Carl Gustav Jung defined intuitives (abstract/theoretically minded people/thinkers) as people with a different cognitive way of processing the external world than sensors (practically minded people/doers). Intuitives are often described as “absent-minded” and “overthinkers” and due to to this fact also as “clumsy” and “accident-prone” prone people. On the flip side, intuitives also tend to be highly social, highly intelligent and have a heightened sense of justice and equality.
Intuitives as personality type only show up in the Myers-Briggs system and not in the Big 5, which is considered more scientific due to the use of statistical tools. In my mind, intuition actually does show in the Big 5, but is incorrectly labelled “neuroticism. Even though intuitives who grow up in stressful environments tend to become highly neurotic, they are not inherently emotionally unstable. A gene for neuroticism would not make sense from an evolutionary point of view. Neither would a gene for “overthinking” or “clumsiness”. Intution also correlates with "openness to new experiences", which also involves estrogen. All in all personality is a cockatail of hormeons (dopamin, oxcytocin, etrogen, testoterone, serotonin and more) which influcence each other. So, a single personality trait probably can't be pinned down on a single hormone.
Could it be, that intuitives are actually primarily not about cognition and their cognitive set is a secondary function? I think so. In physiological terms, intuitives have an “overdose” of oxytocin, the love/monogamy/cuddle hormone, expressed by an allele of the gene OXTR (oxytocin receptor) (probably variant AA (MBTI nype NT) AG (MBTI type NF/SF? vs GG (ST/SF), i.e. rs2254298). What this gene primarily does is making its carriers (hypersocial) more monogamous breeders with increased paternal investment (in particular emotional support vs mere breadwinner). Intuitives are typically late bloomers and extremely choosy when it comes to mating. Nowadays they tend not to get married, tend not to want children or only few children and have them late in their lives. (Well, I know, this seems to the general trend anyway, but it is more pronounced in and perhaps promoted by intuitives).
Intuitives are also often called “orchid children” because they don’t thrive in highly stressful/loveless environments. Intuitives are often highly sensitive, empathic as well as hypersocial and have evolved higher cognitive vigilance to prevent parasitism. When intuitives face an acute problem, they become restless thinkers. When they can’t solve their problems they become easily depressed and withdrawn and start to procrastinate. This is where intuitives get their inclination for neuroticism from - it’s not in their genes, but in their environment. The rapid rise of ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder and perhaps even autism can be thus explained.
A modern stressful work environment is therefore mostly undesirable to intuitives. A 10 hour job is hardly imaginable for most intuitives, who need more time to process information more deeply (aka think hard). This fact also explains, why many intuitives often don’t perform well in modern high dopamine jobs or in schools. Intuitives have high rates of highly gifted people who are notorious underperformers and procrastinators in general. Albert Einstein was unemployed for two years and then worked in a very modest position in a patent office. That, however, gave him enough time to come up with his relativity theory, the grandest idea humankind probably has produced (even though Newton and Darwin were not far behind).
Whatever happened to Terman’s termite (group of extremely highly gifted children)? One group ended up with successful jobs (typically academic, of course), like doctors (want to help people), lawyers (motivated by justice for all) and university professors (absent minded overthinkers). Another group, however ended up in low paid jobs. Now, imagine all the gifted people who were never identified, failed in school and became crazy and/or homeless.
In our modern world intuitives are “Under Pressure” and easily become “people at the edge of the night” like David Bowie already saw clearly in the early 80s:
It's the terror of knowing what the world is about
Watching some good friends screaming
"Let me out!"
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets
(words by David Bowie)
To end this article on a positive note: intutives also have a great sense of humour and love to laugh. Oxitocyin is also the hormone of laughter and smile (important bonding functions). So, if this world gets you down, don't forget to laugh.
If life seems jolly rotten there's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing
And always look on the bright side of life
(Monty Python)
to Alyona, my beloved wife
The part about giftedness is dedicated to Scott Barry Kaufman, an intuitive professor who shares his knowledge and work for free via social media and is not above personally communicating with his followers! What a cool guy you are, my brother in arms!
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