The Meaning of ENTP: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know your Myers-Briggs personality type? This article will teach you all about the ENTP personality type, as well as other meanings of the abbreviation ENTP. 

Keep reading to learn all about the ENTP personality type. 

What Does ENTP Stand For?

According to VeryWell Mind, ENTP is a Myers-Briggs personality type that stands for extroverted, intuitive, thinking, and perceiving. People who are ENTPs are often good at seeing the big picture and are very idea-oriented. While they might struggle with details and minutiae, ENTPs are very rational, clever, and innovative.

ENTPs are extroverts, which means that they enjoy interacting with people. ENTPs make great conversationalists, and you might find them chatting with other people at a party or social gathering or engaging in a debate. 

There are several great ENTP careers. ENTPs suffer when they feel bored, so it’s important that ENTPs find a career that excites and motivates them. ENTPs will make great lawyers, business leaders, journalists, and psychologists if they enjoy more creative paths. 

If an ENTP prefers the hard sciences, they might opt to be a scientist or engineer. ENTPs have a great balance of rationality and creativity, which they enjoy coupling with their leadership skills.

What Is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)?

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test that Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs developed based on Carl Jung’s personality type theory. This personality test is designed to show a person their strengths, preferences, and weaknesses. No one personality type is better than another, and having a mix of personality types is what makes the world go ‘round!

Below, we will explore the four sets of opposing letters that make up the MBTI. There are sixteen potential personality types, each formed by choosing one letter from each of the following pairs: introversion and extroversion (I and E), intuition and sensing (N and S), feeling and thinking (F and T), and judging and perceiving (J and P). 

Keep reading to see the difference between each of these letters.

Extraversion vs. Introversion

This first dichotomy explores the way that people interact with others. Someone who is introverted gets their energy from being alone. Introverts might feel like they have a social battery. Once it is drained, it’s time to go home. 

Extroverts are the opposite, and they gain their energy from being around other people. An extrovert might opt to go to many social events and become bored and depressed if they have to be alone for too long. 

One example of a way an introvert and an extrovert might differ is that introverts might prefer to work from home, while extroverts might prefer to go into an office.

Sensing vs. Intuition

This next dichotomy — intuition and sensing — explores how people gather information from the world. People who are intuitive are often more focused on impressions, ideas, theories, and their imagination. These people are usually better at planning and the big picture.

People who are sensors pay close attention to what they learn from their concrete senses. These people might prefer details and facts rather than abstract notions and are often very detail-oriented. 

One example of a way an intuitive and a sensor might differ is that an intuitive might prefer laying out a large-scale plan of how a project will work, while a sensor might be better at figuring out the details of how each step of the project will get completed. 

Thinking vs. Feeling

Third, the thinking and feeling dichotomy explores how people decide things based on the information that they have. As the name implies, a thinker will often focus on facts and hard data. They might appear more rational and be better with calculations.

A feeler might prefer to make decisions based on their instincts, emotions, or how a decision will have an effect on other people. Both of these types of decision-makers are important to the world.

If a feeler and a thinker are both on the board of a company, a thinker might logically opt to cut costs by removing certain employee benefits, while a feeler might encourage the company to keep things that boost morale. 

When these types work together, they can come to balanced conclusions.

Perceiving vs. Judging

For our final dichotomy, we will explore perceiving and judging. Perceivers tend to be open and flexible with their decisions, while judgers remain set in stone once a decision has been made. 

These can also complement each other. While a perceiver might be considered indecisive, they can easily adapt to new situations, while a judger might struggle with rigidity but is more decisive.

The Different MBTI Types

There are sixteen potential MBTI types, all of which have a specific name or title. ENTP is considered The Debater. Which MBTI type are you, and what is your title?

• ISTJ – The Inspector
• ENTP – The Thinker
• ENFJ – The Giver
• ISFJ – The Protector
• ISFP – The Artist
• INTJ – The Architect
• ISTP – The Crafter
• ENTJ – The Commander
• INTP – The Thinker
• ESTP – The Persuader
• ENFP – The Champion
• ESTJ – The Director
• ESFP – The Performer
• INFP – The Mediator
• ESFJ – The Caregiver
• INFJ – The Advocate
  

Conclusion

ENTP stands for extraverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving. This MBTI type often describes people who are good at problem-solving and brainstorming, have a good sense of humor, and can see the big picture and different perspectives in the decision-making process. 

To find out which MBTI type you are, take the MBTI personality test!

Sources:

ENTP Personality: Characteristics & Cognitive Functions | Very Well Mind

ENTP – What Does ENTP Stand For? | The Free Dictionary  

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: The 16 Personality Types | Very Well Mind