Have you ever caught an ENTP repeatedly lying or hiding the truth? In the personality community, ENTPs are known as habitual liars and are extremely good at it. Let’s find out if ENTPs are really good liars or if there is more to it.
ENTPs are good at lying, but emotionally healthy ENTPs don’t lie to hurt or manipulate people. They lie, conceal the truth, exaggerate, or provide different angles to protect themselves or show different perspectives, which often backfires. Unhealthy ENTPs can use their lying ability negatively.
While ENTPs do lie and are pretty skilled at it, other types also lie. Additionally, they don’t necessarily do it because they want to be deceitful. You can better understand how their personality functions below.
Do ENTPs Lie?
The most direct answer to this question is yes, ENTPs lie. But there is an entire explanation for why, how, and when they lie. That said, ENTPs are not the only personality type who lie. Every single person, from every personality type, lies at some point, and they do it for different reasons.
Lying is not due to a personality type but because of situations and circumstances in a person’s life. It is, most importantly, a choice. People can choose to lie or be truthful, and sometimes people feel compelled to lie.
ENTPs are more habitual liars in the personality community than any other personality type. Here are some reasons why that may be due to their type:
The combination of Fe and Ne functions
Fe is a tertiary function in ENTPs. It is extraverted thinking and allows them to analyze and evaluate their responses to things through more emotion. Ne is their intuition about the outer world and how they perceive things.
When the two functions combine, it leads to feeling and quick thinking, resulting in ENTPs blurting out things they don’t always mean or are not entirely the truth. It is almost impulsive.
Lack of Fi in primary functions
The Fi function is an introverted judging system, often towards personal feelings. It helps navigate values and understanding of the self. Without the Fi at the top traits, ENTPs will lack the moral guilt associated with lying unless they consciously try to train that part.
Why Do ENTPs Lie?
There are several reasons ENTPs lie, even when it is not meant as manipulation or to be deceitful, as listed and explained in the following points:
ENTPs Are Mercurial
ENTPs are unpredictable and changeable. They are adaptable, and their interests, hobbies, and desires can often change. One day ENTPs might tell you they love something, and the next day they will be less interested because they have found a new hobby.
For someone looking in from the outside, it can seem like the ENTP is lying or making things up, whereas their mind has changed. ENTPs also have a lot of different interests, so they might tell one person they like cooking and another that they prefer gardening. That can seem like lying, but they simply state different things to different people to be adaptable.
They Find Lying Convenient
Sometimes ENTPs lie because they find it convenient. That is the same reason many people lie. As mentioned, lying is a person’s choice, not a personality trait. ENTPs are just really good at holding up different lies compared to others who might slip up in their stories.
ENTPs will lie to make things convenient for themselves and others. If it helps a situation, they will go along with it as long as possible. They can quickly think of something to say based on how they feel and perceive a situation (Fe and Ne), and their intuition helps them figure out the best, most convenient outcome.
ENTPs Want To Test Your Intelligence
Sometimes ENTPs lie to test a person’s intelligence. They don’t mean it as a lie. They will simply state something differently to see if you can figure it out, call them out, or if you know what you are talking about.
ENTPs are intelligent and intuitive, and albeit they can bluff a lot, they can easily see when someone else is bluffing. They might say something different from what is true to test you and see if you will pick up on their trick.
They Want To Hide The Truth
Another reason ENTPs lie is that they want to conceal the truth. That doesn’t always mean they are telling a lie; instead, they want to hide the whole story. That means they will mention a part of the story without specific details.
The problem is that sometimes, to conceal information, other finer details must be slightly tweaked, leading to lying.
ENTPs Want To Protect Themselves
A common reason ENTPs lie is that they need to protect themselves. They don’t want to look bad or don’t want someone to think less of them. They tend to exaggerate things or provide various angles. It is not always a lie but can lead to that or seem like it to others.
An emotionally unhealthy or unavailable ENTP will be deceitful to ensure that their image is protected. An emotionally healthy ENTP might lie to protect themselves and others with the hope of keeping the peace.
Are ENTPs Manipulative?
Most people, sometimes ENTPs included, can often feel that they are manipulative because they tend to lie so much and are great at it. ENTPs are also aware of their lying habits, which can seem highly manipulative, but that is only sometimes true.
Some ENTPs, specifically emotionally unhealthy, use their lying abilities to manipulate people into believing or doing what they want. If you bring it up, the ENTP will often deny the issue and can gaslight you through further lies and exaggerations.
It is essential to realize that not all lying ENTPs are manipulative. Some genuinely think they are doing the right thing, and others don’t realize that it negatively impacts others.
Are ENTPs Dangerous?
ENTPs are incredible, loving, caring, and loyal people. But they do have a dark side. If they don’t get their way or fear something going wrong, ENTPs can become manipulative. They will do whatever it takes to ensure things go their way and don’t care who gets hurt in the process.
Only emotionally immature and unhealthy ENTPs can be dangerous to others or hurt others deliberately. The dark side can be concerning and sometimes turn into gaslighting and narcissism. The issue with ENTPs lying is that even though they are skilled at it when they are being manipulative or trying to hurt someone, it gets messy, and they often get caught.
Conclusion
ENTPs are really good at lying, but it always depends on the kind of person they are and their character. They use lies to get through specific situations with hopes of making things better, being protective, and keeping the peace.
