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Information Concerning Types' Cognitive Function

Savage Idealist

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I'm compiling an archive of data concerning the types and functions associated with them, and I would like some help. I want infromation about the individual functions of each type and how they work differently for each type, sorta like the descriptions at TypeLogic.com, just better. If anyone with such information would be willing to share then that would be great, thanks. :)
 

Thalassa

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SimulatedWorld has this totally laid out on Personality Nation, it's freaking awesome.

For example it explains Fi in SFPs vs. Fi in NFPs, et al.
 

Savage Idealist

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Also, here's what I have so far (for function-type description):

ENFJ
-Ni: ENFJs have a flexible sense of perspective. This above all means that ENFJs can be all things to all people without necessarily having a sense of cognitive dissonance, since to them truth is simply a matter of interpretation -- it depends on the lens you look at it from. The most important implications are that 1) ENFJs act as mirrors to anyone they empathize with (their emphasis on adhering to an objective standard of ethics is limited to people and groups they personally feel connected to, but the sense of empathy resulting from it is universal and can be used to their advantage), and 2) ENFJs are visionary leaders within their groups -- idealistic. Hence, many are religious leaders.
-Se: Much like their perspective is unfixed and adaptable, the ENFJ's sense of their surroundings is also flexible in the sense that it is adapted directly to the information they receive in real-time. ENFJs, much like ESTPs, seek feedback from cues provided by other people in order to figure out the best way to proceed -- what they can do to fit in, to accommodate others or ingratiate themselves to others, or to punish those who don't fit in with the values of their own group.

ESFJ
-Si: The best way to describe an SFJ is probably devoted. Si processes external information as it relates to what it's already experienced, and as such it fixates on the frameworks it knows and is familiar already. Combined with Fe, it gives ESFJs a strong connection between their sense of identity and the customs, traditions and ideals of their group, whomsoever that may be (family, friends, community -- doesn't really matter). Because this sense of perspective is not instantaneous or grounded in the present but rather depends on the ESFJ's cumulative experience and experiences, they can fall into the trap of firmly adhering to beliefs that others around them might consider anachronistic or outdated -- as opposed to the present-minded ENFJs.
-Ne: ESFJs, in apparent contradiction to their auxiliary Si, possess a latent sense of curiosity and wonder that they can harness by spinning out novel ways to help their group. When checking their surroundings and interacting real-time with people they often operate in a distinctly different manner from their intuitive cousins -- whereas under high pressure ENFJs start looking for direct cues and feedback in their environment, ESFJs extrapolate and speculate at how their audience might react to them -- often accurately, especially if they know their interlocutor well already.

INTJ
-Ni: compels a person to see things in a different light; to deconstruct and then rearrange reality as it presents itself, in order to change its meaning. In the dominant position this creates a dreamlike detachment, as if reality doesn't even enter into a person's conscious state. These types have a disconcerting ability to shift their perspective on things in order to fix problems. To the Introverted Intuitive, reality is only an assumption, one that is used to serve a specific purpose. It does not reflect what can be, and is not an accurate signpost for navigation or inspiration.
-Te: is the act of planning and creating models of action, in order to achieve specific and measureable goals. Extraverted Thinkers see the world in terms of measurements, ones that are there to be exploited for objective achievement. Te demands that things are done in a linear sequence of steps, and that procedure must be identified and followed as noted. As a result INTJs love to take action, but only in a systematic fashion; they find the scatterbrained approach of an INTP as untrustworthy or doomed to failure, and probably find it hard to operate in a playful or aimless fashion. INTJs need direction, they need a stated, objective goal that everyone can agree on, before even beginning to move forward (which is often provided by their dominant function Ni).
-Fi: prompts us to consider inner, emotional values that defy social expectations. In healthy INTJs it gives them an ethical rule set with which to conduct themselves, to help steer the impersonal behaviors of Extraverted Thinking without abandoning a rational outlook. In unhealthy INTJs it may be relied upon too much, and suddenly INTJs are no longer willing to commit to the standards of the wider system. They feel compelled to go their own way above all else, and will use Extraverted Thinking as a way of justifying this and keeping others at bay. This can result in antisocial behavior, but of the calculated rather than unpredictable kind. Super villains in Superhero or James Bond films are often unhealthy INTJs; stoic, quiet characters who pursue their own selfish agendas above all else.
-Se: prompts us to see things as they really are in the moment, devoid of interpretation. It is similar to Ne in that it creates a reactionary and participative view on life, allowing us to react to things as they happen and to be happy not to be in control of things. INTJs tend to see the worse aspects of this function, to view people who act with needless hedonism or brutal confrontation with contempt without recognizing their own need to participate in the moment. Without the guidance of Te, unhealthy INTJs might find themselves needing to prove how physically dominant they are, and could participate in the very acts of desperate, brutal hedonism that they so despise. Healthy INTJs are able to overcome these limitations by using Extraverted Thinking as a way of dealing with the outer world; creating models and plans of action allow them to participate and create a marked, positive effect on the world.

