ESTP Personality Type

ESTP is one of the more common personality types and also one of the boldest. If you’re an opinionated ESTP, know one, or want to learn more about this personality type, consider this your complete guide to ESTPs.

What Is ESTP? (And What Does It Stand For?)

ESTP stands for Extraversion (E), Sensing (S), Thinking (T), and Perception (P).

ESTP is a personality type associated with thrill-seeking and energy. It’s one of the sixteen personality types in the Myers-Briggs system and is defined by the four characteristics and behavioral patterns mentioned above.

It’s a fairly common personality type, representing less than 5% of the US population, and it’s more common among men.

People with an ESTP personality are known as “the Persuader,” “the Dynamo,” “the Adventurer,” or “the Entrepreneur.” This personality type is the exact opposite of the INFJ personality type.

Key ESTP Characteristics and Traits

ESTPs are action-oriented, daring people who are not hesitant to make decisions and do things. They want to live life to the fullest and take advantage of every opportunity.

Their adventurous and gregarious spirit can drastically impact their environment, causing others to either shy away from them or engage. They love being the center of attention or the leader and avoid abstract and philosophical conversations in favor of logical topics.

These energetic, fast-paced people prefer doing rather than talking and can be highly critical of more thoughtful, artistic, and emotional people.

ESTP Examples

Before we dive into the specific strengths, weaknesses, careers, and compatibility of ESTPs, check out the lists of famous or fictional ESTPs.

ESTP Famous People

Below are some of the most famous examples of ESTPs, including politicians, inventors, and writers.

ESTP Celebrities

Many of the most sensational celebrities have an ESTP personality! Below are the most well-known celebrities with ESTP personalities.

ESTP Fictional Characters

Aside from the historical figures and Hollywood celebrities, there are also many beloved and hated fictional characters with an ESTP personality.

  • Hank Schrader (Breaking Bad)
  • Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones)
  • Lincoln Burrows (Prison Break)
  • Seth Grayson (House of Cards)
  • Gabrielle Solis (Desperate Housewives)
  • Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter)
  • Fiona Glenanne (Burn Notice)
  • Rocket The Raccoon (Avengers)
  • Ant-Man (Avengers)
  • D’Artagnan The Three Musketeers)
  • Philip Wenneck (The Hangover)

ESTP Strengths and Weaknesses

Like all people and personality types, ESTP has its fair share of strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths

First, let’s talk about the strengths of the ESTP personality type. These people can be driven, adventurous, and personable, making them fun at parties and often excellent leaders.

Read a breakdown of the five top ESTP strengths in the sections below.

Adventurous

ESTPs are all about adventure and thrill-seeking, so they’re often willing to take risks that others won’t. This trait can be a major strength, as it means they may jump at more opportunities and experience more of life than reserved or timid people who are risk averse.

They’re also adventurous in the sense they love to break the rules and think outside the box. They see rules and authority as limiting, so they aren’t afraid to bend or break the rules to get what they want or do what they think is right.

Confident

ESTPs are not shy in any sense of the word and typically find it easy to engage with others and state their mind. These people are outgoing and confident in themselves, so they have no issues with going against the grain or saying something potentially controversial.

Their confidence and self-assuredness make it easy to take charge and lead people, especially if they’re passionate about something. ESTPs are often successful in their careers and large group citations, as they’re great at breaking the ice and saying what others won’t.

Sociable

Along with being confident, ESTPs are also outgoing in that they can be very personable. They find it easy to make connections with new people, and others find them easy to connect with. They’re often talkative, funny, and lively, so they’ll comfortably lead a conversation and naturally prevent awkward silences.

A part of this strength comes from their extroverted nature, as they thrive in social situations, and being around other people fuels their spirit and gives them energy. They’re often charming smooth talkers who can easily win people over and could talk to a brick wall if necessary.

Practical

ESTPs are usually very practical and rational people, relying on their heads more than their hearts. They prefer to use logic, statistics, and facts to make decisions, so base their choices on solid evidence rather than a gut feeling.

While intense practicality can be seen as a flaw or weakness, it is a strength for most ESTPs because it allows them to be logical, assured leaders. They also feel more confident when learning about a topic, so they’ll explore things they believe benefit them. So, they view frivolous hobbies or casual learning as a waste of time.

Perceptive

Along with being practical, ESTPs are also perceptive, so they spend a lot of time observing people and events. Interestingly, they manage to be perceptive and engaging simultaneously, so they can command a conversation while observing how people listen and respond to them.

They’re constantly taking in and assessing information in both work and social situations, almost as if they’re always preparing for something.

Weaknesses

Now for the ESTP weaknesses, which mostly revolve around making decisions hastily and neglecting to consider other people’s perspectives and feelings.

Below are the five most prominent weaknesses among ESTP personality types.

Impulsive

ESTPs truly are adventurers and thrill-seekers, sometimes to the point of self-destruction. They make rash decisions and can throw themselves into risky situations before weighing the consequences.

While they can be excellent leaders, their managerial skills can be messy, as they’re poor planners and tend to make decisions at the moment without much forethought. The leap-before-you-look attitude can be problematic in work and social situations.

Impatient

Because ESTPs make decisions so quickly, they often become frustrated and impatient when other people are not as fast. They often don’t give people time to make thoughtful decisions, bulldozing others into agreeing with them and following their course of action.

