# ESFP and Te



## heavydirtysoul (Jan 13, 2012)

How do ESFPs use their tertialy function (Te) in normal circumstances, in a healthy state, how does it manifest itself along other functions? 
How do ESFPs use Te being in an Se-Te loop, how do ESFPs use Te under stress? How do Fi and Te coexist and work together?


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## heavydirtysoul (Jan 13, 2012)

Anyone?


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## NipNip (Apr 16, 2015)

Te is the source of their ramblings. They become tough, strong-willed individuals, zeroing in on one objective - and that is the only way, the only possible outcome. They usually don't succeed however, because they lack the appropriate tools, skills or insights. Once they realize their shortcomings, the ESFP goes through the emotional turmoil (Fi), and finally surrenders and goes back to his or her own ways (Se). This is obviously not a healthy path since it is the cognitive path in reverse, starting out with Te.

ESFPs can also be quite commanding. An ESFP mother, teacher, or nurse will generally develop stronger Te. Ok, a bit more sketchy than Te-doms, who are natural leaders, but ESFPs definitely know the tricks of the trade - as long as they themselves can violate the rules every now and then.

Actually, I must admit that I am not a fan of tertiary Te. Same with ENFPs. It feels like an unpleasant change of character, as if they turn into someone else, some much scarier second personality inside of them.


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## dulcinea (Aug 22, 2011)

I agree ESFPs can be very commanding when the occasion necessitates it. I think most of the time, however, ESFPs can have a difficult time making decisions, even major ones without getting input from others. ESFPs like to take in facts, and can actually be very good at research. Like how INFJs will often make decisions based on their own internal logic, ESFPs will often make many decisions based on facts and research, but since Te isn't all that high, they can often rely on others for information, and tend to be excellent communicators, typically.

The other things I've noticed about ESFPs when it comes to Te is how much they value intelligence and competence in the people they're around. They appreciate positive attention and being loved as well, but I find intelligence is one of the highest things they might admire in others. I find they're often drawn to more insightful introverts, particularly, who can help them get perspective on things. I think that's why the ESFP-INFJ match can be so alluring 

I think the other aspect where it comes out is humor. I've read in a lot of places the tertiary function plays a part in amusement and humor. IDK if this is true of all ESFPs or just the ones I've known, but I find a lot of their humor can be based on "fails": people failing to have common sense, basically. I really really wish there were more actual ESFPs to answer for themselves, though.


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## heavydirtysoul (Jan 13, 2012)

How would an ESFP with quite an quite stong Te look?


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## Stevester (Feb 28, 2016)

My ESFP friend is very Te-heavy. Makes six figures a year, plays hardball when it comes to negotiating salary and all around makes decisions that are very quick and concise. 

ESFPs are probably the most down-to-Earth realistic type there is. Se/Te has an extremely raw and visceral view of how the world is and how to work it to your advantage. The problem however is that they tend to be absolute no non-sense with the world and people around them but can have a hell of a time applying it to themselves in their personal lives. So more than often what you get is someone who is very successful in the business world but a bit of a mess in their personal lives, settling for bad relationships, or jumping from one to another, always doubting themselves.


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## L P (May 30, 2017)

I know someone who I think is ESFP at work, they tend to get really strategic about stock investments and are very knowledgeable about economics how and how the affect stocks.


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## Glenda Gnome Starr (May 12, 2011)

My Te is borderline nonfunctional. Is that common for ESFPs???


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## Elwinz (Jan 30, 2018)

Stevester said:


> My ESFP friend is very Te-heavy. Makes six figures a year, plays hardball when it comes to negotiating salary and all around makes decisions that are very quick and concise.
> 
> ESFPs are probably the most down-to-Earth realistic type there is. Se/Te has an extremely raw and visceral view of how the world is and how to work it to your advantage. The problem however is that they tend to be absolute no non-sense with the world and people around them but can have a hell of a time applying it to themselves in their personal lives. So more than often what you get is someone who is very successful in the business world but a bit of a mess in their personal lives, settling for bad relationships, or jumping from one to another, always doubting themselves.


Te heavy ones yeah, but only some of them will be like that. A lot of the times Se-fi takes over and they end up buying crap they want not what they need. Stereotype of them being terrible with money has some truth to it, know some whom this applies pretty accurately. As for success in the businesses world, I wouldn't tie it to a type, tough very high Te have good chances for it.




> My Te is borderline nonfunctional. Is that common for ESFPs???


Weren't you ISFP?


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## Wild (Jul 14, 2014)

I consider myself to be stronger in my lower functions than other ESFPs, so I'll try to give an idea. 

