Types in Depth #9: ENTJ
There has been a lot of “reminders” for me to cover the NTJs (and STPs… which… I understand why those two keep popping up). So this is just a brief note letting you know they’re coming! Thank you for all of your interests… I really didn’t think anyone cared about them that much and as a result, felt I could just churn them out whenever I wanted to (which usually means not finishing them). But I see I should probably get them out soon. So here’s the first of the NJs: ENTJ.
I apologize for not meeting my own deadline; I got in a car accident on Sunday, and I’m in quite a shock at the moment, and my wrist was impacted quite severely. I’m still in pain, so it was a bit difficult for me to remember this impending post… anyway, so here’s the beginning to the rougher than usual NJ series.
The ENTJ and the INTJ… or shall I say, all NJ types are shrouded in mystery. People hate them, people idealize them, people want to be them. I myself had tested as ENTJ the very first time I took the test, and was so convincing, that people never thought I could be anything else (but now, I am well aware that my inferior Fe was mirroring the two TJ members of my family, one of which actually is an ENTJ).
That being said, like every other type, the ENTJ is as human as the rest of them, and they’re only as effective as the accuracy of their Ni-Se, and as limited as their inferior Fi. Plus, as I grew up with one, I personally don’t have such “idealized” view of ENTJs, but anyway, let’s get started.
According to CAPT.org, approximately 2-5% of the population comprises of this type, with males comprising of about 3-6% of the population, and the females, 1-3%. They’re rare. To be honest, I’m very glad that there aren’t too many ENTJs running around because world would be chaos… :)
A lot of people idealize the ENTJs because let’s face it, they’re impressive people. They are the types of people who can and will move that mountain, and then they’ll move another and another. It doesn’t matter if there are thousands of people against them; they’ll push forward. Now… this is somewhat of a stereotype because they do also deal with a lot of internal instability and struggle as a result of having inferior Fi.
If one wants to understand the ENTJ, understand the INTP. Why? Because their function order is the same but the orientation is flipped. What the ENTJ does externally, the INTP does internally, and what the ENTJ does internally, the INTP does externally. Just like any other people, ENTJs feel deeply, and they can truly feel lonely in their feeling because of the subjective nature of their feeling function. Apparently though, this is a common dilemma that all Fi using individuals (TJs and FPs) have to deal with because they’re conflicted between the preservation of the authenticity of their feeling vs choosing to harmonize with others (this is more of an FP issue than TJ issue, to be honest, but nonetheless, it is important to note that even FP types can feel this struggle)
History paints them as villains or successful generals and world leaders, yet we know… at the end of the day, they were also struggling individuals working hard to satisfy the visions of their inferior functions like everyone else
Many people confuse the ENTJ and INTJ types when they deal with them, and while I don’t blame them if they are elementary in their awareness of the functions, once you actually deal with the ENTJ and INTJ, you can see the stark difference between the two, especially when you realize that the reason the ENTJ has the reputation for being a leader is because of their willingness to take charge and make decisions, sometimes in haphazard manners (as denoted by tertiary Se) as opposed to a more careful and even more moment-obsessed INTJs, whose inferior Se makes it difficult for them to simply decide and enact based on changing circumstances. But this can backfire on the ENTJs, and as they are equally human like the rest of us, it does.
ENTJ’s two strongest functions are Te and Ni. Extraverted thinking and Introverted Intuition. Extraverted thinking is the ability to use facts and accept facts as they are. This means that to Te user (whether ESTJ or ENTJ) looks those facts objectively and determines what to do with said “fact,” based on their observation functions (NI-Se or Si-Ne). A Te user does not necessarily look to or care about the relationship between those facts, at least compared with a Ti user; “the results themselves speak for themselves.” Because of this objective approach to “facts” and “matters,” as well as their tertiary Se, which allows them again, fast reaction time/awareness of the current state, ENTJs will often make quick decisions based on the facts presented to them, which they would have more difficult time doing but for the fact that their auxiliary is Ni, which makes them choose not only the most effective decision at the time, but one with intended long-term effect (preferably one that mirrors their vision and desire). This creates an objective-minded individual whose natural way of functioning has both long-term effectiveness and widespread objective approach for replication. Who wouldn’t want them as leaders of the world? (Un)Surprisingly… ENTJs can build themselves an arsenal of enemies, and a path of burning path behind them as they push themselves and everyone around them for the vision they have in their minds.
