Extroverted Thinking (Te):
Compelled to accumulate and contribute useful, productive, and relevant information
May accumulate factual knowledge in matters useful to their chosen field, area of interest, or they suspect may be useful in the future
Believes they must know and make sense of how the external environment works to function at an optimal level and maintain control over their experience
Constantly searching for and involving themselves in practical projects and other avenues where their knowledge is useful
Typically comfortable asserting their knowledge or correcting factual inaccuracies of others
Good at offering logical advice or information that can be applied to the external world to produce positive or productive results
Often highly pragmatic, diligent, and proactive
Often uncomfortable and restless if unable to pursue their goals and productive ventures
Inclined toward highly active schedules and lifestyles
May tend to find themselves “busy” most of the time (prone to workaholic tendencies)
Easily able to arrange, define, or organize the external environment in order to maximize their own or others’ potential
Often concerned with matters of efficiency and productivity; able to offer suggestions on improving the environment, under these principles
May not actively seek leadership roles, but won’t shun them; prone to stepping in if they feel others are unqualified or that nonintervention would lead to negative outcomes or inefficiency
Has a direct, formal style of communication and interaction, tends to speak quickly and to the point
Values clear and unambiguous communication; expects the same from others; does not suffer fools lightly, and believes in sharing factually correct information
Tends toward strong opinions about others’ ideas
May be critical of widely accepted viewpoints, seeing them as grounded in popular mythology rather than fact
Introverted Intuition (Ni):
Future-oriented in their thinking
Inclined to consider the consequences, implications, and long-term strategies of their actions
They pay less attention to the immediate details of carrying out their ideas than the future implications or impact of their idea
Often better at big picture thinking than detail-oriented thinking
Inclined, due to this, to take the job of consultant or innovator, preferring to leave the details and implementation to others
Commonly possess an entrepreneurial spirit and seeks to advance their own vision of a paradigmatic innovation or improvement
Feels an internal need to maintain sovereignty over their affairs and schedules
Become impatient if outside circumstances limit or hinder their productivity
May feel stifled unless they have a degree of flexibility in which to change their plans as situations change
Most comfortable when vigorously occupied with many things to do
Prone to intense mental activity, which can sometimes manifest in reflective, philosophical or detachedly contemplative behavior
Prone to constant reevaluation over practical matters before them
Can direct their mental energy toward developing new analogies or metaphors for conceptualizing their understanding, juxtaposing concepts and thinking about the same material in different ways
Extroverted Sensing (Se):
Can sometimes get mired in the little details of their work
Can be avoidant, neglectful, indecisive or scatterbrained in daily affairs
May have trouble motivating themselves through force of will to take care of menial details and decisions
May lack the willpower and tenacity to resolutely pursue their goals, and appreciate others who push, encourage, or support them toward these ends
Appreciates those who break them out of inactivity
Desires a sense of control over their environment; resistant to external control or “interference”
Prone toward a desire to “appreciate the finer things in life”
May over-indulge in the pleasures life has to offer (sex, food, expensive clothing, fashionable or fast-paced lifestyles)
Prone toward occasional impulses and sensory-driven pursuits, sometimes at the cost of a higher purpose or ideal
Introverted Feeling (Fi):
Often poor at gauging others opinions of them or reactions to them
May struggle to discern the state of their personal relationships
Can underestimate others’ emotions and fail to meet their emotional needs
Prone to dismissing emotional decisions as irrational
Not naturally in tune with their own internal emotional state
May be fixated or perpetually in doubt of the emotional perceptions and hidden motivations of those around them
May have difficulty making character judgments or assessing what behavior or intentions they should expect from others
Requires sustained and clear discussions of feelings in order to feel secure about their relationships
Takes their own feelings seriously
May place a great deal of emphasis on personal integrity
Drawn toward relationships where personal and private experiences can be shared free of judgment in an atmosphere of mutual trust
Comfortable in a relationship where shared sentiments and ethical beliefs make external expressions of emotions unnecessary
Often proactive in engaging others but rarely confident of their ability to correctly evaluate emotional intimacy
Best complimented by others who establish and reinforce a sense of intimacy
May be shy at establishing close friendships
Believes actions speak louder than words, and will go to great length to fulfill others’ needs when interacting with those with whom they share kinship and respect
May consult others for guidance in actions to ensure they’re following a clear set of ethical principles
Drawn from MBTI / Socionics descriptions. Compiled by Charity.
