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ILE by Stratiyevskaya
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By
Vera Stratievskaya
, Reference:
Socionics from Stratievskaya
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Ego block
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1st function - Ne Extraverted intuition
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For the ENTp (ILE) “Don Quixote” the study of any subject is, first of all, a study of the prospects that open up before him. The ability to see new opportunities and new prospects that arise before him - is ILE’s strongest and most characteristic trait.
The ENTp is a dreamer and romantic, who captivates himself and others with his ideas. A lack of participation of others in his plans is painfully experienced by him. He is irritated by people that are incapable of or don’t want to fantasize and dream. Grounded “realists” who treat the products of his imagination as empty and worthless risk finding in him an ardent and irreconcilable opponent.
For the ENTp, thinking and fantasizing - are two inseparable things. While thinking, the ILE fantasizes; while fantasizing, he thinks.
Representatives of this type show phenomenal abilities in many different spheres of intellectual creative activities, generating ideas and proposing hypotheses, which leave the achievements of their current era several centuries behind. Their contributions to the development of society’s intellectual progress cannot be overvalued. Prominent representatives of this type are rightfully considered to be founders of many scientific directions and schools. Discovery of new horizons and new perspectives in scientific, artistic, and socio-political spheres - is their greatest purpose.
Truly amazing and admirable is ENTp’s ability to understand the very essence of things with unfathomable quickness. Last of all the ILE needs the thing being explained to be “laid out shelf-by-shelf” for him. The ILE becomes extremely irritated if he is treated as slow-thinking. Usually, the ILE will himself “control the pace” of information exchange and learning new material: he will hint to his conversation partner that he has already understood everything that has been said and that the presentation can move further.
While comprehending the meaning of a new phenomenon, the ENTp is already thinking about its possible applications. In childhood, during school years, young representatives of this type often make an impression of being students who are in their thoughts and absent from their class. Their teachers, as a rule, do not suspect that the meaning of the material has been already understood, and now the ENTp is now simply independently thinking it over, disconnecting from annoying explanations that are meant for “slow thinking blockheads”, and that slow down his own creative thoughts that are incomparably more important and interesting than the school teacher’s simple and primitive examples.
Barely discovering new possibilities for himself, the ILE begins to activate those around him for new and original projects. The ILE himself or herself actively participates in their design and setup, later allowing others to help with their realization.
The ENTp dislikes getting stuck with one and the same project, with one and the same idea, but it would be a mistake to consider him a person of erratic and unstable interests. The ILE loses interest for his project only in several cases: if he no longer sees any possibilities for its realization, or the realization of this project is entering the final phase, while at this time a new, more promising idea appears on his doorstep.
Note
Editor’s note: This is also conditioned by the fact that ILE is a Process type. Process types experience most difficulties at transitional stages, when they have to finish or start on something.
Quick switches to new, more interesting projects are quite characteristic of the ENTp. In his or her understanding, it is pointless to waste time on something, which has been almost thought through to its conclusion, while the horizons of new opportunities are constantly expanding, opening access to new ideas and undertakings.
While being captivated by something, the ENTp cannot get distracted by another matter. Therefore, it’s not enough to say that the ILE prefers to do only what interests him — rather the ILE is unable to do that, which does not interest him. We can confidently say that mandatory, forced education of some required subject is a painful torture and outright abuse of themselves for any representatives of this type.
Intuition and inspiration are the ENTp’s genuine and meticulously guarded valuables. In any situation, the ENTp defends his or her right to act as his or her intuition and inspiration suggest. All the possible instructions, directives, regulations, and mandates are definitely not for people of this type. In ILE’s perception and understanding, a rigid work schedule or timetable — is an abuse of his inspiration. Why should he have to generate his ideas at some predetermined time?!
Being captivated by his work, the ENTp is capable of showing exceptional industriousness and miracles of efficiency, but in those periods when the idea has not yet ripened and is only being thought over, the ENTp can make a completely erroneous impression of a person who is languished from boredom. In reality, wherever he is and whomever he is talking to, whether he is asleep or awake, the ENTp’s thinking is capable of catching any, even seemingly the most insignificant, impulses that could possibly interest the ILE, and in future find a reflection in his ideas, hypotheses, and projects.
Any new information can become a source of inexhaustible inspiration for the ENTp. The intellectual creativity of people of this type is a constant and uninterrupted process. If the ILE stops generating ideas for even a half hour or an hour, then he is either sick or exhausted. In either case, it is a very troubling symptom.
“Don Quixote” — is always an audacious fantasy combined with a tireless and inquisitive mind. Bravely putting aside all obsolete and non-viable systems, the ILE opens up new horizons of the future before his contemporaries, considering it his duty to think today about the problems that the humankind will have to face tomorrow.
The ideas, theories, and projects, in whose world the ENTp lives and exists, with all their seeming fantasticality, seem to him personally as realistically implementable and in no shape or form torn from the reality, because they are founded on realistic actual information and on the understanding of the real essence of things. By virtue of this perception, many representatives of ILE type consider themselves to be true realists and categorically disagree with being labeled as romantics, fantasizers, and empty dreamers.