I'll start by saying it can be kinda difficult to tell where Te stops and Se starts in Socionics (which is where I draw my primary ideas of the cognitive functions from), so I'll try to make it as clear-cut in MBTI terms as possible; but if something sounds off, that's probably why.

I'm an sp 3 and my dad (ENTJ), who raised me, always encouraged me to do my best and strive for career success; he encouraged me to do so because I knew from a young age that I wanted a career in medicine, and he saw a lot of potential in that field for me. I definitely picked a lot up from him, and very early - I was doing far better in college than he ever did, and while he makes big $ as of recently, he didn't hit his stride until he was older. Because I knew what I wanted to do without question, never considered any alternatives, and because that path required a lot of skills that I didn't naturally have, I adapted. 

I've already broken myself of a lot of natural tendencies I had that were holding me back, due to my need to be organized and have some degree of efficiency in order to meet my own expectations. I'm naturally very lax about things going wrong, for the most part. I can, on occasion, freak out over something that turns out to be nothing because I blow it up to mean more than it does. Usually that type of anxiety goes away in hours. In the past, I would frequently be late to classes, put my work off, lack the desire to plan and the ability to stick to plans, have a messy relationship life, generally be a wild child, and be the last one remaining calm when in a group going through some sort of crisis. I used to be the picture of chaotic, lol - and yet I was still very driven and one-track-minded.

Nowadays I generally plan as much as I need to (mentally, never use a planner lol) in order to feel safe in the knowledge that I'll be prepared for whatever's coming. I'm never late, as long as my arrival at said location is dependent solely upon me. I'm still not as efficient as I could be with some things. I've always had a tendency to keep doing whatever I'm doing even if someone insists another way is better - then eventually, say I'm forced to use the other method/tool/what have you, and I have no fucking idea why I didn't before. An INTJ I know put it that I'm just not bothered by costs, and I think that's accurate. Obstacles generally really don't phase me one bit, even if they're enormous, so I don't ever really feel a need to make things easier on myself. My dad is very different, lol. If there's not a plan in place down to the exact minute for something important, he gets anxious. He frequently checks in with me about The Plan™, and he gets very frustrated when something is happening in a way he views as "stupid" (i.e not the most efficient way he sees). I'm still much more lax than that. 

I think Se seems to have a lot to do with initiative. I'm not _the least_ bit scared of failure. I can often be so action-oriented that it can be akin to feeling like other people within my vicinity are moving in slow motion, or otherwise lack a degree of ability to take full action in the world; like they're ignoring/unaware of certain things they can or should do to make something happen. Te, on the other hand, seems to have a great deal to do with follow-through, as well as various sub-functions having to do with organizing and carrying out a plan cleanly. I've come far on these things, but they're certainly not something someone would necessarily come to me for help on.

That said, someone above mentioned Se-Te loops and the "scary" second side of ESFP personality that comes out. I can definitely agree with that. I start to look a lot like a messed up version of my dad when I get really pissed. Icy demeanor, I lose track of empathy, start getting very bothered by inefficiencies, start speaking in commands. In those situations I can feel other people becoming uncomfortable, yet it also feels like I have little control over it. I've led some projects in the past where some people in the team were consistently being dickheads, and I very quickly shut it down, but the group dynamics were never the same afterward. 

It takes a lot to push me there though. Like, consistent and long-term rubbing of a sore spot during a time of stress. It generally requires someone to be an obviously unruly asshole over a long period of time, to the point that I determine somewhere in my head that I need to put them in their place or they're going to ruin what we're trying to do.

I feel like there's so much to say I could never hit it all in one post, so if I missed something you want to hear about, mention me or something.


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## Glenda Gnome Starr (May 12, 2011)

Elwinz said:


> Te heavy ones yeah, but only some of them will be like that. A lot of the times Se-fi takes over and they end up buying crap they want not what they need. Stereotype of them being terrible with money has some truth to it, know some whom this applies pretty accurately. As for success in the businesses world, I wouldn't tie it to a type, tough very high Te have good chances for it.


What about strong Fe types? They can usually get people to do what they want them to do.



[/QUOTE]Weren't you ISFP?[/QUOTE]

Yes, until people I know IRL, who understand MBTI types, said that there was no way that I was an introvert.


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## Bastard (Feb 4, 2018)

ExFPs being commanding and abrasive isn't necessarily Te. Te users can be harsh and direct in speech, but they're not a force to be reckoned with. In spite of Keirsey's caricatures, they're accountants; not field marshals.

