The 8 Cognitive Functions

When it comes to the Myer Briggs personality system, there are eight different cognitive function. So there are 16 personality types, and if you haven't already discovered what your type is, I can help you discover it with the easy, fast, streamlined approach. And there are some FREE tests available online, such as this one: www.16personalities.com With each of the 16 personality types, you will have a 4-letter combination from each of the 4 dichotomies. You have a primary or dominant cognitive function. You have an auxiliary or co-pilot function. You have a tertiary function (basically your 10 year old inner-child self). You have an inferior/repressed function (basically your 3 year old inner-child self).

For me personally, mine is INTJ, which stands for Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging (organised/structured). My dominant cognitive function is Introverted Intuition, also known as Ni. My auxiliary function is Extraverted Thinking, also known as Te. My tertiary function is Introverted Feeling, also known as Fi. My inferior/repressed function is Extraverted Sensing, also known as Se.

Now the question is, what are each of the 8 cognitive functions, how do they operate and what does it look like with different cognitive functions in different positions/slots.

So we have Intuition, Sensing, Thinking and Feeling. We have an introverted and extraverted counterpart for each one, making up a total of 8 cognitive functions. Introverted means going inwards/within and are very slow cognitive function, yet incredibly deep/depth to it. Extraverted functions are very fast and quick, yet more broad/breadth to them.

We'll start with Introverted Intuition (Ni for short). This is basically insights, epiphanies, realisation, aha moments, noticing symbolisms, deeper meanings, hidden meanings, advanced pattern recognition etc. Ni is excellent at predicting the trajectory, 10 moves ahead and seeing the most probably trajectory that is going to unfold.

The other flipside of the same coin is Extraverted Intuition (Ne for short). This is more to do with possibilities, perspectives, scenarios. It's looking at multiple ways and multiple scenarios that can play out. It also has to do with associations, which is why an Ne user that has Ne in the 1st or 2nd slot is a great conversationalist because they have endless topics and endless associations. Ne is also very imaginative.

Now we progress on to Extraverted Thinking (or Te). This is all about effectiveness, efficiency, results, what is going to objectively work in the external world. Te users with Te in 1st or 2nd slot, tend to be very blunt, direct, straightforward in their communication style.

The other flipside of the same coin is Introverted Thinking (or Ti). This one is more to do with deep analysis and is more of a subjective function. One way to describe this one is all about accuracy and precision of knowledge/information.

Next we have Introverted Feeling (or Fi). This one is all about how you are personally, individually feeling - your own emotions and feelings. Also it has a lot to do with authenticity; being true to your own values, morals, principles, ethics etc.

The other flipside of the same coin is Extraverted Feeling (or Fe). This is all about empathy, harmony, considering the feelings, emotions and values of every one in the group or tribe. You'll notice Fe users that have Fe in 1st or 2nd slot are very considerate, accommodating etc.

Next we have Extraverted Sensing (or Se). This is basically engaging and connecting with the external reality by way of the five senses. This is all to do with adapting and improvising in the present moment, as it is, without reading too much into the hidden/deeper meanings. Se users with Se in 1st or 2nd slot, tend to be excellent athletes.

The last one left to mention is Introverted Sensing (or Si). This is basically a file cabinet of all of your memories of previous sensory experiences. Si users are able to remember events from 20 or 30 years ago, extremely vividly, all the sensory details - what it looked like, what it felt like (tactile sensations), what it sounded like, the scents, the tastes etc etc. Si users are all about stability, tradition, organisation and structure,

So that's a brief overview with the 8 cognitive functions. And we can cover all of this in our 1 on 1 coaching sessions with discovering your personality types.