How do you figure out if someone is ENTP or ESTP?

[zago]

Ask them how many DUIs they have gotten.

 

[mwv6r]

Being the ENTP that I am, when I broke up with him (the final time), I did it on a grand scale - ended it, moved to another state and met someone else within a week. He, on the other hand, tried to save the relationship in his own grand scale kind of way: he went to my jeweler and had a custom ring made for me, flew all the way to my new state, looked up my address in the phone book. When I opened the door, he was on one knee. I gave him a LOT of credit for that, as I closed the door in his face and promptly forgot about him until just now.

Aww, that story makes me sad ( He probably still thinks of you as 'the one that got away.' I think ESTPs' tertiary Fe can get the best of them sometimes. I admire that you're able to make a big life change and not look back, though. I tend to second-guess myself too much. ENTP + ESTP sounds like an interesting and lively combination.

Anyway, my thoughts on the differences between ENTP versus ESTP:

ENTP --> loves to one-up. excellent conversationalists, and really enjoy people who can keep up with their constant flow of ideas. side-splittingly hilarious. can be extremely incisive with sarcasm, but then seem to feel bad about it when they realize they've hurt a friend with their barbs. i think they're one of the sexiest types for sure, but i'd be hesitant to risk a relationship with one! also: they don't seem to help out much around the house!

ESTP --> likes to have the the last word. laidback. pack-leader mentality -- they can be a little controlling (not knock-you-over-the-head controlling like an ESTJ, but controlling in a sly sneaky way). master manipulators. if their Fe is well-developed they can be surprisingly sweet! class clowns. excellent with hands-on activities around the house, and often excellent cooks. their uber-confidence is usually incredibly appealing but occasionally incredibly frustrating! definitely more conventional than an ENTP, though not nearly as tied to convention as an SJ would be. (when a convention works for them, they cite it and uphold it; when it doesn't, they ignore it.)

ESTPs are my favorite type, though ENTPs are way up there too! [full disclosure -- I'm about to get married to my ESTP ] Even on the crappy reality tv shows that I watch, I always find myself rooting for the ESTPs and admiring their adept leadership and social skills.

 

[Amargith]

I find ESTPs to have a lot more focus than ENTPs..It's hard to distract an ESTP once they have set their sights on something...not so much with an ENTP. Toss them something new and shiny and they'll pick it up and run with it, at least for a while, giving you time to prep, just in case they come back to the thing you wanted to avoid. Doesn't work with an ESTP, I've noticed....

That also contributes to their dominant demeanor, I think, the fact that they have little patience for anything that stands between them and their goal. ENTPs will find a way around if they don't forget about the goal alltogether. Note: this is only true though when you aren't in full debate with an ENTP yet, coz then they can get pitbull on your ass too.

 

[Dali]

Me talking to an ENTP director of a charity event my company was sponsoring

Every conversation I had with him fell into the pattern below.

(after a trying 15 mins on phone and everything has apparently been gone over)

ENTP: Well, another way we could do it is we could have X do Z.
Me: That's an excellent idea but unprecedented and might be difficult to implement at such short notice. Let me discuss with my colleagues and get...
ENTP: Or, instead, we could have X do Y and involve W.
Me: Y is unavailable at this time of the year but, regarding W...
ENTP: Yeah, you're probably right. What if P did W instead and then we split it up into two events with X doing Z as the first one.
Me: Our involvement is all based on how the first one works out, we can't commit to a second event yet due...
ENTP: Aha, in that case, we can combine them....
Me: (AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!)

If they speak in the above manner, then it's a safe bet to say they're probably ENTP.