Introverted Intuiting (Ni) Explained

By Michael T. Robinson
Founder
CareerPlanner.com Inc.

Introverted Intuiting (Ni) is one of your 8 cognitive functions. How you experience it and how useful it is for you depends on how well it is developed and that depends on mostly your age and what your 4 letter personality type is.

Click here for a simple explanation of cognitive functions

Introverted Intuiting is 1 or 4 ways for you to perceive information. The other 3 are: Extraverted Intuiting, Extraverted Sensing, and Introverted Sensing.

You will only be good at using 1 of these 4 cognitive functions.

People whose dominant function is Introverted Intuiting (Ni) usually experience the world as such:

You are used to having insights and hunches that frequently turn out to be correct. These "aha" moments are introverted intuiting at work.

What happens is this. You feed your mind with information and data. You let your unconscious mind process the data. Then, perhaps when you are in the shower, or jogging, the answer just pops into your mind.

It's not magical nor mystical. It's simply that, of the 4 ways to get information (the 4 perceiving functions), Ni is the only one that easily taps into the unconscious. In fact, Ni is the only perceiving function that is not under conscious control.

So unlike someone whose dominant function is say Extraverted Sensing (Se) where they get their information directly from their five senses, a person with dominant Introverted Intuition gets much of their information after it has been processed in the unconscious.

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Introverted Intuition is focused inwards, on the internal world of thoughts, ideas, and concepts as opposed to an extraverted function which is focused on the world that is external to the mind. i.e. the real physical world.

Those with Ni as their dominant function prefer to focus on the future. They are adept at analyzing the past, but they only do so when looking for clues to the future.

Dominant Ni's have trouble focusing in the present moment. You will frequently notice that dominant Ni's will be mentally elsewhere, even when they are driving a car.

Dominant Ni's are big picture people. Details are their weakness. They can handle details like bookkeeping and accounting but it takes a lot of extra energy and it's stressful.

They are driven to see the big picture and to understand how thing work down at a fundamental, root cause level. They love theories, concepts, and complex systems. They tend to be strategic.

Those with Ni as their dominant function are good at spotting trends and patterns. They can easily connect the dots. Tell them what actions you have been taking and they will tell you what the future implications are for you. This is not hocus pocus magic. Their brains are simply wired to process data this way. They are experts at connecting the dots and telling you what will probably happen.

In the past, people with introverted intuiting have been known to act as oracles, fortune tellers, shamans and medicine men. In fact many people with dominant Ni will tell you that while growing up they did have mystical experiences.

When Ni is combined with a feeling function such as Fe, as is the case with INFJ, or ENFJ the individual will probably be good at understanding people, relationships, human issues and such.

When Ni is combined with extraverted thinking (Te), as in the case of INTJ or ENTJ, the insights, hunches etc will probably be focused more on complex systems, concepts, things, products rather than people and human issues.

If Ni is your dominant function, please realize that not everyone is going to be like you. But you have probably already noticed this. In fact there are certain personality types that are just going to make you crazy. But that's another subject.

Leaders and CEO types should always have a dominant intuitive around to keep an eye on the future and to help prevent serious missteps because they dominant Ni's can foresee the implications of your actions.

A good example of people or movie characters who have Introverted Intuition as their dominant function would be the fictional Merlin the Magician in King Arthur's Court and Gandalf the Wizard in Lord of the Rings.

These characters seem to understand how nature works at a fundamental level. Their deep understanding baffles others who are not able to "perceive" the world at that level.

For more examples of famous people and their personality types, go to www.celebritytypes.com