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In your own words, describe how each of the Cognitive Functions play out in your life

FalseHeartDothKnow

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
279
MBTI Type
INFP
A few of my friends asked me to teach them about MBTI, and I am nervous about this because I'm definitely no expert, but apparently this doesn't bother them. I decided to go down the Cognitive Functions route because from anecdotes here, and from personal experience, online self-evaluation questionnaires more often than not prove inaccurate. The fact is that some of the current 'roles' for the functions have names which are kinda open to interpretation, which can make ordering them them difficult for novices to fully grasp.
So, I propose we basically list the functions, and think of words which come to mind when we contemplate them. What 'function' do they actually play, how do they affect our mindset? This way, longer descriptions can be sculpted in a way that everyone agrees with. It might be helpful to forget about the actual order of every one of our functions, and concentrate on each function in terms of how it sits in our personality.
 

FalseHeartDothKnow

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
279
MBTI Type
INFP
Extraverted Feeling

The Ultimate Ideal

I am constantly striving to be more helpful, nicer, and more outwardly aware of what's acceptable. However, this is one of those goals where I keep moving the finishing line every time I reach it. To me, to be considered perfect is to be considered ever helpful, truly self-sacrificing and altruistic.

Introverted Feeling

Everyone's Good, Everyone's Bad

I assumed that this was a pretty silent dominant until I read longer descriptions. I seem to be naturally able to see every moral perspective in an argument, even if society, or I personality disagree with most of them. I defend the bad guys, as they still have sympathetic qualities and I want to fully understand them as a person, see where their lives went wrong, and hope someone can heal/redeem them. I'm highly atuned to inner darkness too, and wish to work towards eliminating anything bad inside myself, which relates back to my views on Extraverted Feeling.

Extraverted Intuition

The Ultimate Playground

Ne is what I do for pleasure, it's hard not to do it in most situations, it's fun, it's crazy, it's for possibilities, ridiculous fantasy, and for bouncing ideas off other people. When it is used seriously, it's for getting people out of negative mindsets by being optimistic about what could be. This annoys my ESFJ mother though because she gets convinced there is no alternative, she's doomed, and I am unrealistic and unhelpful.

Introverted Intuition

The Double-Crossing Wizard

When others do it, I find it scary and intimidating, somehow I believe it, and it leads to paranoia. When I do it though, it's as if I've been empowered, but only when it confirms something that I already believed, making me happier.

Extraverted Sensing

Lets Play Bumper Cars

Gets me into real trouble most of the time, I bump into objects and people, I miss curbs, and I generally don't DO. Having said that, most of the things that my friends remember about me in a funny way are my Se escapades, Se makes me vigilant, and outrageous Se at parties makes me cringe.

Introverted Sensing

Fond Memories, Fond Emotions

I love this function, it allows me to replay memories as I listen to music in one moment, and then criticize vampire movies for wrecking the legend in the next. It's how I get to sleep. I also have a good, but fairly selective memory, even though Ne makes me easily distracted.

Extraverted Thinking

The Bubble Burster

This is the function that makes me feel worthless and horrible, it's like a drill sergeant in my brain. I would like to be better at organization, but I find it difficult to keep up, it lapses easily.

Introverted Thinking

Errrm

I don't know how to use this to be honest with you, morals/feeling always creep through, I can't code for computers, or easily solve logic puzzles, but I definitely don't hate the function in others, I just can't use it myself.
 
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Echoes

New member
Joined
May 12, 2010
Messages
22
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
9w1
I'm far too tired to match your essay, I'll probably heavily fill out my post after some sleep, but:

Fi: Inner voice which on reflection, speaks a whole lot more than I realize.

Ne: I float off with Ne far too much. People have called me mysterious before, and I believe Ne accounts for that. I see something, or someone says something, and lots more related things spring to mind, which I quietly contemplate. I regret to say it's very difficult to remain truly 'in the room' a lot of the time.

Si: I think for me, Si and Ne are both forms of finding 'happy places,' in stressful/sad times but one is in what is possible, and one is in joyful things that have already happened. However, if I want to get prickly then I'll most likely get you on (minute) details.

Te: I dread using and wish I were more adept at it at the same time.

Fe: (I think) I'm quite good at this but very consciously, an Fe dominant or auxillary might very well disagree.

Ni: I'm very hit and miss with this, it seems to work very much against my Ne, and often leaves me confused and unsatisfied.

