By Raja Burrows
It’s tempting to think of two types with no preferences in common as being nothing alike. And in some respects, that’s true: the cognitive function that’s dominant in one type will be necessarily repressed in the other. While this can cause a great deal of friction in theory, in practice it tends to play out more smoothly than one might expect. Nevertheless, when we look beyond a type’s four-letter code and look instead at the people behind them, we find there’s much more to the interaction than initially meets the eye.
In the case of ESFPs and INTJs, the core conflict lies in ESFPs’ aggressive preference for Extraverted Sensing (Se) as opposed to INTJs’ similarly aggressive preference for Introverted Intuition (Ni). However it must be noted that Se and Ni only “oppose” each other in the sense that they lie on different ends of the same spectrum: two sides of the same coin, as it were. Se is responsible for the user’s objective perception of immediate reality and Ni is responsible for that user’s subjective impression of the patterns that govern that perception. Where Se paints an intense, textured, and visceral portrait, Ni paints one that is stark, detached, and purely theoretical. Even though ESFP represses Ni and INTJ represses Se, both functions play a considerable role in how the two types experience the world and reflect upon their lives.
The core nature of a type’s repressed / inferior function is that the user is likely to alternate between pretending like it doesn’t exist and indulging in it excessively. ESFPs’ Ni, when repressed, may manifest itself as a “devil-may-care” attitude when considering to the long-term consequences of a set of choices or behaviors; when indulged, it may lead to an unshakable belief that certain negative, paranoid thoughts are true. Conversely, INTJs will alternately repress and gorge on Se. When repressed, INTJs will steer full-force towards a deeply personal idea of theoretical perfection at the expense of considering the given circumstances that lay before them; when indulged, INTJs may overly luxuriate in extremely fatty and sweet foods, cigarettes, alcohol, and other “carnal vices.”
Se and Ni, like all such complementary functions (Si/Ne, Ti/Fe, etc.), strive to exist in a state of dynamic balance. When they are in the dominant and inferior positions, however, it can feel like one function’s power must necessarily come at the expense of the other. (This is true of all types’ experience, regardless of what functions appear where). But ESFPs and INTJs have two other complementary functions that appear in the middle of their function stacks: Extraverted Thinking (Te) and Introverted Feeling (Fi).
Broadly, the job of a type’s Thinking function is to make critical judgments (logical vs. illogical) and the job of a type’s Feeling function is to make value judgments (good vs. bad). In the case of ESFPs and INTJs, the Thinking function is Extraverted, meaning that questions of whether or not something is logical are informed by objective, external data. This is balanced by an Introverted Feeling function, which uses subjective criteria to evaluate what is good.
Te, particularly when coupled with Se, seeks to exert control over its environment in a decisive way. Fi, especially when combined with Ni, has no such desires and prioritizes deeply held sentimental beliefs. But unlike ENTJs (who deeply repress Fi and may have difficulty connecting with what they themselves “really want”) and ISFPs (who deeply repress Te and may have difficulty setting aside their personal feelings in favor of a more hard-nosed approach), INTJs and ESFPs can swing relatively freely along the Fi-Te spectrum. All other things being equal, INTJs may find that, over time, Fi comes just about as naturally to them as Te does; likewise, ESFPs will gradually feel a similar facility with Te. The main reason for this is that Fi and Te have no bearing on either type’s dominant function; consequently, exploring them doesn’t threaten the user’s ego in the way that exploring their inferior function necessarily does.
The biggest reason it’s important to consider types based on their functions (e.g., Ni, Te, Fi, Se) rather than just their preferences (e.g., I, N, T, J) is simple: life forces us to adapt. If there was a time in which we had the luxury of always getting to play to our greatest strength, it has long since past. Thinking of ourselves as either “Sensors” or “Intuitives” to the exclusion of being the other is a huge trap. We all have Thinking, Feeling, Sensing, and Intuition built into our personality, regardless of how they may be oriented or where they appear on our function stack.
All of this is not to suggest that ESFPs and INTJs are at all “the same type.” When push comes to shove, the differences between these two types are bound to outweigh their similarities. Developing our tertiary and inferior functions requires a great deal of time and dedication. But not doing so means taking on an unnecessary burden. It’s like trying to play a video game with only half the buttons; you could probably get through the first few levels by just punching and shooting at things, but it’s going to be much easier for you in the long run if you avail yourself of jumping and dodging as well. Te, Se, Fi, and Ni all have the potential for development in ESFPs and INTJs alike; just because two of the functions haven’t gotten as much exercise as the others doesn’t mean that they can’t, or shouldn’t, be given their time to shine.