INTP
-Ti: compels a person to truly understand a situation in terms of its individual variables, and their inter-operating behavior. The Introverted Thinker wishes to understand how things work, but not in an objective or empirical sense; it is more accurate to describe this process as instinctual rather than systematic. There is an underlying unity to all things; everything is subject to the same causal order as everything else. It was likely an Introverted Thinker that first conceived of Chaos Theory, which describes a universe that is holistically and causally ordered, despite its seemingly random nature.
-Ne: is a right-brained, perceiving function that operates seemingly without direction. It is reactive and participative as opposed to controlling, and thus happily accepts reality as it presents itself. Ne prompts the user to be aware of behavioral options, to seek out new opportunities through contextual awareness. Combined with Introverted Thinking, this prompts INTPs to see new opportunities toward exploiting a system's variables; not to achieve a stated goal, but simply for the fun of exploring and discovering. INTPs also have a natural love for weird or unusual outward behavior, and can often surprise unsuspecting acquaintances when they decide to shift gears from detached analysis to unpredictable action.
-Si: prompts us to consider what we've experienced or already know as a way of navigating through the world. it stands in opposition to Ne, which promotes an unpredictable and forward-thinking approach to life. Healthy INTPs use Si to inform Ne of what has already been experienced, so that they know what works or doesn't work or to better help them find avenues that have been previously unexplored. Unhealthy INTPs will rely too much on this behavior, and refuse to do anything that steps outside of what they've already experienced. They might obsess over past mistakes, especially social ones, and feel unequipped to deal with the unknown. They might snipe at small, insignificant details to convince themselves and others that something is worth dismissing. It is this sort of A Priori reasoning that can keep an INTP from truly participating in life.
-Fe: prompts us to consider the feelings of other people in the community, and the shared vocabulary we use to express those feelings. It is similar to Te in that it creates an objective, controlling outlook on life. But instead of dealing with impersonal measurement, it deals with matters of emotional value and concerns itself with social roles and taboos. In the inferior position, INTPs might find it hard to truly connect with people emotionally, and often prefer the company of people who share the same impersonal interests that they do. They might find it hard to trust their emotional side, and might find it easier to treat other people with the same impersonal analysis as everything else. They might dismiss social behavior as mindless group-think or sheep-like, thus preventing themselves from participation. Without the guidance of Extraverted Intuition, INTPs might become desperate in their need for social acceptance and may stoop to doing anything just to fit in, or may come across as creepy and unlikeable. Healthy INTPs are able to overcome these limitations with the irrational, perceiving and creative behavior of Ne, which helps them to open up and find new ways to express themselves emotionally.
 

Thalassa

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It's worth waiting for, it's extremely in depth. He has each type in a separate thread and explains how each function shows up in that type.
 

Savage Idealist

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Sound informative. I'll make sure to copy that information once the site is back up :yes:
 

chris1207

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This is pretty awesome, Savage Idealist. I find it interesting that he thinks that ENFJ's are more present thinking. I've always considered Ni to be the most future oriented function but maybe it would be better to say that it's the hypothetical. Ne combined with Si is very much like a language's conditional mood: "If this were true, this would happen/this would also be true." Meanwhile I think that Ni is more: "This may be true," otherwise known as the subjunctive.

Are their minimal complaints about his descriptions?
 

Savage Idealist

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Please do

Will do :yes:

This is pretty awesome, Savage Idealist. I find it interesting that he thinks that ENFJ's are more present thinking. I've always considered Ni to be the most future oriented function but maybe it would be better to say that it's the hypothetical. Ne combined with Si is very much like a language's conditional mood: "If this were true, this would happen/this would also be true." Meanwhile I think that Ni is more: "This may be true," otherwise known as the subjunctive.

Thanks :) Oh and to be honest, I didn't write these descriptions, I merely copied them from other sources; Aleksei and VagrentFarce respectively. But I do agree, that ENFJ's take the present moment into high consideration since Ni is foward thinking and Se present thinking, while ESFJ's need past information (Si) before they can speculate from it (Ne). :yes:
 

The_World_As_Will

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So I was able to get a Cached version of SimulatedWorld's post on PerN Here's one for INFPs

INFP: A Jungian Cognitive Function Analysis

[[Limit has requested that I write functional profiles for each JCF type, starting with the information I already wrote in my article on INFP vs. INFJ functions.

The INFP profile here is copied from that article, with some fairly substantial additions and a few minor edits.

If anyone, especially INFPs, has anything to add to this, or any changes to suggest that might make it more accurate or complete, please feel free to speak up.]]


INFP: A Jungian Cognitive Function Analysis
by simulatedworld
www.personalitynation.com


INFP, or Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiver, is a label borrowed from MBTI nomenclature and now applied to the Jungian Cognitive Function set {Fi, Ne, Si, Te}.


