Of the four dichotomies, the largest discrepancy lies in the difference between Sensors and Intuitives. Whereas there is an approximate 50/50 split in the population between the other preferences, a full 70% of the population prefers Sensing versus only 30% favoring Intuition.
When you distill it down, the difference between Sensors and Intuitives is this: Sensors prefer reliability of information, and Intuitives prefer speed and depth of insight. This ends up manifesting itself a couple of unique ways. First, Intuitives learn to trust pattern recognition to help them understand information quickly and see things that aren’t ‘there’. Basically, they extrapolate large amounts of information from only a few data points.
Sensors, of course, have this same ability. But they don’t trust it, and so they don’t hone it. Instead, they trust reliable information – things that can be verified in the Real World. Therefore, they become masters of historical information – their own history as well as other people’s. They also become fantastic at manipulating objects in real time. There is no need to question reality when it’s right there in front of you. Reality is reliable. Speculation isn’t.
Second, how they see information informs how both these preferences see time. If real, reliable, solid information is what you choose to focus upon, then the here-and-now context becomes far more important, as well as past information (which used to be the here-and-now context). Sensors can’t rely on what hasn’t happened yet, so the future becomes far less interesting. On the other hand, Intuitives are already comfortable seeing what ‘isn’t there’ – as in, they’re comfortable theorizing and speculating on what could be in both the here-and-now as well as into the future. The past doesn’t really hold their interest any more than a reference point for future predictions.
Third, these differences alter both values and basic interests. For Sensors, values surround things like family, tradition, getting into action, old friends, etc… these are all rooted in the known and knowable, and therefore can be trusted. For Intuitives, values focus more on the cerebral – possibilities, memes, paradigms, perspectives and concepts. Conversation will generally revolve around these things, with little interest in small talk.
Both Sensors and Intuitives have an important role. Sensors often “hold down the fort” – uphold infrastructures that keep us going as a society. Intuitives are generally the “trailblazers” – coming up with new ways of looking at and doing things which fashion new technologies and paradigms. It makes sense that fewer Intuitives would be needed – too much innovation and everything collapses. But without innovation, the world stagnates.
Understanding and appreciating these differences is how we cooperate to create both a stable system as well as pathways to whole new worlds.
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Exactly! Sensors have other abilities and strengths that we as Intuitives lack. But… Intuitives reach levels that most Sensors just can’t, and so it’s very frustrating to have to put so much effort into finding other Intuitives who can better reach our level philosophically.
Spot on
- an INFJ
It’s OK. I’m INFJ too, and I’ve been working on myself for a while. What all those tests, and research I’ve done lately (read read read and watch videos) helped me with was filling in some blanks, and my self-acceptance. It’s important to accept your uniqueness (I believe we all are, and we’re all different) as is, and not see yourself as broken – you’re not. Learn also what ESTJs are like – as a baseline to understanding, and I’d recommend reading about compatibility. Take it with a grain of salt though, because people aren’t perfect, and like I said, unique. As for the long posts, that’s stereotypical for us INFJs, hehe :).
About intuitives and sensors; I’m intuitive, husband a sensor. We are sometimes the same person with the same exact ideas and one of us will come up with something and say it- a split second before the other one was going to say the same exact thing. And I am not talking about two people who finish each other’s sentences, they are complex thoughts or weird ass opinions on a wide range of subjects. He’s ESTJ, and even though I tested 4 times INFJ, I’m having a hard time accepting it. I’ll admit that he doesn’t think the way I do, and that if I need to explain something to him ~if it’s something imperative, or exciting, it just sounds like word vomit and leaves him with a puzzled look on his face. So I usually use metaphors to explain what I meant because I really, really want him to get me. With him though, he’s the most straightforward, logical, get-it-done-right, (wait, no, that’s not his way, it’s wrong, just let him do it), “I am Your Father” type person that I go a little crazy. He was also a Marine for 14 years and still acts like one. Total anal about almost everything. And then, there’s me. I’m a perfectionist but I’m also disorganized. He calls me a pain in the ass. We both have dark sarcastic humor, and we both push each other’s buttons like no other. The way he makes decisions sometimes seems so cold to me. On the surface, he seems like he doesn’t take anyone’s feelings into account. But he does. He’s more of a tough love person whereas my decisions and things I do are based off of making sure people’s feelings are taken into account first and foremost. We can both be philosophical and logical, BUT, when I’m going on and on about something I’m passionate about, or that I find interesting, I can tell he zones out, or when he has left the building! And he can talk to me about everything from the mundane, to the exciting, whatever, but I soon find myself in a kind of trance like state where I hear him talking but don’t understand what he was going on about. We don’t do that to each other on purpose, we’re just different and have polar interests in life. The only thing we’re both passionate about is each other. Lol. He still doesn’t fully get me, and my pet peeve is when he thinks I don’t get him. I can literally feel the negativity radiating from his skin when he’s in a bad mood. I have to leave the room, if not the house because I feel it in my bones. I often get a headache or nauseated. Anyways sorry so long. I just wish that we could all see the humor in each other (in a good way) nobody wants to feel left out or feel inferior. I’m still trying to fully understand the whole MBTI thing, but I always run into things I’m reading to be too contradictory, hence making me wonder what’s true and what’s not. The testing DID help me in an enormous way though- I thought something was wrong with me. Because whenever we have company, or I’ve been out all day around people, I get anxiety and I don’t even have to have been doing anything physically exerting, but I’m completely worn out, I’m talking 100% exhausted and drained mentally, physically, and emotionally. I’ll be in my room for 3 days or more after a big event if someone doesn’t pull me out. So knowing that it’s called introversion, and that I’m not some freak (well I kinda am) walking around made me feel so much better.
I don’t think anyone ever implies that one is better than the other, just that intuitives are outnumbered by sensors and a lot of us are “in hiding” around you because we know how sensors respond to our intuitive type conversations.
It might take for you to be the only sensor in A room of intuitives all day, every day for a week, For you to truly grasp the difference. It’s not about sensors talking philosophy once in a while with intuituvex exchanging data ….
For example, I am the only one in my family who is an intuitive. This means what they naturally prefer to discuss is work, the ins and outs of their day (traffic, happenings) the neighbours, what needs doing around the house, concrete plans Like what day they’ll meet to go to Costco and what they need to buy, sports stats, what flowers are going to go in the garden this year, the weather and how it compares to previous years, the stock market, their health or current diet, recent news events, who said what or went where and their opinion or judgement on it….thus is the majority of the flow of conversation. Yeah…I can hold my own. But if I ask a question like “do you remember your first alcoholic drink? What did it feel like?” Or “I saw a similarity in the blind character in that movie to how people going through life but who never realize their passion must feel” or “what if as a society we decided to completely restructure our relationship to time?” the conversation tends to peter out right after someone gives a polite response and then goes back to their baseline of comfortable communication content.
The fact that you think of intuitive conversations being akin to philosophy (people who philosophize usually have a point or argument they’re making) means I’m afraid you are not really being exposed to truly intuitive conversations which happen and go in for hours just for the fun of it. Like this one for example where two grown adult men talk about duck hot tubs because why not? https://youtu.be/BH3vAWRdhe0