wasn't all for naught.

I'd love to watch my children interact with my amors. I think that would rate at a 10 on the Happiness Scale for me. :smile:
 

Destiny

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I wish I had NTs in my family. We are full of NFs and sensors galore!

I wish my house has more NFs. My house is full of NTs and sensors.
The NTs and sensors are always giving me unsolicited advice about how to live my life. Sighs. Why can't there be more NFs in my family?

My dad: INTJ
My mom: ESFJ
My brothers: One xSFx of some sort, one INTP, and another one xSTx of some sort


The only person I get along with in my family is my INTJ dad, I clashed with all the other 4 people.
 

rav3n

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Nicely done [MENTION=19552]Complexity[/MENTION]! What you described are the impacts of the dom and tert extraverted functions of Te and Se, vs the impacts of the introverted dom and tert functions Ni and Fi.

But I will say that if it took a week to fix the computer, the ENTJ in question wasn't terribly motivated to do so. For myself, computers are fixed or replaced within hours. Serious biznezz. :tongue:
 

GarrotTheThief

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Both ENTJ's and INTJ's are prone to procrastination though. SE is lower on the functional stack and it is associated with execution and doing especially in conjunction with TE but the ENTJ can still be lazy. They do not however like to be lazy and what they plan to execute can weight them down tremendously so. They could become obsessed with their plan so long as they are not doing it which is what is different about J's vs. Perceiving types. J's tend to freak out when procrastinating because they are hyper-aware of their benchmarks where as P's seem to be okay and at ease with it.
'
We could say procrastinating probably puts the ENTJ in his shadow modes operendi.
 

Tdavis001

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This is a very interesting thread. As an Xntj on most tests it has some personal importance. My thoughts so far:
1. Entj will focus more on appearance and packaging of things than Intj
2. ENTJs are better at debating
3. INTJs are better writers
4. ENTJS work much more easily with people and order them like chess pieces
5. INTJs are better with ideas and order those
6. ENTJs have more outward energy and a larger network
7. INTJs have a very small set of friends
8. ENTJs handle surprises better than INTJs (INTJs are not good at spontaneous things)
9. INTJs more easily take people's feelings into account
 

Edgar

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INTJs can empathize. ENTJs? Haven't found one yet that can.

Well shit, now that I think about it...

Haha I love how you described INTJs and ENTJs. I agree with you. Among all the 4 NTs, I think INTJs are the most empathetic and they are also the easiest to get along among all the 4 NTs.

I totally disagree that INTJs are the most empathetic of NTs. Most of -NTPs I've met appeared to be more empathetic than me.
But I would concur that ENTJs are the least empathetic of the NTs.

Majority of ENTJs I've met made me look like a pussycat, and most of y'all old-timer-bitches on this board know that I'm not exactly a gentle fella. I get the sense that a lot of ENTJs are victims of their own success - they are very effective at getting things done by relying solely on brute force of Te and disregard of societal norms, so they never develop emotional intelligence. I can't count how many times I've seen ENTJs pay a gallon of blood for something they could have prevented with a gram of empathy.
 

giorgaros2

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INTP's attitude towards the inside is the same as ENTJ's attitude towards the outside. So if Si is perceiving the subjective world based on memory (like the theoryof the forms of plato) and Se is perceiving the real world as it is, the INTP is the type with most "efficient" and logically organized subjective world (Si)
so the ENTJ is the best type at organizing and logically manipulating the real world.The ENTJ i believe is living at a real life game of chess.
The intj on the other hand is not so adept at living and interacting with the real world.So the intj will be more inclined to be good at things like philosophy , science , economics etc.. intj is good at having insights about the real world and use them or show them to humanity to serve a moral purpose (Fi) .Kinda like karl marx for example he had insights about how capitalism works and why its bad(according to him) and how humanity can be made better, and showed them to the people ,everything he did was backed/serving his moral values (justice for example)
 
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