ESTJ Cognitive Functions

According to the Myers Briggs personality inventory (MBTI), ESTJ cognitive functions are four in number. Each of these functions is organized in a hierarchy.

The dominant function plays the vital role in rendering the maximum impact on the person’s personality dynamics.

These functions are mental processes that enable the ESTJ to perceive information from their surroundings and make vital decisions accordingly.

Let’s explore more on this here…

All ESTJs are structured and conventional people. Thus, there is no doubt that they will behave like stubborn mules at times. These people are unwilling to change their opinions and values, likes and dislikes to accommodate the needs of others.

So, you can say they are change-resistant and cannot accept any sorts of non-serious activities going around them.

Now, if we are to discuss their strengths, the first thing that comes to our mind is their logical mind that can think appropriate problem solving strategies at the right time, their ability to quickly assess situations, plan strategies and devising solutions that are the need of the hour.

So, ESTJs are a blend of perfection and precision. These sweet and bitter personality traits that ESTJs possess are because of their functional stacking of the four cognitive functions.

Before we start discussing the cognitive functions, let us get our basics clear by understanding the four-letter word ESTJ in detail –

1. Extroversion (E)

ESTJs are extroverts and this means they derive their mental energy and agility through social interaction and networking. They love to talk, mingle around, participate in various group activities, etc.

Extroverts are scared of silence. They always love noisy surroundings where people are vibrant, active, and well-connected to each other.

ESTJs usually have many friends. They are good at introducing themselves out of nowhere in a social setting and get connected to many others. ESTJs feel charged up after a nice party or intense socialization.

They hate to live alone and feel secure when surrounded by friends and family. Extroverts are also like an open book who loves networking and staying connected to diverse groups of people. ESTJs also share similar qualities.

They are approachable and prefer to speak about their opinions and feelings clearly in a social setting.

ESTJs love to host parties for their friends and well-wishers. You may also find them spending a lot of time on social media, as they love to be noticed in large social forums.

2. Sensing (S)

Being a sensing personality, ESTJs are sensors. So, they pay attention to sensory impressions to get an idea of their immediate surroundings.

They are keen observers and can even notice minute changes in their surroundings. ESTJs are inclined towards learning concrete things that are realistic and have some practical application.

ESTJs prefer to live in the present moment. They like to discuss real life experiences, ideas, and concepts. People with ESTJ personality types love to take things on a serious note, rather than dealing casually with various circumstances.

3. Thinking (T)

ESTJs are logical thinkers. The predominance of thinking function makes an ESTJ critical and less emotional.

They are ruled by their heads and as such they are not keen to understand the feelings and emotions of others.

ESTJs are quite frank and straightforward. They will always prefer to maintain a logical and rational outlook towards life. They base their decisions on real time facts that are observable and appear credible.

These people are brutally honest and keep aside their emotions as much as possible. If they do not like anything about you, they will pinpoint you directly and without any hesitation.

ESTJs may take a long time to take a final call because they are slow decision makers. They will look into the details of an issue before arriving at a final decision.

Being a thinking personality type, ESTJs will test their decision against backdrop information to judge whether the decision was right or not.

ESTJs dismiss emotional evaluations as they find them puzzling and ambiguous. They believe in reality alone and nothing else.

4. Judging (J)

ESTJs prefer to stay organized and planned in their daily lives. They prefer to set schedules and work accordingly. These people believe in following rules and not breaking the protocol by any means.

The ESTJ personality type is also fair and honest. They dislike uncertainty and feel frustrated if things do not work according to the set plans.

Moreover, they lack openness and adaptability. ESTJs find it hard to adjust with new changes because they prefer only organized working environments that are predictable and expected beforehand.

They never decide on haste rather give a lot of time analyzing a thing to its core. ESTJs are followers of traditions, customs, and conventions. You may also see them making several backup plans, in case one of them goes wrong in some way.

The description of cognitive function

ESTJ cognitive functions show four distinct Myers Briggs cognitive functions that give this personality type their unique characteristics and traits.

ESTJs are assertive, detail-oriented, and boastful leaders. They are a serious group of people who like to see and keep things in order. Their cognitive functions reflect their managerial skills and ability to do things in the best possible manner.

The ESTJ functional stack looks like the following ones. All the four cognitive functions more or less influence their overall behavior.

ESTJs have Te, Si, Ne, and Fi functions attached to their personality profile.

Let us understand these functions in broadheads:

1. Extroverted thinking (Te)

This is the dominant cognitive function that influences their way of living and overall behavior patterns. They are extroverts and logical thinkers. This function renders them the quality to organize things, connect with others and get things done in a systematic manner.

ESTJs can speak their mind clearly.
They derive energy from active socialization process
ESTJs prefer to discuss their experiences outwardly with others.
This function allows them to make structured and thoughtful decisions based on observable facts and phenomena.
ESTJs know what needs to be done when. This function gives them awareness of the present day requirements.
They look for proven ways to accomplish their tasks. You’ll never find them trusting new ideas for realizing their aims.
They are close-minded and love to work with predictable outcomes. This function makes them more stubborn and less receptive emotionally.

2. Introverted sensing – (Si)

ESTJs have introverted sensing as their auxiliary function. This is a secondary function that actually facilitates the working of the dominant function. Their organized inner world is because of this cognitive function.

It gives them a sense of stability and security. Their organized inner world tries to plan and order everything in the right place.
ESTJs can make quick rational decisions. This ability is supported by this function. ESTJs can organize and plan the work in their minds in a logical manner.
They can memorize whatever they learn much faster than others.
Since these people learn through sensory experiences, they can remember what they have seen or heard in detail.
ESTJs can also apply their learning in the right ways.
They prefer to rely only on practical hands-on learning. This function makes them rely on factual information that is relevant in the present world.
These individuals prefer to do things in typical ways only. They are stubborn when it comes to adapting new ways of doing things.
ESTJs believe in black and white thinking. They prefer to have a predictable lifestyle where they are clear about what to expect in reality.

3. Extroverted intuition (Ne)

ESTJs have Ne as a tertiary function. This function is not well developed in ESTJs but may peep in at times.

This function makes them come out of their structured world and start inventing, exploring, and innovating with new ideas.

ESTJs are good at using past experiences to solve their present day problems.
This function doesn’t allow them to trust things blindly. Rather, they will try finding out multiple meanings of a situation and categorize them for better understanding.
When ESTJs are interacting in social settings, they also try to unleash their creative side. This is mainly because of extroverted intuition.

4. Introverted feeling (Fi)

This function is the least developed of all the cognitive functions that ESTJs possess. This is an inferior one and as such ESTJs are less emotional and appear cold and affectless in most situations.

This feeling makes an ESTJ get inclined to justice, fairness in the social system.
It renders them strong values and they will always stand tall amidst adversities clouded upon them or others.
The negative side of this inferior function is their inability to understand emotions. They are less expressive when it comes to sharing feelings that are uncomfortable or have a chance of being judged by others.
This function remains in the subconscious and may appear on the surface in times where their sense of values and morality is at stake. They will not be able to operate in situations that tell them to compromise on ethics.
When an introverted feeling (Fi) function shows up, ESTJs will try to help others, although not in an emotional manner. They will try to resolve people’s issues in logical ways.

To Sum Up

ESTJs are objective and rational. They always prefer perfection and organization. People with this personality type rely on facts and concrete information. Emotional aspects never hold much importance in their daily lives.

The functional stacking of cognitive functions shows the dominance of extroverted thinking and as such they always prefer to remain objective and logical in their overall outlook and behavior manifestation.