ENTJ cognitive functions highlight the functional stacking of all their mental processes and psychological functioning. This functional stack helps an ENTJ personality type to process information and make suitable decisions in life.
ENTJs are strategic thinkers who believe in actions instead of sitting with their ideas alone. They are dominating and keen to make their presence felt in the social space that they share with others.
People with ENTJ preferences are time-friendly, organized, and follow a systematic approach to everything they do in life. This type of person is fast-paced, ambitious, and competent.
They are born leaders with an appetite for new learning, implementing novel ideas into actions. They seek the best opportunities in life that can give them the desired recognition and success that they have wanted for themselves in life.
Their cognitive functions are four in number and influence their thought processes, emotions, and overall behavior in delicate ways.
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ENTJ Cognitive Functions
Each of the 16 personality types elaborated in Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) has four cognitive functions. These functions are arranged in a functional stack. The most dominant function remains on the top because it influences the person’s behavior in significant ways.
The other three functions provide a supporting role to the dominant function and enable the person to become who they are. While discussing the cognitive functions, it is important to note that these functions in reality describe the various psychological processes that the person uses to make sense of their surroundings and take vital life decisions.
Since extroverted thinking is their dominant cognitive function, ENTJs are social and straightforward in their communication style. They derive their mental energy from finer social connections. These individuals are insensitive because their feeling function is inferior and influences the least in their overall behavior pattern.
People with ENTJ preferences are impatient when things do not turn out the way they had wished for. Their inner emotional control is lacking and this makes them appear annoyed and impulsive in social setups where their decisions were either undermined or not paid much importance.
ENTJs are serious and prefer to take things on a serious note. It doesn’t mean that they do not enjoy fun and frolic, but only at the right occasion, not otherwise.
These individuals prefer to stick to rules and methods. ENTJs love to control their surroundings by knowing what to expect in a situation. They are focused on both efficiency and productivity. Their dominant function of extroverted thinking enables them to decide on the spot. They will decide logically instead of giving any emotional touch to decision making.
A person with a dominant Te function, as we find in ENTJs and ESTJs, rely on external knowledge to decide on matters important in life. It means that extraverted thinkers, as in ENTJs, will hunt for external information to validate what they think is right.
Sometimes, evidence and empirical data are used to prove this mental consensus that they have about a situation. Moreover, their inner world is logical and fiercely organized. Te also helps them to identify issues quickly and use logical problem solving strategies to overcome the same
Before we move on to analyze the functions separately, let us understand the acronym ENTJ briefly.
Extroverted (E)
ENTJs are social beings. They love to experience varied interpersonal connections that help them to feel energized in any situation. But they are cut and dry extroverts because they act indifferent and stubborn in many social situations. Their too assertive nature may not be liked by others.
Socially, they are able communicators but they become unpopular soon because they lack the necessary skills needed to stay patient and humble with others in a social setup. ENTJs love to interact with equals. Sometimes, if they find someone less logical and intelligent than them, they may feel irritated and annoyed.
The ENTJ type is picky about who they like and how much to interact in a given situation. They are emotionally distant and lack the ability to understand the fine-tuned emotions of others that they should.
Although termed as extroverts, they also have a thoughtful introverted side. ENTJs love to spend quality time just with them. They also value their independence and love to contribute individually instead of showing a lot of patience while working with others in a group.
Intuition (N)
ENTJs use their introverted intuition (Ni) or gut feeling to process information received through sensory stimuli. Then, they use it to plan for the future. They use the present details to create new future possibilities that can help them live their dream life.
Moreover, intuition is used to make predictions about how things will take a new shape in future. ENTJs will make strategies; formulate plans that will enable them to realize their long term goals effectively.
The intuitive power of an ENTJ definitely helps them to attain a sense of direction in their life. It improves their focus and problem solving abilities in the best way. By relying on intuition, they become more strong-willed and determined as well.
They become capable of overcoming challenges and obstacles. ENTJs use this intuition to become more secure about their abilities and make things possible in the most efficient manner.
The intuition of an ENTJ also has certain dark shades. It can make them stubborn beings. They become too preoccupied with their sense of making the right choice, and may tend to defy the opinions and choices of others.
They may not trust others easily. Their too firm and unchangeable attitude can make them popular in social circles. Their aggressive and dominating attitude alienates their near and dear ones and creates an emotional distance between them and others.
Thinking (T)
If you have ever come across an ENTJ, you must have seen them strong-willed and confident in all aspects of life. They are logical, thoughtful, and have strong insight to lead their lives in the best possible way.
ENTJs use extraverted thinking (Te) as a dominant cognitive function. This means they are intellectually curious and prefer to brainstorm about various known and unknown issues in life. Logic and precision along with organization skills are their greatest strengths. They use these skills to make effective plans for resolving an issue.
They are excellent at judging whether a definite plan will work or not. Maybe, they will be the first one to see loopholes in the system and will come up with some ground-breaking ideas of how to improvise the system.
They thrive on making effective plans, organizing everything around them, and directing others in doing their best. ENTJs are efficient leaders who can skillfully run operations of a business and attain great heights in writing success stories.
Judging (J)
ENTJs are able speakers but bad listeners. You may find them passing a remark that was not the need of the hour. Their thoughtful minds can come up with great ideas but it also makes them more critical than what is actually needed.
People with ENTJ preferences are controlling and prefer to dominate the social space more than anyone else.
