Cognition – The Super Simple Series! | Part 5: Assembling the Cognition Process

 

 

 

And finally, in Part 4, we talked about the four possible Function-Combinations and why they always went with particular Types of Information:

When a Compilation Function (Sensing or iNtuition) is Extraverted (Se or Ne), it is always Observation— a pattern-finding database of individuals and their motives.

When a Compilation Function (Sensing or iNtuition) is Introverted (Si or Ni), it is either Principles (Js) or Action (Ps)–an internal playground of information pattern-finding.

When an Application Function (Feeling or Thinking) is Introverted (Fi or Ti), it is always Data–bullet points of information inside your head.

When an Application Function (Feeling or Thinking) is Extraverted (Fe or Te), it is either Action (Js) or Principles (Ps)–applying either meaning or use to your external environment.

Wow, that was quite the review!  Let’s just pick right up where we left off with the Function-Combinations.  I said in the last post that the four Function-Combinations are the four possible ways to start the cognition process.  Well, that’s the perfect way for us to begin assembling the sixteen cognition processes!

I’m going to walk slowly through one of our four Function-Combination options, deducing what we can tell just by knowing that someone starts with that Function-Combination, but then we’ll go faster through the other three.

So, we know that everyone uses all four Function-Combinations at some point in their cognition processes.  But let’s imagine someone who starts with Extraverted Compilation as their First Cognition Step.

We learned in Part 4 that Extraverted Compilation (EC heehee) is always Observation & Motivations.  Let’s ignore the fact that we learned who does Observation as their First Cognition Step in Part 3 and find it again.

Observation is part of the Perceiving half of the cognition process, and we learned in Part 3 that Perceivers (P) Perceive first, before Judging; therefore, anyone whose First Step is Perceiving (Observation) must be a Perceiver.  So someone who starts with Extraverted Compilation must be a P.

We also learned in Part 3 that if a person looks outside themselves first for information, in other words if they Extravert their First Step, then we call that person an Extravert (E).  So if someone’s First Step is *Extraverted* Compilation, then they must be an E.

So if a person’s uses Extraverted Compilation as their First Cognition Step, then they must be an EP.  And guess what?!  We learned in Part 3 that EPs’ First Cognition Step is *Observation!*  Yaaay!!!

We learned in Part 3 that if a person uses a Universal Toi (Type of Information) first, that it makes them a “Universal” type, and it also means that they use Principles before Action, while if a person uses a Specific Toi first, they’re a “Specific” type and they’ll use Action before Principles.

Well, you’ll also see that Universal cognition types start first with Compiling zoomed-out information to see how things always work.  Specific cognition types start with Applying zoomed-in information to specific circumstances.  Makes sense, right?

EPs use Universal Action (Observation & Motivations) first, so they’re Universal types, and they use Extraverted Compilation first!  See how everything fits together and cross-checks?  It makes it stupidly hard to explain simply, but it’s also really cool, imho.

Alright, let’s go through these Function-Combos a little faster, shall we?

So again, a cognition process starting with Extraverted Compilation: Always used for Perceiving; therefore P.  Extraverted; therefore E.  Compilation; therefore Universal.  EP, starting with Universal Action; Observation & Motivations using either Se (Extraverted Sensing) or Ne (Extraverted iNtuition).

A cognition process starting with Introverted Application:  Always used for Perceiving; therefore P.  Introverted; therefore I.  Application; therefore Specific.  IP, starting with Specific Information; Data & Details using either Fi (Introverted Feeling) or Ti (Introverted Thinking).

Now, the Judging Function-Combinations might seem more complicated, but we do know they’re always used for Judging even if they’re used for different Tois.  We also know that if a person uses Judging first, then they’re a Judger (J), so from that we know that they’ll be using the Function-Combos in Judger ways.

 A cognition process starting with Introverted Compilation: Always used for Judging; therefore J.  Introverted; therefore I.  Compilation; therefore Universal.  IJ, starting with Universal Information; Principles & Trends using either Si (Introverted Sensing) or Ni (Introverted iNtuition).