ExFPs tend to gather a lot of factual information and highly value productivity, efficiency and effectiveness (Te). But they lack the systematic and conceptual logic (Ti) for effective critical analysis. Their thought tends to be _very_ black and white, even more so than xxTJs.

xxFJs are the flip-side of this.



Glenda Gnome Starr said:


> My Te is borderline nonfunctional. Is that common for ESFPs???


Third function is usually either overused, or avoided like the plague.


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## SilentScream (Mar 31, 2011)

Bastard said:


> ExFPs tend to gather a lot of factual information and highly value productivity, efficiency and effectiveness (Te). But they lack the systematic and conceptual logic (Ti) for effective critical analysis. Their thought tends to be _very_ black and white, even more so than xxTJs.


Well yeah ... That's why the Superstar / Rock Star (live fast, die young) stereotype comes from. Athletics, team sports, military careers (especially for the young gun type) are something that ESFP's also excel at. They're the Mavericks of the MBTI types when they find success and stardom. 

People think that there is nothing behind the rock star performer itself, but without effective management, dedication to the craft and skill, they wouldn't get as far as they do. 

MBTI has a lot of the details right about many types, but when it comes to the sensing types, they just stop short and don't go far enough and seriously downplay their abilities. It's what keeps a lot of people on typology forums from coming to terms with their true types. Especially ESFPs.


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## Bastard (Feb 4, 2018)

Arrogantly Grateful said:


> Well yeah ... That's why the Superstar / Rock Star (live fast, die young) stereotype comes from. Athletics, team sports, military careers (especially for the young gun type) are something that ESFP's also excel at. They're the Mavericks of the MBTI types when they find success and stardom.


The rockstar stereotype also comes from the fact that Elvis is a pretty good example of an ESFP. :tongue:

When it comes to athletics, team sports and military, it's Si types (especially doms) that are underestimated. This goes doubly so for athletics; regimen, health and fitness are all Si territory. My gym is dominated by Si dudes. Lots of Se powerlifters though, what gives? :wink: Extreme sports are an Se thing too.

ExFPs, especially the mature ones, do quite well in HR, social work and even politics. Not because of some innate love for humanity or any of that bullshit, but because the mixture of extraversion with auxiliary Fi makes them adept at connecting with people. Because it's the auxiliary, it's a switch that is turned on when necessary, but turned off when its not needed. ExFPs can easily create connections between people, but they're momentary connections that are usually dropped when the circumstances change (or, as with the ENFP stereotype, when something new and shiny comes along).

ESFP is probably better than ENFP at this stuff, because Se doms are naturally better at manipulating obstacles.


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## Guajiro (Nov 16, 2017)

They have 2 podcasts dedicated to all the Loops. The *ESFP* is on part 2. To a more complete understanding you can listen to part 1. They think each Loop can show up in 3 ways.
*PART 1:*https://personalityhacker.com/podcast-episode-0218-3-styles-of-cognitive-function-loops-part-1/
*PART 2:*https://personalityhacker.com/podcast-episode-0219-3-styles-of-cognitive-function-loops-part-2/

When ExFPs don't stop to check in with what truly feels right/good/acceptable/more important to them (based on their internal compass, separated from outside expectations/goals/opinions/results) and they start making their decisions based on the quickest way to get things done is because they are stuck on the loop. This will make us resetful over time because we start feeling we don't take our own feelings into account. Instead of stoping to evaluate what our felt priorities are, we feel like we are just doing for the sake of doing.
As an ENFP, I related to the podcast.


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## tarmonk (Nov 21, 2017)

NipNip said:


> ESFPs can also be quite commanding. An ESFP mother, teacher, or nurse will generally develop stronger Te. Ok, a bit more sketchy than Te-doms, who are natural leaders, but ESFPs definitely know the tricks of the trade - as long as they themselves can violate the rules every now and then.
> 
> Actually, I must admit that I am not a fan of tertiary Te. Same with ENFPs. It feels like an unpleasant change of character, as if they turn into someone else, some much scarier second personality inside of them.


Ok I think I know one person who likes to make rules but looks like she doesn't like to follow them by herself  Also has that urge for getting new gadgets sometimes which they don't actually need. Couldn't type her but I thought she's S-type and now I can see Te traits and some Se traits too.

About ENFPs - yes, I'm also the guy who ocassionally can instantly turn into some scary version of me. It happens rarely and only if anybody steps on my toes repeatedly despite of my warnings given to them. I never prefer this kind of behaviour but only use that when I need to and there's no other way out. 

In normal situations, tertiary Te is not bad at all if you're not too young and are developed personality enough. Combined with dom Ne it gives us that huge spontaneity to execute our ideas immediately when we have them


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