On Anti-Sensor Bias

Newcomers to MBTI tend to label sensors as shallow. I have seen this in online communities. I have been one of those intuitive which did this myself. The descriptions in MBTI can lead to such, but people are complex; there are more than 16 types of people in the world. It is important to understand that MBTI is at its heart a cognitive theory. It is about how people think. You cannot attach such adjectives as "shallow" to a group.

First of all, "shallow" implies that the person believing in the shallowness has an ideal. What doesn't meet their ideal is labeled as shallow. Remember, that someone with a different ideal may label you as shallow. Certainly, there are things that I think are shallow, like anything Michael Bay directs. But, I don't hate on people for liking that. That doesn't mean that they are shallow; there could be a variety of reasons for why they are watching Transformers XV. Maybe they just don't want to constantly watch movies like Cloud Atlas because they would be constantly depressed if they did.

Now, about sensors. They are more inclined to the physical world with the functions Se and Si.
 S takes in information primarily in a concrete style. N does so in an abstract style. You need both to function as a whole person. If you are rejecting sensors, then that may reflect a deeper rejection of your own sensing function. Imagine a chess player who uses only the functions N,T, and F (We'll say Ni,Te, and Fi). They would be able to envision a strategy and contingency strategies with Ni, and they would be able to find each step to applying such a strategy with Te. But, with a poorly developed Se, they may overlook some small detail. They may not notice when their opponent does something unexpected, because they are too caught up in the abstract. Abstractions disconnected from reality can be useless of even poisonous. Now, I have seen sensors reject their intuitive side as well, and this is not a good thing. But, their primary perceptive function is always going to be sensing, and that is simply who they are.

I must admit that there is a pattern in which I generally like intuitives more, but is because I relate to them, because I like people that are like me. Not because I think intuitives are actually better. I know a traditional INFJ and an open-minded ISTJ and ISTP. I know an NTP who I despise, though I generally like that type. The point is, MBTI can be useful for understanding people, but don't over-apply it or use it to judge people.

Writing (Method) Analysis through MBTI

I am a fiction writer. I won't claim to be an expert, since I haven't been published, but it is something I have been studying the past few years, not just something I practice.

So, I've been thinking about what it means to be an INTJ (my Myer's-Briggs type) as a fiction writer. First, I need to explain a few things about Myer's-Briggs. I won't get into the details of how cognitive functions work, since that is not my purpose here, but I will explain a few things necessary to understand how cognitive functions work in writing. If you know nothing about cognitive functions, though, I'd suggest reading this before you read this blog post.

INTJ has the functions Ni, Te, Fi, and Se in that order. INFP has the functions Fi, Ne, Si, and Te in that order. I will be using INFP to explain how Ne works differently from Ni in writing, though this should apply to other types to a lesser degree (all NJs use Ni and all NPs use Ne).

Ne and Ni and both perceiving functions, meaning they collect data, as opposed to judging functions (Ti,Te,Fi, and Fe) that make decisions, but there are also distinctions between Ne and Ni. Here, I will only focus on the ones relevant to writing.

Ni
Ni works in the past. Ni creates a system over time by building up components slowly. Once it has done this, next time, it can skip steps in thought process because it has completed them once. Ni is a singular continuously running program, as opposed to Ne that loses connection with the past.

I will talk about other INTJ writers later, but Jhonen Vasquez, creator of Invader Zim, is my example for this. How the world works is the most interesting aspect of Invader Zim, because is a Ni-user. He builds a unique world from the ground up.
Ne
Ne works in the present. It cannot pull up a store of systems, so it must work through each step in a thought process each time. What Ne is very good at is expanding upon a system. Ne is much faster than Ni at gathering up ideas, and combined with an introverted judging function (which all Ne-users have), the ideas that Ne collects can be put over a framework for a purpose.

Shakespeare, commonly typed as an INFP is a great example of this. His plot lines are stolen, not inspired, stolen. Another INFP, John Milton, uses stories from the bible for the basis of his works. INFP's are not good with plot. Ne, while appearing creative, is actually not good with coming up with something new. An Fi+Ne user has other strengths, though as a writer. Fi is about value systems. This is most useful thematically. Milton's Paradise Lost is choked full of theme. Shakespeare's plays are held in such high esteem while those that he stole the plotline from are forgotten because his plays are so much better, because they are built around his value system, and thus are rich in theme.

Someone has told me about more than one of my short stories that they need to draw the reader in in other ways than philosophically or that he is not sure what the message or the point is. This reflects another aspect of Ni. Ni is open-minded. An Ni-dominant likes to explore ideas for ideas sake. Often, I end my stories ambivalently, reserving judgment. I wouldn't be true to myself as an artist if I did not. Which is another Ne/Ni difference I need to elaborate on.

Ni+Te (INTJ)
-Ni is a perceiving function. It is "open-minded" and indecisive. Since this is the introverted funtion, it represents the INTJ's worldview.
-Te is a judging function. It is decisive at best, close-minded at worst. Since Te is extroverted it is the way an INTJ processes information. That is, pragmatically based on external logic, how logic applies in a situation. I often find myself arguing on point in one situation, the arguing the opposite point in another. This is how Te tests information, by deciding. It does not decide for deciding sake when dealing with a belief (at least in INTJs).

Fi+Ne (INFP)
-Fi is a judging function and internal. An internal system of values. It is decisive and "close-minded" (I don't use that negatively here. One function has to be to help us; that is why we have two). I should note that INTJs also have Fi as the third function, but without Ne, Fi cannot build up a story around a value system, or at least not as effortlessly as it could with Ne.
-Ne is open-minded and external. This is the way INFPs process information, open-mindedly.

Looking at the writing of C.S. Lewis (an INTJ), particularly the Narnia series, since it is all I can claim to have read, Christian themes are sprinkled throughout, but they do not connect. I'd like to compare his use of theme to Milton's more in depth, but I have not studied him as I have Milton.

I've been pondering over how to integrate theme more like Milton and Shakespeare. They are good with theme and can simply steal plot. Stealing theme wouldn't be so easy, probably so much so that it would be easier just to build your own theme.

Then, I thought to incorporate Te into the theme process, to create a better method for writing as an INTJ rather than trying to figure out how to write like an INFP. Te that makes decision instance-to-instance. Ni, while not technically a judging function is very good at creating a web of connections that often produce the correct answer. The underlying motif/themes would be produced by Ni, but the judgment would vary depending on the situation. Characters would have to come up with different solutions, which may be write or wrong depending on the exact situation and their logic, and whether they are out-competed in the situation. This is something that would need at least novel-length to work, so I am am still at a loss for my short stories. Comments to improve this model of INTJ writing could be useful.

To end, a summary:
INTJ writer strengths:
-Plot
-World-building

INTJ writer weaknesses:
-Theme (at least the way most people like theme)

INFP writer strengths:
-Theme
-Character

INFP writer weaknesses:
-Plot