The NeTi’s internal world is primarily driven by Ti. Ti is primed to make logical deductions and has a high value for knowledge and accuracy. It is always looking for the facts and the truth and it’s hungry for information. It is skilled at analyzing things and is always wondering how things work and why they work that way.
NeTi’s are constantly taking in information and turning it over in their minds, looking at it from every angle and thinking about how it relates to everything else they’ve learned. They regularly ask “how does this work?” and “why is it like this?” as their Ti filters and processes their discoveries to separate out what is useful or not useful, accurate or not accurate.
Although Ti is secondary, it can help direct the Ne to know where to look for the right information and to understand how their ideas could develop. Although Ne is driving the train, Ti can lay down the tracks so to speak to show what paths actually make sense to follow. Ne could go in any direction, so Ti helps it by saying “Out of all 360 degrees available to you, go any direction within this 15 degrees.” Ti also helps Ne stay on track as it can help the NeTi know when they are going too far off on a bunny trail that isn’t going to be useful in the end. Although Ne is always going to try and keep all the doors open, Ti can point out when a particular idea is not worth exploring.
NeTi’s don’t necessarily think that their ideas are perfect when they first state them. In fact at times, they may not think them through at all before sharing them, so others should be careful not to take their first whack at an idea as their best work. They need time to let their Ti work on it for accuracy, and their Si to take a quick swipe at the details for realism’s sake. Si tends to be the part of the them that is cautious and warns them about the dangers of the unknown or the practical requirements of the real world, while Ne might want to go out and try things even if they’re crazy or risky.
Ti delights in finding the truth. If a particular argument seems to lack accuracy, Ti will screen it for flaws and make the NeTi aware of them. Si will also usually attempt to specify the details of the flaw, but may not be able to completely break down the details as it’s not their core strength. In this case they can use external libraries, such as books, Google, or the expertise of others to get help with nailing down the pesky details.
When the NeTi is wrapped up in Ti analysis or concentration, the external world pales and disappears. They may become so engaged that they ignore physical stimuli like people talking to them or a ringing phone. It’s not that they can’t hear it necessarily, but their mind is very distant from the physical world in that moment, and it’s hard to return to it right away.
Because Si is the last function, NeTi’s can have a hard time dealing with tons of minute details or implementing their ideas. They usually have a lot more fun generating ideas than carrying them out. When it comes to productivity, they may feel disappointed in how little they do compared to the number of ideas they get if they try to implement everything themselves.
It can also be easy for them to forget to have a specific end goal for their lives. They often have a wide range of things they could do, but it can be hard to nail down and commit to accomplishing one thing in particular. When Si is not well developed yet, the NeTi may have a lot of trouble deciding that it’s worth it to commit to anything long-term. Their Ne loves it when they keep all their options open and doesn’t want to feel restricted. Once Si has been developed more, they can usually see that in certain circumstances, it’s beneficial or even necessary to make a long-term commitment in order for them to get what they want.
When Si isn’t being over-used elsewhere, it can work with Ti to create models and systems that are extremely useful to the NeTi (and often to others as well). Ti takes the information that Ne has gathered and the principles it has derived from experience, and designs a particular system around that principle that Si can follow. If the system is overly complicated, then Si will get too stressed out and they will give up on trying to follow it. This can happen because Ne enjoys chaos, doesn’t initially see that all the complications will be a problem, and it isn’t sure exactly what is necessary and unnecessary to the routine. Before they start to build simpler models that will actually work for them, they might need to observe or experience for themselves that overly complicated models aren’t very useful. This may sound odd, but building things that are simple to use often requires far more intelligent, complex work behind the scenes.
Because Si is last, in younger years when it’s not well developed it can cause some trouble for the NeTi. Although chores can be strongly disliked if someone else tries to put pressure on the NeTi to do them at a specific time, chores that they decide to complete on a whim can be relaxing because of their reliance on simple known routines. They can get really frustrated with maintenance when it feels unnecessary, so they tend to prefer getting involved in things they can do really well in one go, rather than having to constantly come back and be nitpicky about fixing little pieces that don’t really improve that overall state of things.
They may also resort to wearing the same outfit or eating the same food over and over again so they can rely on a minimal amount of Si. This lets them revert to a routine that has been internalized, as opposed to having to make decisions about a huge number of details on a daily basis. It can also be comforting to Si to go with what’s familiar and nostalgic in these situations. This can make the NeTi seem like they have a lack of fashion sense unless it’s something they care about and choose to intentionally invest in.
They may even get so absorbed by something fascinating that rest or nutrition is unintentionally forgotten because they’ve temporarily lost awareness regarding their physical needs.. This absorption can also lead to bumping into things or losing things (even things that might literally be in their pocket) because of a general forgetfulness regarding the presence of the physical world.
Many NeTi’s describe opening 10’s or even 100’s of tabs in their web browser and not reading the content in them, or having a hard time throwing things away because they think they might use it later. Ne likes keeping all the possibilities open and having weaker Si can mean that it’s hard to figure out which pieces are more useful than others.
NeTi’s generally don’t do well with a lot of detail. They prefer to look at big picture connections rather than single concrete details. This can cause them to get easily distracted or forget what they’re doing in the middle of a task if they go too far off the main path. This is why they thrive when they can be the ideas person and let other people handle the details of implementation.
Once Si becomes more developed, NeTi’s tend to become more productive and can be more satisfied with what they’ve done in their day. They can take an idea and immediately get to work on it instead of keeping it in the idea stage forever. They can also begin to find ways to relax through Si tasks like doing dishes or cooking. The predictability and physical aspect of the process is what the Si especially appreciates. It can also assist them in realistically seeing the steps necessary to accomplish their ideas.