Tag: S vs N

Are you sure you’re definitely not a sensor? Because you type primary grouch the use of physical/”obvious” clues that can be seen with the naked eye, whereas intuitives come to conclusions through reading between the lines, through what can’t be seen. It’s the main difference between Ns and Ss, when you’re not thinking of functions.

Well, thank you for demonstrating so beautifully why I chose against typing people by their words.  You can write about any experience, whether it belongs under the purview of your first and second functions or not.  I’m not sure if my posts would bear this out, but I remember writing about my Ni and Fe (5th and 6th) experiences long before writing about my Fi, which is my first.  Fi is a constant hum to me… I notice the Ni and Fe things more clearly for being unusual (and therefore things I would find more interesting to share).

As far as Si being my first/second function (and trust me, I’m not a Se, I have exceptionally pathetic spatial awareness – listening to people talk about what their Se actually does blows my mind), I’m going to choose to take that to mean that I sound like I have decently developed inferior functions.  I have much the same position on this as I do when I was receiving objections over my typing of Sam Smith as an INTP, which is that people like using their 3rd/4th functions!  Shocking, I know.  It is fun and challenging (and often frustrating, which means you spend a lot of time working on them once you start) and results in you becoming a well-rounded person who can relate better to more people.

I would contest your definition of intuitives, though – my understanding is that while Ni might draw conclusions, Ne doesn’t – it’s expansive; it’s about creating possibilities.  And while typing in part by physical comparison was only one possibility I considered, it is the one that seemed to give me the most promisingly consistent results.

How do you differentiate between INFPs and ISFPs? :)

Again, good question.  I am still figuring it out. 

I am mostly mapping people onto other people and don’t do a whole lot of “Is this person an S or an N?” unless I run into people who don’t fit.

If I have to ‘S or N?’ them, the typing is usually pretty tentative until I can find a couple more people like them to solidify the typing – and usually at least one person in the group will not really fit S or N very well.

I wrote a post sort of answering your question a while back: http://mbti-sorted.tumblr.com/post/108317108048/what-are-the-main-differences-between-infp-and and it’s a little more concrete, but I’m not sure that I entirely agree anymore.

m0no-tonia hi!
i was just wondering what methods you use to distinguish whether
someone is S or N without, like, knowing them because i struggle a lot
with that

Here’s my completely un-PC answer.  S and N is a dichotomy, so start with basically the stereotype of both (cool kids/jocks vs. nerds, prioritizes appearance even in creepy paparazzi shots vs. only prioritizes appearance on red carpet, etc.) and build type patterns based on that.  Where it doesn’t work, because the typee appears to be between types, just make note until you can find other people who are similar but more clearly one type.  You’ll be wrong a lot, but eventually your patterns will get better.

Usually I find that families or small group casts are good for drawing distinctions – there is rarely two of a type in either unit, so if you find two similar cast-mates or family members, one is most likely one type and one is most likely another.

For both Halsey and Tavi they both seemed more concerned with abstract concepts than concrete details and they both say very Fi things. For example, in interview when talking about her bipolar disorder, Halsey said something along the lines of “I’d rather feel things too harshly than be ignorant to the problems of the world.” To me, that’s not a very Ti statement.

I think a lot of what gets said in interviews – especially to interviewers people have never met – comes primarily from an extraverted function.  The INFPs who extravert a lot of their Fi actually make me really uncomfortable to watch, and that was not the case in any of the Halsey interviews I saw.

I’m not sure about the distinction of being interested in the abstract vs the concrete for Se vs. Ne.  I think a lot of Se doms are incredibly good with visual metaphors (way more so than me!).  It’s the way in which they talk about abstract concepts that is a lot more telling.  Se is maybe more straightforward about it (I can’t think of the perfect way to describe it… some are enthusiastic, some are in earnest, some are just completely serious).  There’s a kind of amused (sometimes detached) layer over a lot of what Ne comes up with, like it’s a joke, or it’s only in the first draft.  Ne is fond of sarcasm and irony.

Hi, I was just curious to know your opinion about something. Do you think visual artists tend to be a group comprised more of S types or N types? I ask because as an N type I keep wondering if it’s the ‘focus on the details/notice the details’ instinct that makes some techniques easy for others and a struggle for me. thanks.

I think it’s probably pretty even, with maybe some variations for geography (different people get drawn to different areas) and what you’re thinking of when you say “visual art.”  That is a huge umbrella of things!

If I had to guess, I’d say there’s way more P types than Js, though.

