ESTJ Depression (A Complete guide)
By
PsychReel
In this brief guide, we will discuss depression in the ESTJ personality and some related concepts.
Depression in the ESTJ
Depression in the ESTJ personality may be marked by a tendency to focus more on their past rather than their present, and they may often tend to get lost in their own values and beliefs, rather than focus on the environment around them and the feelings of the people around them.
Depression may also manifest as a tendency to be aggressive and somewhat irritable in the ESTJ personality, as they have the dominant function of extraverted thinking, which is tied to being action-oriented and acting out in the present moment and immediate environment rather than mull over things in their head.
The ESTJ personality is also more introverted sensing which means that they can sometimes be very rigid and strict in their values and beliefs, which can be amplified in depression, as they may be hard to get through to and they may often become rather unreachable and helping them might prove to be a challenge.
Going off of the concept that these people may be somewhat rigid in their values also means that when they realize that one of their values does not work in the real-world or when their ample confidence is shattered for some reason, like a failure to accomplish things or something along those lines, may destroy their sense of self-worth if they have any risk like that.
The ESTJs staunch support of tradition and their own beliefs can also lead to depression because they have a tendency to see things in black and white and when things go wrong they may not look for alternatives to things even if their way is not working, which is quite detrimental in depression.
ESTJ traits and their association with Depression
ESTJ stands for Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking and Judging, and this personality type is also known as the Executive, due to their tendency to get others to perform at their best while ensuring that they are doing their absolute best as well, and they can be quite confident and charismatic as a result.
The ESTJ however is not charismatic in the ESFP sense, or the ENFP sense, rather in terms of how “together” they seem; these people may seem like they’ve got everything together, and that itself may sometimes be their downfall.
Personality types like ESTJ, which are considered very “tightly wound”, and who thrive in high-pressure situations where they are needed constantly and they get things done, may sometimes not realize that these situations are making them stressed out and they need to take a break, and by the time the ESTJ realizes they are depressed, they might be very far gone and have trouble coming back.
The ESTJ can also be very perfectionistic for both self and others, and sometimes they may be blamed for being far too hard towards themselves, and this constant pressure they put on themselves can lead to a low sense of self-worth and self-esteem, which have both been linked to depression.
The ESTJ might face rejection by being incredibly disappointed in themselves for every little thing, even when it’s not their fault, because they tend to externalize their own thoughts and actions but their feelings are introverted and subconscious, which means that they can focus negativity inward very frequently.
The ESTJ may sometimes also feel like they are just not able to please themselves, and they might lose their cool at the slightest joke by other people around them, even if it is not meant in a malicious way, because they feel like they deserve it on the inside, without knowing.
The fact that the introverted feeling function is so subconscious in the ESTJ means that a lot of times they are not really aware of all of their feelings, which is a problem that especially shows up in depression, and ESTJ may suffer tremendously because of this.
A therapist working with an ESTJ may likely try to work on helping them figure out their emotions before they burst out in bad ways or land them in a depressive state altogether, and with help and guidance, they can learn to harness even the subconscious process of introverted feeling.
The ESTJ may also be quick to anger when someone tries to make fun of them or it seems to them that they are being disrespected, and they may make cutting remarks or lash out at something like that in the best of times, but when the ESTJ is depressed, they may do so more frequently.
The depressed ESTJ might get angry that someone would disrespect them like that because they don’t realize that they feel bad about themselves on the inside too, just that they are not realizing it.
In addition, due to their staunchly independent and stubborn nature, the ESTJ who is depressed might see efforts to help them as someone trying to control them and they might then start to view them as an enemy for life, and at the same time, they may also feel like all this anger just came out of nowhere.
The ESTJ is also known for their strong convictions about morality and principles, which is due to their introverted sensing function, and they are quite rigid in their own ideas of what is right, wrong, and socially acceptable.
While usually this manifests in the ESTJ being judgmental and mean to others, it may turn inward in Depression, and the ESTJ might start thinking about themselves as broken and something that needs to be fixed.
