I See Every Path, I See The Path - The Intuition Functions In Your Life (Extroverted Intuition vs. Introverted Intuition)

I'm back! Last week I wrote about Extroverted and Introverted Sensing and what they mean for your life (you know...career, hobbies, jobs, friends, etc.). This week, we are exploring the other perceiving function, Intuition.

Fun! But why?

If you want to design your perfect life, you need to start by really understanding yourself—your preferences, personality, values, how your brain works, everything! One of these first steps is learning how you perceive and determine your actions within the world by understanding your cognitive functions.

So, let's dive in! As I said in the last post, I understand the world through memes, so here we go!

A little oversimplified, but this gets us on the right track!

What? More memes?

Stop distracting me with memes - let's get to the content and discuss Intuition!

The Misconceptions

First things first—I have written about cognitive functions and cognitive stacks elsewhere, so if you need an introduction or a refresher, check those posts out first because we are getting into the weeds.

Let's start by getting rid of some misconceptions. The first one is that if it isn't listed in your profile, you don't use it. If you have a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) profile or a similar system that doesn't list Intuition as a function (like ISTJ or ESFP), you still use Intuition! This is the biggest issue with anything that looks like an MBTI result - we think because it isn't in our four letters, we can't or don't use it. Wrong! We all use an Intuition function; we just might not default to it as easily as others.

Here is another misconception - if Extroverted Intuition (Ne) is listed in your cognitive stack, then you don't use Introverted Intuition (Ni). Wrong! You also use both function attitudes (such as Introverted Intuition and Extroverted Intuition). Just because a function isn't in your cognitive stack doesn't mean you don't use it - you simply don't use it as often or as easily.

Last misconception - MBTI, 16Personalities, and anything based on Carl Jung's cognitive functions explains everything about your personality. Nope! Jung developed these cognitive functions as an explanation for the different ways of perceiving and making decisions in the world; they are not behaviors or skill sets - they are preferences. This is why two ISTJs could meet and be two very different people. They will have a lot of overlap, but they won't be the same person.

So...What Is an Intuition Function? Extroverted Intuition vs. Introverted Intuition

All right, great, now let's talk about the Intuition function and its function attitudes (introversion vs. extroversion). First, Intuition functions are how we understand and anticipate possibilities, patterns, and meanings beyond the information provided by the sensory experience. If Sensing is you experiencing the world around you, Intuition is you making predictions and connections based on that information. Or, to put all the functions into context, in Jung's words:

Sensation establishes what is actually present, thinking enables us to recognize its meaning, feeling tells us its value, and intuition points to possibilities as to whence it came and wither it is going in a given situation. (From Jung's Psychological Types)

If there is one generalization I can make about people with an Intuition function in their top two cognitive functions, it is that they are IN their minds and constantly making connections, theories, and predictions (these types also get stereotyped as being lost in thought or not paying attention). This is the first point where we realize that we all use Intuition functions to some extent - everyone uses information to predict what might happen next. Simple enough. Now you know we all using Intuition in some way.

Every cognitive function can be Introverted or Extroverted. We call this the "function attitude." A brief crash course on the difference (you can read a more in-depth dive here) is that an introverted attitude focuses more on the self, while an extroverted attitude focuses more on how others are experiencing things. Introverted functions tend to focus energy on the individual's experience (the "subject" in Jung's writing), while Extroverted functions tend to focus outward toward others and the current moment (the "object" in Jung's writing). So what does this mean for the Intuition function and its function attitudes? Here it is in a nutshell:

• Extraverted Intuition (Ne) is making connections and predictions in the moment, like brainstorming or solving an escape room (makes connections and predictions from the environment around them).

• Introverted Intuition (Ni) is more focused on long-term predictions and connections, seeing ten steps ahead, and often coming up with novel understandings of the world that seem to appear out of nowhere but are based on deep thought (makes connections and predictions by filling in from within - more like hunches).

Another way to put it is this: Ni understands future paths and potential as they relate to the self (Ni users often have in-depth, long-term plans and goals), while Ne understands the future paths and potentials of the world around them (external objects and ideas - again, escape rooms and puzzles).

I also like this meme!

Intuition in the Real World - How We Observe the Intuition Functions and Our Cognitive Stack

Now, we have established that everyone uses an Intuition function (either Ne or Ni). You can't escape this fact - it is your reality. But who uses Ne vs. Ni, and where does it land in their cognitive stack? I got you. Here is a breakdown of every type and where their Intuition function lands in their cognitive stack.