 

A cognition process starting with Extraverted Application: Always used for Judging; therefore J.  Extraverted; therefore E.  Application; therefore Specific.  EJ, starting with Specific Action; Actions & Consequences using either Fe (Extraverted Feeling) or Te (Extraverted Thinking).

See how all the possibilities are covered?  Each Function-Combo is used first by *someone,* and the rest of their functions follow from their First Step, just like everyone’s cognition order followed from the first Type of Information they used.  It’s so interweaving and perdy! <3  And all the options possible, based on the definitions, exist!  All the bases are covered!

Okay.  /end geek-out.  But here we now have 8 types:

Step One

If a person’s First Cognition Step is Observation & Motivations via Se, then they’re an ESP, an Extraverted Sensing Perceiver.  (See how that works?  They’re using Perceiving, Extraversion and Sensing first?  I swear all the multi-post lead-up was important, even though the end result is that simple. 😛  That’s all that ESP means, this is their First Cognition Step.)  That means they start their cognition process by watching individuals to compile possibilities and to understand motives based on their experiences of what they’ve seen people do.

 

If a person’s First Cognition Step is Observation & Motivations via Ne, then they’re an ENP, an Extraverted iNtuitive Perceiver.  That means they start their cognition process by watching individuals in order to compile possibilities and to understand motives based on concepts of what people can do and how people work conceptually.

 

If a person’s First Cognition Step is Data & Details via Fi, then they’re an IFP, an Introverted Feeling Perceiver.  That means they start their cognition process by pondering the details of a situation in order to understand and apply the inherent significance of specific situations and to ask questions that help them discover meaningful possibilities.

 

If a person’s First Cognition Step is Data & Details via Ti, then they’re an ITP, an Introverted Thinking Perceiver.  That means they start their cognition process by pondering the details of a situation in order to understand and apply the inherent benefits of specific situations and to ask questions that help them discover useful possibilities.

 

If a person’s First Cognition Step is Principles & Trends via Si, they’re an ISJ, an Introverted Sensing Judger.  That means they start their cognition process by pondering on how the world has worked in their experience in order to compile core principles of how things always work, and predict trends of how things will continue to work.

 

If a person’s First Cognition Step is Principles & Trends via Ni, they’re an INJ, an Introverted iNtuitive Judger.  That means they start their cognition process by pondering on how the world works in concept, in order to compile core principles of how things always work, and predict trends of how things could work.

 

If a person’s First Cognition Step is Action & Consequences via Fe, they’re an EFJ, an Extraverted Feeling Judger.  That means they start their cognition process by watching the cause-and-effect of people’s choices in order to understand and apply the inherent significance of decisions and to chart the most meaningful course of action ahead of them.

 

If a person’s First Cognition Step is Action & Consequences via Te, they’re an ETJ, an Extraverted Thinking Judger.  That means they start their cognition process by watching the cause-and-effect of people’s choices in order to understand and apply the inherent benefits of decisions and to chart the most useful course of action ahead of them.

 

Quoth Brian Regan profoundly, “Say EIGHT!!”  Here we now have eight cognitive types, which cover all the possible options.  We multiplied the 4Toi (Four Types of Information), by two possible functions for each one (two Compilation and two Application) to get eight types.  But you may remember I said there were sixteen unique cognition processes.  Well, let’s cleave them in two again by using the *Second* Step of the cognition process. :O

Step Two

For everyone’s Second Cognition Step, they finish out either Judging or Perceiving and they switch whether they’re Compiling or Applying information, as well as whether they’re looking outside or inside (Extraverting or Introverting functions).

If a person’s Second Cognition Step is Data & Details via Fi, then they’re an EFP, an Extraverted Feeling Perceiver.  That means they ponder on what their observations from their First Step can show them about the details of a situation in order to understand and apply the inherent significance of specific situations and to ask questions that help them discover meaningful possibilities.

 

If a person’s Second Cognition Step is Data & Details via Ti, then they’re an ETP, an Extraverted Thinking Perceiver.  That means they ponder on what their observations from their First Step can show them about the details of a situation in order to understand and apply the inherent benefits of specific situations and to ask questions that help them discover useful possibilities.