The ENTp has a habit of generously sharing his ideas. And the more generously he shares them, the more actively he generates them. And because the ENTp understands better than anyone else that “it is impossible to grasp the ungraspable”, he is more likely to agree to have other people work out and patent his ideas, than to allow his “offspring” to perish at the root without ever developing into at least semi-serious projects. Therefore, the best thing that an ENTp interested in research and development can wish for himself is to obtain the opportunity to head a research and work group that is capable of developing and working out wide-ranging and prospective projects.
The ideas of ILEs, as a rule, are designed and oriented at bringing happiness to all humankind or at least some part of it — it is for this reason that ILEs appear as naive dreamers who wear rosy glasses in the eyes of their contemporaries. History has proven the possibility of realization of practically all of ENTp’s ideas. The allegation that not every idea has been successfully realized can be explained by both miscalculations of ENTps, who are inclined to go to great extents in ignoring and shunning facts that would be adverse to the popularization of the ideas they are developing, as well as the miscalculations and mistakes of the implementers of their ideas, who frequently alter ILE’s theories towards their own aims.
ENTp’s circle of interests is extremely wide. In fact, ILE’s astounding erudition combines with an exceptionally deep understanding in numerous and various and not always directly related spheres in an amazing way. Intellectually, the ENTp lives very broadly with much fulfillment and saturation. The ENTp takes from life the most interesting and wonderful things, and in return generously bestows upon it the fruits of his creativity, which are quite enough for his contemporaries, and even contain a surplus for his descendants and future generations.
Many representative of ILE type are endowed with a magnificent memory for numbers and historical dates. At any minute, they can recite a quote or excerpt from some literary composition or scientific work with astounding accuracy. They can freely recreate any encyclopedic data from memory (a “walking library”).
The ENTp receives any new information, new methods, new approaches, and new possibilities with much enthusiasm. By virtue of his optimism, the he often counts on the best, most favorable course and outcome of events. He often thinks about how things could be or should be, and not about how things actually are. Reality introduces its own correctives into ENTp’s hopes and calculations, in unfortunately not always an opportune manner.
The ENTp is endowed with an quality to distance himself away from reality in his thoughts, since fantasy and inspiration can take over him at any time and in any place. This explains certain absentmindedness that is characteristic of people of this type, due to which the ENTp can easily forget not only where he had placed something, but also where he is himself. The ILE may not hear that someone is talking to him, not see that there is a person right next to him. He can smile at his own thoughts, converse or argue with himself. He may forget to greet a person because, at that moment, he is not thinking about manners at all. (For ENTps, the society’s rules of conduct, just as any other set of rules, do not constitute an indisputable truth.)
The ENTp is capable of pulling off an extravagant maneuver or scheme. In fact, for him, extravagancy is not only means of self-expression, but also an opportunity to attract attention to his ideas and activities.
The ENTp is attracted and interested in anyone who can create original ideas, who is capable of seeing unusual in the ordinary, and finding hidden opportunities where it seems as if nothing could be invented further. Anyone who is incapable of doing this are not worth much in his understanding.
The ENTp can quite accurately describe the character, capabilities, and potential of people around him (unfortunately, not always in a tactful manner). He is able of accurately evaluating the intellectual potential of his conversation partners.
The ENTp can and likes to develop his own capabilities and skills. In fact, he engages in this process very seriously. Any hindrance in this is perceived by him as an infringement on his rights.
The ENTp does not like to admit his own mistakes, therefore he always finds an explanation for his failures. Most often, he “writes them off” on other people. This can be explained by the fact that, first of all, the ENTp does not forgive himself for his own mistakes. He therefore tries to whitewash himself in the eyes of others, so as to not aggravate his suffering with their criticisms and reproaches.
The ENTp is inclined to advertise and show himself off (especially in his youth) as well as to overestimate his own potential. However, in a circle of close friends, the ILE can share his regrets about back luck and his own personal failure.
Being subjected to prolonged psychological discomfort, especially as a child or a teen, the ENTp can depart from reality into fantasy life, into the sphere of completely made-up fantasies, where he attempts to creatively realize himself: he imagines and thinks up various fantastical stories about himself and about his friends, draws pictures that only he is able to understand, writes poetry. In a word, the ILE contrives another life, which seems to exist on the other side of his reality. In this other life, everything occurs in the best possible and desired by him way. Furthermore, it sometimes appears to be the main life that he leads. The events and characters of his made-up life are sometimes more strongly and brightly remembered by him than real life events. The ILE prefers not to tell anyone about this fantasy life, except maybe the people closest to him and those who understand him best; this is his deep, carefully guarded secret.
The ENTp is characterized by a deeply ingrained sense of independence and internal freedom. Therefore, his second, “unreal” life comes into play as an extra “space for existence” in cases when his actual reality becomes too unbearable to live in.