Sorry, I forgot to mention in my earlier ask! I have taken a Myers-Briggs test before, haha. Many, many times. I always either get ESTP or ENTP, really depending on my mood. The S-N divide is always minimal. Though, I have noticed the more energy I have, the more I lean towards the S side of the spectrum.

Um, okay, that kind of sounds like it is basing results on what you are doing and not how you’re thinking about it.  Can you name an activity you do and why you like doing it?

Actually, no, probably don’t do that.  I need to stop trying to type people from writing… yikes.  Watch interviews, let me know what you think.

How do I tell if I am an ESTP or ENTP? I took a Jungian Functions test and it listed my main functions, in order, as Se-Ne-Ti-Ni. I feel like in some situations I act more Se while in others I act more Ne. I have the imagination of a Ne-dominant person but the thirst for excitement of an Se-dominant person.

Have you tried a Myers Briggs test/Keirsey temperament sorter?  It will at least give you one type and how close you were on S/N, which might be helpful.

Also, watch video of the ESTPs and ENTPs in my tag.  See which is more like you.  See who other people think is more like you.

If I had to pick, I’d say ENTP, but I don’t really have anything to back it up.

What are the main differences between INFP and ISFP in the way they act as well as how other people perceive them?

First off, I have no idea how anyone but me (including other INFPs) perceives anyone else.

My impressions of people I meet in real life are basically two-fold.  Part one is physical, so I can identify you.  Part two is about your emotional stability and how it relates to mine and to any other people around us.  (I guess if there’s a part 3, it would be resonance or recognition, a spark – something like that.)

I need a specific level of chaos in my life, and I will subconsciously alter my behaviour with each interaction I have so that balance will be maintained.  This means that I will be the epitome of the INFP peacemaker stereotype in a room running high with emotion, but it also means I’ll be the weirdo in a room of stoics. (And if I get punchy enough to operate out of my shadow functions, I can and will escalate like a boss.)  If someone else is already filling these roles, I’ll probably just observe quietly and/or cheer them on – it’s less emotionally draining than being a counterweight to the people around me.

As you might imagine, it makes it incredibly weird (both for me and others) when people I’ve acclimated to in different situations get together and I have to reconfigure my behaviour to match the new group dynamic.  I am frequently blindsided by my own social flailing in this respect.

You’d think that since we share Fi, ISFPs would have all of this in common with us, but I don’t think it works that way.  I think they are sensitive to the same emotional balance, but because of Se, which demands physical experience, ISFPs are more inclined to risk and less inclined to change themselves to avoid conflict (physically remove themselves, though, yes, which is more of a plan B for us).  They want to do all the things and feel all the strong emotions, and Ne would rather experience most of that in the safety of our own heads.

But okay, as for typing ISFP vs. INFP, which is probably closer to what you were asking about, I look for 1. presentation, 2. concrete vs. theoretical answers, 3. emotional resonance.

1. S types are typically better dressed, take better care of hair and make-up, wear more and more varied accessories.  S types also like their presentation to mirror their perception of themselves (or vice versa).  N types usually learn to dress well if it’s an expectation of their work or if it’s an area of specific interest to them, but don’t necessarily bother otherwise.  They don’t always represent themselves well through their image, either (or mean to).  INFPs and ISFPs both wear clothing emotionally, but ISFPs care more about the finished look (it shows).  

2. Differentiating between N and S on ISFPs and INFPs can get tricky, because introverts like to hide what we’re thinking.  We have pretty equivalent levels of awkwardness – it can take a while to translate thoughts from Fi into words, and things get lost or disordered in the translation.  Trying to clamp down on revealing too much Fi or confusing people with Ne adds another level of frustration to conversation.  On the other hand, both ISFPs and INFPs can also be very articulate – usually at this point it’s not whether they’re S or N, but whether they’re I or E that’s tricky.  Generally speaking, I lean towards S, unless I hear someone specifically say something N-ish.

3. Resonance… I don’t relate to ISFPs in ways that I understand and recognize, having been around a lot of them.  It makes it easy to see when they’re not my type. I have a harder time acknowledging other INFPs since I don’t always relate to them in ways I don’t recognize, but there’s usually something there that makes me wonder.

People have a wide range of behaviours within type, so sometimes one ISFP will strike me exactly like another ISFP, but more often I don’t know people who act the same way and have to narrow them down until I’m at the point of “what else can they be?”  People can act uncharacteristically or just differently for a lot of different reasons.  To me, at least, body language, clothing choices and language choices – speed and patter of thoughts and words – are a lot more consistent as far as seeing patterns between types than behaviour.

Yikes, this is long.  Well… I kind of tangent-ed horribly, but I hope you still got a somewhat satisfying answer out of that.