[Xengo]

Why Steve Jobs was an ENTP

I've read some accounts of others implying Steve Jobs to have been an ENTJ. Also that he was a narcissist. In fact, he was definitely narcissistic and definitely an executive. That does not make his type though. You see at a young age, he was quite the visionary. That is when he imagined Apple.

Here's what made Steve so special

Steve was depressed and he lived in his shadow personality; the ISFJ, but what made him such a powerful person was that he developed his Introverted Intuition (through meditation and possibly LSD) to a level that made him more of an INFJ. Steve Jobs mastered his shadow personality. This built his charisma and gave him an unhealthy obsession for control through his unhealthy judging function.

His narcissistic tendencies could easily have come from his true ENTP self trying to break free. Steve locked it up and only used it when he needed it.

A brilliant man and an interesting route he took on depression

Many people seem to believe we cannot truly change who we are, and this is very true but only to a point as it seems to take a tremendous amount of will power, energy, and determination.

I think ENTPs are really only good for other people when their visions effect other people's lives but hey that's coming from a very insecure ENTP :wink:

 

[Juan M]

Mmmh... i see him more like an ENFP, i mean the "i will cure my cancer with plants and alternative medicine" and the "innovator thing" can be Ne-Fi traits. But well who knows... he was more a rockstar of the technology than a really good and creative programer anyways.

 

[27377]

definitely and ENTP. think his relationship with joan baez probably helped him develop his Ni...she sounds very much like an INFJ to me.

 

[Xengo]

Mmmh... i see him more like an ENFP, i mean the "i will cure my cancer with plants and alternative medicine" and the "innovator thing" can be Ne-Fi traits. But well who knows... he was more a rockstar of the technology than a really good and creative programer anyways.

Here's my experience of it:

Much before I hit depression I would never have believed in what they call "The Secret" and the Law of Attraction (or any religion really). I sat down one night with my family and thought it was all mumbo jumbo and left before it had ended. It took a few extremely Strange coincidences and my search for the meaning of "Frisson" (you know those beautiful tingles you feel up and down your spine) and how music effects us and the world around us to really believe. All my analyzing and such brought me all the way back to what I should have already known.

I'm sure Steve had taken his fair share of marijuana in his youth. Bob Marley was right in saying that the herb reveals us to ourselves, but it really only reveals our shadows to ourselves, and the longer you stay in that shadow the more accustomed you become to it and the more it becomes who you are.

I think Steve was looking at it from both a religious and scientific point of view as they are both very similar upon thinking about it. The waves around us are really what spiritualists call chi, kundalini, and spirit. You don't need to be a feeler to understand that now as science is proving it enough. Psychology teachers are now stressing the importance of meditation, and the more you meditate the clearer the Buddhists teachings become.

Now enhance that feeling function as high as you can because that is where charisma and empathy lie and remember that to be empathetic is a choice, to be empathic is not.

Are you sure that it wasn't Introverted Sensing with Extraverted Intuition? I'm sure he went through plenty of loops. Crazy man, but you know what they say (um how's that quote go?) something on the lines of crazy is not too far off from brilliance.

And luv I agree completely, I think that is how most ENTPs finally grow up roud:

 

[Xengo]

He married a beautiful musician? Definite ENTP.

 

[Juan M]

Here's my experience of it:

Much before I hit depression I would never have believed in what they call "The Secret" and the Law of Attraction (or any religion really). I sat down one night with my family and thought it was all mumbo jumbo and left before it had ended. It took a few extremely Strange coincidences and my search for the meaning of "Frisson" (you know those beautiful tingles you feel up and down your spine) and how music effects us and the world around us to really believe. All my analyzing and such brought me all the way back to what I should have already known.

I'm sure Steve had taken his fair share of marijuana in his youth. Bob Marley was right in saying that the herb reveals us to ourselves, but it really only reveals our shadows to ourselves, and the longer you stay in that shadow the more accustomed you become to it and the more it becomes who you are.

I think Steve was looking at it from both a religious and scientific point of view as they are both very similar upon thinking about it. The waves around us are really what spiritualists call chi, kundalini, and spirit. You don't need to be a feeler to understand that now as science is proving it enough. Psychology teachers are now stressing the importance of meditation, and the more you meditate the clearer the Buddhists teachings become.