Dominant: Introverted Feeling (Fi)


"I know just how you feel--I've felt just the same way when that happened to me, and it really hurt. You should be able to say how you feel even if others don't always necessarily think it's appropriate--as long as it's truly from the heart. You should never go against what your personal moral compass says, even if that goes against the commonly accepted morality of all of your close family and friends and anyone you respect. I don't want to know what you should feel--I want to know what you do feel."

The INFP's dominant Fi is an introverted judgment (Ji) function, meaning the top priority for INFPs is full, deep, robust, profound definition of precisely what values the user finds instrumental to the essence of his personal identity and that which he finds to be fundamentally "good" or "bad" at its root core. But it's more than just good or bad; on a grander scale, the INFP is concerned with the very essence of Good and Evil, Meaningful and Not Meaningful, Sacred and Not Sacred. This duality becomes central to the moral philosophy of many Fi dominant types.

Fi users believe there is a definite moral order to the universe (meaning that it is inescapably true that some things and some ideas are inherently more valuable, more virtuous, and more worthy of positive evaluation than others), and that the only way we may catch a glimpse of this sacred ideal is by allowing ourselves complete and total connection and understanding with our emotional responses and the way they reflect that which upholds the internal "essence" of moral goodness as we understand it subjectively and individually. One INFP friend calls it "The uh oh feeling" when his Fi (bolstered by Si) somehow "senses" almost immediately that a new person is up to no good.

For Fi, standardizing ethics collectively misses the point by blunting the individual's unique identity and influence so much that the real significance is lost.

Morality for Fi is not something that anyone else can tell you how to approach: it's something you just have to look inside and feel for yourself. Morality is too complex and nuanced, reasons Fi, to be marginalized by approaching it from a collective standpoint. It's too dependent upon the essence of the individual and his personal impressions, too subject to that individual's experiences and understanding to even be approached (or worse, insisted upon) by anyone else. As soon as you try to design moral philosophy that works the same way for more than one person, you've ruined its inherently individualistic nature.

INFPs often have a distinct habit of letting resentment and negativity build up toward someone until they're so incredibly upset that they can't help exploding into a Te-rundown of precisely everything you are doing wrong and why it's simply not acceptable in moral terms they can justify (Fi.) At least two INFP friends have told me that when they focus on explaining and resolving their grievances routinely and calmly before they have time to bottle up and fester into huge issues, they find themselves much more able to maintain the deep one-on-one connections they invariably must form with others, and to reach even greater personal understanding and empathy as a result.



Auxiliary: Extroverted iNtuition (Ne)


As an auxiliary function, Ne grants INFPs both an awareness of and concern for how others perceive them, and the ability to explore, create, experiment, and play with new combinations and possibilities for different approaches and ways to change and recreate what they see around them, with an eye on how these exploratory outings will affect the perceptions and emotional states of others.

This is a crucial factor in the INFP's ability to apply Fi's uniquely individualistic values to an externally observable context in a way that both captures the attention and admiration of others and allows him to translate his inner passions into forms that others can understand, identify with, and appreciate. The INFP needs Ne in order to spread the message of his ideals to an audience that will listen: Ne is the bridge by which Fi's vision can be forged into the creations that serve as external representations of the INFP's identity.

"No need for greed or hunger / A brotherhood of man / Imagine all the people / Sharing all the world."
--John Lennon, "Imagine"

Ne often ends up expressing itself through artistic and creative endeavors: This penchant for interpreting and rearranging patterns of external phenomena frequently results in a particular knack for manipulation of language and its ability to say just the right thing to convey precisely the value or feeling the INFP wants to express, in a way that makes that feeling real for others. Indeed, INFPs are quite often found among novelists, musicians, graphic artists, screen writers, and all other forms of widely recognized creative expression by which the purity of their internal worlds (Fi) can be expressed externally (Ne).

At their best, INFPs are principled, idealistic, playful, creative, and deeply empathetic. Without the aid of auxiliary Ne, the INFP may become frustrated at the conflict between her intense desire for self-expression and her inability to translate the ideals she strives to live by into a medium that will touch the souls of others in the same way they define the meaning and purpose of her own life.

INFPs, because they show the outer world their flexible Ne side more readily, will appear much more open and accepting on the surface, and indeed they will remain that way as long as their interactions with you remain relaxed and enjoyable and do not require getting into serious ethical analysis or put them in any uncomfortable situations which might make them feel morally conflicted. They will appear flexible now (Ne), and steadfast later (Fi). They are generally open to all sorts of new experiences and connections between different experiences--they love to get at the heart of the people's true character by finding and comparing the ways in which different individuals have different unique "flavors", each offering its own special kind of meaning, and they love to observe the connections between different individuals in this regard. They may come off as rather reserved at first, but it doesn't take too long before they will at least open up Ne to you and relate to you on a surface level--this usually happens in terms of discussion about some common interest, such as art, philosophy, music, etc...anything that will seem interesting and noteworthy to the collective of people the INFP deems worthy.

