ENTP uncovered

ENTPs are far from angels. Don't be fooled by their clumsiness, spaced-out behaviour and over-friendliness. Behind it all is a very cold rational mind, motivated by a starvation for attention. So, if an ENTP is friendly and nice to you: a) they want you to like them; b) they also need something else from you. ENTPs care very much what others think and feel about them. In this case the "others" in question are everyone except close friends and family, because close friends and family form a special circle. If an ENTP would open the door to you in their underwear, you are probably already inside this special circle. However, you can find yourself outside this circle as quickly as you found yourself inside it.

If you let an ENTP openly know that you do not like them, you will probably earn yourself the title of enemy #1. And beware to have them as an enemy. ENTPs are great masters of tricks and deceits, often more than ESTPs, and what's more they do it in a very skilful manner. ENTPs are masters of arrangement and sharp psychoanalysts, able to foresee exactly how others can react to a situation. They can turn the whole world against you, if you are not careful. ENTPs also have the unique ability to make a deal with their conscience. They can successfully justify almost any wrong doing, thus ensuring that they will sleep well at night.

Although ENTPs are widely acclaimed for their originality, there are two sides to this coin. Just as ENFPs, ENTPs are very curious and process a lot of information, similar to a gold digger washing out the soil looking for gold. And ENTPs know where the "gold" is. They are often well aware of some new and unusual discoveries. Such information is usually available to everyone who is interested enough to look for it, but not many people are that bothered. ENTPs ideas are often based on these discoveries and for someone who didn't know that these findings are already in existence, ENTPs ideas may look very radical and original.

Their true originality is in their ability for lateral combinatory thinking. ENTPs are mostly interested in improvements, modernizations and innovations of something that already exists and is well known. James Dyson gave birth to a cyclone action vacuum cleaner. The cyclone effect is based on physics and has been known for centuries. Applying this effect to the household vacuum cleaner was an act of lateral thinking. Did Dyson invent something radical? He just made a better vacuum cleaner. In retrospect, it would probably be fair to say that ENTPs are better classified as inventive-modernizers. (You can read Dyson's story here.)

In conclusion, any type is capable of being inventive, creative, original and full of ideas. Keep your mind open about this.

© Sergei Ganin 2002