Se (Extraverted Sensing) and Ne (Extraverted Intuition) are two of the most energetic functions in Jung’s system. Both thrive on the new, the unexpected, and the ever-changing. Yet the kind of “newness” they chase couldn’t be more different: Se wants direct experiences in the real world, while Ne wants possibilities in the conceptual world. Here’s how to recognize the difference.
Why Se and Ne Get Confused
- Both are energetic, outward, and exploratory.
- Se: chases what’s here now (the raw physical environment).
- Ne: chases what could be (the conceptual possibilities).
→ From the outside, both can look restless, curious, excitable, and adaptive.
- Both adapt in real time.
- Se adapts to shifts in the sensory environment.
- Ne adapts to shifts in ideas, patterns, and connections.
→ To others, it can look like they’re both “improvisers.”
- Both can scatter attention.
- Se: scattered across many sensations, experiences, and thrills.
- Ne: scattered across many ideas, possibilities, and hypotheticals.
How They Differ
| Se (Extraverted Sensing) | Ne (Extraverted Intuition) |
|---|---|
| Attuned to physical reality, the immediate present. | Attuned to conceptual reality, the “what ifs.” |
| Notices colors, textures, movements, micro-expressions. | Notices patterns, links, wordplay, metaphors, archetypes. |
| Thrives on direct experience: action, risk, adrenaline. | Thrives on mental experience: speculation, novelty, scenarios. |
| Grounded in “what is.” | Explores “what could be.” |
| Impulsive in the body (“Let’s try it now, jump in, taste it!”). | Impulsive in the mind (“What if we tried this version? Or that? Or another?”). |
| Seeks intensity and presence. | Seeks options and divergence. |
Example
- Se: “Look at that sunset — the sky’s bleeding into orange and violet. Let’s climb that hill now and get a better view.”
- Ne: “That sunset makes me think of endings… like how civilizations collapse. What if humans migrated to Mars — the sunsets there would be blue. Imagine the stories we’d tell.”
Both start from external stimulation (sunset), but:
- Se stays in the raw sensation.
- Ne spins into associative possibilities.
Core Difference
- Se = immersion in actuality.
- Ne = proliferation of potentiality.
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