How Can I Tell if I am an INTJ or an ENTP?

Kevin Price, Editor at Large for USA Business Radio and Host of the Price of Business Show, has recently become hooked on Quora.  In addition to daily hosting the Price of Business, Kevin has numerous writing obligations on this and other sites for which he serves as an editor and with his syndicated column, so we decided that if he’s going to write at Quora, he is going to share that content on this website.  If you are on Quora, make sure to follow Kevin.  You can check out his page here.

Kevin’s hot topics on Quora are history, free market economics, philosophy, and Myers Briggs typology, and many others.  The following is one of his recent answers to the question in the title.

Thanks for the question. I can figure out a person’s type fairly quickly. To me, the differences between the ENTP and INTJ are pretty clear. Others may be confused by the fact they are both intuitive thinkers, but it is what they draw on to approach things makes them different.

The INTJ has the power of perspective, they get why people approach things the way they do and are cognizant of that when engaging with them (if their objective is to alter that person’s opinion). If not, they will likely ignore them. The INTJ’s arguments are heavily based on logic. They are also very systematic in their thinking. It is as though they knew the topic would come up and had prepared thoughts in advance. Of course, this is subject to the areas they feel competent about. However, INTJs are often “jack of all trades” when it comes to the various topics they find themselves discussing. One minute they are speaking authoritatively about politics, and the next think you know, they are discussing art. As a result, they rarely shy from the opportunity of having a robust conversation. The NT in the ENTPs makes them very aware of the vast amount of ways they can look at things, unfortunately that can undermine rather than bolster their arguments.

ENTP’s “get” how people approach things as well, but often argue in a way that is pandering to the person they are engaging with (at least that is what it looks like to me). They also cannot stand to work with an idea to a logical conclusion, but relish the fact that there are so many different ways to look at things. Often they will begin to get buy in with someone on a topic and then change their own view because they do not want to be locked into a particular position. Yet, ironically, they also do not like it when people are not in agreement with them (whereas most INTJs would conclude that’s “their problem”). They are almost like ESTPs in this respect. One of my best friends is an INFJ and he really gets people. He likes to say “the ENTP is like a INTJ, except the former uses a great deal of BS.” I’m not sure if I would to that far, but if you listen closely, you can see the difference.

When the INTJ talks, he… (read more, check out Kevin’s content, and FOLLOW him there).