# ENTP or ENFJ



## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

I've considered myself an INTJ, now INTP. I'm very confused about types as the four functions seems to have little to do with the types in some descriptions and then loads in others (INFP for example, "very aware of others feelings" but have Fi dominant, not Fe).

My sister has been trying to help me (INFJ). She read the descriptions and found that ENTP or ENFJ (maybe even xNFP) are the most like me. However these are very different.

The E is debatable, as I have periods of restlessness and wanting to see people, then other days I feel so tired I can't be bothered. I DO feel bad if I don't leave the house all day, but is that an E thing?

N is definite, no one has ever thought me as an S (I'm apparently unusual and all that).

F/T? I have no idea. Sometimes I love logic and problem solving, but I'm so wrapped up in myself and how the world effects me and my feelings. I don't understand my feelings, I can't name them, but they're incredibly intense (I can relate how I feel to everything, but without any idea what caused me to feel that way). I've also been known to be very bad with other's feelings (almost to an autistic level). I also love mental stimulation, but work makes me tired.

J/P? I have no idea. I'm laid back about things until I disagree alot, I like debates, but get bored/tired of them quickly. I don't push my point onto people, I like hearing people saying different things, and sometimes I argue against my point to show others the other side. However, I feel bad about doing that. I'm also quite organised with work and money, but when it comes to my stuff I can't find it. I lose things alot, I'm quite messy with books and games and such.

Random stuff: always in my head, analysing myself and others, wanting to help everyone get what they can from life (get angry and upset when advice is ignored and people fail), can't identify with self, can't express self verbally, find writing difficult because it's so personal and makes you vulnerable, loves painting/art, can build stories easily, mood changes quickly.

Any ideas?


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## yesiknowbut (Oct 25, 2009)

I'm ENTP, and spend a lot of time in the company of ENFJs. I agree that there are some marked similarities. There are also marked differences.

If something goes wrong, how do you deal with it? Do you work out a solution to it as a problem and move on, or are your left feeling that everything is wrong and get all depressed?

How good are you at disagreeing with people? if someone wants to do something you aren't keen on, do you just go along with it until at last you snap, or do you just say, no, that isn't what i want to do?

How much preparation do you put into something that matters, say giving a presentation, or being at an important meeting? Will you be early or late? How will you feel if, on the way to that meeting, your car breaks down and you have no phone on you to tell them you will be late? Will you just shrug because you can't control this, or will you stress out and start thumping the steering wheel?

How well do you deal with criticism? can you take it, learn from it, adjust how you are and feel that in the end it was useful, or will you be wounded?

Are yo the kind of person who likes to blow up, clear the air, have arguments?

If your gf does that to you, do you engage with it or go and hide until she has got it out of her system?

Do you ever drop hints to others about how you feel, or do you just tell them?

Do you sulk?

Do you sometimes find yourself looking back over a conversation a couple of days later and realise someone was dropping hints that you missed?

I haven't told you which is which type deliberately. What do you think?


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

Thanks for the quick response!

*If something goes wrong, how do you deal with it? Do you work out a solution to it as a problem and move on, or are your left feeling that everything is wrong and get all depressed?*
I get depressed and eventually move on. I do try and solve it but never normally do.
*How good are you at disagreeing with people? if someone wants to do something you aren't keen on, do you just go along with it until at last you snap, or do you just say, no, that isn't what i want to do?
* I go along with it until I decide it's been too long on that idea/subject/etc and then say something like "This might be fun to do..."
*How much preparation do you put into something that matters, say giving a presentation, or being at an important meeting? Will you be early or late? How will you feel if, on the way to that meeting, your car breaks down and you have no phone on you to tell them you will be late? Will you just shrug because you can't control this, or will you stress out and start thumping the steering wheel?*
I'm always early because otherwise I stress out. I put alot of work into things if I think people expect me to do well. I would probably stress out, calm down and then run most of the way to show I tried.
*How well do you deal with criticism? can you take it, learn from it, adjust how you are and feel that in the end it was useful, or will you be wounded?
* It always makes me feel a bit unhappy, but if it's constructive I really take notice and do everything I can to follow it, unless it proves to be useless or nothing changes.
*Are yo the kind of person who likes to blow up, clear the air, have arguments?*
I hate stuff hanging over me but I also hate arguments (I usually find myself in them and have no idea how I started it)
*If your gf does that to you, do you engage with it or go and hide until she has got it out of her system?*
I'm a straight female, haha, so bf? Um, I'd be very affected by it. I always want to be close to and trust a partner, them blowing up would cause me to run and hide for a while.
*Do you ever drop hints to others about how you feel, or do you just tell them?*
Drop hints, telling face to face is too scary.
*Do you sulk?*
I do at times, other times I just brood 
*Do you sometimes find yourself looking back over a conversation a couple of days later and realise someone was dropping hints that you missed?*
Yes! I also reply and it and go "I wish I'd said this or done that instead"
*I haven't told you which is which type deliberately. What do you think?*
I guess that makes it less biased? Although I try not to be biased making decisions, but I can end up doing that.