This is possible in the ENTJ’s psyche due to the fact that the ENTJ naturally represses his/her inferior function, Fi. Fi is an internal emotive mechanism which makes the user consider whether the action they wish to take is in line with their personal morals and values. In higher Fi users, it establishes a solid sense of self, and a sense of individualism. Not that ENTJs lack individualism (because they are the first to argue that they are indeed individuals and individualistic, and will show this off), but when given two sets of conflicting information and a need to make a decision, Te based answer will almost always override Fi based answer. But this precise nature of ENTJs make them leaders; they’re focused on what is most objective and correct over what they feel is correct. This leads to wide applicability which is simply unseen in other types. A very good example of an effective ENTJ is actually Alexander Hamilton; the first Secretary of the US Treasury, Hamilton’s keen understanding and futuristic focus on the direction of the nation, as well as his almost unbendable determination to shift the direction of the nation in the way he desired it was stronger than that of his opponents (who were concerned against such strong national government, which… is justified), and ultimately made it easier for the US to act not as a confederation of states like the EU tends to act today, but as something closer to a nation of states. The world envisioned by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were very different, but in the end, it was Hamilton’s vision that ended up playing out. Think about how long-term a well-developed Ni can have not only on ENTJs themselves, but perhaps even those not yet born. Who wouldn’t be jealous of the ENTJ and the power they come with? There is a caveat to that though.
A healthy ENTJ will process the data through the functions Te>Ni>Se>Fi, with the eventual goal of fulfilling their Fi desire into reality (Se) through the use of their ability to forecast, control, and shape the environment around them in a manner that (Te-Ni) creates lasting systematic change. Unhealthy ENTJ are apt to fall into the Te-Se loop and the Fi grip.
Just because the ENTJs are celebrated in the world of MBTI, do not think that they do not struggle in the same way that all NT’s do. They have to deal with loneliness (which can actually be felt strongly in the ENTJ due to the internal and subjective nature of their feeling function), living in a world where people do not understand or enjoy their approach to problem solving or their “effectiveness” approach; which believe it or not, frustrates them a lot, like anyone else whose Sensing functions tend to be weaker (although to be honest, even the Sensors don’t particularly enjoy the rules as they are in place). ENTJs may seem critical and harsh on the outside, but inside is a heart of gold (which, I don’t say easily). When they care, they care deeply. They will write poetries to declare their love for you. They will make you gift baskets, thinking about what you may like; theses people work to satisfy their lovers and family members as much as they demand from them. That’s something that a lot of people don’t think about when it comes to ENTJs, but ENTJs are humans with a huge childish Fi heart, and in that childish heart lies innocence almost unseen in other types, even in ESTJs.
However, what happens when these ever positive, goal-oriented folks find themselves in the midst of a struggle? Welcome to the Te-Se Loop! #baneofmyexistence and of course, the resulting Fi grip, #whatHellis.
Due to the auxiliary function Ni in ENTJs, they are almost always living in the future, planning and envisioning a better life, better structure, better implementation of X. The area of expertise usually is guided by the inferior Fi. So the vision that drives them (whatever it is) is partially due to what they think X “should be,” (which isn’t actually the definition of Fi, yes I know; I’m explaining how it tends to appear in ENTJs using Fi). When the ENTJ is feeling confident, seeing the plans work out, they feel great, and it’s nice to observe.
What happens though, is that sometimes, ENTJs take actions too quickly based on their Fi fears or what they feel is the “right thing to do” at Y time based on the concrete sensing information they perceive. Like in all types, although ENTJs love flaunting their “mastery” over the Se function, they are actually not the best at that (we’d leave those to the ESxPs and ISxPs). What they perceive as Se is still strongly limited by their Te and Ni functions, which means that their understanding of Se is still limited, although much better than those who do not consciously use Se (NPs) or other IxNJ types, whose Se is inferior and thus tends to show up in very immature ways.
