An Overview of the ESTJ Personality Type
By Julia Simkus, published May 04, 2022
ESTJ (extraversion, sensing, thinking, judging) is a four-letter code acronym used to represent one of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types.
ESTJs are sometimes referred to as “the Director,” “the Supervisor,” or “the Executive.” INFP is the opposite personality type of ESTJ.
People with this personality type tend to be action-oriented, taking logical approaches to obtain results and solve problems quickly.
They are energetic, charming, and outgoing individuals who enjoy spending time and pursuing adventure with wide circles of friends and acquaintances.
ESTJ is the fifth most common type in the population, and the second most common among men. ESTJs make up:
Famous ESTJs include Judge Judy, George Washington, Sanda Day O’Connor, Darth Vader, and Kamala Harris.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
Strong leadership skills | Inflexible |
Reliable | Judgmental |
Dedicated | Bossy |
Honest | Stubborn |
Organized | Difficulty relaxing |
They can sometimes be seen as rigid or stubborn, but they excel in leadership positions and can be counted on to put plans into action.
They are hardworking and committed, seeing things to completion and defending their ideas and principles relentlessly.
They are rule-abiding and conscientious, often taking an interest in civic duties, government branches, and community organizations.
As honest, dedicated, and responsible individuals, ESTJs are representatives of tradition and order and can show their wrath when others act dishonestly or demonstrate incompetence.
They are typically seen in leadership positions, taking pride in bringing people together and maintaining a structured society. Unironically, many of America’s presidents have been ESTJs!
They place a higher value on objectivity and fact rather than personal feelings and emotion when making decisions.
They appreciate straightforward and rational information and are bored by abstract theories or concepts.
They trust facts more than abstract ideas or opinions and tend to go about projects in a systematic, methodical way.
They enjoy creating order and security in their environments by establishing strict rules and regulations.
ESTJs are planners and list makers, always punctual, and have no problem distributing tasks and responsibilities to others, making them accomplished leaders and administrators.
The MBTI suggests that the four different cognitive functions (thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensing) form a hierarchy where each function is either directed outwardly (extroverted) or inwardly (introverted). The order of these functions determines one’s personality.
The dominant function is the primary aspect of personality, while the auxiliary and tertiary functions play supportive roles.
Because of their conventional, structured nature, ESTJs tend to succeed in supervisory roles or any position where they can exercise their affinity for organization and order.
They are committed to making sure that their employees follow the rules and traditions established by the higher authorities and they prefer to be in a role where they can make decisions and enforce policies and procedures.
They are dependable, hardworking individuals with an eagerness to take on responsibility and exceed expectations. ESTJs are effective managers with a genuine enthusiasm for organization and principle.
Because of their love of structure, efficiency, and thoroughness, suitable careers for ESTJs include financial officers, school administrators, business managers, agents, and auditors.
Their sense of loyalty to their work and their admiration for established institutions also can lead ESTJs to work for well-respected and/or government organizations as lawyers, police officers, judges, military officers, or politicians.
In their free time, ESTJ enjoy building and repairing things around the home, gardening, volunteering, participating in community service, and playing or watching sports.
ESTJs strongly prefer environments that emphasize strict rules and procedures. They respect workplaces that value tradition and stability and have clear sets of expectations and organized authority structures.
They struggle in disorganized, poorly managed environments, and they do not like to work alongside lazy, irresponsible employees or colleagues. They enjoy being surrounded by people who also hold themselves to high standards and are equally dedicated to the tasks at hand.
They appreciate being a part of a team, but they take the most pleasure from organizing, and sometimes even micromanaging, other members of their group.
The ideal workplace for ESTJs is one that enables them to use their organizational skills and progress along a path to increased responsibility.
As extroverted individuals, ESTJs tend to be outgoing and sociable. They enjoy being the center of attention and spending time in the company of others.
They are also dependable, loyal friends and typically form the most powerful connections with those who share mutual values, traditions, and institutions.
They tend to struggle to find common ground with people who disagree with their principles and beliefs, and because of this, ESTJs do not usually befriend people who consistently express alternate viewpoints.
ESTJs are always open to trying a new activity or attending a social event as long as they are in the company of others.
In relationships, ESTJs are straightforward and honest with who they are, what they want from a partner, and what their goals are in the relationship. Because of this, they tend to form stable, long-term relationships.
ESTJs take their relationships seriously and are willing to put in significant effort to be a strong, committed partner.
ESTJS tend to struggle with expressing their emotions and providing verbal statements of love, but rather show their affection more tangibly, such as taking their partners out on dates or having fun participating in new activities together.
As ESTJs are outgoing and personable, they enjoy spending time with friends partaking in activities that they enjoy.
They also value loyalty and dependability so ESTJs will form the closest friendships with stable friends who stick to their commitments and show up when they are supposed to.
As partners, ESTJs take their commitments seriously. They value honesty and security and tend to dedicate themselves to relationships long-term.
They appreciate routine and family traditions and want a sense of stability in their home and love lives.
They struggle with emotions and feelings, so it is important to remember that they will find other, more tangible ways to express their affection.
ESTJ parents tend to set clear roles and expectations of their children. They can be strict and controlling, enforcing rules and standards they have established and assigning jobs and duties to family members.
They want to raise their children to grow into hardworking, well-respected, and successful adults, continuing the example they’ve set as traditionalists.
Julia Simkus is an undergraduate student at Princeton University, majoring in Psychology. She plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology upon graduation from Princeton in 2023. Julia has co-authored two journal articles, one titled “Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19-Related Restrictions," which was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in April 2021 and the other titled “Food Addiction: Latest Insights on the Clinical Implications," to be published in Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health in early 2022.
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