To understand the ENTP first you need to know their four main functions.

ENTP Functions

Extraverted Intuition

The first function of the ENTP is Extraverted Intuition or Ne. And this is how they perceive the world. They can take in multiple different possibilities. They’re very kind of objective about how they view things and like to see interpretations from everyone’s point of view. This can help them really see the big picture and make connections that other people might not be able to comprehend as quickly. Extraverted Intuition also gives them a little bit of an off the wall sense of humor.

Introverted Thinking

Next is Introverted Thinking or Ti. This is more internal. It’s logical and they want things to make sense. So they are constantly sorting out their environment and figuring out what make sense. They take this and piece it all together and form a web or a framework in their head of how everything works. And since this is Introverted, it’s a little difficult for them to explain to other people so while they form all these logical maps in their head it might be difficult to explain to other people.

Extraverted Feeling

The ENTPs third function is Extraverted Feeling or Fe. This is developed a little bit later in the ENTPs life. And it deals with emotions, empathy and understanding people. As they get older they become better at understanding emotions of other people. This can go long way which toward developing a charismatic personality. They also become good at knowing the right things to say and what to do and to get the reaction that they want out of people.

Introverted Sensing

And their fourth function is Introverted Sensing or Si. This is something that’s never really completely developed in the ENTP. It never becomes a strength for ENTP but they do have it. It deals with the past and remembering things. It deals with routine, norms, and society. But you could see that this kinda conflicts with the ENTP always wanting to try something new. The ENTP tends to get turned off by routine so Extraverted Intuition and Introverted Sensing are kind of in conflict with each other at times. Introverted Sensing can also show up a bit more when they are stressed out.

ENTP Strengths

One of the strengths of the ENTP is that they’re very enthusiastic and energetic. And they can also be charismatic and have a magnetic type of personality. They could be a good leader in this way. They can go about promoting change. They are also very interested in self improvement and constantly getting better and are not really satisfied with staying stagnant with the way they are. They can always find ways to make themselves a better person and grow. They’re also great at understanding the big picture. They can understand difficult concepts that other people have trouble grasping and they can just pick up on that pretty easily as it comes naturally to them.

ENTP Weaknesses

While every type has their strengths, obviously they also have some weaknesses. A couple weaknesses of the ENTP is that while constantly seeking change could be a good thing, it could also cause problems with relationships.
They could become bored of the relationship and want to move on to something new. Or if there is a friend that is no longer helping them grow as a person or no longer interesting to them could just brush them aside, causing the relationship to deteriorate.
They also can give up on a project once they lose enthusiasm for it. Something can be going really well and be close to completion but the ENTP could have problems keeping focused on it. Their attention on that could cause them to lose their enthusiasm and move on to something new right before they finish, which obviously can cause problems. ENTPs are also known to take unnecessary risks, including financial ones, just for the fact that they are get bored or may become over confident with the situation and wanted to take their risk. And sometimes that can backfire on them.
ENTPs like to debate and question everything. They do this in fun just to figure out the world. While they’re doing this with others it could seem that they are being argumentative or accusing somebody of something when they are just really trying to figure something out. That could cause some problems in relationships or dealing with other people.

ENTP Under Stress

And also for ENTP when they are under stress their shadow functions could come out, such as their Introverted Sensing that I discussed earlier. It can cause them to become overwhelmed by unimportant details. They are more of a big picture thinker and they could get bogged down by the details surrounding them that they need to get done. The details could overwhelm them and make them shut down. They can also become very sensitive to criticism. It may be uncharacteristic of them to respond very emotionally to situations when they are stressed. A stressed ENTP can do things to excess, whether it’s drinking, over eating, exercising or anything that is a repetitive task or behavior that might not be healthy. But just when they are under stress it could be a hard habit to break.