# Which Function do you have the most difficultly understanding?



## goodthankyou (Mar 25, 2016)

Trying to understand the functions in terms of function pairs makes them easier to understand.

Si are memories, and Ne creates something new with those memories.

Fi are personal feelings, and Te is the impersonal system.

Ni sees meaning in the Se environment.

But I suppose Ti and Fe are a little tricky for me (despite being an INFJ). I mean I know that being in touch with others feelings means that I should be less in touch with my own ... but in my own experience I'm pretty sure when I'm sad and I'm pretty sure when I'm happy. Can an Fi-user do better than that?

Also Ti ... it's like logic. Problem-solving, right? But that makes it sound like Te.

Or maybe it's factual information. But that makes it sound like Si.

I dunno.


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## goodthankyou (Mar 25, 2016)

No wait, I got it!

If Fi are personal feelings and Te is the impersonal system,

then

Ti is a personal system, and Fe are impersonal feelings !

Yup


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## Stevester (Feb 28, 2016)

I totally understand Ni on paper but I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to live with it as a dom function. 


As for Thinking: 
Ti - Simplest way to reach effectiveness right here, right now. As long as it works, nothing else matters
Te - The best way to reach effectiveness, but you have to take in account all the data, facts, loopholes lose ends etc.


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## Ntuitive (Jan 6, 2012)

I don't understand Ti, or Ni, Se or Fe.


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## Pinina (Jan 6, 2015)

Stevester said:


> I totally understand Ni on paper but I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to live with it as a dom function.
> 
> 
> As for Thinking:
> ...


I'd probably switch those around. 

Ti is more about building a foolproof system that works for everything, while Te only cares about the situation at hand, and as long as it works, nothing else matters. (Simplified, of course.


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## voron (Jan 19, 2015)

Fi, personally.


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## JaguarPap (Mar 26, 2016)

Ni (It is my primary function and it happens automatically and largely subconsciously....I cannot really put it into words only paint it)

I also have a hard time understanding the difference between Se and Si; they seem like the same thing...or what the heck is introverted sensing. Aren't you sensing with your 5 senses.....externally?....where they work?


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## Kerik_S (Aug 26, 2015)

Experientially: Si. I don't dwell in the past or feel compelled by any more routine than can simply help me get basic structure and not lose things.

Theoretically/intellectually: Te. I don't really know when the last time I had a Te train of thought was, but I know it was laced with incompetence.


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## Baphomet (Apr 20, 2015)

The only way I can understand Si, (experientially) is by being disgusted when I see something. the FEELING of disgust when I see something or smell something, that internal mental presentation, that is the only way I understand Si lol.

That disgust is much more sensitively triggered in my ISTJ friend, he is easily grossly put off by certain things. 
Si used to be the most difficult to understand but I am getting there. I would say Ni takes the cake, despite the fact its my dominant function, properly understanding it is different from using it or rather embodying it.


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## Wisteria (Apr 2, 2015)

JaguarPap said:


> I also have a hard time understanding the difference between Se and Si; they seem like the same thing...or what the heck is introverted sensing. Aren't you sensing with your 5 senses.....externally?....where they work?


You could read Pierce's article on contrasting the sensing functions: A Definition of Se and Si | CelebrityTypes

I agree that it's hard to understand extroverted sensing when it is simply described as using the five senses.


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## sloop (Jan 19, 2015)

I used to be unable to grasp the natures of Ni and Si. Now, it's just Si that I've yet to comprehend. I just don't understand the concept of "sense impressions gathered from sensory stimuli and stored away in an internalized map of vividly detailed memories." Like what? And it's annoying because I'd like to finish typing my xxFJ grandmother.

I think I notice traces of my ISFJ mother's Si, but I'm not sure. For example, when we go to a restaurant, she might get the same meal every time we go to that restaurant, and she'll taste her meal one specific time and say that "it doesn't taste right" or "it doesn't taste the same." Is she using Si? I always found her observations to be interesting because if you get the same meal from the same restaurant every single time, then the meal generally tastes the same every time when made right.


