Sixteen Cousins

Written By: Chamodhi Hewavitharana, Class Of 2025

This blog is about "Why do they behave differently"?. A review built around the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

INTRODUCTION:
Ello there readers, I was given the opportunity to write some words of wisdomosity in here. Or at least, that's what I think. Anyway, in today’s episode of lengthy paragraphs that are beautifully stacked up together, I will introduce you to sixteen charming individuals who ensure nobody is left out. Now those of you, my homies, who know me a bit more, will know that I am intrigued by people's minds. Hold on; let me rephrase it; it came out horribly weird. People's differences fascinate me. Suppose you ask somebody what made them choose a particular restaurant. Believe me, you will not hear the same reasons. One could say it is their go-to, whilst a daring mind might be interested in a new experience. One could say it is the closest to where they live, whilst somebody else will be there because of the carbonara they serve with a glass of Cannellino di Frascati on Fridays. Or perhaps just a straightforward explanation that there is no particular reason. In the early twentieth century, the wonderful Mrs. Briggs and her daughter Ms. Myers had the same curiosity that made them create a system that explains these different personalities. They decided to call it the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which has four letters.

Now, before it gets too chaotic, I just wanted to say that each of these four letters has a preference pair. The first letter might be either E or I. The second could be S or N. The third might be T or F, whilst the last could be J or P. These four letters were jumbled up together (4 x 4 = 16) to create sixteen probabilities, which are the sixteen personalities. These are ENTJ, ENFJ, ESFJ, ESTJ, ENTP, ENFP, ESFP, ESTP, INTJ, INFJ, ISFJ, ISTJ, INTP, INFP, ISFP, and ISTP. It looks like I typed the alphabet wrong twice, doesn't it?

First preference pair: Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)

The first big word that makes up the first of the four letters is "attitude," which could either be extrovert (E) or introvert (I). This is something you have definitely heard before. 
Now those of you clever people know what cognitive functions are, don’t you? These are the processes of the psyche: getting information, processing it, and all that good stuff. The second and third letters represent these cognitive functions. 

Second preference pair: Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

“Perceiving” is the second big word; how do we see the world? Either through sensing (S) or through intuition (N). Sensing works with facts, specifics, and what’s provable. Their conversations are always clear and concrete. They will never be satisfied with a general overview. They would not leave things up in the air for us to guess. Intuition works with concepts, patterns, and what is possible. Unlike sensors, they deal with the bigger picture, not the nitty-gritty. Their conversations are often chock-a-block with metaphors and a few analogies. They might leave a few gaps for you to fill in. They adore making assumptions. Ultimately, intuition is figuring out events to come by observing patterns.

Third preference pair: Feeling (F) or Thinking (T)

The third is how we come to a judgement. Basically, how do we make decisions? There are two ways. Either feeling (F) or thinking (T). Feeling is a judgement based on their values, whilst thinking is a judgement based on facts. Ts will probably sound logical and get on top of things. Using AI could be an unfair analogy for Ts, but here we are.

Eight cognitive functions: Si, Se, Ni, Ne, Ti, Te, Fi and Fe

I am going to have to pause mid-flow. Remember me saying that the second and third are the two cognitive functions: S or N and F or T? Alright then, here is where we dig deeper. We split them up more. There will be two Ss, two Ns, two Fs, and two Ts. Basically, each of the four has two variations.
If these cognitions are extroverted, they focus outward. They are not as personal; they focus on the bigger picture, not the finer specifics; they gather more information but not deeper. If extroverted cognitions were a person, you would probably hear him say, "Oh no, I can't be bothered with that; I've got no time for that sort of nonsense."  The introverted cognitive functions are the opposite—you get the gist. 

