INTP and ENTP: a symbiotic relationship

Originally Posted by whytiger

Critiquing is a strong point for me but planning and execution is very weak. I can tell easily that I need a haircut or new clothes, but figuring out a time to go take care of those things and doing it can take weeks of grumbling to myself every day while I look in the mirror.

I usually find one thing I like to wear and then buy the same basic garment in different colors whenever I run into it. I've been putting off a haircut for 4 months now, but at least that's feasible when you already have long hair.



Left to my own devices, never having to leave the house, I'd look like a homeless bum. I used to wear the same 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants everyday for years, when I was younger. Just didn't care.

I feel the need all of a sudden to mug a ballerina and i have no idea why.

Great article btw I myself feel really borderline ENTP a lot of the times so was really interesting to read :)

Originally Posted by nadjasix

Although I think I fall somewhere in between the extremes of the single-minded scientist and the more scattered engineer/entrepreneur, this might explain why I've surrounded myself with ENTPs as friends (although they're mostly lawyers/business people, not involved in science), and why they sometimes get huffy when I shoot down one of their ideas/possibilities by taking it seriously and finding internal inconsistencies in their thought process.

I always figured it was because of the legal training, but I never feel I can fully keep up with ENTP "topic hopping" in debates. I tend to argue a stance that I may not be fully invested in, but that I think is a valid point. ENTPs are impressively good at coming up with justifications for anything.

You mean our enormous penchant for tangents and distractions? Yea, if we use that effectively in a debate, it is unlikely any other type will be able to keep up. I notice it constantly as I'm the only ENTP in my circle of friends. The closest matches are the 2 ENTJ's and the INTP. The ENTJ's are usually ok with the topic-hopping if I can link it back to the original topic, satisfying their "does it matter?" The INTP has come to learn that my tangents are usually very helpfully related and will happily deconstruct them for me.

Originally Posted by nadjasix

Yeah, when I get around my ENTP friends I feed off their energy and can start to match it. I can't decide whether I'm a typical introvert in that I'm very picky about who I interact with, but then seem "extroverted" around those people, or whether I'm some kind of strange ambivert who continuously scores ultra-high on introversion.

Well ENTP's are one of the most introverted of the extroverts (I think only the ENTJ is more introverted), so you could very well be a highly introverted ENTP. But honestly, as I'm sure you know, it's all about the functions. If you're an analysis guy, you're probably an INTP. If you're an ideas guy, you're probably an ENTP.

For example, my INTP friend can draw, from memory, an almost perfect recreation of the map of the first area in Ocarina of Time, correctly labeled and to scale.

Not a fucking chance in hell I'd be able to do that. Not enough focus. But when we play Skyrim, I'm the guy he comes to when he needs an alternate route or solution.

"ginger, I need to get into Solitude and kill this person... but she's always walking around in public! Gahh I don't want a bounty right now!"

"Well i did it this way, but you could lure her here... or set up a cool distraction with your illusion spells over here... or silently eliminate the guards and then just murder her... or wait until nightfall... you could instigate a fight and then kill her in defense... shall i go on?"

Skyrim is an ENTP wet dream. YOU MEAN I GET TO DO WHATEVER I WANT, HOWEVER I WANT, WHENEVER I WANT? OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Originally Posted by gingertonic

Well ENTP's are one of the most introverted of the extroverts (I think only the ENTJ is more introverted), so you could very well be a highly introverted ENTP. But honestly, as I'm sure you know, it's all about the functions. If you're an analysis guy, you're probably an INTP. If you're an ideas guy, you're probably an ENTP.

There's a reason why I left my job and escaped back into academia.

It's funny to have people claim that as an INTP I should never want to be a "leader", because I never really felt I was one... that's why I hated my job and abandoned it.

Originally Posted by nadjasix

There's a reason why I left my job and escaped back into academia.

It's funny to have people claim that as an INTP I should never want to be a "leader", because I never really felt I was one... that's why I hated my job and abandoned it.

I feel similarly about the "work" world vs academia. I've only recently told my parents I have very little desire to have what most people would call a "normal" job because I find it mind-numbingly boring. I'd rather spend my life reading, writing, getting published, and teaching. Like honestly, who gives a shit about... most? of the "work" world? I find it boring. I'd say there's no challenge but I'd be misunderstood. There is no challenge that appeals to me more than the whole of creation shouting "FIGURE ME OUT!" I have no interest in sales meetings, 4th quarter profit margins, or the bottom line. I'd much rather figure out the underlying principles that make people care about such things.