Inside, however, they are far more rigid and unyielding in terms of the extraordinarily high ethical standards they place on themselves and anyone they consider close enough to be a trusted friend. When you become close to an INFP, you are accepting a responsibility to uphold the high personal standards that define the INFP's entire self-image and existential philosophy. INFPs will offer only the very best ethical treatment of their friends and loved ones, and they expect no less in return--if you cannot fulfill this sacred bond to the same level they hold themselves to, you should not commit to such a close relationship in the first place.



Tertiary: Introverted Sensation (Si)


For INFPs, the tertiary relief function Si is consulted in order to provide them quick reference to the real feelings and experiences that have affected them profoundly in their past experiences. Fi+Si doesn't consciously say, "Ok, the last time this happened it caused a negative emotional reaction for me; therefore I will avoid it now"; Fi simply instinctively begins to experience the terrible emotional state Si has associated with whatever negative experience, and panic and dread take over, forcing the INFP to escape this situation at all costs, for fear of being forced into that state again. Fool me once, shame on you--fool me twice, shame on me.

I have seen INFPs who, once they begin to develop Si, start to pay very close attention to possible contaminants which could taint the purity of their physical bodies in the environment around them. They'll become extra careful to check food to make sure it hasn't gone bad, has the right nutritional content, etc. Some of them either insist on seeing a doctor more often than necessary, or become distrustful of doctors in general and avoid the experience, if they've had some negative past experience with doctors or medication (as, unfortunately, a fair number of INFPs have.) When applied positively though, it gives them a grounding into something real, something they can hold on to that they know will always be there for them because it always has been--this can be instrumental in leading the INFP into the spiritually aware and comfortable state she desires.

Development of tertiary Si helps the INFP connect her physical health and the needs of her body to the emotional and spiritual health upon which Fi is so heavily focused. As INFPs learn to pay more attention to Si, they will learn what conditions and surroundings are likely to lead them to better physical health, and recognize the enormous effect this will have on their emotional and spiritual health. As Si improves, they will appear to take a page from ISJs in their refusal to work under conditions that "don't feel right" in that they aren't conducive to promoting the calm, relaxed, and emotionally aware state under which their creative juices can flow most freely.

Most importantly, however, Si serves as a voice of caution and experience to help avoid the Ne trap of getting so lost in creative exploration that the INFP forgets where his comfort zone is and repeats the same painful mistakes again and again. INFPs with strongly pronounced Si will appear less naive, more world-weary, and perhaps a little bit more cynical--but it's generally for the best, as repeated negative experiences with being too trusting too quickly will teach them.



Inferior: Extroverted Thinking (Te)

For INFPs, Te ideally provides an objective counterpart to Fi's value judgments by allowing them to consider the importance of accomplishing real goals through real functional external world systems. This is very difficult for many INFPs to process because forcing any sort of cooperation on others for the good of a larger system (Te) is often seen as tantamount to destroying the right to express one's personal individuality at all costs (Fi.) This moral dilemma plagues many INFPs.

Te will, on occasion, pop out and result in the INFP blowing up and telling everyone in painstakingly objective detail how poorly they are living up the expected standards of their responsibilities. It kills the INFP to do this, because she wants so badly to respect others' right to personal individuality and self-expression, but ultimately she must recognize that some people will not voluntarily cooperate and must be forced to change for the good of society as a whole--nay, for the Good of Good itself!

As far as I can tell the line of reasoning goes something like this: "You are not performing your moral duty to me as a friend (Fi), and every time I have been in a positive working relationship in the past (Si) it has followed certain standards (Te), and while I hate to do this, you are threatening my right to personal identity here (Fi) and thus I must explain to you objectively and very, very bluntly how your behavior cannot be tolerated (Te)."

The real issue for INFPs struggling with inferior Te is the conflict between Fi's idealistic, highly personalized individualism and Te's somewhat Machiavellian ends-justify-the-means, get-it-done-at-all-costs attitude. Ultimately, once Fi, Ne, and Si are satisfied, an INFP nearing total maturity should be able to recognize the value in the idea that sometimes, unconditional promotion of individual freedom of expression is simply not practical from a resource management standpoint, and that in order for society (or any other organization) to function meaningfully as a unit, some degree of personal individuality must, at times, be sacrificed.

Nonetheless, INFPs remain distrustful of any suggestion that people be "forced into boxes" or otherwise compelled to conform in any way that violates their sense of freedom of choice or private identity. As Te begins to balance this attitude, INFPs will gradually realize that actually creating the ideal utopian world they envision so naturally will require paying some attention to practical considerations, namely some form of objectively impersonal evaluation, and that this doesn't have to conflict with their ideals--it can, in fact, support and assist them in their quest to set all things right with the world.