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## Stevester (Feb 28, 2016)

Si- Carefully moving towards the future by grabbing on that what is familiar
Ni- Carefully moving towards the future by looking for a landing destination

Ni is much more trusting of the future but has a tendency to zone out from the present moment
Si is weary of the future but is concrete and reliable on its way there


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## The Dude (May 20, 2010)

Introverted sensing...primarily because it is my inferior function. It doesn't help that a lot of descriptions of it have butchered Jung's concept of it.


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## Scarlet.Black (Jan 6, 2016)

I have problems to understand how Si works. All my -S-J friends seems so focused on their own life. For me it is both fascinating and sometimes even irritating. But I am trying to find that side from my self too. I am always ready for challenges 

Hhmm... I understand Ni- Ne and Fi-Fe quite well. I understand how Te works but I can't use it myself. I have quite strong Ti so I use it instead. I think that to problem with having Fe, Ni, Se an Ti is that I learn and think quite logically but talk like a drama queen


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## Glenda Gnome Starr (May 12, 2011)

I understand Fe and Se but Si and Ni are the most confusing for me.


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## Baron Rockmore (Mar 25, 2016)

Fi/Fe, the dominant ones.

Well generally, i don't understand feeling at all. I get the idea. I understand the concept. But i'm struggle to find out how it works especially as one's superior functions.


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## JonTay (Apr 4, 2016)

I think all of the introverted functions are a little difficult to really "get" unless we use them. We might understand them from a theoretical outlook, but trying to really relate might be much more difficult because it's basically what people do in their head. There are very few behavioral manifestations of the introverted functions. 

That said, it's hardest for me to really "get" Si and Ti. They aren't in my stack and they when first learning of the functions they made me scratch my head, although my understanding of them has significantly increased since then.


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## silmarillion (Dec 11, 2010)

I still don't understand Ni. I understand how it works in theory, but to fully understand it I want to relate to how I have used the function (even in unhealthy ways), and I have no idea how me using Ni would look like.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Se and Si


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## bigstupidgrin (Sep 26, 2014)

Te and Ti right now. I just learned more about Ne vs Ni.


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## JacksonHeights (Nov 6, 2015)

Fe and Se sometimes sound very similar, along with Fi. At least the way they are described. Like for example Fe is stereotypically "charming", but then a lot of Se users are known as being charismatic as well. With ESTPs you can say it's because of their tertiary Fe, but ESFPs are typically charismatic too and they don't even have Fe...Fe is also known for manipulation, but ESxPs are generally really good at manipulation too, so I think Se and Fe need to be defined better


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## star tripper (Sep 1, 2013)

Two things about this thread:
- Si =/= memories
- ExFPs aren't bubbly

I think Ni and Si can look quite similar superficially and it can be impossible to distinguish the two in an IxxJ acquaintance. However, when you pry the person open, it's like night and day. Worlds apart.

Also, Se is the only obvious Perceiving function. The other three take more time to come out.


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## Kerik_S (Aug 26, 2015)

star tripper said:


> Two things about this thread:
> - Si =/= memories
> - ExFPs aren't bubbly
> 
> ...


Word. If you trace Si back to its sources, it'll often be rather "sensual" and what I would consider "referential of sensations in their body", and Ni can be traced back to something rather "metacognitive" and what I would consider "referential of mental states encountered throughout their time"


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## umop 3pisdn (Apr 4, 2014)

I 'get' Te on a purely rational level but not at all on an experiential one. Like if I tried to act in a Te way I'd suddenly start doing a Stalin impression or something.


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## JacksonHeights (Nov 6, 2015)

I also don't get why everyone says that Se is the function responsible for being physically attractive. Maybe attractive personality but Im pretty sure that functions have nothing to do with physical attractiveness. Se is literally my last function but I prefer to dress well and take care of my appearance, I also know an INFJ who does the same even though Se is also last in his stack


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## livren (Sep 22, 2015)

Although I can understand all the functions, high Ne is still the biggest enigma, it’s like an outer constellation of ideas, which I can observe through my mental telescope from distance. I’m able to imagine how Ne pulses and explodes but I cannot simply jump into its deep space of random thoughts. Luckily, instead of Ne I have strong Ni and my INTP friend.


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