It is impossible to make the ENTp to think “like everybody else”, impossible to push him into a framework of convention, and impossible to forbid him to freely speak and express himself.
Irrespective of whether other people feel comfortable around him or not — he is how and who he is. Everything else is a problem of people who are personally incompatible with him.
2nd Function - Ti Introverted logic
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In order to adopt any system of values, the ENTp needs to first logically understand it, to clarify and grasp it logically.
The ENTp must have a clear, logical image of every event, phenomenon, and “super-phenomenon”, else various superstitions start to overcome him. The ILE will feel very poorly until he can logically explain a phenomenon to himself.
The ENTp prefers to arrive at everything through his own reason and thoughts. For example, if during an exam, he does not know the proof for some theorem, then he may re-invent the proof again without a problem, using his own approach.
Ability to reason the ENTp considers to be the most valuable characteristic in both himself and other people. The ILE attributes huge significance to intellectual creativity and development of intellectual abilities. If he is a teacher, he, first of all, considers it his duty to cultivate in his students an ability to reason - else it’s unimaginable to him how he will explain anything to them.
The ENTp has strongly developed associative thinking. Moreover, their associations can be the most unexpected. During its intuitive flight, the thought of ILE can carry him or her away to the most distant, and in no way compatible with each other, spheres.
Arguments and debate are a type of intellectual entertainment for the ENTp - an opportunity to think, to deliberate, to state his views, attract attention to his ideas and opinions. No other type knows better how to engage and pull someone else into a debate or argument like ILE “Don Quixote”. Here he has no equals. The ILE is magnificent at provoking discussions and debates. It is enough for him to think out loud in a populated place, and the rest will be taken care of by the extravagance of his statements, which rarely leaves other people indifferent.
The ENTp does not always have a goal to impose his opinions and views on his conversation partners no matter the cost (although, he will feel disappointed if he does not succeed in this at least a bit). The ILE often joins an argument not only because the process of discussion gives him pleasure, but also to acquaint “the masses” with his opinions and ideas.
The ENTp wins debates not only through erudition, but also through his ability to pose the most unexpected counterarguments. Here, too, the ILE has no equals. His logic is so free, so active and flexible that he can drive anyone into a dead-end with his counterarguments, regardless of the level of his own education or the authority and erudition of his opponent. The ILE can prove anything that he wants to or what has occurred to him to prove. He can easily correlate things that nobody else will ever think to correlate. And why not? And who said that they cannot be related and compared? (Sometimes, the less educated the ENTp is, the harder it gets harder to argue with him.)
For ENTp new ideas emerge suddenly, at the most unexpected moments, in the process of any activity: during a meal, during a conversation, while listening to music, or watching a movie — they emerge as the result of the activity of his subconscious. The ILE can generate ideas even in his sleep. In fact, they can also get worked out there as well. Sometimes upon waking, the ENTp remembers the “starting data” he dreamed about and starts thinking: where did he get it from? through which analogy did this occur? The ENTp takes his “dream work” exceptionally seriously as completely realistic projects.
The ENTp can develop any, even the most unbelievable, idea into an accurately formulated and logically constructed theory. In fact, on the basis of the facts and assumptions he has, the ILE can already see and figure out the hidden structure, laws, and regularities of this theory.
The results of ENTp’s research activities are often expressed as creation of various logical structures and classifications. Moreover, these structures are not static, but dynamic and flexible, and can easily be modified with emergence of new factors and circumstances.
Super-ego block
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3rd Function - Se Extraverted sensing
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A tendency to defend and protect his or her right to live in the way he or she wants is characteristic of the ENTp. Constantly and everywhere the ENTp demands the recognition of his or her rights to free intellectual creativity without any limitations. He should be as free as his thought and fantasy. Free of various social conventions, obligations, commitments, complaints, from everything that interferes with his intellectual creativity.
In light of such attitude, serious personal and formal problems arise before the ENTp. Not everybody around him understands that, while the ILE spends entire days staring at the ceiling, great ideas are ripening in his mind, capable of bringing happiness to all of mankind.
At the same time, the ENTp cannot and does not consider it necessary to distract himself from his projects in order to remember whether he has washed the dishes after himself, as others may categorically demand of him. He is irritated by any demands by others, because they distract him from ingenious, exceptional, and unique ideas and try to make him address some everyday trifle. (It stands to reason that the more mundane and trivial the demands and complaints, the more they irritate him.)
The ENTp struggles to have the right and opportunity to rid himself of these annoying distractions, to fence himself off from them, because he does not want to be met with any hindrances at all on his path to creativity. For example, his projects must be accepted in the way that he presents them, moreover, accepted doubtlessly and unconditionally. Routine work necessary for their description or design cannot be demanded from him, because this slows down his thoughts and consumes his precious time on what he thinks are useless and trivial matters.
The ENTp often faces a contradictions between the heightened demands that he presents to others and the lowered demands that he presents to himself. For example, when evaluating another’s work, he won’t tolerate even the tiniest logical mistakes and inaccuracies, while at the same time, in his own work he may consider any logical error permissible, asserting that it doesn’t sufficiently influence the essence of this work or an idea.
