[ESTP] Your Experiences with ESTPs

[Poki]

The Doer

As an ESTP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things rationally and logically.

ESTPs are outgoing, straight-shooting types. Enthusiastic and excitable, ESTPs are "doers" who live in the world of action. Blunt, straight-forward risk-takers, they are willing to plunge right into things and get their hands dirty. They live in the here-and-now, and place little importance on introspection or theory. The look at the facts of a situation, quickly decide what should be done, execute the action, and move on to the next thing.

ESTPs have an uncanny ability to perceive people's attitudes and motivations. They pick up on little cues which go completely unnoticed by most other types, such as facial expressions and stance. They're typically a couple of steps ahead of the person they're interacting with. ESTPs use this ability to get what they want out of a situation. Rules and laws are seen as guidelines for behavior, rather than mandates. If the ESTP has decided that something needs to be done, then their "do it and get on with it" attitude takes precendence over the rules. However, the ESTP tends to have their own strong belief in what's right and what's wrong, and will doggedly stick to their principles. The Rules of the Establishment may hold little value to the ESTP, but their own integrity mandates that they will not under any circumstances do something which they feel to be wrong.

ESTPs have a strong flair for drama and style. They're fast-moving, fast-talking people who have an appreciation for the finer things in life. They may be gamblers or spendthrifts. They're usually very good at story telling and improvising. They typically makes things up as they go along, rather than following a plan. They love to have fun, and are fun people to be around. They can sometimes be hurtful to others without being aware of it, as they generally do not know and may not care about the effect their words have on others. It's not that they don't care about people, it's that their decision-making process does not involve taking people's feelings into account. They make decisions based on facts and logic.

ESTP's least developed area is their intuitive side. They are impatient with theory, and see little use for it in their quest to "get things done". An ESTP will occasionally have strong intuitions which are often way off-base, but sometimes very lucid and positive. The ESTP does not trust their instincts, and is suspicious of other people's intuition as well.

The ESTP often has trouble in school, especially higher education which moves into realms where theory is more important. The ESTP gets bored with classes in which they feel they gain no useful material which can be used to get things done. The ESTP may be brilliantly intelligent, but school will be a difficult chore for them.

The ESTP needs to keep moving, and so does well in careers where he or she is not restricted or confined. ESTPs make extremely good salespersons. They will become stifled and unhappy dealing with routine chores. ESTPs have a natural abundance of energy and enthusiasm, which makes them natural entrepreneurs. They get very excited about things, and have the ability to motivate others to excitement and action. The can sell anyone on any idea. They are action-oriented, and make decisions quickly. All-in-all, they have extraordinary talents for getting things started. They are not usually so good at following through, and might leave those tasks to others. Mastering the art of following through is something which ESTPs should pay special attention to.

ESTPs are practical, observant, fun-loving, spontaneous risk-takers with an excellent ability to quickly improvise an innovative solution to a problem. They're enthusiastic and fun to be with, and are great motivators. If an ESTP recognizes their real talents and operates within those realms, they can accomplish truly exciting things.

Basic internet description

 

[Frosty]

I like ESTPs. I like them more when it is just me and one of them though- because otherwise I feel like there is a lot going on socially and otherwise that Im missing. ESTPs, in my experience, tend to be really really fun people- and because of that, tend to... rarely be alone. And when they ARENT alone- its the interation between the ESTP and others- almost a really theatrical interaction- full of lots of Se and Fe that... just has a tendency to have like 45 tongues and have like half of those tongues filled with a bravado(especially younger ones...)... that makes me hesitant... and that is in the most part missing when I can get an ESTP one on one. One on one where they can just be amazing, funny, sincere- and genuinely nice people- where I can see that clearer.

 

[Mal12345]

Basic internet description

It's too abstract.

Here's an example of my ESTP friend in practice when we were kids:

Sometimes I would go to his house and stay for a few hours into the night. And you know one thing kids really think is great is when the parents decide to go somewhere and leave the kids by themselves, no baby sitters or adults present.

However, this is how my ESTP friend treated the same opportunity.

When he found out that his dad wanted to have a movie night at the theater with his wife, he turned to me and whispered with a malicious grin, "Watch this..."

Uh oh.

So he slowly walked into the kitchen where his mother almost always was, and said plaintively, "We want to go to the movies too..." over and over again.

I saw his mother's face change to one of sadness, and she went over to his dad in the dining room and said, "The kids want to go with us."

Next thing you know, I'm hearing things like, "God damn it!"

The last thing I saw, his dad had grabbed a bottle of wine and was drinking out of it.

So we didn't go to the movies, and we didn't get to stay at his house by ourselves. Instead, my ESTP friend got the satisfaction of seeing his parents miserable. What a fucking devil child. I think he was about 8 years old.

