Introverted Intuition (Ni): A New Interpretation 

Let me attempt this: Given a, b, c, and d, NI properly intuits the common principle, that thing of which each is an expression. Given a, b, c, and d, NE properly intuits the existence of e, f, and g. NI makes meaning of the universe. NE explores the universe. The NI astronomer sees the movement of the planets and intuits that they orbit the Sun, not the Earth. The NE astronomer sees perturbations in the orbits of visible planets and intuits "invisible" planets.

This is possibly the most connected I have felt to a description of Ni and what it is doing. Thank you!

Nice! Very insightful as always

First of all, I've never heard that phrase "black with..."😆 but I do get what it means. My Ni helped me to bring meaning to it in the context of your story. Lol. Seriously, though, I get what you're saying about Ni. It's a bit more nuanced than the traditional explanation, and it makes sense. I suppose that is what we INFJs are designed for; bringing meaning to the world. Thanks, Ren.😊✌️

Very interesting, that which you said about new meaning making. I feel I’ve introduced such sentences like the eg you gave and hear others using it and I’m taken aback. Want to pay more close attention now. Also, Im trying to write more so this meaning making and associated language will hopefully help with the writing.

This is an interesting one and looking forward to reading your upcoming book. Ni is the most complicated and I think I heard it was the most recently evolved function (probably conjecture not sure how you could prove this). It is also the least understood and hardest to explain. It can experientially be difficult to separate it from our judging functions, which it often works with. I think you are right that it craves deep meanings which are eternal truths. The ‘knowing’ does feel like a natural wisdom seeing to the heart reality. Other types seem drawn to and anchored more into artificial and/or shallow goals/attachments. You said leaders etc, who we would expect to have vision, often aren’t INFJs. I think this can be largely explained by 2 factors; INFJ avoid such roles and those in those positions are mostly lacking in any vision. This is at least partly a cultural phenomenon based on our declining societal structures. An INFJ never really wants to just chase money/power, especially not if it means breaking our own moral codes. You said Ni is often thought of as being a future-oriented function. I think this is only because Ni seeks to realise or exploit its insights, and this can only done in the future. This is why Si is seen as past focussed because it is based in experience. I believe this archetypal idealism is because wide Se lens (great reading of people’s souls) fits in with cognitive understanding or ‘seeing’ of what is the best way to be. Si, in contrast, being subjective limit’s understanding, so it’s allied to Ne which sees subjective possibilities rather than the one true way an Ni sees. Another aspect of Ni which is of great interest to note, although it applies to typology in general, is that no matter how much academic understanding a person has about typology, there is no substitute for personal experience. Your MBTI type sets absolute limits in many things, but especially your understanding of type. I believe INFJs are most naturally gifted in understanding type in a wholistic manner.

NI = imagination = god gives this gift to the pure ones

I think you may be on to something. I do know Ni needs to be explored more and a better working definition derived. I find it perverse that being a person trained as an engineer and versed in the sciences that I have - in the end - handed my existence over to what amounts to 'voodoo' in eyes of many others. Including one Sensor spouse going apoplectic over my use of the term 'I know', even if I do. And having three children with similar situations. Do not get me wrong - I love my Ni. Let loose on the world it's a wonder to behold.

I agree, It's what I realized too with the time. Ni create the meaning, concept, this new knowledge, idea And Ne on its side, collect, use/take/throw these meaning/concept/knowledge/idea, that have been created by Ni. I am amazed how INFJ & INTJ explain so differently the same thing, we need these new definitions.

Didn't Jung attribute meaning to Thinking and 'from whence it comes and whither it goes' to Intuition??

I think INFJ type is essentially a shaman,having to connect such borderline (inner and outer) brain functions and having to speak in ‘mythical’ language,and about their life as a ‘mythical journey’,to be able to connect ‘it all’ for the sake of our sanity.INFJ,if they know what they doing is a revolutionary scientist playing with radical points of view,and is both crazy and intriguing to the traditional scientific community.A shaman can heal their patient by making them describe their complex situation through basic symbolism,for example as a particular animal in the jungle or a figure on a chessboard etc.INFJ can stabilize their mindscape if they choose the relationship with the mind over their relationship with people,people must always come second,it’s what they are,they are Others,and that’s the primary boundary that’s missing in a lot of INFJ lives and makes them overwhelmed and isolated in life,they can’t find themselves in another person because they are more unique,more particular,because of their thirsty Ni function.INFJ is the Seeker and Seer,a visionary,the ‘eye of the beholder’,and our ‘patients’ need to be ‘seen’ by us.

Just discovered socionics guy claiming INTP have Ni and Te. What’s that all about??

Wait, is that a chainsaw man figure to your right??

Hi Ren, have you heard of Iain McGilchrist? I find that his descriptions of 'right brain' sounds eerily similar to the Se-Ni function axis. I was just wondering if anyone else had picked up on this as the only reference to the cognitive functions I've heard, was to say that 'right brain' sounds like intuition in general, but I think it's deeper than that. This isn'tl to say that everything can fit neatly into the box of cognitive functions, but, there are some compelling similarities.

Life doesnt have any purpose.. Death is waiting for us all.

Interesting is black with people possibly a french metaphor? Never heard it and it doesn’t show up when I look it up on google. I agree it is all about making meaning from everything.

The way I see it.. Intuition is linked with feeling (the 'irrational' mind), sensing is linked with thinking (the rational mind). Emotions are not illogical, are unconscious signals the body sends to the conscious mind to relay complex messages (when one is scared for example, their cortisol, adrenaline rises, etc) 'Sensing' is just the body's ability to consciously experience relayed sensory data, just like thinking is the mind's ability to consciously decipher and reason with one's relayed emotions. Just some ideas I play around with, I don't take it too seriously As for Ni vs Ne, I've always personally conceptualized it as gut-instinct vs wonder-instinct Thank you for your insights as always, Ren

Talking about INFJ mathematicians, I think the most impressive, at least for me, was Srinisava Ramanujan.