I am ENTJ woman hear me roar!
posted by Mike Shur
Over the weekend, a colleague here at CPP sent me a link to a post by Penelope Trunk about her divorce and how she was dealing with it as an ENTJ woman. Who’s Penelope Trunk, you ask? She’s a former beach volleyball player, former financial trader, former high-tech marketer, and current author and blogger on corporate culture. What she isn’t is a type guru, trainer, or personality assessment maven. I note this because her post about her divorce and how she is dealing with it doesn’t start out as a post about type or personality assessments, but it uses type to address very personal issue — divorce — and then goes on to talk about ENTJ-preference women in relationships in general.
This post has so far generated over 150 comments, many of them from ENTJ women who have had similar relationship issues. As it happens, I find myself living with and loving an ENTJ woman (my preferences are for ENTP). I’ve seen a lot of the same behavior as another blog notes: “Their demanding, objective, competent, and independent nature is not particularly endearing to most men. These qualities may obscure the fact that ENTJ females can be quite nurturing and caring. For them, femininity is not defined by traditional roles. It is reflected in the total involvement and commitment they bring to each moment of life. ”
Have other ENTJ (or NT or TJ) women had similar experiences? Do you have an ENTJ woman in your life who is both a challenge and a joy to be around? I’m refering here to both personal and professional settings. I’m curious to hear about the ENTJ woman to today’s world.
jwalkow
April 9th, 2008 at 7:03 am
I’m an ENTJ woman and was interested to read Penelope Trunk’s comments. Her description of ENTJ women is absolutely dead-on in every aspect. I like her description of ENTJ’s variation on feminism — how true. I’ve never shunned traditional roles, but have never embraced them, yet, I am intensely nurturing with family and friends. I’m happy to report that I’ve been happily married for 28 years. Yes, it’s possible. It was a bit challenging in the first several years, since our relationship wasn’t reflecting the relationships that I observed in other couples. I was MBTI certified in 1997 and it was a big aha moment for me. I’m married to an INTP and it finally made sense — his need to recharge his battery after work before engaging in conversation, constant “what about’s”, laid back nature and my intense need to brainstorm ideas, make lists and plan, plan, plan. I’ve given my family an MBTI education and it’s provided a wonderful framework for us to related effectively with each other, with lots of laughs thrown in. Hang in there, Penelope, because it’s entirely possible for you to make it work.