Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
Steve Jobs
Overview of “the Inventor”
ENTPs are Extroverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.
- Extroverted because they are energized by time spent with other people and connect most with the outer world.
- Intuitive because they explore a world of creative ideas and search for information about abstract concepts and new theories.
- Thinking because they prioritize objective data and logic when making decisions.
- Perceiving because they live spontaneously and follow their inspirations and energy to complete tasks.
ENTPs are bold people who think big and make waves. They have an irrepressible desire to explore the captivating world around them and to continually expand their understanding of it. As innovative individuals, these types cleverly play with ideas in order to create new solutions to challenging, ongoing intellectual problems. They have a wild curiosity which can lead them down groundbreaking avenues of invention and discovery.
ENTPs love debate and will engage in it enthusiastically. They seek to know truth but may also attach themselves to the eloquence of the words spoken as they literally “out speak” their opponent. Few others are as quick and witty as an ENTP — finding people able to spare with them is an electric experience for both parties. Despite this love of debate, ENTPs are rarely judgmental and will typically “live and let live.” Their ability to see a topic from multiple angles causes them to be very understanding people (even if their demeanor and tone says otherwise). These types are clever, flexible, and driven by a strong desire to make a difference.
Cognitive Functions
In the Myers-Briggs personality system there are eight cognitive functions. Your unique personality is a road map pointing to the four cognitive functions that you access consciously. Every personality will have two extroverted functions and two introverted functions. Every personality will also have one feeling function, one thinking function, one intuitive function, and one sensing function. For more help and practice identifying cognitive functions for the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types check out this worksheet. All eight functions are as follows:
- Extroverted Intuition
- Introverted Intuition
- Extroverted Sensing
- Introverted Sensing
- Extroverted Feeling
- Introverted Feeling
- Extroverted Thinking
- Introverted Thinking
Ne (Extroverted Intuition) – Dominant
An ENTP’s dominant cognitive function is Extroverted Intuition, abbreviated as Ne. Dominant cognitive functions are used approximately 80% of the time by an individual and are hardly noticed by the user. This function will feel like second nature and “drives” an ENTP.
10 Signs You’re Ne-dominant
- You love brainstorming
- You are comfortable with change
- You are always searching for new ideas
- You live for the future
- You see connections everywhere
- Conventional is boring
- You are open-minded
- You can be scatterbrained
- You can think on your toes
- You are very creative
Positives of Being Ne-dominant
- Seeing things from many different angles
- Rarely falling short of inspiration
- Excelling in seasons of change
- Remaining open-minded when others are not
Struggles of Being Ne-dominant
- Over-analyzing situations
- Trying to focus on one thing at a time
- Living for the future instead of living for right now
- Making long-term commitments and sticking to them
A note to the ENTPs reading…
Ever wondered why you need to gain new experiences and new bits of knowledge while other people seem strangely uninterested? That’s Ne. Do you ever feel inspired by an idea in the middle of the night and the excitement keeps you awake for hours? That’s Ne. Do you ever feel a pit in your stomach when you think about living a mundane, ordinary life? That’s Ne.
Extroverted Intuition is the reason you are good at brainstorming, horrible at sticking to a routine, inspired by the start up, terrible at the follow through, captivated by new experiences, and stifled by repetitive mundane tasks. It can be your secret weapon and your Achilles heel if it isn’t properly balanced with the other cognitive functions.
Ti (Introverted Thinking) – Auxiliary
An ENTP’s secondary function is Introverted Thinking/Ti. If someone is an extrovert, their dominant function will be extroverted and their auxiliary function will always be introverted. Balance is necessary — especially in the brain! Ti helps categorize and logically weigh information that is brought to it by Ne.
10 Signs You’re Ti-auxiliary
- You make decisions internally
- You consider yourself objective
- You test “universal truths”
- Speak using precise language
- Hate being rushed to decide
- Can seem argumentative
- Extremely independent
- Struggle talking out decisions
- You create mental frameworks and models
- You have to know how things work
Ti takes a backseat to Ne. Because Ne is the driver, Ti processes and frames the information brought to it by Ne. This is why ENTPs seem to be constantly changing their minds: after Ti makes a decision from Ne information, Ne brings in new ideas which will reform and shift those opinions.
ENTPs (along with ENFPs) are among the most introverted extroverts. The Ti auxiliary function needs a lot of time to process information and because of this need, many ENTPs may mistake themselves for introverts on personality tests. One way to determine if you truly are an ENTP or and INTP is to distinguish between the Ne and Ti cognitive functions and determine which is your dominant, go-to impulse. Do you tend to leap without looking? Take in knowledge before deciding which way to go? If the answer is yes, you are most likely an ENTP.
Fe (Extroverted Feeling) – Tertiary
An ENTP’s tertiary cognitive function is Extroverted Feeling/Fe. This position as third in the “cognitive stack” means that NeTi is running the show the majority of the time. Because of this, Fe is a bit underdeveloped and usually starts to show up in an ENTPs mid-20s. Tertiary functions usually have the maturity level of a ten-year-old child — they can serve as a strength or a weakness depending on how the user responds to it.
Tertiary Fe is why ENTPs seek the approval of others after they have made a decision. Fe is why these types often have a good sense of humor and love to make other people laugh. Given its position as third in the ENTPs cognitive stack, the function will be immature but show up in playful ways (i.e. assuming the role of “class clown” or wanting parents to approve of a new job choice). This function keeps an ENTP tactful and considerate. Without Extroverted Feeling, these types would assault everyone with truth bombs while giving little thought to the fallout. As Fe develops during the user’s mid-20s, the rebellious teen ENTP will soften around the edges and become more filtered in social interactions.
Si (Introverted Sensing) – Inferior
An ENTP’s inferior cognitive function is Introverted Sensing/Si. This function is typically concerned with memory, repetition, habits, and physical health. Inferior functions usually develop in midlife. Because of this late-blooming, there will be many times Si pops up in uncomfortable, weak, and even self-destructive ways.
Healthy Si-inferior looks like
- Engaging positively with routine
- Getting enough sleep every night
- Taking care of the body when sick
- Keeping a relatively clean home space
- Arriving places on time
- Being dependable and loyal
Unhealthy Si-inferior looks like
- Overreacting to body aches/pains
- Forgetting about the body’s needs
- Running late to meetings or events
- Keeping a messy space, neglecting chores
- Getting too little sleep each night
- Being flighty and unreliable
Personality City 