The same thing happens in the sphere of rights and obligations: the ENTp will categorically insist on his rights, not allowing himself to go for even the smallest compromise. With the same uncompromising manner, the ILE will try to fence himself off from any responsibilities and commitments.
Problems constantly arise for the ENTp with carrying out what he has promised: when the ILE makes a promise, at that moment he is thinking only about what he could do, that is, what is in the scope of his possibilities - he is not thinking how he will actually do it. Therefore, any demands made of ILE to fulfill his promises only anger him: how can anyone seriously consider that he will distract himself from his interesting business for some nonsense, in which he personally has no interest?
An attempts to impose on the ENTp some regular obligations will be received by him with exceptionally hostility. It will be perceived as someone’s evil intent: this means that somebody is bothered by his innate desire to be free in his activities, thoughts, and plans. This means that somebody wants to “rein him in”, somebody wants to “use him to haul water on his back”. The question is: Who? Who is he, this evildoer? The “evildoer” will be quickly found and war will be declared on him or her “until a victorious end”. Anyone who is close to this person can also land into the ranks of “enemies”. This can be ENTp’s close relative, spouse, friend, boss, etc. It is useless to convince the ENTp that these demands are being made in his own interests and for his own livelihood — how would anyone else know his interests better than himself?!
An ENTp who concentrates all his strengths and thoughts on “a war with the windmills” is always a tragedy, always a sad and unpleasant event to witness. An inexhaustible rich fantasy, meticulously gathered information, brilliantly constructed game plan — all of this gets directed towards undermining his former boss, giving his former mother-in-law a heart attack, depriving his former spouse of living space …
Where are those ingenious projects and ideas that used to ripen in ENTp’s mind? Now, he won’t bring happiness to people anytime soon…
The notions of sense of duty (necessity, responsibility, obligation) are cultivated in the ENTp through a logical understanding of acting in one way or another and through observation and logical analysis of the consequences of his actions. (Though, it is sometimes very difficult for him to concentrate on such observations.)
On the other hand, it is difficult to imagine an ENTp who is constantly mindful of not bringing any discomfort to others, constantly distracting himself in order to check if he remembered to wash the dishes or turn off the light in the bathroom. Such an ENTp over time begins to notice that ingenious ideas and inspirations visit him more and more rarely. Furthermore, such an ILE would notice that he is already not in the condition to concentrate on his intellectual creativity without thinking about the surrounding everyday trifles. Such a “conflicted” ENTp represents another, different, although less problematic, but also not always appealing extremity.
Many of these problems get resolved when an ENTp gets a partner who delicately and unimposingly distributes his rights and obligations. A partner who is able to smooth over conflicts and arguments, who is able to express his demands in a form that sounds convincing, valid, and not burdensome to the ILE. The ENTP’s dual, the ISFp (SEI), his ideally complementing partner, is exactly like this: the sensing-ethical introvert, existing in socionics under the pseudonym of “Alexander Dumas”.
The sensing-ethical introvert (ISFp, “Dumas”) has the aspect of volitional sensing in the position of the observing function. Therefore, the SEI sensitively and subconsciously observes how his partner receives the demands presented to him, which obligations he willingly takes on himself and how he fulfills them. The SEI very tactfully and with his inherent to him special soft and delicate manner regulates this aspect for the ILE, simultaneously adapting to the demands of his dual partner and making the ILE be more considerate of the rights and needs of others.
4th Function - Fi Introverted ethics
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Relationships with other people don’t come easy to the ENTp; in fact, they don’t easily happen at any distance. For example, his lessened demands for himself along with his heightened demands for others are often perceived by others as a blatant injustice. ENTp’s habit of overvaluing his own abilities and simultaneously scornfully speaking about the intellectual potential of other people also does not invoke particular sympathies.
Literally with every step the ENTp creates situations in which everybody present becomes extremely uneasy regarding his behavior, not to mention the people closest to him, who often want to vanish into thin air from embarrassment. For example, take this situation (described by A. S. Griboyedov in his comedy Woe from Wit): an ENTp comes to meet the relatives of his fiancé. During a conversation, he expands the discussion to socio-political topics and, not concurring with the views of the majority of those present, he tells each of them the most unpleasant things. The fiancé and her relatives are shocked by both the situation itself and that they are being called “pathetic and puny people, incapable of thinking”. In the end, the engagement is broken off, and the ENTp is left to deliberate about how many halfwits and bastards are in this world.
These unceremonious and rude behaviors that are characteristic of the ENTp, such as presumptuousness, imposition, indelicacy, bordering on boorishness, total disregard for decency, all of these are trifles compared to the truly serious problems that happen in the process of ILE’s personal relationships at closer distances.
