Going deeper

The eight
functions

Beyond the four letters, each personality type runs on a set of mental tools called cognitive functions. This is where the real picture starts to emerge.

The Myers-Briggs letters are a simplified map. Cognitive functions are what sits underneath them. The actual mental processes that shape how you take in information and make decisions.

There are eight functions in total. Four deal with perception, how you gather and process information. Four deal with judgement, how you evaluate and decide. Each function comes in two flavours: introverted (directed inward, toward your inner world) and extraverted (directed outward, toward the world around you).

Every type uses all eight, but four are primary. They run in a set order called a function stack, dominant, auxiliary, tertiary and inferior. Take the test to see yours.

Perceiving, 01
Intuition
Pattern recognition and meaning-making. How you sense what isn't directly in front of you, possibilities, implications, what something really means beneath the surface.
Ni
Introverted Intuition
A quiet internal compass. You arrive at conclusions you can't always explain. A deep knowing that turns out to be right.
DominantINTJINFJ
AuxiliaryENTJENFJ
TertiaryISTPISFP
InferiorESTPESFP
Ne
Extraverted Intuition
An outward antenna for possibility. Your mind jumps between ideas constantly, finding unexpected connections others miss.
DominantENTPENFP
AuxiliaryINTPINFP
TertiaryESTJESFJ
InferiorISTJISFJ
Perceiving, 02
Sensing
Concrete information and direct experience. How you engage with what is real, present and tangible, facts, details, the physical world as it actually is.
Si
Introverted Sensing
A rich internal library of past experience. You remember how things felt and use that to navigate the present with precision.
DominantISTJISFJ
AuxiliaryESTJESFJ
TertiaryINTPINFP
InferiorENTPENFP
Se
Extraverted Sensing
Full immersion in the present moment. You notice everything happening right now. The energy, the details, what's in the room.
DominantESTPESFP
AuxiliaryISTPISFP
TertiaryENTJENFJ
InferiorINTJINFJ
Judging, 01
Thinking
Logic and systematic reasoning. How you evaluate ideas and make decisions, through objective analysis, cause and effect, what is true regardless of how it feels.
Ti
Introverted Thinking
Building airtight internal logic. You construct precise frameworks to understand how things work and can't commit until they hold up.
DominantINTPISTP
AuxiliaryENTPESTP
TertiaryISFJINFJ
InferiorENFJESFJ
Te
Extraverted Thinking
Organising the world to make things work. You build systems, set clear standards, and drive toward results as efficiently as possible.
DominantENTJESTJ
AuxiliaryINTJISTJ
TertiaryENFPESFP
InferiorINFPISFP
Judging, 02
Feeling
Values and human meaning. How you evaluate decisions through what matters, what feels right, and the impact on people, including yourself.
Fi
Introverted Feeling
A private but unshakeable value system. You know what you stand for and make decisions from there, even when it's hard to explain to others.
DominantINFPISFP
AuxiliaryENFPESFP
TertiaryINTJISTJ
InferiorENTJESTJ
Fe
Extraverted Feeling
Reading and managing the emotional atmosphere. You pick up on how people are feeling and naturally adapt to keep things harmonious.
DominantENFJESFJ
AuxiliaryINFJISFJ
TertiaryENTPESTP
InferiorINTPISTP

Take the test to find out which functions you lead with and how your personal stack shapes the way you think.

Take the test →