Originally Posted by gingertonic

I feel similarly about the "work" world vs academia. I've only recently told my parents I have very little desire to have what most people would call a "normal" job because I find it mind-numbingly boring. I'd rather spend my life reading, writing, getting published, and teaching. Like honestly, who gives a shit about... most? of the "work" world? I find it boring. I'd say there's no challenge but I'd be misunderstood. There is no challenge that appeals to me more than the whole of creation shouting "FIGURE ME OUT!" I have no interest in sales meetings, 4th quarter profit margins, or the bottom line. I'd much rather figure out the underlying principles that make people care about such things.

I would imagine that for a lot of ENTPs, workaday "challenges" would be so easy as to be boring, honestly. I felt kind of bored with everything about my job except the technical details.

It was a pretty good read.

I myself am wondering if I'm not ENTP rather than INTP....I can see both points rather clearly inside of myself, but then again, I'm only 20 and I live in an area that is incredibly boring... a small town... I don't feel as though I have any real life experience to draw from...

The best decision is to just let it be for now, perhaps later on down the road I will understand more...

The one thing that honestly makes me lean ENTP over INTP is the lack of Si and the growth of Fe, I've always been rather empathetic, even as a child. But after my childhood...lessons, I shall call them... I became much more hardened to the world. But the thing that keeps me at Introvert is that I feel like an Introvert. Large crowds drain me, I'm not that social unless I feel there is fun to be had, or another Fe ish reason about somebody that actually matters in my life.

The ultimate conclusion is that I was ENTP as a child but due to the drama I became more inclined towards being an Introvert. But ever since graduating high school I can feel more of my old self coming out, back when the days were good.

Sorry for the ramble... oh! and side note:
Skyrim was awesome, but the damned lags really killed it for me. Slowness irks me, when my own character can't keep up with me it makes me want to jump in a hole.

Originally Posted by gingertonic

I feel similarly about the "work" world vs academia. I've only recently told my parents I have very little desire to have what most people would call a "normal" job because I find it mind-numbingly boring. I'd rather spend my life reading, writing, getting published, and teaching. Like honestly, who gives a shit about... most? of the "work" world? I find it boring. I'd say there's no challenge but I'd be misunderstood. There is no challenge that appeals to me more than the whole of creation shouting "FIGURE ME OUT!" I have no interest in sales meetings, 4th quarter profit margins, or the bottom line. I'd much rather figure out the underlying principles that make people care about such things.

I do identify more with the persona and behavior of a stereotypical INTP (in fact, the example about a puddle of water in the OP matches one of my experiences to a T. I quickly figured out what was going on, instantly came up with some workarounds and waited months to do anything substantive, even though I knew what to do ). Still, I tend to agree with what you said here, to the point that I think this attitude is easily one of the biggest single motivating factors in my life.

I read somewhere that INTPs (and maybe NTPs in general. I think it had to do with a strong Ti preference in INTPs but I'd have to double-check) are susceptible to losing interest in something once they get to the point where they know that they have most of the understanding and skill set needed to master it. At this point, they can feel a temptation to just move on to something else, because the only challenge left in this original area of interest is the logistical effort and practice needed to master it.

That pretty much matches my mindset 100%. To be honest, that attitude's so ingrained in me that it's a bit tough for me to imagine it being INTP-specific or even INTP-related. I mean, it has seemed like most of my acquaintances are more attracted to specialization than I am, but I'm not exactly ready to cling to that as if it's some unshakeable truth.

I actually find that I sometimes have issues keeping up with Ne doms and the speed at which they generate ideas as I like to mull quite extensively on problems.

My Ti can be very swift but I hate being too fast in my decisions. I suppose it depends on the ENP and where they are on the scale though. But being in the ENTP subforum is really exhausting for a while as it puts my Ti in hyperdrive but since they bloody bastards keep generating ideas I never get to rest.

Originally Posted by whytiger

Critiquing is a strong point for me but planning and execution is very weak. I can tell easily that I need a haircut or new clothes, but figuring out a time to go take care of those things and doing it can take weeks of grumbling to myself every day while I look in the mirror.

I haven't had a haircut in over 2 years now almost, but while I keep wanting to get it I put it off. Financial reasons also play a role here.

I admit I'm a little flustered over how little I can care about the state of my apartment if I just let it be. It's gotten a little better after I moved to my new one because I feel a stronger ownership but I still feel like an immature kid who needs the parent to deal with these things at times.

And if allowed to, I can just stay home and never go out and never shower and wear the same clothes. At some point I do kind of think it becomes gross though, luckily.