And even if they never really find perfection, at least they'll have some degree of measurable success to point to--and that may be the only way to feel content in a world which will never truly live up to the perfectly harmonious ideals that Fi lives for.
 

The_World_As_Will

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and INTPs

INTP, or Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiver, is a label borrowed from MBTI nomenclature and now applied to the Jungian Cognitive Function set {Ti, Ne, Si, Fe}.


Dominant: Introverted Thinking (Ti)


"I guess more than anything I just want things to make sense. I frequently feel like most people around me make decisions based on totally irrational criteria and it's hard to see how they can miss the basic building blocks of common sense logical reasoning and decision-making. I like to work with systems, especially theoretical systems of ideas that represent concepts that interest me--the more complex and interrelated, the better. There's something aesthetically appealing about designing and reworking systems; creating symmetry that suggests a sense of total systemic completeness is something that brings me a lot of enjoyment. It's really important that things remain fair and consistent--if I don't feel I'm being treated fairly or reasonably, I will speak up and explain in detail exactly what's wrong with the flawed reasoning that's being used against me. I go to great pains to maximize clarity and conceptual precision when I'm dealing with others, and I expect them to do the same. If I can't establish a clear definition of an idea, then how can I connect it meaningfully to anything else?"

INTPs firmly believe that conceptual analysis and evaluation is not for the faint of heart. What they're after is no less than absolute correctness, definitional precision, and universal truth. Almost quixotic in this idealistic search to grasp the nature of everything, INTPs believe everything can ultimately be defined, categorized, and succinctly systematized into a single unified conceptual picture--even if that degree of completeness is not something humankind can ever expect to achieve.

Unlike INTJs, who resist strict conceptual definition until empirical evidence renders it indisputable, INTPs must categorize and define their ideas into clearly distinct blocks before they can even begin a discourse or exchange of information. Dominant Ti creates such a keen awareness of definitional specificity that INTPs often garner a reputation for nitpicking that borders on neurotic and may drive other types up the wall. (After all, you can't spell "nitpick" without "INTP".) And while they may sometimes abuse this ability in order to play games with others or establish their own intellectual superiority, more often than not, they simply recognize definitional differences to a much finer degree of detail than most other types are even capable of discerning. Until we know precisely what our words denote and connote, we can't even make any meaningful differentiations--which are, of course, the foundation for everything.

INTPs most often find work in areas where they can apply their sense of internal structural identity to complex systems of ideas where they can broaden the scope of a problem and discover a new area in which to work out all of the intricate relationships that make up the defining characteristics and total framework thereof. For Ti, practical application is rarely much of a concern; INTPs are in the business of idea development for the sake of learning and cerebral expansion. If they can map out an area of reality that as of yet lacks definition, INTPs may find a sense of purpose by feeling they've contributed to the development or clarification of humankind's understanding, demystifying something previously not understood.

It's hard to overstate the importance of fitting everything in the universe and the entire realm of existence into Ti's overarching sense of the total causality of all the relationships, properties, and axioms that make up the definition of everything involved in life as we know it. When a new piece of information contradicts Ti's previously understood rule set, there is no choice but to retreat into private introspection until the inevitable error in reasoning is discovered and the causal chain of deduction repaired, checked, and double checked for consistent flow of rhetorical integrity. Each piece of a system implies the necessity of other pieces filling counterbalancing but symmetrical roles: with enough If/Then statements and explanations of possible conditions and situational exceptions to them, literally everything can ultimately be mapped out and explained and shown to adhere to a global sense of logical predictability. The universe cannot function any other way. If we're still running into wrong conclusions, it's either because we started with bad premises or we haven't created enough subsections of systemic explanation yet: either way, the answer always lies in further analysis and reevaluation.

Like all Ji dominant (IxxP) types, INTPs are, above all, people of principle, and they will defend those principles to the death (especially if you try to debate them!) The search for truth outweighs any transient cultural values, transcends any perceptual bias or interpretive difference, renders irrelevant any lesser or arbitrarily chosen values, and represents the ultimate ideal to which all should feel privileged to have even the most fleeting encounter with. It is of vital importance to the INTP to seek knowledge purely for the sake of understanding, and to uphold his sense of logical integrity in the process. Anything less would be, well, illogical.



Auxiliary: Extroverted iNtuition (Ne)

"Overthinking, overanalyzing separates the body from the mind / Withering my intuition, leaving opportunities behind."
--Tool, "Lateralus" (lyrics by Maynard James Keenan, INTP)


Unfortunately, the INTP's primary interests and skill sets are often esoteric at best, frequently not lending themselves to much use in terms of connection and interaction with other human beings. While the INTP may spend tremendous time and effort developing incredibly thorough understanding of numerous multi-faceted concepts and ideas, he may find himself woefully unable to articulate their meaning or significance to others without some method by which to connect abstract concepts to that which his fellow man already understands.

