ENTP-A and ENTP-T: Differences Between Assertive & Turbulent ENTP

ENTP is one of the 16 personality types of Myers and Briggs which stands for Extraversion (E), Intuition (I), Thinking (T), and Perceiving (P).

People with this personality type are characterized by creativity and open-minded nature.

They are goal-oriented people who try hard to fulfill their aims even if they have to struggle a lot along the way.

The tendency to express their controversial ideas openly and take part in debates frequently is the main reason why they are often referred to as the Debaters or the Innovators.

Generally, ENTPs are best known for their mental quickness, versatility, and creativity. They are extremely motivated to bring innovative solutions to complex problems.

As a result, they are perceived as intelligent individuals. ENTPs often inspire other people and influence their actions.

However, in order to fully understand ENTP personality, it’s important to point out the differences between Assertive Debater (ENTP-A) vs. Turbulent Debater (ENTP-T).

ENTP-A and ENTP-T personalities are subtypes of the Debater personality. Assertive and Turbulent Debaters share the major four personality traits.

Still, when it comes to social situations their characteristics are expressed somewhat differently in their actions.

In this article, we will compare ENTP-A and ENTP-T subtypes and review the best and worst career paths for each of them.

Differences Between ENTP-A and ENTP-T

ENTP-A and ENTP-T are both communicative people who enjoy debates and tend to make rational decisions.

The main difference between them is that Assertive Debaters are more self-confident individuals while Turbulent ones seek approval from others. They are reactive to criticism.

The difference between Assertive and Turbulent Debaters is especially obvious in social situations.

In this section, we will compare various types of relationships of ENTP-A and ENTP-T and see what distinguishes them at the workplace.

Friendships

Both Assertive and Turbulent ENTPs easily gain friends as they are extroverted types with great communication skills.

Even though generally they enjoy deep discussions, ENTPs hate when their friends radically contradict them.

Still, they are both very good at getting along with people of different interests and viewpoints.

• Assertive Debaters don’t look for emotional support and loyalty in friendships. They believe that friends should help each other to objectively estimate their own opinions and grow personally.
• Turbulent Debaters value emotional connections with their friends. They are more likely to talk about their feelings and seek social support from their friends. They believe that great friends always take care of each other and encourage one another.

Relationships

If you take a look at ENTP in relationships, you can see that people with this personality type tend to be very enthusiastic, passionate, and original lovers.

Being full of new and creative ideas, they enjoy exploring the world together with their partners.

Usually, they consider their partner’s needs a priority and try to take care of them.

• Assertive Debaters believe that growth is a priority even in romantic relationships. Therefore, they try hard to help their partners fulfill their dreams and realize their goals. They expect the same from their partners in return.
• Turbulent Debaters are more passionate about romantic relationships than Assertive ones. They are impulsive lovers who find it hard to control their feelings. They are more likely to express their feelings to their loved ones compared to Assertive Debaters.

Workplace

Both Assertive and Turbulent Debaters are hard-working people who have specific expectations towards the workplace.

They perceive the workplace as rewarding only if it gives them an opportunity to grow and develop professionally.

ENTP-A and ENTP-T personalities differ from each other at the workplace to some degree.

• Assertive Debaters are perceived as self-confident workers. Whether they are managers or subordinates, they are completely assertive about their actions and believe that whatever they do is right. Their great organizational skills and innovative ideas often inspire other people at the workplace.
• Unlike ENTP-A personalities, Turbulent Debaters often doubt whether their course of action is right. They are rarely happy with their job performance and always try to improve. Sometimes they perceive their mistakes as failures that can’t be improved.

Working in a Team

Due to their extraversion and tendency to interact with people, ENTPs enjoy working in a team.

They perceive the team as an excellent way to exchange information and find out what others think about various matters.

However, they usually dislike it if people in the team contradict them and don’t follow their suggestions.

• Assertive Debaters usually manage to convince people that their ideas are right. Their self-confidence is one of the main reasons why team members consider ENTP-As as reputable and authoritative individuals. Accordingly, they’re often chosen as the leaders of the team.
• Turbulent Debaters tend to be uncertain about their opinions. As a result, sometimes they refuse to share their ideas with team members, even if they have organized innovative plans. They don’t enjoy teamwork as much as Assertive Debaters.

ENTP-A Strengths and Weaknesses

Excellent brainstorming skills, charismatic nature, and a creative mind are some of the most obvious ENTP strengths that apply to both Assertive and Turbulent ENTPs.

