ENTJ

So I had to take this personality test for sociology and I was actually pretty surprised with the results. It pretty much had me dead-on (or at least I think so). Well, I think it was really interesting so...oh, and I was an ENTJ meaning (extrovert, intuitive, thinking, judging)

ENTJ


ENTJs look at the world around them and see judgments—impersonal, analytical
judgments—that need to be made. They see people and things to be organized. They
see new and innovative challenges all around them. And they want to be the ones
to make it all happen. They want to do the
leading.

Of all the types, only the ESTJ feels a similar leadership drive. ENTJs and
ESTJs share a desire to be in positions of influence and control. Where the two
types differ is in the kinds of leadership positions they seek and what gifts
they bring to those positions. ENTJs often look for positions that offer them
opportunities to strike off in new directions, to satisfy their entrepreneurial
and creative
instincts.

ENTJs move surely and confidently into the external world. They see things and
people that need organizing. They don’t start out with a preconceived blueprint
for what they want to do. They see the need as it presents itself to them. They
are “take-charge”
people.

Even young ENTJs demonstrate an instinctive drive for leadership. A 15-year-old
ENTJ asked his mother to drive him to where his friends were building their
homecoming float. He just wanted to see what was going on. He came back in
charge. His class won first prize. For the next two years, he was in charge, and
all three years his class won first
prize.
As
a senior, his interests had matured. He overheard his teachers complaining that
their county ranked second or third in the nation in per capita income. They
also ranked 127th in teachers’ salaries. That made the young man angry. Within
two weeks he had organized “Students for Teachers.” In his county, he put
students to work collecting petitions. He organized students and parents to
speak to the school board and the board of supervisors. And he loved every
minute of it. ENTJs’ interest in new or entrepreneurial ventures comes from
their preference for focusing on possibilities. They are quick to grasp
complexities, and they enjoy making connections and seeing relationships. As
leaders, therefore, they focus on the large picture. They see things in
long-range terms. They want to provide overall direction and leave the detailed
execution to subordinates. They are, therefore, change-oriented leaders. They
will reshape an organization’s goals and seek more efficient ways of getting the
job done.

Even as parents, they reflect their “I’m in charge here” personalities. One
young ISFP noticed a pattern in how his father came home from work. He
invariably went straight to either the TV or the stereo to turn it down or off.
“I think Dad does that,” observed the young man, “just to show he’s the
boss.”
At
an early age, ENTJs begin to manifest their drive for closure. When they are
young and dependent on others for transportation, for example, they want things
settled—on the spot. It is unfair to see that behavior as a manifestation of a
childish need for “instant gratification.” Before making that judgement, watch
their reaction to being told they cannot have what they want. Do they become
angry but quickly get over it? The chances are that they have reflected on the
decision, accepted it as final, and made other plans. They are now ready to move
on. It is often useful, then, to ignore initial angry reactions. Confronting
anger with anger is likely to block ENTJs’ ability to re-decide and to prolong
their
outburst.

Do not, however, look for young ENTJs to be organized and orderly, to keep their
rooms neat, or to make lists. Their need for having things settled does not
extend to many matters as
these!
The
speed with which ENTJs make judgments and the confidence they have in themselves
often make them somewhat overpowering personalities. They can, in short, be
intimidating people. Many ENTJs expect others to show similar strengths and are
sharply critical of those who do not. It is, in short, often difficult for ENTJs
to listen to those who do not “speak their language.” Thus, in leadership
positions, they can deprive themselves of important information from
subordinates who fear to speak up. ENTJs are more likely than most types to
surround themselves with other ENTJs, thus reinforcing their strengths, but at
the same time compounding their
weaknesses.

Some ENTJs are so decision-oriented, so quick to form judgments, that they run
the risk of making hasty judgments or of forming judgments based on insufficient
information. Other ENTJs appreciate the need for decisions based on good data.
These ENTJs have a strong reflective side that brings balance to their
personalities. They enjoy time alone, for that is when they feel the need to
reflect. The need for making decisions recedes. They turn things over in their
minds. They look at things from different perspectives. They find new insights
and discover new
possibilities.

Even reflective ENTJs, however, want to have things settled. They, too, make
quick decisions and act confidently on them. They will, though, remain open to
reconsidering decisions when challenged or given new information. They arrange
their lives or their schedules so that they can have time to
reflect.

Put several ENTJs side-by-side and they seem very different. Some are “hard.”
They appear really cold and impersonal, giving orders and tolerating no
opposition. Others seem “warm” or “soft.” They are more aware of people and more
collaborative in their decision-making processes. And it’s not a male-female
difference. The difference lies in the extent to which they give themselves time
for inner reflection. Balanced and truly powerful ENTJs have a private side, a
need to turn inward periodically to explore intuitive possibilities.
While
ENTJs can focus on details, they are more likely to do so when in the service of
an intuitive insight or in support of a thinking judgment. Facts alone do not
interest them very much. Indeed, they are likely to get impatient if they have
to deal with details for very long. Details are for others, not for them, for
the next bold stroke or large issue is always there to beckon them
away.

Judgments based on personal values constitute ENTJs’ least developed side. They
are often unaware of the impact of their behavior on others, and they are often
unaware of how others are feeling. ENTJs are least skilled at deciding things on
the basis of personal values. They are uncomfortable with decisions that involve
being sensitive to people and their
emotions.

When under stress or down on themselves, however, ENTJs will often make
value-laden, subjective judgments about themselves or others. If they express
these judgments, they may do so with an explosive outburst. ENTJs can have
terrible tempers! They can use feeling judgments as a weapon to beat up on
themselves. They can use them to challenge their accomplishments, their
competence, or their
self-esteem.

On the other hand, ENTJs are also likely to have a strong sentimental streak.
Inside, they can have emotional attachments to people, groups, or ideals that
defy logical explanation. Some ENTJs may see the sentimental side of themselves
as a sign of weakness. They often seek to mask it with gruffness, thinking no
one will notice! Sometimes their value-based or people-centered judgments are
ill-conceived—childish, even—and, if acted upon, can cause them
trouble.

The ENTJ personality is a strong one. Unlike many of the other psychological
types, ENTJs do not need to assert themselves or get out of their own way in
order to live up to their potential. For them the challenge is to avoid the
tendency to make hasty decisions, to act on them before checking them out, to
fail to encourage others to speak up, to dismiss opposing points of view without
consideration, and to forget that sensitivity to people is an important part of
life. Those ENTJs who develop the discipline to avoid these pitfalls are truly
powerful people in the best sense of the word.