The Sensor hears what is said; the intuitive hears what is not said. Obviously we use both sensing and intuition in order to function effectively, but each way of seeing the world is a form of giftedness.

 

WHEN YOU LOOK, WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Originally published in Today's Woman

By Anne Murray

 

Does your boss irritate you when she takes you sequentially backward in order to understand what you are saying? Do you secretly wonder how someone so successful could be so limited in seeing the big picture? Do you wander from room to room, forgetting what you set out to retrieve? Do you sometimes fear that your mind jumps from idea to idea so randomly that you are both gifted and cursed? What our brain sees when our eyes look separates us so dramatically that we invent disparaging names to label what we don’t understand. "Airhead"… "Dingbat"… "Space Cadet" …describe the intuitive function while "Stick in the Mud"…"Bean Counter"… "Bit Chucker" … capture the sensing function. How we see the world (our perception function) is, in fact, the most critical of the four pairs of psychological type differences to negotiate in any partnership. All our relationships; boss/subordinate, wife/husband, parent/child, friend/friend, colleague/colleague, require us to merge our perceptions in order to function as true partners. Rate your Airhead/Bean Counter potential by looking at the list below:

SENSING

INTUITION

Can’t see the forest for the trees Comfortable with what is real Drawn to the past for understanding At work likely to give "perspiration" Sensible, practical, realistic Wants specifics and facts Prefers an agenda; sequential Values practical application Relies on direct experience Relies on evidence Orderly and predictable      "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!"

Can’t see the trees for the forest Comfortable with what is possible Drawn to the future for visioning At work likely to give "inspiration" Imaginative, speculative, idealistic Wants general concepts and themes Prefers freedom to brainstorm randomly Values discussion of future challenges Relies on hunches and imagination Relies on "flashes" of intuitive insight Novel and unconventional      "Break it and make it better!"

Obviously we use both sensing and intuition in order to function effectively, but each way of seeing the world is a form of giftedness. Accounting and nursing require the gift of sensing, or seeing what is actually there. Classifying, counting and processing numbers requires dedicated focus and attention to detail. Nursing requires a strict protocol and keen powers of observation. Those gifted in intuition find success in careers such as writing, inventing, advertising and consulting.

Sensors tend to be able to recall places and events in detail. In my seminars I ask the Sensor, with eyes closed, to describe the room in which we are meeting. Invariably, the description begins with the shape and size of the room, beginning sequentially with the largest area and working toward the smallest parts of the room. The Sensor will often describe the floor, but almost never the ceiling. When the process is repeated with the Intuitive, the description will be random. It may start anywhere. One intuitive described only the cobweb between the second and third light bulbs in the chandelier. Intuitives live in the world of ideas and possibilities and are often unaware of surroundings. Invariably, however, they will mention the ceiling and not the floor. They will mention any learning materials like a flip chart and they will mention the people as a part of the room. They are acutely aware of windows, spending much time in fantasy and dreaming of possibilities.

If one removes the odometer from a car and asks the Sensor and the Intuitive to go two miles, the Sensor will go within a fourth of a mile of two miles; the Intuitive may go one-fourth mile or ten miles. Initiatives generally have little sense of direction. They find their way from one point to another by randomly observing landmarks. They will not know highway numbers or street names or numbers of stoplights between. They will, however, know that you turn past the big red billboard. When asked what time it is, the Sensor will know within five minutes while the Intuitive will struggle to remember if it is before lunch or after lunch. The intuitive easily loses track of time and has difficulty judging how long an assignment might take. The work pattern of the Sensor is a straight line, completing about the same amount of work each day. The work pattern of the Intuitive could be diagrammed like a roller coaster ride, up and down in random patterns. Intuitives work in fits and spurts of creative energy with down time in between.

The ingenuity of the intuitive is to vision and imagine better possibilities. The ingenuity of the sensor is to adapt the ideas of the intuitive to practical usefulness. Each needs the giftedness of the other. In conversation, the Sensor hears what it said; the Intuitive hears what is NOT said. One tends to be the thinker-upper, the other the getter-doner.

TIPS FOR COMMUNICATING MORE EFFECTIVELY

To communicate more effectively with a Sensor:

  Give specific examples.
  Follow a clear agenda.
  Provide detailed information in advance.
  Emphasize the practical aspect of the project.
  Give facts and details first, then the big picture.
  Use an orderly, step-by-step approach in presenting information.
  Compare new concepts to established, customary ideas.

To communicate more effectively with an Intuitive:

  Show the Big Picture first.
  Allow them to share observations and insights without judging them negatively.
  Appeal to their need to be novel or unusual.
  Expect them to digress from the agenda.
  Allow them to discuss implications of the present for the future.
  Use poetic, imaginative language with analogies and metaphors.
  Understand that their communication style is roundabout and indirect.

As you contemplate the fascinating polarity of perception, consider some of the intriguing possibilities for using this knowledge. Most lawyers in private practice are N’s; most judges for whom they argue cases are S’s! Most elementary teachers are S’s and teach in S-like ways; most college teachers are N’s and reward N-like behaviors!

Approximately 30% of us are Intuitives (N’s); yet 83% of National Merit Finalists are Intuitives! Can we conclude that N’s are smarter than S’s or merely that they create the tests that discriminate for and reward the N form of intelligence?

My challenge for you is to examine your friendships. Do you associate mostly with other people of your perceptual type, N or S? If so, cultivate friendships with your opposite. I have learned much from my S friends about how to mange time, organize errant paperwork, and how truly gifted they are in the logistics of planning and completing work. They tell me they have learned some useful things from N friends, such as, there is more than one way to look at a situation; when you don’t know what to do, stall for time; and dreaming about the ideal situation can sometimes help produce it!

 

For further information on personality type or The Association for Psychological Type contact the author Anne Murray, qualified type trainer, at 270 / 781-3677 or email.  Anne speaks on many topics around the country.