Now enhance that feeling function as high as you can because that is where charisma and empathy lie and remember that to be empathetic is a choice, to be empathic is not.

Are you sure that it wasn't Introverted Sensing with Extraverted Intuition? I'm sure he went through plenty of loops. Crazy man, but you know what they say (um how's that quote go?) something on the lines of crazy is not too far off from brilliance.

And luv I agree completely, I think that is how most ENTPs finally grow up roud:

Well i really think that is more about the way how do you develop your life, more about the experience and point of view, than a MBTI trait, i mean an ENTP, could and could not do this, every ENTP is unique, the thing is that in a more general point of view, the Ne-Ti, acts in a critical-way more than in a belief system (because of Ti, so maybe underdeveloped ENTPs can "dream" more).

Also as i pointed before, every ENTP is diferent, so maybe he could be an ENTP taking your life experience as an ENTP trait, but in a more general and MBTI subjective he is more ENFP.

 

[MegaTuxRacer]

Well i really think that is more about the way how do you develop your life, more about the experience and point of view, than a MBTI trait, i mean an ENTP, could and could not do this, every ENTP is unique, the thing is that in a more general point of view, the Ne-Ti, acts in a critical-way more than in a belief system (because of Ti, so maybe underdeveloped ENTPs can "dream" more).

Also as i pointed before, every ENTP is diferent, so maybe he could be an ENTP taking your life experience as an ENTP trait, but in a more general and MBTI subjective he is more ENFP.

Why is he more ENFP?

 

[Juan M]

Why is he more ENFP?

 

[MartyMcFly1]

I don't know if he was an ENTP for sure, but he was certainly an N. He was known for being a very intuitive person and discussed intuition quite frequently. Dropping out of college definitely points to him being a P. I can't precisely tell whether he was an introvert or extrovert, but because he is talked about as being very intuitive I'll go with extrovert, because ENP types lead with intuition. Then there's this quote by him:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." - Steve Jobs

I certainly resonate with what he said here and I'm sure ENFP's would as well. I can't say for certain. At the very least I'm fairly certain that he was an ENP.

 

[Xengo]

His frequent meditation encouraged his Intuitive Intuition on top of his natural Extraverted Intuition. That makes someone very intuitive, obviously. He was also known for being able to bring people to emotional extremes, that sounds very much like a mix between those two functions. Throw a little SFJ in there too - that's just fucked up. I think Sensor Feelers would resonate with that too. Also he was not flamboyant enough to be an ENFP.

Steve Jobs died with no label on his personality because he was so complex

He was born an ENTP and that is what I am trying to get acrossed

Persons with personality disorders are warned to steer clear of typing themselves

I am also contemplating the theory that the ADHD/ADD person is an ENxP
...and don't even get me started on how bipolar relates

I think I just went a little off topic...

 

[Monte]

Mmmh... i see him more like an ENFP, i mean the "i will cure my cancer with plants and alternative medicine" and the "innovator thing" can be Ne-Fi traits. But well who knows... he was more a rockstar of the technology than a really good and creative programer anyways.

I prefer alternatives and plants to medicine because most medicines have a billion drawbacks.

I'd say that was using logic.

 

[Juan M]

I prefer alternatives and plants to medicine because most medicines have a billion drawbacks.

I'd say that was using logic.

Drawbacks? yeah well, chemotherapy has off course. Chemotherapy lost at drawbacks against plants and alternative medicine but its useful to cure cancer atleast... so depends what you want off course, if you want to not have (or have minimum) drawbacks, then you should use alternative medicine and plants to cure your cancer! is logical!, but if you actually want to cure your cancer you should try chemotherapy/current medicine.

 

[Xengo]

I prefer alternatives and plants to medicine because most medicines have a billion drawbacks.

I'd say that was using logic.

I think the cure for cancer lies in alternative medicine too. I think we to come to a point of ingraining ancient healing techniques with modern day technology. That goes for everything, not only medicine.

And rather than taking chemotherapy and possibly ruining his brilliant mind, he went the alternative route and isn't that what we do? Think outside the box? And doesn't chemotherapy affect your nerves? I'm pretty sure the secret to charisma lies in the heart and the nervous system. I certainly don't want to get rid of the girls staring at me in the clubs and I'm sure he felt the same way about his employees looking up to him.

