Loving, caring, independent, and mostly introverted – ISFPs are widely known as artists and adventurers. This personality lives for aesthetics and hates traditionality. In fact, they hate anything that takes away their sense of creativity. It is estimated that 8-9% of the world population is ISFP. We dive deep into ISFP Cognitive Functions in this post.
You do not have to be an ISFP to know that it is easier to comprehend any personality type by its cognitive functions.
12 ISFP Cognitive Functions Explained
Here we will be listing and explaining 12 ISFP cognitive functions. If you are an ISFP – or just a curious soul – keep reading!
#1 Introverted Feeling
While being natural introverts, ISFPs always worry about personal concerns rather than other concerns.
How they feel about something, whether it is a person, a book, a friendship, a recipe, a certain topic, or anything else, influences their dedication to that something greatly. They tend to create spontaneous ideas and judgments based on their feelings, which makes them one of the most subjective (and probably selfish) of all 16 MBTI personalities.
ISFPs have a hard time opening up to others and expressing their feelings, but that doesn’t mean they are emotionless. They love to feel and let their emotions guide them, and they are also very comprehensive of other people’s feelings.
#2 Introverted Intuition
Introverted intuition is a process that focuses on collecting conscious and subconscious data from the outside world. It is oriented towards the inner world of insights, theories, and impressions. Personalities gifted with introverted intuition are moved by their own inspirations and are also individualistic and very independent.
ISFP people are often quiet but radiate great confidence. And thanks to this confidence, they are able to firmly follow their intuition and comfortably go with their “gut feelings”.
Most of their insights come from lived, empiric experiences, and while they don’t generally like abstract concepts, they are able to find interest in them.
Detail-oriented, they are quick to develop opinions about specific situations. Their empiric nature makes them more experimental than intuitive, which often lacks in their communication.
#3 Extraverted Sensing
Extraverted sensors are usually attracted to activities in the environment on a large scale. They see things as what they really are without involving their thoughts, feelings, or judgment. They are also very down-to-earth and practical.
ISFPs are not all about introversion. Paying extra attention to the present, they are more inclined to whatever attunes to their concrete sensory, such as details, taste, smell, touch, feel, and hearing. This adds to their sense of creativity and awareness, making them notice even the smallest things around them.
Stimulated by physical challenges, ISFPs thrive in risky situations and live for the adrenaline without really thinking about what could happen or who is watching them. ISFPs are doers, not considerers. To them, the future is here and now.
#4 Extraverted Thinking
Extraverted thinkers tend to judge things based on facts and logic, which means they tend to separate and even discard their feelings in moments of judgment.
This type of thinking often surfaces to ISFP people whenever an external situation requires closure. Due to setting aside their feelings from the problem, ISFPs can seem cold and unfriendly towards others.
Dominant extraverted thinkers are usually organized. However, this is an inferior function to ISFPs, and they have a weakness for organizing. Instead, they use this function to look and decide the most efficient way to do something.
#5 Caring and Considerate
Spending time with other people allows ISFPs to be more accepting and comprehensive towards the feelings of others. They have an easy-going persona and will never purposely try to force their point of view on others.
As mentioned before, many people often misjudge ISFPs, essentially because people frequently mistake their actions, assuming they use cold approaches and inconsiderate manners. However, this is just because they have a hard time openly expressing how they feel.
ISFP personalities love creating deep, emotional bonds with other people, and they have a great sense of loyalty and devotion towards others. Their awareness allows them to instantly notice what others may need. Despite loving their personal space, they will not hesitate to lend a hand when needed.
#6 Energetic
ISFPs are adventurers and have a strong, and competitive nature. Their energy is driven by doing activities that coincide with what they are feeling, how they are feeling, and their deeply held values.
Their curiosity fuels the need to explore, and ISFPs always try to find a meaning to everything they are doing. Their willingness to be physically active makes them better at performing jobs and tasks that involve a lot of physical energy. In other words, they can be pretty ‘sporty’. Losing is definitely not an option, and criticism, if not taken lightly, can be a serious issue to them.
#7 Self-critical
ISFPs are very sensitive and feel seriously threatened by criticism. If given lightly, in a much softer tone and colocation, they may be more open to accept criticism and make it fuel their need to better themselves.
But if given harshly and in a childish manner, ISFPs will easily lose their temper. As introverts, they will want to isolate themselves from others and start thinking people hate them.
ISFP folks are remarkably competitive, and although it may add up to their energy, it can also make them energetically deprived if the criticism is involved. Negative comments can easily drag them down and can be rather harsh on them.
#8 Unpredictable and Easily Stressed
One of ISFPs biggest life challenges is planning for its future. ISFPs are not dying fans of long-term commitments. Their need to wear out the present can make them actively avoid making plans for the future, compromising romantic relationships and their financial life later on.
Whenever they find themselves in a situation they can’t control, they get easily stressed out and shut down all of their charisma and creativity.
The habit of making rash decisions makes ISFPs very hard to predict. This unpredictability makes them hard to get to know, as they do not share most of their thoughts, feelings, and ideas with others.
#9 Reserved and Quiet
ISFPs are known to be very shy and mostly awkward towards people – a characteristic that they probably hate but eventually learn to live with it.
Their adventurous spirit and extrovert thinking can mistake them as an overly confident type of personality. However, as you get to know them deeply, you realize how reserved they are about their thoughts and true feelings.
ISFPs are NOT outgoing; instead, if you’re not close enough to them, they will keep on refusing to go out with you as many times as possible. They will try their best to avoid any conflicts.
ISFPs are doers, and they will express their concern towards others with actions instead of conversations. They tend to enjoy their own company. And usually, step away from people that are too argumentative or too conflictual.
#10 Artsy
“If you really love me, don’t try to control me!”
For ISFPs, creative freedom comes first in any situation they are in. If they cannot be creative, there’s no meaning for anything they do. ISFPs find it hard to express themselves with words due to their reserved and quiet persona, so they rely on more concrete ways of expression, such as actions and art, of course.
As mentioned earlier in this ISFP Cognitive Functions post, ISFP people dislike anything remotely close to the ordinary. They loathe boring, inert, colorless environments or anything that limits their creative freedom.
They are free souls and enjoy letting their imagination speak out in the most artistic ways. Their subjectiveness fuels their need to be artsy. To them, life is just too short to be boring.
#11 Impulsive
Now, this is a function not most people know about ISFPs. Although they tend to interpret problems logically, they are quick to avoid any ongoing topics or conflicts by making snap decisions based on the moment they’re in.
Their tendency to only visualize things presently and lack of forward-thinking leads them into exceedingly reckless behavior. This is how they rather live their lives: living the moment without really thinking through and without feeling ‘boxed’ up. Their recklessness often blinds them to the consequences of their decisions, as they turn oblivious to how things are going to impact them and others.
#12 Hands-on Learning
ISFPs are empiric beings. They enjoy learning new things and getting to know the world by using all five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.
ISFPs enjoy a loose way of learning, without having to follow too many instructions or having their creative freedom limited by too many rules. They want to be personally involved in activities, contributing and participating in activities that involve any combination of the five senses.
Despite being sensitive to criticism, if given under the right teaching conditions, they’ll be able to receive this criticism as a means to develop their better judgment and boost their objectiveness. ISFPs are good at storing information, gathering facts, and memorizing.
I hope this article has helped you learn some of the most important cognitive functions of the ISFP personality type and helped you relate to them or discover that it is not your personality type. If you like the content, keep following our blog for more topics like this!