Introverted Intuition (Ni) - "A Sea of Fruitless Fantasies" 

So true. Shutting down relationships ("distractions") so I can focus on my goal has become so routine that I no longer feel the need to make new friends. It's just easier to not have them in the first place.

"The most useless of men." Ouch, that's confronting and ominous.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." Quite possibly the worst thing as an INTJ is not having a concrete ideal vision TO achieve. Without purpose I was truly lost and depressed.

Wow. I never realised what a stereotype introverted intuitive I was. Everything from detached & super-introverted as a child; also cutting off all my friends and not dating for 4 years to double-down on my work to reach my goals. Also unhealthy bouts of extreme hedonistic behavior a couple of times in my adult life. I had no idea these things were so typical. Great video thanks for the insight. From an INTJ

I definitely agree, introverted Ni need to work extra hard to develop their judging functions in order to become apart of society in an efficient way. At 32 I have blossomed with countless ideas, desires and dreams, things that could really make my life, the earth and others lives better ... I really lack the ability to implement though. It’s easier to internalize everything and to stay locked in the labyrinth of my mind. Safer. More comfortable. Really creating my ideas in the Se world is my biggest goal for the remainder of my 30’s and onward. I think Ni types could definitely be perceived as either lazy or as though we lack ambition or even worse, that we aren’t as insightful/intelligent as we truly are. I always say to myself “I could have been so much more” it’s a peculiar and annoying thing leading with Ni. I also want to point out that so many people are INFP as the dreamers but honestly, they have their feet more planted on earth than Ni users; they lead with judgement and end with open ideas , we lead with perceiving but want conclusion. Totally different worlds

So insightful, and YES, lost in my head of dreams and DETERMINED to bring them in to reality and ignoring details in the outer world like finances! INFJ

Introverted intuition gives access to insight about the nature of consciousness itself. It allows us to read people better than we may read ourselves. We also are able to connect deeper ideas about the nature of reality and imagination together. INFJs and those with Introverted Intuition are not called sages without a purpose. A sage can use their experiences and turn them into wisdom, to later help guide others because we are all connected and require similar things to spiritually develop. " Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." ~Carl Jung

INFJ here. The description of Ni is really accurate, you've done your research 😅 A large reason of why I got into conspiracy theories was because I kept seeing symbols and I tried giving meaning/interpretation to them. Also... is it me or Ni is stronger when you're exhausted? I usually get these weird colorful images before sleeping.

Fascinating. When I was a child I would constantly daydream. Sometimes others would see my mouth moving as I conversed in my daydreams and they'd laugh at me. The embarrassment of this taught me not to daydream in the presence of others. Now as an adult I've learned that being alone was the best way to daydream. Ok, maybe this comment belongs on the previous video I just watched by Astura Psych

This type does indeed ring almost painfully true in my own case. Since childhood I've often been amazed at the *incredible* clarity and resolution of the inner images - sometimes I've called them "hallucinations inside the mind" to my friends because that really seems the best way to describe their phenomenology. It's also astonishing how artistically sophisticated and intricate they often are for psychological products that seem appear so spontaneously out of nowhere. We are very fortunate to be able to have such an intimate and pervasive relationship with the unconscious!

I'd say out of all the "Ni-stuff", I act on merely 1% of it. It is just an immense "world" of.. interrelationships, imagery, ideas.. and beyond. So much of it actually cannot be put into "practice" in "physical reality", at least not what I perceive and experience. Super good video!

Very well done, I'm so glad there's a science that's explained this... I always thought I was so weird , or sometimes that other people were weird because they weren't seeing stuff the way i did or how they don't see the patterns and why they never listen to my 99.99% accurate predictions... And how am i the only person with such a strong will , people telling me I'm a dreamer and there's no way i could make it but duh, i made it every time, tho I'm very lazy and I never knew why I'm so messy with outside world, why do i not engage with it and see value in it most of the time but then i go and binge like crazy and engage with it too much sometimes ,that's completely out of character for me cause I'm so calm and collected most of the time .. I'm finally developing that Se at the age of 20 haha, finally starting to see my body as a part of myself and not as a hindrance, but a half of me that will help me accomplish my visions. I can't believe how lucky I am finding this personality theory at the right time, it has helped me A TON after typing myself, it was VERY hard, but again, i always find the right things at the right time. This should be taught at school, I think everyone would benefit from this greatly especially because people ARE very self centered and there's not a single person that I've told about this that wasn't interested in it..

