Introverted Intuition or Ni, is one of the eight cognitive functions in Jung's theory.
It is a Perceiving function, meaning it is a source of gathering information.
Since it is an intuitive function, the information it gathers is abstract, intangible; between what is picked up with the 5 senses.
Being an introverted function, it looks inwards and refines.
As with all introverted functions, it's subjective rather than objective.
Ni in a nutshell: What does it mean?
There is something linear to Ni. It is often associated with pattern recognition, and it uses these patterns to form an abstract vision of the outcome with the information it has at hand. Consequence awareness is a big part of Ni, since being able to foresee the likely outcome means being able to take actions towards or against that outcome.
"If you want to know how your current choices may play out someday, talk to an INTJ or an INFJ. You can tell them all the details, the actions you have been taking, and they will tell you what the future implications are. This is easy for them, it’s their 'master skill' in a way."
- Susan Storm, Psychology Junkie
Because of this ability to see this impression of a long-term outcome or vision, Ni can be associated with goals, since seeing the conclusion naturally implies acting towards or against said vision depending on if it's favourable.
Another important aspect of how Ni functions is best demonstrated through the idea of symbolism. The Cross in Christianity is on the surface, just 2 straight lines. But is that all? In those 2 lines is history, an entire faith, implications in the character of a person wearing one etc. Ni looks beneath the surface, it reads between the lines, it takes information and ideas and funnels them down until it reaches the limit of how compact it can be. Not dissimilar to a zip. file.
Ni is big-picture vision with depth and distance as the focus, contrasting Ne which is big-picture with expanse and breadth of variables taken into account.
An element of Jung's original concept for Ni that has mostly been lost ever since is the connection to the Collective Unconscious, an idea which is criminally misunderstood in its own right. The Collective Unconscious is not some mystical connecting force, it's the underlying traits that mark us as human, it's the response patterns that form in the unconscious according to aspects of the human experience. It's the commonalities that become apparent in contrast to our differences. The implication being that Ni is simply the function most 'attuned' to being able to pick up on these patterns.
Ni is also associated with a projected future self. As in, the Ni user forms an idea of who they want to be ten or twenty or forty years down the road. "I want to be a successful business man." or "I want to be a philanthropist.", or in my case: "I want self-mastery." And from there, they act accordingly.
Lastly, Ni is reductive, not open-minded. It's selective; narrowing things down. What's most important? What's most meaningful? What's the most worthy use of my time? Everything else is screened out. That's what is meant by subjective, because this sense of meaning and importance comes from within the individual using Ni.
The counter-balance points of Ni
Symbiotic Extraverted Intuition - Both Perceiving functions, both abstract, but since Ne is extraverted, it is expansive and accumulative. They align in what they focus on but have very different approaches. This dynamic is Symbiotic because if there were no ideas, no options to choose from, how could Ni reduce down to the best, to the most important? For example, if I have limited options in career choice, it's won't be nearly as impactful to select the right one than it would be if I had explored a whole bunch, even just in concept.
Distorted | Balanced |
Within self, when this dynamic is distorted it results in tunnel-vision. No possibilities other than the one chosen will be considered. | Healthy Ni will work with Ne to conceptually explore as many possibilities and outcomes as possible to ascertain the best path. |
Towards others, when this dynamic is distorted it results in the judgement of Ne as chaotic, irresponsible, flaky, untrustworthy, indecisive etc. | Healthy Ni will respect and appreciate the way Ne generates new possibilities and outcomes and the way it connects ideas together. |
Action Points
Exploration of possibilities outside of what the individual conceives - probability and variables that could lead to alternate outcomes than the Ni vision.
Using brainstorming to 'build the Ne muscle', so to speak.
Explore and become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Ne, either theoretical, or practical via direct interaction if possible.
Learn from the Ne philosophies.
Challenging Extraverted Sensing - Both Perceiving functions, but Se has a concrete focus while Ni has an abtract focus. In addition, Se is extraverted and therefore expansive and accumulative. Ni wants to focus on refining the best vision of the future, while Se just wants to live in the here-and-now and have as many experiences as possible. Opposing motivations but with different areas of focus that can align.
Distorted | Balanced |
Within self, this results in an inability to live in the moment, consequences or 'meanings' hold more significance than action, or lack thereof. | Healthy Ni will work with Se to not get carried away into the abstract concepts of meaning and future outcomes and actually live in the real world. |
Towards others, this results in judgement of those who are perceived to live so 'in the moment' that they ignore the consequences. | Healthy Ni will respect and appreciate the tangible force that Se brings to the world and recognises that there is sometimes wisdom in living for the moment. |
Action Points
Encourage physical activities and small spontaneous actions with minimal consequence.
Exercises to increase awareness of the 5 senses ie. 3 things you can smell, 3 things you can touch.
Explore reasons to appreciate the current moment.
Explore and become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Se, either theoretical, or practical via direct interaction if possible.
Learn from the Se philosophies.
Dichotomous Introverted Sensing - The most difficult dynamic, because they are fighting for the same space, so to speak. Both are introverted and so are trying to refine from a subjective, inward place. Ni is big picture and future-focused, while Si is small details and past-focused. Si cherishes the mundane, while Ni seeks the exceptional.
