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cognitive functions - esp Ni

[INFJ] 
9K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  vel 
#1 ·
well, since there have been a few recent posts on cognitive functions and i'm not well versed in them.....can some one point me to a good article/book/post that describes how Ni and Fe look for an INFJ......What does Ni actually look like in us????

ta :happy:
 
#4 ·
I thought this thread has some good descriptions of Ni: http://personalitycafe.com/cognitive-functions/34859-difference-between-ne-ni.html

As dominant function it is basically a very sharp pattern and connection seeking ability. There seem to be several components to this Ni process 1) observing things as they happen 2) contemplating about past, asking yourself questions like "why this has happened" 3) finding answers to these questions and thus finding cause-effect relationships which are then stored in memory "A causes B so next time I see A my mind will recall that B may happen" 4) revealing patterns if same causal relationships are found over and over again (Ni is probabilistic function so if you observe same causal relationship then it strengthens the bond between A and B) and finally 5) flipping these patterns and connections that have been observed in past into the future which grants one acute predictive ability. Fe gives Ni a people-based focus so INFJ may be interested in observing all events and patterns that are related to other human beings somehow. For example INFJ may find himself or herself interested in psychology, sociology, religion, teaching and counseling, literature and some deeper topics covered in literature related to experience of being human, history, politics, military and warfare topics, medicine and sciences that have a more or less direct impact on human condition, and therefore apply his or her dominant Ni to these areas.


Other references:
Introverted Intuition and Extroverted Feeling ? The INFJ
Introverted Intuition - Ni
Introverted Intuition
INFJ profile
http://personalitycafe.com/cognitiv...iled-descriptions-each-function-attitude.html
Introverted intuition - Wikisocion
 
#5 ·
Okay I am a little late on the response here, I was just reading through some of the functions threads & one of the links Vel provided above states this:

IV. Extroverted Sensation

Extroverted Sensation is the weakest aspect of the INFJ’s psyche and represents most of his fears. As mentioned in the first section, the fear of being invaded and having one’s inner vision crushed by the external material world. INFJs, as introverted perceivers, take their external environment very seriously, and the playful attitude of Extroverted perception is anathema to them. Extroverted Sensation, for aforementioned reasons is the most negative of all functions for the INTJ. For this reason, externally oriented memories remembered are often of despondent mood, and due to the apparent instability of this function within the INTJ psyche, impulses and memories are distorted to better befit hunches. INTJs tend not to be adapt at memorizing facts or applying them to their concrete environment, as well as tend to struggle with SP-oriented tasks that require hands on interaction with the external world. The bright side of this, however, is that INFJs are unlikely to fall victim to overindulgence in sensual pleasures as this tends not to be a significant part of their lifestyles. Mostly they abhor the sensualist approach to life and without much hesitation favor the intellectual/imaginative path over that of the sensuality, and mostly fall victim to overindulgence in sensual pleasures in extreme cases of neurosis where Extroverted Sensation spirals outside of their conscious control and begins flooding them with strange impulses they neither wish to face or understand. This may manifest in strange fleeting attachments to material things and vanity. Such INFJs tend to be haunted by the idea of becoming physically attractive, whilst having their vision put a very low premium on the superficial and the physical. This notion hangs over their head without them properly understanding what it is or where it comes from until they have come to terms with the shadow aspect of their psyche.

The sensing function is one that I struggle with for sure. Vel, if you are reading (or anyone else who has a good understanding of how the functions work) say more about this (Se & how it manifests itself in someone with an INFJ MBTI type) , especially the bold part?
 
#6 ·
The sensing function is one that I struggle with for sure. Vel, if you are reading (or anyone else who has a good understanding of how the functions work) say more about this (Se & how it manifests itself in someone with an INFJ MBTI type) , especially the bold part?
There is a nice article about inferior Se here: The Form of the Inferior - INJs I would also recommend reading about extraverted sensation from other sources to get an understanding of how it works when it is not in inferior position i.e. how it is supposed to work, then you will have something to compare your inferior Se to (here is one source: Extraverted Sensation).