Being useless without developing the auxiliary is a brutally honest and real statement.

The patterns are taken from experiences and from other sources of knowledge such as spiritual, emotional, books, internet, entertainment, news, stories, interpersonal, vibrational energy etc. Many prophets have been inverted intuition and thus hearing and seeing spiritual impressions have been easier. Also, the structure of their belief system organized their ni into a powerful communication system. If there is no personal structure, self regulation or belief system in place it is a quagmire.

Wow! I think this is the best video on Introverted Intuition I've seen! I really hope you end up doing all the cognitive functions, that would be so helpful! I'd be super interested to listen to videos on Introverted Feeling and Extroverted Intuition because I'm still confused about those. It'd also be really cool if you did videos on how each type can use there secondary function to balance their dominant function.

Im just 21 and I Legit quit everything to study and do hobbies so by the time im older i can use them in my spare time. Although people my age are engaging in external world activities, i want to perfect certain things before i dabble into that world myself.

Why is it scarily accurate ! Thank u so much for ur efforts in explaining

Ay, "fruitless fantasies" 🤦🏽‍♀️ Excellent articulation as always!

I would really like you to talk about how can a Ni develop his secondary auxiliary judging function 😁

Wow, this is scarily accurate. I never realised what a stereotypical introverted intuitive I am. Se inferior to me is most difficult to mustered I can't control the euphoria I gain from my senses that it hurts so much, I isolate myself. I really need a way to develop it.

4:02 , This. This sentence has explained the last 9 years of my life after my childhood. Not until I decided to exit this constant internal wold and finally work on developing my auxiliary function properly. I felt useless on so many occasions, even though I was doing great in school, that was nothing compared to what I wanted to do…

Thank you for this video. Truly, Usually this "vision/image/fantasy" is a very personal one and difficult to verbalise. Sometimes there seems to be no concrete steps towards this "vision".

The aspect of Ni that views internal/subjective visions as a "must," and objective externalities as simply obstacles to achieving that vision, is so incredibly relatable to me. It can be incredibly destructive, and has been for me at times. -INTJ

Really helpful video, i wasn't even sure if i was intj but i am now. Thank you!

My experience with my (introverted) intuition is like a spiritual cell phone, but much louder then people who are talking to me. It usually answers my questions which make me appear "psychic" or "freaky". Sometimes it speaks to me by symbols which I have to translate but sometimes my translation can be wrong because I use logic to define them. Being both INTJ and INFJ, it's far more then "imagination", it's a life-long coping strategy. A way of life. More real then the body. And I understand why other INFJs and INTJs call it "imagination" so that others won't see them as more of a freak as before. However, if you truly value honesty, then call it for what it is. A Spiritual Cell Phone spoken by metaphoric symbolisms. And be proud of that.

8:14 I'm so grateful that you describe so well this chain of phenomena that occur in us and how it affects our relationship with other people. I have already realized that the only person who can get me out of this picture is myself. But for that, I need to redefine some paradigms that have always been very expensive for me and this is being very difficult. I'm trying - as far as possible - not to get away from people, although I am doing this much more for them than for myself. Congratulations on your channel.

"I know it's a lot to take in" … lol, immediately understood, it is everyday experience.

“...compulsive neurosis with hypochondriacal tendencies...” Pretty much describes my childhood. (INFJ) However I believe that any characteristic has its pros and cons. I used my compulsive tendencies to get a Masters Degree, home, raise 2 children as a single mom, and have a 40-year career. But the fruitless dreaming is always there...and I’m tired. 😓

Hello Chris. Exceptional information. Much I have never heard before. I am a 63 year old INTJ female. I can only speak for myself, but the vast majority of what my conscious and subconscious presents to me I try to use. I don't think of those thoughts and fantasies as fruitless. They apply always, it's just that I may not know what they apply to yet. I value and accept what my subconscious gives my conscious mind because the source of these thoughts and images is the collective unconscious, the sum total of all the unconscious knowledge available to us. I am coming to this from a very spiritual point of view. The deepest unconscious mind is closest to God. I was driven by Te to make sense and share what comes from my dreams and daydreams. I think Ni is the most otherworldly type since they are the least engaged with the 5 senses. I have a hard imagining the content of the Extroverted Sensor's mind.

