# High Ni in a INFP?



## Embers (Jun 28, 2012)

Hey guys, I'm not sure if this is the right place for a question like this, but I'm curious and would like an answer. I've taken a few different cognitive functions test, and usually Fi is usually the highest rated for me, which is normal. But coming in second, and even sometimes surpassing Fi, is Ni according to the tests. I don't really understand why Ni is always at the top whenever I take a function test.

So my question is, did I mistype myself as an INFP while I'm actually an INFJ? Or do i just not understand this well enough ad am needlessly confusing myself?


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## mushr00m (May 23, 2011)

I get this frequently too. Im not sure if any of the combination of functions in INFP happen to look similar to Ni. I have no idea but would be interested in where this goes.


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

Well, Dr. John Beebe talks about Fi doms often mistaking themselves for Ni doms in his practice, so it's possible you might be seeing your feeling as intuitive (since it isn't a linear, intelligible rationale). Or perhaps you're just operating off of some bad definitions, though I wouldn't know, since you haven't given any evidence for this. Those tests may measure shadow activity as well, but it wouldn't come from you "owning" Ni so-to-speak. It's even possible from the Jungian perspective that your intuition is not fully differentiated Ne like it has to be in MBTI, so, if you're at a stage of developing it, it might stand out more to you than your dominant as ambiguous intuition, reflecting your dominant orientation.


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## bobdaduck (Apr 24, 2010)

Also cognitive function tests tend to be really bad.

There's a thread like this about twice a day; "Hi I'm INFJ but I have equal Ne and Ni". It creates this huge misconception that you "have" cognitive functions, that you "use" a certain amount of them, or that you're five types at the same time. If you want to know what cognitive functions you use, there's no substitute for reading up on all of them and deciding for yourself. 

And since cognitive function tests can't actually test your cognitive functions, but rather test the "side effects" of the cognitive functions, there's always a high potential for error.


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## Guph (Feb 10, 2012)

I think Fi+Ne may occasionally be mistaken for Ni. Also check out the socionics INFp (Ni dominant).


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## Acerbusvenator (Apr 12, 2011)

Cognitive function tests are a bad source of information.

Bellow I have a summary of 7 or so cognitive tests done at different times

Ni - 174
Si - 172,8
Fe - 166,2
Fi - 165,1
Ti - 162,8
Ne - 161,3
Te - 125,8
Se - 97,7


Ni - Si - Fe - Fi - Ti - Ne - Te - Se

It's not just that they are inaccurate, but that they give misinformation about typology as a whole as well.


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## Embers (Jun 28, 2012)

Hmm, thank you guys for answering my question. I realize that these tests aren't the greatest source of information, but I was curious because I've seen the same thing happen to me a few times.


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## Dastan (Sep 28, 2011)

As often stated in this forum, in Carl Jungs _psychological types_ the wording of the brief passage that refers to the auxiliary function does not clearly indicate if the auxiliary function has the same or the opposite attitude as the principal function. If the original idea is more like the former, then the types were probably be conceived like this: Fi-Ni-Se-Te or Si-Ti-Fe-Ne and Te-Se-Ni-Fi and so on. This a complete different issue but your results would fit  

And it is important to know that all this type subject actually is a really vague mess of ideas that sometimes are presented like facts. There are probably loads of consequential contradictions that actually aren't contradictions at all. (or aren't referring to anything real at all.)


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## LiquidLight (Oct 14, 2011)

Add to that I don't think Jung would've gotten all wound up over the attitude of any particular function either. It just depends on how rigid you want to be with this ideology I suppose.

I should also point out that I understand both positions can be seen as 'Jungian' that the aux would be the opposite attitude and the notion that it would take the dominant attitude. One could make arguments in either direction. The issue here is that if you want to be a Myers-Briggs type, say INFP, then you have to choose that way of looking at things, in which case an INFP would absolutely not have Ni because he wouldn't be an INFP (Ne gives this type the P).


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## Dastan (Sep 28, 2011)

The fact that Jung didn't specify this (beside that the passage is very brief in general) could also somehow suggest that the more conscious one function is, the more it tends to the attitude of the dominant function and vice-versa.



LiquidLight said:


> The issue here is that if you want to be a Myers-Briggs type, say INFP, then you have to choose that way of looking at things, in which case an INFP would absolutely not have Ni because he wouldn't be an INFP (Ne gives this type the P).


It is indeed difficult or annoying for someone who wants to "determine" his type and link concrete contents of his life to concrete functions/functional terms, but make this whole determination dependent on uncertain premises. So I think that many here just go back to more general determinations, like using the four letters (like in employment-related applications) as tendencies of behavior, or just identify the dominant and auxiliary function but actually don't adopt the MBTI types consequently.


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## Zero11 (Feb 7, 2010)

Ni is inevitably connected with Se, do you have Se? Raw Data is necessary for introverted iNtuition.


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## Talon (Feb 15, 2012)

It's very possible that you're an ISFP. They have Fi and Ni.


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## Figure (Jun 22, 2011)

I've said it before, so here again - the test is not measuring your preference for a function. It is measuring whether the action described in each question appeals to you. If cognitive function tests were to receive more erroneous results than MBTI, I wouldn't be completely surprised - the questions are really asking your preference for the MBTI dichotomies, and it's on _your _bill to recognize "hey wait, I don't really do that, it just sounds like something I would like to do." I don't think a real "cognitive function" test, one that actually measures the kind of information you prefer, is really possible online since the ordeal is so conceptual to begin with. 

Long story short, there are many INFP who may be receptive to things that sound "Ni-ish," because they are able to connect with them via Ne. I remember taking the CF test a long time back and mistaking Ti questions for Te - I "get" Ti, but had to really understand what the function was to decide "neah, don't really do that after all." 