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

Also, the other two to consider were ENFP and INFP.


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## yesiknowbut (Oct 25, 2009)

sorry tine, looking at your avatar I thought you were a bloke!

I think ENFJ is more likely than ENTP, though was mainly testing the FJ aspects, I think.

FJ traits:

if something is wrong, then the whole thing isn't perfect. Bit of a disaster, so you get really down. TP: you can accept that only this bit is affected the rest is OK, so the problem isn't as bad as all that. You don't need completeness.

you stress out unless you are properly prepared and on time for something. ENTPs do it all at the last minute and tend to be a bit late for stuff, and don't get stressed about that.

F drops hints, T just says what they think.

FJ takes criticism personally, even when it isn't criticism and isn't personal. TP often fails to notice it altogether, even when it is personally directed criticism.

FJ, if they don't want to do something, won't say so. they will either just do it until it becomes unbearable or try to inveigle the other people to do what they want instead, preferably without being open about it. This is why they have a rep for being manipulative, but that is a rather loaded expression, usually it is based in wanting everyone to be happy.

You sound too nice to be ENTP....


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## kdm1984 (Jul 8, 2009)

tine said:


> I've also been known to be very bad with other's feelings (almost to an autistic level).


Rule out ENFJ, then. I have an ENFJ dad and an ENFJ great aunt, and if there's one thing they excel at above all else, it's noticing other people's feelings and being able to respond on their level! Autism is the LAST thing that would EVER apply to them.


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## GreenCoyote (Nov 2, 2009)

I've struggled with INFP, ENFP, INFJ, ENFJ, and ENTP.

never INTP though. my dad is an INTP, so I am pretty sure I am not like him.
lol.

are you emotionally expressive.

I have had thoughts that I was retarded or something because people would always give me weird looks about practically everything, I could almost feel their views towards me. I knew they thought it, that was the hard part.

but having some close friends that you KNOW what they feel, rather than them just saying that they like you and really lying through their asses, is helpful.

but I feel socailly inapet as well at times. also love doing anything creative.
scared of words because they are communicatable.
I like art because it is more vague and left to interpretation.
one man's shit is anothers treasure sort of thing.

feels more like me too.
not being able to be understood but still admired.
who's retarded now!
lol

remember that feeling autistic only means that their are others who don't understand you, but when you find people who want to understand your wisdom you will be greatly admired...
they will feel weird or different because they don't understand you. and you will feel greatness because you have a secret no one else can figure out. 

anyway. hope this helps in figuring out your type.

what do you like to paint?


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## lantern (Feb 15, 2010)

hmmm...have you tried online tests and compared results?


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

GreenCoyote said:


> I've struggled with INFP, ENFP, INFJ, ENFJ, and ENTP.
> 
> never INTP though. my dad is an INTP, so I am pretty sure I am not like him.
> lol.
> ...


So are you saying that it's not my fault but just a general unfortunate situation? 
With art I like to paint things to express my feelings, as I can't seem to express them in any other way (I'm a technical musician so I play a piece, not a feeling) i.e. I was very angry so painted someone being burnt by an explosion and someone being killed. Other times I paint things that make me happy like cats or the sun.
Emotional expression is really hard for me, I basically feel there's a huge swarm of emotion inside me that comes out occasionally when I'm being passionate around people I trust, but is condemned to be inside me all the time, buzzing around.



kdm1984 said:


> Rule out ENFJ, then. I have an ENFJ dad and an ENFJ great aunt, and if there's one thing they excel at above all else, it's noticing other people's feelings and being able to respond on their level! Autism is the LAST thing that would EVER apply to them.


