Introverted Sensing (Si)

‘What Was’

brown wooden drawer

What Carl Jung said about Introverted Sensing Types:

The predominance of introverted sensation produces a definite type, which is characterized by certain peculiarities. It is an irrational type, because it is oriented amid the flux of events not by rational judgment but simply by what happens…the introverted type is guided by the intensity of the subjective sensation excited by the objective stimulus.

Above all, his development alienates him from the reality of the object, leaving him at the mercy of his subjective perceptions, which orient his consciousness to an archaic reality…he lives in a mythological world, where men, animals, locomotives, houses, rivers, and mountains appear either as benevolent deities or as malevolent demons…(He) has an amazing flair for all the ambiguous, shadowy, sordid, dangerous possibilities lurking in the background. The real and conscious intentions of the object mean nothing to it; instead, it sniffs out every conceivable archaic motive underlying such an intention. It therefore has a dangerous and destructive quality that contrasts glaringly with the well-meaning innocuousness of the conscious attitude. 

What does Introverted Sensing (Si) do?

Introverted Sensing (Si) looks to the past in order to verify the current environment. In contrast to Ni, which is future thinking, Si looks backwards in order to ascertain if something is right/wrong, good/bad, safe/unsafe.

Types like the ISTJ and ISFJ that use Introverted Sensing as their dominant function, tend to view the world through impressions. This means that external objects provide internal feedback to the Si user. For example, walking into a room and seeing the game Cards Against Humanity will either provoke a memory tied to that game, or provoke uncertainty because there is no experience to draw from in order to get a reading. 

In this way, new experiences can be daunting. However, familiar experiences aren’t necessarily comforting unless they’ve left a positive impression. A great experience at a restaurant leaves an imprint on the Si type that will have them coming back. A bad experience in a city will have them never returning. 

Because they are constantly scanning the background of their experience, Introverted Sensing dominant users hardly ever make the same mistake twice. A mistake, especially if it was embarrassing, will not happen again. TRUST ME.

Si is sometimes referred to as the Memory function, though that doesn’t encapsulate the full range of it’s capability. More than simply having tremendous recall abilities, Si has the greatest barometer of what’s going on in the body. Si recognizes burnout, approaching sickness, and pain immediately. It’s highly attuned to the signals from the body and responds accordingly.

How Si Develops

Introverted Sensation in its healthiest form is prudent, measured, and reliable. It has the ability to recognize that new experiences are positive, and not treacherous and dangerous. 

The Si user is the foundation of any great relationship, business, or society and keeps it grounded and stable. Introverted sensing won’t build society, but it surely maintains its longevity.

In its most unhealthy form, Si is stubborn, unmovable and — in the same vein as Ni– paranoid about impending doom. Introverted Sensing can be unwilling to change, adopt, or go “off script,” and the reasoning behind such stubbornness is not rational in the slightest. 20 years ago, if they owned a car that had a bad transmission, well, forever that brand is tainted. 

brown concrete buildings under gray sky

“Change” is not a welcoming word to an unhealthy introverted sensor.

John Beebe, world renowned Jungian author and Typology professor, revealed in his book Energies and Patterns in Psychological Type, the ways in which each of the 8 cognitive functions develops.

For Si, it goes implementing-> verifying -> accounting

Put another way:

Implementing: Following tradition; the way things have always gone.

Verifying: Double and triple checking experience; making sure.

Accounting: Taking inventory of all data points; leveraging the best one  

Introverted sensing reminds us what has worked. It keeps the score of our wins and losses. It desires to show us stability and safety to keep our homeostasis intact. Metaphorically, it’s the foundation of our psychological home, and gives us a place to stand firm.

When we choose to ignore it, we as individuals– and more broadly, as a society– are sorely misguided and lost at sea.


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Why the ISTJ is the Most Boring of the 16 Types

The ISTJ is the Most Boring of the 16 Types

This discussion has been edited for time and clarity.


Deanna 

The ISTJ is not the most boring type. I would like to say, we’re not robots. That’s one thing that bothers me is when you watch the memes or whatever about the 16 personalities, ISTJ is always the robot. It’s always like, the person who’s kind of this mindless AI that doesn’t actually use their brain. I take issue with that. Now, I will say that people have called me a machine. But that’s different. Because I’m very productive. And I’ll take that as a compliment. But not a robot.

istj Memes & GIFs - Imgflip

Joe Arrigo 

You have Extraverted Thinking (Te) just like the INTJ in the second slot that is focused and has determined. It has a machine-like quality to it, definitely. I don’t think that that is just the ISTJ, it’s just really a symptom of being a solid extroverted thinker.

ISTJs are Not Robots

Deanna 

I’ll give it as like, an aspect of my personality, but I feel like it’s blown out of proportion. And I guess that’s what memes are, right. Because I have layers, I have an actual personality. I’m not just like this boop, boop, boop, bop robot. And I mean, I can have fun, I can be playful. I can do all those things. Granted, I’d like to schedule fun, I like to say, at this time of this day is when I’m gonna go have fun. But I plan it in because I appreciate and I know the value of having fun. 

