7 Secrets of the ESTJ Personality Type

ESTJs are natural leaders who have a clear vision of how everything should be. They uphold traditions, laws, and their own strict beliefs. They expect others to honor traditions and laws as well, and they don’t tolerate those who won’t. The ESTJ personality type can become inflexible and even judgmental because they place so much weight on their value systems. But they’re hard workers, dependable, and put a lot of effort into everything they do. ESTJs are practical, realistic, and loyal.

They Desire Structure and Security

Most of what the ESTJ personality type does is for the promotion of security and order. ESTJs highly value security for themselves, their family, and their community. This includes social order and traditions—they are uncomfortable with those who go against society or try to shake things up. They can’t stand any sort of chaos and will define new rules and structures to keep everything orderly. This makes them good managers or team leaders, because they know how to define and distribute tasks and responsibilities. It can also make them very intolerant of anyone that they don’t understand. Their intolerance comes from a place of insecurity because they see the unknown as a threat to their family, home, or community’s safety.

They Will Never Break the Rules

ESTJs are natural leaders who can easily create new rules, but they also strongly believe in following the rules that are already in place. They believe that their principles, and the rules that govern them, are a matter of morality and decency. Their rules define “appropriate” attitudes and behavior that they expect everyone to follow. Their belief in the rules is so strong that ESTJs will not break them, even in cases in which breaking the rules would actually be the better choice. This isn’t necessarily because they love the laws themselves, but because they feel it’s the best way to keep everything in order, and therefore the best way to keep themselves and their families safe.

They Thrive in Hierarchy

ESTJs can do well in many types of jobs or careers because they put a lot of effort into everything they do. The ESTJ type is well-suited for leadership positions because they have a natural drive to be in charge. They do best in positions which require the creation of structure and order. They’re loyal and dedicated people who feel a deep obligation to their duties and responsibilities. They gravitate towards institutions that are structured in a hierarchy, such as the military, police force, government, and even organizations like Universities or large corporate businesses.

They are Model Citizens

ESTJs are law-abiding, loyal, and hardworking people. They’re loyal to their family, friends, workplace, country, and their favorite sports teams. They take their commitments seriously and can always be depended on. ESTJs will always attend PTA meetings, local government meetings, and homeowner’s association meetings. They make sure to vote, volunteer at their children’s schools, and donate to good causes.

They Seek Social Status

The ESTJ personality type can become too materialistic and conscious of their social status. They highly value social order and structure, and can become too focused on it. At the best, they want to be respected by their friends and coworkers, and at the worst, they become overly concerned with how they compare to their neighbors.

ESTJs develop a set of strict standards throughout their lives, and they apply these as judgments to everyone around them. They disapprove of anyone who doesn’t measure up, or simply lives a different kind of life. Most of these standards are social principles that the ESTJ believes should be followed unconditionally. Being so concerned about how others lead their lives causes a lot of unnecessary stress. ESTJs who believe in and follow their rules too stringently may be dishonoring their own true needs and desires.

They are Stressed by Uncertainty

ESTJs love the tried-and-tested and prefer solutions that have been proven to work in the past, and they are uncomfortable when they need to try something new. They love tradition and the established structure, and will quickly dismiss anything they think is unconventional or unknown to them. Even if there’s a good chance that a new solution would be better than the old one, ESTJs prefer to stick to what they already know. When forced into the unknown, they become stressed and frazzled, which further destabilizes their sense of order.

They Do Have Emotions

ESTJs can sometimes appear emotionless, and are certainly insensitive in some cases. They pride themselves in being logical and rational, and may even consider emotions to be a sign of weakness. Some might even claim not to have any emotions at all, especially about a certain topic or situation.

ESTJs do have emotions, but they prefer not to express them, and they keep them hidden from the world. This makes it hard for them to communicate their feelings and to understand those of others. They often forget to take people’s feelings into account, which makes them seem uncaring or too harsh. ESTJs develop a habit of channeling their emotions into their rational, logical decision-making process, which serves them well, most of the time.

ESTJs who would like to better connect with others on an emotional level should first allow their own feelings to exist without so much resistance. ESTJs will always refrain from displaying their emotions publicly, but it will benefit them to notice other people’s feelings and take them into consideration.

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