If a person’s Second Cognition Step is Observation & Motivations via Se, then they’re an ISP, an Introverted Sensing Perceiver.  That means they watch to see what their situational conclusions from their First Step can show them about individuals in order to compile possibilities and to understand motives based on their experiences of what they’ve seen people do.

 

If a person’s Second Cognition Step is Observation & Motivations via Ne, then they’re an INP, an Introverted iNtuitive Perceiver.  That means they watch to see what their situational conclusions from their First Step can show them about individuals in order to compile possibilities and to understand motives based on concepts of what people can do and how people work conceptually.

 

If a person’s Second Cognition Step is Action & Consequences via Fe, they’re an IFJ, an Introverted Feeling Judger.  That means they watch to see what the universal trends from their First Step can show them about the cause-and-effect of people’s choices in order to understand and apply the inherent significance of decisions and to chart the most meaningful course of action ahead of them.

 

If a person’s Second Cognition Step is Action & Consequences via Te, they’re an ITJ, an Introverted Thinking Judger.  That means they watch to see what the universal trends from their First Step can show them about the cause-and-effect of people’s choices in order to understand and apply the inherent benefit of decisions and to chart the most useful course of action ahead of them.

 

If a person’s Second Cognition Step is Principles & Trends via Si, they’re an ESJ, an Extraverted Sensing Judger.  That means they ponder on what the cause-and-effect from their First Step can show them about how the world has worked in experience, in order to compile core principles of how things always work, and predict trends of how things will continue to work.

 

If a person’s Second Cognition Step is Principles & Trends via Ni, they’re an ENJ, an Extraverted iNtuitive Judger.  That means they ponder on what the cause-and-effect from their First Step can show them about how the world works in concept, in order to compile core principles of how things always work, and predict trends of how things could work.

 

See, and just from that we see how a person’s first two cognition steps determines their cognitive type!!  We get four letters for each type based on just those two steps!

Now, you *could* potentially figure out everyone’s last two steps by yourself from the cognition order we talked about in Part 3 and our Function-Combinations from Part 4, but I’m not going to make you do that, and I want to point things out as we finish these up.

Alright, so we know that everyone uses all Four Types of Information and all four functions, so by process of elimination, in the second half of the cognition process, everyone uses the two Tois and functions they haven’t yet, according to the Function-Combinations: Perceivers Judge, Judgers Perceive.

For Step Three, everyone switches whether they’re looking inside or outside again (I/E) but the Compilation/Application relationship is interesting between Steps Two and Three.

Remember how I pointed out in the last post that Judgers’ cognition order is a Universal or Specific sandwich, with Perceivers getting like a weird mayo on the outside thing?  Well, what everyone does have, cognitively speaking, is a Compilation or Application sandwich… by which I mean that Universal types use Compilation Functions on either end of their cognition process, with Application Functions in the middle, and Specific types use Application Functions on either end, with Compilation Functions in the middle.

Universal – C -> A -> A -> C
Specific  – A -> C -> C -> A

(ACA were my maiden initials.  Calise is my middle name.  I miss the palindrome :’( lol)

This is because the translation between the Judging and Perceiving halves of the cognition process is made possible by staying either zoomed-out or zoomed-in, so either Compiling or Applying, even when we go to repeat the cognition process over again.

So as everyone switches to Judging or Perceiving on Step Three, they continue either Compiling or Applying, but with a function they haven’t used yet, and switching whether they’re using that function inside or outside.

And that makes sense, because Judging and Perceiving both have one Compilation Function and one Application Function, and one Extraverted function and one Introverted function, right?  And we don’t repeat Function-Combinations.

