Show me an ENTP

[Lerxst]

I've heard people say they're supposed to be very compatible with us INFJ's but of all the types of people I've ever met, the only one I've ever really, truly hated to the core was an ENTP. She was a deceitful, smooth-talking backstabber who never admitted guilt or fault and cost a lot of good people their jobs, including me.

After bringing it up to a therapist, we both agreed she suffered from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but there wasn't anything people around her who saw this were able to do about it. She sucked up to all the right people and found her niche in a field where people were overly forgiving (think in terms of xxFP's).

So, I'm biased.

It was hard to tell what fell into the NPD pattern and what was just part of her normal personality. Things like arguing with people even when she agreed with them, just to have the final say on a subject annoyed the hell out of me. Never showing up to anything on time or following through with commitments other people were relying on also pissed me off to no end. (Of course, the other half of that was blaming other people for not doing something and deflecting any blame from herself)

So now, I want to give any of the few ENTP's on here, or people that are close friends with them, a chance to redeem their type to me. I don't like disliking entire groups of people, but with this one person playing such a key role in the past year's worth of chaos in my life, I find myself gritting my teeth when someone mentions that MBTI type. I need something positive to undo some of this scarring. I really am sick of hating them, honest!

What are some of the good traits? What aspects of their/your personalities did this person trample over, that I might not have seen? What are some of the good experiences other people have had with ENTP's or ENTP's have had with others?

 

[Gecko]

As far as I'm concerned, your type doesn't tell you if you're a douchebag or not. For example, I've met two INFJs in my life, one of them is my girlfriend who I love very much, the other was an irrational, arrogant, snob drama loving bastard that I considered punching in the face more often than the healthy amount.

 

[Lerxst]

I'm curious what a healthy amount of face punching would be?

 

[Whiskers]

One of my best friends (and former boyfriend) is an ENTP. While for a long time we had a rather acrimonious relationship (once on bad terms he became unreasonable in arguments, refusing to ever concede on any point of significance), with time this dischord gave way to the supportive mutual understanding we now enjoy (I suppose we had a few years to mature). This ENTP is an excellent debator, and I really enjoy exploring ideas with him. I also find that, globally, our styles of communication are quite amenable to one another; conversations are frank and straightforward, and we tend to generally be "on the same page" for lack of a better term (not necessarily agreeing, but at least seeing what the other was driving at). Finally, I think what I appreciate most of all is the hope that permeates his orientation towards the world. He has realistic expectations, but is also upbeat and encouraging, quick to offer a hand to those who have stewed in jaded cynicism for too long.

 

[Majesty]

ENTP, just like every other MBTI types, describes a certain manner of thinking (Ne Ti Fe Si, you can do some research on that if you're interested). People who share that way of thinking are more likely to have a somewhat close personality (such as creativity for Ne doms or leadership/organization for Te doms).

That means thattype does NOT describe personality. Do you really think that there is only 16 kind of personalities in the whole universe? That because you met a girl who could fit the ENTP description all ENTPs are jerks? Might as well say that all INFJs are extremely close-minded, huh?

So no, I won't try to "redeem my type" to you. If you really want to stop hating ENTPs, just try to think a little more about what you're saying.

 

[Lerxst]

[MENTION=5104]Gecko[/MENTION] Don't worry, there are some INFJ's I'd like to punch in the face more than once too
[MENTION=5027]Whiskers[/MENTION] Thank you! That's the kind of info I was hoping to absorb.
[MENTION=3072]Majesty[/MENTION] Ok... deep breaths.. counting to 10... goosfraba... goosfraba... goosfraba. I'm trying really hard to avoid the knee-jerk reaction to this...

 

[subwayrider]

ENTP, just like every other MBTI types, describes a certain manner of thinking (Ne Ti Fe Si, you can do some research on that if you're interested). People who share that way of thinking are more likely to have a somewhat close personality (such as creativity for Ne doms or leadership/organization for Te doms).

That means thattype does NOT describe personality. Do you really think that there is only 16 kind of personalities in the whole universe? That because you met a girl who could fit the ENTP description all ENTPs are jerks? Might as well say that all INFJs are extremely close-minded, huh?

So no, I won't try to "redeem my type" to you. If you really want to stop hating ENTPs, just try to think a little more about what you're saying.

Yah, bro.

Just because I had one ESTJ boss that was a dick, doesn't mean that they're all... oh, wait.

 

[Jill Hives]

Something tells me [MENTION=3072]Majesty[/MENTION] didn't help your opinion of ENTPs, eh? lol

I don't think I've ever known any ENTPs. I think I've known an ESTP or possibly J, but that's up in the air and only a guess.

 

[Majesty]

Something tells me @Majesty didn't help your opinion of ENTPs, eh? lol

Lol, but that kind of thing pisses me off so much.

 

[Lerxst]

Lol, but that kind of thing pisses me off so much.

So when I say "I'm really sick of hating them" and ask for some examples that I might not have seen with this one person, your gut reaction is to get pissed off? If they hadn't been deleted, I would paste a few dozen emails this other person I mentioned had sent and then you could see how nearly identical your post was to every email they ever sent (minus the subject they talked about).

Argumentative - check
Verbally in-your-face - check
Degrading/insulting to people's intelligence - check

Just to add insult to injury, I was her supervisor...

