Discover ENTJ

Four Variants of ENTJ

When we look at the brain activity and wiring of individuals with the
ENTJ pattern, we find the four variants described below. Specifically, the
four profiles are based on brain-network analysis of twenty ENTJs who
did an EEG protocol. Differences also correlate with demographic data
such as career choice, showing that upbringing and life choices matter.
In short, people who broadly identify with the same field of cognitive
processes use their brains in roughly four different ways to meet their
practical and psychological needs.

“Visionary General” ENTJs

more confident and driving style than other ENTJs
(Dominant subtype)

These ENTJs are particularly ambitious, commanding,

and confident. They can potentially rise to become insti-
tutional directors, political leaders, or tycoons of industry.
They enjoy leading others to advance traditional domains
(e.g. healthcare, media, politics, transport) to the next log-
ical evolutionary manifestation. They exemplify an in-charge style.

In terms of brain wiring, they show a clear front and left bias—they
are outgoing, tough, analytical, and generally rely on a preset way to rap-
idly act on anything that comes up. Their brain tends to be efficient, tap-
ping a few favorite regions, akin to sticking to only a few critical rooms
in a mansion. Turning on some lights in other, less practiced or expected
regions may come slowly for them. Thus, they can be slow to adjust to
surprises. Most favor left-brain regions (F7, T3, and T5) for word con-
tent, facts, and social rules. Others are more well-rounded with a “halo”
of brain links. Either way, they aim to excel in whatever endeavors to
which they apply their will power. They may sport strong managerial
(F7-F8) and communication (T3-T4) skills, though not necessarily—a
passion for leadership may not translate to finesse.

Their interest is usually business management. Favored domains

include advertising, cognitive science, economics, education, games,
media, and sales. They like the idea of advancing the public good and
society in general. At the same time, they will push for maximum profits
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and rapid, controlled growth. They rely on impersonal metrics to auto-
mate the human elements; others may view them as heartless, even vil-
lainous. Even when they fall short of goals, their revolutionary impact
can shift an organization, industry or even society for years to come.

“Renaissance Explorer” ENTJs

more sociable and creative style than other ENTJs
(Creative subtype)

These ENTJs are notably curious, idealistic, and fun-lov-

ing. They exude a magnetic energy that tends attract others’
interest and get other people involved in their projects.

Neural wiring tends to show a light or medium brain-

storm pattern. This pattern is associated with creative, out-of-the-box
thinking. Sometimes, they may show mediocre pre-frontal executive
wiring (Fp1-Fp2) and can berate themselves as distractable, indecisive or
lazy even when they look active and goal-driven to others.

This variant are adventurers who travel and act with purpose. They
dig into diverse topics and are open to new places and new activities,
while usually retaining strong technical and business skills. They can
come off as a prodigy as they quickly pass peers, particularly in adoles-
cence, excelling in academic, athletic and social skills. Their intuition is
not relegated to private time or just for business strategizing. They like to
play with a lot of data and ideas at once, believing an optimal result and
practical order can be drawn from that. They easily hold an international
outlook with ambitions to make a cultural impact on a wide stage, even
globally. They have a restless drive for remarkable experiences, be those
physical, romantic or mystical such as climbing the tallest mountain with
a famous guru and beautiful companion at their side. They tend to be
pretty independent but really need an executive assistant or small team to
help manage daily details and implement all of their activities and ideas.
Ultimately, they tend to settle into a profession that requires a blend of
business, creative, social, and technical skills.

These ENTJs have a peppy demeanor, a natural charisma, and per-

haps even a playboy or playgirl flair that draws in others. They may culti-
vate a celebrity-like following by playing up excitement and opportunity.

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 Discover ENTJ

They can easily be overly idealistic about relationships and look to tech-
nical tools to navigate to goals there. This variant is most common among
younger ENTJs.

“Change Administrator” ENTJs

more conventional and specialized style than other ENTJs
(Normalizing subtype)

These ENTJs blend well culturally with brain-wiring

that is more the norm of the general population. They
usually enjoy settled, traditional lives with families, steady
jobs, and community activities. They take to a more chart-
the-course style to be a positive force for change.

Their brain often shows an even-field pattern—neural wiring is rel-

atively even across the cortex, and every region is connected to its near-
est neighbors horizontally or vertically. This disposes them to a more
linear, logical, step-by-step approach to tasks. That said, many also have
a right-hemisphere bias—maybe quite strong—supporting a quiet reli-
ance on intuition and creativity with a genuine concern for moral and
ethical standards and human welfare. Generally they have mediocre ex-
ecutive coordination (Fp1-Fp2). That is, they do not just integrate new
information on the spot but prefer quiet time at their desk to collate and
integrate ideas into a coherent understanding and master plan.

These ENTJs tend to be settled and prefer a calm, steady partner and
home-life. Often, they work in the technical arts (e.g. electronics, me-
chanics, music) or the social sciences (e.g. anthropology, psychology).
They easily hold a traditional job role, aspiring to general manager or
department director, in a large institution such as banking, education,
energy, or medicine–-areas that require a lot of patience and maneu-
vering through regulations, working with details and the human politi-
cal elements to get things done. They have a penchant for focusing and
practicing for high performance that other tend to ENTJs lack.

They believe in learning as a major path to improving just about

anything. This can include data analysis, mentorships, research projects,
teamwork, and automated systems. Often, they will enjoy a side-interest
in the arts, philosophy, or psychology. This knowledge helps them bet-

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ter motivate and work with others, and it sheds light on the existential
big-picture of the human condition and their own place in it.

“Mystical Practitioner” ENTJs

more personal and reflective style than other ENTJs
(Harmonizing subtype)

These ENTJs are eccentric, even mystical, highly obser-

vant of what’s going on, and can act as superb consultants
and counselors. They can restructure and rebuild people. To
this end, they have adopted a more behind-the-scenes style.

Often, these ENTJs show a distinct set of diamond-shaped networks,

each acting as a distinct mode of thinking and acting, having trained and
tweaked themselves over time through their own studies. While sophis-
ticated, they also often show weak executive integration (Fp1-Fp2) and
perhaps a back-brain bias. Thus, they tend to reflect on observations and
plot strategy rather than take rapid action. Alternatively, they show an ar-
ray of unusual connections between brain regions and an overall a knack
for holistic thinking.

This variant has an uncanny, intuitive power that they can call up to
analyze an individual, group or situation to instantly understand what is
secretly out of whack, and they then work the target like a conductor to
move and restructure things to get a desired outcome. Imagine a healer,
educator, hypnotist or even shaman who addresses both physical and
psychological elements in a unified way. To do this, they may easily draw
from ancient practices or dispirit cultural traditions, as contemporary
ones often strike them as limited. They are open to complex frameworks,
acting outside the mainstream, and can achieve miraculous results that
others puzzle over or wish to ignore. Like a crafty wizard, they themselves
can be difficult to understand or predict. They can feel like a person out
of place, wondering how they got here though still very focused on their
mission. Perhaps their understanding and tough-love style is born of a
unique realization or their own physical and personal challenges.

This variant can easily be mistaken for some other type altogether.
But one should not mistake their rapport-building and aligning skills
with anything less than a pragmatic power, hopefully to help others.

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