These two subtypes of Debaters share the main strengths and weaknesses because they have similar four basic personality traits.

Nonetheless, due to differences in assertive and turbulent nature, they also have some specific strengths and weaknesses.

Here are the most common character strengths of Assertive Debaters that they should rely on in order to grow:

• Positive self-view – Assertive Debaters have a positive attitude about themselves. We consider it as a personality strength because it doesn’t lead to selfishness or arrogance. ENTP-As just know how to praise themselves for their achievements.
• Self-confidence – Assertive Debaters aren’t afraid to say what they think out loud. They trust themselves and believe that even if they mistake, it’s worth it because mistakes help them grow.
• Good coping skills – Assertive Debaters know how to cope with tough situations. They can estimate the given situation rationally and solve problems without overthinking or getting too anxious.

Assertive Debaters also have some character flaws that need to be considered for self-improvement:

• Tend to blame others – Assertive Debaters often blame people for their mistakes. The reason might be their self-confidence. They believe their actions are always right and if others don’t agree with them, chances are high that ENTP-As will blame them.
• Intolerant of others’ opinions – Assertive Debaters hardly accept different opinions. They are unwilling to consider others’ ideas and are unable to accept different beliefs.
• Quickly lose focus – Assertive Debaters are rather rigid and inflexible people. If something is boring to them, they easily lose focus and find it hard to concentrate on things that are not interesting anymore.

ENTP-T Strengths and Weaknesses

General ENTP flaws such as insensitivity, intolerance, or argumentative nature, as well as strengths such as creative thinking skills and fearlessness also apply to ENTP-T personality.

Here are the major personality strengths that are especially common with Turbulent Debaters:

• Easily adaptable – Turbulent Debaters are more flexible than Assertive ones. They are able to change their actions or ideas in order to adapt to new challenges.
• Determined to learn from mistakes – Turbulent Debaters can accept the fact that making mistakes is a part of human nature. They are determined to change the future based on past mistakes and avoid making the same mistakes again.
• Tend to take chances – Turbulent Debaters are determined to grow. Therefore, they are willing to take chances even if these chances seem risky at first glance.

Here are the most common character weaknesses of Turbulent Debaters:

• Impulsive nature – Turbulent Debaters find it hard to control their impulses. They often make decisions spontaneously which leads them to unwanted outcomes.
• Afraid of getting rejected – Turbulent Debaters often seek approval from other people as they are afraid of getting rejected. They are doubtful of themselves and try to fit in.
• Easily get stressed – Turbulent Debaters are vulnerable when it comes to stressful situations. They don’t have adaptive coping mechanisms. Instead, they use maladaptive mechanisms such as running away from their problems and get even more stressed as a result.

Jobs and Career Paths for ENTP-T

Turbulent Debaters are rather flexible individuals who don’t enjoy routine tasks. They usually feel comfortable at the workplace only if the job allows them to grow.

Therefore, the most optional career paths for Turbulent Debaters are far from office jobs.

They are suitable individuals for jobs that require creative thinking skills and offer plenty of challenges.

List of 10 Most Recommended Jobs for ENTP-Ts

Although ENTP job paths apply to the ENTP-T subtype as well, there are some of the job paths that are more optional for them compared to the ENTP-T subtype:

1. Journalist
2. Psychologist
3. Psychiatrist
4. Economist
5. Inventor
6. Web Developer
7. Graphic Designer
8. Landscape Architect
9. Civil Engineer
10. Researcher

6 Jobs and Career Paths That ENTP-T Should Avoid

Here are 7 jobs that aren’t recommended to do as ENTP-T:

1. Library Assistant
2. Bookkeeper
3. Clerk
4. Customer Service Representative
5. Preschool Teacher
6. Factory Worker

Jobs and Career Paths for ENTP-A

ENTP-As are perfect for manager or leadership positions. They’re certain about their skills and competencies and easily manage to express their thoughts or state their opinions.

Assertive Debaters enjoy challenging working environments and intelligent coworkers.

List of 10 Recommended Jobs for ENTP-As

Here’s a list of jobs most suitable for this subtype:

1. Lawyer
2. Engineer
3. Photographer
4. Art Director
5. Top Executive
6. College Instructor
7. Epidemiologist
8. Producer
9. Advertising Manager
10. Political Scientist

List of 6 Jobs and Career Paths That ENTP-A Should Avoid

This subtype will not thrive in these careers:

1. Bank Teller
2. Pilot
3. Medical Assistant
4. Dentist
5. Elementary School Teacher
6. Receptionist