The Inferior Functions: An Overview

Inferior functions play a key role in how each personality type manifests. One’s inferior function is their greatest weakness, their greatest insecurity, their greatest source of stress, or their life long stumbling block. In this article, I’m only going to provide a relatively brief and succinct overview of each inferior function. For more indepth information, check out Inferior Fe from the Mind of an ISTP, Inferior Ne from the Mind of an ISTJ, ENXP vs. ESXP: Comparing Inferior Functions, IXTP vs. IXFP: Comparing Inferior Functions, INXJ vs. ISXJ: Comparing Inferior Functions, and 5 Relationships With The Inferior Function.

What Are The Inferior Functions?

An inferior function is the 4th function a person’s cognitive function stack. For instance, an ISTP’s functon stack is Ti-Se-Ni-Fe, so an ISTP’s inferior function is Fe.

Why Learn About The Inferior Functions?

1. Type identification.

It can be much easier to type yourself off of your inferior function. Why? Because it tends to be easier to notice your greatest weakness or stumbling block. One’s dominant and auxiliary functions tend to blend together at times, making it hard to determine which of the two you actually prefer. This inevitably leads to the common question of “Am I an extravert or an introvert?” However, one’s inferior function tends to have a much more obvious influence on their life, since it causes us the most problems.

Whenever someone is struggling to type themselves, my first question, after generally asking if they’ve studied out the cognitive functions, is to ask if they’ve looked into inferior functions specifically. Of course, if studying the inferior functions is useful for identifying your own type, it can be useful in typing other people, whether it be real life or fiction.

2. Self-improvement.

If you can identify your greatest weakness, you can explore why it causes you so much problems, all of the different pitfalls that maybe you weren’t consciously aware of, and how to go about developing that weak point. Plus, it can be comforting to know that the thing that you struggle with is something that other people struggle with as well.

Overview of the Inferior Functions

This is not an article specifically about being the ‘in the grip’. I intend to just basically cover the many different ways one’s inferior function can manifest. This can range from bad use to failure to use at all. Remember, the dominant and inferior functions exist in an eternal game of tug-of-war. Varying degrees of imbalance can drastically change how the inferior function is manifesting in one’s life.

ENFJ/ESFJ: Inferior Ti

Ti is about analyzing and categorizing one’s internal thoughts and logic. Inferior Ti users who fail to utilize this function properly may use bad Ti logic to twist everything they hear and observe into being somehow about themselves or an attack on themselves, perhaps out of paranoia. They may redirect every conversation they participate in into a conversation about them, wanting to draw more attention to themselves. In addition, they may overanalyze what someone said to an extreme, or take great offense when their thoughts or ideas are questioned. They may also be highly self critical of themselves or others.

Fe dominants that avoid using their Ti altogether may suffer from a loss of individuality due to failure to check in with self. They may become a slave to the group or social confines that they find themselves within. They may struggle to say no, and focus solely on themselves when they need to, resulting in a martyrdom tendency.

ISFP/INFP: Inferior Te

Te is about enforcing order upon one’s external physical environment. Inferior Te users tend to feel insecure about their ability to structure their lives, or be effective in the real world. They may feel the need to maintain some form of order and discipline, but oftentimes struggle to do so, and judge themselves harshly for this failure. In addition, they may try to strictly order minor aspects of their lives to convince themselves that they are in control. They may struggle to create or enact a realistic plan or method in which to carry out their ideals or dreams for the future. Inferior Te may also result in sudden and harsh reactions when under stress, and especially whenever Fi is feeling attacked or criticized.

An Fi user leaning too heavily on Te may become overbearing and judgmental, feeling the need to exert their ideals upon others or force others to see things their way, resulting in a failure to be accepting of others and their differences.

ESTJ/ENTJ: Inferior Fi

Fi is about being highly aware of and true to one’s self and one’s ideals. Inferior Fi can surface as not being interested in understanding yourself or your emotions at all. Inferior Fi users may fail to explore their own emotions, seeing them as a weakness or a distraction. They may end up getting so lost in their goal or ambition that they lose all sense of self or end up going against their own moral code. They may struggle with crossing over their own personal boundaries or failing to define those boundaries at all.

A Te dominant crutching heavily on Fi may become highly self-critical, and begin to over analyze self. They may become self-loathing as they begin to hone in on every personal failure that they can find. In addition, they may begin to take any criticism to who they are very personally. They may downplay their need for others and positive reinforcement, proclaiming openly they neither need people nor care what they think.

