Introverted Sensing (Si) Spotlight: Jung and MBTI® Series

We are posting a blog series to dig more into the Cognitive Functions as described by Carl Jung, and as interpreted in systems including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®). No matter what your level of experience is with the cognitive functions or MBTI®, you might recognize these descriptions in yourself or in those around you, in your professional or personal life. To learn more, keep reading below! If you want to get a foundational understanding of the MBTI® Types, check out our online course here. 

Who uses Introverted Sensing (Si) as their 1st or 2nd function?

In this post we're going to talk about the Si function, which is “Introverted Sensing.” Folks who have Si as their first (primary) function in their MBTI® function stack, are ISFJs and ISTJs, and folks who have this as their second (auxiliary) function are ESTJs and ESFJs. 

What does “Sensing” look like? 

Folks with a Sensing preference take in information in a chronological order, and they want to put that information back into the world in a chronological order. They prefer to operate in a step-by-step, one step at a time way. Additionally, folks with a Sensing preference are more comfortable with the past and present and what they can observe with their five senses, rather than the more ambiguous future. 

What does Introverted Sensing (Si) look like?

Introverted Sensing (Si) is about remembering. This looks like collecting detailed information about things and people. Folks with this preference pick up and internally store data from their environment. For ISFJs and ISTJs, this is their first function, so they prefer to start with details or the data. This sensory information about what is and what has been - the reality around them as collected by their five senses - may make a particular impression on Si users. 

Outside of work, this might look like having “highly curated preferences,” as one of my friends with an ISFJ profile says. Folks with an Si preference might love particular scents, foods, traditions, places, or ways of doing things. This strong impression that particular pieces of data or sensory information has on Si users might cause them to uphold certain traditions or ways of being, going to the same restaurant every Friday and ordering the same meal, or trusting particular bits of data that have stuck with them. They may try to use this sensory information to reinforce their feeling of security, or to re-create a particular positive experience. Depending on their function stack (other MBTI® “letters”), they might use that data to reinforce their decisions as they organize their world through a framework (ESTJ, ISTJ) or maintain harmony in their world (ISFJ, ESFJ). 

In the workplace or in sport, this might look like asking: 

• What did we do before?  What did other folks who succeeded do before? 

• What practical use does this have? 

• What are the deadlines? What are the boundaries, rules, processes? 

How can Si be used in a positive way, and what are some drawbacks?

No matter what Type someone has, we can all benefit from using Si in a positive way, as described above. This might look like remembering what we’ve done well in the past, to build on and try to repeat those successes, or to learn from what others have done well. This also might look like remembering and celebrating positive past experiences through memory, or focusing on gathering details that might help us in the future. 

On the flip side, the SJs are often called “Guardians,” as they use the data they have stored to support their decisions, and it may be difficult to convince them to consider other possibilities. It is important for SJs or anyone using Si to reflect and even ask for accountability partners to help check that you are not having too narrow of a focus, and not ignoring outside information or possibilities that might be beneficial. We should all ask: 

• What is beyond the data, or beyond the details? 

• What might happen?

• What am I not considering, and why? What are the dangers in not considering this information?

• What other perspectives do I need to bring in?  

How to support folks with an S preference:

• Provide specifics, be as detailed as we can

• Acknowledge that we might not all know all the information or details up front, and that is okay - it’s part of the process

• Recognize and celebrate their detailed perspective

• Be aware that they may ask more questions regarding details, data, and deadlines 

Thank you for reading, and we look forward to sharing more in future blogs and on Youtube. If you want to learn more, let’s find time to connect to talk about support in team or 1x1 sessions, or learn more at your own pace through our online course. 

Icebreakers & Type: Introverted Guest Post!

Check out these reflections from one of our amazing Introverted KJCG team members

Meeting icebreakers are ubiquitous these days. And I get it- they’re meant to “warm us up” before we dive into the true content of a meeting. But for an Introvert like me, they can sometimes fill me with dread.  “What IS a hobby I picked up during the pandemic?” Read: Nothing. I tried to stay sane. “Get up and run around the room to find 3 other people who have two siblings and who grew up in a different state.” Read: Why???? 

But for others- potentially E’s (Extraverts) who are more action oriented than me; those who prefer to communicate by talking and are both sociable and expressive- my dread may be their vitality. So in my continual journey to better understand other perspectives and MBTI® Types in the workplace, I’m trying to be more open minded about the utility of the icebreaker. I know a good icebreaker can be a game changer to start a meeting on the right foot. It can create a common, light experience for a team to work from; it can generate needed laughter, and it can truly “warm up” a hesitant group before jumping in. (And even for an Introvert like me- once the process has actually started, and I have had a moment to think through how I want to share or respond, it often brings me energy as well.)

Our team recently led a Myers Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) session for 40 teachers and administrators at a new charter school in South Carolina. Our objective was to help build a trusting, communicative team that understands each other, and we rooted our dialogue in our individual MBTI® “Types.”  The school team took their MBTI assessment before the session, so we knew coming in that about 55% of the group identified as Extraverts. We used that data point to select an icebreaker that would call in the majority, but followed it up quickly with time for individual reflection before we dove into the agenda content. As outside facilitators, we knew that the group would need different ways to move into our day together. Integrating activities early in our session that met the needs of both Extraverts and Introverts allowed for everyone to participate in a way that matched their MBTI® preferences. 

If you seek to build a meeting culture that is inclusive of all Types, we recommend incorporating a variety of icebreakers in your agendas- those that your Type is drawn to, as well as others that may push you a bit. To take it to the next level, set up a rotation of who is leading each meeting icebreaker for distributed leadership and variety. What caters more towards your I’s one week can be balanced by an activity that caters more towards E’s the next- and over time a more inclusive team culture is built.

Check out this free resource: a few of our favorite icebreakers for Introverts and Extraverts!