Distorted | Balanced |
Within self, this results in a dismissal and dislike of the mundane and an irritation with details that get in the way of its big picture visions. It is also a tendency to view the past only by its negatives, both personally and just as a concept i.e "Everything that is established and how things have been so far is bad, and must be radically changed according to my vision." | Healthy Ni will work with Si to look into the past, take note of what has worked previously, what hasn't, and what to change for the future, while respecting the story of how we got to now. It will also ground its visions and unrelenting forward momentum (in a conceptual sense) with a stable base of comfort and routine and the peace that can provide. Furthermore it will pay attention to the details that comprise its vision. |
Towards others, this results in an attitude of: “So you get up, do the same thing every day and then die? What is even the point in your meaningless existence?" | Healthy Ni will respect and appreciate the way Si keeps track of all the details which actually are actually important and beneficial to the big picture, even if it loses sight of that. It will also be willing to compromise and be more incremental in its approach. |
Action Points
Explore how managing details can lead to greater success with bigger picture ideas get them to do spreadsheets, keep logs, establish routines etc.
Encourage 'self-care' in a bodily sense with yoga or the Feldenkrais method etc.
Encourage downtime, relaxation, and generally breaks from working towards their goals, especially when they feel impeded and stuck.
Explore and become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Si, either theoretical, or practical via direct interaction if possible.
Learn from the Si Philosophies.
The 8 attitudes of Ni
Hero - INFJ | INTJ - Independant and single-minded, Ni hero will forge a path towards the future they envision. Risk of becoming tyrannical and enslaving the other functions to its tunnel-vision. Ni Hero requires no conscious input, it is first nature.
Parent - ENFJ | ENTJ - The Parent function keeps the Hero responsible. Ni Parent will support Fe or Te Hero by providing direction on how and where to use the gifts of these functions responsibly. It won't be as zealous as Ni Hero. Risk of becoming authoritarian and helicopter-y, demanding and expecting others to be as responsible in their aspect, i.e. "You should be selective and focused on what's meaningful."
Child - ISFP | ISTP - The Child function wants to play, it's where we like to defer to when we're at ease. Ni Child wants to find patterns, it wants to find things beneath the surface, it's just not naturally good at doing so and is also strongly affected by the influence of the Hero and Parent. Developed Ni child can excel in these areas, but is unlikely to have the same forward drive of Hero/Parent types. Risk of becoming bratty, using the aspects of Ni in immature ways and getting easily upset in matters that concern this function. ISXPs have a tendency towards conspiracy theories by seeing patterns where there might not be any, as well as the occult, etc. We tend to feel deep shame when we fail in this function and this may lead to further defensiveness.
Inferior/Aspirational - ESFP | ESTP - Ni becomes the obstruction to Se's desire to 'do' in the immediate sense. If left unchecked, can sink into the unconscious and become deep-rooted insecurity. Ni inferior types can become even more impulsive trying to escape Ni's influence and find themselves trying to force meaning on surface-level things in order to compensate. They also can become deeply insecure in this area, haunted by the vague sense that they are wasting their life, even though they will assure themselves that it is actually Ni that is missing the point of life, which is: to live. Can also become a source of jealousy when others display ease in this aspect.
Nemesis ENFP | ENTP - Ni tries wrestle control from Ne to stop it from expanding and amassing ideas endlessly. This can become a source of irritation and stress, internally and externally and can also become a source of jealousy when others display prowess in the gifts of Ni.
Critic INFP | INTP - Ni acts as the superintendant to Ne, making sure its being responsible in its role. The Critic is sort of like an overzealous advocate for its corresponding function so it treats its own associated function as trouble. So in this case it's saying: "Ne has an important job, its important to generate and explore ideas and be creative, but that pesky Ni keeps getting in the way, I must prevent this as much as possible by making sure Ne is behaving properly and by pointing out Ni's flaws." This applies within self and towards others.
Trickster ESFJ | ESTJ - The Child wants to play, and whatever function is in the Trickster position interferes with that play by its nature of opposition. Therefore, the Child wants nothing to do with it. The Child will roll its eyes, stick out its tongue, ridicule the Trickster function, devalue it. So the Trickster will treat everything Ni values as a rebellious child would. "Abstract meanings? Pfft, those don't matter in reality!" "Perceived consequences? You're just guessing!"
Demon ISFJ | ISTJ - The Demon function is the most suppressed aspect of the 8. It's deep in the unconscious and is the least comfortable aspect of life for us to interact with. Having to interact with it makes us unhappy and stressed, especially for long periods of time. However, the Demon is also akin to an over-protective guard dog and becomes our ally in times when we are being unfairly treated. It is actually the function that cares most about our well-being, a little too much even. It's extremely pessimistic and ultimately not very helpful usually unless directly addressed, but it is protective of our own psyche to a fault. One really important thing about that: it's not weak. Not at all. It's almost as strong as the Hero in whatever function it presents as, but we don't like that function, and so we suppress it, but when it does come out, it can wield its gifts like a weapon you might never expect. Ni Demon will look at long-term ways to enact 'justice' upon its aggressor, or less severely, point out ways in which said aggressor's long-term prospects are sorely lacking.