Inferior function is generally strongly suppressed in favor of the dominant function. Sometimes, especially in periods of time of increased stress, it gets out of this control and kicks in very strongly in all-or-nothing manner as you naturally don't possess any mechanisms to cope with it. During these periods of time the person may actually be acting out and feeling out of control. This periodically happens to all personality types though how this period manifests depends on the nature of inferior function. Ffor ITPs for example their inferior Fe may manifest as instances of intense emotionalism, then at some point functional balance is restored and they go back to being their rational selves. Same happens for INFJs where when Se temporarily takes over the INFJ may pay excessive attention to their physical environment and their own physical looks until the point of time that Ni takes over and balance is once again restored. As I understand it inferior Se at its worst can lead INFJs to develop dysmorphophobia and eating disorders as well as going on shopping sprees and significantly overspending. There may also be almost a child-like liking of everything 'shiny' such as expensive cars or clothing.
 
#7 ·
Vel, thank you, thank you that is very helpful. I still need to read through the link you posted about how Se is supposed to work when not inferior, but I read through the first link & saw a lot of myself in that. Also this:

Anticipating the worst can often elicit anger and blame in INTJs and INFJs. �I'm moody and gloomy, with sudden deep anger,� said an INTJ. An INFJ also describes experiencing deep anger: �I am emotionally aroused and am terribly critical of others. I accuse people of never helping me. I become dogmatic and blast people with facts. If no one is around to attack, I write a scathing letter to someone.� Another said, �I internally check off all the events that happened leading up to the 'conflict' and then I verbalize this list with a sense that the impeccable logic of it will convince others I am right and I will be vindicated

And lol about the writing a scathing letter to someone, I have definitely done that before when in a state of complete distress & feeling misunderstood & invalidated.
 
#8 ·
I do that myself also. Long time ago when I just joined these forums there was an INFJ here who was stated "When you get angry, you lose". The context was a thread created by another INFJ who was dealing with an issue of losing his temper at work. This phrase has kind of stuck with me as it has proven to be true in very many cases in my life. Sometimes I get worked up over something but then later I find that it wasn't worth it, that I didn't have enough facts or that the situation simply corrected itself. This is not to say that I shouldn't ever get angry but with INFJs sometimes our anger can be over the top. We aren't naturally an angry type, so when we do get angry for real it can get too intense like all our other feelings. Nowadays I prefer to distance myself from the situation for some time and let the steam off to myself and imagine all the things I could say or do and all the furniture and dishes I could break. Plus anger distracts oneself from scheming and plotting about what to do with the situation further >:)

I'm also going to tie this to a somewhat unrelated topic but I was reading about the differences in female vs male managers and one of the negatives that employees would list about female managers is that the reprimands and punishments they dished out the employees often felt were unfair and overdone. Considering that majority of women are feelers with logical function tertiary or inferior in our types, we really don't have a very good grasp and very good control of this more angry/competitive side to our personality. The studies would say that employees perceived their female managers like this was because of the biased view of women vs men at work, especially women in power positions. But something tells me that this evaluation employees provided is true and it is not a female vs male manager difference but rather a feeler vs thinker difference. Being able to handle and demonstrate aggressive/competitive behaviors in a mature manner is our feeler 'weak spot', and it just so happens that 80% of women are feelers. And same is mirrored by INFJs and our problems with displaying anger.
 
#9 ·
This is not to say that I shouldn't ever get angry but with INFJs sometimes our anger can be over the top. We aren't naturally an angry type, so when we do get angry for real it can get too intense like all our other feelings. Nowadays I prefer to distance myself from the situation for some time and let the steam off to myself and imagine all the things I could say or do and all the furniture and dishes I could break. Plus anger distracts oneself from scheming and plotting about what to do with the situation further >:)

This sounds like what I do too. And agreed about not having a good grasp on the more angry/ competitive side; I don't think I got a really good understanding/ grasp of my anger until I was at least in my early 30s, and I find myself having to *really* walk myself through if it's really bad. And I am hyper aware of not wanting to hurt anyone with it somehow & I have to be careful to not let it get internalized to my detriment instead.
 
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