Personality Extraverted Sensitive Thoughtful Perceptive

Characteristics of the ESTP personality

ESTPs are spontaneous and active people. Like the other SPs, ESTPs get great satisfaction by letting go of their impulses. Activities involving high power, speed, excitement, and risk are attractive to ESTP. Chronically suppressing these impulses makes the ESTP feel "dead inside."

Having cunning in the game is the mark of the ESTP. People of this type have a natural urge to win the competition. Some of the most successful vendors are ESTP. P. T. Barnum ("Never give a fool a fair chance") reflects the unscrupulous contingent of this type.

ESTPs, almost unconsciously, look for nonverbal and almost subliminal cues regarding what "moves" their prey. Once they have this information, they wait for the right moment to kill their unsuspecting victim's ace with a triumph and rejoice in their conquest. Oddly enough, it seems that ESTPs admire and respect anyone who can beat them on their own ground.

"I'm so good that if I was a little better I couldn't take it!" For an ESTP, recognition of weakness feels like failure. An ESTP admires strength in himself and in others.

The "shock effect" is a favorite technique of this type to attract the attention of your audience. ESTPs love being in the center of the stage, displaying traits of wonder and daring.

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ESTP career options

ESTPs are often found in occupations that require quick and active responses. ESTPs succeed as vendors, crime and fraud investigators, sailors, race car drivers, athletes, actors, entrepreneurs, rescue operations personnel, and sometimes politicians and special combat forces. Many ESTPs are among the implementation and maintenance specialists.