ESTP

“ESTP” is one of sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types. ESTPs prefer Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving. While some estimates suggest ESTPs comprise only 4% of the general population, my research and experience suggests that estimates of 6% (or higher) are likely to be closer to the mark.

ESTP’s functional stack is composed of the following functions: Extraverted Sensing (Se), Introverted Thinking (Ti), Extraverted Feeling (Fe), and Introverted Intuition (Ni).

Since their dominant function (Se) is a Perceiving function, ESTPs are naturally more concerned with experiencing or “taking in” the world than they are with structuring or controlling it. And because they are Extraverts, they tend to rely on the outer world for stimulation. This is what makes ESTPs the most action-oriented and task-oriented of all types. Without a task or something novel to experience, ESTPs can quickly get bored or restless. They are therefore more likely to be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD than some of the other personality types.

ESTPs are constantly using their Se to scan the environment for interesting details. As a child, I would occasionally go on long car rides with my ESTP father. He loved driving because it provided him the constant change in scenery needed to stimulate his Se. It was a rare occasion when he did not “spot” something to bring to my attention: a deer prancing through a far away field, a rare sports car, or a hawk scoping out its prey from above. Only rarely could he be found attending to the road ahead, since he was always on the look out for something novel and interesting.

ESTPs commonly enjoy hobbies that capitalize on their keen powers of observation. My father has always enjoyed keeping his cars in immaculate condition, washing them by hand twice a week. The notion of “detailing” a vehicle perfectly captures the interests of ESTPs, that is, attending to the details of the environment that are important to them.

ESTPs are often athletic and endowed with excellent hand-eye coordination. The Se function is probably the most valuable of all functions when it comes to sports. It allows ESPs or ISPs to quickly read the environment and instantly adapt their physical actions accordingly. ESTPs can make excellent artisans, physicians, mechanics, chiropractors, or surgeons, careers that allow them to incorporate their keen powers of observation with hands-on action.

Because of their preference for hands-on activities, many ESTPs underperform in academic settings. This is typically not due to a lack of ability per se, as many ESTPs are quite intelligent. It is more a matter of lacking interest and concrete stimulation. As Sensing dominant types, being forced to deal in abstractions for too long can be draining for ESTPs.

Despite their distaste for traditional schooling, there are certain subjects that ESTPs often enjoy. Given sufficient intelligence, their auxiliary function, Introverted Thinking (Ti), grants ESTPs strong powers of logic and reason that help them excel in even mathematics. They can also enjoy and perform well in history. History represents an endless source of new details for ESTPs to soak up. While other types may struggle to “memorize” historical facts, this may come fairly naturally to ESTPs, who are used to passively absorbing information through their Se. So given sufficient interest, they can make excellent students and teachers of history.

Despite their status as Extraverts, ESTPs tend not to be overly talkative or conversational (see this post). They are typically more interested in shared activities than they are in extensive conversation. Since status and reputation are important to ESTPs, they  tend to be more talkative in larger groups or public settings than they are at home. Their public actions are often driven by a need to be admired and respected. This stems, at least in part, from their tertiary function, Extraverted Feeling (Fe). Fe types have a need to be needed and esteemed by others. Consequently, ESTPs tend to take social conventions and obligations quite seriously. Since their public actions affect their reputation, they do not want to do anything that jeopardizes their social standing. In attempting to maintain a flawless public image, they can be particular about punctuality, dressing appropropriately, and behaving according to social expectations. When this fails to occur, ESTPs’ Fe can turn ugly as they become frustrated and impetuous.

At home, ESTPs tend to be more independent and taciturn. Since they are task-oriented and not highly conversational, some ESTPs mistype themselves as Introverts. The ostensible disparity between their public and private personas may also lead their intimates to consider them narcissistic or hypocritical. From without, ESTPs can seem to be putting on a good show in public, one that often looks quite diffierent from their private persona. They may be gregarious and friendly in public, turning on their Fe charm to ingratiate themselves to others. In private, however, they may seem more aloof, since their intimates cannot provide them the same level of novelty or public affirmation that they unwittingly seek.