Exploring Extraverted Intuition (Ne)

Extraverted Intuition, or Ne, is one of the eight cognitive functions laid out by Carl Jung. The cognitive functions are the basic building blocks for each of the 16 personality types. Here at Practical Typing, we have always had brief cognitive function overviews, but I recently decided to take the time to write in depth, high level articles exploring each individual function. I started with an article exploring extraverted feeling, and now I’m going to continue the series by exploring extraverted intuition.

Who uses Extraverted Intuition?

Before we get into the weeds on this function, let’s focus in on who we’re talking about. Every personality type has a cognitive function stack made up of only four cognitive functions. In other words, since there are eight functions in total, only half of the 16 personality types have Ne, namely the NPs and the SJs. However, with that in mind, the SJs often devalue Ne, since it is either in the third or fourth slot of their function stack. (Their Introverted Sensing, or Si, often overrules their Ne.) Therefore, this article primarily applies to the NP types, which are ENFP, ENTP, INFP, and INTP.

The NP types will be the ones prioritizing Ne, and thus will lean on it heavily in their daily lives. They will have the greatest range of use for the function, in both the positive and negative directions, although they will be the most apt of all the types to use it in a healthy, and positive way.

The Core of Extraverted Intuition

Extraverted Intuition, or Ne, is an extraverted perceiving function based on intuition. Extraverted functions in typology are objective, which means externally focused. (Read more here: Objectivity vs. Subjectivity) In other words, Ne prioritizes abstract possibilities in the external world. Their primary focus is on those possibilities.

10 Characteristics of Extraverted Intuition

Bear in mind, that some of the information below will describe core cognition, while other parts will describe common behavioral trends. You don’t have to relate to everything 100% in order to be an NP.

1. NPs see possibilities everywhere

NPs often don’t see the world for what it is. Rather, they see everything that could be. The world is full of endless possibilities for an NP, some more realistic than others. These types don’t always discriminate based on how realistic (or unrealistic) something is. They simply want to explore the possibilities. Many associate Extraverted Intuition with unbridled optimism, due to the false belief that Ne will always lead someone to think about positive possibilities. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Extreme Ne can lead someone to be overly idealistic, only focusing on the positives, OR it can lead someone to be overly pessimistic, only focusing on negative possibilities. (A balanced person should be able to find a middle ground between the two.)

2. NPs perceive connections in the external world

Extraverted Intuition orients someone toward external patterns. When an NP observes their surroundings, they naturally draw connections between seemingly disconnected things. In spite of how it may appear, there is usually some tiny, concrete detail acting as a catalyst for the connection, but it’s often not obvious to an onlooker. These connections are what breed the wealth of possibilities that an NP sees. While some types will condense everything they see into a single essence, NPs work in the opposite direction. They see several branches shooting out from a single event or object. They see variety and options.

3. NPs desire freedom to explore possibilities

NPs don’t like to narrow down their options or rule out possibilities, if they don’t have to. This is why they’re known for being open-minded. However, their particular breed of open-mindedness doesn’t necessary mean that they can’t be “close-minded” or judgmental within certain contexts. People often apply the term “open-minded” too broadly in relation to the NPs. Instead, it means that they’re often willing to entertain ideas that other people might rule out too quickly. Depending on the degree to which they do this, people might view them as impractical or unfocused. Of course, their willingness to consider the improbable can be a strength, leading them to unique ideas or solutions that others might have missed.

4. NPs are fascinated by novel ideas

Due to their love for possibilities, NPs are often fascinated by new ideas, since they represent new possibilities that the NP may have never considered. This love for novelty can lead NPs to be explorers, in a sense. Extraverted Intuition is often described as being solely abstract, resulting in NPs living their lives in their minds. That is false. Many Ne users will seek external experiences to some degree, because those will lead them to new ideas and concepts. ENXPs specifically often dabble in real world applications of varying ideas and concepts, as a means of further exploring them. This can result in innovation, scheming, or a brief obsession that they quickly lose interest in, once the idea becomes boring.