Se: I think too much of all scenarios, affects on people etc, and hardly ever do anything without weighing everything up first. This most often leads to missed opportunities and regret, when I get convinced to Se, it feels absolutely amazing when it pays off, but I torture myself over the mistakes for a long time if it doesn't.

Ti: I'm actually better than I expected at this, but the fact that I can see and understand the purely logical view of a situation doesn't mean my Fi doesn't seriously undermine it most of the time and tell me (wrongly) how cold-hearted I would be if I didn't put more stock by the emotions/values of the individuals involved.
 

Random Ness

New member
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
270
Cool thread! It was interesting to compare your posts since you're both INFPs. I am a bit lacking of knowledge of all the functions, so please correct me if I get something wrong. =)

So I think the functions I actually have are Ni, Fe, Ti, and Si. I don't have much Se, Ne, Fi, or Te. I think.

Ni - It's the reason I'm a nihilist.
Since I see everything as labels people create, I'm always thinking that label may not be true, so it helps break stereotypes. I also don't dwell on small, temporary things because I'm always focusing on the big picture. However, I seem to be on a different plane of awareness than everyone else. Everyone seems ignorant and stupid in comparison.

Fe - It's how I connect with people.
I consider a person to have a life only in relation to other people and what they do for other people. I always act how people want me to act so that makes me relatable and pleasant to other people. However, it also makes me fake. It's just easier if you don't dislike me at all. While other people the benefits of my Fe I'm stuck secretly hating them. Also, I cannot block other people's emotions from clouding up my own. If they're in pain, I'm in pain.

Ti - It's my logic side.
Logic tries to get me to do what I ought to do instead of what I feel like doing. Usually I end up doing what I feel like doing and my logic side gives me a bitch slap, though. Also, when I "put the pieces together" I see the world doesn't "fit together" and see no purpose to life.

Se - Do I even have this?
I do love interesting textures, sweet smells, and succulent tastes. But, unlike Se-doms or Se-secondaries I am not a risk taker at all. I'm not willing to risk danger.

Ne - Superfluous if you're a Ni-dom.
N is about connections and Ni is already about connections. Also, I don't get bored easily, I don't start but don't finish things, and I'm not random, I'm serious.

Fi - I don't think I have any of this.
I don't have any sense of morals nor do I put any emphasis on morality. I also see everything including "good" and "evil" as subjective. Plus, I find it pointless to "be true to yourself" if it isn't directly affecting others positively.

Te - Reminds me of my fears about work.
I am not competitive, I don't enjoy challenges at all, and I cannot be objective. Te is everything I want to be in order to be good at my career.

Si - I'd be better off without it.
I usually test INFJ, but on shorter or less acurate tests I get ISTJ (which is the INFJ function track backwards, if you didn't know that). I'm also enneagram type 6 sp and that is very Si-dom. I have a great need to "anchor myself in the known" and protect myself with it, but my Ni tells me everything is unknown and unpredictable and unavoidable.
 
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Walking Tourist

it's tea time!
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
1,452
MBTI Type
esfp
Enneagram
7
Fi: This helps me clarify my beliefs and convictions. It also causes me to feel the problems of my community and world deeply, sometimes, a little too deeply. With Fi, I can remember my feelings from the last minute or from years ago. It can be challenging and frustrating but good. It gives me depth.

Fe: This helps me be part of the world of humans. I want everyone to be happy. I can look at people and sense their emotions. I want to give them a hug or tell them a joke and see their smile.

Si: I have a startlingly good memory for little details. Sometimes, I'll smell something or see a flower and it will trigger a memory for me.

Se: I love to live in the moment, touching things, smelling them, hearing sounds... I love the colors, scents, and music of my world. It keeps all of my walks joyful. I eagerly look for new adventures. I'll try anything once!

Ti: I like to take things apart and see how they work and then put them together again. I like to do Sudoku and to play rummykub. I'm more interested in mathematics than I realized. I like to play with numbers and with patterns.

Te: This is probably my weakest function, and I really don't understand it.

Ni: I like to let my imagination wander. It helps me to enjoy books set in the distant past. I can imagine things that I've never seen and places that I've never been. It keeps me entertained.

Ne: This helps me brainstorm with others and tell stories and enjoy my imagination.

(Note: I'm not really sure that I know the difference between Ni and Ne.)
 

Kra

Black Magic Buzzard
Joined
Jun 24, 2009
Messages
912
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
4w5
Each function will have a positive/negative title.

