Analytic extraverted Sensing (aka The Mover) in Relationships

Adapted from this video

This is the first post in a series where I’ll share what the eight Jungian functions in their two Nardian analytic or holistic flavors look like, and specifically how they might show up in romantic relationships. In addition to my own experiences and interpretations, these are the resources I quote and/or reference:

• Berens, L. V. and Nardi, D. (2004) Understanding Yourself and Others, An Introduction to the Personality Type Code, p.7 https://amzn.to/3Glt53J

• Jones, J. H. and Sherman, R. G. (2011) Intimacy and Type, p. 34 https://amzn.to/47NHe5k

• Jung, C. G. (1976 edition) Psychological Types (The Collected Works), p.362ff https://amzn.to/46CJGuy

• Nardi, D. (2023) Decode Your Personality - Go Beyond Myers-Briggs With 64 Brain-Based Subtypes, p. 328ff https://amzn.to/3GoU6mL

• Thomson, L. (1998) Personality Type, An Owners Manual, p. 35 https://amzn.to/4a3mxEy

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss Psychiatrist who published the theory of psychological types in 1921.

Dr. Dario Nardi is a prolific researcher, author, and Senior Lecturer at UCLA. He found evidence of psychological types and their flavors in the neuroscience data captured by EEG assessments he’s completed with hundreds of participants.

A few caveats before we begin, just to manage expectations:

1, these posts describe the functions in their purest state. Functions rarely show up in their purest state, as they interact with other functions and your brain is really active doing multiple things at any given time, like it’s regulating your body temperature and heart rate right now. So, you may not resonate with 100% of the description of this function 100% of the time, and that is ok.

2, these posts describe the function for this function type. You may not be this particular function type, which means this function may not be at the top or dominant in your consciousness. That’s ok, too, because it’s still in your system, you still have access to it, and paying attention to this function may help you recognize when it pops up out of your subconscious, so you can practice integrating it consciously. That will give you better control over it and you can reap its benefits.

With that, let’s move from the broad to the specific, starting with

1. the function Sensation as Jung called it, or Sensing which is also used to describe it as a process, and then

2. the function attitude extraverted Sensing,

3. then the flavor, analytic extraverted Sensing,

4. and finally what it looks like in relationships.

Sensing

The Sensing function is one of the two irrational perceiving functions.

Irrational, because it’s just about experiencing, and perceiving because that’s literally what it’s doing.

The Sensing function helps us focus on direct sensory experiences through sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.

It helps us appreciate objective facts and circumstances with excellent powers of observation.

It is pragmatic and precise, literal and useful, but also sensuous and geared towards pleasure.

Dr. Linda Berens describes it this way:

“Sensing is a process of becoming aware of tangible, sensory information and often involves responding to that information without any judgment or evaluation of it. In the Sensing process, the focus is on the actual experience, the facts, and the data - the reality of things and making that reality more clear and vivid. As an active perceptual process, it is more than a stimulation of the five senses. It is the registration of that stimulation and actively being drawn outward to what is experienced and acting on the concrete realities of a situation, or inward to recollections of familiar experiences.”

If you have an S in your type code, you probably agree that this is how you like to take in and process information.

extraverted Sensing

Here’s how Jung himself described the extraverted Sensation Type:

“No other human type can equal the extraverted sensation type in realism. His sense for objective facts is extraordinarily developed. His life is an accumulation of actual experiences of concrete objects, and the more pronounced his type, the less use does he make of his experience.”

In other words, dominant extraverted Sensing types, so ESTP and ESFP, pay attention to all concrete exterior things and people. I should note that Jung uses “objects” to denote anything outside of a person, and “subject” for anything pertaining to the person.

“Objects are valued in so far as they excite sensations, (…) whether they are compatible with rational judgments or not.” In other words, just because someone is focusing only on realistic facts doesn’t mean they’re automatically rational people.