First of these problems is that the ENTp acknowledges freedom and independence only for himself, sometimes not leaving his partner even the right to have own opinion. If the ethical and interpersonal situation is even slightly aggravated, the ENTp may right away put firm demands before his partner, sometimes even in the form of ultimatums. For example, in the beginning stages of becoming acquainted, the ENTp may demand that his girlfriend breaks off any relations with all her admirers, because he wants to immediately fence her off from various outside influences and other opportunities (and at the same time fence himself off from possible rivals).
This happens due to ENTp’s primarily logical approach to ethical issues, but also because he doesn’t see any distance between himself and another person, with whom he intends to closely socialize. Barely having begun a relationship, the ILE already treats his partner as a part of himself — from which comes a “logical” conclusion that his partner already, entirely and wholly, belongs to him. Consequently, the partner has no remaining right to choose, opportunity, and personal freedom, just as there can be no discrepancy in views, since now everything is being decided, thought, and chosen by the ENTp.
An outsider can still have some freedom of opinion. The ILE can fully allow for this. But if it involves his partner, then everything is decided on by the ILE univocally: a partner is already a part of him, and consequently must obey him in everything. (It is possible to become the “partner” of an ENTp within 15 minutes after getting to know him and namely because he has decided so.)
Note
Editor’s note: An example of this - an ENTp broke up with his ESTj girlfriend, and almost immediately, 2 weeks after the break-up, announced that he intends to make an IEI girl he played online games with his girlfriend, disregarding the fact that they lived far away, in different countries, as well as her opinion on this matter.
An ethical situation is the more comfortable and acceptable for the ENTp, the less premises it produces for occurrence of potential ethical problems. Therefore, with his tendency to create unproblematic relationships (for himself), the ENTp can stiffen his demands to his partner to an extreme level, control his or her connections, relationships, behavior, beliefs, and manner of thinking.
However, everything written above happens, as a rule, in cases of psychological incompatibility with a partner (sometimes, however, it happens in case of disruptions of equilibrium in dual relations).
In circumstances of continuous psychological discomfort, the ENTp becomes irritated by everything, constantly experiencing (often unfounded) mistrust and aversion towards his partner.
Irritation and aversion towards his partner can visit the ENTp in the very starting phase of their relations. Nevertheless, the ILE will try to maintain and continue on with the relationship, develop it further, and even insist that it is legitimated. Acting in this manner, the ILE supposes that after some time he will be able to create terms and conditions by which his partner will have to remake themselves and adapt to his views. In fact, an official marriage seems to him to create preconditions to this. Additionally, due to problems in communication with people around him, relationships are always difficult for the ENTp, and he know this, and grows accustomed to it, and considers such relationships to be normal.
Note
Editor’s note: That is, with all these difficulties the ENTp simply gives up on having high quality relationships, and comes to a point of enduring just about anything, at which point he may even date his “conflitors”. Or having never experienced a quality relationship, the ENTp considers a low quality difficult relationship to be quite acceptable to himself.
The ENTp likes to to publicly discussion ethical topics, especially if there is a suitable (as it seems to him) reason for it. Sometimes an impression arises that the ILE enjoys drawing outsiders into discussions of his personal problems.
Sometimes the ENTp starts sorting out his relations with people who are close to him (his wife, brother, mother, mother-in-law, and other relatives) in populated and completely unsuitable for this places: on public transport, during guest visits, at the theater, during a presentation or lecture, in the presence of other people or even common acquaintances, which only aggravates the uneasiness of the situation. In this situation, the “guilty person” must not only blush from frankly boorish behavior of ILE, not only listen to his insults, which are often unjustified and go far beyond the limits of decency, but also suffer excruciatingly from shame before other people due to the uneasiness and publicity of the situation itself, and their connection to this angry person. In such instance the ILE may be monstrously cruel: the situation is intuitively planned by him in such a way that it is impossible to find a way out of it. While there is an audience around, this “public execution” will continue. (It should not be thought, however, that the ENTp starts these arguments only in the presence of outsiders; they are possible in any situation, but in every instance the ENTp will try to foresee the moment when his partner will be especially defenseless and vulnerable.)
When ENTp’s behavior surpasses the limits of personal norms of communication, it is altogether impossible to call him to recollect himself, because this leads to an absolutely contrary result. Since the ENTp does not want to recognize any “perosnal limits” and “norms of communication” as a matter of principle, he uses every and any opportunity to destroy these norms. The more ENTp’s behavior is criticized, the more uneasiness he experiences, and the more he begins to protest against the ethical demands required of him, which aggravates the situation even further. Having been reprimanded for his indelicacy, the ENTp will start to be intentionally rude, and this rudeness will then become boorishness. The next stages are open and rank cynicism and hooliganism. The is possible to redirect his attention and reaction by ceasing to condemn his actions in time and finding a means of calming his down. And only a psychologically compatible partner can do this.
As a rule, only ENTp’s dual partner, ISFp (SEI), succeeds in this. The SEI is able to very subtly sense the state and emotions of his conversation partner, and timely notice and influence his moods. Besides this, the presence and company of SEI always has a calming and relaxing effect on the ILE — an effect particular to any communication with a dual. Diplomatic, smooth, amiable, patient, and suave, the ISFp renders the ENTp an invaluable service not only by softening his behavior, but also by softening and improving his relations with others.
