Cognitive Tendencies: Why People Think and Decide Differently

Introduction

The four letters of your personality type (like INFP or ESTJ) are just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath them lies the engine of your personality: the Cognitive Functions.

What Are Cognitive Functions?

Carl Jung identified four mental processes:

• Sensing (S): Gathering concrete data.
• Intuition (N): Gathering abstract patterns.
• Thinking (T): Making decisions based on logic.
• Feeling (F): Making decisions based on values.

Each of these can be directed inward (Introverted) or outward (Extraverted), creating 8 distinct functions (e.g., Introverted Thinking, Extraverted Feeling).

The "Function Stack"

Every person uses all 8 functions, but we have a hierarchy:

1. Dominant Function: Your "hero" process. You use this effortlessly (90% of the time).
2. Auxiliary Function: The "sidekick." It supports the hero.
3. Tertiary Function: The "child." Playful but unreliable.
4. Inferior Function: The "weakness." It emerges under stress.

Why This Matters

Two types might look similar on the surface but have completely different internal engines. Understanding functions explains how you think, not just what you do.