The Matrix MBTI

“The virtue of a man ought to be measured, not by his extraordinary exertions, but by his everyday conduct.” – Blaise Pascal

34. Responsibilities

Misunderstood Ne

I often get asked to help people figure out their type, but there’s a lot of confusion / superficial understanding of what the functions do – based in part on stereotypes. One of the more common misconceptions is that Ne is just about ideas; people think if they have lots of ideas, or don’t mind change, or are impulsive, it means they might be Ne.

Now, it could mean that or it could not, but something to remember is this:

Ne is Extroverted INTUITION.

What does intuition do?

It reads between the lines.

What does dominant or strong intuition do?

It can read between the lines accurately.

This misconception about high Ne being believers in rainbow unicorns does not really take into consideration what Ne actually does or produces. Yes, it gets ideas. But it also sees the bigger picture – all the time. It also sees intuitive potential – most of the time. It also focuses on gathering information and forming often accurate conclusions – a lot of the time. Yes, it can sometimes be outside reality. Its most major flaw is reading too much into everything. But, it’s INTUITION. If it is not right at least half of the time in reading between the lines, it’s not proper (realistic / accurate / trained) intuition.

Allow me to elaborate on an example.

ENFP cannot figure out why she has not heard from X friend for six weeks. Even though X friend often takes a long time to respond, this silence is… unusual. ENFP thinks about it for half a day, and connects the dots between two ‘linked’ situations – the fact that X is behaving unusually right now, and that about eight weeks ago, ENFP gave X their novel to read. ENFP concludes that X must either hate the novel, or not be reading the novel (and feeling guilty), or finds the novel boring – and is afraid / guilt-ridden / unsure of what to say to ENFP. ENFP decides to test this theory by writing X, saying they no longer need X’s input on the novel, since they have received feedback from others and are working to ‘fix the novel’s flaws.’ Unsurprisingly, ENFP receives a long, newsy e-mail (with an undercurrent of relief that ENFP picks up on) the very next day; and everything seems normal. ENFP concludes their theory was correct. About four months later, X confesses the truth to ENFP that the novel bored them, and they felt bad, and didn’t know what to say, so they hid out of guilt; at which point ENFP just smiles and says, “I know.”

Ne is intuition; reading between the lines, and choosing the most rational theory (NeTi or NeTe) or explanation for whatever it sets its mind to. Being as it IS intuition and is focused on building connections between different pieces of information / knowledge / experience, the more attention the Ne pays to things, the more accurate their conclusions will be. Ne with a good developed T function will run with the most rational / reasonable intuitive conclusion – in this case, the novel and my friend’s strange behavior is connected; and then NeFi’s understanding of human nature / emotions accurately assumes the motive behind the absence is guilt / avoidance of confessing an emotional truth (”I don’t like your novel”), aided by an extensive past full of similar experiences with this person so that the ENFP knows their behavior patterns (Ne/Si).

If the ENFP tested that theory and X did not immediately write them back / the silence continued, ENFP would then progress to another likely cause / effect based on the same intuitive system / reading between the lines / connecting past behaviors with present potentials (depression based on their problems at work, which is causing them to enter a negative self-loop?).

While it is true that Ne can be impulsive, indecisive, and run with other people’s ideas, it is also true that it is still intuition and can have incredible insight into situations, people, potential short-term problems (and how to resolve them), the psychological needs of others, and what people are not saying.

Many ‘intuitive’ fictional characters do not have real Ne, but a pale, superficial imitation of Ne (and this is also the case for every other type / function); when you meet a real Ne, you will know it due to their intuitive insights. So when trying to determine if you have high Ne, ask yourself how often you read between the lines, how easily you can connect separate pieces of information to form an intuitive perception, and how accurate your perceptions are; it’s more than just ideas, or being impulsive, or being indecisive. It’s about broadness of insight.

- ENFP Mod

The beauty of the world

“It takes practice to hear your true desires. Your passion will often come as a whisper or serendipitous event that reminds you of what’s important and what makes you happy.”

—

Eckhart Tolle

I’m...

DOMINANT FUNCTION:

Fe: Empathetic and warm-hearted. Other people are one of the most important things to me and I find it hard not to care about them or to want to keep them happy. I’m a lover of people

Fi: Emotional and opinionated. I have strong feelings about who/what I value and what is truly right, so I let my personal values influence myself more than anything else. I’m an idealist

Te: Driven and responsible. If I want to get something done, I’ll quickly find the most efficient way to do it. I’m a go-getter

Ti: Rational and independent. I love making logical sense of what I don’t know and figuring out how things work to solve problems or just for the hell of it. I’m an analytical thinker

Ne: Very stimulated by ideas and concepts. My mind is always energised by interesting thoughts and connections between them. I’m a visionary

Ni: Detached from the moment by itself and perceptive of the bigger picture. My 5 senses only take me so far, I’m mostly concerned with intangible possibilities and hidden meanings behind things. I’m a contemplator

Se: Spontaneous and highly in tune with my surroundings and happenings in them, which I’m almost always confident in experiencing and interacting with. I’m a realist

Si: Quite in touch with information I’ve gained in the past. My memory is very strong and I’m constantly comparing what I experience in the present to things I’ve experienced in the past. I’m a traditionalist

who…

AUXILIARY FUNCTION:

Fe: Highly values peace and harmony.

Fi: Is very in touch with their emotions and their sense of right and wrong.

Te: Takes charge to organise their environment and accomplish objectives in it.

Ti: Thinks logically and analyses information as objectively as possible.

Ne: Has an active imagination when it comes unrealistic/abstract ideas and possibilities of what could be.

Ni: Has clear plans and goals for the future along with a good idea of how to realise them.

Se: Sees things as they are and has no problems with improvisation or immersing themselves in the moment.

Si: Lets past experiences guide them and influence how they see the world.

When needed, I can…

TERTIARY FUNCTION:

Fe: Be gregarious and charming to get others to like me or to keep a social situation running smoothly,

Fi: Remind myself of my emotions and ideals of right and wrong,

Te: Do whatever it takes to complete a task or solve a problem,

Ti: Step away from emotions and make sense of things rationally,

Ne: Consider multiple possibilities and play with novel ideas,

Ni: See beyond my senses and pay attention to the intangible and to what could become of something in the future,

Se: Indulge in sensory experiences and be open to spontaneity,

Si: Thoroughly compare an experience or an idea to one that’s in my memories,

but many of my faults come from…

INFERIOR FUNCTION:

Fe: Not being very empathetic or sociable and not fully understanding how to properly act in some social situations.

Fi: Being too objective and not being able to foresee what feelings certain things can provoke in myself and others.

Te: Being reluctant to ignore my personal values and consider objective measurements of value and achievement.

Ti: Placing too much value on my own and other peoples’ feelings and not enough on objectivity and rationality.

Ne: Not being very open to novelty or uncertainty.

Ni: Failing to plan for the future or to perceive what my senses can’t.

Se: Being uncomfortable with living in the moment or interacting with my physical environment.

Si: Being bored by constant routine and predictability.