• Extroverted Intuitives (Ne)

  • ENTP: Ne-Ti-Fe-Si

  • ENFP: Ne-Fi-Te-Si

  • INTP: Ti-Ne-Si-Fe

  • INFP: Fi-Ne-Si-Te

  • ESTJ: Te-Si-Ne-Fi

  • ESFJ: Fe-Si-Ne-Ti

  • ISFJ: Si-Fe-Ti-Ne

  • ISTJ: Si-Te-Fi-Ne

• Introverted Intuitives (Ni)

  • INTJ: Ni-Te-Fi-Se

  • INFJ: Ni-Fe-Ti-Se

  • ENTJ: Te-Ni-Se-Fi

  • ENFJ: Fe-Ni-Se-Ti

  • ISTP: Ti-Se-Ni-Fe

  • ISFP: Fi-Se-Ni-Te

  • ESTP: Se-Ti-Fe-Ni

  • ESFP: Se-Fi-Te-Ni

Based on this list, we can assume that we will see similarities among personalities that share Intuition attitudes. The amount that you will see these behaviors in individuals depends on where the function lands in their cognitive stack. So, while an INTJ and ESFP will both use Ni, an INTJ will exhibit Ni stronger than an ESFP. These are just generalities, but here we go...

• Extroverted Intuition

  • Adept at solving novel problems in the moment

  • Constantly generating new ideas and possibilities (brainstorming)

  • Likes to explore new ideas and experiment

  • Great at thinking out loud - can easily explain how they arrived at a solution

  • Can quickly incorporate new information and change direction

  • Creative visionaries who often see possibilities that others do not

  • Quick to start, but slow to finish

• Introverted Intuition

  • Adept at creating long-term plans and predicting long-term outcomes

  • Deeply reflective

  • Comes up with new, novel ideas, but they take time to develop and seem to come out of nowhere

  • Tends to focus on big-picture thinking, seeing overarching themes and patterns in information

  • Tendency toward profound insights and understanding of complex systems

  • Makes decisions based on a deep, often inexplicable, sense of knowing

  • Often struggle to put their deep insights and visions into words for others to understand

  • Persistent and determined

  • Exhibits meticulous planning that others are unaware of

Where They Overlap

Both Ne and Ni are adept at making connections and manipulating ideas. The big difference is the timescale. Ne will take in information from this moment and produce instant connections and insight. A Ne user's predictions will often matter in this moment more than in the future. Ni, on the other hand, also produces novel connections and insight but operates on a longer time scale. Ni users often have well-developed plans of up to a decade out, and their predictions are based on long-term patterns of observation (such as predicting human behavior based on previous observations).

Neat!... What Do I Do With This?!

Okay, cool. I see this—now what? How do I use it? Great question! What follows are some simple suggestions and are neither universal nor complete. If you want to get really in-depth, reach out, and let's start working together.

Let's go one function attitude at a time, starting with Ne. Ne users - look for careers where you can flex your creativity, brainstorming, and problem-solving. Ne users are the people who solve the problems that need to be solved now (I think of the scene from Apollo 13 where the engineers must design a solution to a filtration issue). They are also the experimenters and always seem to be trying something new, whether they mean to or not. Consider careers where you get to create campaigns, make new designs, explore new trends, and develop fresh content (careers that involve writing, graphic design, advertising, running experiments, creativity, and marketing). Also, Ne users do well when the challenge is novel and new. Look for environments that often present new and exciting challenges.

Do you want to fit a square air filter into a round receiver with limited supplies? Ask a Ne user! (Apollo 13, 1995)

All right, Ni users - your turn! You can make plans and see them through to their completion - this is a strength the world needs! Your ability to form long-term strategies helps organizations meet their goals. You are also adept at bringing together a number of different ideas to create novel understandings of the world (academia and research). Ni users are also strategists and are integral in developing effective, long-term strategies in any realm you choose. Lastly, it is worth considering pursuits that allow you to think and mull things over. Institutions need this kind of thinking, and this is especially helpful for those who find themselves in the business of helping others, like teaching, coaching, running departments, and the mental health fields.

Intuition is a tricky function to write about. As opposed to the other functions, it is harder to see unless you are standing next to a Ne user while they are actively facing a novel situation. Otherwise, a lot of intuition is still held within the mind, and we don't get to see the magic happening. If there is one thing I've learned over my years of interacting with people, there are two ways to be amazed by someone using their intuition. If you are around an Introverted Intuitive, ask about their five-year plan or how they organize complex projects. If you are around an Extroverted Intuitive, ask them to talk about a passion project or what they are currently working on.

We'll see you in the next post, where we dive into the Thinking cognitive function!

With love,

Tom Chapman, TruePath Discovery Coaching

Ready to learn more? Check out these other popular blog posts!

• What We Think, What I Think - The Thinking Functions In Your Life (Extroverted Thinking vs. Introverted Thinking)

• I See All, I Remember All - The Sensing Functions In Your Life (Extroverted Sensing vs. Introverted Sensing in the Cognitive Stack)

• But I'm An Ambivert! Clearing Up The Introvert/Extrovert Confusion

• Noticing the World Around Us: Perceiving Cognitive Functions and How They Work

• Making Decisions in the World: Judging Cognitive Functions and How They Work

• But That Doesn't Sound Like Me? - The Downsides of Stereotypes in Personality Typing

• Introduction to the Tools for Self-Discovery: MBTI

• Enneagram or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? Why Not Both!

• Navigating Grief with Understanding: Perspectives from MBTI and the Enneagram