Ni Demon is doom-and-gloom, it's visions of the worst-case scenario, it's a background frequency inducing paranoia. The last thing to note about the Demon is its important relationship to the Hero. When the Demon takes over, it will use the Hero's own gifts to reinforce its negative outlook. Ni Demon will pull Si Hero down and say "Look at all these times things have gone horribly wrong before, it's going to happen again in the future, isn't it terrible!"
Common traits in high Ni types (INFJ | INTJ | ENFJ | ENTJ)
The mundane makes them very unhappy
Highly correlated with Conscientiousness in the Big 5, particularly in relation to discipline
Visionary, long-term thinkers
Consequence recognition/problem detection
Good with abductive reasoning
Pattern recognition (Ni-Fe or Fe-Ni will identify these patterns in people eg. "you're acting different, what's up?" while Ni-Te or Te-Ni will identify these patterns in objective matters such as mathematics, sales trends etc.)
Detect hidden meanings
Focus on future potential
Correlated with convergent thinking
Fueled by inspirations for the 'best' future and inspire this in others
Dissatisfied with "the way it is" mentality
Notable Ni Philosophies/Worldviews
Buddhism | INFJ
Marxism | INTJ
Socialism | ENFJ
Meritocracy | ENTJ
Social Darwinism | ENTJ
Communism | INFJ (in concept)
Marxist-Lenninism | ENTJ
Pantheism | INTJ
Islam | INFJ
Feminism | ENFJ
Gender-critical Feminism | INTJ
Machiavellianism | ENTJ
Mysticism | INFJ
Nationalism | ENFJ
Technocracy | INTJ
Determinism | INTJ
Eugenics | ENTJ
Occultism | INFJ
Sikhism | ENFJ
Objectivism | ENTJ
Anti-Natalism | INTJ
Christianity | INFJ
Consequentialism | ENTJ
Populism | ENFJ
Humanism | ENTJ
Transhumanism | INTJ
Utilitarianism | ENTJ
Anthropocentrism | ENFJ
Misanthropy | INTJ
Ethical Egoism | INTJ
Psychological Egoism | ENTJ
Pragmatism | ENTJ
Asceticism | INFJ
Notable Figures with High Ni (Real)
Carl Jung | INFJ
Friedrich Nietzsche | INTJ
Abraham Maslow | ENFJ
Aristotle | ENTJ
Siddartha Gautama (Buddha) | INFJ
Robert J. Oppenheimer | INTJ
Michael Gira | INFJ
Kentaro Miura | INFJ
Martin Luther King Jr. | ENFJ
Saladin | INFJ
Mohandas Gandhi | INFJ
Adolf Hitler | INFJ
Aleister Crowley | ENTJ
Nikola Tesla | INTJ
Fyodor Dostoyevsky | INFJ
Maynard James Keenan | INTJ
Nelson Mandela | INFJ
Jesus Christ | INFJ
Josef Stalin | ENTJ
Justin Trudeau | ENFJ
J. K. Rowling | INFJ
Karl Marx | INTJ
Isaac Newton | INTJ
Bono | ENFJ
Jordan Peterson | INFJ
Steve Jobs | ENTJ
Tori Amos | INFJ
Julius Caesar | ENTJ
Cleopatra | ENTJ
Alexander Hamilton | ENTJ
Napoléon Bonaparte | ENTJ
Notable Figures with High Ni (Fictional)
Aragorn | 'The Lord of the Rings' | INFJ
Wesley Wyndham-Pryce | 'Angel' | INTJ
Iroh | Avatar: The Last Airbender | ENFJ
Erwin Smith | 'Attack on Titan' | ENTJ
Loki | 'MCU' | INFJ
Homelander | 'The Boys' | ENFJ
Itachi Uchiha | 'Naruto' | INFJ
Thomas Shelby | 'Peaky Blinders' | ENTJ
Kyōjurō Rengoku | Demon Slayer | ENFJ
Mr. Peanutbutter | Bojack Horseman | ENFJ
Patrick Bateman | 'American Psycho' | ENTJ
Izuku "Deku" Midoriya | My Hero Academia | INFJ
Armin Arlert | 'Attack on Titan' | INFJ
Margaery Tyrell | 'Game of Thrones' | ENFJ
Walter White | 'Breaking Bad' | INTJ
Light Yagami | 'Death Note' | ENTJ
Severus Snape | 'Harry Potter' | INTJ
Joe Goldberg | 'You' | INFJ
Tanjiro Kamado | 'Demon Slayer' | ENFJ
Lisa Simpson | 'The Simpsons' | INFJ
Number 5 Hargreeves | 'Umbrella Academy' | ENTJ
Judy Hopps | 'Zootopia' | ENFJ
Hannibal | 'Hannibal' | INTJ
Will Graham | 'Hannibal' | INFJ
Gandalf | ' The Lord of the Rings' | INTJ
Leia Organa | 'Star Wars' | ENTJ
Mufasa | 'Lion King' | ENFJ
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