What is Extraverted Perceiving?
As extraverted perceiving functions, Ne/Se perception is focused on the objective world. This means that these cognitive functions process in real time, supplying the user with a constant stream of perceptions. As a result, those who rely heavily on Ne/Se will desire to immediately interact with the external world as a means to try out their thoughts and ideas. This gives them a knack for finding opportunities or ideas as they present themselves. Everything they process is in real time, which can lead to excellent capitalization when immediate action is the goal.
Due to extraverted perceiving’s focus on the objective, Ne/Se users are often highly adaptable, and focused on what’s new or novel. They can have a propensity to get bored when a topic or experience lasts too long. However, on the flip side, this focus on the objective can lead to difficulties in seeing true long term implications (Se by living in the moment, Ne by seeing too many future paths). Because their priority is not to use the information they perceive for future planning or preparation, any external interactions may be gone once the moment passes. While external perception can store away data, its primary purpose is to react and interact with the world.
Extraverted sensing is the dominant (first) function for the ESFP and ESTP, the auxiliary (second) function for the ISFP and ISTP, the tertiary (third) function for the ENTJ and ENFJ, and the inferior (fourth) function for the INTJ and INFJ. On the other hand, extraverted intuition is the dominant (first) function for the ENFP and ENTP, the auxiliary (second) function for the INFP and INTP, the tertiary (third) function for the ESTJ and ESFJ, and the inferior (fourth) function for the ISTJ and ISFJ. Placement plays a significant role in how a cognitive function will manifest, which will not be discussed in the below descriptions, since the intended purpose is just to provide general overviews. To read descriptions of specific placements for Se and Ne, check out The Cognitive Functions In Each Position: Ne and Si and The Cognitive Functions In Each Position: Ni and Se.
Extraverted Sensing (Se)
Extraverted Sensing (Se) is probably the quietest form of extroversion, because it is not about exchanging ideas, feelings, or judgements. On the contrary, Se is concerned with seeing the world as it is and reacting to it. This is an objective, impersonal function, as all extraverted functions are. Everyone has fears and things they generally won’t do, and the Se user is no exception to this. However, Se users tend to be less discriminatory in regard to their experiences. In other words, barring extreme circumstances, they don’t let past experiences (and the subjective impressions that arise from them) color their perception of current opportunities. They desire to experience life with all of their senses, and gain as many experiences as they possibly can. They want to taste, feel, smell, hear, and see new things.
As a result, they are focused on the moment, and the data that arises from it. The past is gone, and the future is subject to change at any moment. Therefore, Se users are not concerned with absorbing and remembering every little painful detail that they come across. They’re just observing, experiencing and reacting. In addition, Se users will focus on remembering only information that is currently deemed relevant and useful. Se users will know a lot about what they do, or a hobby, or some topic that specifically catches their interest; however, they won’t typically be a well of “random” trivia facts, unless life has provided them that level of diversity in their experiences, since they are not “introverting” sensory data. They’re using sensory data to react and respond in the external world.
Read an in-depth analysis of Extraverted Sensing here: Exploring Extraverted Sensing (Se).
Extraverted Intuition (Ne)
Ne users take in information about the external world around them and use it to perceive a variety of possibilities. They will rapidly jump from one thought to another in a seemingly random way. At least, that’s how it may seem to an observer. However, there will always be a connecting string via Si (in the Ne user’s mind) allowing them to jump from one thing to the next, however slight the connection may be. In a sense, Ne is traversing a gigantic, ever expanding web of connections. Since Ne users are primarily concerned with perceiving possibilities, it is often challenging for them to narrow down their options. That will be up to a separate function in the user’s stack.
Due to the nature of Ne, Ne users will enjoy entertaining many kinds of ideas or, perhaps, theoretical concepts, but will likely get bored with any one particular thing once it’s been entertained for so long. These ideas will be generated from their observations in the moment, since Ne is still an objective perceiving function. Ne ties the user to the current external reality, and they use that to generate possibilities based on what they see now. These possibilities can range anywhere from very likely to happen or not likely at all to happen. In other words, Ne takes everything it’s been given and asks: “how many ways can I put these things together, and how many outcomes will that provide?” Ne is also a very theoretical trait and has the ability to offer up unique and insightful ideas that others would have never even thought to entertain.
Read an in-depth analysis of Extraverted Intuition here: Exploring Extraverted Intuition (Ne).