When developed well, Ne will bestow the INTP with a number of positive balancing characteristics, ranging from awareness of and desire to play to the expectations and interests of her audience to cross-contextual perception of conceptual similarity and an accompanying (and somewhat unexpected) ability to teach these concepts to others who lack understanding. For many INTPs, this becomes one of the most valuable and far-reaching gifts that Ne has to offer--she may find, much to her surprise, that her natural talent for noting structural similarities between the seemingly unrelated allows her to rephrase the most abstruse hierarchies of ideas into surprisingly understandable unifying explanations with which her audience can readily identify. This ability marks one of the more substantial and notable differences between INTPs and INTJs: while Ni intuitively grasps conceptual symbolism quite readily, the INTJ's comparative inability (or simple disinterest in trying) to "translate" such abstractions results in a peculiar communicative disconnect which INTPs are frequently much more able to mitigate through Ne.

Perhaps most importantly of all, Ne grants the INTP not only a broader understanding of the vast interconnectedness of his various intellectual pursuits, but a sense of playful creativity and an excited enthusiasm for new possibilities for the future. When Ne is developed poorly, and the INTP is left with TiSi, his ever-looming sense of self-doubt and imminent awareness of the incompleteness of his own understanding may lead to extreme social isolation and dejected burnout from repeated failures at attempts to navigate the confusing and illogical world of external interaction. Ne encourages the INTP to remember that, no matter what the failures and inadequacies of today have wrought, tomorrow will be a new day full of new possibilities for different approaches, connections, and changes. If the current model doesn't feel consistent, we can always adjust it, rework it, or tweak its variables and turn it into something else tomorrow. The possibilities are endless--they're already out there, waiting to be found, and it's up to us to rearrange the pieces until we find them.

Ne, ideally, should serve to balance out Ti's insistence on deductive perfection through complete information by allowing the INTP to "fill in the blanks" and make rougher, more intuitive guesses at information he may not yet possess or fully understand. As Ti would prefer to work with If/Then statements which provide unifying explanations of wide ranges of theoretically absolute data, the failure to consult Ne may often result in an uncomfortable unwillingness to take action or make any attempt at something until the INTP feels he has complete enough information to solve for the entire causality of the system in his mind. Properly developed Ne leads the INTP to accept the reality that life is full of uncertainties, and that if we refuse to act without knowing all the variables, we never really learn or progress. When he gets stuck at a critical juncture, Ne reminds him to just veer off and try something different--even if it may not work every time or provide a complete explanation, it might lead him to just what he needs to see in order to discover the next step in the process. It allows him to break out of his shell and try new things just in case something unexpected happens, and it's this sort of vibrant curiosity that combines best with Ti's tireless thirst for truth and knowledge to produce a well-rounded and psychologically balanced INTP.



Tertiary: Introverted Sensation (Si)


As a tertiary function, Si can have a variety of balancing effects on the INTP's total cognition. It tends to work best when Ne has already been allowed to grow and develop as Ti's natural assistant and counterpart; however, it's worth noting that, like all tertiary functions, its effects can be potentially damaging if overused or interpreted out of context.

The most essential purpose of Si is to provide a sense of comfort in familiarity, in the idea that our internal maps of undifferentiated information work best when we're able to sustain them with a consistent flow of concrete sensory data, and that we should be wary of people, places, and situations that the map has not yet charted. For INTPs under the influence of tertiary Si, this can generate a certain degree of cynicism and potentially even irrational distrust of situations they've experienced before and associated a negative connotation with. INTPs may develop curious suspicions about the adverse effects of their surroundings on their physical health; they may select insignificant sensory details to use as scapegoats for their inability to produce consistent work. ("I'd be churning out fantastic material here if only these morons could get me some half decent coffee!")

Si's influence, in its infancy, may lead INTPs to avoid new experiences or block out possible new approaches or changes in methodology that may very well have improved the development of their ideas or increased the range of options available to them. "I've tried and it didn't work" can become something of a mantra that allows the INTP to both avoid the uncomfortable nature of leaping into the unknown with incomplete information, and build more support for the superiority of his personal convictions and subjective beliefs about the nature of fairness and reason.

Given enough negative reinforcement, as TiSi loop sets in, the INTP may even develop a habit of avoiding the very situations and mindsets that his personal growth requires most in order to move forward. Utterly convinced that the deck is stacked unfairly against him, he may devolve into bitter cynicism about the coldly inconsistent nature of the harsh, stupid, and illogical universe around him. Sensitive about his failures in the social arena, especially, he may convince himself that the only people worth interacting with are those who feel "safe" in that they espouse the same kinds of views with which he is already familiar: locked into a self-serving loop of subjective logic and subjective reinforcement of the kind of experiential data that supports it, he may simply resign himself to the fate of being alone and unappreciated, comforting himself with grandiose and romantic ideals of being "the only one with any real integrity" or "the only one who really cares about The Truth."

