6 Extraverted Thinking (Te) Stereotypes

I’ve had Extraverted Thinking (Te) on the brain lately. To my knowledge, there aren’t a bunch of Te stereotypes, but the ones that exist are misleading enough to cause significant confusion. We see a lot of Te users who can’t settle on a type because nothing quite seems to fit. Certain personality traits have become so prominently associated with Te, that they’ve essentially become embedded into what a Te user has to be in order to qualify as one. Those are what I’m going to discuss in this article, but first let’s cover some basics.

What is Extraverted Thinking (Te)?

Extraverted Thinking, or Te, is an extraverted judging function which is concerned with ordering one’s physical environment. That’s why it’s “extroverted judging”. Decisions, or judgement calls, are made with the intention of maintaining physical control of the external environment, which of course can mean different things to different users. Te users tend to appreciate structure, efficiency, and tangible results as a by-product of their desire to maintain an orderly physical environment.

Who are the Te users?

The Te users are any TJ type, which means ISTJ, INTJ, ESTJ, and ENTJ. For the purpose of this article, I’m not including the lower Te users, which are the FPs. This article really only applies to the high Te users. The FPs will be afflicted by a completely different set of stereotypes since Fi is essentially an opposite to Te, a yin and yang relationship, so to speak.

Disclaimer

Before I get into this, I want to give a quick disclaimer. Stereotypes do exist for a reason. Many are tendencies that have been converted into absolutes, provoking people to mistype. Some people will relate to these stereotypes, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. (Obviously, that depends on which stereotype. For instance, don’t use your personality type as an excuse to be a jerk.) However, there may also be a significant number of individuals out there who do not relate to the stereotypes. This article is primarily being written for the benefit of those individuals, to help clear up confusion and doubts. However, anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Te can certainly benefit from this article, and hopefully will. My desire is for people to understand the core attributes of Te, rather than just focusing on the stereotypical ways it can surface.

The Stereotypes

1. Te users always take charge or desire leadership roles

The ESTJ and ENTJ type descriptions certainly push this one. (After all, they are the extraverted thinking dominants.) The ENTJ is the commander. The ESTJ is a manager or executive. These personality types are described as eager to take charge. However, this will vary from person to person. Te does desire to exert control over it’s physical environment, but this does not always include people, and it does not always mean that they’re eager to be in charge. Sometimes, when a Te user does take command of those around them, it’s done more out of feelings of necessity rather than desire. In other words, something is wrong and they have to fix it. An ambitious Te user may set their sights on a leadership role and desire it, but this is not guaranteed. Some are content to work within the current structure, especially if that structure is deemed efficient or adequate. (Check out The Dual Nature of Te for more information.)

2. Te users always seek positions of power

This is similar to the previous point, but slightly different. This is essentially the classic villain stereotype: the arrogant TJ that desires power and pursues it no matter what the cost. Like the previous point, this does not have to be true. Extraverted thinking is not all about power. A Te user will seek power when they need it to achieve something. Not every Te user will be extremely ambitious or have their sights set extremely high. In other words, the level of “power” needed for them to achieve their goals can vary drastically. A Te user will not necessarily seek power just for the sake of it.

3. Te users are always mean and devoid of empathy

This is completely false. Unchecked Te can be extremely blunt, sure, but a lot of people learn to temper their Te, in order to get along with those around them. Te users are human like the every other type, and may desire deep connections with others. They have Fi, which when developed, provides a deep capacity for empathy. As with any type, if the Te user is constantly a jerk, it’s a character flaw and not specifically tied to their personality. If the Te user is constantly abrasive and unable to show or express empathy (even with those close to them), it indicates an extremely suppressed feeling function, which would mean an imbalanced or unhealthy state. The average Te user may struggle with the occasional bluntness (especially when focusing on a task), but should be quite capable of being personable and empathetic.

4. Te users can’t be harmony focused or conflict avoidant

Now, taking the previous point a step farther, it is assumed that a Te user’s natural tendency toward bluntness or abrasiveness will make them completely comfortable with conflict, since they are constantly stepping on everyone’s toes in their unquenchable thirst for power and control. This is false. I’ve run across many Te dominants who cannot find a type that fits because they do not enjoy conflict, and in fact, avoid it. These Te users tend to sounds a lot like Fe users, only without the emotional component that comes with Fe. In other words, they express a general desire for harmony and distaste for conflict, but approach social situations in an emotionally-detached or outcome-focused way. Fe users focus heavily on feeling the emotions of everyone around them, and being dragged down by the weight. Harmony-focused Te users do not do this, although they will be generally bothered by the conflict and will likely try to find a way to resolve it. However, when they do this, fixing the emotions will not be the focus, fixing the conflict will. The solutions produced will also reflect this, causing some of the solutions they come up with to not have the emotions of others or themselves in mind. In addition, even Te users who aren’t particularly bothered by conflict may still try to avoid it simply because conflict can get in the way of maintaining order and/or achieving a specific desired outcome.

5. Te users can’t be lazy

Te has become synonymous with hard work and discipline, almost as if Te users are hard-wired to be successful… almost as if they’re born with a leg up, an advantage over the rest of us. This isn’t true. Te users can be lazy, and I mean legitimately lazy. I’ve heard it described that Te users will order their life so that they can be lazy, but this usually assumes that they’re getting stuff done in advance so that the “lazy time” is okay. That is not truly being lazy. That is, effectively, earned down time. A Te user can be legitimately lazy. They can be complete losers, and fail at life just like every other type. They can lack any meaningful ambition, choosing instead to exert control in pointless ways or set their sights on childish goals.

6. Te users are always intelligent and competent

This is essentially the thinker bias within the typology community. Being a thinker sometimes gets mistaken as a sign of intelligence. It is sometimes assumed that thinkers will have high IQs, excel in academics, and etc. Unfortunately, the dichotomy names are misleading. Being a thinker has nothing to do with actual intelligence. There are intelligent thinkers and intelligent feelers, just like there are dumb thinkers and dumb feelers. (We all think, and we all feel.) In reality, being a Te user simply indicates a specific way of judging information, or making decisions. There may be Te users out there who have fooled themselves into believing they are competent and intelligent, when they are actually not. There may also be Te users that see themselves as dumb, regardless of whether or not they are. And, of course, just in case all you see is me type bashing over here, there may also be highly intelligent Te users who excel at everything they touch. Bottom line: this has nothing to do with one’s personality type.