Their inability to wait for people and take their time can make them seem hostile and rude, so they may be unpleasant when they feel something is urgent and others treat it differently. ESTPs may even consider someone unintelligent if they can’t process information and make prompt decisions, which ties into their judgmental traits.

Disorganized

Because ESTPs hate rules and tend to be impulsive, they’re typically disorganized and messy. Their homes are often physically and visibly disorganized, as well as their routine and thought processes.

They may be unable to finish a task because they move on to something else too quickly and may lose things more often than others. ESTPs will often not have a daily routine and do not use to-do lists or calendars, which can lessen their managerial aptitude.

Judgmental

As mentioned, ESTPs can be super observant but also tend to judge the people and things they observe. They’re also judgmental because they can make fast decisions. But for most ESTPs, their intense judgmentalness acts as a weakness, because they become too set in their ways and close off their mind to other perspectives.

While they enjoy thinking outside of the box, they tend to reject other people’s unorthodox ideas quickly. They also sometimes make set-in-stone decisions too quickly, contributing to their impulsiveness.

Insensitive

All of the weaknesses mentioned above contribute to an ESTP’s insensitivity toward others. Their impatience and judgmental habits can make them highly insensitive to other people’s needs and wants. They may pressure someone into deciding before they’re ready and make others feel bad for choosing things they think are incorrect.

Another trait that contributes to their lack of empathy is their logical thinking and aversion to philosophical discussions. They choose science over art usually, so they typically have a black-and-white viewpoint and don’t have the open-mindedness to put themselves in someone else’s shoes.

ESTP Compatibility – Who Are ESTP Compatible With?

ESTPs are easy to connect with at first but can be hard to be around long-term because of their impatience and insensitivity. However, a handful of personality types can mellow their intensity but also match their gregarious energy!

ESTP Relationships

ESTPs match well with other ESTPs, as well as ISTPs, ESFPs, ISFPs, ISFJs, and ISTJs. As you can see, they’re most compatible with introverts despite being extroverted. This is because ESTPs want to be the ones in command, so they can butt heads with other extroverts and outgoing people.

The common thread through these personality types is sensing rather than intuition. Intuition is about going with gut feelings and following your heart over your head. ESTPs do not like to follow emotion over logic and judge others harshly for ignoring their head and following their heart, so they’re incompatible with highly intuitive people.

ESTP Partner

Because ESTPs can be so wildly extroverted and outgoing, they pair well with introverts who can mellow their energetic attitude. ESTPs partner well with ISFJs and ISTJs because extraverted sensing matches with introverted sensing beautifully. All these personality types enjoy adventure and are decisive, but can balance one another’s more drastic traits.

ESTPs in long-term relationships can be fidgety as many struggle with commitment. But when they’re all in for someone, they tend to be the fun-loving, free half of the relationship and keep things fresh and flirty. They desire a partner who will match their adventurous energy and won’t try to slow them down too much.

ESTP Love Language

Most people have more than one love language, but the most important one for ESTPs is physical touch or quality time. However, they also value gift-giving and quality time. Their last love language is usually verbal affirmations, as they tend to show their love more than say it.

They are action-based individuals, so they’re more likely to express their love through activities, physical affection, and acts of service. and gifts, as opposed to words of affirmation. They connect and bond through physical touch, but their adventurous spirit makes quality time, meaning outings and activities, one of their top priorities when they love someone.

Best Jobs and Careers for ESTP

Because ESTPs are so driven and commanding, they can thrive at many jobs but aren’t suited for all fields. Check out the best jobs and careers for ESTPs in the sections below.

ESTP Career List

ESTPs enjoy exciting and logical careers where they can make fast decisions and use evidence and statistics to do their job. Some ESTPs can be excellent managers too, but it depends on the type of management, as they don’t always lead people with adequate sensitivity. Below are the top ESTP careers.

  • Police Officer
  • Sales Management
  • Politicians
  • Firefighter
  • Engineer
  • Lawyer
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Paramedic
  • Librarian
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Accountant
  • Civil Engineer
  • Construction Management
  • Economist
  • Flight Attendant
  • Mechanic
  • Dental Hygienist
  • Stockbroker

Careers for ESTP Females

The ideal careers for ESTP females and males are essentially the same. However, trends show that ESTP women tend to choose lower-risk jobs with an emphasis on scientific fields like engineering.

  • Police Officer
  • Librarian
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Dental Hygienist
  • Financial Analyst
  • Flight Attendant
  • Personal Trainer
  • Flight Engineer

Careers for ESTP Males

Below are the most popular careers for ESTP males, which show a few more high-risk positions, like a firefighter.

  • Sales Management
  • Police Officer
  • Paramedic
  • Engineer
  • Firefighter
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Civil Engineer

ESTP Careers to Avoid

ESTPs can be creative because they think outside of the box and are always ready to solve problems. However, their desire to use logic can make creative careers and jobs with lots of human interaction challengings. The following jobs are usually not ideal for ESTP people.

  • Teacher
  • Writer
  • Psychologist
  • Graphic Designer
  • Social Worker
  • Counselor
  • Artist
  • Human Resource Management
  • Marketing
  • Physical Therapist
  • Psychiatrist
  • Nutritionist
  • Project Manager
  • Musician

Summary

ESTPs are some of the most commanding and attention-grabbing people, making them excellent leaders and entrepreneurs. However, their impatience and insensitivity can make it difficult to nurture long-term relationships or spend time with people different from them.

Overall, ESTPs are lively and intelligent people who just want others to match their energy and engage with them.

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