The problem with pouring on too much Si too quickly is that it may lead to a tendency to ignore Ne development. The INTP already has plenty of depth, and plenty of subjective perspective; what she needs to do first is develop a sense of the objectively observable effects her ideas have on others so that she can connect their perspectives to her own and learn to communicate the significance of her convictions meaningfully. Blocking this growth process with more encouragement to indulge in more of the same familiar experiences will only cause regressive development.

When granted a more balanced and positive role, Si should serve not as a mere excuse to remain forever entrenched in one's experiential comfort zone, but as a useful counterbalance to Ne's tendency to fly off the rails and become lost in its own excitement. While Ne teaches the INTP to let herself go and reach out to embrace the random, Si reins her back in and reminds her that, sometimes, there's a very good reason we've become familiar with a certain form of experience: it's what's best for us and it keeps us out of trouble. It reminds us to pay attention when things start to push too far out of our comfort zone for our own good, and helps us to avoid repeating mistakes that we've already made and (hopefully) learned from.

Lastly, Si should grant the INTP a sense of real connection to the actual experiences represented by the theoretical ideas he is constantly mulling over in his head, which will contribute to his slow-developing ability to concretely identify with where others are coming from. It's one thing to be able to explain to someone why an idea should work in theory and point out how clearly consistent and logical it is; it's quite another to be able to honestly say, "Because I've been there and I've tried it for myself, and I know from experience that it genuinely works." Being able to offer that kind of backup for their arguments can help INTPs transcend the theoretical basis from which they normally operate, endearing themselves to others in a way that only real world experience with real world issues can.



Inferior: Extroverted Feeling (Fe)


At the bottom of the barrel of the INTP's cognitive makeup lies the oft-unconscious and mostly neglected counterpart to Ti's personalized logic: the collectivized ethics and cultural expectations represented by inferior Fe. Right out of the gate, INTPs are naturally distrustful of extroverted judgment: they feel that decision-making is something that rightfully belongs to them and them alone, and that the idea of letting other people's expectations taint the depth and purity of their primary focus--for such questionable purposes as making people get along, no less--is, at least consciously, seen as a disturbing affront to their right to individualism and free thought.

"Why should I be expected to get along with anyone whose beliefs clearly represent incorrect logic and poor reasoning? It's not my fault people are too stupid to realize their beliefs are ridiculous!" Earlier in life, dominant Ti may have an exceptionally difficult time even understanding why getting along with others is desirable in the first place. If those people can't be trusted to make rational decisions according to the indisputable reality of The Truth, it can't see any value in associating with them at all. The way angry, adolescent INTPs develop social circles around this common belief represents one of the great ironies of the Jungian world.

Insistent that emotion is, by nature, a fundamentally invalid form of reasoning, INTPs may actually become emotionally attached to the idea that their decision-making is unemotional and therefore perfectly rational and "objectively superior" to other competing value systems. By asserting that Ti's subjective logic represents absolute or objective truth, they conveniently avoid both having to confront their own emotional needs and having to accept that their preferred method of reasoning does not represent absolute dogmatic truth. They will continue to cite "facts" and "scientific evidence" based on their own subjective sense of truth, using Ti's own axioms as proof of its ultimate correctness, never realizing the ultimately circular nature of their own declarations of self-superiority. When they meet other INTPs who feel the same way they do, the fact that someone else identifies both feeds Ti's conscious desire to be The Most Correct and Fe's subconscious desire to share a collectively derived ethical viewpoint with a larger group.

Try as they might to deny it, beneath the surface of the unconscious, inferior Fe (aided by auxiliary Ne) does drive INTPs to seek social acceptance and emotional connection; however, they often find themselves so hopelessly clueless at understanding and adjusting to social cues that they quickly develop intensely negative associations with the whole process of attempting to share themselves with others, content to interact only with those whose beliefs are consistent with their own, and thus non-threatening. In this way, INTPs may actually act out inferior Fe by seeking out like-minded friends and acquaintances who dislike the idea of having Fe standards forced on them, thus forming Fe-oriented bonds based, ironically, around the idea of disliking the very social expectations that end up creating the common ground on which they identify. "Don't conform to society--be a nonconformist like us!"

By attacking the systems of collective ethical expectations they so despise on a conscious level, they fulfill their own subconscious needs for cultural and familial camaraderie by replacing "I'm right" with "We're right"--but good luck to any member of that group who disagrees with the precepts of correctness by which it defines its membership!

Eventually, once Ne and Si have fallen into their rightful places and developed properly, inferior Fe should grant the INTP the much-needed realization that sometimes family and friends should come before theoretical correctness. Even if it's wrong or illogical or unfounded in science, if he wants to keep friends and family around, or hold a consistent job, or participate in social situations with any degree of discernible success, he must develop a desire to adjust to their emotional and ethical needs and preferences, even if he cannot see an imminently "logical" reason to agree with them.