But because Se is more conscious in the ENTJ (as well as ENFJs as you’ll see later), the ENTJs are quick to take action. When in this loop, they will be even quicker, taking action after action, unable to stop themselves from taking actions, all desiring to fulfill the negative images they see through their inferior Fi, and thinking that they’re planning for a better future (Ni), when in reality, they are doing neither. When ENTJs do not take enough time to reflect on their judgments via Ni, which due to their introverted nature, requires the ENTJ to introspect and think “long-term” over “immediate,” and forces ENTJ to narrow down their options and actions to be taken (which ENTJs do not enjoy doing; they want to do everything and they want to do everything NOW because any action not taken is a benefit lost… which by the way, is not true), and that can have a sense of “lost opportunity” for most ENTJs. It forces the ENTJ to get rid of plans 2-10 and focus their resources and attention on 1, while still being aware that options 2-10 could still potentially somehow link to 1, or that 1 is special in itself and 2-10 must be sacrificed until at a time when they’re more ripe to be taken advantage of (Se). When the Ni is developed in the ENTJ, the ENTJ has less chance of spreading themselves too thin. It also allows the ENTJ to prioritize better, and allows the ENTJ to use Se better, taking chances when and only when needed, rather than thinking that all chances must be taken advantage of.
Of course, when in the loop, the ENTJ does not do this. Ni is only used as a crutch to support the Te-Se loop, meaning that the ENTJ will take an action already, expecting a certain result. When the result does not manifest (as it was not a proper way of accessing Ni), ENTJ will then take yet another action, and continue this loop, becoming more and more frustrated and desperate as the result they expect never manifest, their situation gets worse and worse, until they find themselves with no way out.
The difference between say… INTP in Ti-Si loop vs ENTJ in Te-Se loop is that one happens internally (INTP is stuck in a mind-rut), and the other happens externally (ENTJ gets stuck in an action-rut). What I’ve seen a lot of ENTJs do, is that they seek out help AFTER they find themselves in that action-rut. From my INTP point-of-view, this is stressful because 1.) I don’t have enough details built up as we went which allowed me to spot any inconsistencies in behavior/thought patterns which would have helped me stop this behavior in the ENTJ, 2.) ENTJ usually is not good at giving specific information especially tailored to the situation at hand, 3.) If the advice they receive doesn’t jive with them (as in telling them to introspect and figure out what the best option is), they generally don’t like to even consider the advice.
This is usually why ENTJs have such difficult time getting the right advice from people; they themselves are not good at providing information, and those around them often find themselves in the midst of ENTJ’s Te-Se loop of destruction, with no guides of any sort. While this is happening, by the way, the ENTJ will have thoroughly engaged themselves in Se activities (or what they consider to be Se activities): drinking, partying, seeking companions, constantly putting themselves with people and almost fearing being alone with their thoughts, overspending of money, impulsive trips, etc. etc. etc. Meanwhile, their lives are getting more and more out of control because they’re still not stopping themselves and looking inwards, where the actual problem lies.
This goes on, ENTJ feeling more helpless by the day, before what they feared eventually catches up with them.
Generally, Fi at higher level is well developed and naturally allows the user to be in touch with what they desire, what they do not desire, what they stand for, what they don’t stand for, and so on. It’s an internal, subjective emotive function, and its users tend to have very specific emotional reaction to certain things, and these are very strong. Same can be visible in ENTJs. However, where it lacks any sort of power is in most anything else.
Fi in ENTJs are highly inflexible, and usually express itself through fear of incompetence or failure. It is often a place of fear because Fi is inflexible and often the use of Fi has not given ENTJs good results in the past… like it often is with all other types.
Thus most ENTJs are actually employing all three of their higher better developed functions to protect the overly sensitive Fi core they hold within. Because of its inferior location, it creates a certain level of vulnerability in the ENTJs; whereas the INFP/ISFP types are often full of Fi mechanisms within and do not fear the constant flux of emotional change within themselves (their fear is more on the outside), and are internally “strong,” the ENTJs do not come with this particular strength. Because as the old adage(?) says, what is flexible does not break; it is the inflexible that breaks.
So when the ENTJ ends up in a grip, there is nothing but the actual dealing with those emotions that will get them out. It can last hours to days to months. It really depends on how long they’ve kept that Fi repressed. They’ll get angsty and listen to lots of “emotional” songs. They will refuse to take action because they’ve convinced themselves that all their actions only show how incompetent they “actually are.” Because they did often take a lot of actions to “reach this conclusion,” it is tremendously difficult to get them out of this misconception; if you though Fi doms didn’t listen… you clearly have not tried to talked to Fi inf people when they’re in this state.
