6 Introverted Intuition (Ni) Stereotypes

To finish off this series, I’m going to cover some common Introverted Intuition, or Ni, stereotypes. If you’re interested in reading previous function-based stereotype articles, check out 6 Extraverted Thinking (Te) Stereotypes, 5 Extraverted Feeling (Fe) Stereotypes, 6 Introverted Feeling (Fi) Stereotypes, 7 Introverted Thinking (Ti) Stereotypes, 7 Extraverted Intuition (Ne) Stereotypes, 8 Extraverted Sensing (Se) Stereotypes, and 5 Introverted Sensing (Si) Stereotypes.

Introverted Intuition is probably the most idolized and idealized cognitive function. Just about everyone wants to be an Ni user, and many try to claim that they have it. Personally, I think this is due to the wildly unrealistic descriptions and stereotypes. Ni is described as being something far more mystical and impressive than what it is. I mean no offense to the Ni users, but I see every cognitive function as equal. Each has it’s own set of legitimate weaknesses and pitfalls. My aim in this article, as with the previous stereotypes articles, is to bring Ni back to a more accurate and realistic middle ground.

What is Introverted Intuition (Ni)?

Introverted Intuition, or Ni, is an introverted perceiving function which is concerned with deriving underlying patterns or abstract principles amongst all the sensory information around them. They essentially condense the wealth of information around them into templates, focusing only on what they perceive to be the key components to the pattern. This is why Ni users aren’t known for being detail-oriented. They store away something more along the lines of an outline, or a general idea. Their goal is typically to find patterns that are universally applicable, which they use to gain a deeper understanding of situations and perceive the future implications of actions. Ni users tend to value predictability and certainty.

Who are the Ni users?

The Ni users are any NJ type, which means INFJ, INTJ, ENFJ, and ENTJ. For the purpose of this article, I’m not including the lower Ni users, which are the SPs. This article really only applies to the high Ni users. The SPs will be afflicted by a completely different set of stereotypes since Se is essentially an opposite to Ni, a yin and yang relationship, so to speak.

Disclaimer

Before I get into this, I want to give a quick disclaimer. Stereotypes do exist for a reason. Many are tendencies that have been converted into absolutes, provoking people to mistype. Some people will relate to these stereotypes, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. However, there may also be a significant number of individuals out there who do not relate to the stereotypes. This article is primarily being written for the benefit of those individuals, to help clear up confusion and doubts. However, anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Ni can certainly benefit from this article, and hopefully will. My desire is for people to understand the core attributes of Ni, rather than just focusing on some stereotypical ways in which it can surface.

The 6 Introverted Intuition (Ni) Stereotypes

1. Ni users are psychic and don’t rely on the past experience

While the descriptions of Ni don’t literally claim the function as psychic (at least, I don’t think they do), they all but claim it. Ni is described as a seemingly magical function that produces predictions or insights out of thin air, from nothing. That is not true. While Ni users may often feel like these insights come from no where, in reality, these insights are the result of Ni data accumulated throughout their life. As described in the “What is Introverted Intuition?” section, Ni users introvert patterns or templates. When approaching a situation, they subconsciously compare their perception of what’s going on to their current storehouse of patterns in order to form an accurate understanding. Generally speaking, the more life experience an Ni user gains, the more accurate their predictions should be due to the greater accumulation of knowledge and experience.

2. Ni users can’t excel at practical skills

Time and time again I’ve seen immature individuals try to claim the title of intuitive by stating that they’re bad at practical life skills, like for instance, chores. In my experience, the individuals saying this are usually using it as an excuse to not try. (For the record, plenty of sensors are terrible at cleaning.) Generally speaking, people want to divorce intuition from any sort of physical, real world skills. This is a mistake. Life demands certain things of everyone, and as a result, we all have to adapt. Ni users are perfectly capable of learning any practical or hands-on skill that they set their mind too, just like sensors can dump all of their supposed “sensory ability” into lazy or pointless indulgences and end up skilled at nothing. Remember, cognitive functions do not determine skills. Cognitive functions determine a way of thinking or reasoning: a mentality.

3. Ni users always have profound visions or ideas for the future

The struggle I have with many personality type descriptions out there, for any of the 16 types, is that they’re highly idealistic, focusing solely on the most positive or desirable state. In the case of the NJs, they tend to describe someone who has grandiose visions or ideals for how the future should be. They get described as visionary, brilliant, ingenious, innovative, always looking to improve society, and etc. The unfortunate reality is that most people running around this little planet we call earth are not trying to make grand improvements to it’s current state. Most people are fairly ordinary, and trying to live ordinary, comfortable lives. The NJs are no exception. They may daydream about a better or more ideal world, as many people often do, but most are not taking significant steps forward in an effort to make these ideals become reality.

4. Ni users always have accurate insight and intuition

People tend to make the assumption that having a cognitive function as one’s dominant means that they will always use it in a healthy or positive way. That is actually not true. It simply means that they will default to it, or use it a lot. Ni users can fail at using their intuition well. They can draw the wrong conclusions. The most prominent reason as to why this might happen is because they tend to devalue concrete information. In other words, sometimes they ignore evidence that is in stark contrast to their perceived or desired outcome. They can tunnel vision on one thing and refuse to accept evidence to the contrary. While sometimes this may lead them to be right against all odds because they caught the pattern and ignored the red herrings, other times it may lead them to be wildly inaccurate.

5. Ni users are always intelligent

While the descriptions may not always be so brazen as to outright say this, it is definitely implied in the way that the function is framed. The problem is that traits such as being brilliant, ingenious, innovative, and etc. requires a person to be intelligent. However, that is how Ni is described. So, if the person’s intuition doesn’t produce brilliant insight or is oftentimes misguided, they can’t be an Ni user. Bottom line: stupidity and Ni are incompatible. Not only that but anyone who possesses the intelligence to fit the Ni description must have that function. This is the flaw of attributing capabilities or skills to a cognitive function. Someone being brilliant doesn’t equal them being an Ni user, and someone being dumb doesn’t exclude them from being one.

6. Ni is goal-oriented and ambitious

This is a lesser known Ni stereotype, but I’ve come across people that confuse Ni with ambition and goals. They essentially mix up the Ni and the Te in an INTJ, and start attributing characteristics of Te to Ni. This is partially why it’s so easy for ISTJs to mistype as INTJs. They relate to all the Te being infused into Ni. In reality, one’s introverted perceiving function (Ni in the case of the NJs) is responsible for gathering data (in whatever form the user prefers) for the purpose of future projection or preparation. It’s not making decisions or plans. It’s simply perceiving.