As an ENTJ with Ni in second slot, all of this is also relatable to me

Your description of the introverted intuitive child was spot on for myself when I was a child. So much so, that they thought me autistic. This was in the late 70's and their 'solution ' to help me be like other children, was to medicate me with some heavy stuff. Self preservation speed up my auxiliary functions.

70 percent of what Ni idealizes isn't acted upon; and the most useless of man. This hit me hard the most because it's true. Almost 30 and I haven't done anything in my life, or anything with my life yet still.

This threw away my ideals about Ni users and instead, made me better understand them. Thank you

U spoke this very well! It’s amazing how this explains so much of how I process. I’m very driven by my ides and I only become down when something is not coming to light and I have had this recently where I’ve shut people out even family... thanks for explaining this! I understand a lot of how intuition works in my head but the words are very hard to come by

Very well articulated. Thank you. Also, thank god for Te grounding us a bit & understanding how we must filter & refine things into the external world. I all too well, understand beginning to sacrifice more & more to fulfill the Ni vision of things. I am currently dealing with this, & even tho my expression of Se (aspiring) is solid and my faux Fe is OK, I still have SO much to learn when it comes to the full manifestation of my dreams. The powerhouse behind Ni as a sheer force of will is truly a burden sometimes, but over all, it is a blessing.

„The most useless of men“, yea I think INTJ in a subconscious way fear exactly this which is why we want to be so efficient. Also, if I didn’t have my vision which I can strive for I just feel like I would be depressed to death.

this is very good. Another major point is how Ni give the same value to both internal and external objects - leading to them not having a good sense of where their bodies and effects on people around them.

I had to watch this again since my INTJ cousin hasn't slept in two days because she's doing something "for the next 6 years" of her life (and I am honestly concerned).

So that is why my father, ESFJ, says I'm a train without brakes when I want something!

I'd like to point out that though Ni is commonly seen as visual/imagery I don't think it is exclusively. My main mode of thinking I would say is in algorithms, paradigms, and impressions. My thinking sometimes has a visual component

I wonder if this is why I’m constantly reminding myself what I’m doing. Like I’ll be showering and say “oh right, I’m showering” as I’d completely forgotten even though my mind was completely wrapped around something in my mind. “Oh right I’m on a walk,” “oh right - I actually exist”...

I like your videos. Very informative. As an INTJ I like how your video are not just 30mins of saying INTJs are geniuses or unicorns.

Just to give you an exemple of a Ni dom kid who haven't developed their auxiliary function yet ... when I was a kid my mom though that I must be deaf or about to become a deaf person cuz I usually wouldn't answer when she would call me .. that's how detached I was from reality .. another thing is that I discovered that I have very little memories from my childhood, i think it's manly cuz I was daydreaming all the time .. (INFJ)

Yasss🔥I don't know how developed my insights are but I have visions and see pictures in my mind all the time and I'm rather obsessed with deciphering them. When you said strong internal fantasies of which 70% aren't realised I decided to write the comment. So accurate!

7:00 More like pushing ourselves to harmonize with reality. When you perceive that the river will carry you you cease to struggle with it and begin to allow it to carry you.

Loved ur Intro! Very accurate abt intuitive personality! True insight!👍👏👏 Thanks for posting 😊

Around 8:30 when you bring up how people with Ni will disconnect from external factors like friends to make their visions become true. Thats the stage im in right now. It honestly feels like a necessary step that if I don't take it, then I will never be able to truly achieve my vision for myself. And well my vision is the number 1 thing in my life.

as an INFJ. I really appreciate that my Father is an INTJ but he died at my very young age After that, anyone in this world cannot understand me. I feel Isolated for so many years, so I handle it by facing my Weaknesses(I am 9 yrs old at that point), but I handle it like a Piece of Cake(it really got freak me out, about myself then I was thinking, when I was got freak out about myself for the very first time, I have a Photographic Memory BTW). When I was a kid my father always happy about his life even if in short time of his life. I can Sense that in his eyes I don't know why or how can I do that (that's the first time I got Freak out about myself) that was the 5 yrs old me. My Father died at my very young age, I was 6 when he Died. His last words to me are "Everything happens for a Reason, someday you will get use to it. continue to move forward without me just be yourself as Always" That's the reason why I am Healthy INFJ because of him, and my mother is an ISFP a very heartwarming mother but Strict at the same time. Until now I live my life to the fullest and I'm happy about that. now I am 21 but my life are full of memorable stories.

