ESTP Weaknesses - 7 Struggles of Being ESTP

ESTP is one of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types. They comprise part of the temperament group known as “The Artisans” along with ISFP, ISTP, ESFP. ESTPs have been referred as such things as “the entrepreneur”, “the tactical promoter”, and “the doer”. They possess a number of positive attributes including a youthful spirit, an ability to improvise under pressure, and also their courage and willingness to take risks that others would shy away from. But as is the case with the other MBTI personalities, there are also a number of shortfalls to this type. Here is a look at 7 weaknesses associated with being an ESTP.

1. Lack of Sensitivity.

ESTPs can be callous and careless with their words, often overlooking the emotional impact that they can have on people. Although they are often adept at saying the right things for the aim of impressing others, ESTP’s penchant for blunt speech is of little help in emotionally charged and delicate situations. ESTP men and women are generally not highly attuned or greatly concerned with the feelings of others. Because they have such a strong ability for reading people’s faces and body language, they can be mistaken as being more empathetic than they actually are. They generally use this information to look for signs of accord or discord in the service of furthering their aims and intentions.

2. Not Playing By the Rules.

ESTPs don’t live their lives by the book. They are concerned with their ends more than the means to those ends and thus display a rather flexible attitude in how to go about achieving it. While they can understand and appreciate the purpose and necessity for having rules, ESTPs can sometimes behave as though the rules don’t apply to them. In other cases, ESTP is inclined to bend the rules or play by their own insofar as they can get away with. Because of their competitive spirit and maverick attitude, ESTPs will often be tempted to exploit loopholes and use whatever advantage they can to get ahead or circumvent some type of prohibition. To this end, ESTPs have a capacity for unscrupulous behavior when it comes to getting their way. The strength of their will can make them less willing to put up with the same restrictions that other people are subjected to.

3. Overestimating Their Insight.

On account of their inferior Ni (introverted intuition), ESTP’s personal perceptions and conceptions can be skewed, lacking in nuance and heavily biased. While they aspire to be insightful and perceptive, ESTPs excel more naturally in the physical realm ruled by the laws of physics. They are slightly impaired in the meta-realm of psychological perception. Although they can be good at getting in other people’s heads with mind games and influencing other’s behavior, ESTP’s perception and understanding of people and situations is often hit-or-miss or altogether shallow. As a type who trusts their senses, the ESTP is inclined to form a lot of judgements based on appearances and surface details. They are adept at observing body language and other physical facts, but when it comes to interpreting the broader patterns and implications of those behaviors and events, ESTPs tend to overestimate the power and accuracy of their perceptions. As with the ESFP, the ESTP’s Ni-delusions can mislead them or fail to keep their impulse-driven Se from proceeding with a decision that they will cause problems down the road.

4. Long Term Planning.

ESTPs, much like ESFPs are very much about enjoying the present and tend to focus on the short term more than the long term. To that end, they can make decisions that are often short sighted in scope and not well thought-out in terms of the broader logistics. ESTPs are better suited at making preparations that serve a more immediate goal and tend to skimp out on planning too far ahead into the future. They tend to believe they can deal with most situations as they come and prefer not to spend too much time worrying about what-if scenarios and situations that may never materialize. Although their ability to improvise and think on their feet is an asset to them, ESTPs can sometimes run into problems that could have been averted with adequate foresight. The prospect of spending too much time planning for things that could change anyway or never come to be, is something that may feel like a waste of time to the ESTP.

5. Impatience.

Issues with patience and persistence are also among ESTP’s alleged weak points. ESTPs have a desire to preoccupy themselves with a constant intake of sensory stimulus. They have a low tolerance for boredom and situations that are physically restrictive. This is partly why school can be so grueling for them. Being confined to a desk in a classroom for extended periods leaves them with a lot of pent up physical energy with nowhere to go. Furthermore, while ESTPs have a lot of initiative and enthusiasm for getting things started, they tend to fall short when it comes to following through on tasks that require extended effort. They are more of a sprinter than a long distance runner, preferring to go after the goals that can consummated more quickly. Furthermore, while ESTPs can often fail to consider the bigger picture, they may also overlook a lot of granular but important details that they feel bog them down from taking more substantive and rewarding action.

6. Lack of Commitment.

Because of their unpredictable impulses and penchant for boredom, ESTPs can have difficulty sticking to many of their commitments. Certain obligations and promises to others can easily get pushed to the wayside in favor of their own self-interests. With freedom and autonomy being so important to them, the ESTP is inclined to view many forms of commitment as oppressive and limiting. In their relationships, there is a high potential for ESTP to abandon ship if things get too stale for them. Rather than stick it out, the more attractive option can often be to move on to something new. When there are exciting options and opportunities swirling around them, the temptation can be too good for them to pass up. On short notice, ESTPs can betray others expectations when a sudden change of heart compels them to breach their contract, seek to have it temporarily annulled or be released from it altogether.

7. Recklessness.

ESTPs are very action-oriented but sometimes their impulses can get ahead of them. Being in the moment, ESTPs can get carried away and sometimes say and do things that are ill-advised. Their thrill seeking tendencies can lead them to take on more risk than they should. They can sometimes overestimate their abilities or underestimate the consequences and challenges involved with a given undertaking. ESTPs tend to go where their instincts take them and this can make them very amusing improvisors but also more likely to do something regrettable and foolhardy.

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Jetta Moon

Jetta Moon is an artist, writer and astrology blogger. This site gives him an excuse to explore, learn and write about the world of psychology, astrology and various personality type systems.

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