Inferior Fi makes career direction brutal for ENTJs. Too many ENTJs make the same career mistake. Pursue something hard,end up unhappy, switch,repeat. That is also my story. My current take is that Ni has to come back in. Connect what you're doing to something bigger than the next win.
Is there something you'd advise an ENTJ in that situation, other than "figure out what you want," which isn't exactly possible?
See the picture? That's the level a lot of MBTI tests actually operate on. Four binary questions, four letters, done. "Creative or traditional?" as if that maps onto a function stack. OK, they usually have more questions, but the mechanism is similar.
Most people I've talked to have retyped themselves multiple times, or feel their description fits 60-70%, and the rest doesn't. I think most of those tests are giving inaccurate results. There's also a type of test that gives you a lot of numbers, basically an approximation of function strengths and multiple possible types. It's like "here are 5 possibilities, choose the one you vibe with most."
Curious what specifically annoys you most. Inconsistent results? Descriptions that fit 60% and miss the rest? Forced binary choices? Something else?
Quick note: ideas for how tests could be improved are more useful than "tests are pseudoscience" or "everyone is unique." Saw plenty of that already.
If you were to recreate the ENTJ image from scratch, what are the top 5 traits to characterize this type for you?
If you're ISFP 4, your core driver is identity, being authentic, unique, avoiding ordinariness. The Fi is very visible. You feel deeply, and you know it.
If you're ISFP 9, the driver is peace and avoiding conflict. The Fi is still there, but it gets suppressed constantly to keep the environment calm. From the outside, you look more like an ISFJ than an ISFP.
This matters a lot for compatibility. ISFP 4 maps to ESI in Socionics. ISFP 9 maps closer to SEI. Same MBTI type but with a completely different function stack in practice.
The relationship patterns are different. The communication style is different. Even the "unpredictable" behavior that ISFP gets blamed for reads differently depending on which one you're dealing with.
Just speculation, but I think a significant chunk of people who type as ISFP 9 are actually mistyped ISFJs who don't fit the ISFJ stereotype.
My explanation is that MBTI has a very limited understanding of function "strength". It treats it as linear: dom is strongest, then aux, and so on. Most basic tests measure this way and assume that if your strongest function is Fi, you must be ISFP automatically.
But Socionics, which frankly is not for everyone due to the complexity, shows a more layered measurement called dimensionality of function. When you go deeper, you realize you actually have 4 strong functions, not just 2. This gets confusing fast because it starts to contradict basic MBTI premises, like "if you're Fi-dom, you don't have Fe." But as an ISFP (approx ESI), your strong functions are Fi, Se, Fe, Si. All four.
Might have overcomplicated it for you. Sorry. Ask if something's unclear. My goal is to find an explanation, not push anyone to retype. People are used to their labels, especially in MBTI communities. There are more cases like this. It's the price of a relatively simple theory.