You probably have seen people defining themselves by personality types.
The Myers-Briggs test is a pretty fun way of discovering about yourself and how you interact with the world around you.
There are four categories in the Myers-Briggs test, and therefore each personality is made up of four letters that signify different things about them.
According to the test, there are sixteen different personality types.
In this article, we will be looking at two similar personality types and the main differences between them: ENTJ vs INTJ.
So, what are these personality types, and why are they not as similar as we may think?
ENTJ Definition
I thought it would be useful to briefly define the two different personality types before diving deeper into their differences.
ENTJ stands for extroverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging.
People with this personality type value spending time with other people and have strong leadership skills.
They are assertive and outspoken, always speaking up when they think it is necessary to.
They enjoy forward planning and are future-orientated.
They know what their goals are and how to achieve them, and work hard to get to where they want to be.
INTJ Definition
INTJ stands for introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging.
People with the INTJ personality type are rational and logical, valuing knowledge.
They know the strength of their mind and work hard to achieve what they want.
They are goal-orientated and strive to be experts in their field.
They can sometimes be pretty single-minded when they have their mind set on something, ignoring things around them so they can focus fully on their goal.
They are pretty introverted and prefer to spend time alone than with people that they don’t connect with.
However, they enjoy spending time with a small group of friends if they have a similar level of intellect.
ENTJ vs INTJ: The Key Differences
So now we know the definitions of both personality types, we can dive deeper into ENTJ vs INTJ.
What are the key differences between them?
Friendships
A big difference when comparing the ENTJ vs INTJ personality types is how they build and maintain friendships.
Those with an ENTJ personality type are naturally outgoing and love to meet new people with similar beliefs to them.
They love to spend time with people who provide them with new and exciting experiences and conversations.
Furthermore, ENTJs know the importance of other people when it comes to building a successful future for themselves.
They will demand a lot from their friends, and this can cause them issues.
However, being friends with someone with an ENTJ personality type is ultimately extremely rewarding.
In contrast, people with an INTJ personality type don’t care that much for having a big group of friends.
Unlike ENTJs, they don’t see the necessity of friendships and connections with other people.
They know that they can achieve anything they want to achieve by themselves.
However, this doesn’t mean that INTJs are particularly antisocial.
They do enjoy connecting with people who are on the same wavelength as them, and value intellectually stimulating conversation.
They look for equals in a relationship but know not to depend on them too much.
Forward Planning
Both ENTJ and INTJs are future-orientated and have big plans for their life.
They have a strong idea of their goals and where they want to go, but they approach forward planning in different ways.
Those with an INTJ personality type are perfectionists and spend a lot of time planning ahead.
They will focus on all the little details of a situation and weigh everything up before making a solid plan.
Whilst ENTJs are also good at planning, they tend to focus on the bigger picture of their plan and ignore the smaller details until they crop up at a later date.
This means that they can sometimes get into difficulty when unexpected issues arise.
However, they are smart enough to deal with them and overcome obstacles in their path.
Hobbies and Interests
When comparing ENTJ vs INTJ, you'll see Both are passionate about their hobbies and interests.
However, INTJs prefer to focus solely on one thing, whereas ENTJs will often like to experience a range of different things.
INTJs are perfectionists.
When they embark on a new hobby, they will put all their effort into this one thing and will not try out anything else until they have mastered it.
It is not uncommon for INTJs to pick up an instrument one day and practice constantly for a year.
Then, when they think they are good enough at it, they will pack the instrument away and try a completely new hobby!
INTJs will shy away from trying out new experiences, and this is because they are scared they might not enjoy it or fail.
In contrast, those with the ENTJ personality type love to try out new experiences and are the first ones to sign up for a wacky adventure!
ENTJs will have a range of hobbies that they are interested in and will give everything a go.
They don’t mind too much if they fail at something, because they think that trying and failing is better than never trying at all.
It might be useful for INTJs to let loose a little and step out of their comfort zone.
Workplace Relations
When it comes to ENTJ vs INTJ in the workplace, both personality types have their strengths and weaknesses.
ENTJs are natural leaders and love to be in control.
They will always step up in their place of work when they are needed, enjoying guiding others.
They are social and extroverted, enjoying working alongside others with similar interests as them.
In contrast, those with an INTJ personality type will not want to be the leader of the group and prefer to work alone.
They have high standards when it comes to work, and can get annoyed when working with people who don’t appear to care as much as they do.
Because they are independent, they might find it annoying when they have to follow orders from a superior, especially if they don’t agree with them.
INTJs tend to want to be left alone to be able to get on with their work.
ENTJs might also have issues with their superiors in the workplace, but for different reasons.
Those with an ENTJ personality type will assert themselves in their place of work, and make sure their voice is heard.
They will not shy away from expressing any issues that they have with management, and this can get them in trouble.
ENTJs will also not do well when they are criticized by their bosses.
They are passionate and confident people and pride themselves on their hard work and skills.
When criticized, they tend to project instead of actually learning from what is being said about them.
Leadership
As you can imagine, ENTJs make great leaders.
They will jump at the opportunity to step up and be a leader in any situation, whether it be at work or in their friendship group.