INTP/ISTP: Inferior Fe

Fe is about focusing on the needs of one’s group and being sensitive to others. Inferior Fe users often fear being incapable of connecting with others, or maintaining close relationships. Deep down, they often desire a sense of belonging, but feel lost as to how to obtain it. They fear the weight of other people’s emotional baggage, and struggle to open up emotionally, due to being disconnected from their own emotions. As a result, they often keep people at a distance. They’ll tend to dislike or avoid overly defined social situations due to a lack of confidence in their ability to navigate them. They’ll tend to avoid standing out, and may use the feedback of others to help define themselves.

However, a Ti dom that’s avoiding Fe altogether may completely rebel against any social convention by way of ignoring/avoiding it, rather than crusading for individuality like a Fi dom might. They may also struggle to understand their own emotions in addition to the emotions of others. Ignoring/not dealing with their own emotions may lead to sudden emotional snaps from seemingly out of nowhere.

ESTP/ESFP: Inferior Ni

Ni is about internalizing patterns in order best predict the future or draw a single conclusion. Inferior Ni users may generally fear the future, due to an insecurity in their ability to predict how events may play out. This could result in a lack of desire to even think about the future. They may avoid planning, preferring to live solely in the here and now. This can result in only ever acting on impulse and failing to think about long term consequences, which can obviously be catastrophic in their personal lives.

However, an Se dominant leaning too heavily on Ni may see catastrophe around every corner. They will read too far into one event, or play out a string of events in their head, predicting each likely reaction one after another until they finally foresee that one ill-fated ending. They may be unable to see anything beyond that specific negative outcome, causing their forward momentum in life to come to a screeching halt.

ISTJ/ISFJ: Inferior Ne

Ne is about focusing on and seeking out possibilities within the external world. Inferior Ne can result in a fear of these possibilities, or a fear of the unknown. As a result of this fear, Si dominants tend to over plan and prepare for the future. In moments of stress, they may construct completely irrational what-if scenarios, focusing on all of the negative possibilities. They’ll probably be easily overwhelmed by too many options or possibilities, feeling the need to take great care before making decisions. They may hit up against a “theoretical wall” when attempting to discuss something which they have no personal experience with, due to a struggle to speculate about unknown possibilities, abstract or otherwise. They’ll probably have a quirky or random streak within their personality that they feel insecure about showing to others, and may only reveal it to those closest to them, or may conceal it from everyone completely.

ENFP/ENTP: Inferior Si

Si is about paying attention to and internalizing sensory details from one’s environment and self. Inferior Si can manifest in a struggle to weed through anything that involves lots of details or a mountain of information. Failing to use Si may result in Ne doms accidentally skipping over relevant or necessary information. However, an Ne that’s sensitive to the small details may feel insecure in their ability to weed through them, and potentially look for a way to outsource the problem.

In spite of a generally flexible and spontaneous lifestyle, they may feel the need to make very specific things in their life perfect or just so. They may appear almost OCD in very specific scenarios or areas of their life that others may deem minor or insignificant. They may cling to one or two seemingly insignificant routines which they refuse to deviate from. An Ne dom leaning too heavily on Si may occasionally feel the urge to micromanage, although they will not be able to maintain that state for a long period of time.

INFJ/INTJ: Inferior Se

Se is about reacting to the sensory world in real time and extraverting via the physical senses. Inferior Se can manifest in a fear of acting on the spur of the moment, resulting in a lack of active participation or spontaneity. Their physical sense may be easily overwhelmed or overloaded. As a result, they may struggle dealing with chaotic or overly busy environments, causing them to mentally check out of a situation. This is why Ni dominants in general tend to struggle with being detached from their physical environment. They may secretly desire adventure, yet fear/fail to take any independent action toward making it happen. They also may struggle to defend their intuitive leaps with concrete information, often falling back on vague or inspecific language that others might deem unhelpful.

An Ni dominant leaning too heavily on inferior Se may lash out suddenly and physically when under stress. They may overindulge in a “safe” sensory experience (like food) or place too much emphasis on some aesthetic desire. Their general lack of awareness of personal sensory awareness can prove dangerous, whether due to a lack of understanding one’s limitations or acting suddenly on impulse without the skill to support the action “safely”.