What is the Keirsey ENTP “Inventor” Personality Type?
The Keirsey ENTP “Inventor” Personality Type is a Rational Temperament with an Abstract Communication Style and a Utilitarian Action Style.
Keirsey organized the Four Temperaments as a matrix. Two Communication Styles: Abstract versus Concrete, similar to the Myers-Briggs Intuition (Abstract) and Sensing (Concrete) “Perceiving” Cognitive Functions.
And by two action styles: cooperative and utilitarian. Utilitarian people, for the most part, do what works, while Cooperative people do what’s right.
Keirsey named the Four Temperaments as suggested by Plato: Artisan (Iconic), Guardian (Pistic), Idealist (Noetic), and Rational (Dianoetic).
Concrete versus Abstract Communication Style
Keirsey divided the Four Temperaments into two Communication Styles: Abstract versus Concrete. These are similar to the Myers-Briggs Intuition and Sensing “Perceiving” Cognitive Functions.
Some people talk primarily about the external, concrete world of everyday reality: facts and figures, work and play, home and family, news, sports and weather — all the who-what-when-where-and how much of life.
Other people talk primarily about the internal, abstract world of ideas: theories and conjectures, dreams and philosophies, beliefs and fantasies — all the whys, ifs, and the what might be of life.
In their daily lives, and for the most part, Concrete people talk about reality, while Abstract people talk about ideas.
According to Keirsey, everyone can engage in both observation and introspection. People are observant when they touch objects or otherwise perceive the world through their five senses. When people reflect and focus on their internal world, they are introspective. However, individuals cannot engage in observation and introspection at the same time. The extent to which people are more observant or reflective directly affects their behavior.
People who are generally observant are more ‘down to earth.’ They are more concrete in their worldview and focus on practical matters such as food, shelter, and their immediate relationships. Carl Jung used the word sensation when describing people who prefer concrete perception.
Generally, reflective people are more ‘head in the clouds’ and more abstract in their worldview. They focus on global or theoretical issues such as equality or engineering. Carl Jung used the word intuition when describing people who prefer abstract perception.
Cooperative versus Utilitarian Action Style
Some people act primarily practically or pragmatically; that is, they do what gets results, what achieves their objectives as effectively or efficiently as possible. They only check afterward to see if they observe the rules or go through the proper channels.
Other people act primarily cooperatively or socially acceptable; they try to do the right thing in keeping with agreed-upon social rules, conventions, and codes of conduct. Only later do they concern themselves with the effectiveness of their actions.
These two ways of acting can certainly overlap, but as they lead their lives, practical people mostly do what works, while cooperative people do what’s right.
Keirsey compares the differing temperaments with Cooperative (Complying) and pragmatic (Adaptive). Cooperative people pay more attention to other people’s opinions and are more concerned with doing the right thing. Sensible people (Utilitarian) pay more attention to their thoughts or feelings and are more concerned with doing what works.
No comparable idea in the MBTI or Jung corresponds to this dichotomy. This is a significant difference between Keirsey’s work and Myers and Jung’s.
The pragmatic temperaments are Rational (pragmatic and abstract) and artisan (Pragmatic and concrete). The Cooperative Temperaments are Idealists (Cooperative and Abstract) and Guardians (Cooperative and Concrete). Neither the MBTI nor Jung included the concept of Temperament in their work.
ENTP Keirsey/MBTI Correlation
| Keirsey | MBTI | |
|---|---|---|
| E | Attentive Role Variant | Extraverted Intuition |
| N | Abstract Communication Style | Extraverted iNtuition Dominate Function |
| T | Utilitarian Action Style | Auxiliary Introverted Thinking Function |
| P | Informative Role | Thinking is a Perceiving Function |
With Extraverted Intuition as the first Dominant Function and Extraverted Thinking as the second Auxiliary Function, the MBTI ENTP “Debater” Personality Type sorts to the Keirsey ENTP “Inventor” Personality Type.
ENTP Personality Type cross-reference
- Temperament Type – Choleric
- Animal Type – Lion
- DISC Type – Dominant
- Socio-Communicative Type – Driver
- True Colors – Green
- Color Code – Red
- Personality Compass – North
- Occupational Type – Enterprising
- Learning Type – Activist
- Leadership Type – Dominator
Enneagram Types
Inventor Personality Characteristics
Inventors begin building gadgets and mechanisms as young children and never really stop, though as adults, they will turn their inventiveness to many kinds of organizations, social and mechanical.
There aren’t many Inventors, say about two percent of the population, but they significantly impact our everyday lives.
With their innovative, entrepreneurial spirit, Inventors always look for a better way, eyeing new projects, enterprises, and processes. Always aiming to “build a better mousetrap.”
Inventors are keenly pragmatic and often become experts at devising the most effective means to accomplish their ends.
They are the most reluctant of all the types to do things in a particular manner just because that’s how they have been done. As a result, they often bring fresh, new approaches to their work and play.
They are intensely curious and continuously probe for possibilities, especially when trying to solve complex problems.
Inventors are filled with ideas but value ideas only when they make possible actions and objects. Thus, they see product design not as an end in itself but as a means to an end, as a way of devising a prototype that works and that can be brought to market.
Inventors are confident in their pragmatism, counting on their ability to find effective ways and means when needed rather than making a detailed blueprint in advance.
A rough idea is all they need to feel ready to proceed into action.
Inventors often have a lively circle of friends and are interested in their ideas and activities.
They are usually easy-going, seldom critical, or caring. Inventors can be engaging conversationalists, able to express their complicated ideas and to follow the opinions of others.
When arguing issues, however, they may deliberately employ debate skills to the severe disadvantage of their opponents.
Inventors are usually non-conformists and can succeed in many areas if the job does not involve too much humdrum routine.
They make good leaders on pilot projects that test their ingenuity. And they are skilled at engineering human relationships and human systems, quickly grasping the politics of institutions and always wanting to understand the people within the system rather than tell them what to do.
No matter what their occupation, however, Inventors display an extraordinary talent for rising to the demands of even the most impossible situations. “It can’t be done” is a challenge to an Inventor and elicits a reaction of “I can do it.”
Famous Inventors
Walt Disney, Benjamin Franklin, Ray Kurtzweil, Buckminster Fuller, Richard Feynman, Thomas Edison, Camille Paglia, and Nicola Tesla are examples of inventors with rational tempers.
What are the Keirsy Personality Temerpaments?
David Keirsey, born in 1921, was an American psychologist specializing in conflict management and family counseling. He began researching human behavior and Personality in the 1940s.
Keirsey blended the Myers-Briggs Personality Types with Ernst Kretschmer’s model of the Four Temperaments. This led to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, which was made famous by his book “Please Understand Me.”
Instead of using the term Personality, Keirsey used Temperament. He viewed it as a configuration of observable Personality Traits, communication habits, patterns of action, characteristic attitudes, values, and talents. To Keirsy, Temperament encompasses personal needs, the contributions individuals make in the workplace, and their roles in society.
Keirsey correlated the sixteen MBTI Personality Types as Four Temperaments. He divided each Temperament into two Roles: Informative versus Directive. He subdivided the roles into expressive (extraverted) versus attentive (introverted) role Variables.
Informative versus Directive Roles
Keirsey distinguishes between people who generally communicate by informing others versus those who speak by directing others. This distinction subdivides each of the four Temperaments into eight Roles.
Expressive versus Attentive Role Variants
Individuals who act before observing are described as Expressive. In contrast, people who follow before working are described as Attentive.
The eight Roles are subdivided into 16 Role Variants correlating to the 16 Myers-Briggs Personality Types.