5. NPs enjoy speculation and theorizing

Extraverted Intuition gives NPs an innate desire to explore abstract ideas and concepts. They’re comfortable speculating out loud, and gravitate towards people who’ll engage them on an abstract level. NPs often view people who are unwilling or hesitant to theorize with them as boring and/or shallow. They may get frustrated with people who are too focused on practical application, rather than abstract exploration. However, imbalanced NPs who overly focus on speculation and theorizing can end up being “all talk and no action”, rendering their Ne effectively useless in the real world.

6. NPs are often good at brainstorming

Being naturally attuned to possibilities, NPs are often good at producing multiple ideas, assuming they’re interested and motivated. The amount of ideas they can generate will vary based on Ne placement and their judging functions. Understandable, dominant Ne typically produces more ideas than auxiliary Ne on spur of the moment. However, the judging axis actually comes into play as well. We’ve found that ENFPs tend to produce the most ideas, because they’re more open to being fantastical and suggesting things that don’t make logical sense. Whereas, an ENTP might feel more chained down by reason. (This is why stereotypically, NFPs gravitate toward fantasy, while NTPs gravitate towards science fiction.)

7. Extraverted Intuition makes NPs opportunistic, impulsive, and adaptable

People often describe intuitives as highly cerebral people who struggle to act in the real world. Meanwhile, anyone who’s prone to acting impulsively is instantly labelled an SP, but that is ultimately false. Extraverted Intuition is one of the extraverted perceiving functions, which, by nature, are opportunistic, impulsive, and adaptable. A confident NP will be comfortable acting on the spur of the moment, trusting their ability to comes up ideas on the fly to address any problem they might have.

As a result, NPs can be prone to launching into projects or schemes without getting enough data in advance. They may find the preparation phase to be boring, not wanting to get bogged down by all the pesky details. Of course, in situations like this, they risk being under-prepared, possibly due to the project being too large in scope or failing to anticipate or account for all the real world details. Ultimately, this can lead to failure or giving up when the project becomes too overwhelming.

8. NPs are prone to being disappointed by reality

The more someone focuses on what would be, the more likely they are to be disappointed with what currently is. The NPs can suffer from this mindset. They may spend too much time focused on possibilities, that their outlook on reality suffers. For instance, an INFP that creates a fantasy world inside their mind, might see reality as bleak in comparison. Or, an ENTP who excitedly anticipates a future getaway, might find the actual experience to be lackluster. Since NP types are so conceptual, they can be prone to losing interest in an idea, once it’s no longer just an idea.

9. Extraverted Intuition causes NPs to run catastrophic what-if scenarios under stress

Stress is separate from personality type. Any type can have anxiety or suffer from stress. When NPs do, they often start using their Ne in a way similar to the SJs, in that their Ne focuses only on negatives. However, since it’s high in their function stack, they can’t shut if off as easily an SJ might. In a sense, NPs can suffer from their Ne being stuck on overdrive. As a result, they find themselves trapped in a state of paranoia, unable to stop themselves from running what-if scenarios, and envisioning all the ways something could go wrong.

10. NPs are often verbose and verbally expressive

NPs won’t necessarily be extraverted and charismatic. That’s not what this means. Rather, they possess Si which is an internal perceiving function that recreates reality inside one’s head, with a focus on sensory detail. Due to its nature, Si often drives people to be precise and detailed. In addition, they often have a concrete connection to their thoughts, due to their internal perceiving function valuing concrete information.

In NPs, with low Si, this can result in three distinct behaviors. (1) Sharing excessive detail on ideas that they’ve thought about, sometimes in an effort to share the “big picture” of connections that they see. (2) Speculating out loud, in detail, on the fly, about future scenarios, new concepts and theories. (3) Reacting verbally to a surrounding situation without thinking first, which may result in equally fast, apologetic backtracking. The NP tendency toward being verbal is why, for instance, INFPs are known for being poets, and ENTPs are known for being debaters.

Note: A socially introverted NP may only show this side of them around close friends and family. In addition, being talkative does not make someone an NP. Social extraverts, no matter what personality type, are usually talkative.