So if Compilation and Application are making a sandwich (eg. ACCA), and Extraversion and Introversion are alternating (eg. eiei…o 😉 lol), then they never line up the same way twice.  And that’s exactly what we’re looking for everyone to get to use all four Function-Combos!  (And interestingly, those examples together, ACCA and eiei, would *always* be an EJ cognition process, because it’s starting with Application and Extraversion. :))

Also remember, Third Step is where our Perceivers start doing their toolbox thing, of Compiling Action and Applying Principles.  {And it’s neat to observe that Perceivers always Extravert Universal Tois, and Introvert Specific ones.  Makes sense that Perceivers would gather their understanding of how the world works on a Universal scale from perceiving the outside themselves, right?  Whereas Judgers always match up Compilation with Universal.}

The transition between the Second and Third Steps is really cool too, because it’s unique to each cognition order, in a way that fits their cognition perfectly:

EPs are the only ones that find world Trends directly from situational Data.

IPs are the only ones that compile what Actions are possible directly from Observing individuals.

IJs are the only ones that gather situational Data directly from Consequences.

And EJs are the only ones that gather their Observations of individuals’ motivations directly from seeing how the world works in Principle.

Step Three

If a person’s Third Cognition Step is Principles & Trends via Te, they’re an EFP, an Extraverted Feeling Perceiver.  That means they watch to see what their situational conclusions from their Second Step can show them about the benefit of the world and what’s occurring in it, in order to understand their personal principles about what is the most use to them and to watch for useful trends.

 

If a person’s Third Cognition Step is Principles & Trends via Fe, they’re an ETP, an Extraverted Thinking Perceiver.  That means they watch to see what their situational conclusions from their Second Step can show them about the significance of the world and what’s occurring in it, in order to understand their personal principles about what means the most to them and to watch for meaningful trends.

 

If a person’s Third Cognition Step is Action & Consequences via Ni, they’re an ISP, an Introverted Sensing Perceiver.  That means they ponder on what their observations from their Second Step can show them about the cause-and-effect of people’s choices in order to understand and compile how decisions and consequences work in core concept and to discover what new actions are possible.

 

If a person’s Third Cognition Step is Action & Consequences via Si, they’re an INP, an Introverted iNtuitive Perceiver.  That means they ponder on what their observations from their Second Step can show them about the cause-and-effect of people’s choices in order to understand and compile how decisions and consequences work based on their experience and to consider what actions have worked the best in the past.

 

If a person’s Third Cognition Step is Data & Details via Ti, then they’re an IFJ, an Introverted Feeling Judger.  That means they ponder on what the cause-and-effect from their Second Step can show them about the details of a situation in order to understand and apply the inherent benefits of specific situations and to ask questions that help them discover useful possibilities.

 

If a person’s Third Cognition Step is Data & Details via Fi, then they’re an ITJ, an Introverted Thinking Judger.  That means they ponder on what the cause-and-effect from their Second Step can show them about the details of a situation in order to understand and apply the inherent significance of specific situations and to ask questions that help them discover meaningful possibilities.

 

If a person’s Third Cognition step is Observation & Motivations via Ne, then they’re an ESJ, an Extraverted Sensing Judger.  That means they watch to see what the universal trends from their Second Step can show them about individuals in order to compile possibilities and to understand motives based on concepts of what people can do and how people work conceptually.

 

If a person’s Third Cognition step is Observation & Motivations via Se, then they’re an ENJ, an Extraverted iNtuitive Judger.  That means they watch to see what the universal trends from their Second Step can show them about individuals in order to compile possibilities and to understand motives based on their experiences of what they’ve seen people do.

 

There’s not much more to say before Step Four; it’s the last one left, both Toi and Function-Combination.  It’s the end of our C/A sandwich and always opposite E/I of our First Step.  It’s always going to be where our minds spend the least time too, and therefore the biggest struggle for us, but we’ll talk more about that later.

Step Four

If a person’s Fourth Cognition Step is Action & Consequences via Ni, they’re an ESP, an Extraverted Sensing Perceiver.  That means they watch to see what the universal trends from their Third Step can show them about the cause-and-effect of people’s choices in order to understand and compile how decisions and consequences work in core concept and to discover what new actions are possible.

