Introverted Thinking (Ti) and Extraverted Thinking (Te) are cognitive functions that help make up the building blocks for the 16 personality types. Introverted thinking and extraverted thinking are, more specifically, judging functions, but with opposite orientations (introverted vs. extraverted). Introverted thinking is the dominant (first) function for the ISTP and INTP, the auxiliary (second) function for the ENTP and ESTP, the tertiary (third) function for the ISFJ and INFJ, and the inferior (fourth) function for the ESFJ and ENFJ. On the other hand, extraverted thinking is the dominant (first) function for the ESTJ and ENTJ, the auxiliary (second) function for the INTJ and ISTJ, the tertiary (third) function for the ESFP and ENFP, and the inferior (fourth) function for the ISFP and INFP.
Introverted Thinking (Ti) introverts and organizes personal thoughts and judgments.
Picture a giant jigsaw puzzle. Ti users take all the data or information given to them via their perceiving functions (Ne, Se, Ni, Si) and compare it. This may be conscious or subconscious, and the data may be accurate or inaccurate. Regardless, from this comparison they search for inconsistencies, find what does or does not make sense, throw out what doesn’t fit, and build a database within their mind of completely consistent information. The more they learn, the larger and more elaborate the puzzle gets. They will take all of the information that they’ve deemed consistent and put it in their database of knowledge, or study out anything they’re uncertain about to learn exactly if and where it belongs. Every piece belongs somewhere. Unfortunately, since all of this information is interconnected and dependent, there’s a problem when they learn one piece of seemingly trustworthy data is actually inconsistent with something else within their database. Have you ever put together a really complex puzzle, and thought a piece fit when it actually didn’t? So later when you tried to connect another piece to that one, it partially fit one spot but not another, so you had to figure out which was correct and which wasn’t? This is what happens on a much larger scale in a Ti user’s mind. When they learn something is actually incorrect, they have to scour everything in the puzzle that connects to that piece to figure out where the chain of consistencies failed and what the ramifications are of nixing that one piece of information. Bottom line, the Ti user will be forced to reevaluate all of the interconnected data and recreate a more accurate puzzle or tower.
A = B, B + 1 = C, C x 5 = D, D + a cat = E
But what if B doesn’t equal A anymore? Is C still B + 1? What does that mean for D and E? Does E still have a cat? O_O
Extraverted Thinking (Te) extraverts thinking and makes decisions based on facts.
As an extraverted judging function based on thinking, Te users take the objective logic and facts that they have learned and apply it to their external world, and the external world of those around them. This forms the basis for all their decisions. As a result of extraverting logic, Te users are very much concerned with order and efficiency. The environment can be changed if it means improving the order and structure. Everything must be put in it’s place. Every task has an ideal order of operations, and the Te user will find it and apply it. In addition, all learned facts must be verified by an external source before they’ll be accepted. When one of their ‘facts’ is contradicted, the basis and support for this new ‘fact’ must present a sound logical reason as to why it opposes already known information. Usually this is done in the form of multiple sources reporting the same new information, or some trusted source saying it is so. Once the new information has been verified, old opposing information is discarded and considered incorrect. Everything to a Te user is either right or wrong with little gray area. If something opposes what the Te user has deemed to be an established fact or the most efficient method, it is judged as wrong and rejected. It is in this way that Te maintains consistency, organization, and efficiency.