You'd have to understand the function really well (the way Ni types use it) _and _catch yourself innately employing the style of processing to be able to conclude that you're an INFP who "uses" Ni well. I think that would be really hard to do.


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## bearotter (Aug 10, 2012)

@Embers: my Ni scores also come up very high, but reading the theory more closely I am not close to Ni dom.

The clear way to distinguish all this is to realize that functions operate together with each other. If you perceive primarily via Si-Ne, you may register some sort of unconscious Ni-ing. Maybe. It depends.

Remember test just detect what tends to involve a lot of some function, but you can arrive at the same visions many different ways. Once Fi-Ne has operated, a lot of unconscious processing occurs, and may bring forth visions seeming a lot like Ni.

I think a lot of the variation in people also has to do with how shadow a so-called shadow is.


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## Beauty for Ashes (Feb 6, 2013)

I have high Ni also. @_Embers_ , I would recommend taking this test and then looking at this model and comparing your description to the color grid/chart toward the middle of the Model A explanation page. This chart is the ONLY thing that helped me make sense of my high Fi and high Ni. If you test as INFj on this page, Ni is at the bottom of your Id Block, and of this, the description says:



> A person will often have just as sophisticated an understanding of this function as his or her leading function. Unlike the ignoring function it plays a major part in a person's worldview, since as the vulnerable function of one's dual it requires especially delicate attention. Thus, when a person is given information regarding the element in the demonstrative function by someone else, they will tend to take it as obvious information that is irrelevant to completely focus on. One will often use the demonstrative function to defend and further support their beliefs made in the vulnerable function.


If you're still not sure, I would check out http://www.infjorinfp.com/, another vital resource.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

bobdaduck said:


> Also cognitive function tests tend to be really bad.
> 
> There's a thread like this about twice a day; "Hi I'm INFJ but I have equal Ne and Ni". It creates this huge misconception that you "have" cognitive functions, that you "use" a certain amount of them, or that you're five types at the same time. If you want to know what cognitive functions you use, there's no substitute for reading up on all of them and deciding for yourself.
> 
> And since cognitive function tests can't actually test your cognitive functions, but rather test the "side effects" of the cognitive functions, there's always a high potential for error.


Yes and no to this. You operate under the assumption that pure type exists which it doesn't. It's possible for an INFJ to have high Ne for the simple fact that they are N dominant, since our cognition tends to move on variable scale rather than being entirely set in stone. It's just that an Ni dominant type _prefers_ an Ni perspective over an Ne perspective for most of the part. 

So in summary I see you falling prey to the same logic here that you accuse the cognitive function tests of falling prey to.


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## bobdaduck (Apr 24, 2010)

LeaT said:


> Yes and no to this. You operate under the assumption that pure type exists which it doesn't. It's possible for an INFJ to have high Ne for the simple fact that they are N dominant, since our cognition tends to move on variable scale rather than being entirely set in stone. It's just that an Ni dominant type _prefers_ an Ni perspective over an Ne perspective for most of the part.
> 
> So in summary I see you falling prey to the same logic here that you accuse the cognitive function tests of falling prey to.


Quite frankly: I don't care.

I've never seen a cognitive function test do anything than confuse the crap out of everyone.

If we really wanted to debate then it would end up like every debate ever in the cognitive function forums: I like this theory, you like this theory, and they contradict each other so we go back and forth telling each other that we're wrong for pages and pages and I'm not interested in that. I hold to a theory that assumes that there is a pure type, or at least that functions have a defined order and roles. If you don't, then that's fine. I'm just saying that cognitive function tests are pretty much retarded either way.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

bobdaduck said:


> Quite frankly: I don't care.


Newsflash: I never asked you to care.



> I've never seen a cognitive function test do anything than confuse the crap out of everyone.
> 
> If we really wanted to debate then it would end up like every debate ever in the cognitive function forums: I like this theory, you like this theory, and they contradict each other so we go back and forth telling each other that we're wrong for pages and pages and I'm not interested in that. I hold to a theory that assumes that there is a pure type, or at least that functions have a defined order and roles. If you don't, then that's fine. I'm just saying that cognitive function tests are pretty much retarded either way.


I think the problem isn't that cognitive function tests are retarded, they are still in theory better than actual MBTI tests, but the problem is the assumed inherent rigidity of the system itself. If we only spoke of NFTS types for example, then people wouldn't be so fucking confused but they are because the MBTI system mind you, assumes an INFJ is only Ni.


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## bearotter (Aug 10, 2012)

bobdaduck said:


> Also cognitive function tests tend to be really bad.
> 
> There's a thread like this about twice a day; "Hi I'm INFJ but I have equal Ne and Ni". It creates this huge misconception that you "have" cognitive functions, that you "use" a certain amount of them, or that you're five types at the same time. If you want to know what cognitive functions you use, there's no substitute for reading up on all of them and deciding for yourself.
> 
> And since cognitive function tests can't actually test your cognitive functions, but rather test the "side effects" of the cognitive functions, there's always a high potential for error.




I think that the fact that they get those results means something, though. You have to operate under very particular, strict assumptions for the "4 function" models to work with any consistency. 

You're right that ultimately they are testing the side-effects, so one cannot take them at all for granted, but I don't think the haphazard percentages you get are at all meaningless when deciding your type. 

I mean, after all, if you want to give a real, live person a type, then how do you do it? Yes like you say, you have to read up on things, but in the end the theory is an abstract theory (and I like those plenty, not knocking on that), but its underlying assumptions need be made really clear before I think it is easy to apply to a person.

And part of the evidence of how hard this is, I think, is in why the cognitive functions tests give you funny results many times.


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