Originally Posted by
Expat's old description
Te types
ESTjs and ENTjs perceive reality through their knowledge of how the world works - or that the world even works. For them, their environment, their world - both in a real and a figurative way - must be known in its own terms, so as it really is. Te is wary of believing in ideologies or systems even if they already seem to make perfect sense and are consistent: Te is suspicious of this, it feels like self-delusion. The world and the environment must work logically, they must make sense, they must work efficiently, but not through rigid structures: efficiency is measured on results and achieved by knowledge, not primarily by structural logic. Result is what counts.
At a basic level, reality as perceived by the ENTj and the ESTj can be understood as if they were driving a car. For the ENTj, the efficiency and speed of the journey itself, as well as the final destination, are the primary criteria to optimize the workings of that environment, that situation. As long as ENTjs judge the speed and the expense of the journey to be proceeding as they judge optimal, they are contented. They may stop and "waste time" at their own discretion, however; that is ok as long as the EJ remains in control of what is going on. But just see the ENTj be faced with an unforeseen and open-ended event, like a traffic jam: the ENTj will go mad, since the perception of flow Ni, one of the main criteria for the ENTj to evaluate the final Te efficiency, has just escaped out of his EJ control.
The ENTj will not be too concerned with whether the car is clean, tidy, or even working at optimal level: as long as the car takes the ENTj to the final goal along a perception of time flow agreeable to the ENTj, those matters do not concern the ENTj much. That is not the the case with the ESTj: it's the opposite. The ESTj's evaluation of Te efficiency of the car journey is defined by a well-running car, a tidy and clean car, an engine doing just the right noise. The efficiency that concerns the ESTj foremost is that of the car; while the efficiency that concerns the ENTj is that of the journey itself. That is not to say that the ESTj does not care about the final goal; but his focus on attaining it will be different from that of the ENTj. And, accordingly, the ENTj's problems with the journey will be related to not focusing enough on the details of car itself, and the ESTj's, to not focusing enough on possible obstacles during the journey.
Let us change the car into a boat sailing along a river: the ENTj will want to be in control of the journey, to feel that the goal will be reached when the ENTj wishes (but not necessarily according to a pre-established schedule), so the ENTj will, again, focus on the journey itself, possible obstacles, and act to avoid them and compensate for them. The ENTj will want the boat to sail smoothly but its state is important to the ENTj only as a means to an end; the ENTj will tend to neglect the appearance and tidiness of the boat, and will check on its engines but not very enthusiastically; the ENTj is a bit impatient with doing that. The ESTj, though, will pay the closest attention to the state of the boat in its details, and will be inclined to comparatively neglect the flow of the journey itself - or go the opposite way and concentrate on a rigid, pre-fixed schedule.
For Te, reality - the external environment - must make sense as it is. Te expects reality to change and wants to stay ahead of such changes, steering them in the right direction. That is only possible if reality is understood and can be subjected to a measure of Te's control. To be subjected to a external reality that makes no sense, and can't be steered towards sense, is one of the sources of greatest distress for Te. This includes bureaucratic rules, idiotic authority figures, and the like. Te wants to get the car moving and complete the journey - that is not helped by someone saying that the brakes have to be checked when Te knows that that isn't necessary, or someone with power telling Te to take a particular route because "I want". To reach an optimal situation of sense-making reality, Te may feel the need to assume control over the environment and other people arond; however, control is a means to an end, not the goal.