I was hoping people could help show me that that one person was the exception rather than the norm because, as I said, I don't like the feeling of despising entire groups of people. And for the record, I don't classify people based on an MBTI type first and then decide to like them or dislike them. Certain traits are just indicative of certain types.

 

[This]

I don't really know any ENTPs in real life but Deathjam and Devildoll are both ENTPs and they seem like good reasonable peeps to me. I disagree with the whole compatibility thing, I'm not particularly attracted to the type in that sense, but I don't think those two have any of the negative traits you're mentioning.

 

[Peppermint]

I better not touch this thread.

 

[Majesty]

So when I say "I'm really sick of hating them" and ask for some examples that I might not have seen with this one person, your gut reaction is to get pissed off? If they hadn't been deleted, I would paste a few dozen emails this other person I mentioned had sent and then you could see how nearly identical your post was to every email they ever sent (minus the subject they talked about).

Argumentative - check
Verbally in-your-face - check
Degrading/insulting to people's intelligence - check

Just to add insult to injury, I was her supervisor...

I was hoping people could help show me that that one person was the exception rather than the norm because, as I said, I don't like the feeling of despising entire groups of people. And for the record, I don't classify people based on an MBTI type first and then decide to like them or dislike them. Certain traits are just indicative of certain types.

As much as me and my ENTPity would like to counter-argument everything you say in an absolutely unnecessary brutal way, I think that you just really need to forget that person. You seem to hate her so much that you're also hating everything that could be related to her (such as the ENTP type). Trying to prove how awesome ENTPs can be would probably not help you at all because that's not the problem. Just give it time.

But maybe I'm just saying a bunch of crap.

 

[InvisibleJim]

I recommend you learn from the bad ENTPs you meet to choose your ENTPs wisely.

This is also wise advice when dealing with any people in particular.

 

[subwayrider]

While Lerxst's views are mostly unfounded and silly, I think it is probable for some types to be less likable than others, on a very broad level. There is a grain of truth to be extracted here.

 

[hush]

@Lerxst

I don't decide that someone's an asshole until after I've had the pleasure of meeting them, not before. That's how you don't condemn someone (e.g., an ENTP) as a jerk without enough information.

Plus, if I met this backstabber, I would think "Hey, this one isolated individual is a backstabber," not an entire group of people. I've listened to people with similar thought patterns, though, like those who are inclined to think that all Muslims are terrorists because they've heard of a few that are. Or, people that can't eat a certain food, like bananas, because they had one that was off once and it made them throw up (this is probably an evolutionary trait/survival instinct, though).

 

[Gecko]

I'll probably piss some people off but I have to share the irony of things.

Images are from: http://www.celebritytypes.com

EDIT: By all means I'm not saying that Lerxst is wrong about the ENTP in question. I believe there are narcissistic ENTPs out there, but the irony... Oh the irony.

 

[Russ84]

I find some ENTP's really annoying and others quite reasonable and I get along with them just fine. I do not believe it is a type thing because I can say the same for pretty much every other type I have spent any reasonably amount of time with. Knowing someone's type might make it easier for you to understand why they do things the way they do or how they think about things, but it does not mean that everyone in that type is the same. People have different values, priorities, wants, needs, etc., even within the same type.

 

[invisible]

i'm writing this in the hope that it is relevant! i think it is relevant! please excuse it if it is not!

one time i met a guy over okcupid. according to the okcupid matching system we had almost perfect compatibility and no enmity. we were both infj - because he said he was, and because i could tell that he was. i didn't tell him i am infj. but two things that worried me were that he had on his profile were something like "crappy selection of guys on this site!" or something and "i get really upset when people let me down".

as soon as i talked to him he kept pressuring me to meet him when i thought we hadn't really talked enough. i thought there was something "wrong" and i wanted to figure out what it was. i told him i'm sorry, i want to talk more, i'm not ready to meet you yet. he went totally crazy nuts and started writing me all of this abusive stuff about how i was treating him like shit, how he was such a good and special person, and what a mediocre person i am, how i'll never amount to anything, i'm just one of these people who clog up the planet, and so on. i thought, you freak, i thought we're supposed to be exactly alike, we have nothing in common! i deleted hiim from my contact list without any further conversation!

then later he contacted me again through the site pretending not to remember me. he was like "can you send me some more photos" and i was like "i really don't care about that" and he was at it again, spewing these torrents of abuse at me, about how incredibly rude and worthless i am, and how i am struck from his friendship list forever - phew! what a relief!

it just doesn't matter what type someone is! they can be a good person, or an abusive asshole, no matter what type!

 

[oddgirlout]

I love the analytical side. I don't think I have had a more fulfilling and thought provoking conversations repeatedly with any other type. I admire the drive and almost obsessive quality over details related to something they are passionate about. I find them challenging, witty and fun to be around. Some can appear arrogant, disinterested or opinionated but I find that most of the time the arrogant quality comes from knowing something to the core, through and through. It's not meant to be arrogant. Disinterested is sometimes code for I can't relate to this and I am thinking and observing. And every opinion I have ever heard from an ENTP is so thoroughly researched it typically results in agreeing to disagree. I also like the debate quality. The idea of arguing a point for satisfaction, say about current events. Overall I think I love me some ENTP.