Daniel Brasic says
Thanks for the informative post Raja! I have a question about developing the tertiary and inferior functions. You say, “Developing our tertiary and inferior functions requires a great deal of time and dedication. ” But I am confused on how one can develop them. Is this a process that takes place by simply being aware of these functions and how to use them? Or does it rather consist in dream work and active imagination that are considered core activities on the path to individuation?
I’ve read that instead of thinking that we all have the same type of access to the inferior function as the dominant, just with a little less force, we actually have no conscious access to the inferior function since it is completely hidden in the unconscious. I’d appreciate any light you could shine on the issue!
Raja says
Hey Daniel! Great questions!
Developing the tertiary function is much easier (at least, less emotionally risky) than developing the inferior. The reason for this is that your tertiary function doesn’t actually contradict your dominant one. Using myself as an example (ENTJ), my dominant function is Extraverted Thinking (Te) and my tertiary function is Extraverted Sensing (Se). My ego is directly linked to the preservation of my Te, but Se operates on a totally different axis. In fact, investing the time and energy in my Se actually makes my life a ton easier because it gives my Introverted Intuition (Ni) a bit of a break While my default mode might be to see three chess moves ahead in any given situation, there’s something to be said for “just being in the moment” which is what Se is all about. Furthermore, my Te can make a more informed hierarchy of facts when I avail myself of the sensory information right in front of me, which leads to better decision making.
Obviously my relationship is unique to ENJ types, but the theory behind it is applicable to any type. The tertiary function and the auxiliary function work in harmony and strengthening the weaker of the two tends to improve both.
The inferior function, however, is much trickier to access, since it directly opposes the dominant. For me, again, my inferior function is Introverted Feeling (Fi). Strengthen that muscle feels like I’m abandoning my Te which can be really terrifying. If I feel that me fulfilling my purpose in this world depends on me being able to be pragmatic to a fault 24/7, then even thinking about doing what “feels right to me” is going to be tough. But I realized (sooner rather than later, thankfully) that building my sense of self-worth around the Te part of my psyche is fundamentally unsustainable in the long term. I’m not saying I’m great at ditching my natural inclination towards pragmatism, but I recognize it as a necessary step if I want to be more fully human.
Evan says
I find I (INTJ) conflict much less with ESFP’s than other types. I don’t feel friction with them at all. I find them refreshing to be with.
Johannah Banham says
Great description (which, I suppose, means “I agree!”). Thanks for taking the time to write this out. I hope you’ll write again!
Caitlyn says
I enjoyed this article quite a bit and its timing could not have been better. I’ve been fascinated by many models of psychology for the past year or two, but I have favored MBTI unashamedly, and I’ve certainly enjoyed having a better understanding of myself (INTJ). I’ve just gotten some of my immediate family to be typed and it explained A LOT. They are all SF types, and my father is an ESFP. When I was younger, my father and I just seemed to be speaking two completely different languages.
As we’ve gotten older, however, there has been a distinct shift: we might not be on the same page, but we are certainly reading the same book and at least understand the perspective of the other. I chalk this up to maturity as perhaps the both of us reaching a point where we are tapping into those rusted tools in our tool box rather than wearing down our favorites (he had me at a young age, so in a way, I like to think we grew up together).
In short, I was quite excited to read this article and it was pleasantly relevant to me recent personality escapades. Fingers crossed that you all get the inkling to randomly explore the dynamics of my type’s dynamics with my brother’s and mother’s respective types.
Thanks!
Raja says
Hey Caitlyn!
Glad you liked the article! What are your brother’s and mother’s types?
INFJ says
I wonder if it’d be similar dynamics (two sides of the same coin) between INFJ and ESTP!
Raja says
In many ways, yes it would be! Obviously, the Te-Fi/Fe-Ti difference is notable, but the core tension between Se and Ni is evident in all INJ and ESP types.
Catherine says
Yes, definitely would like to see equivalent posts for other types! Very interesting comparison. More specific examples would also be a good thing to flesh out this article.