How to Develop Your Cognitive Functions: Level Up and Master Your Meyers Briggs Personality Type

Imagine if you mastered your personality. This would activate your mindset and abilities to perform at your fullest potential. Have you ever wondered what you could do if you were able to understand yourself enough to maximize your human capabilities? Perhaps there was a way that you could do this. We believe that if you understand your cognitive functions, you can unlock your cerebral aptitude to gain relevant experience and level up your abilities.

Before we begin, you may want to gain a deeper understanding about MBTI Cognitive functions by checking out The Truth of Myers Briggs Personality Type Test. By knowing more about MBTI, This will help you contextualize what we are talking about today. Once you know what cognitive functions you use and what they mean, you can further develop each of your cognitive functions with practice. By developing your functions, this will increase your potential and abilities of your personality as a whole.

Here, we break down each of the cognitive functions and give you practical ideas on how to develop each of them further. This presentation below was analyzed and modified from Confessions of a Myers Briggs-aholic.

Intuition (Future-oriented)

External Intuition — Exploration (Ne) — “What could be”

• Make a bucket list of things that you can do in life that excite you
• Think about how you can make positive changes in your life
• Go on adventures with your friends
• Do activities that encourage creative thinking that encourages multiple possibilities
• Imagine all the great/exciting things that could happen in the future
• Surround yourself with people and pieces of art that is creative and exciting

Internal Intuition — Perspective (Ni) — “What will be”

• Analyze human behavior and try to formulate conclusions about them
• Reflect on underlying themes and symbolism in art/movies
• Try to understand why people feel the way they feel
• Take individual pieces of information and bring them all together to formulate one general idea
• Project yourself into the future and try to understand what will most likely come out of it
• Reflect on why things are the way they are
• Practice following your gut feeling in a situation

Thinking (Process)

External Thinking — Effectiveness (Te) — “How to do it”

• Develop your ability to be assertive (ask questions in a direct manner)
• Formulate ideas into a concrete plan and execute on them
• Use data and facts to back up assertions
• Plan an event or project and carry through with it
• Develop your confidence and consider how others view you
• Take charge of a project and lead with self-assurance

Internal Thinking — Accuracy (Ti) — “Why things are the way they are”

• Solve a puzzle, crossword, puzzle, anything that makes you think
• Play chess
• Find something of interest and research it until you fully understand its details
• Have an intellectual discussion
• Apply yourself and focus on an area of study with discipline
• Look at a project and analyze the pros, cons, and how to improve it
• Develop a sense of independence in projects that allow you to use personal skills

Feeling (Values-driven)

External Feeling — Harmony (Fe) — “What other people feel/value”

• Share your feelings with a close friend
• Journal or document your feelings and read them over to yourself.
• Seek out a therapist
• Reach out and lend a hand to others through volunteering, giving advice, listening to others problems
• Develop your empathy by putting yourself in others shoes
• Find situations where you care about others
• Take time to consider how your actions affect others
• Ask others about their opinions on decisions that have social impact
• Ask for affirmation from those closest to you
• Understand facial expressions and human behaviors of those around you
• Assess social norms when interacting with others in new social situations

Internal Feeling — Authenticity (Fi) — “What I Value”

• Study morality and ethics in areas of interest
• Consider what your own values and beliefs are
• Think about social impact movements and which ones you are in support of
• Figure out your opinions on social issues
• Take time to take a step back to consider your own feelings and values about certain situations
• Examine your own morality and how it is independent and unique
• Journal and document your feelings
• Think about what is important to you and what motivates you personally

Sensing (Experiential)

External Sensing — Sensation (Se) — “What is happening now”

• Find a hobby that is physically stimulating (sports, art, craft)
• Learn by doing
• Work with your hands
• Focus on specific details and beauty of a piece of art
• Listen to music and pay attention to the auditory sensations
• Live in the moment and experience life as it is happening
• Do something spontaneous and exciting with your friends
• Take a step back and realize how things are in the present
• Think about what needs to be done now and take it step by step
• Take a walk in nature
• Do something that is engaging to you 5 senses (touch, taste, hear, sight, smell)

Internal Sensing — Memory (Si) — “What Was”

• Examine old photos and try to remember what you were experiencing in that moment
• Visit a place of old memories
• Uphold old family traditions
• Create a routine in life that gives you reassurance and organization
• Enjoy the simple things in life
• Reflect on the memories and experiences you have had
• Realize the importance of what’s tried and true