Because they are charismatic, people will regularly listen to ENTJs and allow them to lead the group.
However, ENTJs might be seen as bossy and controlling, and this can cause friction in their friendship and workgroups.
When they take the role of leader, they will say exactly what they want to say and will instruct people on how to do things their way.
This can upset people, especially if ENTJs are leading those that are less confident than them.
It is important for those with an ENTJ personality type to consider how other people may feel, and to know that not everyone has the same social skills as them!
INTJs tend to avoid leadership roles as they prefer to be independent and not have anyone rely on them.
However, they can actually be really good leaders if the situation is right for them!
Because INTJs are great at planning things meticulously, they can really thrive in a leadership role, especially if they are working with those with a similar personality to them.
INTJs can be thoughtful leaders and are often respected in a leadership role.
They don’t take advantage of their authority, rather value working towards the end goal in a methodological way that incorporates everyone’s skills.
Romantic Relationships
When it comes to romance and ENTJ vs INTJ, there are a few similarities but a few big differences!
Both those with an ENTJ and INTJ personality type value meaningful connections with someone on their same wavelength.
However, the difference when comparing ENTJ vs INTJ is how they differ in the way they connect with their romantic partners.
ENTJs tend to be pretty bold in romantic relationships, and show their emotions and love easily.
When they are into someone, they won’t hold back.
They normally will take the lead in relationships and aren’t afraid to act boldly.
In contrast, those with an INTJ personality type are much more reserved when it comes to romantic relationships.
They don’t really like to show their emotions, and will often hold back if they like someone.
They will always be honest in a relationship and crave those with similar levels of intellect as to them.
However, INTJs might fall into difficulty when it comes to being romantic with their partner.
Conflict
ENTJs and INTJs handle conflict quite differently.
Neither of them shy away from conflict, but INTJs will be much more reserved in tackling it than their ENTJ counterpart.
ENTJs tend to approach conflict in a confident and sometimes rushed way.
They know that conflict can help them grow, and they are willing to learn from their mistakes.
However, they can sometimes be brash and uncaring, not truly listening to those that have an issue with them.
ENTJs will sometimes shrug off conflict that they believe to be overly emotional.
This can be both a good and bad thing for this personality type.
It means that they won’t waste time on unnecessary conflict, but it means that they might lose friends who are more emotional than them.
Similarly, INTJs don’t have time for overly emotional conflict.
However, they tend to approach conflict in a more methodical and thoughtful way.
They wish to learn from those that raise issues with them and enjoy deep and meaningful debates.
They will listen intently to those they have conflict with, and work out if they can learn and grow from this conflict in any way.
Adaptability
When we look at ENTJ vs INTJ and their main differences, one that is pretty significant is how they adapt to new situations and circumstances.
Of course, both personality types love to stick to their plan and are future-orientated.
However, when the plan is thrown off, ENTJs and INTJs behave pretty differently!
Those with an ENTJ personality type are great at adapting to a change of circumstances.
If their plan is getting threatened, and they need to change things up, they will revise their strategy straight away.
ENFJs will throw themselves into their new situation, adapting to the challenge.
On the other hand, those with an INTJ personality type will often find it hard to adjust to a new plan.
They are hesitant at changing what they are used to, and this can become a problem when challenges occur and they need to adapt.
Dealing with Emotions
Even though INTJs are pretty reserved when it comes to their emotions, they are deeply in tune with their feelings.
They are introverts and avoid expressing their emotions to other people, but are quite good at dealing with the ups and downs of life.
Because of their rational mind, those with an INTJ personality type deal with their emotions in a very mature way.
They are not prone to erratic outbursts, and pride themselves on staying cool, calm, and collected.
Of course, this does mean that they will frequently be seen as distant and closed off to their friends and loved ones.
This can cause issues for INTJs!
In contrast, those with an ENTJ personality type have a much shorter emotional fuse.
They can sometimes find it hard to be in total control of emotions, and sometimes be brash and unkind to those that they are upset with.
Even though ENTJs will brush people off for being ‘overly emotional’, they might find it hard to keep their emotions in check.
This is typically the case when people challenge the ENTJs for leadership roles.
ENTJ vs INTJ Summary
Both the ENTJ and INTJ personality types are pretty interesting!
They have a lot to give the world around them and forge deep connections with like-minded people.
If we consider ENTJ vs INTJ, they both have amazing strengths.
However, both personality types have a few things to learn in order to fully thrive in the world!
I hope you have enjoyed this article, and it has helped you understand the difference between the ENTJ and INTJ personality types.
Which one do you relate to?
Also, if you would like to learn more about other personality types please check out our other articles here.
❤️ Related Post:
- INTJ vs INFJ: 7 Main Differences Between These Personality Types
- ISTJ vs INTJ: 7 Ways To Tell These Amazing Personalities Apart
- INTP vs INTJ: 9 Subtle Differences Between These Personality Types
Alan is the founder of Subconscious Servant. He has a passion for learning about topics such as spirituality and the metaphysical world. The thing he loves to explore most though is manifesting with the law of attraction ✨.