Do you start with the details? Working Styles, Type, & Introverted Sensing

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.