 

[Juan M]

I think the cure for cancer lies in alternative medicine too. I think we to come to a point of ingraining ancient healing techniques with modern day technology. That goes for everything, not only medicine.

And rather than taking chemotherapy and possibly ruining his brilliant mind, he went the alternative route and isn't that what we do? Think outside the box? And doesn't chemotherapy affect your nerves? I'm pretty sure the secret to charisma lies in the heart and the nervous system. I certainly don't want to get rid of the girls staring at me in the clubs and I'm sure he felt the same way about his employees looking up to him.

Yeah thats a good point, he probably took the other way because he wanted to cure his cancer without risking his brilliant mind, he thought probably that the actual and effective medicine would do this and prefered to take the alternative way, "thinking" (or maybe believing) outside the box soo, in resume, he prefered to take the path that will risk his life more than the path that would risk his mind, but there is a problem there without life there is no-mind... its logical, or maybe he took the way of "if my mind and body are not intact after gettin chemotherapy i prefer iDeath" a very romantic ending isnt it?

But well conjectures doesnt matter, in his biography, he regreted that decition of using alternative medicine, because it was not a smart move, the results rest in the graves.

 

[MuChApArAdOx]

It could be debated either ENTP/ENFP, although his words and thoughts says everything about who he was. These quotes which i must say he called inspirational quotes all scream ENFP. Many quotes i've have read are using key words such as 1. Random 2. changing the world 3. Explore. 4. connect the dots.., ideas, ideas , ideas...all words ENFP would use naturally. He DEF leads with Ne, and i see so much Fi in his words. I don't see any Fe, none.

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Steve Jobs

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Steve Jobs


You can't connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path.

Steve Jobs

Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Steve Jobs

"Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. It's ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.''

Steve Jobs

There's nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it's the coolest product they've ever brought home in their lives. That's what keeps me going. It's what kept me five years ago [when he was diagnosed with cancer], it's what kept me going 10 years ago when the doors were almost closed. And it's what will keep me going five years from now whatever happens.

Steve Jobs

That's been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.

Steve Jobs

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

Steve Jobs

Each and every one of his quotes here are Ne/Fi, this is only a few of many more.

 

[Xengo]

Yeah thats a good point, he probably took the other way because he wanted to cure his cancer without risking his brilliant mind, he thought probably that the actual and effective medicine would do this and prefered to take the alternative way, "thinking" (or maybe believing) outside the box soo, in resume, he prefered to take the path that will risk his life more than the path that would risk his mind, but there is a problem there without life there is no-mind... its logical, or maybe he took the way of "if my mind and body are not intact after gettin chemotherapy i prefer iDeath" a very romantic ending isnt it?

But well conjectures doesnt matter, in his biography, he regreted that decition of using alternative medicine, because it was not a smart move, the results rest in the graves.

Unfortunate, because he could possibly have been the one to find the cure.

 

[ENTPreneur]

I did not read the entire thread but general consensus is that he was archetype ENTP. As we grow older we ENTPs grow our ENTJ sides.... keeping our genius sides but without the ENTJ asshole tendencies. Hopefully we also get better F.

He was ENTP. No doubt in my mind. All of these years I have followed Apple I could almost read his mind as to what he was thinking and feeling with products and strategy. He was ENTP allright.

 

[feigned angst]

He's deffo an ENTP. I mean which other MBTI type slurs the amount of pretentious bullshit we do?

 

[ThePersona]

You guys are all wrong. Professional MBTI practitioners have all typed him as INTP.

 

[ENTPreneur]

You guys are all wrong. Professional MBTI practitioners have all typed him as INTP.

Not that I have read of... He has been listed under the ENTP description for years. But things change, and people are different, even "MBTI professionals" (whatever that implies). Personally, I am quite certain he belongs more to the ENTP category than others. It IS a generalization as we all know....

Remember, he is obsessed with ACTUALIZING and seeing his inventions IRL.. .. Just this fact would make all the difference between ENTP and INTP. Generalizing...;-) A sliding scale of course...


....But perhaps you were personally aquainted with him? You could be .... A family member would know of course.