It’s good. I have one main goal and focus on that one main goal. And yes it is a must. There are smart sacrifices.

I've watched alot of clips and read many articles about Ni. This is probably the one that describes it the best in my opinion. Nice work, really good video!

Another helpful video. I tend to become obsessed with comics, books, or shows and have to read or watch all of it if I really like it because I can't get it out of my head. It's extremely frustrating. My husband got mad at me the other day because I have been binge reading this webtoon series. I hate being so into my head with this stuff but I have a hard time staying out.

Awesome video! Ni can really be a pain in the ass especially when Se is tossing obstacles in your way to derail your path (maybe because it is not the right one) and Ni wants to be a fast moving train pushing through. It’s strange how when we lock into an idea or vision we will forego paying attention to “the signs” that we should abandon ship. Strange since we rely on those “signs” and “visions” to tell us what is probable.

Fruitless fantasies is an overactive imagination. Intuition is essentially the essence of past experiences that triggers some emotion in the present. Extroverts should be more inclined to have true intuition but Im not sure I agree that introverts intuition is fruitless. Many writers and intellectuals are introverts .

So I'm an INFJ but I'm not entirely convinced that the Ni is something that like, sways me very well. If anything I'm apathetic to life when I can't achieve what I want. I just kind of ball up and let my perfectionism get the best of me.

Jung said from an Extraverted rationalistic point of view (Fe or Te Dom), that Introverted perceivers (Ni or Si doms) are the most useless of men. That’s not Jung saying it, typology to him was meant to explain behavioral differences and perspectives. Ni doms are introverted “irrationals” aka perceivers, we perceive inwardly so we can often seem inactive or lazy to our ExxJ siblings, who are constantly making decisions in the external world. That said, introverted perceivers are either on or off, as far as observations go, especially Ni doms- when we are active we can be obsessively driven, partially due to our introversion having us more resistant to the outer world. An Ni dom who doesn’t use much Te or Fe is more likely to just be a daydreamer, those with developed functions are more likely to be the ones who actualizes their vision(s).

This video made me understand myself much better. -INTJ

Okay, okay. Ouch. There are so many worlds going on in me.. Nice job. Dreamer, I like it. ❤

Some good stuff here. Like the segment about sacrificing things for your vision although I disagree with the notion that it is unhealthy. It could be considered an act of courage or faith, but other people don't see it this way when you put everything else off to build an ark for the flood -or something. I don't relate to seeing things in images, and I don't find Ni subjective because there is no subject, no I, that piece together your understanding. Intuition happens on its own, without the active involvement of your ego/mind/subject.

As Dave’s Superpowers explains, the third and fourth cognitive function slots can switch. I kinda feel this as an ISTP who relates very much to this discussion of Ni. Asura Psych, you did a great job making this information understandable; thank you. 🙂

Wow, this kind of freaked me out how much this described me.

Yes. I most definitely have a couple of obsessions that I am trying to bring about my goals and attention. I have so many wonderful ideas but how to apply it in a way that is successful is hard. Explaining my “must do” goals is really hard to explain. You are spot on. Overall, I feel mostly healthy with many aspects in my head accept one, (that I care about haha).

Explains why i was painfully quiet as a child. I could sense that no would understand and that undeveloped Fe makes it worst :/

Absolutely excellent work. This is the best description of introverted intuition I've ever seen. Subscribed :)

thankyou. I am an INTJ, and I failed to make an inner vision of mine true. I mourned about it for 2 years, and to this day, I haven't found another "obsession" I can focus on, and I am not able to 'invision' my future as clear as I used to. Though I haven't found a solution yet, through this video, I atleast understand my emotions

Very good explanation of the subject. Thank you.

so happy that I found your Channel I have been binge watching on all your videos I hope you make a video about the rest of the cognitive functions

I am an INFJ. I would say that I wonder and think a lot about many different things. I am definitely not a "fruitless or aimless intuitive" toward my endeavors. My goals are more readonable and not at all based on pressure or competition from outside influences. As a 45 year old there are things that I want to accomplish for my life and for my daughters. Without firm principles and boundaries the goals cannot be attained. When challenges arise I meet them the best way that I can.

