Of the four personality preferences, the gap is widest between Sensors and Intuitives. While the population is split roughly 50/50 on the other dimensions, a full 70% of people prefer Sensing over Intuition. This can lead to quantum differences in personality, and Intuitives may spend a lifetime feeling like the odd man out.
Because Intuitives are the minority, the onus is on them to adjust to the Sensor way of thinking. Here are some points to help you overcome the communication barrier so you can start enjoying a Sensor’s company.
The Perceiving Function, Distilled
In a nutshell, the difference between Sensors and Intuitives is this: Sensors prefer tangible information, whereas Intuitives prefer speculation and depth of insight. So, while a Sensor will perceive data points individually (one by one) and literally (as they are in that moment), an Intuitive will perceive them concurrently (all at once) and abstractly (as they could be in the future).
Let’s look at an example. Here’s how a Sensor might experience a flight:
- This takeoff is bumpy.
- My ears hurt.
- It’s chilly in this airplane.
- There’s a man sitting beside me.
- He’s reading the book that I read last month.
You can see that the information a Sensor gets is highly factual. They make very specific observations about the things that are going on around them, and they do not attribute any meaning to those observations.
Read more: The Intuitive’s Guide to Getting Along With Sensors | Truity