The ESTJ in depression might see themselves as a problematic individual and their self-esteem can take a major hit because of this, and they might also not talk to anyone about what they are going through because their feelings of shame and guilt can be so through the roof.
The ESTJ is also not great at expressing feelings, which is because of their introverted feeling function, and due to this when the ESTJ is depressed, they might take a long time to open up about their struggles, and even when they do, things may not just pour out, it will be more like seeping out of emotions.
Depression definition and symptoms
Depression according to the MayoClinic, may be described as:
“A mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.”
According to the same source, The possible causes of depression may include “a combination of biological, psychological, and social sources of distress. Increasingly, research suggests these factors may cause changes in brain function, including the altered activity of certain neural circuits in the brain.”
The mayo clinic also further describes the key signs of depression as the following:
“The persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest that characterizes major depression can lead to a range of behavioral and physical symptoms. These may include changes in sleep, appetite, energy level, concentration, daily behavior, or self-esteem. Depression can also be associated with thoughts of taking their life.”
On the subject of treatment, the brief description by this website says: “The mainstay of treatment is usually medication, talk therapy, or a combination of the two. Increasingly, research suggests these treatments may normalize brain changes associated with depression.”
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
The symptoms of depression as specified by the premier disease and disorder classification system, the ICD, are:
- sadness
- “loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
- change in weight
- difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
- energy loss
- feelings of worthlessness
- thoughts of death or taking their life”
Other definitions of depression, according to the ICD, include:
“An affective disorder manifested by either a dysphoric mood or loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities. The mood disturbance is prominent and relatively persistent.”
“Depression is a serious medical illness that involves the brain. It’s more than just a feeling of being “down in the dumps” or “blue” for a few days. If you are one of the more than 20 million people in the United States who have depression, the feelings do not go away. They persist and interfere with your everyday life.”
Signs of Depression in ESTJ personality
The signs of depression in the ESTJ personality are similar to many other cases, but in some key areas they may have a slightly different origin of symptoms and these symptoms of depression may also respond to treatment and interventions slightly differently.
Some key signs of depression in the ESTJ personality are discussed below.
ESTJs can seem more tightly wound or more high strung when they are depressed, and they may lash out at those under them often, expecting better and better results and redoing their things again and again.
The ESTJ may often go through brief phases of slightly manic behavior, and in this case, they might need to be assessed for bipolar disorder, otherwise, chances are that they may have agitated depression.
Even when depressed, ESTJs will struggle and attempt to push forward, because feeling like they are doing well and accomplishing something is one of the only ways they feel better about themselves, and if they are feeling down they need to work harder.
The ESTJ in depression may fall and burn often when they try too hard, and they may have failures and incomplete tasks or just things going wrong the way they usually won’t.
ESTJ, when they start to lose faith in themselves because of depression, may struggle to get out of bed.
When in depression the ESTJ may also find themselves feeling overwhelmed and they may run around in a flabbergasted state trying to fix things.
Their schedules might either get tighter than before or start falling apart completely, because the ESTJ may try to fix things or alter the situation somehow, and it rarely will work.
An ESTJ in depression may also seem extremely agitated and unable to relax.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we discussed depression in the ESTJ personality and some related concepts. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): ESTJ Depression
What makes Estj sad?
A belief that they are not accomplishing their goals makes ESTJ sad
ESTJ may also get sad when they feel that they are being held back.
Another thing that makes ESTJ feel sad is feeling like they are failing at life or failing their pwn principles or values somehow, or if they are not as great as they think they are.
What personality type should an Estj marry?
ESTJ should marry someone with an introverted thinking function, and someone who is not too sensitive, as their dominant function is extraverted thinking.
The ESTJ should likely marry someone like the ISTP or the INTP.
How rare is Estj?
ESTJ is not very rare, as ESTJ personality makes up about 9 percent of the population.
ESTJ is the 5th most common population in the world and the 2nd more common among men, so it is not as rare as INFP or ENTJ.
Citations
https://www.verywellmind.com/estj-extraverted-sensing-thinking-judging-2795985
https://www.16personalities.com/estj-strengths-and-weaknesses