Meme 1.1.a) : mbti

Joe Arrigo 

And you can be fun, you like to schedule many different things. You have an eclectic taste of things you like to do like outdoor activities and different kinds of media you like to consume. For those that classify the ISTJ in a very humorous way as not having a sense of humor or being kind of like a party pooper, that is just not been my experience being married to you.

Deanna Arrigo

You’re saying I’m fun?

Joe Arrigo 

I’m saying you can have fun.

ISTJs and Tradition

religious statues inside cathedral

Deanna 

The other thing that I take issue with is that they always talk about how we uphold tradition. That whatever has been done, we will continue to do. and I understand where that comes from. I take issue with it because it kind of implies that we blindly follow the rules. I don’t think that’s what we do. If it’s something that doesn’t make sense to me, like, I don’t care how long you’ve been doing it this way. We’re going to improve it, we’re going to fix it, we’re going to optimize it, we’re going to make it more efficient. 

Joe Arrigo 

Yeah, I don’t really have much more to add to that.

Deanna 

One thing I will say that is correct when people describe the ISTJ is that we are structured. And I think the reason behind it is that, to us, “Discipline is Freedom.” If you give us guidelines, and you say, I need you to get XYZ done, and here’s your map, here are your boundaries, we’re happy with that. 

group of martial artists sitting on the grounds
Discipline

Whereas a lot of other people, if you give them boundaries, they feel confined, they feel restricted, they hate it, they get rebellious, and they break all the rules. For us, we say, ‘please give us all the rules, we’ll follow them.’ If you are very vague about something and you say, I need you to do this, but I don’t really care how it’s done, to us, it’s a heart attack. ‘I don’t know what you want. I don’t know where to start’.  

How to Speak to an ISTJ

Joe Arrigo 

Advice for speaking to an ISTJ would be if they were going to come over to your house, or they were going to arrive somewhere, you would never say something like, ‘you know, just show up in a little bit. Or something like, “Hey, I’m on my way over, do you want me to get anything from a store while I’m on my way over? Yeah, “just get whatever you think is right.” 

This is NOT good direction! ISTJs are wondering, “Do you want me to bring drinks, food… WHAT?” There are too many unknowns in the scenario. There is no framework here are guidelines to work within. The structure of your request leaves too many options on the table. 

Deanna 

And comfort is a huge thing for ISTJs for kind of two aspects. Physical comfort:I don’t want to be uncomfortable in the clothes I’m wearing, for example. So always make sure the clothing I wear is functional and not really flashy. And then there’s also mental comfort, which is what you were getting at. You’re going to cause me so much strife if you don’t give me enough guidelines. So if I know what’s coming, and I know what to expect, and a path forward, that’s my mental comfort.

Joe Arrigo 

She’s really talking about the axis of Introverted Sensing (Si) and Extraverted Intuition (Ne). The Ne part is a mental discomfort when there are too many options, too many alternatives, too many different outcomes. This can cause rigidity and paranoia for an ISTJ and lead them to short-circuit.

Deanna 

I want to know, what are the truths and untruths about ISTJs? 

The Truth about the ISTJ

Joe Arrigo 

One of the truths is not understanding subtlety. And that comes across a lot in jokes. The worst thing I can do is to do deadpan humor, or to say something in jest or sarcastically. It’s very confusing for the ISTJ because they will take you at face value. They’re very confused: ‘Was that a joke? Were they being mean? What did I miss?’ Should I laugh now?’ 

istj famous people - Google Search | Istj personality, Istj, Mbti

Another thing is that Thinking types tend to have a very non-expressive face when they’re listening or when they’re gathering information. And I’ve described your face all the time as the ‘Mona Lisa face.’ It’s overused, this idea of the resting RBF, but I think that’s just Thinking types are not trying to portray emotion. And I think people, especially dominant Feeling types, might look at the ISTJ and go, “oh, there’s the robot.”

Mona Lisa ISTJ face

One misconception that I’d like to dispel is that ISTJ can actually be good brainstormers. It doesn’t always come across in the negative way that inferior Ne might which is catastrophizing. They’re optimizers they can say, “I see your idea and here’s how we make it cohesive. The ISTJ will use their Si (Introverted Sensing), to keep you on track using Memory.  

ISTJs are Optimizers

Deanna 

It works for me because I’m happy that you came up with the idea. If someone told me to come up with the idea… Nope! But when the idea is already there, I can say, “Okay, this is how we make it more efficient.”  

Joe Arrigo 

Another thing about the ISTJ is that they’re good public speakers. Not dynamic per se, but not afraid of delivering in front of large crowds. You do presentations, you do pitches. You would think that introverts are not naturally comfortable in that setting. You’re not scared of being out of order when you speak or getting jumbled in your mind. So I think that really comes across well, for the ISTJ and any Extraverted Thinking (Te) + Introverted Sensing (Si) type that yes, ISTJs are solid public speakers.  

man standing in front of group of men
ISTJs can be good presenters

Deanna 

I am proud to be an ISTJ! We’re hard-working, we’re determined, okay, I get that. But also, because of that, we’re dependable and loyal. We’re really good loyal friends, you can count on us. We will show up, we’ll be there. You know, we’re just solid. And I think that’s a positive thing. And the memes portray it as boring and dependable. But I think it’s good, fun, happy, AND dependable. And I would say we’re far from boring people. 


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