ENTJ function stack (A complete guide)

In this brief guide, we will talk about the ENTJ function stack, as well as delve into the details of the functions in the ENTJ function stack. 

What is the ENTJ Function Stack?

The ENTJ is a personality type in the Myers Briggs Type indicator and the function stack of the ENTJ is based on the Jungian theory of cognitive functions, and the specific ENTJ function stack is made up of the functions Extroverted Thinking, Introverted Intuition, Extroverted Sensing, and Introverted Feeling, and this may be shortened to read TeNi.

Much like the four letters that denote the ENTJ personality, the TeNi stands for the cognitive function stack, and one may decipher the levels of the other functions with this notation.

The ENTJ function stack, in the order of the functions and their shortened names, are given below:

• Dominant function: Extraverted Thinking (Te)

• Auxiliary function: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

• Tertiary function: Extraverted Sensing (Se)

• Inferior function: Introverted Feeling (Fi)

The ENTJ personality is known for being directing and mobilizing and they may have great talents in policymaking or making plans; they may also be great at the execution of things and show skill in coordinating and sequencing events, and bringing their strategy to life.

They also make good leaders, as the ENTJ is good at helping others reach their goals and they can bring forth the forces required to bring the plans into action.

What is a function stack?

Jung first described cognitive functions in the book Psychological Types, and these are meant to be the cognitive processes that underlie our actions and outward behavior.

The cognitive functions are of two main types, Perception, or information gathering related, and Judging, which are decision making related, or the processes that guide action and help the individual decide what they want to do about the information they have gathered.

Jung originally put forth a model in which four cognitive functions combined to form different psychological types of personality or cognition, which is what he talks about in his book Psychological Types, which was mentioned above.

Jung later also talked about the mechanism of the functions and how they formed something of an organized hierarchy within a person’s psychological system, where the most developed or most obvious function was known as the “Dominant” function, and the other three make up the “Auxiliary” “Tertiary” and “Inferior” functions, respectively. 

The four basic functions divided across the Perceptual and Judging processes were Thinking, Feeling, Intuition, and Sensation, which make up parts of the personality types under MBTI as well.

The concept of introversion and extraversion were also put forth as part of the same theory by Jung, and these concepts are meant to provide some sense of which direction the other functions are focused in, whether they function more internally or externally., and were used in conjunction with the four functions.

In the MBTI, the first letter E or I denotes which direction is more dominant for the person, introversion or extroversion, the next two letters give a sense of the dominant and auxiliary function, one of which relates to the perception and one is the judging function, and the last letter talks about which process is more dominant in the individual, perception or judging, and in MBTI, perception is also known as prospecting.

ENTJ Function Stack

Discussed below are all the details of every function in the ENTJ function stack.

Extroverted Thinking

Extroverted thinking is the dominant function in the ENTJ function stack, which means that the ENTJ individual aims all their logical and analytical abilities to the external environment, which includes the people and the objects around them.

Two main processes of the extroverted thinking may be seen in the ENTJ, one where they may seem constantly aware of their environment and may seem like they are constantly making decisions or deciding on the course of action and implementing it, while on the other bandit may also seem that they are focused on an interesting problem or question, and maybe get started on some kind of pattern-seeking, problem-solving mode. 

Out of these two processes, extroverted thinking may be used more strongly in deciding what to do and how to do it which is what lies behind their identity as efficient and quick problem-solvers and tends to make them great workers and leaders.

The ENTJ may seem like they can just naturally see the best course of action for the best outcome but the truth is that behind that quick looking process, there lies an incredible and highly logical thinking process that is constantly executing the things that may be occurring to them.

The extroverted thinking process in the ENTJ plays a massive role in making them seem like natural-born leaders because it does seem like they are easily seeing what everyone should be doing to accomplish the task at hand. 

In people with introverted thinking, it may seem that they spend lots of time refining and perfecting their solutions, while someone like ENTJ, who has a dominant function of extroverted thinking, is much more confident in their in-the-moment, spontaneous problem solving ability. 

The ENTJ leader may not seem like they need a lot of refining and reevaluating things, because they already know they will be able to shift quickly and do on the spot analyses even if their main plan were to fail in any way.

Introverted Intuition

The ENTJ cognitive function of Introverted Intuition causes them to have a deep inner world that may be hard for them to describe or share with others, as it is based deeply in their gut feeling or instincts.

It may be somewhat abstract in nature and they may not be able to describe it well, and this may sometimes make them seem introverted when they are lost in this world, that is.