Four perceiving cognitive functions (Si, Se, Ni, and Ne)
We have introverted sensing (Si) and extroverted sensing (Se). Again, sensing works with proven facts. Could you now identify introverted sensing? It is more focused on the facts we already have in our hands. Rearranging books on the shelf in the proper order. I thought it was a decent analogy. Extroverted sensing is getting into as many new facts and experiences as possible—the daring kind. Whilst introverted intuition (Ni) wants to narrow down into a few abstract concepts, extroverted intuition (Ne) does not like to stop. They continue gathering to create new connections. So, the four cognitive functions of perceiving Si, Se, Ni, and Ne. 

Four judging cognitive functions (Ti, Te, Fi, and Fe)

Let us move on to the four cognitive functions of judging: Ti, Te, Fi, and Fe. Could you guess what Ti might be? Making rational choices. The kind who makes their own decisions. Moving on, Te is only interested in making logical, externally focused decisions, so they depend on others' perspectives. Fi is next in line. They ground their decisions on moral principles and what they think is right. Fe grounds their decisions on what is more broadly valued. These are the eight cognitive functions. Si, Se, Ni, Ne, Ti, Te, Fi, and Fe.

Dominant cognitive function vs. auxiliary cognitive function

Out of these eight cognitions, each MBTI has one main cognitive function, or perhaps the first cognitive function, and one auxiliary cognitive function, or second cognitive function. I reckon it is a fair analogy to use the lead of a TV series as the first function and their manager as the second function. Although the manager does not appear in the series, he plays a significant role in the actor's career. 
If the actor (dominant = first cognitive function) is a perceiving function (Si, Se, Ni, and Ne), the manager (auxiliary = second cognitive function) definitely should be a judging function (Ti, Te, Fi, and Fe). And vice versa. The actor and the manager are always seen in the middle of the MBTI, as the second and third letters.

Do we all agree that personalities should be balanced out? I am guessing you agreed, or this is already a shambles. If one’s actor is introverted, then the manager will always be extroverted, and vice versa, to balance out our consciousness. The first letter always shows who the actor is. If it is an E, then the actor is extroverted. If it is an I, the actor is introverted. According to my analogy, the actor will always be the dominant cognitive function, but he doesn’t always have to be extroverted. He could either be an extrovert or an introvert. His manager balances out his E or I. 

Fourth preference pair: Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Finally, I'll explain the fourth letter using two of the sixteen types. One is an extroverted type (ENFJ), whilst the other is an introverted type (INFJ). Because for an extroverted type, the fourth letter always describes an actor. For an introverted type, the fourth letter always describes the manager. 

In ENFJ, the actor and the manager must be intuition and feeling. Since the fourth letter is J, the actor is a judging function. The judging function of an ENFJ is feeling. Now that we have cleared that up, let us see if the dominant feeling is extroverted or introverted. The first letter helps to figure that out. So, their dominant feeling is extroverted. (Fe). The manager is the opposite, which is introverted intuition (Ni).

In INFJ, the actor and the manager must be intuition and feeling. Since the fourth letter is J, the manager is the judging function. The judging function of an INFJ is feeling. Readers, is the auxiliary feeling extroverted or introverted? Since the first letter is an I, their actor is introverted. To balance out the actor, the manager becomes extroverted. INFJ has extroverted feeling (Fe) as their auxiliary and introverted intuition (Ni) as their dominant.

Could you tell between an ENFJ and an INFJ? Both had Fe and Ni, but ENFJ’s dominant cognitive function is secondary for an INFJ, and ENFJ’s secondary cognitive function is dominant for an INFJ.

Lastly, I want you to know that simply because somebody has a F on the MBTI does not mean they lack rationality. This solely suggests that they are mostly feelers rather than thinkers, often relying on feelings to guide their decisions. As time passes, we become more familiar with their preferences by observing their patterns instead of waiting for them to speak logically. Since you can never be sure what they will feel comfortable adopting. What, for instance, is their go-to? 
Everybody is unique, which is what makes the world delightful. Imagine everybody as a clone of each other. It would have been an absolute nightmare! Don’t you think?

Would you like to find out which cousin you are? https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test