Hello. I'm interested in seeing what the different types I'm not familiar of struggle with while growing up. I see how introverted thinking works in ENTPs but how does it work for you?
SC, I think you want to see how ENTPs and ESTPs have similar struggles. Maybe part of you thinks that ESTPs have it easier because due to our sensing, we have a more realistic grasp on the world.
In reality, both of our types have troubles as it seems the Js dominate our world early on. One example of this is school and the concept of a 0 to 100 in school. If I do the best essay of all time, the highest grade I can get is 100. Then if there is a stupid assignment I blow off, I get a zero. My overall grade is 50, a fail. But in real life, there is no limit to how exceptional one can be. School then is stacked against the P and his extraordinary efforts and then lying dormant. The J types are rewarded even for being consistently mediocre, a student getting two 70s is better in the school's eyes than one getting a 100 and then a zero. The idea is that you should always try, but why I should expend energy on something I think is stupid?
And seeing as how we share Ti as a means to personality growth, we unlike other types don't mind tweaking the powers that be. So when an ENTP or ESTP challenges the powers that be with our facts, Ti, we are often belittled. How can any school present itself as having exceptional students when mediocrity and not exceptionalism is rewarded?
I laugh when I hear athletes make the J statement and say, "I always give 100%." Really? Since when is giving 100% all the time best? Aren't there times when it is wise to preserve energy for later?
Earl Campbell was a running back who gave 100% all the time and today is in a wheel chair. OTOH, Tony Dorsett was a running back who decided when a play was dead and knew when to protect himself. He gained more yards, had a longer career, and is walking today. You can't tell me the P way in this case was not superior to the J way. The P way then may be about getting the ultimate long term performance but if that jibes with the J view of the world, forget about it. The P will be crushed, and the only Ps that I have seen with the guts to get in the face of the Js and challenge them are the ESTPs, ESFPs, and ENTPs.
I think though that the ESTPs have a harder time with this than the other two types. The ESFPs have their feelings to fall back on, and the ENTPs have their egos. ESTPs are too grounded in reality. Unlike an ENTP, who thinks he is a God's gift and can handle such criticism, ESTPs take it to heart and can become isolated and depressed.
For me, the outlet has been the stock market. When I hear the blowhard J types and those using Te talk about the ways of the world, and it conflicts with my Se and Ti, I can bet against them. The Te and J cliches were and are endless. In 2000, it was the "new economy". In 2004, it was "real estate never goes down". In 2008, it was peak oil and inelastic demand. In one way or another, I bet against all of the popular trends and made money. As of now, there is this trance like state that the world's governments can go into debt and print money to pay said debt, and somehow everything will work out. Again, my bets are in against this ridiculous sentiment.
Unlike most fields, investing like sports is way more about performance than politics and being a contrarian in investing is celebrated. I don't have to worry about not being a "team player". It is insulting to me that the team is always right, and I am wrong. I don't see the merits of following a team off a cliff if that is where it is headed. Isn't being a team player another way of calling someone a sheep?
Where ESTPs and ENTPs differ is realism. Unike a lot of Ss, I tend to be as creative as Ns, but my creativity is in line with reality. Maybe it is becuase I am so P. So when it comes to business ventures, I see a lot of ENTPs with these boneheaded get rich quick schemes that are completely devoid of reality and use creativity as an excuse for my being skeptical. They do this N thing and imply I don't get it, but I do. The N is just wrong.
For example, I had a roommate in medical school who was going to be a millionaire selling Amway products. I shook my head and asked, "Don't you think practicing medicine is a better route to being a millionaire than selling Amway?" Of course, I didn't get it, was accused of crushing his dreams, and he was going to prove me wrong. Dammit. Well, he didn't prove me wrong. In fact, he made a fool of himself with his Amway dreams, and he is infinitely poorer for not taking my advice and the advice of others.
So when you ENTPs have had your five or ten failed get rich quick schemes and are tired of failing, then maybe you can come out and ask the advice of ESTPs and get a more realistic picture of how things may work out. We aren't going to give you the hackneyed J or Te version of what is right/wrong about your plan.
One of my favorite TV shows with regards to this dynamic is Shark Tank. People with ideas approach people with money about investing. While I prefer the artisans in the shark tank and can easily pick them out, it is usually between the S venture capitalists and the N inventors. As an ENTP, it would be an invaluable tool to watch this show and see how the S mind works and how you can turn one of your get rich quick schemes into actually getting rich slowly.