The introverted intuition is the ENTJs main source of creativity as they are very intuitive and can often see all the possibilities for a particular situation and may often be able to deduce how these possibilities may play out, which may serve to guide their actions accordingly, and help their extroverted thinking function create the action plans required.

Once the introverted intuition sense has deduced the possibilities and used the internal data to formulate some idea of what the person may need to do, they analyze all the options and refine them down till a likely plan has been concocted.

The inner world of the ENTJ is constantly shifting and changing and this allows them to keep analyzing different aspects of things. 

Often one may also find that when the ENTJ plans or has a goal in mind, they might be able to skip some steps and try to imagine what 

In addition, when the ENTJ who functions according to the introverted intuition, is busy doing analysis of situations, it may seem like their whole brain is running a thousand miles an hour at the same time.

When the ENTJ is at their best, it may feel alike smooth and cohesive analysis and processing of data that may be leading to a specific point of the result, but when they are stressed out or don’t feel comfortable with the situation they are in, this same introverted intuition function may seem like chaos and confusion of thoughts and emotions. 

In ENTJs who are younger, the process of introverted intuition may feel more like something they are watching, rather than something in which they are participating.

When the ENTJ matures over time, they may be able to use this function better and better, until they are able to consciously monitor the making of plans and analyzing what they are experiencing.

Extroverted Sensation

The extroverted sensation function of the ENTJ enables them to seek out new experiences around them and find new ways of dealing with problems, as well as getting along well with others as it involves gathering new information that can be acted upon later.

The extroverted sensing function in the ENTJ function stack allows them to find newer and better ways to bring it out into the world and make it a tangible reality, as it makes them more acutely aware of what resources they have available in the environment and what their external environment is like.

The Extroverted sensing function also makes the ENTJs very action-oriented people and they may seem like they are itching to do something about making their ideas succeed in the real world. 

The extroverted sensing plays a complementary role to their inner world which is more abstract, and it serves to provide them with the kind of stability they need in the world around them. 

The extroverted sensing function also serves as a source of impulsiveness in the life of an ENTJ, particularly in the pursuit of pleasure, and especially combined with the action-oriented Te or extroverted thinking function.

Due to this tendency, an ENTJ who gets too tied to a schedule can feel like they are being tortured for them and they may hate too much forward planning as it takes the spontaneity out of life. 

Due to the Se function, the ENTJ may also enjoy breaking rules from time to time, but mostly the rules made by others, as their own rules they are likely to take very seriously, given how deeply intuitive they are.

In addition, because they are extroverted sensing and they have an introverted intuitive sense, other people’s rules often seem very arbitrary and illogical to them.

The extroverted sensing function also makes a big difference in how the ENTJ associates and interacts with people, and they might enjoy doing things more than spending hours talking as a means of getting acquainted.

When someone is in a relationship with an ENTJ they might benefit from taking a Languages Of Love test, to see exactly how they associate with loved ones, and it might save a lot of trouble for these individuals because they will be understood better.

Naturally, the extroverted sensing function ruled individuals like ENTJ craves thrill and adventure, and they may especially enjoy being engaged with the world around them through the exploration of nature, getting involved in physical sports, or getting their hands dirty and doing things in the physical world.

They can also be very aware of their physical environment and depending on the other traits in their personality they might make for some very avid environmentalists.

Introverted Feeling

Introverted Feeling or Fi, as it is known often, is the most unconscious function in an ENTJ, and it refers to the slower decision-making process than the dominant extroverted thinking. 

Introverted feeling Fi is the morals and values-based, as well as emotion-based, decision-making process that the ENTJ or TeNi may use. 

In a psychologically healthy ENTJ or TeNi, the introverted feeling function may typically operate by the “golden rule” of treating others how they would like to be treated, and therefore these individuals may be big believers of the “Do unto others as you would have done to you”.

Due to the dominance of the extroverted feeling function and the subconscious level of the introverted feeling function, the ENTJ may view extremely soft-hearted people as being too sensitive, and may often be quite blunt and honest about it.

For instance, when someone reacts poorly to some criticism that the ENTJ has so kindly provided, and done so with the thought that the person could improve immensely, they might think, “If I wasn’t being effective in that area and didn’t know it, I would want someone to point that out to me!”.

Due to the subconscious nature of the introverted feeling function, the ENTJ may be somewhat low on empathy, and forget that not everyone works the same way as them and that some people feel things differently.

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we talked about the ENTJ function stack, and also delved into the details of the functions in the ENTJ function stack. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): ENTJ Function Stack

Citations

https://personalityjunkie.com/entj-profile/

http://www.cognitiveprocesses.com/16Types/ENTJ.cfm