This duality of thought ("I think it's illogical" + "I can still see the value in it and respect it as an equally valid form of reasoning") is something that takes many INTPs a long time and a lot of soul-searching to grow into. It requires, above all, the realization that even if absolute truth exists, it's not really possible or logically plausible to believe any single human being can access or understand it directly--the addition of competent Fe into his cognitive hierarchy will allow the INTP to admit that yes, even he is subject to emotional bias, and even he has practical reasons to adjust his ethical outlook according to the feelings and needs of those he holds dear.

Once the INTP is able to simultaneously value the idea of truth and admit to himself that his own opinion cannot constitute the entirety of it, he will begin to realize that balancing his personal convictions against collective moral evaluations can actually move him even closer to the transcendent vision of universal truth and integrity around which his entire life is centered--and who knows? He may even develop some deeply meaningful personal connections along the way!
 

Thalassa

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TWAW, this is awesome. Thank you for posting this.

I consider Sim's descriptions of each type by function order to be the best I've seen on the Internet.
 
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Fi users believe there is a definite moral order to the universe (meaning that it is inescapably true that some things and some ideas are inherently more valuable, more virtuous, and more worthy of positive evaluation than others), and that the only way we may catch a glimpse of this sacred ideal is by allowing ourselves complete and total connection and understanding with our emotional responses and the way they reflect that which upholds the internal "essence" of moral goodness as we understand it subjectively and individually. One INFP friend calls it "The uh oh feeling" when his Fi (bolstered by Si) somehow "senses" almost immediately that a new person is up to no good.

Fi: Justice League, Assemble! :rolli:
 

Thalassa

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I identify with that, though.

I am guided toward goodness based upon feeling pain, for example, at witnessing the suffering of innocent living things. Therefore, harming innocent living things without valid reason is universally bad. I feel this inside. If someone tried to rationalize me out of it, I wouldn't budge on that.

So I agree with this description of Fi.
 
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I identify with that, though.

I am guided toward goodness based upon feeling pain, for example, at witnessing the suffering of innocent living things. Therefore, harming innocent living things without valid reason is universally bad. I feel this inside. If someone tried to rationalize me out of it, I wouldn't budge on that.

So I agree with this description of Fi.

To be honest, I think it deals with someone's personal philosophies, and not their cognitive preferences. Sure, one's cognitive preferences can shape those philosophies, but they don't dictate the content. Sim thinks that Fi doms think they live up on some lofty tower striking heathens with lightning bolt guilt trips according to some God placed on their tongue. Sim just doesn't liked to be called out by any single individual who has a personal problem with his missteps.

Do you think that your values lie outside of your subjective feelings?
 

Thalassa

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To be honest, I think it deals with someone's personal philosophies, and not their cognitive preferences. Sure, one's cognitive preferences can shape those philosophies, but they don't dictate the content. Sim thinks that Fi doms think they live up on some lofty tower striking heathens with lightning bolt guilt trips according to some God placed on their tongue. Sim just doesn't liked to be called out by any single individual who has a personal problem with his missteps.

Do you think that your values lie outside of your subjective feelings?

Yes, the inherent value of living things which have done nothing to deserve punishment or death. I believe that life is inherently valuable and that causing needless suffering is wrong.

Even when I say I am somewhat of a consequentialist, those "consequences" all hinge back on my value of protecting life, and not just life, but quality of life.
 

Thalassa

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Though I agree that Simulated World could have a problem with people who call him out on his missteps.

I know other NTs who have this problem, and they blame it on their pet annoyance, whether it be Fi (in Sim's case) or FJs (in the case of certain other people I won't mention).
 
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Yes, the inherent value of living things which have done nothing to deserve punishment or death. I believe that life is inherently valuable and that causing needless suffering is wrong.

Even when I say I am somewhat of a consequentialist, those "consequences" all hinge back on my value of protecting life, and not just life, but quality of life.

I personally believe that life has no value outside of what human beings and other creatures give it. Objectively, life is neutral. On principle, however, I value those who are close to me, and my existential philosophy, if you will, is to need to become necessary to those who I value. Not necessary in the sense of codependency, but necessary in that I provide support to keep things moving, even if it's being silly or providing a sigh of relief. In return, I want nothing more than respect and words of affirmation.
 
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Though I agree that Simulated World could have a problem with people who call him out on his missteps.

I know other NTs who have this problem, and they blame it on their pet annoyance, whether it be Fi (in Sim's case) or FJs (in the case of certain other people I won't mention).

Most have problems being confronted under certain circumstances. Sim is an exception in that he's allowed it to be mirrored in his typology, not just in his typology but for his typology.
 

Thalassa

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Most have problems being confronted under certain circumstances. Sim is an exception in that he's allowed it to be mirrored in his typology, not just in his typology but for his typology.

So, like, you're saying he's the equivalent of those dudes who say every chick who doesn't want to bang them must be an FJ?
 
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