Ah right, what about ENFP? I don't know, I'm quite good with people until it comes to trust and expression, I also find it hard to read them at times (i.e. "They feel....but why?")



alfreda said:


> sorry tine, looking at your avatar I thought you were a bloke!
> 
> I think ENFJ is more likely than ENTP, though was mainly testing the FJ aspects, I think.
> 
> ...


Haha, I'm mistaken for a man on forums sometimes, no worries. 
It seems more similar than NT I must say, not spot on but very close? I really want everyone to be happy, but I also become wrathful when others cross me (i.e. friend competing with me means I compete back even harder to try and stop it, as I hate being compared and others trying to 'attack' me like that).
Haha thanks XD

Also, Lantern, tests don't work well with me as they change as my mood changes.
Oh and music is really important to me (something like squeezing out the motion so it goes with a flow rather than sits there being lame?)


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

I was thinking maybe ENFP?


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## thegirlcandance (Jul 29, 2009)

tine said:


> I've considered myself an INTJ, now INTP. I'm very confused about types as the four functions seems to have little to do with the types in some descriptions and then loads in others (INFP for example, "very aware of others feelings" but have Fi dominant, not Fe).
> 
> My sister has been trying to help me (INFJ). She read the descriptions and found that ENTP or ENFJ (maybe even xNFP) are the most like me. However these are very different.
> 
> ...


 
I'll start off by saying that extravert does NOT mean that you WANT to be around people ALL the time. If you are an E, you may want your alone time to "rejuvenate" but you are perfectly outgoing and always comfortable in social situations. Both my ENFP friend and ENTJ roommate can be very introverted at times and need time alone to rejuvenate...... sometimes want more of it than I do at times, and I have found myself pushing my ENFP friend to go out... but the thing is, that once we are out in the social situation - I'm the quiet one, and she's the loud, talkative one. 

ENTP =Ne Ti Fe Si
ENFJ = Fe Ni Ti Se

Both are VERY different types. To put it simply... I can pick a ENFJ out of the crowd pretty readily at this point. They are typically the "mother" of the group. They keep in touch with everyone but on a personal, deeper, individual level than ESFJs. ESFJs are the more socialble, detail-oriented and talk to everyone, but they don't seem to really to get as individual and have as deep of an understanding of others. Not to say ENFJs ALWAYS do... but its more so. These are the people always wanting to take care of others and the person you want to go to for a creative idea. They are not as detail oriented as an ESFJ, but they can still be very structured... their lives just don't evolve around it.

ENTP... that's a whole other breed. :laughing: They have primary Ne... most people I know with a primary Ne can be pretty scattered and crazy in person because they're taking in so much from their environment that they can be random and intense at times (from what I've seen). Ne c auses them to come up with several different ideas, while Ni causes straight line, single ideas. However, I do know a female ENTP that isn't necessarily intense. She's just a "tell it like it is" type of person, and though she is very friendly and caring of others, she can tend to say things that may be considered offensive and harsh but she fails to see how it's offensive. They can say things and not realize how harsh it is to others. They also don't have a need to take care of others so much...

I actually know two friends of mine that were ENFJ and the other ENTP that lived together. To keep it short, the ENFJ did most of the house upkeep and the ENTP didn't seem to do as much, which would offend the ENFJ. One day the ENTP said something offensive to the ENFJ and now the ENFJ doesn't talk to her so much because she was so offended by the comment.

Any questions, let me know!:wink:


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## yesiknowbut (Oct 25, 2009)

> I actually know two friends of mine that were ENFJ and the other ENTP that lived together. To keep it short, the ENFJ did most of the house upkeep and the ENTP didn't seem to do as much, which would offend the ENFJ. One day the ENTP said something offensive to the ENFJ and now the ENFJ doesn't talk to her so much because she was so offended by the comment.


...and there, in a nutshell, you have my marriage! lol. We usually make it up though.


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## thegirlcandance (Jul 29, 2009)

alfreda said:


> ...and there, in a nutshell, you have my marriage! lol. We usually make it up though.


Ha... wow.


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

Thanks very much 

Kind of torn between INFP/ENFP/ENTP now, any thoughts?


