Extraverted
Thinking with
Introverted Sensing
STRENGTHS
Inclined to focus on the outer world
of people and external events, ESTJs are clear-thinking, assertive, goal directed
individuals. Not slow to speak their mind, they are focused, to-the-point and
decisive in their dealings with others. Task orientated, they approach problems
in a systematic, methodical and structured way. Focusing on hard facts and data,
they tend to view life from an objective, down-to-earth perspective. Logical,
analytical and orderly in their thinking, they expect competence and efficiency
in those around them. Having a strong sense of duty and responsibility, they
believe it is important to adhere closely to established systems and procedures.
However, their emphasis on Thinking will cause them to question tasks and procedures
that are not based on a sound logical analysis. Not particularly interested
in the abstract or theoretical, they will attend systematically to tasks, with
a commitment to complete them on schedule and to the required standard.
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Orientated towards the Extraverted world
of people and events, ESTJs communicate with people in a straight-forward, direct
way. Inclined to cool logical analysis, understanding others' feelings may not
come naturally to them. However, this will not prevent them from taking the
lead in forming new relationships, with ESTJs being sociable, lively and outgoing.
When working in teams they will wish to have a clearly defined role, and to
be set well defined, achievable goals. Direct and matter-of-fact in their dealings
with others, they will be quick to express their own views and opinions. Task
focused and goal directed, they naturally come to the fore in group settings,
planning and organising those around them. Dependable and reliable, they will
focus on getting things done, and will be clear about their interpersonal roles
and responsibilities. They will generally prefer to learn about a subject by
engaging in lively informed debate or discussion, rather than by reading or
through private study.
THINKING STYLE
Having a clear, logical and analytical
thinking style, ESTJs are known for their ability to focus on the detailed aspects
of a task or problem. Not inclined to abstract debate, they tend to reject the
purely theoretical, choosing instead to focus on finding practical solutions
to real-world problems. Basing their opinions on a logical analysis of observable
facts and hard data, which they have directly perceived through their Sensing
function, they are likely to be steadfast in their opinions. Goal directed,
orderly and methodical in their work, they value efficiency, decisiveness and
clarity of thought. Being pragmatic, realistic and down-to-earth, they do not
seek change for change's sake. Rather, they critically examine new procedures
to evaluate whether these offer clear benefits over tried-and-tested methods.
Focusing on the present, they prefer tasks where they can produce immediate,
measurable results. Being achievement orientated, they are prepared to take
tough decisions when necessary.
HOW OTHERS MAY SEE YOU
Well organised, dependable and reliable,
they will be trusted to see tasks through to the end. Known for their sound,
sensible and realistic judgement, colleagues will respect their ability to analyse
problems in an objective, logical way. People who are less assertive than them
may on occasion view them as being a little overbearing, or even somewhat opinionated
at times. However, this is to misunderstand their straight-forward, direct interpersonal
style and their tendency to focus on the observed facts in a cool, analytical
manner. Conscientious and task-focused, they will be respected for their ability
to persevere with work that requires a systematic and methodical approach. However,
some colleagues may on occasion misinterpret their detail-conscious, pragmatic
realism as indicating a lack of imagination. Gregarious and outgoing, they will
take an active interest in all that is going on around them. Socially confident,
self-assured and plain-speaking, their colleagues will seldom wonder where they
stand with them.
After publishing his seminal work on psychological types in 1921, Jung did little further work in this area. However the importance of his work was recognised by the mother and daughter team, Elizabeth Myers and Catherine Briggs. Realising that if Jung's ideas were to have any practical application it would be necessary to develop an easy method for assessing a person's psychological type, Myers and Briggs published the first type indicator in 1949. Moreover, they developed the now famous four-letter type code as a short hand way of describing a person's type.In addition to providing a short-cut route for describing a person's psychological type, the four-letter code also reveals a set of complex personality dynamics which provide insights into the order in which the preferred psychological processes are likely to manifest themselves in the person's daily life.
The way to discover the dynamic relationship between these psychological processes is by examining the middle two preferences; SN for perceiving, and TF for judging, types. These are referred to as functions. For any type, one of these functions is dominant and this dominant function is used in the preferred world (external or internal as indicated by the EI preference), with Extraverts using their dominant function in the external world and Introverts using their dominant function in the internal world. Moreover, the function which the type code indicates is not preferred is called the auxiliary function. Thus, if either the S or N function were indicated as being the preferred function, then either the T or F function would be the auxiliary function.
So, introverts are more likely to exhibit their auxiliary function when relating to the outer world, whereas their dominant function will be used mainly when relating to the inner world, and will thus not be readily accessible for others to see. In contrast, because Extraverts use their dominant function in the outer world, it will be available for all to see.