 

If a person’s Fourth Cognition Step is Action & Consequences via Si, they’re an ENP, an Extraverted iNtuitive Perceiver.  That means they watch to see what the universal trends from their Third Step can show them about the cause-and-effect of people’s choices in order to understand and compile how decisions and consequences work based on their experience and to consider what actions have worked the best in the past.

 

If a person’s Fourth Cognition Step is Principles & Trends via Te, they’re an IFP, an Introverted Feeling Perceiver.  That means they watch to see what the cause-and-effect from their Third Step can show them about the benefit of the world and what’s occurring in it, in order to understand their personal principles about what is the most use to them and to watch for useful trends.

 

If a person’s Fourth Cognition Step is Principles & Trends via Fe, they’re an ITP, an Introverted Thinking Perceiver.  That means they watch to see what the cause-and-effect from their Third Step can show them about the significance of the world and what’s occurring in it, in order to understand their personal principles about what means the most to them and to watch for meaningful trends.

 

If a person’s Fourth Cognition Step is Observation & Motivations via Ne, then they’re an ISJ, an Introverted Sensing Judger.  That means they watch to see what their situational conclusions from their Third Step can show them about individuals in order to compile possibilities and to understand motives based on concepts of what people can do and how people work conceptually.

 

If a person’s Fourth Cognition Step is Observation & Motivations via Se, then they’re an INJ, an Introverted iNtuitive Judger.  That means they watch to see what their situational conclusions from their Third Step can show them about individuals in order to compile possibilities and to understand motives based on their experiences of what they’ve seen people do.

 

If a person’s Fourth Cognition Step is Data & Details via Ti, then they’re an EFJ, an Extraverted Feeling Judger.  That means they ponder on what their observations from their Second Step can show them about the details of a situation in order to understand and apply the inherent benefits of specific situations and to ask questions that help them discover useful possibilities.

 

If a person’s Fourth Cognition Step is Data & Details via Fi, then they’re an ETJ, an Extraverted Thinking Judger.  That means they ponder on what their observations from their Second Step can show them about the details of a situation in order to understand and apply the inherent significance of specific situations and to ask questions that help them discover meaningful possibilities.

 

And that, my friends, is all the cognition steps for all sixteen cognition orders!!  Let’s look at the sixteen cognition processes of our resulting four-variable types!

ESFP – Observation via Se -> Data via Fi -> Principles via Te -> Action via Ni

ESTP – Observation via Se -> Data via Ti -> Principles via Fe -> Action via Ni

ENFP – Observation via Ne -> Data via Fi -> Principles via Te -> Action via Si

ENTP – Observation via Ne -> Data via Ti -> Principles via Fe -> Action via Si
(This one is my cognition order ^ :D)

ISFP – Data via Fi -> Observation via Se -> Action via Ni -> Principles via Te

ISTP – Data via Ti -> Observation via Se -> Action via Ni -> Principles via Fe

INFP – Data via Fi -> Observation via Ne -> Action via Si -> Principles via Te

INTP – Data via Ti -> Observation via Ne -> Action via Si -> Principles via Fe

ISFJ – Principles via Si -> Action via Fe -> Data via Ti -> Observation via Ne

ISTJ – Principles via Si -> Action via Te -> Data via Fi -> Observation via Ne

INFJ – Principles via Ni -> Action via Fe -> Data via Ti -> Observation via Se

INTJ – Principles via Ni -> Action via Te -> Data via Fi -> Observation via Se

ESFJ – Action via Fe -> Principles via Si -> Observation via Ne -> Data via Ti

ESTJ – Action via Te -> Principles via Si -> Observation via Ne -> Data via Fi

ENFJ – Action via Fe -> Principles via Ni -> Observation via Se -> Data via Ti

ENTJ – Action via Te -> Principles via Ni -> Observation via Se -> Data via Fi

Here’s a link to all four of those in one picture, on my Pinterest.  Feel free to save/share it for reference.

Great Scott, we made it!!  *You* made it!  And now you know what all those little picture symbols and Ne, Ti, Si, etc. really mean… here on aLBoP anyway. 😉  I take no responsibility for what they mean anywhere else.