Super-id block
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5th Function - Si Introverted sensing
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The need to worry about his own condition and convenience is often neglected by the ENTp since this prevents him from thinking and working, and distracts him from other, more important concerns. Therefore, the ENTp tries to organize relations with his partner so that the question of his state and condition will be solved without his participation.
In his personal life the ENTp is undemanding and unpretentious. When he is the one organizing his way of life, the ILE tends to reduce his needs down to a minimum. He eats somewhere outside, frequently with friends or family, or buys prepared food. He cleans up and organizes his room only when the disorder starts to hinder his work. The ILE doesn’t like going shopping regularly. He often forgets what he wanted to buy, he has trouble determining the quality of goods and choosing quality items, and feels annoyed by having to wait in lines.
The ENTp is somewhat conservative in his tastes. He prefers to eat and order that which is familiar to him, and that which takes the least time to prepare. He can feed himself while moving around, or may forget to have a drink. For example, not taking a break from his work, the ILE can feed himself with a piece of bread with a spread of mustard on it. The ILE rarely prepares food for himself. Sometimes, the ENTp suddenly gets overcome by a desire to eat something he remembers eating in his childhood.
The ENTp relates with distrust to new gustatory sensations and experiences. Often, the ENTp trusts the taste only of those people who have his sympathy, and also with whom he is in good relations. Equally, he listens to the advice only of those people who have evoked his respect, whom he sincerely trusts and whom he “loves”. The ILE even tries to imitate such people in their habits, in their manners of behavior and in their tastes. He can dress in “father’s style” and insist that the food is prepared for him by “mother’s recipe”.
A partner who evokes ENTp’s antipathies will never be able to please him in anything, no matter how hard he or she tries. Moreover, any references made to an “authoritative source” will only irritate the ILE. The most “authoritative source” - is the person himself or herself, to whom the ILE relates well.
The ENTp must constantly feel his partner enjoys caring after him. Only in this case does he properly relax and abandon his mistrust. And vice versa, any hints to the fact that the ILE is cared for out of feeling of duty, and that this, in turn, will put future responsibilities and obligations on him, are received by the ENTp with exceptional unease and discomfort, since subconsciously the ILE is oriented at the leading sensing function of his dual, the SEI, for whom to give pleasure to another - is the same happiness as to receive it.
The aspect of sensing of sensations (Si) for the ENTp is intimately connected with the aspect of ethics of relations. Therefore, for complete happiness and harmony in relations, the ENTp needs a partner who is not only endowed by nature with a splendid sense of taste, but who is also capable of expressing his or her good relation in that form, which will be most convincing to the ILE. And this is possible only with his dual partner, the ISFp, for whom the aspect of sensing of sensations is the “program” one, and the aspect of ethics of relations is demonstrative. (The ISFp exceptionally well feels various combinations of colors, odors, sounds, and voices his or her opinions in a delicate and benevolent manner. Any other manner of conveying information on this aspect does not convince the ILE; thus, no other sensing type can influence and cultivate ILE’s sensing in the same manner and to the same extent as can the SEI.)
In the area of art and aesthetics, the ENTp frequently expresses himself in the most interesting manner precisely on the “lead” of ISFp - as the ISFp’s student or follower, moreover, direct contact with a dual is not even necessary. As, for example, the compositions of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (ILE, “Don Quixote”) were influenced by the music of Gioachino Rossini (SEI, “Dumas”).
The ENTp seeks harmony and pleasure in sensations, since ultimately he is oriented to at wholesomeness of sensations that corresponds to the sensory program of his dual, SEI. Art, in the opinion of the ILE, must bring pleasant impressions. And it indeed brings pleasure, moreover, not only to him but also to other spectators.
Innovative approach, originality of the general idea, variety of interestingly developed themes - there are the main qualities that characterize the artistic creations of the representatives of this type.
6th Function - Fe Fe Extraverted ethics
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ENTp’s mood in many respects depends on the sensations that he experiences. For example, a feeling of hunger makes him not simply irritable, but also aggressive. The ILE is very sensitive to the discomfort. An unpleasant, penetrating look from his conversation partner, or imperious commanding intonations in his or her voice can also influence ILE’s mood. Unceremonious behavior, just as any other manifestations of disrespect, cause sudden episodes of extreme irritation and even anger from the ILE.
The ENTp dislikes and does not know how to openly talk about his feelings and emotions. Usually he expresses them indirectly, by mentioning his motivations. For example, if he is feeling irritated, the ENTp can say to his partner: “I will throw you out of the window!” - but this does not mean that he will do precisely that. And this does not even indicate extreme hatred - this, altogether, only means that he is feeling irritation, which is usually caused by some kind of discomfort.