Ni: The Oracle/ Doomsayer
Helpful foresight/ paranoia

Te: The Commander/ Overlord
Makes things happen/ Controlling mentality

Fi: The Benevolence/ Wrath
My kindness and compassion/ My anger and judgement

Se: The Anchor/ Indulgence
Keeps me in touch with reality/ Gets me lost in it

Ne: The Alternative/ Distraction
Source of innovation/ Source of procrastination

Ti: The Clerk/ Saboteur
Fills out a plan/ Prevents initiative

Fe: The Charismatic/ Deceiver
Seeks the aid of others/ Takes it

Si: The Foundation/ Chain
Keeps me from losing it all/ Holds me back
 

Rebe

New member
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
1,431
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4sop
Each function will have a positive/negative title.

Ni: The Oracle/ Doomsayer
Helpful foresight/ paranoia

Te: The Commander/ Overlord
Makes things happen/ Controlling mentality

Fi: The Benevolence/ Wrath
My kindness and compassion/ My anger and judgement

Se: The Anchor/ Indulgence
Keeps me in touch with reality/ Gets me lost in it

Ne: The Alternative/ Distraction
Source of innovation/ Source of procrastination

Ti: The Clerk/ Saboteur
Fills out a plan/ Prevents initiative

Fe: The Charismatic/ Deceiver
Seeks the aid of others/ Takes it

Si: The Foundation/ Chain
Keeps me from losing it all/ Holds me back

:nice: I like.

My functions present itself by ...

Fe: manners, social decorum, ease of atmosphere, conversation, helpfulness, connection
Fi: ideals, human virtue, integrity, an ethical code, universal understanding, compassion
Ne: observations, random, spacey, ideas, notions, humor, goofiness, flexible, unstable, ease
Ni: ability to sense/foresee the future
Ti: philosophy, ultimate truth, craftiness, blunt (mine is very weak me thinks and I always lose in scrabble)
Te: practical usage, economical usage, database, statistics, historical facts, cynical-ism
Si: memories, people's intentions/motives, history repeating itself (mine is weak - don't quite understand this function actually), together-ness, practical-ness
Se: the wind, the air, the rush of water, sex, alcohol, sand, walking, indulgence
 

disregard

mrs
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
7,826
MBTI Type
INFP
Fe: Getting along with the people I live and work with, defending my boundaries, communicating my values
Fi: Knowing my boundaries & values
Ti: Understanding the importance of building rapport and trust with the people I live and work with
Te: Deciding how I'm going to spend my time, where I'm going to fit such-and-such into my day
Si: Getting freaked out by the brand-new haircut, t-shirt and cologne my boyfriend put on for a romantic dinner
Se: The way I keep my space very neat, clean, organised
Ni: The bad feeling I have about one of my touchy-feely coworkers
Ne: The blink-of-an-eye connections my brain makes when I'm trying to be humorous
 

Sesshoumaru

New member
Joined
Jun 1, 2010
Messages
110
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
Functions in order of usage...
Ti: My eyes, to see everything by it's principle, it's logic within, if I lose it, I'd have nothing left worth living for, I would be someone else and not th real me, or a conformist, non reasoning person. It's my world of ideas! My dominant function.
Te: Useful to my Ti to prove and demonstrate the ideas, if this were my dominant and not my Ti, I wouldn't be able to see everything, or to think outside the box...
Ne: My imagination, my toy. To be able to play with patterns and possiblities... Helps out my Ti to see all implications of the analyses or ideas it gets, helps me see the possible outcomes and to prepare for them to avoid catastrophy.
Si: It helps me to see if something can be related to the past, my experiences, like smelling a perfume that triggers memories from something lived before saves me time in problem solving due to its empirical nature.
Fi: Its only purpose is to help me stay true to myself, and not to fall prey to lies of my own inner nature.
Ni: Helps me predict future outcomes without choosing, but they have to be very obvious to make it work... Unlike INTJs, who always guess right, an INTP like me doesn't, we need the experimental nature of our Ne, lacking the real power of the Ni.
Se: Close to inexistent... It lets me use my senses for personal defense, (yes, developed thanks to Tae Kwon Do, I'm a black belt 2nd Dan, but stopped practicing it due to other bigger problems I now have with my foot...) I react really quickly to evade hits, and it's my only "present" connection to the world around me (present referring as not future or past).
Fe: Almost inexistent... Sometimes people need help. If they ask me for it, I will give it to them (of course, already passing the logic to everything else before Fe). Can't work by itself by sensing when others need help. That's for other functions to replace it's job.
 
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