While the second half of the cognition process is not as high a priority for our minds as the first half, it’s still an essential part of how our minds work.   Remember, we all use all Four Types of Information and we all use all four functions.  While a Thinker doesn’t prioritize meaning as early as a Feeler in their cognition process, the way Ts use meaning is integral to the way they cognate.  Same deal with Feelers and use, Sensors with concepts and iNtuitives with experiences.  While not our prime objectives, our later steps are precious parts of who we are and how we think, ones that contribute back to our central desires.

In the same way that Perceivers use Judging in an essential, toolbox way that helps them use possibilities and situations better, Judgers’ use of Perceiving is essential to their understanding of the world and consequences with complexity and balance.

Now, that being said, our later steps, and especially our last steps, are always our weakest, because our minds just don’t spend as much time there.  As finite beings, we’re limited and we just don’t have enough mental energy to spend equally on everything, and our cognition process is all about prioritizing, in a good way.

We also tend to be insecure when it comes to our later steps, especially the last one.  But this ends up being a vicious cycle when our insecurity impels us to focus too heavily on those later steps.  In fact, when we’re insecure or scared in general, we tend to hang out at our Last Step.  When we do this, we ignore crucial things that our First Cognition Step is telling us and make terrible errors in judgment, choices and overall understanding.

Our First Cognition Step is first because deep down we love it the most, and because we spend the most time there, that’s what we’re naturally best at.  It gives us nuanced information that we just can’t get from our later steps.  And when we fixate on our later steps, we end up getting less able in our First Step, which is just a mess.

The answer is to return to the North Star stability of your First Step, and focus on discovering what it’s really telling you.  Strengthening your cognitive strengths, it seems, naturally helps your cognitive weaknesses grow stronger too.  Works Every. Single. Time.

But you’ve been told that what your mind prioritizes just isn’t good enough, that it’s not smart enough, important enough, cool enough or responsible enough.  “Why can’t you just be more like *not* you?” our culture demands of us.

That’s one thing that all the types have in common: they’re all pressured to be someone else.  We’re all pressured to feel guilty for specializing in the things we love the most.  We all get told that the way we think is broken and wrong.

But cognition isn’t supposed to limit what you’re *allowed* to do or be.   When done correctly, understanding your cognition should be *permission* to do and be the fullest version of you; permission to love the things you love the most.   Permission to see that the way you think is good and not broken.  And help to see that you, *as you,* can become the hero you’ve always wanted to be.

In Part 6, we’ll talk about the who and the why of cognition, what each cognition type specializes in better than any other type.

But, guuuuys!!  You made it through the entire cognition process!!!  /Party for you!  While understanding the physics of thought has literally *endless* applications, now you know the foundations that all the applications build upon.  We still have plenty of Super Simple to go, but now it’s just the cool results of these immensely simple patterns.  These sixteen options cover all the possibilities, and we need that diversity of people and specializations.

Now that the entire cognition process itself has been given the Super Simple treatment, I may not rush Part 6 nearly as much as I rushed Parts 3, 4 and 5.  After all, there’s already a pretty good, relatively straightforward post called Type Specializations: What Makes *My* Type Special, and while I’ll love to put it through the Super-Simple-O-Matic (-_- believe me, there is nothing automated about writing these, ROFL!) it’s not nearly as urgent.

Oh, and if you want to read my first description of the cognition process, written more confusingly but in somewhat more detail, and stick figures ;), check out The Cognition Process in Stick Figures.  You, being a pro at the cognition process now, should totally be able to handle it, and I *am* still pretty proud of the cute stick figures, considering that post was written almost three years ago now.  (Although, please forgive words like “linear” for Sensing, etc.  aLBoP was super baby at that point and we were still defining our terms and learning how much we needed to differentiate ourselves from other typing systems.  Stuff like that makes me super cringey when I look back at my early posts, but the SSS is a chance for me to remedy all that! 😀  It’s super incredible what you can learn to do better in just a few years!!)

On the aLBoP Guided Tour?  For now, until there’s more Super Simple, What Do All These Letters Mean Anyway? is up next!