Cognitive Functions as Animals
((I see a lot of these kinds of posts, so I figure I’d take a stab at it))
Fe (extroverted feeling): Dog
You’re happy? They’re happy! You’re sad? They’re sad! You’re trying to pick a fight? They’ll break it up! Am I talking about a high Fe or your dog? Either way, like your dog, high Fe users are pretty in tune to what you’re feeling and reflect it back in a way that makes you feel special and calm. Dogs are pack animals, so they tend to maintain harmony in their “pack,” even if that means breaking up a catfight [lol]. High Fe users do this as well, each in their own way. Also, have you ever compared a guilty high Fe to one of those guilty dog videos? It’s exactly the same!
Fi (introverted feeling): Cat
Cats are selfish lovers. Well, more accurately, people tend to think cats are cold and heartless all around, when cats are very loyal and affectionate in ways that most don’t understand. Their feelings are all decided within themselves, and shown in very subtle ways because cats are not very expressive (at least, not conventionally). Not to mention that every cat is drastically different from one another, and they’re not aggressive animals unless a person hurt them in the past or if someone crosses a boundary with them. Sound like a high Fi yet?
Te (extroverted thinking): Bee
I’m convinced the colloquialism “worker bee” exists exclusively because of high Te users. Give a high Te an objective, and they will accomplish it, you know, using the same method they’ve always used. Bees have their objectives, too: take care of the queen and her babies. How? Make food. How? Collect pollen. And bees have their set, tried-and-true ways of doing so. Bees and Te are all about focus, discipline, and the way things always work. Say what you want about Te and bees, but they get shit done.
Ti (introverted thinking): Octopus
Efficiency! Arruracy! Innovation! Surprising the pants off of people! High Ti users and octopi come out of left field all the time with the way they solve their problems. Octopi are often easily able to escape their enclosures, whether it’s with a simple flip of a lid, with a tight squeeze, or with the ability to unscrew a jar from the inside. They are not at all about what has always worked, they’re about deconstructing the old ways and putting them back together in a way you never expect. High Ti users can’t be boxed in, sorry.
Se (extroverted sensing: Bat
Sonar, man. High Se users are people who live in the moment with all five senses, so it makes sense that they would relate most to an animal that has some extreme senses and has to immediately process that information in order to navigate through the world. High Se users take in points of data using all five senses and can immediately work with that (with a little help from their judging function). Bats rely on similar immediate-processing a high Se has since they need it to fly around without incident. It also makes sense for them to relate to an animal that would be crippled without their sense since the way to depress a high Se would be to cut off one of their existing senses.
Si (introverted sensing): Elephant
They say elephants never forget, and high Si very much do not either. Elephants can remember very large spaces and have the ability to recognize themselves and members of their family, which, yes, is nothing compared to a high Si being able to remember the exact taste of a meal, smell of flowers, arrangement of their room, etc. Similarly to how Si is executed in an individual, an elephant’s memory is abstract in the way it perceives because it can only recall spaces as it has experienced them. Elephants also communicate using various senses, including touch, visuals, sounds, and seismic vibrations.
Ne (extroverted intuition): Otter
Playful and resourceful, a high Ne and an otter have a lot in common. Both are adaptable creatures who can survive in vastly different environments. Otters are quick on their feet, both on land and in water, and learn skills quickly, most notable being the way the break open shellfish with a rock (like a high Ne can break through social shells). Otters are playful and creative, creating water slides in mud and playing with stones. Did you know otters eat 15-25% of their body weight every day? You can equate that with the way high Ne users consume new experiences!
Ni (introverted intuition): Spider
Weave a web that always connects back to the center, something both spiders and high Ni users do. A spider’s framework is sturdy and allows them to travel easily across their web, just as a high Ni can trace each point of their mental perceptions to each other and, most importantly, their center. Just like a real web, a high Ni’s inner web is complex, intricate, and extremely strong (in relation to it’s size, of course). However, most important in both webs are the connections made and their connection to the center, both in the literal and figurative. And high Ni users digesting new information in the context of their web looks a lot like the way a spider eats a fly.