The subjective and irrational introverted intuition perceives the underlying reality of the external world through the archetypal images of a collective unconscious. In this regard, one might argue that the so-called subjective images of introverted intuition are actually objective. Hence the prophetic insights into events that play out in "the real world".

It's funny how casual enthusiasts talk about Ni as all-knowing wisdom, ability to predict the future etc. Though it's a part of it (because of the Ni dom quest for the ultimate truth) it's not its key characteristic. Pastors, religious leaders and mystics are almost instantly typed as INFJ because of this stereotype.

This reminds me of a lot of how I used to behave, it was only once I gave up my own dream that I started to realize what was in front of me, and from that I now help others

I really, really hope to see and hear more about Ni on here!

I look at Jung’s observations as a starting point to arrive at an ever closer picture of reality. Don’t we all fantasise?! I prefer my fantasies to be useful and purposeful, even meaningful. We are but grains of sand in the vastness of the universe. I want to grasp reality and awaken from the illusion of boundaries of any kind. Even our skin. At the same time, I am aesthetically conscious and always in search of the bold and new.

True I am willing to abandon any one to achieve my goals, may they be family or friends.

Rewatching this just wanna say you’re my fav INTJ on the internet lol so thorough and well spoken 🥰

I agree with all of this based on my life. Great video

Outstanding video, you’ve described me in ways I didn’t consciously fully appreciate. Amazing - keep up your impactful work!

Consciousness resides in a quantum probability cloud and is empty of physical existence. It stands to reason that the objective realm will always be affected in some way by the subjective realm (Jung's so called archetypes). Sometimes it takes great introversion practices (contemplation/meditation) for self realization of this phenomenon. The great sages of the past like Buddha and Lao Tzu are just a few that come to "mind". ^^

Very well explained.

Sometimes I can live very much in my head dreaming or rather living stories. Sometimes, I imagine I am a dragon slayer; sometimes I am the dragon; sometimes I am a samurai; sometimes I am just having imaginary conversations with certain people. The images are not exactly vivid but feel real and can elicit strong emotions in me. The rules of the fantasy world must be as realistic as possible. Is this an example of Ni or am just plain weird?

Thank you for posting this. Great video! From a fellow INTP

I watched this video multiple times to fully grasp *Ni* and now I think I have better somewhat understanding of *Ni* thanks really liked this video - an INTP

This is a very good video. I hope you do this with all the functions.

Jung was able to write down my whole life before I was born!

This really helps me understand the function! I often have trouble getting what they mean in terms of how you will think and act. I'd be really interested in hearing you talk about the other functions and how someone with them might behave!

what a great video! i really appreciate the work you put forth. thank you! please, keep these in-depth looks coming!

I literally listened to my own personality. For a long time I always put people in arms reach away from me and if those people or anyone else left or if I left them I was very detached and found it easy or comfortable

100% right. Just slow down a little.

Very familiar! Thanks for sharing. I think I should get some of Jung's materials and read up directly.

This is my favorite video about Ni. Would you do videos like this on all the functions? Pretty please?

This was honestly an excellent explanation of Ni.

Well, I would argue that Ni does require sensory input. If you were, hypothetically, born in isolation inside an isolation chamber, I suspect your Ni daydreams would not include anything outside your chamber. It's just that the Ni dom will use the sensory input/information differently than an Si dominant.

This was amazing I really enjoyed this big up from the Netherlands 💯🙏🏾

" A Sea of Fruitless Fantastics" : A [ tita (☢️) nium ] I rpg Will get us to "warp drive" , beyond the speed of light.....

Thank you for the explanation. Last year my boyfriend was writing a book he's an INFJ I'm an INFP, the heroin in the book is supposed to be me he told me i was his muse. He was inspired by me his fantasy. When he had what he needed he dropped me i couldn't understand we were so close. We are not together now but i felt used. Now I realize that he had no bad intentions still it hurt. Don't INFJs realize when they treat someone this way that it's wrong?

And YES to Larbi ...teach us how to develop the auxiliary (and how to pronounce that word LOL) function, in my case Fe.

INFJ here. Can relate, painfully.

OMG! Si and Ni being the most common and least common perceiving functions make it kind of scary. They are both the most subjective and it shows~!!

Such a good description of MASC Ni , which is highly obligated to stick to its trajectory/blueprint! While Feminine Ni is much more flexible..! There is quite a distinct difference😊

best explanation of any mbti function that I ever seen

I Agree 1000 percent