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## Everyday Ghoul (Aug 4, 2009)

If you can figure out that you're Ne dom, it would knock you down to ENxP. From there, I gave up trying to figure out Fi and Ti. You might have better luck, but, for some reason, I can't comprehend any of the introverted functions. I looked to Te and Fe instead. Reading the description of Te, it's a much better fit. Especially the part that said it accounted for my "If you do this, that will happen" thinking. I quite literally used that exact line of thinking with a friend just the other day. "If you tell him that, he'll do x." Though I definitely wouldn't be mistaken for a J, I do get a bit annoyed when things don't go according to plan, as well. That's also supposed to be Te. Theoretically, it can't be a secondary function to Ne, which everyone I've asked has seen my use of and only my Ne for certain, so that makes ENFP fit. Fe is stereotypical feeler nice. It's the "warm and fuzzy" nice, which I'm not. It might help to look into other systems a bit. My "roughness" is probably accounted for best in the Enneagram, and either being type 8 or having a very dominant 8 wing. Most people wouldn't associate type 8 behaviors with Feelers. Just sharing so you don't discredit ENFP solely based on similar reasoning that I used to. That reasoning being, that feelers were all Fe sort of nice and emotionally balanced and emotionally intelligent individuals.


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

Thanks very much, I too don't really understand the introverted functions (Fi seems to be about values though which I'm quite strong with but don't push them on people). I think I AM Ne dominant (my brain goes down long roads of strangeness and I have episodes similar to JD from Scrubs where I suddenly come back from it, haha.


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## kdm1984 (Jul 8, 2009)

tine said:


> Thanks very much, I too don't really understand the introverted functions (Fi seems to be about values though which I'm quite strong with but don't push them on people). I think I AM Ne dominant (my brain goes down long roads of strangeness and I have episodes similar to JD from Scrubs where I suddenly come back from it, haha.


Functions are useful to an extent, but it's easy to get lost in one's underwear with all the fancy terminology involved. The best way to tell T from F in my view is to ask yourself this: is it easier for you to consider and notice personal elements in subjects (people's moods, your subjective experiences, the mannerisms of people) or can you disengage from that easily and concentrate well on completely impersonal and inanimate matter, like the hard sciences and mathematics? In essence, what is the _easiest _and_ most natural_ for you to focus on?


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

kdm1984 said:


> Functions are useful to an extent, but it's easy to get lost in one's underwear with all the fancy terminology involved. The best way to tell T from F in my view is to ask yourself this: is it easier for you to consider and notice personal elements in subjects (people's moods, your subjective experiences, the mannerisms of people) or can you disengage from that easily and concentrate well on completely impersonal and inanimate matter, like the hard sciences and mathematics? In essence, what is the _easiest _and_ most natural_ for you to focus on?


I used to be fairly good at separating myself from my feelings, but nowadays I'm terrible at it and my feelings can overwhelm me (basically stuff happened and I shut off my feelings then I started getting over it and now they've come back but really strong and influential). 
I like science, hate maths, love art and creative things but would never study them (I don't like how restricted they are).
I focus on my moods and how other people feel about things alot but can also be quite impersonal and all that.


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## kdm1984 (Jul 8, 2009)

Which sciences do you like the best? Is it easier for you to study more animate, softer sciences like biology and anatomy, or do you gravitate more naturally toward completely impersonal, hard sciences like physics and chemistry?


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

kdm1984 said:


> Which sciences do you like the best? Is it easier for you to study more animate, softer sciences like biology and anatomy, or do you gravitate more naturally toward completely impersonal, hard sciences like physics and chemistry?


Biology I study, but I'm more interested in things to do with space and dinosaurs (things that aren't understood) as well as some stuff just for the sake of it (I randomly learnt about the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics).
More naturally I don't know, I just seem to drift around.


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## kdm1984 (Jul 8, 2009)

Hmmm. It sounds like you may be more F-like. I can randomly learn about certain scientific theories, too, but when it comes down to the completely impersonal applications of math and stuff to science, it's harder for me to focus. It doesn't sound like you're as drawn to the most inanimate aspects of science, either.


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## Tad Cooper (Apr 10, 2010)

kdm1984 said:


> Hmmm. It sounds like you may be more F-like. I can randomly learn about certain scientific theories, too, but when it comes down to the completely impersonal applications of math and stuff to science, it's harder for me to focus. It doesn't sound like you're as drawn to the most inanimate aspects of science, either.


Thanks very much  Yeah I hate having to do experiments on my biology course and I hate learning about things unrelated to life, but like to know about how things work.


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