Jung also added that Se is about enjoyment and living life to the full, though not necessarily without consideration for others:

“His whole aim is concrete enjoyment, and his morality is oriented accordingly. Indeed, true enjoyment has its own special morality, its own moderation and lawfulness, its own unselfishness and willingness to make sacrifices. (…) He dresses well, he keeps a good table with plenty of drink for his friends, giving them to understand that his refined taste entitles him to make a few demands of them. He may even convince them that certain sacrifices are decidedly worth while for the sake of style.”

Jung says that the Se Type “reduces his thoughts and feelings to objective causes” and that anything that might come up from the inside is viewed as “morbid and suspect”, so it’s not trusted. Moreover, any physical sensation will not be acknowledged as something psychological, but explained with concrete external realities, like the temperature. The more one-sided this person becomes, i.e. only focusing on external sensations and impressions, the less agreeable they become, “a crude pleasure-seeker, or an unscrupulous aesthete.”

Analytic Flavor

Dr. Nardi analyzed EEG data from his participants and found two distinct brain wirings. The one we’re looking at here is the analytic style, or flavor, or energy.

• It is focused on a goal, it filters out distractions, and it looks like clarity and confidence.

• That’s not to say it’s simplistic, it considers the complexities of a situation and includes relevant variables.

• Its approach is top-down, so it’s driving the situation with a point in mind.

• It likes to solve problems quickly using familiar tools, and can be unaware of their own biases.

• It’s often more visual.

• It pays attention to what is being said, like facts, figures, rules, methods, and labels.

• Thinking is often literal to the specific context, and they often describe using analogies.

• In business, it’s more comfortable with hierarchy, defined roles and leadership.

• Likely careers for those with an analytical style include business, engineering, finance, law, the military, hard sciences and tech.

Dario calls the analytic extraverted sensing type the “mover”.

Movers are physically active, they move themselves and others. They tackle problems directly and are alert for relevant data. Their style might come across as aggressive and they like to court danger. They focus on actionable options for tangible, bottom-line results. These types tend to be impulsive and strong, and when they’re overdoing it can come across as crude.

Relationship insights

Dating

Generally speaking, extraverted Sensing types are charming, confident, and socially very adept. Jung says extraverted Sensing love is “unquestionably rooted in the physical attractions of its object.” and that when it’s overdone, Se can become neurotic and the repressed introverted Intuition comes out as projections like jealous fantasies, anxiety, and maybe even compulsive behaviors including “magical superstitions”.

With the analytic flavor, this type of person might exude animal magnetism, and you may be attracted to their courage or force of life. As movers, they like to be physically fit and active as well, so a typical date is less likely to be sit-down dinner and a movie, unless it’s like a super cool spicy exciting restaurant, and more likely something like a hike, a bike-ride, or white-water rafting, or any activity that is done in vigorous ways.

Mating

This is the type who likes to court danger and chase the next adrenaline rush, so they’re likely open to open relationships for the variety and freedom they allow. People with this function high up in their consciousness have probably explored different styles of kink, and it probably doesn’t take a lot of convincing to have sex is unusual places. Since they love to take risks, make sure you bring your own barrier methods and contraception. Bottom line, this is not your vanilla missionary style person, and experimentation is the name of the game.

Relating

As a partner, life with them will be adventurous, spontaneous, never dull, and fun. They will get you out of your comfort zone, and show you their affection in physical ways. You can show your love by letting them know you trust them, and communicating clearly and directly. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Since they’re living in and for the moment here and now, they might resist any long-term plans unless those sound like fun. They need and enjoy a lot of freedom, and if they do agree to go to counseling together, they’ll be looking for practical solutions for current, practical problems.

Again, this information is meant as an overview of the function and its analytic flavor, it cannot describe all the nuances and individual idiosyncrasies - but I hope you now have a better idea. If you think you have an analytical flavor of extraverted Sensing, or a partner of that type, I’d love to hear about your experiences!