The ENTJ at this state is simply at his/her wit’s end. They’ve taken all actions they could possibly take. None of them panned out. Well, life has no answers. ENTJ gets depressed. All in the meanwhile… they forget that they put themselves in this position by refusing to consider the best option and use Se only to recognize when the opportunity has arrived.
Now, just a brief rant; I’m an INTP, and I use Fe… which is also my inferior function. Making INTPs sit through these Fi emotional bursts… can be very very difficult for INTPs as 1.) INTPs seek out trouble spots and try to help the ENTJ get out of their Fi grip, which does not work because Fi users just want to feel through their feelings and want another to feel that with them, not get help; 2.) INTP’s inferior Fe absorbs the negative feelings that ENTJ is going through, which creates a torturous feeling in the INTP themselves. INFPs/ISFPs, or even the FJs however, can sit through these and wouldn’t be troubled by them because they themselves live in the world of emotions and will either help the ENTJ process their feelings, or let the ENTJ vent without needing to intervene and “help.” ENTJs, if you’re feeling down, find yourself a feeler, no matter how you normally feel about them. Because it is in these moments, you finally will realize exactly why they exist and why they are valued.
ENTJs are actually not very patient people. They’d rather do something than think about something. Not saying that this makes them dumb (because they are not), but this does lead to them making a lot of dumb mistakes they otherwise would not make if they just sat and thought for a few hours.
ENTJs that choose to live in the world of Te-Se rather than Te-Ni lower themselves and their capabilities; they are not doers; they are the planners and the executives. They often make choices to “do,” in order to make sure the “little thing” is done properly, when they have the capability to see a bigger picture and fix it up at a higher level, preventing future issues with “little thing being done properly.” They’re system builders like all other NTs, and that is where their strength lies; if they get too caught up in their Fi fears and desires to flaunt their Se tertiary, they’ll forgo the development of the much stronger and important Ni function, which can calmly assess when and what action should be taken to ensure long-term, effective result. Ultimately, Fi fear can ONLY be satisfied through proper execution of their Ni function, and this very awareness within themselves.
Another tie in between Ni and Fi is this: because Fi is internal AND inferior, they’re not at all good with recognizing how others feel on a daily basis, and don’t often realize that it is precisely this nature of the inferior Fi which ends up screwing them up later, when something they expected to happen (through a person) does not happen (feelings were hurt, and they decided not to involve the ENTJ in their lives, which the ENTJ is not fully aware of). ENTJ who has a better grasp of their Ni will recognize this nature in humans through accessing their own Fi, and act to maintain peaceful solutions with maximal harmonious result for most (Te>Ni>Se>Fi realized), which will continue to benefit the ENTJ further down, as feelings will have been respected, and more people respect the ENTJ’s capabilities to handle not only the system, but also those working with the system (humans).
So how can ENTJs get out of this Fi grip? First, they need to get their lives in order. To access Te, they have to engage Se. They have to become aware of their immediate surroundings; clean up, wash themselves up, and pamper themselves within limit. Don’t go out drinking or partying; but maintain a clean home and work environment. Then, try to access Ni. Direct approach to Fi will not work as with all other types. Ni usually involves deprivation of the senses (which is why I’d suggest minimalistic living for most NJs with lots of clean space to create a sort of Zen-like mood within their home), and introspection into their minds. Look far into yourselves, ENTJ. Look at why you behave the way you do, and what you’d hope to achieve. Why did you fail? Why did you succeed? What are you failing at now, and how can you prevent further problems? Should you really act on this? Do you absolutely have to do X? Is the desire to do X actually in furtherance of your goal, or is it because you need an immediate response?
Once your Ni is in order, ENTJs, you are really unstoppable. Your Ni will handle Fi needs. You achieve things that others would only dream of. Your systems will last a long time, and will be fundamental building blocks of governments, society, of peoples and nations. Those are your capabilities. But you can only get there if you choose to look far for that hidden diamond, rather than at the numerous amount of pebbles that need “cleaning.” It’s a good idea to keep one eye on the present, but your mind and heart should always be thinking of the bigger picture. That’s where you shine.
Next up is INTJ. Thank you all for the long wait.