 

[miss fortune]

FFS we're not all evil

sure... some of us are pretty good at seeing where the levers are and knowing what'll happen if we give them a tug, but it doesn't mean that all ESTPs, or even a majority of us, use that ability to do bad things. plenty of ESTPs have a yen to make the world a better and happier place... one of those "for pleasure to the most people" types of attitudes, because fun is less fun if you're the only one having it (unless, of course, you're surrounded by complete douchebags who have it coming)

and ESTPs can develop their other sides as well... they don't tend to stay the cartoon image that you focus on in your description... that'd be like if I described INTPs as all being classic nerds who live in their parents' basements and have to dust cheeto dust off of their keyboards once a week so that they still function with age especially, a good portion of us tend to slow down a bit and think things through a bit more... sure, we're good at thinking on the fly and solving problems before they're actually noticed by most people, but some problems require a bit more thought and most of us realize that too and adjust accordingly

and you left out the type's heart... most ESTPs genuinely care that others are having as much joy in life as they are and want to help them out with that. you don't just get conmen there, you also get the nice guy who stops to help you change your tire asking for nothing in return, or the friend who drops by after something happens to help make you feel like living again.

we're real, well rounded people and if you focus on the internet gloss over you miss out on a lot that ESTPs have to offer the world

 

[Cloudpatrol]

most ESTPs genuinely care that others are having as much joy in life as they are and want to help them out with that. you don't just get conmen there, you also get the nice guy who stops to help you change your tire asking for nothing in return, or the friend who drops by after something happens to help make you feel like living again.

So true [MENTION=1180]miss fortune[/MENTION]. Well said. I also find that ESTP's I know are hella loyal and supportive to family. I laughed at your "movie" story [MENTION=13589]Mal12345[/MENTION]. Your friend was a character for sure. The ESTP in my life IS mischievous (but not at all like your friend). He would do ANYthing for his Mom and is attentive to his family's likes, needs and circumstances.

 

[Mal12345]

So true [MENTION=1180]miss fortune[/MENTION]. Well said. I also find that ESTP's I know are hella loyal and supportive to family. I laughed at your "movie" story [MENTION=13589]Mal12345[/MENTION]. Your friend was a character for sure. The ESTP in my life IS mischievous (but not at all like your friend). He would do ANYthing for his Mom and is attentive to his family's likes, needs and circumstances.

Well he was only 8 years old, after all. They do tend to grow up.

 

[Cloudpatrol]

Well he was only 8 years old, after all. They do tend to grow up.

Good point. I just realized I made an assumption in thinking this is the same 'Chuck' of your original posts

 

[Mal12345]

Good point. I just realized I made an assumption in thinking this is the same 'Chuck' of your original posts

No, this friend was "Deano." Chuck came along years later and he had a low IQ, whereas Deano had a higher IQ. They were from genetically very dissimilar families. Economically, Deano was from a middle-class union family, while Chuck was from a poor family.

 

[ChocolateMoose123]

I like ESTPs. I like them more when it is just me and one of them though- because otherwise I feel like there is a lot going on socially and otherwise that Im missing. ESTPs, in my experience, tend to be really really fun people- and because of that, tend to... rarely be alone. And when they ARENT alone- its the interation between the ESTP and others- almost a really theatrical interaction- full of lots of Se and Fe that... just has a tendency to have like 45 tongues and have like half of those tongues filled with a bravado(especially younger ones...)... that makes me hesitant... and that is in the most part missing when I can get an ESTP one on one. One on one where they can just be amazing, funny, sincere- and genuinely nice people- where I can see that clearer.

But they are both. Same person alone and with others. Different manifestations. Both real. True.

 

[thepink-cloakedninja]

I used to be good friends with an ESTP and he was honestly one of the nicest people I've known. He was very tactful and good at reading people, but instead of using his "powers" for manipulating people like the above examples, he'd just use them to make the group stronger and help everyone have fun. He was also really good at giving advice, and while I've heard that a lot of ESTPs don't like other people getting emotional, he was always very tactful on the few occasions I had a breakdown.

He also participated a lot in things he wasn't going to win at. Like, he'd come play basketball or bump, even though he wasn't AMAZING at them (not dissing his skills tho; he was way better than me *nodnod*). And he was brutally honest about his shortcomings. He'd tell me things like he strove to me a jack of all trades master of none as a way to make himself popular, or that he had a hard time not showing off his talents (of which he had many--it was pretty amazing).

One thing I thought was kind of cool about him (but annoying too) was his tendency to try and spice things up. It was a really nice trait when everyone was standing around in the lobby waiting for the bus and he organized a giant game of human knot, but that one time when we were playing volleyball and he was like "let's use TWO volleyball nets and stand really far away from each other!!!!" kind of destroyed the game ... -_-

The one thing I didn't really like about him is that it was hard to actually get him to spend time with you because he was always off doing something, or was too busy.

 

[Roman Empire]

My experience with ESTPs, are that you are charming, smart, very action oriented, and fun. But also too superficial, and short sighted sometimes. If you don't get your will you can be quite some crybabies. You also rarely show up on time, and if you say you call later, then you don't call later. You don't always put your actions where your mouth is. Every time I begin to speak abstract, ESTPs quickly taps out and gets bored.

 

[kotoshinohaisha]

I have an estp close friend before. He likes to drink and smoke. He's actually pretty cool for me. He might look like a bad person from the outside whose gonna do something bad, but he's one of the most genuine and true person i have ever met. He also makes our class more lively and he's the reason why my college life was hella fun xD we always drink every night and dance in a bar. XD It's actually really fun to be with that guy. Another thing i observed was he's actually respectful with friends. He's not the type who'll gonna take advantage of you when you're weak. He's not the rapist type eventhough he seem look like it.
I miss my friend. :/ he's a chef now, but he didn't continue his studies hehe [emoji14] typical estp. XD he's got a good girlfriend that made him better. He quit smoking 🚬 and unfortunately, they cannot make a child because probably due to his vices before..
That's all. I heart estps. I just enjoyed having time with estp because i can actually freely swear, say bad words, say the word penis. Or vagina freely without the fear of being judged. [emoji14] you can be whoever with them. XD and yeah they're really fun.