Being a judging personality, ENJs are highly organized and love to make long term plans that take them nearer to their vision and goal in life. These individuals are critical about others’ opinions and judgments. This behavior backfires and they appear abrasive, arrogant to even the people close to them.
ENTJs are not adaptable to changing circumstances because they act stubborn and opinionated all the time. These individuals fail to realize events emotionally and can act rude and haughty in almost all walks in life.
They never like surprises and seek closure to confrontations of any sort as soon as possible.
The description of each ENTJ Cognitive functions
ENTJs are the people who see possibilities in every small thing they do in their daily life. They are ambitious and live life with a definite vision and purpose. These people are least compromising when it comes to efficiency and productivity in workplaces.
ENTJs are excellent with anything that requires analytical skills and logical reasoning. People with this personality type strive to improve their knowledge base all the time.
Their cognitive function stack shows their reliance on thinking and intuition function. ENTJs use extraverted thinking as a dominant function and introverted intuition as an auxiliary function.
They have extraverted sensing (Se) as a tertiary function and introverted feeling (Fi) as the inferior function. This functional stack clearly shows that ENTJs are logical thinkers with a strong intuition to guide them in the right way.
They are emotionally distant and appear blunt and affectionless at times. This is because of their less developed feeling function.
Their excessive reliance on logic makes them see things too rationally. They are not good at understanding the emotions of themselves and others.
Let us get into the detail description of the four cognitive functions here:
1. Dominant Function: Extraverted Thinking (Te)
As we have already mentioned, ENTJs use extraverted thinking as a dominant cognitive function. This means they are logical, deeply thoughtful, and prefer to live an organized life. These individuals use this function to remain efficient, get things done in the best way.
This function makes them appear tough, assertive, dominating, and overly insensitive in various social situations. It also helps them attain exemplary competence in life. People with (Te) preferences are prompt decision makers. They are not the ones to beat along the bush and find ways to resolve the issues.
Extraverted thinking operates in their functional stack in the following ways:
- Te helps them rely on empirical data, facts and figures to analyze situations and make logical decisions.
- They prefer to remain organized and follow a systematic approach to problem solving.
- Can separate feelings from logical decision making
- Extraverted thinkers do a lot of cause-effect relationship to make concrete decisions that are appropriate and suit the moment ideally.
- ENTJs have the power to influence and control others to accomplish tasks on time.
- They prefer to follow rules and methods that are time-tested and effective.
- The (Te) users are time-friendly and get things done on time.
- They appear stubborn as far as their ideals and opinions are concerned.
- Feelings never cross their path while making important decisions in life.
2. Auxiliary Function: Introverted intuition (Ni)
Introverted intuition is the secondary or auxiliary function in the ENTJ profile. This function helps an ENTJ rely on insight and imagination, flashes of new inspiration to make things happen and realize the long term goals in life. Ni users are future focused and are inspired by abstract ideas.
They are good to read between the lines and draw inferences from the present information to predict what things could be like in future.
ENTJs use introverted intuition in the following ways.
- ENTJs are interested in obscure and abstract ideas.
- They are long term planners who use the right strategies to overcome obstacles and make things happen in their daily life.
- They also love to daydream and think about future possibilities.
- Introverted intuition helps an ENTJ to become an overconfident person. They prefer to stay connected with their values and ideals.
- ENTJs will always try to rationalize their logical decisions as right and meaningful even if it is not.
- This function helps them to become insightful individuals.
- Helps to understand hidden meanings in every situation.
- ENTJs are quick to notice flaws in systems or loopholes in plans, so they will be geared up to remove them from their path of goal accomplishment.
3. Tertiary Function: Extraverted Sensing (Se)
This function is not well developed in the ENTJ profile. Thus, they are less sensual in nature. This function makes a person love sensuous experiences, material comforts, and possessions.
- This function makes them energetic and adventurous individuals.
- They prefer to experience challenges that can push them to become excellent problem solvers.
- Extraverted sensing makes them love thrills and spontaneity in their social life.
- They will always appreciate beautiful things that are attractive and allure their senses deeply.
- Due to the influence of this function, ENTJs will not prefer to work with monotonous tasks. They will seek novelty in their daily work even if it needs to be done in a routine manner.
4. Inferior Function: Introverted feeling (Fi)
This function is less developed in a ENTJs personality profile. They find it hard to express emotions. Similarly, others’ feelings are also perceived as distant and aloof. ENTJs are seen as harsh and haughty even to those close to them.
- This function is less developed, thus making them appear cold and distant.
- They evaluate others critically.
- ENTJs are arrogant and controlling. This attitude can make them unpopular in social setups.
- They struggle to deal with emotional situations that call for expression of compassion and empathy.
- Due to the low influence of this function, ENTJs are controlling and opinionated. They tend to critically analyze people, when their opinions do not match with them.
To Sum Up
ENTJs cognitive functions reveal their logical and less affectionate nature. These individuals are attractive and charismatic leaders. Their ability to manage people and resources makes them entrepreneurs par excellence.
Beneath the hard exteriors, ENTJs are sensitive and vulnerable. Sometimes, they become insecure about their worth when they cannot realize the feelings of themselves and others clearly.
They may develop some innermost fears that remain hidden because they do not find anyone close to share it with. Others misunderstand them as cold and distant. These people have strong opinions that others find uncomfortable. Although termed as extroverts, ENTJs are a combination of introversion-extroversion traits that are hard to categorize distinctly at times.