The ENTp typically expresses his sympathies in the form of any positive information. For example, he won’t tell a woman: “You are attractive to me”. (If he squeezes something like this out of himself, it will be frank falsity.) No, usually the ILE will give out such information by hints - he tells a woman that he has described her to his parents, and now she is invited to come visit them. The proposal of his hand and heart the ILE also makes in the form of hints. “In a month I will return from my assignment and then we can submit the paperwork”.
The ENTp cannot openly admit to his feelings, similar to any logical type, because for him this is too mysterious of a phenomenon, whose nature he cannot quite grasp and explain to himself to the end. In addition, for the ILE this is too intimate of a moment. He will experience awkwardness and irritation if he is forced to talk about this. (The ILE also does not view it necessary to mention this openly because he is subconsciously oriented at the very flexible and sensitive ethics of emotions of his dual, ISFP (SEI), who is capable of grasping any nuances of feelings and moods of his partner.)
Any feeling of psychological (or sensory) discomfort always affects ENTp’s attitude and mood. Since the ILE cannot remain in a depressed or annoyed state for a long time, he sometimes provokes a scandal by himself to give a way out for his feelings of irritation, and, at the same time, to try to change something in the conditions of an intolerable for him situation.
The ENTp with difficulty endures any offences inflicted on him, as well as ethical uneasiness, and critical situations in relations. In such situations, the ILE can vigorously pour out his negative emotions on people around him, discussing a sore topic with whomever is conveniently near by, even with completely unfamiliar to him people. He can become preoccupied with self-criticism or “ethical self-lashing”: tell about some of his improper actions, acknowledge betrayal or cheating, admit to some “insidious” plans and mean intentions. It is as if the ILE gets taken over by pangs of repentance and completely uncontrolled revelations - some kind of agonizing, ethical self-purification. (A kind of “ethical vomiting”, a rapid release and clearing out of ethical and emotional “slags”.) Being in this state, the ENTp can make an impression of person who has no restraint, who is not balanced, quick tempered, aggressive, harsh, mean, scandalous - but one ought not to forget that all this is only the consequence of the psychological discomfort that he has suffered, that all of this is only a painful reaction to some specific stimuli, whose nature can be revealed and understood and which can be removed. (Which is what his dual the SEI does: in the period of emotional crises the SEI surrounds the ILE by an especially attentive and thorough concern, trying not to allow to any, even small irritants and provoking stimuli near the ILE. The SEI also tries to ignore ILE’s painful “revelations” and all that unpleasant information that they carry.)
The situation radically changes when the ENTp finds himself in a situation of sincere cordiality and goodwill. When pleasant sensations for him are combined with positive emotions. Such conditions greatly activate the ILE: he feels that he is actually welcome, that he is interesting, charming, and attractive. He immediately acquires confidence, lightness, and ease in manners and in communication. His behavior becomes unconstrained, free, and natural. Then the ILE makes a favorable impression on people around him. He demonstrates himself as an interesting and intelligent conversation partner. In such minutes the ILE feels a special emotional uplift, a special positive consideration towards another person, and starts wishing to do something good for him or her.
The ENTp experiences this state only under the conditions of interaction with a psychologically compatible partner. Due to ISFp’s ability to subtly and sensitively feel and regulate the emotional state of his partner, the ILE finds himself in conditions of the most favorable and optimal to him emotional regime. The feelings of personal warmth, comfort, calm, and sincere interest in himself, as well as cordiality - all of this is necessary to the ILE in order to feel himself both calm and happy, and this is precisely what the ILE experiences associating with his dual the SEI.
Id block
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7th Function - Ni Ni Introverted intuition
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ENTp’s time completely belongs to his creative work. Therefore, the ENTp grows annoyed when someone manages time as belonging to himself or herself (i.e. has subjective, personal interpretation of time).
The ENTp knows how to see possibilities that time presents for him, moreover, not only for himself, but also for others, in particular for his dual, the ISFp. The ILE sees himself (and it always advises his partner) how much time he has at his disposal for completion of one or another objective or project.
The ILE prefers to build distance far-reaching plans, that become corrected by time and circumstances. He dislikes planning anything in short or compressed periods of time, since the ILE does not like to hurry, and takes up any work only for as long as he has inspiration. The ILE does not distribute some specific quantity of work over time, since this constrains and inconveniences him too much.
The ILE perceives personal time as a variable quantity: the minutes of expectation get stretched to infinity, the time of interesting engagement flies by unnoticeably.
The ILE usually doesn’t take into account the expenditure of other people’s time. He may run late, although he has the ability to accurately estimate time necessary for the road. Often ILE’s time estimations include “permissible delays”.
The ILE notices lost time and missed or unrealized possibilities with a feeling of regret. He is always ready to begin everything anew, not looking at his age and objective circumstances.
The ILE does not like to sum things up and look at final results, since he always considers that he could have achieved more, if it wasn’t for some “objective reasons” which stood in the way of his successes and practical activity.
Many of ENTp’s failures are due to his internal states of apathy, weak will, and decreased energy, that periodically take him over. However, the ENTp finds it easier to influence unfavorable external circumstances than change anything inside himself.
