Email:
I noticed you listed Zizek as ENTP but he seems much more INTJ. First, his prime function is overwhelmingly Ni. Ni starts with a goal or problem in mind and then works backwards to determine the most effective way to unite all the different interpretations of that problem into the most effective plan of action.
Zizek being a communist often begins with the problem (capitalism) and then arrives at a flurry of perspectives using Marxism, psychoanalysis, Hegalianism etc. to examine it. He is often faulted for taking as a given the reader takes capitalism to be the problem. This leads to another INTJ habit: INTJs are uncomfortable with details if they conflict with the overall Ni theory or vision and tend to just ignore those that don’t.
Response:
1
The problem with the functions is that there are no good definitions online so a lot of people just try to make their own. For example, your quoted definition:
“Ni starts with a goal or problem in mind and then works backwards to determine the most effective way to unite all the different interpretations of that problem into the most effective plan of action.”
Is not a valid definition of Ni. It is true that Ni tends to unite different perspectives into a synthesis, but by itself, Ni does not “start with a goal or problem in mind” – Ni is a perception function. To “start with a goal or problem in mind” is the prerogative of the judging functions, i.e. Thinking and Feeling.
2
Furthermore, you say:
“Zizek being a communist often begins with the problem (capitalism) and then arrives at a flurry of perspectives using Marxism, psychoanalysis, Hegalianism etc. to examine it.”
But this is really Ne, not Ni: Ne starts from one thing and then produces a flurry of perspectives. Ni starts from a flurry of things and then produces one synthetic perspective. As our taglines for the intuitive functions say, Ne goes from the one to the many, and Ni goes from the many to the one.
3
You then postulate an “INTJ habit,” namely:
“INTJs are uncomfortable with details if they conflict with the overall Ni theory or vision and tend to just ignore those that don’t. “
No, that’s Ti. Ti is the function that pursues the overall theory and then leaves the facts on the table. In an INTJ, Te is inductive, so according to a priori function analysis, INTJs do not purposefully leave facts that are relevant to their vision on the table, but try to account for them, even in cases where it is sometimes insensible to do so. Thus, when examined, all of your three examples point to Zizek actually having Ne and Ti, not Ni and Te.
References:
1: Our claim is that Ni does not start with goals or problems, but is concerned with perception. Jung says that Ni is concerned with perceiving possibilities and unconscious images: “As a rule, the [Ni type] stops at perception … and the shaping of perception.” (Psychological Types §661) I.e. Ni is concerned with the descriptive, not the normative aspect of the psyche. Jung also says that the pure Ni type (if there was such a thing) “has little inclination to make a moral problem of perception.” (Psychological Types §661) All in all, Ni is concerned with images and possibilities; it is Te or Fe that use these perceptions in the aid of problem solving.
2: Our claim is that Ni is more synthetic and appears more singular than Ne in its outward presentation. Van der Hoop writes: “[With Ni types] only one aspect, and not the most important, objectively speaking, is brought forward.” (Conscious Orientation p. 184) Of the Ne types, he writes: “[Ne] is a very flexible function, permitting insights into ever fresh possibilities and associations in the surrounding world. … [He is] leaping from idea to idea.” (Ibid. pp. 180-181)
3: Our claim is that Te is inductive. Jung says: “[With Ti] facts are collected as evidence for a theory, never for their own sake. If ever this happens, it is merely a concession to the extraverted style.” (Psychological Types §628) Note that we say that INTJs do not purposefully leave facts on the table. INTJs may indeed be unheedful of the facts (having extroverted perception in the inferior position) but they do not purposefully disregard them the way Ti types do.