ENTJ Shadow: The Dark Side of ENTJ

According to Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, The Shadow represents the unconscious part of our mind that is host to the repressed and largely negative aspects of our personality. The Shadow encompasses qualities and traits we try to alienate from our conscious ego and it can often become a blind spot for us when we fail to recognize the way it manifests and influences our behavior. Additionally, we often project our shadow onto other people and impugn them with what we feel most negatively about in ourselves.

Jung originally conceptualized the inferior function as being the gateway to the shadow. Jungian analyst John Beebe, later expanded on Jung’s theory by attributing The Shadow to cognitive functions not included in the main stack of each personality type. In the case of the ENTJ, those cognitive functions are: introverted thinking, extroverted intuition, introverted sensing, and extroverted feeling. These shadow functions happen to constitute the INTP type. Here now is a look at the ENTJ shadow functions and how they manifest in their personality.

ENTJ 5th Function: Ti Opposing.

ENTJs primarily focus themselves on objectives related to their desire to build and manage systems and enterprises. They are driven to optimize and improve the technical order of their operations. Efficiency and accomplishment are what they live for and as their dominant perspective, Extraverted Thinking is strongly tied ENTJ’s ego identity and self worth. Thus, Ti Opposing manifests as a reaction to what ENTJ perceives as an obstruction or opposition to their Te perspective.

ENTJs enjoy working out the logistics of their plans and can often be of the mind that the end will justify their means. They push to get results, and they are willing to try and test a lot of things until they find what works best. In the process, they can sometimes draw some criticism and pushback from others with regards to their methods. In response to such opposition, ENTJs can become stubborn and dig their heels in defense of how they organize and carry out their plans. ENTJs will attempt to use Ti principles to justify the soundness and logic of their systems and invalidate their opposition’s arguments.

ENTJ 6th Function: Ne Critical Parent.

For ENTJ, their auxiliary Ni is a guiding light and source of inspiration for both themselves and other people. they use their Ni to help teach and mentor others and offer a sense of direction and big picture perspective. ENTJs have good foresight and intuition about how events will unfold and predicting future developments. Ne Critical Parent is a more harsh and critical version of ENTJ’s supportive Introverted Intuition.

Ne Critical Parent manifests in response to what ENTJ perceives as the authority of their Ni projections being dismissed, devalued and negated by alternative hypotheticals and possibilities. ENTJs tend to lock into a specific interpretation or vision at the exclusion of other potential. ENTJs may criticize alternatives that others propose and try to discount them with hypotheticals of their own. ENTJs may seek to assert themselves as having the most valid and accurate interpretations and insights.

ENTJ 7th Function: Si Trickster.

ENTJs have tertiary Se. The tertiary function serves as an alternative way in which ENTJs like to extravert themselves. They are energized by exciting sensory stimulating experiences. Although they do not prioritize thrill seeking and various physical activities, they do find it enjoyable and worthwhile when they have time for it. They work hard but also want to enjoy life and live in the moment too. Si trickster manifests in response to what ENTJs feel as being held back or compromised by other people’s recollection of facts and past experience.

ENTJs may view those who tend to dwell or live in the past as being short sighted and overly cautious. However, when such inconvenient facts and past experiences carry the threat of punishment or negative consequences, ENTJs may try to turn the tables on their persecutors. They may seek to make a fool out of them by bringing up their own facts to either expose them as hypocrites or gas light them into questioning the accuracy and validity of their assertions.

ENTJ 8th Function: Fe Demon.

Lastly, we have ENTJ’s 8th function, Fe Demon. The Demon function is described as an internal saboteur. It represents a negative voice that threatens to undermine the integrity structure of the ego. It emerges under stressful conditions amid a failure in the inferior Fi function for which not even their dominant extraverted Thinking function is able to fix. Demon Fe is triggered in response to fears of people trying to destroy them by attacking their moral character. Fe Demon effectively takes over as a substitute dominant function to compensate for their Fi flaws, Instead of taking an honest look at their own behavior and feelings and how to change it, they may instead use social manipulations to destroy their enemies. The demon function gets in the way of much needed introspection and self-examination that can lead to personal growth and development.