The ENTp is often in the course of the events of social and political value. He knows as no other how to foresee the motion of history. In his forecasts, as a rule, the ENTp does not make mistakes. He may predict major political events with accuracy up to half a year.
From the enormous quantity of information the ILE knows how to select and to memorize the parts that radically influence further development of history.
The ENTp always observes historical changes in the field of his interest. The aspect of historical observations and forecasts for ILE is connected precisely with the aspect of his business and professional interests. For example, if the ENTp is an athlete, then he would be able to say with accuracy who won which competitions, when, and with what result; if the ENTp is an economist or financier, then he will remember the changes in currency and prices in the countries of interest to him within the hundred years.
8th Function - Te Extraverted logic
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The ENTp likes giving advice about how to do this or another work. And this circumstance frequently lets him down, since each time that he in words shows himself to be a specialist in any matter, his knowledge makes such an unforgettable impression on people around him, that nobody has even a shadow of doubt that it is precisely he who will be the best for carrying it out.
The problem is that while the ENTp is able to imagine wonderfully well how in principle some work is done, frequently he has no practical experience or understanding of it, in other words, “he takes the soldering iron from the wrong end”, by which he greatly disappoints his employers, who after such a “specialist” don’t know whom to invite, and begin thinking that the work proposed by them work (as the ILE may attempt to convince them) is unrealizable in principle.
The ENTp does not like joining projects or work at finishing stages - this means to be simple executor within the framework of another person’s project, while the ILE doesn’t even like completing his own projects.
Sometimes it happens that getting into another person’s project, the ENTp starts to feel that now it is his own, and then he gets an idea to change all previous work to his own discretion, on which he proceeds to insist. Sometimes he may even give an ultimatum: he threatens to quit his participation in the project unless his demands are fulfilled. As a result of such behavior he is indeed removed from work, by which he feels deeply offended and disappointed. This version of progression of events the ILE was least inclined to take into account.
The ENTp often has to change places of work, and not always out of his own will. He finds it difficult to subordinate himself to the requirements of management, and if these requirements do not coincide with his own opinion he may not heed them at all. Sometimes the ILE tries to use any opportunity to do the work using his own methods and procedure and by this prove that he was right.
The ENTp with low professional level is frequently inclined to ignore the factor of professional discipline, which is especially unpleasant when the work of his colleagues depends on his work. For example, an ILE works in a theater or musical association, he sometimes makes it permissible for himself to come late to rehearsals, or even not come to them at all. He can at every turn argue with the director and try to convince him of his own version of a scene. Moreover, he may come up with “his version” in the most unexpected manner right during the rehearsal. The ILE may allow himself some extravagant antic directly on the scene to the detriment of other actors. To put it briefly, any ENTp who chooses for himself a role of implementer or performer, but then fails to implement and perform, always creates problems both for himself and for his colleagues.
The ENTp is indeed incapable of working under conditions of firm discipline and officialism. Such conditions he tries immediately “to break”, to change, to somehow adapt them to a convenient for himself regime. As a rule, the ILE does not value any work that causes him too much inconvenience and trouble. He also quickly loses interest in any work that does not realize his creative potential even before he learns what it is about.
The ENTp does not like to scrupulously check the results of his work. He does not like working out the details. Poorly tolerates any routine.
The ILE may for a short while carry out some uncomplicated physical work, but his thoughts at this moment will be floating somewhere else, which without a doubt will affect the results.
And nevertheless the ENTp sufficiently highly evaluates and widely advertises his business and work-related qualities. He knows how to demand the kind of wage that seems worthy for his work. (Usually the ILE asks for more that what he is being offered - taking into account the fact that it may be necessary for him to negotiate, and agrees to the amount offered only after being absolutely confident in the low solvency of the potential employer.)
The ENTp loves to demonstrate his practicalness. He is proud of his skill to be thrifty in use his means. He tries to convince people around him that he may comfortably exist on the most modest income. If he cannot earn a decent amount of money, he lives in a regime of strictest savings. His inability to earn money he frequently disguises as an unwillingness to chase after money, since he personally needs so little for life. (On “bread with a spread of mustard” he usually has sufficient means.) The ILE likes to demonstratively and prudently plan out his personal expenditures. Loves to each others how to save money. If members of his family struggle with this, the ILE takes family budget into his own hands, showing an example of that how this needs to be done: he begins to investigate all domestic details, checks all sources of expenditures and incomes. In a word, he won’t calm down until he proves that entire family budget was managed too wastefully.
This situation changes when the ISFp (SEI) becomes the partner of the ENTp. In this case the ENTp suddenly gets a desire to earn money, and thus begins to value his position at work. In a critical situation, the ILE can ask the SEI to live in a regime of strict savings, but this will be a temporary phenomenon, while with other psychologically incompatible partners this regime will be on-going and the only one possible.
Only for the SEI the ILE is capable of applying himself and making the necessary effort in order to combine his creative interests with practical requirements of his family.